Continuing my series of articles about OSE and Arden Vul, this week I am going to talk about some of the houserules that I decided on as I prepped to start the campaign. This post is #3 in the series, the first contained details of Prepping To Run The Halls of Arden Vul and the second detailed the new Imperial Goblin Class I created for use with OSE classic. I’m going to split this post into four sections: character creation houserules, combat houserules, magic houserules, and miscellaneous houserules. That last category is for things that don’t neatly fit into one of the other three. Though there are a couple of Arden Vul based rulings here, I am not specifically focusing on Arden Vul related houserules in this post – that is for another day – this post will detail OSE specific houserules.
CHARACTER CREATION HOUSERULES
Ability Scores: There are 3 steps to determining a PC’s ability scores
- Players roll 3d6 and add them up, writing down the total. Repeat 5 more times until 6 stats have been rolled. These stats are assigned to attributes in the order listed on the OSE character sheet (STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON, CHA).
- Players can now choose to switch any two scores.
- Players can adjust scores as per the rules-as-written in OSE. Briefly, a player can raise a character’s prime requisite 1 point by lowering other ability scores by 2 points. Only STR, INT, or WIS may be lowered in this way and none may be lowered below 9. This combination allows for a very good chance of a player getting to choose the class they want to play, while also not inflating ability scores.
Class-as-Race: Since I am running OSE Classic, I am using the race-as-class version of the rules. At the beginning of the campaign the only choices available to players are Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Human Cleric, Human Fighter, Human Magic User, Human Thief, and Imperial Goblin. As the game progresses and PCs that reached at least 3rd level are killed, I will allow players to choose from a selection of classes from the OSE Advanced book (Acrobat, Bard, Knight, Paladin, Ranger) and Carcass Crawler (Kineticist and Mage).
Hit Points: Players roll the hit die type corresponding to their class. If they roll a 1 on the hit die, they can re-roll one time. This re-roll only applies to the hit die roll during character generation and not when leveling up.
Starting Spells: see Magic Related Houserules below.
COMBAT HOUSERULES
Shields: Shields add a -1 bonus to your AC, just as normally expected. However, they also have one extra thing they can do. If a PC chooses, they may sacrifice their shield to completely absorb the damage of a single hit. This destroys the shield beyond repair, but could save a life. If the shield is Magic, it can absorb a single hit per day without breaking. If it absorbs more than one, it loses its enchantment and becomes a mundane shield.
Helmets: These do not affect your AC at all; a PC wearing a helmet receives neither an AC bonus nor penalty. However, like shields, helmets can absorb the damage from a single hit. This destroys the helmet. Magic helmets can absorb a single hit per day. If it absorbs more than one, it loses its enchantment and becomes a mundane helmet.
Staves: Along with daggers, magic users can use staves as weapons. This allows them to create a magic user that fits the mold of the iconic old wizard leaning on a staff – I like that trope, so I added a houserule that supports it.
Armor: No one can purchase or commission plate mail. This is an Arden Vul rule – plate mail is not available in the setting as the technology to create such armor pieces has been lost to the annals of ancient forging. Given that everyone wants the best possible AC, this one needs to be understood by everyone early on.
Death: NPCs and Monsters die at 0 HP. However, PCs are special and they die at negative ½ max HP. If the PC has more than 20 HP, then they die at -10. That is, the maximum amount a PC can go below 0 is -10, and then death occurs. For example, a PC with 6 HP dies at -3, a PC with 15 HP dies at -7, and a PC with 40 HP dies at -10.
Declaring Actions: During the declaration phase of the combat round, some actions must be declared. This is usually because it affects the PC’s AC or their ability to move or perform other actions. If a PC is going to cast a spell, they must declare they will be casting, though they do not need to declare which spell will be cast. A cleric planning to turn undead must declare their action. All movement must be declared – this is an expansion of the rules-as-written, which force declaration of movement if engaged in melee. Parrying and charging must also be declared. The referee (me) will also declare creature actions when appropriate. All declarations occur before the initiative roll, and declared actions cannot be changed after the roll.
Turning Undead: The rules are not explicit about when an attempt to turn undead takes place during the combat round. Some people treat it similar to spellcasting and therefore place it in the magic phase. I like it to happen first thing, so turning attempts in my game are part of the morale phase. I roll morale first, if such has been triggered, and then the cleric can roll their turn attempt. I also maintain that the cleric must hold or otherwise display their holy symbol and be able to verbally curse the undead during the turning attempt.
