Wednesday, March 15, 2023
A Hack'D & Slash'D core rules update
Hack'D & Slash'D 2.0 has a first draft done. It's been a working draft for some time, but I've gone through and added the missing pieces, organized and streamlined the whole. The game is 'complete', although the monster section is admittedly pretty light. I'm going to keep adding monsters as I go, but the rules otherwise are (I think) pretty complete. I re-structured magic a little bit (in terms of the available magical types and where spells are listed), added a few tags, gave mystics an extra tag, revised the weapon and armor ratings/rules, and I think fixed damage to the new fixed system. It's still got a ways to go until it's ready for publication in some way, but it's a solid draft that is quite playable (and I hope enjoyable). I'm going to take it out for a spin (maybe this evening) and update the actual play thread when I do.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Clean Up
Upon further reflection, I’ve modified some of the starting
gear for characters, and adjusted damage for fixed damage. I changed the rules for hits (they are no longer rolled), and I also realized that each character was one point shy on their attributes, and adjusted accordingly. Stat blocks keep getting cleaner and simpler, which I like. Monster stat blocks that I'm working on are ending up VERY lean.
· All characters start with a simple weapon (damage 2). If this is a heavy weapon, the hero can add MGT to that damage; a simple ranged weapon has a range of 30’.
· Starting armor is nothing for a mystic (armor 0), padded armor for a rogue (armor 1) or ring mail for a warrior (a low-quality heavy armor rating 3). Leather is going to be armor 2; studded leather is going to be armor 3; chainmail will be armor 4; plate mail will be armor 5.
· None of the starting gear has any market value; these things cannot be traded in as credit towards the first upgrade.
· Replacing any of these weapons, or purchasing an additional weapon, costs 3 gp.
· Skarn’s gauntlets were too much of a game changer. I’ve changed them to lesser gauntlets of might that grant +1 to might.
· I’ve changed the honey so that a drop restores 3 hits. This makes it a slightly less powerful magic item, but more suitable for a level 1 character. I’m thinking a standard healing spell will restore 5 points per mana spent (as of my current thinking), so this is a little less powerful than a standard healing spell.
· All characters start with a simple weapon (damage 2). If this is a heavy weapon, the hero can add MGT to that damage; a simple ranged weapon has a range of 30’.
· Starting armor is nothing for a mystic (armor 0), padded armor for a rogue (armor 1) or ring mail for a warrior (a low-quality heavy armor rating 3). Leather is going to be armor 2; studded leather is going to be armor 3; chainmail will be armor 4; plate mail will be armor 5.
· None of the starting gear has any market value; these things cannot be traded in as credit towards the first upgrade.
· Replacing any of these weapons, or purchasing an additional weapon, costs 3 gp.
· Skarn’s gauntlets were too much of a game changer. I’ve changed them to lesser gauntlets of might that grant +1 to might.
· I’ve changed the honey so that a drop restores 3 hits. This makes it a slightly less powerful magic item, but more suitable for a level 1 character. I’m thinking a standard healing spell will restore 5 points per mana spent (as of my current thinking), so this is a little less powerful than a standard healing spell.
Armor 3; Hits 7; Move 40’; 2 dirks (2); simple crossbow (2/30’)
INT 3; MGT 0; PER 0; REA 2; REF 4; STA 2
Two weapons; sneak; thievery; +1 to primary damage if attacking a foe from side/behind.
Studded leather armor; adventurer’s pack; tool kit; 8 gp
Armor 0; Hits 6; Move 30’; dirk (2); Sling (2/30’)
INT 2; MGT 0; PER 2; REA 4; REF 2; STA 1
Lore (+1 when checking journal regarding Castle Vulkan)
Traveling robes; adventurer’s pack; 24 gp
Armor 3; Hits 9; Move 30’; Heavy Footman’s Axe (7) + Quality Hand Axe (3)
INT 0; MGT 5 (4); PER 1; REA 0; REF 2; STA 4
Two weapons; Check level on a successful attack for bonus attack (primary weapon only)
Ring mail armor; adventurer’s pack; lesser gauntlets of might (+1); 19 gp
Armor 4; Hits 8; Move 40’; Heavy blade (4); Sling (2/30’)
INT 1; MGT 3; PER 3; REA 0; REF 1; STA 3
Shield Bearer (can share shield within 10’); check level on a successful attack for bonus attack
Ring mail armor; shield; adventurer’s pack; 1 vial holy water; 1 antidote; 4 gp
Vial of bees’ honey; each drop restores 3 hits (12 drops left)
Fixed Damage
Each specific situation will only require one check. When casting a spell, you will not check to complete the spell and have the foe check to resist it; either you will be required to attempt a check to cast the spell, or the foe will be required to attempt a check to resist it. With an attack, you attempt a check to strike the foe; then, if successful, you deal damage based on the weapon or attack type. The foe then attempts a check to neutralize some or all of the damage from that attack.
