CHARACTER CREATION

Your choices are: Fighter, Cleric, Magic User

  1. Roll 3d6, total them, and write them down in any order.
  2. Any score above 15 gives you a +1 in that ability.
  3. What is your race?
    • Human: unlimited
      • Fighter can use STR bonus for
        Melee - attack and damage
        Bows - attack and damage
    • Dwarf: MAX fighter 6th
      • dark vison to 60' & traps 4/6
      • Fighter can use STR bonus for
        Melee - attack and damage
      • +4 to magic saving throws
      • 1/2 damage from giants, ogres, trolls
    • Elf: MAX fighter 4th, MAX magic-user 8th
      • secret doors 4/6
      • +1 when using bow
      • +1 vs goblins, orcs, undead, lycanthropes
      • immune to ghoul paralysis
    • Halfling: MAX fighter 4th
      • +2 with range weapons
      • 5/6 invisible when hidden
      • extra d6 for DEX checks per level
      • +4 to magic saving throws
      • 1/2 damage from giants, ogres, trolls
  4. Are you a fighter, cleric, or magic-user?
    • Fighter: any type of weapon or armor (step 4 for details)
    • Cleric: ~blunt weapons, any type of armor
      WIS bonus grants extra 1st level spell
    • Magic-User: dagger or staff, no armor
      INT bonus grants extra 1st level spell
  5. You start with full hit points at 1st level.
  6. What's your character's name?

Equip the Character

STEP #1: ROLL FOR STARTING GOLD

Roll 3d6 x 10 to determine your starting gold pieces.

STEP #2: BASE ADVENTURER KIT

Spend 25 gp to purchase the base adventurers kit.

or pick "A" or "B" in equipment pack

  • Back pack (5gp)
  • Large sack (2 gp)
  • 1 week of standard rations (7 gp)
  • Water skin (1 gp)
  • 6 torches (1 gp)
  • Flint and steel (5 gp)
  • Suit of clothes (2 gp)
  • Bedroll (2 gp)

STEP #3: ARMOR

Pick one type of armor.

  • Leather Armor +2 (15 gp)
  • Chain-type Armor +4 (30 gp) (stealth penalty)
  • Plate +6 (50 gp) (stealth penalty)

Optionally, pay for any or all of the following:

  • Shield +1 AC (10 gp) (stealth penalty)
  • Helmet (saves from 1 Crit = Max damage) (10 gp)

STEP #4: MELEE WEAPONS

Choose a melee technique:

  • Sword & Board (shield gives +1 to AC)
  • Dual-Wielding (gives +1 to attack roll)
  • Two-Handed (gives +1 to damage)

(If you select sword & board, but don't buy a shield, you're just fighting one-handed.)

1d6-1 Weapons (Sword and Board)
  • Dagger (3 gp)
  • Short Sword (8 gp)
  • War hammer
  • Short Bow 50ft rate 2x rnd (25gp)
  • Light Crossbow 60ft rate 1x rnd (15gp)
1d6 Weapons (Sword and Board)
  • Sword (10 gp)
  • Hand Axe (3 gp)
  • Morning Star (6 gp)
  • Long Bow 70ft rate 2x rnd (40gp)
  • Heavy Cross Bow 80ft rate 1/2x rnd (25gp)
  • Staff 2-hand ~blunt (1gp)
  • Club ~blunt
  • Mace ~blunt (5 gp)
  • Warhammer ~blunt (5 gp)
  • Sling 30ft 1x rnd ~blunt (2gp)
1d6+1 Two-Handed Weapons
  • Two-Handed Sword (16 gp)
  • Battle Axe (7 gp)
  • Spear (2 gp, provides reach)
  • Pole Arm (7 gp, provides reach)
  • Halberd (7 gp, provides reach)
  • Maul Hammer ~blunt (5gp)
  • Flail ~blunt (8 gp)

Dual-Wielding: Pick any two Sword & Board weapons (+1 to attack).

STEP #5: MISSILE WEAPONS

Ammunition:

  • 20 arrows (5 gp) + Quiver (5 gp)
  • 30 bolts (5 gp) + Case (5 gp)
  • 20 bullets + Pouch (1 gp) + Case (5 gp)
  • 5 Silver Arrows (5gp)
  • 5 Silver Bullets (5gp)

STEP #6: ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT PACKAGES

Optionally select one or more additional equipment packages. You can also roll 1d6 to select one randomly.

d6 Package Price
1-2 Delving 50gp
3-4 Prepared Adventurer 25gp
5 Basic Mount 75gp
6 Group Wilderness 176gp

Delving Package (50gp):

  • Lockpicks (30 gp)
  • 20' spool of wire (10 gp)
  • 6 sticks of chalk (1 gp)
  • 12 iron spikes (6 gp)
  • 6 wooden stakes (1 gp)
  • Mallet (2 gp)

