Divine Moods and Personalities

Someone brought up Gods, Demigods, and Heroes on the OD&D forums, wanting to talk about who has actually used it and how. For myself, I like the monsters, hero, and artifact entries. But the gods?

Let’s start with the kind of gods I want in my game:

1. Ambiguous desires, plans, and even existence.
2. Ambiguous source of “divine” displays of power.
3. Enigmatic miracles and manifestations.
4. Both player and GM-created religions.

These guidelines are based on two principles:

Create as much as possible through play rather than before play.

Keep the players front in center, not NPCs (including gods, the ultimate NPCs.)

So what kind of “god mechanics” would work for me?

No monster stats for gods. They may or may not be real. Any monster may be a divine incarnation, sending, minion, or hoax.

Start with a zone of divine control, what some versions of the game might call a Sphere. If using a god from mythology, this is the common interpretation of what that god is the “god” of (war, sky, death, life.)

Add a second unrelated zone of control, possibly a narrower one.

Add a profession or social role, if one isn’t obvious. Less likely professions or roles will be more evocative.

Add at least one object or behavior associated with the god. This can be turned into a myth about the god (summarize a story in one or two sentences.)

Examples

• Tut-Tut, the Warrior-Smith of the Coast, cries as he creates turtle-shell armor and shields in a sea-cave forge on the western shores. (Summary: War, Coastal Areas, Smithing, Turtles, Tears)
• Lyraine, the Huntress of the Celestial Choir, leads her chorus in battle-songs as she rides a parrot across the night sky. (Summary: Hunting, Stars, Music, Parrot.)

The first time during an adventure where the PCs do anything on grounds sacred to a god, or in the presence of a priest of that god, or involving one of the keywords that “define” the god, make a reaction roll for the god. Only do this once per adventure.

• Shift Results Down one step (Bad becomes Very Bad) if PCs harm a priest, defile a temple, or otherwise unwittingly “offend” the god.
• Shift Results Up one step (Good becomes Very Good) if performing rituals or otherwise serving the god.

On a Very Bad result (2 on 2d6) or a Very Good result (12 on 2d6), it seems as if the god is “paying attention”. This might mean the god is real, it might mean someone who worships the god noticed and is acting on the god’s behalf, or it might be the PC’s unconscious guilt or confidence. If the first result roll indicates no divine interest, this will not change for the rest of the adventure.

For the rest of the adventure, track the PCs on the Divine Mood table below, starting at (Dis)favor unless the adjusted roll is 1 or 13, in which case jump to Bad/Good Omen.

Bad /	Good Mood	Effects
(Dis)	Favor	Flip near miss or hit
Cursed /	Blessed	+/-2 on rolls
Doomed /	Chosen	Next result becomes critical or fumble. Reset.
Enemy /	Ally	Extra wandering monster roll, seeks vengeance on/alliance with PCs. Reset.
(Bad)	Omen	Minor spell (half dungeon level) cast against/for PCs. Reset.
(Evil)	Sending	Wandering monster magically appears to attack/serve PCs. Reset.
Judgment /	Miracle	Major spell (twice dungeon level) cast against/for PCs. Reset.
(Wrathful)	Avatar	Monster representing the god magically appears to attack/serve PCs. Reset.

Favors, Blessings, Disfavor, and Curses stay in effect for the rest of the adventure or until the next time the PCs “interact” with the god in some way (break a taboo, perform a ritual, help or harm a divine servant, trigger one of the other key words.) Everything else happens once.

In either case, roll 2d6 and consult the Divine Mood Reset Table. If the result is anything below Cursed/Blessed, delay the new effect until the next interaction with the god.

2d6	Divine Mood Reset Effect
2	Flip Mood (bad to good or vice versa)
3-5	Mood Wanes (shift up one line)
6-8	Reset to (Dis)Favor
9-11	Mood Strengthens (shift down one line)
12	Extreme Shift (down two lines)
13+	Flip Bad Mood to Good, otherwise shift down two lines)

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How Many Miracles Will Your God Grant?

Here’s an expansion of Clerics Without Spells. my rules for using reaction rolls for clerics casting spells on the fly. These days, I assume spells prepared beforehand (“memorized”) can be cast without risk of spell failure. But there’s a couple situations where a cleric prays for spells:

• When preparing/memorizing those spells,
• When casting a spell that hasn’t been memorized,
• When praying for a miracle (higher spell level than they can memorize.)

Religious characters who aren’t clerics can also pray for miracles.

So what if you don’t want to use a crude “all spells granted/no spells granted” approach?

This table should take care of it.

2d6 Roll	Reaction	Detailed Explanation
2	Fall from Grace	No spells granted until character atones at a shrine or temple.
3-4	Divine Wrath	If any spells are granted, they are at least two levels below max level.
5-6	Divine Impatience	Some spells may be granted, but not those at max level or those one level lower.
7-8	Divine Disfavor	Most spells granted, but not those at max level.
9-10	Divine Favor	All spells up to max level are approved.
11-12	A Miracle Is Granted	Spell one level higher than normal granted on one-time basis. Does not apply to prepared spells.
13+	A Great Miracle Is Granted	Spell two levels higher than normal granted on one-time basis. Does not apply to prepared spells.

Max Level refers to the maximum spell level a cleric can prepare beforehand. For example, a 2nd level cleric’s max level is 1, a 4th level cleric’s max level is 2. Max level is half cleric level, rounded down. (officially, OD&D diverges from that after 5th level, and other D&D versions tinker with it, but this is the quick and dirty replacement I use.)

Miracles here are spells that the cleric or worshipper doesn’t cast themselves, but ask to be cast. Any spell above max level is a miracle.

The table is basically the standard reaction roll with the 2 x (cleric level - spell level) formula built into the results already, so no calculation is necessary.

Despite the wording (Favor, Disfavor, Impatience, Wrath,) spells and miracles granted are not considered absolute proof that the cleric or worshipper’s belief in their god is justified. It’s all a matter of faith, not objective truth.

