House Rules/Character Creation

[SlyFox]

Pantheons, Cabals & Divulgence: Campaign ID 202

1e AD&D rules.

Posting frequency - Every 2 or 3 days, not counting weekends.

I'll do up the introduction, then let everyone react. After everyone has done a post or two, I will sum everything up to keep things flowing along and I will keep a party loot list, along with a thread that will contain the visuals, maps and clues the party has come across for future reference.

When posting as your character, you don't need to hide your die rolls in a "spoiler". You can, but don't need to. Please put the name of your character in bold before your post so I know who's doing what.

All character actions should be typed in black font while character speech should be blue. Any OOC statement or question applying to your post should be in red.



Everyone starts at first level, rolling up their characters using 3d6 and going down the list of ability scores in order.

First, choose what character class you'd like to be. If your score for your prime requisite is too low, just bring it up to the absolute minimum to be that character class. Roll for your other abilities and record their original scores.

I will roll you out some starting money on physical dice. (The dice I have are high rollers.) I can also roll up your ability scores to start if you prefer (since the virtual die can be cruel). Once given that number, use the First Edition Player's Handbook to buy the armor, weapons and supplies your character will need, recording any left over money on your character sheet. If you need help in that, just PM me. I also have a list of stuff with prices that doesn't exist in that book. Characters with blades will need whetstones. That costs 1 copper piece per stone.

Use these sources to create your character: First Edition Player's Handbook and Unearthed Arcana. Choose any class you wish and I will make it happen.

You will need to choose a deity from the pantheon this game starts with - the Sumerian Pantheon. Deities should match a character's alignment and basic nature, but can be neutral where a worshiper is evil or good, lawful or chaotic. This is only done in extreme cases where there is no listed deity with the proper alignment for the worshipers present. - Source used: Deities & Demigods, Cyclopedia of Gods and Heroes From Myth and Legend.

Holy Days will play a big part in character's lives. If you don't have this book, I can give you the information needed when you choose a deity. Characters will need to pay attention to their deities on the specified holy days for their patron deities. Clerics will have the additional duty of paying attention to the holy days for the entire pantheon of gods. These days will be noted for you and I will remind everyone when those days come, explaining what exactly needs to be done.

Humans can multi-class too! To start, you can choose to be single or dual class. If you want to multi-class as a human or demi-human, let me know and we can talk about that when your character gains some levels.

Choose a trade (what your character basically does for a living before becoming an adventurer). This knowledge will help in your adventures and you can choose to learn more trades as you level up.



If a person does not post in a three-day period, I will go ahead and NPC their character one time, playing their move myself, but after that if a player still hasn't contacted me or posted, the character will be left "in the dark". That means the character somehow fell behind or got lost and wasn't paying attention while everyone else moved on. If you do come back to find your character "lost in the dark", just pick up where you left off and it will be considered as your character having caught up with the group. No XP can be earned while your character is "in the dark", so it's best to let me know when you need to take off for a while. If I'm told you will be gone and your characters needs to be NPC'd, I will do so and your character will continue gaining XP.

I like to encourage player interaction. If your characters wish to talk to one another, feel free to play out those scenes as desired. If thieves want to pilfer treasures from party members, PM me to do in privately. If characters wish to plot or scheme in private, just keep me informed of what's going on. During play, something may be noticed by a certain character that others don't notice. I will just say something like, "your dwarf tells you... blah blah blah." If you ever want to keep something to yourself and not share it, I need to be notified ahead of time and I will only tell the person/people involved of what that character notices.


Players will need to really keep track of stuff in their inventories. I will deduct torches, oil, days of rations, water etc. as those events arise and players will need to reflect that on their character sheets. I will keep a thread for those totals if you ever get lost and need to catch up.

Record your rations in days, rather than weeks. Example, if you buy 1 week of rations, you'll put 7 days on your character sheet. Animal feed will be recorded in the same manner.



