Tainted Magic for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

Tainted magic is a house rule that is inspired by Dungeon Crawl Classic's and ACKS's take on the magic-user class. It is intended for Lamentations of the Flame Princess, where magic-users are already considered chaotic in alignment. The rules also affect elves, but to a lesser degree.

First off, the way new spells are learned is changed. The magic-user or elf doesn't really require a spell book. He gains a repertoire of spells. The repertoire for each level is equal to the number of spells the magic-user or elf can cast plus his INT modifier. Thus a 1st-level magic-user with an Intelligence of 13 would know two 1st-level spells.

When a magic-user or elf gains access to new spells, he can either choose among those spells he found during adventuring, or he rolls on the spell tables for the magic-user, or a combination of both. It takes one week per spell to add them to the repertoire.

To cast a spell, a magic-user has to roll a spellcheck (1d20 + Level + INT modifier) with a difficulty class of 10 + 2x spell level. If he succeeds on the roll, the spell takes effect and he retains the spell to be cast again. On a failure, the spell cannot be cast anymore before sleeping. Also, on a failure the spell doesn't take effect.

On a natural 20, any damage rolls are maximized, the caster may select any random results instead of rolling, and the saving throw of the target of the spell is penalized by the caster's level.

On a natural 1, the spell fails and cannot be cast again that day. Also, the caster must roll a saving throw versus magic. The roll is penalized by half of the spell level (rounded up). If the roll fails, the character gains a random mutation. Mutations are rolled on table Mutations (Carcossa, p. 256). If the character is a magic-user, he also ages by a number of years determined by rolling on the aging table on the same page in Carcossa. As an elf he is immune to ageing.

Overall, magic is available more often. But a magic-user will face certain dangers using magic and he'll also be not as versatile - more akin to a 3rd Edition sorcerer.

What I learned from Indie Gaming

For the most part I think that Indie games (with some noteable exceptions) are an effort in focused game design not neccessarily intended nor useful for campaign gaming. But Indie gaming teaches us some valuable lessons, nonetheless.

1. One roll stands for success or failure

There are many games and gamemasters out there who let players roll several times for extended tasks like sneaking or opening doors. As Burning Wheel teaches us that actually reduces the chances of success of the player. Therefore, I only let the players try once at a task until the circumstances change significantly. No retries without an in-game justification beyond "it didn't work the first time". I'd rather give a modifier, if the character takes his time instead of allowing multiple rolls.

2. Social stats/skills/abilities are not to be ignored

All too often the social attributes, skills and abilities don't figure into the game at all. Players have spend their points on those stats, but they don't matter because they are never rolled. The players just play their characters convincingly and persuasively, even if their stats don't reflect that. Back in the 70ies when no social abilities beyond Charisma existed that was fine. But nowadays skills frequently model the social aspects of a character as well. I usually give a bonus to the social roll based on roleplaying, but I let people roll nonetheless.

A correlary to this rule is: gaming a social conflict like a combat encounter generates as much excitement and involvement as the combat encounter. But it should be reserved to the really important social conflicts.

3. Re-thinking failure

All too often we are in the habit of thinking of a failed roll that the character just wasn't good enough to succeed. But failure can have other dimensions. Apocalypse World/Monsterhearts/Dungeon World encourage the gamemaster to think about failure in different terms. Narratively, a failure means that the flow of the story doesn't move into the direction desired by the player. Instead it moves into the direction that the gamemaster desires. Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space applies that principle by dividing results into a "yes and...", "yes", "yes, but...", "no, but...", "no" and "no and..." spectrum. Burning Wheel states "if you can't think of an interesting outcome based on failure, don't roll". Apocalypse World gives you tools to think of interesting outcomes.

I am going to apply that principle to all games in the future. Failure just moves the story in a different direction, but doesn't stop the story. Moreover, failure doesn't necessarily mean that the character failed in their tasks, but maybe just that success did have unintended consequences and side-effects.

Example from "In the Service of the Black King": Durgar tried to use the silver sword to destroy the Tome of the Forgotten and missed his move. The action was still a success, but both items were destroyed. If the roll had been a hit, the sword would not have been destroyed.



 So, what did Indie gaming teach you?