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The Art of (Mis)Speaking

In my posts about forgery and disguise, I detailed a way to handle deceptions using these steps:

1. Keep track of all “facts” involved in the deception.
2. Roll 1d6 for time needed to complete the deception.
3. Roll for reaction, shifting reaction down/up for special factors.
4. On Good reaction or better, deception works. It fails on a Bad reaction or worse. Otherwise, roll 1d6 to see through it after 10 to 40 minutes (1-4) or immediately (5+).

But the same process could be added to miscommunication, where the goal is to avoid getting the facts wrong.

Step One: Define the Message
When a player wants to give instruction or commands, or ask for information, and either the speaker or the listener (or both) is not completely fluent in the language used, clearly define what points the player is trying to make.

A character is fluent in their native tongue unless described otherwise. Other languages are ranked this way:

Languages spoken from childhood (“racial” languages): semi-fluent at Int 3-5, fluent at Int 6+

Languages learned later: add Int and months of study in a language. Halve that total unless completely immersed in just one language while studying it.

• Fluent at 18+
• Semi-Fluent at 9+
• Not Fluent otherwise.

Step Two: Convey the Message
Getting a message across either through speech or writing takes minutes for simple instructions. Roll 1d6: 5+ means the shortest possible time, otherwise add 1 to result and multiply by the base time. Pick the base time from this list, based on how long it takes to say in your native language:

• 1 to 5 minutes
• 10 to 50 minutes
• 1 to 5 hours
• 4 to 20 hours (4 x 1 to 5 hours)
• 1 to 5 days

Increase the base time (move down list) for any of these bad conditions:

• talking in a noisy environment
• writing (but not reading) instructions
• one or both sides semi-fluent in language
• one side not fluent (below semi-fluent) = two shifts downwards
• one side Int 5 or less

You can reduce the time (move up list) if one or both sides are Int 13+.

If the situation isn’t critical (can’t cause a problem if one side misinterprets instructions,) you can skip all other rolls and assume the extra time is due to repeated communication attempts.

Step Three: Interpret the Message
If the situation is critical (message must either be understood quickly or a misunderstanding can cause a problem,) make the reaction roll.

• Good or Better: Message understood.
• Normal: Message understood on 5+ (1d6), otherwise takes extra time.
• Bad: Misunderstood. Roll 1d6: on 5+, tries to figure out a different way to communicate (get a translator, try writing things down, etc.) On 1 to 4, gets that many facts from Step One wrong.
• Very Bad: Complete communication breakdown. If PC is cursed or has low Charisma, listener is offended. Otherwise, listener gives up on the conversation.

As usual, move the reaction category down for bad circumstances, for example “communicating with gestures and a handful of words, instead of a language that’s at least minimally understood.”

Any topic (fact) that the listener doesn’t understand also moves the reaction down. Asking the medieval knight where to buy nuclear weapons will, in most game worlds, lead to confusion or chaos.

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The Art of Disguise

The rules I did for forgery could be adapted to another form of deception: disguise.

Step One: Define the Deception
Focus on which facts about their appearance the PC is trying to hide or change. Make hair look old and grey? Cover exposed skin to change its color? Wear uniform to pass oneself off as the city guard?

Some things are going to be hard without the right materials or situations. Changing the shape of your nose with a lump of clay won’t work in broad daylight, but if the character wears a hood and sticks to the shadows, it might work.

If a PC is recognizable and trying to avoid recognition, that’s an additional fact.

Non-human races should be counted as one fact for each difference in appearance. Green skin + pointed ears is two facts, not one fact for “wood elf”.

Step Two: Dress the Part
Anyone with training in disguise or High Int (13+) can create a decent disguise. 5+ on 1d6: it takes one hour. Otherwise: 1 to 4 additional hours. Reducing the time to minutes, or just not being trained or smart, results in a makeshift disguise, similar to a poor forgery.

Step Three: Play the Part
A Good or better reaction means a decent disguise passes examination. An Average reaction means someone might see through the disguise (5+ on 1d6,) but even if this doesn’t happen immediately, prolonged scrutiny will eventually reveal the truth: the disguised person has 10 to 40 minutes with any given observer before the disguise is blown.

It’s probably easiest to roll the reaction once and let it stand for all encounters with average viewers, only rolling again for special individuals. Just roll a d6 or shift the standing reaction up or down when appropriate.

Things that shift the reaction downwards:

• makeshift or poor quality disguise
• losing part of a disguise
• observer has special knowledge (pretending to be an elf in front of elves, for example)
• pretending to be old, opposite gender, different profession, etc., without mimicking at least one visual detail for that appearance (no gray hair or wrinkles when pretending to be old, for example)
• disguising yourself as a specific individual

Things that shift the reaction upwards:

• taking advantage of the environment (using a hood or shadows to cover up disguise deficiencies)
• changing the way you walk, move, or stand (requires High Dex or training as an actor/mime)
• changing the way you talk (requires High Charisma or training in mimicry)

Certain knowledge will completely blow the PC’s cover. The most obvious example would be trying to pretend to be a specific person while that person is in the room.

Bad or Worse Reactions
As usual, a Very Bad reaction means immediate hostility and probably an attempt to expose the fraud to others. But a Bad reaction might be possible to recover from, depending on what the PC’s intent was.

If the PC is trying to avoid capture or sneak into someplace they don’t belong, there’s not many ways out of discovery other than silencing the person who saw through the disguise before they tell others. This can be physical (restraint, knocking unconscious, murder) or otherwise (bribery.) If the person needing to be silenced is not necessarily on the side of the authorities, it might only take a conversation.

If the PC is just avoiding unwanted attention, it might be easier to convince the discoverer that no harm is intended. Think: Aliens trying to live secretly among humans.

