AD&D Psionics Unification

 So, 2e Psionics had a couple different versions, the Complete Psionic/Will and the Way version, and the Skills and Powers/Way of the Psionicist version. This system is somewhat of a compromise between the two, heavily favoring Complete Psionic/Will and the Way, but making psionic combat, especially a combination of the two. Attacks against other psychics deplete PSPs, but contact doesn't require them to be without PSPs... just sufficiently overmatched (or unlucky) to be hit several times without getting any hits in return. This required a rewrite of attacks and defenses. I also rewrote Telekinesis, because the Complete Psionics version really sucked... it was not worthy of being called a science.

As I have changed the way power scores are calculated, I refer you to this spreadsheet, compiled by garhkal, then adapted to my new system.

So You Want to be a Disney Princess [Hackmaster]

Clerics of certain faiths (most often nature-based ones) have access to a series of spells to Enthrall Animals. With a lengthy casting and a failed saving throw, the cleric can bond one or more animals to them for the rest of the creature’s life. The spell grants them an incredible rapport and, even without their own skill in training animals, the cleric is able to teach the animal various tricks and tasks, making them a more useful companion.

For many clerics, this is a means of attracting and connecting with a useful animal companion; a pet and helper. Some within the Brotherhood of the Bear will also raise animals for sale, or to give as gifts to those who will care for them. Priests of the Merry Marksmen are less likely to do so, as they do not like to train their beasts for hunting. A Golden Arrow may enthrall a dog or mountain lion, and may hunt with that animal, but the animal will not be trained to the hunt; rather, they will hunt free of training, and the cleric will hunt with them.

Birthright Bloodline using Oriental Adventures

Birthright Bloodline Using Oriental Adventures Rules

So, I don't particularly like the rules for Bloodlines in the Birthright Campaign setting; bloodlines are the character-level hook of the setting, and but the default rules don't result in a lot of bloodline powers being acquired.

Now, another book I enjoy is Oriental Adventures. It is incredibly problematic, from the name on down, but there's a lot of fantastic mechanics in there. I love the Hengeyokai (which I cribbed to make the Shapechangers for Hackmaster), and I generalized the Martial Arts rules to apply to the rest of 2e AD&D (and have some ideas about applying to other systems, but it needs more work). And, lastly, the family system from Oriental Adventures neatly dovetails with Birthright's bloodline system, replacing it with the notional "Honor" system of Oriental Adventures.

In Oriental Adventures, a character rolls their family, with adjustments based on class; this system is just a 3d10 roll to determine, which the DM may adjust up or down depending on their campaign's needs (I might suggest a bonus to the roll if you are a Regent, for example, or have holdings). Using the table in the link above (and here), you get a base strength, from 3-30. That base strength also determines how many times and what die you roll on the Ancestry tab, and on the Blood Abilities tab; for example, a roll of 16 on the table means you start with a base blood strength of 16, roll five times with a d100 on the Ancestry table, and 4 times on the Blood Abilities table with a d100 (unless their blood strength increases due to Ancestry).

Unlike Oriental Adventures, all modifiers to blood strength on the Ancestry table are positive. If your ancestor was an Infamous Criminal in Kara-tur, that would be a detriment to your family honor; in Birthright, it means your family DID something, and that usually means that you had more blood strength than usual. Our example character, with the 16, gets 74 (nothing), 70 (Folk Hero, +10),  73 (nothing), 38 (Nothing), and 34 (Ancestral Feud +2)... and my dice get side eye, since I rolled in the 70s three times and 30s twice. Their total Blood strength is now 28. This does not alter their rolls on the Blood ability table, just what their current score is. As the descendant of a Folk Hero, the character receives +2 reaction from commoners when their lineage is known, but receives a -4 on reactions with a specific family (who should probably feature in the game, somewhat).

Now, blood abilities. With a 28, they now have 10 rolls of d100: 84 (nothing), 50 (nothing), 73 (Enhanced Sense, Major), 11 (nothing), 26 (nothing), 06 (roll again +10; result is 64, nothing), 07 (minor power of choice), 02 (nothing), 65 (nothing), 32 (Enhanced Sense, Minor). Despite their advantageous rolls, they wind up with only 3 powers. Since they rolled both Enhanced Sense, Major and Enhanced Sense, Minor, they get a second minor power of choice, from those available to their bloodline.

As they play, they will get additional powers, but it should be noted that they don't get all new rolls every improvement of blood strength; going from 28 to 29 will not give them 10 new rolls, and going from 29 to 30 will only give them 1 additional roll.

I feel this makes for more interesting characters. They have more powers, but their families are more detailed, with histories as distinct or indistinct as the dice determine. Of course, the DM might choose some family events for you, or may allow you to describe your family history without rolls, but these also provide guidelines to do so... a DM might decide that you can have X number of points in Ancestry events, for example, letting players tailor their family histories.

A Time Errant

In AD&D 1st edition, three classes are notable for a pair of reason: Each has a defined maximum level, and each must fight to advance past a certain level. These three classes are the Druid, the Assassin, and the Monk.The requirement to fight for levels… to seek out an opponent, challenge them, and prevail against them… can make these characters even more difficult to integrate into a standard campaign than their often-niche abilities. Some players may choose to eschew these requirements, but not particularly want to abandon their characters. Considering that, this introduces a new pseudo-subclass of each of these, the Druid-Errant, the Assassin-Errant, and the Monk-Errant, with considerations for each.