I then realized that combat breaks this fundamental rule. You roll for damage on a successful attack, and the foe checks armor to soak some or all of that damage.
And then my mind exploded.
What if you don't roll damage? I realized that the very concept of rolling damage is hard-wired in me from 40 years of gaming. You HAVE to roll for damage, don't you?
But the reality is that this game, because it only uses two dice, makes weapon damage pretty generic. A rapier, a dagger, and a short sword all deal 1d6 damage. A light crossbow, a longbow, and a sling all deal 1d6 damage. It's the only die I have (other than the d12 of course), so it's the only damage option really.
But one of the things actual play has revealed is that you are often dealing 1 point of damage; and then armor doesn't matter (unless you roll a 12 and neutralize it all). A 1 in half rounds up to 1. Armor actually doesn't matter 1/6 of the time.
Hmf.
But, if we go with fixed damage, we open up a lot of possibilities. There can be gradations in weapons. There can be a whole slew of differences. you deal half damage (round up) if the foe makes its armor check; you deal double damage if you roll a natural 12; if you roll a natural 12 but the foe makes its armor check, you deal your weapon's typical damage. No rolls are involved. You still have 'variable' damage, but there are only four options within the variables: no damage (full armor soak), half damage (successful armor check or natural 12 attack with opposing natural 12 armor check), standard damage (failed armor check or natural 12 with successful armor check) and double damage (natural 12 attack with failed armor check).
Now, you can go shopping for different weapons. For example:
A dagger, club, or common blade deals 2 points (5 gp)
A short sword, mace, or hand axe deals 3 points (10 gp)
A longsword, keen axe, or hammer deals 4 points (25 gp)
A high-quality non-magical weapon deals 5 points (50 gp)
A masterwork non-magical weapon deals 6 points (100 gp)
However, a keen-edged longsword with an enchantment might deal 6 damage, 7 vs. serpents. This is a pretty powerful weapon, but it's still within the old number scale of 1d6, it just always deals damage at the top end of that range. The dagger is always dealing damage at the lowest end of the range.
Heavy weapons have the exact same scale, but you get to add your might rating to damage.
A battle axe deals might +2 damage (15 gp).
A war axe deals might +3 damage (30 gp).
A great axe deals might +4 damage (50 gp).
Better quality weapons deal +5 (100 gp) and +6 (200 gp)
A sling or short bow deals 2 damage (10 gp)
A heavy sling or hunter's bow deals 3 damage (20 gp)
A heavy bow or crossbow deals 4 damage (35 gp)
Better quality weapons deal 5 damage (75 gp) or 6 damage (150 gp)
None of these breaks the game, but they give characters room to grow for the first level or 2 without introducing magical weapons.
I could actually list all three damage options every time, but I don't know if it's really needed. The numbers are small enough; most people can do the mental math that half of 7 rounded up is 4, and double 7 is 14; I don't need to notate 7 damage as (4/7/14).
I also like the variety this creates for monsters; a goblin deals 2 damage, while a hobgoblin deals 3, a gnoll deals 4, a bugbear deals 5... they all deal 1d6 damage, but it's scaled to the monster and allows for a cleaner progression. You also never end up with a dragon's bite dealing 2 points because he rolled poorly or a goblin suddenly one-shotting a character because he got critical damage and rolled 6 on both of his 1d6 rolls. The dragon's bite that deals 12 will deal at least 6 (unless you totally soak it), and the goblin's blade will never deal more than 4 points, even if he crits.
This will also have a carry-over effect for spells (both damage and healing), which I also like. Nothing sucks more than casting that big fireball or healing spell and rolling a bunch of 1s; oh, look, my fireball did 8 points of damage, and you soaked half of that, so take 4 points of damage from the best spell I have.
Monsters with a susceptibility to damage can also then scale better. A fire-using creature might suffer +1 from cold magic; so if the ice magic deals '3 points per mana', and you invest 4 mana, that spell deals 12 damage vs. most foes, but 16 points vs. fire-using foes.
Monday, March 13, 2023
Delvers of Daggerford Session 2
I did an interlude in town between forays into the dungeons of Castle Vulkan. After a series of roleplaying encounters, the characters have some upgrades. I've added a link to the actual play notes over in the Hack'D & Slash'D resources tab so I don't have to link it every time.
The Delvers of Daggerford
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Thoughts on Multi Classing
Hack'D & Slash'D 2.0 has only three class options: the warrior, the mystic, and the rogue. It also has the option to take multiple classes, so you can use these three classes to customize your character. For example, a 'classic D+D B/X Cleric' is going to start as a warrior at level 1, then take mystic the rest of the time. You're going to have that foundational piece as a warrior, but you're not going to really get much better at that- because you keep getting spells. Your foundational warrior abilities are solid, but not as advanced as a true warrior.