Avoiding Recognition
If the PC is recognizable, the goal of a disguise is to appear as anyone other than oneself. What matters is: What description are the authorities or the enemies using to find the PC?

PC is blond in an area where blonds are rare? PC must include change of hair color in their disguise.

PC is an elf with pointed ears? PC must hide ears.

Some witnesses might not have all the details of the PC’s appearance. If most people focus on looking for an elf, but not for a blond elf, hiding pointed ears but not changing hair color will work as planned, but a guardsman looking for a blond elf will shift the reaction down.

Witnesses who have met the PC in person automatically shift the reaction down. Those who know the PC well are considered to have certain knowledge and will automatically see through a disguise if they have direct interaction, but might still need a reaction roll if for example they only see a hunched-over cloaked figure shambling away from them.

Entertainment
Another special situation would be one where the goal is not to literally hide one’s identity, but to create a character as part of a performance. The audience knows they are being deceived, so obviously Bad or worse reactions won’t result in being seized by the town guard (well, maybe…) The audience is looking for a talented deception.

Any disguise gets an unmodified reaction roll. The only factors that shift the result down are the central features of the character that are the opposite of the performer’s features: young actor playing an old man without makeup or a wig, human actor playing a famous elf without using pointed ears, and so on. The reaction result is how the audience judges the performance. On an Average or Bad reaction, the GM could describe a moment in the performance when the PC is obviously losing the interest of the audience and let the player come up with a method of regaining their interest.

In Summary

1. Be certain what the disguise is meant to hide or change
2. Roll 1d6 for time needed to complete the disguise
3. Roll for reaction, shifting reaction down/up for special factors
4. On Good reaction or better, disguise passes examination. Otherwise, disguise may be seen through (5+ on 1d6 or after 10 to 40 minutes of scrutiny) or lead to exposure of the deception

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The Art of Forgery

I saw someone asking how to handle forgery and other kinds of deceit in an old school class and level exploration fantasy adventure game, so I thought about how I’d do it.

Step One: Define the Deception
A forgery or similar deception is basically trying to convince a “mark” that one or more “facts” are true. The player has to clearly state what they are trying to do. This doesn’t have to be stated in-character, but it must cover everything the player thinks the forgery should cover. One or more statements like:

The forgery is an official royal document certifying the bearer is authorized to enter The Forbidden Tower and return with the Crown of Kings.

The GM at this point may want to note which false facts are actually involved. In this case:

• Who “created” the document (the royal court)
• What the document does (authorizes entry)
• What else it does (authorizes returning with the Crown)

The two bold statements are pretty much mandatory: every forgery pretends to be “from” someone it isn’t, who is saying or doing something via the document. The statement in italics is optional and adds another thing the document is trying to do.

Step Two: Forge the Document
Anyone with training in forgery or with High Int (13+) can forge a document. Roll 1d6: on 5+, it takes one hour, otherwise it takes an additional 1-4 hours (result of the die roll.) A hypothetical character class with a forgery class ability would do this in minutes, rather than hours. If the document has to appear to be in a specific person’s handwriting or has to bear an official seal or other special identifier, the forger must also have High Dex (13+). An art forgery would fall in this category as well.

Those with no training and average Int or lower can try to forge documents, too, but the documents are considered poor forgeries. The same applies to an otherwise skilled or gifted forger who tries to forge a signature, official seal, or other feature that requires High Dex as well as skill or talent. This will have consequences when trying to pass off the forgery.

Step Three: Pass Off the Forgery
Whoever uses the forged document must present them in an appropriate manner to the person they are trying to convince. Make a reaction roll: a Good or better reaction means the forgery is accepted.

Even an Average reaction will work for high-quality forgeries, but a mark with a High Int or better, or a mark who is also trained in forgery, has a chance to spot mistakes: 5+ on 1d6 means the mark spots the forgery.

Some targets will be harder to convince. Anyone who regularly receives royal documents, for example a captain of the royal guard, will shift the reaction result down one category. So will anyone personally familiar with the handwriting of the supposed author of the document. Each “fact” noted in Step One is a potential pitfall as well: if the mark has some knowledge about that topic, the result is shifted down. If the mark has certain knowledge that contradicts the forgery (if they know the Crown of Kings was removed from the Forbidden Tower last week, or if a document with a royal seal is unknowingly handed to the king who is in disguise,) the forgery automatically fails.

A poor forgery shifts the reaction down one category all by itself, or shift it down two categories if one of the problem areas mentioned in the previous paragraph also applies. Likewise, anyone with a bad reputation known to their mark will have trouble passing off a forgery, just on basic principle.

In theory, other factors might shift the reaction result up a category, or cancel out a downward shift because of the factors listed above. For example, the person passing off the forgery could arrange a distraction to prevent the mark from thoroughly examining the forgery. Or, someone who already has a good personal relationship with the mark might be trusted more than other typical encounters.

Bad and Very Bad Reactions
Any mark with legal authority (like a guard) will arrest the person trying to pass off a forgery if their reaction is Bad or worse. Other victims with no legal authority will usually only demand the deceiver’s arrest (or seek vengeance) on a Very Bad reaction; if their reaction is only Bad, they have serious doubts and definitely won’t give the deceiver what they want unless someone they trust confirms the document (in other words, the forgery has to pass examination by a second person.)

If the player opts to give up at this point, they may be able to leave casually without triggering suspicion. The GM secretly rolls 1d6: on 5+, the player can leave without a problem. Otherwise, the player has 10 to 40 minutes (die roll x ten minutes) before the mark decided to involve the law. If the forgery was poor, time is reduced to only 1 to 4 minutes.

In Summary

1. Be certain what the forgery is trying to prove
2. Roll 1d6 for time needed to forge the document
3. Roll for reaction, shifting reaction down/up for special factors
4. On Good reaction or better, forgery is accepted
5. On Average reaction, some victims spot the forgery (5+ on 1d6)
6. On Bad reaction, convince another mark or roll to escape before victim is suspicious
7. On Very Bad reaction, victim is immediately suspicious and demands vengeance or legal action

There are a couple other applications that could use this same basic framework, which I may return to in future posts.

