The Unseen Servant forums

This is a spot to ask anything you want to about the rules. No need to own them just fire away with any questions. I intend to do a character generation example thread since HM character generation is more involved then most RPGs.

I am using HarnMaster third edition (HM3). I am familiar with all editions.

We started using Harn as our D&D setting in 1988.
In 1992 we transitioned to HM1 which I had bought shortly after it came out but we just hadn't given it a try.
My original campaign ran from 1992 to 2012, we still play about once a month but it is no longer the same characters.
We transitioned to HM2 in 1996 and HM3 in 2003 and have been running with it ever since.

I have been not using my House Rules for the most part. I do have one I want to consider using though. The Cloth weights for clothing are very heavy in HM especially considering the most common fabrics would by far be wool and linen. A short sleeve tunic weights 4.4 lbs for an average male. I have always house ruled that actual clothing weights 1/4 Cloth Armor weights and offers no protection (0 protection vales). Cloth armor is a multi layered, thicker heavier simple armor and uses the Cloth Armor protection values. If you were wearing a bunch of clothing (3+ layers) I would count it as 1 layer of Cloth Armor.

Does this make sense and is everyone OK with it?

Lets use this price list. I like the format best and it is a little simpler then some of the others.

Price List

4 Farthings (f) = 1 Penny (they are literally a Penny cut into quarters, not there own coin)
Penny (d) = the standard silver coin on Harn, minted by every Kindgdom/State on Harn, the coins of Azadmere (the Dwarven Kingdom) are the most respected and highly valued
12 Pennies = 1 Shilling (sh), not a coin but merely a quantity of pennies,
20 Shillings = 1 Pound (l), not a coin but merely a quantity of pennies

A penny weights just over 1 dram, or 15 pennies to an ounce, or 240 pennies to a pound (thus the unit of coins above).

There is one other coin on Harn, minted only by the Dwarven Kingdom of Azadmere. The Crown, a gold coin that weights 1 ounce and is worth about 320d.

House rule
Crossbows are a separate skill from Bows. This allows for the fact that they are much easier to use and learn to use, and require much less practice/training to be good at.

Crossbow Str Dex Eye Hir/Tar/Nad +1 OML SBx5

I style my Dwarves a little after a cross between the Gurkha and Spartans. Thus there sword is the Falcata and there shield a smaller version of the Aspis.

Falcata as wt 5, WQ 12, A/D 15/10, HM -, B 4, E 7, P 3, Price 180d
Aspis Shield as wt 7, WQ 14, A/D 5/25, HM -, B 3 E -, P -, Price 96d

Skill Testing
How we use skills in HM

A player will declare they want to attempt something, the DM will decide if a skill test is required, what skill is tested and what situational modifiers if any apply.
Skill ML + Modifiers = Skill EML

The player rolls 1d100 vs the EML
A 05 or lower is always a success
A 96+ is always a failure
There are 4 possible results:
Critical Success (CS), any roll equal to or lower than the Skill EML and ending in a 0 or 5 (05, 10, 15, etc), 05 is always a CS
Marginal Success (MS), any roll equal to or lower then the Skill EML and not ending in a 0 or 5 (01, 02, 03 etc)
Marginal Failure (MF), any roll higher then the Skill EML and not ending in a 0 or 5 (99, 98, 97 etc)
Critical Failure (CF), any roll higher than the Skill EML and ending in a 0 or 5 (90, 95, 00, etc), 00 is always a CF

When 2 individuals are testing Skill vs Skill, success levels are compared and the highest success level wins (CS beats MS beats MF beats CF), a tie is a tie except when it doesn't make sense in which case the lower roll wins.

Advancement / Skill Development

Unlike other RPGs HM does not have levels, HP or special powers based on levels.

A Skill development roll is a 1d100+the Skills SB (1d100+SB)
If the result of the roll is greater then the current Skill ML the Skill ML increases by 1.

A Skill Maintenance Points = SMP
10 SMP can be spent to attempt improve any Physical, Communication, Craft/Lore Skill or a Combat Skill lower then the higher of SBx5 or ML 70. One Skill Development roll is granted per 10 SMP spent
15 SMP can be spent to attempt improve any Magic, Psionic, or Ritual Skill lower then the higher of SBx5 or ML 70.

Skills get better through 4 different ways.

1. Holy/Magic Tome, this is the rarest method.

2. Practice/Study
A character receives Will SMP per week (a Harnic week is 10 days), they must be spent within a month.

3. Employment and Instruction
A character receives 1 SMP per 4 hours of employment by a Master with a higher ML, they must be spent within a month.
A character receives 1 SMP per 1 hour of instruction by a Teacher (ML at least 20 points higher then the student), they must be spent within a month.