This game is deity heavy, so if your character is in dire straights, remember to have them pray - pray hard! Divine intervention exists for low level characters that really need help. Death can occur, sometimes frequently, but deities can do whatever they like. Also remember, they are fickle. They may not always answer your prayers. It depends on what the prayer is and what mood they are in. Perhaps one day you can challenge them and teach them all a lesson!

Characters can choose to be atheistic in nature, not choosing any patron deity to worship, unless they are clerics. All clerics MUST have a patron deity as well as pay homage to the entire pantheon. However, a character without a patron deity has no "protection" against the dangers in this world. There won't be any chance for reincarnation and resurrection for non-religious characters will only have a chance at success within three days of the character's death. If a player loses a character in this manner and wishes to continue playing the game (with that character), the player can have the character find a deity while on the other side and make a pact with them to come back. This means they will have to have a patron deity and will need to worship them. The gods do demand favors of their worshipers, but some of them are quests that will lead you to fortune and glory. Also, characters that have patron deities can always "pray" for characters who do not have them. The chances of divine help there aren't great, but they are still there.


All other forum rules apply: No porn, no being rude to people, keep out of character arguments and chat on the OOC thread.

All weapons and armor are iron unless otherwise specified. Due to the still young age of this world, steel is not yet used very much as its properties haven't been fully realized.

Critical Miss occurs when a 1 on d20 is rolled. A natural 20 will be automatic hit and double damage.
On a critical miss, roll d20 again.
1-5 = Broken weapon or Bow/Sling String (Melee weapons break due to being made of iron, wood, etc. Mechanics will be different if they are steel.)
6-10 = Fumbled Weapon
11-20 = simple miss, no broken weapons, no fumbles (if using missile weapon, roll d20 again - % chance to hit unintended target, depending on target's AC)


When characters are having a whispered or private conversation with one another that they don't want others to overhear, just mention they are whispering then put the conversation in "spoilers" in the main thread. This should keep it fun for everyone without having anyone sequestered in PMs. Just make sure not to act on anything said that can't be overheard.

If someone would like to take a try at overhearing a private conversation, a d6 must be rolled to "hear whispers". This is because other things are usually going on to keep people distracted. This roll will apply to all classes like a normal "hear sound" roll. A successful roll means the person is aware of a secret conversation going on. Normal "hear sound" roll for thief types and a roll of 1 for other classes.

If the "hear sound" roll is successful, those in the private conversation will have a "save" roll on a d20 as an ability check on intelligence (per person). This save will determine if those overheard catch the alerted observer before they wander too near to hear anything so that they can stop talking before any secrets are spilled. If the save is unsuccessful, part or all of the conversation is overheard.

To determine how much is heard, the person listening in will have to make a successful roll for hiding on a d6 (each round of listening) or be caught. Normal "hide in shadows" roll for thief types and a roll of 1 for any other class (assuming there is a shadow or something to hide behind, or that the character can be near enough without looking as though they are hearing anything while acting involved in something else.)


I really don't like the extremely strict 1e rules on regaining lost hit points. I don't think it reflects reality very well and some people heal faster than others. This will basically depend on a person's constitution score. Generally, I'll have everyone roll a 1d4 to see what they regain after a decent night's uninterrupted sleep (full 8 hours). Well who gets 8 hours? Ha! You're not on planet Earth anymore. People sleep better in this world, as long as they aren't woken up and attacked.


Don't be shy. PM me for any help needed or questions to be answered. I'm a very understanding, patient and forgiving person. Very friendly. ;D

[AleBelly]

Are we permitted to do the 2 for 1 ability score adjustment?

[SlyFox]

No. But here's a thing you can do... if you choose a class you want, then end up rolling too low for it, just bring up that prerequisite score to the minimum needed for that class. If you roll a super high strength, just keep it at a regular 18 to start. We'll get into percentiles as characters level up. If you do manage to roll something up super low and pathetic, I'll roll up a number for you on my high rolling dice over here and give you that score.