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Liber Zero Reaction Rolls Reference Sheet (PDF)

Here’s the first Liber Zero PDF of 2020: the LZ Reaction Rolls reference sheet. It gives a description of how and when to use reaction rolls: encounters, negotiations, haggling, loyalty, morale, and even a short suggestion for the weather. I figured I needed to knuckle under and get this one done next because I’ve been working on the Hybrid/Priest class and realized “it would be nice to refer to the reaction rolls reference when describing the priest’s ability.”

One important feature of this pamphlet is that it’s the first one to go into any detail on the LZ dice neutral approach. There are two dice roll tables in the pamphlet: one for if you want to roll 1 or more d6s for your reaction rolls, the other for rolling d10, d20, and d100. It doesn’t matter what dice you use: the plan for all my LZ-compatible material will be to refer to many tests as “needs Good or better on a reaction roll” or something similar. There’s even a brief mention that you might want to roll monster morale checks using only 1d6 instead of whatever you usually roll because it’s quicker. The benefit of keeping things dice neutral is that it’s easier to be modular. If you know that priests make a reaction roll of Good or better to turn undead, but there’s no mention of which dice to roll or what “Good or better” means, then you can replace my approach to reaction rolls with another that uses the same terminology, but different methods: roll under, dice pool, roshambeau, whatever you desire.

Oh, also: you may notice I'm experimenting with a new, cleaner, cartoon-y style for the cover art on the pamphlet. Let me know what you think.

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Ability Check: The Missing Side

I’ve been talking about ability checks and why I don’t believe in using them for almost anything.

1. Part I
2. Part II
3. Part III
4. JB’s rant that inspired it all (he regrets it, I don’t)
5. Robert Conley’s response (also worth a read)

Last post, I covered physical abilities, but didn’t include Constitution. Why?

Partly because it’s not something you can use for an action. (“I’m going to try very hard to be healthy!”) But there is a passive check associated with it, even in the original three books. Men & Magic mentions that Constitution allows characters to “withstand being paralyzed, turned to stone, etc.” and gives the following guidelines:

• Constitution 13 or 14: Will withstand adversity
• Constitution of 9 - 12: 60% to 90% chance of surviving
• Constitution 8 or 7: 40% to 50% chance of survival

It’s not entirely clear here, but Greyhawk later clarifies this as a system shock roll, and AD&D eventually splits this into System Shock and Resurrection Survival. I prefer to roll 2d6 under Constitution. But still, it’s a Constitution check, right?

Let’s think about something else first: Charisma. For all the talk of using 3e, 4e, or 5e mechanics in old school games, you don’t see much talk about Charisma Checks. Why is that? Perhaps because of the way the old school reaction roll is a much more interesting and useful mechanic than a simple “roll under Charisma” or “roll and add Charisma modifier to beat a DC of 9” could ever be.

You have five possible results (at least!) Charisma gives a mod in the range of -2 to +4, although arguably this should be applied to an NPC’s loyalty, not the reaction roll directly… and yet we all do it, don’t we?

But people have seen me adapt the reaction roll table to all sorts of other things, like the weather, or thief skills, or … well, system shock and resurrection survival, as a death and dismemberment table.

Which brings me to a side point inspired by FrDave’s comment on the original ability check post:

I personally use the knowledge check all the time; however, it isn’t really for the character, but for me as the Referee. I improvise a lot. Thus, I face the issue of a player asking me questions that I don’t necessarily have an immediate answer to.

Using rolls as a GM improv tool is good. I approve. But my first thought was “Why not use the reaction table or a similar table instead of an ability check?” Including the ability score seems superfluous to me in most improv cases. In some cases, it’s useful to treat an ability score as a limit, which is what I would use a 2d6 adversity roll for: if a PC suffers severe physical trauma or is raised from the dead, roll 2d6. Ignore the result unless the roll is higher than Con, in which case the result is used with the reaction table to determine how horrible it is (Very Bad = instant death, Very Good = might survive a few hours.) Optionally, interpret the 2d6 result a different way if the roll is a success (Bad = scar, Very Bad = crippling injury.)

So although these checks are technically ability checks, I’m using them in a much different way.

I’ve got at least one more post on this topic, perhaps two, depending on whether I can both summarize my position and suggest where I’d like to go in the future with the ideas of ability checks in a single post without going on too long.

Last-Minute Keys and Locks: 4d6 Lockpicking

I’ve been thinking a little more about last-minute keys and locks. First, there was a brief discussion in the comments about whether the process was too convoluted. Ynas Midgard suggested going back to the idea of d4+d8 instead of 2d6 for the reaction roll, because then it’s easier to specify that the d4 can be used for the number of keys that must match for a Close Match result. But there’s also the possibility of just changing a Close Match to mean “at least half the keywords match”. At first, I thought this was a viable optional rule and that I’d stick to 1-4 matches for my personal use… but the more I thought about it, I think “half the keywords match” is just a better rule.

But I have also been thinking of adapting this to the" 4d6 drop 6s" idea. Specifically, the approach mentioned in reaction rolls with four dice. It’s not just for the fun of playing with an alternate table, as you’ll soon see. First, though, the table.

4d6 drop 6	Reaction	Detailed Explanation
Up to 1	Broken!	Key snaps off and jams lock.
2-3	Wrong Key	Lock jammed on 5+ (1d6).
4-7	Might Fit	All keywords must match.
8-12	Close Match	At least half must match.
13-16	Fits	Lock opens if any keywords match.
17-18	Lucky Fit!	1st letter of a keyword must match.
19-20	I Made It Fit!	No matches necessary.

Table should be self-explanatory now. Curses shift the result one category worse. Blessings shift the result one category better.