Morale: I use the morale rules, which are technically optional in OSE Classic. I also adjust them slightly. As written, morale checks are triggered in two circumstances. The first is when the first combatant on the monster’s side has been killed. The second is when half of the monster’s group have been killed or incapacitated. I add a third circumstance to this list – when a single creature finds itself in combat with the party, when that creature has lost half of its maximum HP, a morale roll is triggered.
There is also another consideration regarding morale – Arden Vul was written for OSRIC and that game does not have morale listed in the stat block of creatures. There IS a morale rule in OSRIC (creature morale = 50% + 5% per HD) but it is a percentage based morale value, and OSE uses a 2d6 morale system. Those numbers have to be converted and it is just simply easier for me to decide on a morale value for creatures in Arden Vul on a case by case basis. It’s pretty easy to apply – any creature that is confident but that also has an inherent preservation instinct has a morale of 7 or 8. Undead and constructs never fail a morale roll, so they have a morale of 12. Animals have a morale of 3 or 4 unless they are protecting their young. Intelligent creatures will save their own lives, but will probably try to parley before fleeing, so that would become a roleplaying issue and not a die roll.
Combat Actions: I use several combat actions in my campaign.
- Parrying is an optional rule from OSE Advanced, in which a PC with a 13 or higher STR score can use their turn to defend instead of attack. They gain a bonus to their AC equal to their STR bonus, hence the reason they must have a 13 or higher STR to take this action.
- Charging allows a PC to gain a +2 bonus on their to-hit roll at the expense of their AC (+1 penalty). This character must move at least 20 feet and might be subject to a bracing attack.
- Bracing is possible if a PC is using a weapon that has the ability to be set against a charge. If a PC is the target of a charge they can replace their melee attack with a bracing attack, and the PC cannot move. The bracing attack is resolved at the end of the movement phase in which the charge occurs, even if a slow weapon is used.
- Polearm Reach is a rule that allows more versatility in using a long, slow, 2-handed weapon. Not only are polearms good for bracing, but you can use them as a second rank attacker in melee (from 5-10 ft away). You cannot carry anything else in your hands while wielding a polearm. Polearms are slow weapons, so any polearm attack, at reach distance or not, occurs last in the round. When a polearm is being used as a reach weapon from the second rank, they do d8 damage instead of d10 because you cannot swing, but only jab and poke.
- Subduing is a tactic in which the character attempts to incapacitate a creature by force, but without killing it. They must be using a blunt weapon, or specifically using the flat side of a blade. Damage is tracked normally as HP are lost, but when the creature reaches 0 HP, they either fall unconscious or surrender.
MAGIC RELATED HOUSERULES
Starting Spells: Magic users and elves know Read Magic for free. It is in their spellbook regardless of how many spells they can cast per day. Typically, arcane casters gain 1 spell at first level, but I allow them to know two spells. One is selected randomly from the first level magic user spell list, and the other is selected by the player (also from the first level spell list). In Arden Vul, some spell casters belong to magic schools called collegia. Depending on the collegium the PC selected, they may have more spells available at level 1 – in that case the collegium determines starting spells, and they all have a minimum of 2 plus Read Magic. I ignore the limit on number of spells in the spellbook.
Spells Not in OSE: Arden Vul contains many spells that do not exist in OSE. For those spells, the PC must discover them via a scroll, found spellbook, or via a mentor. In those cases, I either use the OSRIC version of the spell, the AD&D version of the spell, or I adjust the spell to OSE power levels.
Divine Scrolls: Arden Vul also contains lots of divine scrolls. In the case of a cleric finding a divine spell scroll containing a spell they have never heard of, they can make either cast the spell from the scroll or make a request of their deity. If the spell is not antithetical to their deity, the deity might grant them the ability to pray with the scroll, which uses up the scroll, but allows them to make the spell a permanent option for prep by the cleric.
Identification Spell: OSE does not have an Identify spell and so in my campaign magic users cannot learn the identify spell until they are at least 5th level. Until then, the party is forced to seek out a higher level magic user or sage that can identify the items… for a steep price. This is a setting choice for me rather than a spell choice. At 5th level, the magic user can find a spell scroll with Identify on it and in that case I use a modified version of the OSRIC spell.
