Talents for Perfect and Near Perfect Defenses [Hackmaster]

Hackmaster provides for three instances where someone will receive a free attack: When your opponent rolls a natural 1 for defense (and still fails), when the defender rolls a natural 20 for defense and succeeds at defending, or when the defender rolls a 19 (18-19 for thieves) for defense and their defense rolls succeeds.

Several of these Talents mention “Condition”; these are distinct from prerequisites, as they are things that must be true at the moment of use for the talent to apply; you can learn the talent without the Condition, but you can’t use it. For example, a thief who is a Defensive Opportunist might gain this ability with a dagger, as they have a +2 Defense specialization with the dagger. If forced to defend themselves with a club, with which they are not specialized, they would not receive the enhancement to Near-Perfect defense. Notably, these talents do not apply only to individual weapons; if the thief subsequently got a +1 defense with the club, they could use a club without needing to buy the talent again.

NOTE: I am still fine-tuning the costs of these talents. 10 BP is just a placeholder.


Barroom Hero (10 BP)
Prerequisite: +1 Specialization in Unarmed Combat
When taking a Near-Perfect Defense, the character may use the unarmed maneuvers Strike, Overbear, Bull Rush, Tackle, Toss/Take Down, Grab, Hold, or Shield Bash instead of simply doing 2(d4p-2) damage. This will expose the character to the consequences of that maneuver, should it fail.


Defensive Opportunist (10 BP)
Condition: Minimum +1 Defense specialization with current weapon
The character is adept at taking advantage of openings. The range at which they receive a near-perfect defense is increased by 1; most characters will receive an NPD on a successful defense where the die is 18-19, while thieves will receive a Near-Perfect Defense on a 17-19.


Follow Through (10 BP)
Condition: Minimum +1 to hit and damage, and -1 to speed specialization in currently wielded weapon.
If a defender rolls a natural 1 on defense, but falls (either to death or failed trauma check) to the current attack, the character may instead use their follow-up attack on an enemy within reach. Unlike a normal follow-up attack, this will reset the character’s count. The attacker still has the option to use their follow-up attack against the fallen target, without resetting their count.


Opportunist (10 BP)
Condition: Minimum -1 speed specialization with the wielded weapon or unarmed combat
When the character receives a free attack from a Critical Fumble on defense, the free attack is taken in that second, not the second after. A character may learn this talent at any point, but cannot use it unless they have at least a -1 speed specialization in whichever weapon they are using at the time.


Swift Recovery (10 BP)
After a critical failure on defense, or when their opponent scores a Perfect or Near-Perfect Defense, the character defends against the follow-up attack at +2.

Combat Style Specialization [Hackmaster]

Combat style specialization involves learning a certain combination of armor, weapons, and basic style more thoroughly; rehearsing moves and routines to perfection when outfitted in a certain way. These styles are very precise about what they are allowed, and to create a style, one must select a weapon (or no weapon), a shield (or no shield), armor (or no armor), and a basic style from among weapon and shield, two-handed weapon (to include one-handed weapon being used two-handed), one-handed weapon only, two-weapon (including both attacking with both and secondary weapon in defense), and, if one is so inclined, shield-only or two shields. The character must already be proficient with all elements of the style.

For example, Dave might choose to specialize in a style that uses a two-handed sword (weapon), no shield, banded mail, and two-handed style. If he uses a halberd instead, or is reduced to leather armor, his style no longer applies. Sarah may choose a style that uses a mace, a medium shield, studded leather armor, and weapon and shield style. If her shield is broken, she can no longer make use of the style, nor can she use the style if she upgrades to banded armor. Seekers of the Three Strengths have several styles that use no weapon, no shield, and no armor, focusing on one-handed weapon only, or two-weapon styles.

Once selected, Combat Styles specialized cost the same amount of BP as weapon specializations, and can apply bonuses to Attack, Defense, and Speed. These bonuses apply whenever the requirements of the style are met, and are in addition to any applicable weapon specialization. If multiple specialization costs may apply (for example, a thief specializing in a scimitar-and-dagger style would specialize at 7 BP, as appropriate for a scimitar, not 6 BP, as appropriate for a dagger. Seekers of the Three Strengths specialize in unarmed styles for 5 BP; styles that include other weapons require 8 BP. If a style is expanded to include weapons that require a higher rate of specialization, all future improvements will require the higher cost.


Expanding Styles:

“But what if I find a really cool sword and my style uses a mace?” Styles may be expanded beyond their initial parameters, but only so far. To expand a style, the character must first be proficient in the weapon, armor, or shield to be added. Then, the character must spend enough BP to become proficient in the object again, specifically for the purposes of expanding the style. For this purpose, adding “No Armor” is treated as requiring 2 BP. Note that, with shields and armor, each individual piece must be paid for separately; adding Splint Mail costs 4 BP, and adding Plate Mail later will also cost 4 BP. If your style begins with Bucklers, adding in Large Shields will cost 6 BP, and adding Medium Shields will also cost 6 BP. Adding an entirely new basic style (for example, transitioning from one-handed only to two-handed, or from two-weapon to one-handed only) requires 10 BP. Each of those would be a separate purchase; if your one-handed only style can also be used with a shield or two-handed, this would be an additional 20 BP. Note that if a class pays only half BP to become proficient with a weapon, this applies as well to combat styles, including armor, shields, and style changes.

To use the above, Dave is a fighter, and his two-handed style includes a two-handed sword and banded mail. If he wished to add a halberd, it would require 2 BP (4 for a medium-skill weapon, halved because he is a fighter). If Sarah, a cleric, wished to add the option to fight with a two-handed grip, this would require 10 BP. Adding Small shields to her style would cost 6 points (for a shield); adding chain mail would require 4 points.