Now here’s the tricky part: when adapting this keyword trick to other situations that involve skills, you need to distinguish unskilled people from skilled people. For example, you could have a set of lockpicks instead of a single lockpick, each with a different keyword. Anyone trained as a thief rolls 4d6, dropping 6s. The thief class would add their level to the roll. Anyone who’s still in training would only roll 2d6, though, again dropping 6s, for a range of 0 to 10. So:

• An untrained character picking a lock requires one lockpick for every keyword on the lock (two picks for a green copper lock, for example.)
• A trained lockpick must use at least half as many picks as there are keywords on the lock.
• A true thief (class) never worries about jamming the lock.
• A 5th level thief has a good chance of opening any lock with one pick, but two picks are still a safer bet.
• An 8th level thief can open any two-keyword locks with only one matching pick.

It will probably get more interesting when adapted to “metaphorical keys and locks”, but that’s for later. The important point, here, is that I used to talk about dividing the reaction roll by two if a person was untrained, but rolling half as many dice is a lot easier.

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Last-Minute Keys and Locks: Reaction Roll Table

Not sure why this didn’t occur to me when I was working on keys and locks before… but here’s the well-known reaction table, repurposed yet again…

Every key (literal or metaphoric) has one or more keywords describing it: brass key, iron dragon key, crystal goblin key. Doors, chests, and other locked items also have key words.
When attempting to use a key to unlock a lock, count the number of keywords that are identical (match,) note whether any keywords start with the same letter (near match,) and make a 2d6 reaction roll using this table.

2d6	Results
2	Wrong Key, might break in lock.
3-5	Might Fit, all keywords must match.
6-8	Close Match, need 1-4 matches.
9-11	Fits, lock opens if any words match.
12	Lucky Fit! lock opens for near match.

On a wrong key result, the key breaks in the lock, jamming it, unless there is at least one match. If the character is cursed, the key breaks no matter what. The lock can’t be opened anymore.

On a close match, the lowest individual d6 result is the number of matches needed to open the lock.

On a lucky fit, the lock opens even if there are no exact matches, as long as at least one pair of keywords start with the same letter (the rusty key opens the red lock.) If the character is blessed, the lock opens no matter what.

For metaphoric keys and locks, what counts as a match may be expanded. For example, keywords for herbal remedies might only need to start with the same letter as a keyword for a disease, or might only need to be logically related in some way, for example through the medieval four humours system or doctrine of signatures. On a lucky fit result, a keyword matches if it comes first alphabetically when compared to the keywords for the disease.

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Reaction Rolls with ... Four Dice?

I believe I’ve mentioned before that I’m thinking about the viability of “4d6, dropping all 6s” as a possible alternative dice mechanic. It give you a 0 to 20 range, within the parameters of some D&D rolls, but with a bell curve… but also, you can use the 6s in a different way to alter results.

Here’s an idea for a 4d6 drop 6 reaction roll table.

4d6 drop 6	Reaction	Detailed Explanation
Up to 1	The Worst	Enraged, immediate attack.
2-3	Very Bad	Hostile , will attack. No further offers.
4-7	Bad	Unfriendly and threatening. Refuse offer.
8-12	Normal	Neutral but uncooperative. Ask much more on offer.
13-16	Good	Open and cooperative. Ask a little more on offer.
17-18	Very Good	Friendly and helpful. Accept offer.
19-20	The Best	Enthusiastic, offers help or discount.

As with a standard reaction roll, this is used for two main situations:

1. Potential combat situations (Will the opponent be hostile or even attack, or will they be open to parlay?)
2. Negotiations (Will the NPC accept the offer, ask for more, or reject the offer and refuse further haggling, or even hurl a string of insults or accuse the PCs of being a thief?)

If the result is 4 or more, but one or more 6s were rolled, a special effect may be triggered, if one is present. Some special effects:

• Lying: The NPC or monster pretends to have a different reaction, usually to trick the PCs.
• Personality Trait: NPCs or monsters may have unusual behaviors or goals that trigger if one or more 6s are rolled, for example “looking for the perfect sacrifice to their dark god”. Alternatively, PCs who have personality flaws, such as “accident prone” may exhibit these flaws, perhaps explaining a bad reaction, or simply causing embarrassment during an otherwise successful negotiation.
• Curse: If a PC has a curse effect waiting to be triggered, it takes effect at this point. For example, “haunted by a shrieking ghost” might result in the ghost appearing while trying to find a room at the inn.

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Reaction Table Combat

Over on Reddit’s OSR forum, I joked that I should have done a revised combat system based on the reaction roll table. For all I know, I may have done it, but I can’t find any post on that.

I don’t mean a 2d6-based attack roll. I believe I mentioned the idea of 2d6 roll under descending AC as a quick & dirty approach. No, I really do mean using the reaction table. That means that, instead of a binary hit/no hit result, you get five possible results (Very Good, Good, Normal, Bad, Very Bad.)

Here’s a quick reaction table hack:

Roll	Result	Result Details
2 or less	Very Bad	Weapon Damaged (Broken, if already damaged)
3-5	Bad	Drop Weapon if damage roll > AC, vulnerable to Counterattack
6-8	Normal	Attack ineffective unless either Dex > 2 x Move or opponent’s armor is damaged
9-11	Good	Success! Attack does standard damage
12	Very Good	Max damage, Opponent’s Armor Damaged

Add +1 to the roll if attacker’s level > defender’s level, +2 if it’s twice defender’s level. Optionally, you can give higher bonuses for higher multiples.

Armor subtracts 1, 2, or 3 from the roll (Light/Leather, Medium/Metal, Heavy/Full Plate)

Shield also subtracts 1 from the roll, but only against melee attacks from the front, or ranged attacks from a specific direction. Other attacks must be judged on a case-by-case basis.