Scribing Spells into a Spellbook: Since spell scrolls are so abundant in Arden Vul, and OSE has only very basic scribing rules, I came up with my own set of guidelines for allowing an arcane caster to add to their spellbook. Writing a spell into a spellbook costs time and money. The magic user must be in a quiet, safe location with ample light available to attempt to scribe a page in their spellbook. The following parameters apply:
- Pages: spells take up 2 pages per level in the magic user’s spellbook
- Time: it takes 1 Hour x Number of Pages to scribe a spell into a spellbook
- Cost: it costs 20gp per page to scribe into a spellbook – this is the cost of the components for mixing arcane ink
- How to get 0% failure possibility: Copying a spell of a level that the magic user can cast has NO chance of failure as long as:
1) The magic user is in a safe, well-lit, warm location with a stable writing surface
2) The magic user spends at least the minimum time to scribe the spell
3) The magic user spends the correct amount of gp for the ink
4) The spell is of a level that the magic user is capable of casting - How to determine % failure possibility: If the magic user attempts to scribe a spell that is a higher level than what they can cast, there is a chance of failure. The chance of failure is equal to (n+1) x 10%, where n is the difference between the magic user’s maximum spell capability and the level of the spell being scribed.
Example 1: A magic user that can cast 2nd level spells attempts to scribe a 5th level spell. The chance of failure is: ((5-2) + 1) x 10 = 4 x 10 = 40%
Example 2: A magic user that can cast 2nd level spells attempts to scribe a 3rd level spell. The chance of failure is ((3-2) + 1) x 10 = 2 x 10 = 20%
MISCELLANEOUS HOUSERULES
Experience Awards: XP is awarded in this game for defeating monsters (either via trickery or combat), gaining loot (1 gp = 1xp once the gold is safe; out of the dungeon), and exploring the campaign environment. I use the Feats of Exploration supplement by Jon Britton with a slight change. In his system, the party must explore 5 new dungeon rooms to qualify for a minor exploration xp award. My adjustment is that, until one of the PCs is 3rd level, the party receives a minor award for EVERY new room explored. This greatly accelerates their delving exploration awards at very low levels, but I find it gets us out of the low level rut as fast as possible. XP is awarded at the end of each session. XP for gp is only awarded once the loot is brought back to a safe haven.
Missing a Session: If a player misses a session their PC is no longer with the group. We suspend our disbelief as a group and the missing player’s PC basically poofs out of existence. They cannot be played by another player and their equipment is not available for use. This also means they cannot die. The PC gains 0 xp. If a player doesn’t show up their PC is not taking any risks because they cannot die, so no risk = no reward. This is not a punishment, it’s a neutral consequence.
A consideration that might involve missing players and the timing of loot making it to a safe haven… if a PC was there when a ton of loot was gained but not there when it was returned to safety, the PC gets a half share of XP for the gp (but none of the monster or exploration xp from the session they missed). If a PC was there for the return to safety of the loot but not for the original gain, they also get only a half share. This assumes that some substantial challenges were overcome in both sessions, and it makes it fair for the whole group.
Healing and Rest: Sleeping a night in a safe, warm environment gains the PC 1d3 HP of natural healing. If they are not in a safe, warm environment, they gain 1 HP.
Retainers: In general the rules for retainers are followed as written in OSE, with one exception. Rules-as-Written, a 0 level retainer who gains any experience must select a class and becomes a level 1 retainer. My rule is that the 0 level individual must earn half the XP needed to reach level 2 in their desired class in order to become level 1 in that class. At that point they must follow the weapon and armor rules for the class to be able to get the benefit of those abilities. For example: if a thief needs 1200 XP for level 2 then a 0 level retainer needs to get 600 xp to become a level 1 thief. In this way, even very unskilled retainers can advance from torchbearers, porters, and loot mules into valuable (and highly skilled) classed NPCs.
Retainer to PC: If a PC dies, a player can choose to take over a retainer and play that individual as their new PC. At that point the retainer is converted into a full fledged PC and will never go back to being an NPC. The player gains that PC at whatever level they were at. Newly created PCs always begin at level 1, so this is a way for a player to not have to start with 0 xp yet again.
And I’ve gone and done it again – written a really long post when I set out to do something short-ish. I want to thank the artists who drew the section break art I used in this post: adventuring party and halberd by Denis McCarthy, magic sigil by Nathanaël Roux, and retainer pulling cart by JE Shields. And I want to thank you for reading my thoughts and designs.
What’s in store next time? Alignment and Encumbrance… two topics that always seem to get people riled up! You can find Old School Essentials here. You can find The Halls of Arden Vul on DriveThruRPG: Arden Vul PDFs + Hardcovers or PDFs Only – it is expensive, but it is worth it. (full disclosure: both of the above are affiliate links)
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Until Next Time I wish you good gaming,
~DMSamuel