Experience for Old School RPGs

As I've posted earlier, I don't really like how Lotfp is dependent on gaining treasure for getting experience points. Also, I would like to emphasize gaining experience for defeating monster. Yet, I also don't want to clutter my game with monster encounters. I've so far suggested to hand out more experience for monsters, but that didn't seem right either.

Now, I've read Dungeon Crawl Classics, and really like its approach to handing out XP. But DCC revamps the whole XP system. I want something more compatible with all Old School and Old School+ games. That's what I came up with:

Experience depends entirely on the subjective difficulty level of the encounter. The GM hands out experience depending on the amount of resources expended and the damage incurred by the characters. Each surviving character gets the listed award.

500 XP - The group face overwhelming danger, one or several characters died, and in the end the survivors had to flee. The survivors gain a lot of experience from their defeat.

250 XP - The group faced considerable danger, possibly one of them died, but in the end, the characters were victorious.

125 XP - The group faced difficult danger, they had to expend considerable resources, but defeated their enemies in the end.

60 XP - The group faced danger, but handily defeated them, suffering some injuries.

0 XP - The group defeated the enemies easily and barely got a scratch.

Additionally, the GM may award the following experience bonuses:

150 XP - For each trap dealt with successfully. Each character gets the listed award.

100 XP - For each trap encountered and set-off. Each surviving character gets the listed award.

100 XP - The character was role-played well and entertainingly.

100 XP - For each hex travelled.

100 XP - For each small dungeon or dungeon level explored.

Moveable parts and fiddly bits: customization in Lotfp

Something that has gone around in my head for sometime: players like to customize, they like to play with options. In Lotfp, this is a bit lacking. Sure, clerics and wizards have options regarding their spell choice and how to expand that choice. Specialists get to distribute points on common activities. Elves are spell-casters and share in the wizard's game of spell choices. But what about fighters, dwarves and halflings? They notably lack any way to customize their characters beyond chosing armor and weapons. Those are fairly standardized in Lotfp.

That is the issue I have most with Lotfp. Fighters, dwarves and halflings lack moveable parts and fiddly bits. I feel the need to address that further than with profession. Everyone is getting those.

Stay tuned.

Professions for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

This is just a quick post with the professions I came up with (heavily inspired by ACKS). My idea is, each character gains one profession at 1st level, and every 4 levels afterwards (5th, 9th, 13th, 17th). Acquiring a new profession takes 1d4 months of actually working in that profession. High intelligence grants bonus professions (Intelligence 13+ grants one bonus profession at 1st level, Intelligence 16+ grants another one at 5th level, and Intelligence 18 another one at 9th level).

This is the list each character can pick from:

Profession	Bonus
Acrobat	Increase dexterity bonus by +1.
Alchemist	Increase intelligence bonus by +1.
Archer	Gain a +1 bonus to ranged attacks.
Assassin	Gain a +1 bonus to the sneak attack skill.
Astrologer	Increase wisdom bonus by +1.
Battle mage	Gain +1 initiative when casting spells; reduce spell immunity of opponents by 10%.
Berserker	Gain +2 to attack rolls, immune to fear, -2 to AC. Lasts until end of combat.
Blacksmith	Gain a +1 bonus to the tinker skill.
Captain	Retainers check morale with a -2 bonus to the roll.
Cat burglar	Gain a +1 bonus to the climb skill.
Cavalryman	Reduce penalties for missile attacks while mounted to -2.
Conjurer	When caster takes damage while casting, he can still attach normally.
Diplomat	Receive a -2 bonus on NPC Reactions.
Enchanter	Cast charm person or sleep on person of preferred gender. Lasts  as long as character keeps playing her instrument.
Engineer	Gain a +1 bonus to the architecture skill.
Fletcher	Missile attacks gain a +1 bonus to damage.
Forester	Gain a +1 bonus to the bushcraft skill.
Gambler	Earn 1d6x10 sp per month.
Guard	Melee attacks gain a +1 bonus to damage.
Guide	Gain a +1 bonus to the search skill.
Healer	(1+INT mod) patients recover additional 1d3 hp per day.
Hermit	Gain a +1 bonus to saves vs. non-magic effects.
Hunter	Character can make ranged sneak attacks at short distance.
Knight	Gain +2 bonus determining retainers loyalty/morale.
Laborer	Increase constitution bonus by +1.
Mercenary	Increase strength bonus by +1.
Merchant	Increase charisma bonus by +1.
Minstrel	Gain a +1 bonus to the busking skill.
Monk/Nun	Gain a +1 bonus to saves vs. magic effects.
Musketeer	Gain a +1 bonus to armor class, when wearing leather armor or less.
Mystic	Caster does not have to speak to cast spells.
Necromancer	Character can cast animate dead once per week.
Peddler	Buy items for 10% less, sell items for 10% more.
Pick pocket	Gain a +1 bonus to the sleight of hands skill.
Prophet	Lawful character can cast the commune spell once per week.
Scholar	Gain a +1 bonus to the legend lore skill.
Scout	Character needs only 4 hours of sleep to be completely rested.
Scribe	Gain a +1 bonus to the languages skill.
Sharpshooter	May target opponents engaged in melee.
Soldier	Gain a +1 bonus to melee attacks.
Soothsayer	Chaotic character can cast the contact outer sphere spell once  per week.
Spy	Gain a +1 bonus to the stealth skill.
Thug	Gain a +1 bonus to the open doors skill.
Witch	Character can cast bestow curse once per week.