Weapon Damaged and Armor Damaged are “tags” that have no mechanical effect except to make weapons and armor vulnerable to future bad results. If attacking barehanded, take 1 point of damage on first Very Bad result, break hand on second, rendering hand unusable.

Drop Weapon results only happen if the weapon’s damage roll exceeds the (descending) AC of the defender. For standard “all weapons do 1d6 damage”, this means that it only happens 1/6th of the time when attacking an opponent in chainmail, 2/3rds of the time when attacking an opponent in plate + shield.

Counterattack is an extra attack by an opponent if their Dex (or 2 x Move) is greater than the attacker’s Dex. The opponent must still roll, however.

Note that a Normal result means the defender takes no damage or other ill effect unless the attacker’s Dex is higher than twice the defender’s Move. It’s a probable “miss”, rather than a definite miss. If the defender’s armor is damaged, they are also vulnerable to Normal attacks.

The Grubby Adventurer

I keep forgetting to copy quick ideas I post in forum threads over here, so that I don’t lose them. This is an idea sparked by a thread about the effects of grime vs. cleanliness.

Being on the road, camping in the wilderness, or exploring the underground is filthy work. Civilized people will tolerate some grubbiness, but after a full day of any such activity, characters are at half effective Charisma until they’ve had a chance to clean up. This mainly affects dealing with merchants, meeting new people, hiring help, and other negotiations. It may also affect the behavior of existing hirelings, within reason: the chambermaid responsible for preparing your bath isn’t going to quit because you haven’t bathed yet today, for example, nor will hirelings who do filthy jobs themselves, like stable boys, take exception to your grubbiness. It definitely does not apply to any mercenaries or retainers who have gone through the same grimy events. They know why you’re dirty, because they’re dirty for the same reason.

Some events can make you instantly filthy, for example crawling through sewers, having a chamberpot dumped on your head, returning from a battle covered in the blood of your enemies. This can also be used when dealing with groups that have unique ideas of hygiene or decorum, including wearing lower-class clothing to a party at the palace.

The penalty disappears as soon as you clean up. Pseudomedieval societies aren’t too demanding when it comes to hygiene: get the blood wiped off, wash your face and hands. That’s generally enough. Again, some groups may have additional standards of hygiene, or even lower standards: some areas will tolerate a week’s worth of stink instead of a mere day’s worth. Barbarians generally don’t care at all, or will have exotic standards. “I don’t want to speak to you, whelp! You have barely any tattoos!”

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Holy Shrines

In a comment on the post about Level Zero scholars creating scrolls, Andy Bartlett and I started discussing applying this to priests and miracles as well. I've written before about using the reaction roll/turn undead mechanic for working miracles through faith, but I'm not sure I mentioned that I like leaving NPC priests at Level 0. Instead of them having spells, it's the temple or shrine that has one or more spells. Different places have a reputation as a healing shrine, or an oracle (casting Commune,) or hallowed grounds safe from supernatural attack.

It works a bit more like spell research than creating scrolls.

The saint who establishes a shrine invests in it. Tithes and donations from the faithful pay for religious icons, altar decorations, stained glass, or whatever local custom sees as glorifying the divine. The miracle asked for, usually just a blessing at first, is assigned a spell level, and the value invested in the shrine is used to figure out the chances.

Example: Bless is a 1st level. Spell research for a 1st level spell costs a base 500 gp for a 1 in 20 chance of success, plus 1 in 20 for each additional 500 gp, up to 10,000 gp for automatic success. The GM rolls to see if the shrine is Blessed. Only the GM will know for certain until the shrine actually Blesses someone.

When one of the faithful prays for a blessing, roll a 2d6 reaction roll. A Good result means the worshipper is blessed. A Neutral result means the worshipper is blessed only if no Bad result has been rolled for that shrine. A Bad result means no effect, and a Very Bad result means that worshipper can never receive an answer to their prayers until they've made atonement of some kind. Either a Bad or Very Bad result means the shrine is less generous with its blessings, as already noted.

Until a shrine actually grants a blessing, a player has no idea if their prayers at a shrine are being ignored, or the shrine just isn't truly sanctified. Players could always try donating to the shrine. When they pray and have their prayers answered, not only does the player benefit, but so does the shrine; it is now officially sanctified.

Whatever spell effect a shrine has also establishes the shrine's Level. A basic shrine that provides blessings is a 1st level shrine. One that is known for raising the dead is a 5th level shrine. If the faithful pray for a new kind of miracle -- in other words, "research a new spell" for the shrine -- the minimum target number equals the shrine's current level, so a 5th level shrine always has at least a 5 in 20 chance of adding another miracle to its roster as long as someone invests a minimum of 500 gp. Famous shrines thus have a tendency to collect more miracles.

Skill Reactions II: Dual Tables

To continue from the previous post: I proposed rolling 2d6 and improvising the result on the reaction table if the roll is less than or equal to an appropriate ability score. But much earlier, I'd proposed a death and dismemberment roll that sort of did the reverse: looking up the result on the reaction table if the roll failed, because the roll is higher than the ability score.

What might provide even more detail is to combine the two methods. On a successful roll, interpret the result as degree of success. On a failed roll, interpret it as degree of failure. In either case, low rolls mean worse results.

Lett;'s take Physical Adversity as an example. You would roll this for exposure to disease, severe physical trauma, and possibly as a death & dismemberment roll. A successful roll means the character survives, possibly with a scar or limp on a low roll, possibly recovering faster than normal on a high roll. A failed roll, in contrast, means a severe problem. High rolls would mean the least severe results (permanently crippled.) Mid-range rolls mean incapacity and possible death if no appropriate action is taken. Low rolls definitely mean death, and the lowest roll means mutilation or other severe effects preventing resurrection.