However, the game skews very heavily in favor of multi-classing (albeit less so if you are a mystic). Specifically, it behooves almost everyone to pick up a level of rogue somewhere - because you get 3 bonus tags, and that is HUGE. Even if you never use the rogue class ability, the fact that you grabbed three tags for that one level of rogue is pretty great. You diversify a lot with that one level of dedication. There's not much benefit to being completely committed to your one class - even for a rogue, taking a level of mystic or warrior is going to give you a bit of extra flexibility.
But is that a design flaw, or is that a strength of the design? You're going to mix and match within those three options (usually taking at least two) to build your character. As an adventurer, what are the odds you don't learn at least a little bit of magic? What are the odds you don't at least pick up the rudiments of picking a lock or disabling a trap? What are the odds you don't at least try on some heavy armor and learn the basics of wearing it?
Because I like the idea that everyone is just an 'adventurer' with a different set of skills and abilities, but all basically mutts. How many 'pure' class archetypes do we see in fantasy literature? I go back to LOTR - the dwarves in the Hobbit all had smidges of rogue to them, and Gandalf did go around with a two-handed sword. The four hobbits of the fellowship are generally rogues, but they picked up a smattering of magic and warcraft along the way. Samwise Gamgee is a gardener who becomes a member of the fellowship. Giving him a smidge of wild magic is completely on brand.
That said, I feel like there should be some reward for dedication to a particular class line. I like the idea that at some level (maybe level 4?) there's a special ability that kicks in. If you are dedicated enough to get to level 4 as a rogue, or a warrior, or a mystic of a particular type of magic, you should get some value out of that, too. I'm not sure what that looks like yet, but it's a layer I'd like to add.
Delvers of Daggerford Session 1 Reflection
Upon reflecting on yesterday’s session and tinkering with the rules, I’ve got a few takeaways:
I keep forgetting about the warrior’s ability to claim a second attack on a successful attack! I’m not sure why I don’t remember that - it’s kind of THE warrior ability. I had two warriors on the adventure, and they both hit a few times, so the odds of getting a second shot in were actually pretty good - that would have skewed things a little bit in favor of the heroes. Okay. Note to self: remember that!
I’ve tinkered with the rogue a little bit to give him the benefit of getting a level bonus to damage any time a foe is not targeting you directly; I’ve always found the mechanism of ‘sneak attacks’ tricky in practice - you use your sneak attack, but then try to sneak again? LIke your foe wouldn’t see you? I like that smarter foes are going to realize that you’ve got to go after the rogue, while fighters keeping the foe busy while rogues stay off to the side and take cheap shots is more on brand, and easier to adjudicate.
I did a total rewrite of the XP rules on the fly, and the more I think about them, the more I like them. I upped the numbers to be closer to the B/X structure, but all XP comes from encounters. There’s no link between XP and treasure, because I feel like that can easily upend the whole XP structure; you clear out a dragon’s hoard, and suddenly you all gain two levels. Not in MY game!
I really like how I'm creating the dungeon as I go - I have a log book that has a small graph paper area and lots of room for notes. These are very messy looking, but each page will effectively be a 'five room dungeon' part of the larger dungeon complex. I haven't worked in pencil and paper format for a while, and it feels more old school to be back in there...
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Delvers of Daggerford
I made some changes to the rules and then created four characters for Hack’D & Slash’D 2.0 to playtest the rules and to build a big dungeon crawl… and to give myself something to do. I gave them a little bit of extra starting gear and zeroed out their starting cash for simplicity’s sake.
I figured that would be it, but then I ended up playing for a few hours this afternoon, and started an actual play log. As per usual, I record a LOT of information as I solo play. It helps me keep track of what's happening if I write it down... and it helps later with analysis. You can follow the play experience right here.
The Delvers of Daggerford
Vessa - noble elf warrior 1
Armor 3; Hits 8; Move 40’; Sword (1d6+3); Sling (1d6, 60’)
INT 1; MGT 3; PER 3; REA 0; REF 0; STA 3
Shield Use
Chainmail armor; shield; adventurer’s pack
Grubs - sly human rogue 1
Armor 1; Hits 6; Move 40’; 2 daggers (1d6); light crossbow (1d6, 60’)
INT 2; MGT 0; PER 0; REA 2; REF 4; STA 2
Two weapons; sneak; thievery
Leather armor; adventurer’s pack; too kit
Skarn - grizzled dwarf warrior 1
Armor 3; Hits 10; Move 30’; Heavy Axe (1d6+4) + Hand Axe (1d6)
INT 0; MGT 4; PER 1; REA 0; REF 1; STA 4
Two weapons
Chainmail armor; adventurer’s pack
Mim - insecure gnome mystic 1
Armor 0; Hits 7; Move 30’; Dagger (1d6); Sling (1d6, 60’)
INT 2; MGT 0; PER 2; REA 4; REF 1; STA 1
Traveling robes; adventurer’s pack
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