Proficiencies in LotFP

When I look at LotFP, I see a game that I really like and that reminds me of older versions of the popular fantasy role-playing game. But that is the referee perspective. There is also the player perspective. From their point, LotFP is missing the "fiddly bits". The bits a player can use to fine-tune his character and develop a vision of that character.

Clerics, magic-users, specialists and elves each have something to decide when adding a new level. They get new toys to play with (either spells or dots in common activities). Also, clerics, magic-users and elves have the mini-game of spells to keep them occuppied during play. Whereas the fighter, the dwarf and the halfling don't really have any decisions to make beyond buying equipment.

That is not enough. I want them to have something to decide as well. Here, I like what ACKS is doing with the proficiencies. Every couple of levels, you get a new proficieny. Something that differentiates your character and supports a concept beyond "fighter" by using evocative names. That's something I'd like to see in LotFP. ACKS even gives abstract rules when to gain a new proficiency:

"All characters may choose one additional proficiency from the general list at levels 5, 9, and ... 13. Characters may choose one additional proficiency chosen from their class list each time they complete a full (2-point) saving throw progression." (ACKS, page 56)

Using these rules, it would be easy to add something similar to LotFP. The only things I would make different:

• Proficiencies are listed in a simple table offering quick options.
• Proficiencies are not divided into general and class-based tables. Instead, if you are able to use a certain feature, you could use the proficiency.
• No front-loading. Bonus proficiencies for a high ability score would be spread out over the advancement table (like INT 13+ gains one additional proficiency at first level, INT 16+ gains one additional proficiency at a later level, INT 18+ gains another additional proficiency at an even later level).
• Optionally: They would not be called proficiencies.

I am going to see what I can come up with in the next couple of weeks based on the lists in ACKS.

Experience Points Revisited

The Degenerate Elite has offered some very valid commentary about my proposed xp progression. I'd like to address that in more depths.

• "your xp will result in ridiculously fast leveling for this system" - Correct. That is by design. I am not in favor of skipping the first couple of levels, but I am also not in favor of having the characters stuck at level 1-3 for any longer than absolutely necessary. So I am handing out enough xp to get them to higher levels pretty quickly. I want them to advance quickly.
• "the +100 per hit die is especially out of scale with normal monster encounters..." - You hit a nail there. I wasn't thinking when I did this. Mechanically, there would be no difference between hunting nine orcs and encountering a 9HD dragon. Except that surviving the orcs would be much easier. I don't like the table on page 32, because I think that the progression is too slow for my tastes. Also, I don't like referencing tables. Lotfp has nicely done away with most of the tables during actual game play.
• "for treasure to count for xp - it has to be returned safely to civilization" - I don't want the game to depend upon collecting treasure. I don't want to hinder mechanical character growth. I want the characters to advance.