Capital and Caravans

 This is actually the original of what became my HackTrade article. I wrote it because a player had too much money, and wanted to invest some. I came up with a modified version of what I call "The core crunch" on the spot (it was more generous, and made a positive return likely), and then built the article around it. When I got into Hackmaster a bit later, I polished the idea into HackTrade.

Capital and Caravans

Basic Investing for Castles and Crusades

There comes a point in many games when the characters simply have too much money. They may have purchased everything the CK will let them purchase, may be on the move and unwilling to buy real property (houses, bars and the inevitable stronghold), or may simply be wanting to make more money when they’re in that limbo between being having to scrape every last copper and being able to destabilize the local economy without half trying. Some mercantile-minded players may turn their minds towards investing some of their rewards in commercial ventures, hoping for a return in wealth and influence. Unless you truly wish to be playing Capital and Caravans, however, most CKs will seek to abstract this process a little, letting the game flow without preventing the character from spending his wealth as he sees fit.

Investments are of two different types: caravans and in-place businesses.  Many of the same principles apply to each, but some modifiers will have different effects depending on whether or not the business venture travels.

The Core Crunch

Before I spend a long time discussing the options in dealing with investment, let’s look at the core mechanic of simple investing: 2d8*10%. That’s the average return on investment for the gentleman adventurer. For those who don’t do the probabilities in your head, this means that, on average, an investor will see 90% of his money back; if he gave the merchant ten gold pieces, he gets back nine, for a net loss of one gold. This is intentionally not fair. A great many business ventures lose money, and if all the character has done is toss money at an investment, he will likely lose money. This number is, also, simply return on investment. It does not include taxes that might need to be paid or fees that accrue, which tends to drive returns even lower.

The average time for maturity on any investment is one month. This allows a trade caravan to make it to another city, sell its wares, buy more, and sell those upon return. For an in-place business, this covers a period of purchases and sales. Some investments may take longer to mature, or players may look to make quick money through short-term loans of a few days or weeks. All of these can be handled through similar mechanics, but shorter-term investments tend to carry a LOT more risks, while long-term ventures tend to be more stable. For short term investments, I suggest a return of (1d20-1d4)*10%; you’re far more likely to lose your shirt, but your returns will rarely be much higher. For longer-term investments, I suggest (2d6+1d4)*10%; the floor is higher, the ceiling about the same, and the average about the same.

What makes merchants (and adventuring venture capitalists) profitable is research, hard work, and a bit of luck.

Updates to CP-based D&D

 A couple updates to CP-based D&D:

I've put in a lot more abilities

*Psionics with two variations; Complete Psionics Handbook/Will and the Way version and Skills and Powers version. These are at the end, in the Psionics Addendum.

*Priest Spheres as an additional way of gaining spells. 

*Shamanic powers (as in Spells & Magic and Faiths & Avatars)

I've also included non-proficiency penalties for weapons, and added a way to determine your saving throws in this system; you begin with 70 points divided among your 5 saving throw categories (minimum 2, maximum 20, lower is, as always, better), with the total decreasing 3 points every level (meaning you reach all 2s at level 15). This is still experimental, so I would like feedback.

Follow the link above (or here) to see the document.

Edit 2024/10/16: New link to zoho

Talents for D6 [d6 Star Wars]

Initially designed and written for Star Wars D6, this also will work for other D6 games, such as Space, Fantasy, Adventure, and Zorro.

Talents add +1D to tests with a certain skill specialization. Talents apply to a specialization, not a skill; you don't have a Talent with Space Transports, you have a Talent in Space Transports: YT-1300 or Space Transports: All-Out or Space Transports: Dodge; the last two aren't usual specializations, but they work for talents.

Humans begin with 2 free talents; anyone (including humans) may spend 1D of skill dice to begin with 2 (additional) Talents. In play, Talents cost 5 CPs per talent. Talents do not require a teacher; they are a natural ability (that may have been latent until now). If a player has 5 CPs, they may acquire a Talent at any time, with the Game master's permission. Talents are a bonus; they do not increase the cost to improve a specialization, as they do not increase the rating of the specialization.

You may have only one talent per skill, but you do not need any training in the skill to make use of a talent. You may have no more talents in a single attribute's skills than dice in that attribute (so, if you have 2D+2 Dexterity, you can have 2 Dexterity skill Talents; if you increase it to 3D, you can learn another Talent.)

Force Powers and Advanced Skills: Beginning characters may not have Talents in Force Powers (other other Metaphysical skills, depending on your system) or advanced skills; these must be acquired in game. You may have only a single talent per Advanced skill. You may not have talents in the Force Skills, themselves. A talent with a force power applies +1D to the use of the power; you may have no more talents in powers associated with a single Force Skill than dice in the Force Skill. Talents with Force Powers that rely on multiple skills (q.v. Lightsaber Combat) require only 5 CPs, like other Talents, but count against the limit of both Force Skills.