Prepared Adventurer Package (25gp):

  • Ink, quill, 10 pieces parchment (5 gp)
  • 50' rope (1 gp)
  • Lantern (10 gp)
  • 3 flasks of oil (6 gp)
  • 10' pole (1 gp)

Basic Mount Package (75gp)

  • Light Horse (40 gp)
  • Saddle (25 gp)
  • Saddle Bags (10 gp)

Group Wilderness Package (176gp):

  • Mule (20 gp)
  • Cart (80 gp)
  • 4 Small tents (16 gp)
  • 1 week iron rations (for four) (60 gp)

DUAL-WIELDING

Dual-wielding grants you a +1 bonus on your attack roll. On a hit, you deal damage as per the most effective weapon. (You can't dual-wield with a two-handed weapons unless you have more than two hands.)

HELMETS

Saves the wearer from one critical hit roll of 20 on a d20 (critical hits are maximum damage), if helmet is discarded for the critical hit, damage will be rolled normally

SHIELDS

Shields grant a +1 bonus to Armor Class (as shown on the combat tables) when they are readied. (Surprised characters do not benefit from their shields.) In addition:

Shields Shall Be Splintered:Whenever you take damage, you can opt to have the damage absorbed by your shield. The shield is splintered and destroyed, but you don't take any damage from the blow.

Magic Shields: You can do the same with a magic shield, but the shield won't be destroyed. Instead there will be a 66% chance (1-4 on a d6) that the shield will lose +1 of its enchantment.

Magic Shields vs. Spells: In addition, you can automatically sacrifice +1 from a magic shield in order to make a successful save vs. any spell, breath weapon, gaze, or similar effect.

What I like about all of these house rules, however, is that they provide a simple-yet-effective method of making greatsword wielders (effectively +1 damage), dual-wielders (+1 to hit), and sword-and-boarders (+1 AC plus the splintering) all mechanically diverse and rewarding options.

GAME PLAY MECHANICS

MOVE & TURNs IN THE UNDERWORLD


1 turn = 10 minutes = 2 moves
1 move = speed x 10 feet
1 turn = 2 moves = speed x 20 feet
1 turn of flight = speed x 40 feet
Search a 10' wall = 1 full turn
Listening/ESP/Clairvoyance/X-Ray = 1/2 a turn

COMBAT

1 round of battle = 1 move and attack = 2 moves (dash)

COMBAT SEQUENCE

  1. Roll 1d6 for surprise if necessary
  2. Roll 1d6 for the party and 1d6 for the opponents to determine initiative
  3. highest roll goes first (ties go to the PCs)
  4. You get to make a movement and an action (in any order) or hold (go at the very end of the round)
  5. You can make a dash (2 movements) however no other action can be performed
  6. Fighters can perform a parry for their action, which gives a -4 to the attacker
  7. Lower roll moves second, and the cycle (3-5) repeats until battle is complete

Thief Skills and General Skill Checks
(when appropriate)

Since there are only three classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User, any playing character regardless of class can succeed at any skill check by rolling a 1 or 2 using a d6 (33%). For every applicable Stat score above 15, an additional d6 is used during the check (56%). Additional d6 dice can be added per GM discretion (for example 3d6 = 70%). Explanation is found at https://drduick.com/D&D/adding_dice/.

For example a character attempting to pick a lock with a dexterity stat score of 10, would roll one d6 and try for a 1 or 2. If their dexterity stat score was 15 (or higher) they would roll 2d6 and would be successful if either dice was presented a 1 or 2.

STAT EXAMPLES
STR Athletics, Acrobatics, Wall Climbing, Lifting
DEX Pickpocketing, Sleight of Hand, Backstab*, Stealth*
CON Holding breath, Endurance, Nausea
INT Arcana, History, Investigation, Religion, Discerning traps, Picking a lock, Scribing, Reading
WIS Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Survival, Nature, Tracking
CHR Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion
3rd, 6th, 9th ↖ add a +1 increase to any stat score at level increments indicated

*Stealth and Backstab is influenced by armour. If wearing Plate mail, all rolls are made with a +2. Chain mail stealth rolls are made at a +1, Leather stealth rolls are made at a +0, and Clothing stealth rolls are made at a -1, to the d6 dice roll. Shields are situational and up for GM discretion.

*Backstab can only occur before the combat initiative roll is made. They are a +4 melee attack after a successful stealth approach. The weapon must be either a dagger or shortsword and inflicts 2d6+1 Damage

*Halfings get to add a d6 to Dexterity skills for every level they obtain. For example a 3rd level halfling fighter gets to roll 3d6 (success on a 1 or 2) for Pickpocketing, Sleight of Hand, Backstab or Stealth. They would roll 4d6 if they had a 15+ in their Dexterity stat. This bonus is also made towards discerning traps.

Click here for stat probability data