So in order to address the second issue, I need to reconsider the table. I should mention that I don't expect the game to consist of that much combat, and therefore I want the xp gained from combat to count. Currently, I am seeing a formular for exponential xp emerge:

(HD x HD) x20

That would give an orc a value of 20 xp, a gnoll a value of 80 xp, and the 9HD dragon a value of 1.620 xp (or rather 2.000 xp, because due it's breath weapon and other abilities, it counts as a 10 HD monster).
Now hunting nine orcs will net the group 180 xp, and hunting nine gnolls will net 720 xp. Still considerably less than defeating one dragon.

House Rules for Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing

Yesterday we rolled up the first character for the campaign. Fiona Wilson, a female fighter from Kirkstead. Finally, this is going somewhere. In case you have been wondering, the Land Beyond the Drowning Woods campaign will start after the current Vampire the Masquerade (V20) campaign will be finished. Probably sometime in January. Maybe the first session will be on New Year's Eve.

Anyway, it is time to present the house rules for the campaign:

1. Ability scores: roll 3d6 twelve times, chose six and arrange as desired. If you include the lowest score rolled, you get to roll one other ability score again. Three times. If you roll higher than the current score, you get to keep the higher score.
2. Bonus spells: Clerics and magic-users receive bonus spell slots based on their Wisdom respectively Intelligence. INT or WIS 13-15: one first level bonus spell, INT or WIS 16-17: one second level bonus spell, INT or WIS 18: one third level bonus spell. The spell slot becomes available when a cleric or magic-user becomes elligable to cast spells of that level.
3. Strength bonus is added to weapon damage.
4. Elves are called swamp elves. Their appearance is wizened, with flinty black eyes, twisted arms and legs. They are reed thin. Apart from that they follow all the rules of the elven class.
5. Alignment: all clerics and all dwarves are lawful, all magic-user and elves are chaotic.
6. Starting Gear: all characters start with the same starting gear. Leather armor, shield, small weapon, dagger, traveling clothes, backpack, purse, bedroll, latern & lamp oil, one healing potion (1d6+1), 10 iron rations and 1d6 sp. Since each iron ration fills one encumberance slot, I give the players the option of foregoing some or all rations and gaining 1 sp per ration not taken instead. Magic-users and elves start with a spellbook, of course. Reasoning behind this package is to get gaming as fast as possible.
7. Two new common activities: Legend lore (knowledge about the campaign world) and busking (useful for performing and earning money). Legend lore starts at 1 in 6 and is modified by the Intelligence modifier. Busking also starts at 1 in 6 and is modified by the Charisma modifier. A successful busking roll earns 1d6 times roll result in copper pieces.
8. Starting spells for magic-users: Read magic. Then the player rolls 3 plus Intelligence modifier times on the chart of first level magic-user spells. Duplicates are re-rolled. He can pick three. The magic-user does not get more spells, he just has more choice. I want to emphasize the professional nature of the magic-user. For elves nothing changes. Their acquired spells are a matter of chance.
9. Hero points: Each session a character receives 3 hero points. Role-playing entertainingly, bringing food, or otherwise contributing to the game, may gain additional hero points. Each hero point can be used to either add a +2 to a roll on a d20, completely re-roll a d20 or to add a small detail to the narrative. We have just played a bit too much FATE 3rd edition to make do without any player empowerment. It probably will not hurt the game and also give the player characters a bit of an edge in surviving the lower levels.
10. Experience points: Since I don't want to place treasure all over the place, experience will be awarded differently. 500 XP for attending the game. +100 XP for each hex travelled or each dungeon level explored, + 100 XP per HD of monsters defeated (to be distributed evenly among the group), +250 XP if the player creates something that enriches the game-play for everyone (e.g. keeping and publishing a journal, drawing characters, and so on). In case a game has to be cancelled, every would-be participant receives 250 XP.

House rules that my players didn't like:

• The elven class becomes the tiefling class. Tieflings have small horns, cloven hoofs and smell faintly of sulphur or brimstone. They are more like the Planescape tieflings than the 4E tieflings.
• The halfling class becomes the swamp elven class. Swamp elves are wizened, with flinty eyes, twisted arms and legs and they are rail thin. They are medium-sized and count as elves for rules purposes.

See? I am listening to you. Now I just have to figure out where to place the halflings.But I already have an idea. Since the elves are roaming the swamps, the forests are kind of abandoned.

Note: That also means I am dropping the tiefling idea. There will be no tieflings as a player character class in the land beyond the Drowning Woods.