Stressful/Bonus Experience
4. A character is awarded a Skill development roll any time they obtain a CS or CF result with a Skill test under a stressful situation (DM is the call on what a stressful situation is).
The DM may award multiple Skill Development rolls for extraordinary feats.

Note that Stressful/Bonus Experience and Magic are the only ways that Combat, Magic, Psionic, and Ritual Skills can be improved past the higher of ML 70 or SBx5.

Max Skill ML is 100+SB for all Skills except Combat Skills
For Combat Skills Max ML is the lower of 100+SB or Initiative+SB

New Skills can be opened per each individual Skills description. Certain Skills automatically open at OML under specific conditions (drowning opens Swimming at OML and all Combat Skills open in real Combat at OML for example).
Any Veteran (ML of 80+ in Initiative) opens Combat Skills at OML+1.

Dormant Psionic Talents can gain Skill Development Rolls and thus become Active from certain triggering events.
Spells must be researched, learned from a Mentor, or found in a Spell Book, Sanctum Wall etc.
Ritual Invocations must be Learned from a Mentor, Holy Text, or Divine Inspiration

Holy Items, Magic items, Power, Psionic Items, and Wealth can all be accumulated and/or spent to better yourself.

Macros

This is what I am currently thinking. If anyone has other ideas don't hesitate to throw them out there and we will of course adjust as we work through the pbp format.

A simple [1d100] would cover all non-combat skill rolls. The system doesn't modify Skill rolls just the target.

There are attribute checks, mostly used in combat which would be 3d6, 4d6, 5d6 etc (shock, stumble, fumble, etc), I will request these based on the outcome of the round.

For Combat you would declare your attack, defense, and target or at least make it clear in your text
A combat roll would be [1d100] attack [1d100] defense [1d100] hit location [_4d6] damage

I would then read damage across depending on the hit result, so if it is a *1 hit, damage would be your weapons damage plus the first d6 result, a *2 would be the first 2 d6 results etc.

Something like this:

Arngeir attacks Orc #3 with his hand axe using his shield to try and block his mang.
Combat [1d100]=6 Attack [1d100]=24 Defense [1d100]=89 Hit Location [_4d6]=(2+4+4+4)=14 Damage
Hand Axe Marginal Success (MS), Shield MS, Thorax (if it lands a blow), you automatically attack high as Orcs are much shorter than you

I would then roll for the Orc, who is attacking low (automatically as he is much shorter then you) with his mang and trying to block with his shield.
Combat [1d100]=37 Attack [1d100]=60 Defense [1d100]=33 Hit Location [_4d6]=(2+2+3+2)=9 Damage
Mang MS, Shield MS, Groin (if he lands a blow)

Result off table of MS vs MS for both of you is a block so you were both able to use your shield to block/parry the other.

Piety and Invocations

Piety Points are a measure of your favor with a Deity.

Being in Divine Grace is defined as having equal to or more Piety Points then your Ritual for a specific Deity. Those not in Divine Grace at the time of death will not have their soul go to the correct place.

Any individual in Divine Grace can spend their PP through prayer. Just before a Skill roll of any type they pray to their Deity and expend up to 20 PP. If the action would be appropriate for the Diety then they gain a bonus to the Skill EML of +PP spent praying (max of +20 EML). Note that this doesn't take any time or even need to be vocalized.

Anyone who knows an Invocation can cast it as long as they are in Divine Grace. The Invocation will be modified by Circle (Ritual ML - Circle x5) and potentially other modifiers.

Expending PP through prayer is common when casting Invocations but not required.

Many Invocations have penalties/misfires for Critical Failure or in some cases even Marginal Failure.

Clerics of Ilvir do not modify Invocations for Environment other then Consecrated ground (to Ilvir or an opposing Deity).

Clerics of Sarajin are +10 to Ritual EML when in/on Snow and/or Sea and -10 to Ritual EML when near Fire

Combat Time and Movement

A Round is approximately 10 seconds.

Movement is in Hexes, 1 hex = 5 feet
Walk: Half Move
Jog: Full Move (1 FL/5 minutes)
Run: Double Move (1 FL/2 minutes)
Sprint: Triple Move (1 FL/minute)
Note that Physical penalty is applied to Move, but the minimum Move of a unrestrained conscious character is always 1.

Foot Notes Explanation


Arngeir Orlygsson: Inj (none), FP 0, BL 0, PP 80, Uni Pen (0), Phy Pen (4/-20), Move 6, Spc: Carrying backpack
Algrim Tirion: Inj (none), FP 0, BL 0, PP 17, Uni Pen (0), Phy Pen (3/-15), Move 10, Spc: Carrying backpack
Idril Nagfly: Inj (none), FP 0, BL 0, PP 75, Uni Pen (0), Phy Pen (2/-10), Move 7, Spc: Backpack on ground next to her

Inj = Injuries, hopefully this is never a long list but can be. I will get a post up on injuries soon under the rules topic. The number designation x5 is a penalty included in your Universal Penalty.