For types of rolls made frequently, like the physical adversity roll, you would want an actual pair of tables, or a single table with columns for both success and failure. The table entries would have to be crafted to take into account the fact that high Con (or other ability scores) make low failed results impossible, and low ability scores make high success results impossible. This can be modified somewhat: I suggested halving the score (round down) for dire situations, but it might be better to use four categories and define them a little better:

Trivial: Auto success. Double the result rolled and consult the success table for degree.
Standard: Roll and compare to ability score as normal.
Dire: Roll and compare to half ability score.
Fatal: Auto failure. Halve the result rolled and consult the failure table for degree.

For physical adversity, you would use Trivial for allergies and minor irritants (characters getting hit in the face with pepper to make them sneeze.)  Standard would be for typical diseases and recovery from injuries, Dire would be for severe injury like being caught in an avalanche or any combat that reduced a character to 0 hits. Fatal would be for rare deadly diseases or extreme situations like falling into a giant meat grinder.

Skill Reactions

I've seen a couple people promoting the idea of 2d6 skill rolls,  and at least one person -- don't recall who -- suggesting using the reaction table to interpret results. I prefer avoiding  a skill system, but there's a certain niftiness to that idea. I did do something like that with Con rolls for adversity (aka "system shock". Roll 2d6 under Con to survive, but if the roll fails, look up the roll on the reaction roll table (or custom death and dismemberment table derived from it.)

What I'm thinking is that there's an easier way to adapt this to improvised ability checks. Here are the rules:

1.  Roll 2d6 under relevant ability.
2. Halve the ability score if it's a particularly dire situation.
3. If the roll is less than/equal to the ability score (or half the ability score,) it's a success, with the reaction roll indicating the degree of success.

Hostile/Bad results (5 or less) mean the check succeeds, but with a minor penalty. Very Bad (2) means a major penalty. Good results (9+) mean a slight bonus, and Very Good (12) are even better. Some suggestions:

Physical Adversity rolls: Roll under Con, or half Con for severe disease. Bad means a scar, Very Bad means a limp or lingering condition, Good means a slightly quicker recovery, Very Good halves the recovery time.

Raise Dead rolls: As Physical Adversity, but you need to decide whether all Raise Dead attempts count as "dire", or just the second attempt, or each character gets one "non-dire" roll every 4 levels.

Thievery rolls: Roll under Dex for thieves, half Dex for anyone else. Bad means it takes twice as long or you only take half of the loot or the thievery will be noticed after a short delay (result = turns; you have that long to get out before the victim notices.) Good means the victim won't notice for days unless told.

Search rolls: Roll under Int or Wis, but only if player doesn't do something that would obviously find the item. Bad means it takes twice as long, Very Bad could mean an accident, like brreaking something or making a loud noise. Good takes half as long, and Very Good is nearly instantaneous success.

I'll post about an advanced option later.

More on Liars

I wanted to examine the Liar reaction roll a little more closely. First, I only briefly touched on why I chose odd reaction results as lies. Yes, a 2 is an Immediate Attack, which would be a bit weird if it were aslo a lie. But also, I wanted something easy to remember. The word “even” has a strong association with fairness and honesty, so dishonesty should be the opposite of even, right? Similarly, Neutral monsters and NPCs only lie on Neutral or worse reactions, so that should be easy to remember.

But let’s move on to looking closer at the possible results in different reaction roll situations.

Potential Combat

You just ran into some bandits. Will they threaten you? Attack? Or let you pass?

Bad: Demand all your money and possessions, tie you up or chase you away afterwards. Attack if you resist or linger in the area. When Lying: Say they are going to let you go if you cooperate, but then capture or kill you after stripping you of all possessions.

Neutral: Demand payment, but are willing to bargain. When Lying: Say they will accept your first offer, as long as it’s not ridiculously low, but then demand more after you give it up.

Good: Demand a small “toll”. May let you pass anyways if you refuse, as long as your side seems sufficiently strong or charismatic. When Lying: Chaotics will attempt a second shake-down for more cash.

Making a Job Offer

You meet an intelligent monster that doesn’t immediately turn hostile, so you try to lure it into service.

Bad: Insulted by your offer, or even the idea of serving you. Will attack if you pursue the issue. When Lying: Pretends to accept, but is luring you into a trap or planning a betrayal.

Neutral: Doesn’t accept your offer, but open to a bigger offer. When Lying: Either accepts the job, then absconds with the money as soon as possible or abandons you, or threatens you but is really just playing tough and will accept moe money.

Good: Accepts offer, roll for loyalty. When Lying: Chaotics will accept the job and even perform well, but will have zero loyalty and will secretly accept other jobs. They won’t plan to betray you, but will betray you when paid to do so.

Haggling and Bribing

You need something (potions of healing, or to get past a guard) and offer money for the goods or service.

Bad: Refuse the offer, attempt to take you into custody if being bribed. When Lying: Accept the offer, but give you a counterfeit or lead you into capture.

Neutral: Ask for more money. When Lying: Take the money first, then ask for more.

Good: Accept the money. When Lying: Chaotics will cheat or betray you, perhaps after a delay.

Fishing for Information

A bit like buying a rare item, but you’re trying to buy, intimidate, or sweet-talk information out of someone.

Bad: Insulted by your request, may tell authorities where appropriate. When Lying: Makes an excuse to negotiate later, but sets up a trap.

Neutral: Asks for more money, or stalls negotiation to drive up the price. When Lying: Doesn’t know the answer, but makes up an answer anyways.

Good: Offers information. When Lying: Chaotics make up crazy information.

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Liars

A blog post about the infamous Percent Liar typo in Monsters & Treasure, and the idea of taking it seriously, got me thinking. The chance of a monster or NPC lying is interesting, but individual “% Liar” stats for every monster would be tedious. Is there a way to have our cake and eat it, too?