In theory, of course, one could devote themselves to developing an “ultimate style”; a fighter specializing in a style, then expanding it to include other weapons, armors, shields, and basic styles. However, as the style progressed, this would become expensive for the character, and specialized combat styles cannot be taught whole-cloth; just because Dave expanded his style to include maces, battle-axes, and plate mail does not mean that his followers learn all of that at once. Styles must be learned, piece by piece, by each individual practitioner.

Fighter Subclass: Crusader [5e]

A Crusader is a fighter whose devotion to their deity manifests in divine power. Their powers are less expansive than a cleric's, but they are able to combine their martial talents and clerical spells. 

SPELLCASTING 

When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the cleric spell list. Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. Vou learn an additional cleric cantrip of your choice at 10th level. 

Domain Selection. All Crusaders choose a single domain. This forms the backbone of their spellcasting, as well as many of their subclass abilities. Spell Slots. The Eldritch Knight Spellcasting table (PH 75) shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st level spell Cure Wounds and have a 1st level and a 2nd level spell slot available, you can cast shield using either slot. 

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. At 3rd level, you know the 1st level spells from your domain, plus one of choice from the cleric list. At 7th, 13th, and 19th levels, you add the spells of your domain for the new level of spell slots you acquire at that point. At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th, another cleric spell may be chosen. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the cleric spells you know (but not one of the domain spells) with another spell of your choice from the cleric spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots. 

Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your cleric spells, since you gain your spells through devotion and prayer. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a cleric spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. 

Spell save DC + 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier 

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier 

Traveler's Companion 1: Shadesh West

The first book of my series about the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting is out! Traveler's Companion 1: Shadesh West This is likely to be several small files, covering a fairly large area between Shadesh Bay and the foothills of the Krond Heights to the west.

AD&D Character Creation by Character Points

 The latest iteration of my old, giant project to convert AD&D, 2nd edition, to an entirely player-driven character creation project, with no classes or defined races. Below is the intro; the document is 35 pages, even with all the stuff I've removed.

Notably removed from the document is the list of how much each standard class would cost in this system. I've got the information in a separate file, but I haven't checked it for accuracy in some time, so I'm not leaving it publicly available.

Edit 2024/10/16: New link to zoho 

PIxies as PCs [5e]

 This is very rough and ugly; what Hackmaster would call an "At-a-Glance" summary, not the full racial write-up. A couple aesthetic choices were made specifically to appeal to a friend of mine, but the mechanics are as written, and divorced from that.

Pixie
*Ability scores: Dex +2 +1 Cha
*Size: Tiny. ¼ carrying capacity. Cannot use Heavy, Two-Handed, or Versatile weapons. Any weapon that is not Light cannot be Finesse weapon. Weapons that are neither finesse nor light require two hands
*Speed: Walking 10' Fly 30'. Cannot fly in medium or heavy armor.
*Type: Fey
*Innate Magic: Druidcraft Cantrip. At 5th level, Invisibility 1/long rest
*Advantage on saving throws v. Magic from Beasts, Fey, Plants

Subraces:

Daylight:
Wings of butterflies or Dragonflies
Proficient Insight
Cantrip: Guidance


Twilight:
Wings: Moth
Proficient: Perception
Cantrip: Dancing Lights

Moonlight:
Wings: Bat
Proficient: Stealth
Cantrip: Prestidigitation

Warlock in Castles and Crusades

Warlock (Charisma)

Alignment: Any
HD: d6
Weapons: Broadsword, bows, club, dagger, dart, hand axe, hammers, javelin, longsword, rapier, scimitar, short sword, sling, spear, staff
Armor: Leather armor, leather coat, and padded
Abilities: Eldritch Blast, Invocations

Eldritch Blast: At 1st level, a Warlock receives the ability to unleash an eldritch blast, a bolt of energy with a range of 35', that does 1d4 damage. This requires a touch attack or ranged touch attack, with a bonus from Dexterity. At levels 2, 4, and 7, the blast improves in damage (to 1d6, 1d8, and 1d10, respectively). At levels 3, 6, and 10, the blast improves in range (to 40', 50', and 60', respectively). At level 6, a secondary bolt may be fired at a target within range; this secondary bolt does 1d4 damage until level 9, when it is enhanced to 1d6 damage.
The Eldritch Blast normally does Force damage. If the Warlock chooses at 1st level for it to do Fire, Cold, Lightning or Acid damage, it does +1 damage, and an additional +1 each time the die size improves, but uses that sort of damage permanently. The Eldritch Blast may be enhanced by spells, invocations, and abilities which improve weapons, and is subject to Spell Resistance. It has a Casting Time of 1, but cannot be interrupted like a normal spell.

Invocations: At 1st level, a Warlock learns a single invocation. Invocations are equivalent to spells, but may either be cast repeatedly, or function indefinitely. Every three levels thereafter (at 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, etc.), the warlock gains another invocation. At 1st and 4th level, the invocation chosen may be a 1st level spell from any spell list. At 7th and 10th level, the invocation may be a Cantrip, 1st level, or 2nd level spell from any spell list. At 13th level, 3rd level spells may be chosen. Once chosen, Invocations cannot be changed, unless the CK agrees that an invocation is being "upgraded", and a lesser invocation is put in the place of the upgraded one (so, if Bless were learned at 4th level, at 13th level that might be upgraded to Prayer, and Bless would be replaced with another 1st level spell as an invocation). If an invocation is not constantly in effect, it requires the standard casting time to enact.
Warlocks likewise know a number of Lesser Invocations; these are Cantrips from any spell list, equal to their Charisma Modifier. They are otherwise subject to the same rules as Invocations.