FL = Fatigue Levels, these are gained through strenuous activity, casting spells, using psionic talents, as the results of certain effects on you (the psionic talent of Mental Bolt inflicts FL's on a target for example). FLx5 is included in your Universal Penalty. I was using FP, which is incorrect and will switch to FL moving forward.

BL = Blood Loss, if you suffer a Grievous injury it becomes a bleeder until you somehow stop the bleeding. Each minute you add 1 BL for a G4 injury or each round for a G5 injury. If BL exceeds your Endurance you die from blood loss. Like FL BL is counted in your Universal Penalty as BLx5.

PP = Piety Points, covered here Piety Points note that you do not need to be a Cleric to use Piety.

Uni Pen = Universal Penalty, Injury Levels + Bloodloss + Fatigue Levels, will be written as (3/-15), the first number is applied to non-physical Attribute checks (Intelligence to remember something for example), the second to non-physical Skill checks (Magic, Psionics, Invocations, Knowledge Skills...)

Phy Pen = Physical Penalty, Universal Penalty + Encumbrance, will be written as (3/-15), the first number is applied to your Move and physical Attribute checks (Dexterity for a Fumble check to hold onto your weapon), the second to Physical and Combat Skill checks (jumping over a stream, climing a wall, stabbing a Gargun...)

Move = Move, is your Move - Physical Penalty, covered here Move

Spc = Special, general notes and Invocation, Psionic, and Spell effects.

Injuries, Shock, Infection, Sickness, and Poison

Like the real world there are lots of ways to die on Harn. The heat of battle can certainly be deadly, but just like the real world, after the battle the injuries you suffered are even more likely to do you in. Seek a good Physician or a member of the Peonian clergy as soon as possible, carry lots of clean bandages and herbal remedies. Esoteric aid is the most powerful of all, but also not very common either.

A comment on medicine on Harn. The medical knowledge on Harn is more advanced then the middle-ages Europe was on Earth (Terra in Harnic terms). Thus physicians are thought everything should be as clean and sterile as possible, bleeding someone for blood loss for example isn't practiced.

Injuries
There are 3 types of injuries, split into 5 levels, designated with a Letter for type and a number for level:
Minor (M1), this would be welts/swelling, 1-2" long cut or gash, 1" deep puncture, a 1st degree burn/blisters, or chilled flesh/shivering
Serious (S2 or S3), this would be a simple fracture, 2-6" long cut or gash, 3" deep puncture, a 2nd degree burn/open wound, or 2nd degree frostbite
Grievous (G4 or G5), this would be a compound/fracture w/bleeding, over 6" long cut or gash w/bleeding, a deep puncture w/bleeding, a 3rd degree burn/charred skin, or 3rd degree frostbite

Bleeders
If a wound is bleeding, the most urgent thing is to stop the bleeding. Wounds may not be treated until after bleeding is stopped and bleeding out is a quick killer even if you can get out of combat.
Anyone can attempt to stop bleeding. An attempt takes 1 minute (6 combat rounds) and requires a Physician roll at +50 EML. A MS or CS stops bleeding at the end of the minute. If the individual attempting to stop bleeding does not have Physician Skill open it automatically opens at OML SBx1. An individual attempting to stop bleeding on themselves must first pass a Will check, for each unsuccessful check another minute passes.

Shock
Shock results from a failed Shock Roll when an individual suffers an injury. A character in shock is unable to perform any actions. They are unconscious. They will roll another Shock Roll each combat round on their turn until they regain consciousness, at which point they must pass another Shock Roll to overcome Shock. If they fail the second Shock Roll they are conscious but not functioning normally and can not attack, defend, cast spells, us invocations, psionics etc. We will cover recover from Shock later, although rare Shock can result in death.

Note: I house rule Shock rolls to make them less deadly for Minor wounds while still keeping them deadly for more serious wounds.

Infection
Infection results from a CF result on the Treatment Table or the Healing Table for an Open wound. A wound can not heal until the infection is cleared and an infection can spread to adjacent areas of the body and can also result in death.

Diseases
Disease is common unfortunately. A Disease is assigned a Contagion Index (CI) from 1 (highly contagious) to 7 (barely contagious) and a Healing Rate of H1 (bubonic plague) to H5 (Influenza). A CI 1/H1 disease would kill most of the population. I will explain further if required.

Poisons/Toxins
Poisons are treated as Infections, except the interval between Healing Rolls are determined by the lethality of the poison. A large dose of deadly poison would be H1 and a small dose of mild poison H5. A very fast acting poison might require healing rolls every combat round to once every minute. A slow acting poison might be every hour or even day.