Lying usually only matters during negotiations: checking if potential enemies turn hostile, hiring mercenaries (in and out of the dungeon,) or haggling for goods and services. So, why not fold the liar check into the reaction roll? For the 2d6 version, with its five possible reactions (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral, Good, Very Good,) I suggest these rules:

• Lying Only Happens on Odd Rolls: This prevents a 2 (Immediate Attack) from being a lie, among other things.
• Chaotic Types Lie on Any Odd Roll: So, sometimes, the Chaotic Ally you just acquired really is a loyal ally, but also lies. That’s the nature of Chaos.
• Neutrals Don’t Lie on Good Reactions: On a Neutral reaction, they may lie (on a 7,) perhaps pretending to be an ally when they really don’t care. On a Bad reaction, they will pretend to be an ally on a 3 or 5, but only to lead you to your doom. But if they are really your ally, they won’t lie.
• Lawfuls Rarely Lie: They only lie on a Bad reaction withan odd roll (3 or 5.) A few upstanding sorts will only lie on a 3.
• Some Individuals May Vary: Always Lie/Never Lie about a given topic, Always/Never Lie to dwarves/nobles/other, or just a flat Always/Never Lie.

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Overindulgence

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Like most Americans, I will be busy with family stuff today, although I will probably check in a couple times to respond to comments from readers in the rest of the world. But I wondered, "What could I do for a Thanksgiving-themed post?" Killer turkeys have probably already been done. Killer balloons, maybe not, but also not very useful. But then I thought: what about rules -- good rules -- for eating or drinking too much?

Clearly, this is a job for the reaction roll table.

2d6	Overindulgence Reaction
2	"I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" Move 3, penalty on actions,
3-5	"I'm stuffed/sloshed to the gills!" Move is halved.
6-8	Pleasant, ordinary meal or round of drinks.
9-11	"I'm good for another go!" Any exhaustion or fatigue is dispelled.
12+	"Woo-Hoo!" Restore 1 point of damage.

Where appropriate, characters rolling a 2 may have to save vs. poison or pass out. Or, in some cases, save vs. actual poison. There may be additional effects depending on the substance ingested or the race of the character; for example, any result below 6 for alcohol should probably include the effects of a Confusion spell.

Similarly, the GM can modify the roll based on quantity of food/booze or other reasons. Hobbits (not halflings) get a bonus on the roll. Dwarves get a bonus for booze specifically. If players make a roll, then opt for another round of eating or drinking, halve the roll (or roll 1d6,) If you try to eat like Gord in Gary Gygax's first book, you wil, eventually, succumb.

Morale in OD&D

I've seen the topic of "the absence of morale rules in OD&D" come up on the forums, so I thought I'd talk about it briefly. First, let's look at the morale rules, which are in the LBBs, after all. They are right after the Reaction and Loyalty tables:

Non-player characters and men-at-arms will have to make morale checks (using the above reaction table or "Chainmail") whenever a highly dangerous or un-nerving situation arises. Poor morale will mean that those in question will not perform as expected.
Men & Magic, p. 13

The "reaction table" being referred to is the infamous 2d6 table. So, roll 2d6, add or subtract the loyalty modifier, and look up the reaction.

What's missing is an explanation of this for people who aren't experienced wargamers. I'm not, which may explain why we weren't very diligent about morale back in my high school days. I eventually learned the rules via the AD&D DMG. But what a non-wargamer buying the LBBs back in the '70s would have needed is, first, maybe a better indicator of where the morale rules were, like a bold "Morale Roll" heading; and second, an understanding of what the Reaction table terms would translate into in terms of troop behavior.

The easiest interpretation is:

• "Hostile" means orderly retreat
• "Attempts to Attack" means disorderly rout
• (optional) "Uncertain" means stand ground, but do not advance further or press the attack

There are a couple creatures in Monsters & Treasure with specific morale notes, mostly on unusual morale roll triggers. For example, sunlight triggers a check for goblins and undead, magic triggers a check for cavemen, and berserkers do not check morale (and maybe trigger morale checks for normal men fighting against them.) This is actually fertile ground for creativity; we could redefine behaviors for a new monster, such as:

• "Rout" or possibly even "Retreat" is replaced with "attack enemies and allies indiscriminately"
• Instead of fleeing on a rout, monster sits down and ignores the conflict (Hippy Monsters?)
• Morale check triggered by bad omen for superstitious monsters, or by spilled treasure for greedy monsters.

Reply Hazy, Ask Again Later

Someone was complaining about the lack of differentiation between different NPC reactions. The 6 to 8 result for most versions of the 2d6 reaction roll table is "Uncertain". For some GMs, it's easy to just make up a reason why the character is uncertain, based on what little is known about the NPC, and just run with that. But other people want more guidance. And apparently the Moldvay version of the reaction roll doesn't even use the word "Uncertain", it just says "Roll Again".

So, some people are looking for a little more inspiration. I came up with this simple approach: Use d4 + d8 instead of 2d6 (as I've talked about doing before.) The total is still the main reaction, using the standard table. But also: Read the d4 seperately as an "elemental subtext" to the NPC's response:

1. Earthy and lethargic
2. Wet and emotional
3. Airy and rational
4. Fiery and hot-headed

So, an Earthy Uncertain means the NPC is just too lazy to do what you ask, at least for your current offer. A Watery Uncertain is moved to tears or passion by the discussion. An Airy Uncertain wants to nitpick or weight the pros and cons of your offer. A Fiery Uncertain means you get in a heated discussion.

It works for reactions other than Uncertain, too. After all, if you get an outright refusal, why is the NPC refusing?

• Because the NPC is just too lazy or seeking his own pleasure;
• Because the NPC doesn't like you, feels uncomfortable around you;
• Because the NPC sees flaws in your plans;
• Because the NPC is too angry or contemptuous of you.

To cut down on re-rolls for Uncertain results, read the d8 secretly as the number of offers the player must make before a final reaction roll. For example, if the d8 result is a 4, the NPC will not accept the first three ammended offers. Players might give up... but if they make a fourth and final offer, roll again for reaction. A second Uncertain means you aren't getting anywhere with this NPC this month. Go away and try again much, much later.