Jack Daniel
dice-universe.blogspot.com
Most of the time, when I start a D&D campaign, I do so with the explicit intent of replicating the feel of a video game. The power curve of D&D, which takes characters from 1st level fragile stickmen to 20th/36th/30th level (depending on the particular edition) invulnerable deities is a presumed feature of the game. Like Final Fantasy or Legend of Zelda or any other game with a fairly pronounced advancement mechanic, we expect that the monsters which challenge a 1st level party will pose no such challenge to a high level party. In D&D, we can reasonably expect that eventually, characters become powerful enough to teleport around the world with impunity, raise their fallen comrades from the dead, craft mountain-obliterating artifacts, or murder the emperor and take his crown because they had a slow day and felt like doing something interesting. Most of the time, we expect D&D to be a power trip.
But I really, really dig this "Epic Six" idea, because it's just what the doctor ordered for a different style of gameplay, one that better mimics movies and fantasy novels. It instantly transforms the game and all its underlying assumptions to one of less wahoo, more grit; and it's such a dirt-simple concept that I wonder why it isn't commoner. "High level D&D gameplay doesn't do a very good job of reflecting other fantasy media." "Okay, then limit the game to levels one through six, and voila, problem solved." How brilliant and elegant is that?
But it's not quite that simple. I don't play d20 anymore, whereas the default Epic Six rules rely quite a bit on feats for "epic" advancement. This poses a problem for someone trying to use, say, OD&D. I need a separate set of rules. And, hey, what the heck... here they are.
Classic Six
All rules are as per OD&D—whichever revision you prefer to play, but the newer the better, since these rules necessarily incorporate some material from the Gazetteers/Rules Cyclopedia—except where noted here.
Level Advancement: Characters belonging to the core human classes (fighter, mage, cleric, and thief) can only advance to the 6th level of experience. A 6th level character is considered to have reached "name" level. Dwarves and monks are limited to 5th level, while halflings and elves are limited to 4th level.
Hit Dice, Attacks, and Saves: Hit dice and saving throws work as normal for OD&D, except that they are limited to a character's maximum level (4th, 5th, or 6th). Attack rolls improve slightly faster than normal, as given on the tables below.
General Skills: Characters have skills, as described on pg. 81 of the Rules Cyclopedia. (General Skills lend themselves well to a low-powered game; Weapon Mastery decidedly does not.) All characters begin the game with (4 + Int mod) skill slots, with an additional skill slot earned at 5th level. The benefit of knowing a skill is delineated as follows: a character who is trained in a skill can attempt a skill check by rolling 1d20 vs. the related ability score, whereas attempting to use a skill untrained requires rolling 1d20 vs. one-half the related ability score.
Fighters, clerics, and mages are essentially unchanged from the original game, apart from the slightly altered attack progressions.
Thieves undergo some changes for the sake of game balance. Their hit dice switch from four-sided to six-sided, and the table of thieving skills is eliminated. Instead, thieves receive bonus General Skill slots over and above those normally awarded to characters: four bonus slots at 1st level and one additional slot at 3rd level, to be filled with whatever skills the player might prefer. Thus, in total, the thief begins the game with (8 + Int mod) skill slots and earns one new slot at each of the 3rd and 5th experience levels.
Monks also require some explanation. They get eight-sided hit dice (instead of six-sided dice) to make up for their stricter level limit. A 1st level monk starts with two bonus skills (Acrobatics and Stealth, pp. 83 & 85 of the Rules Cyclopedia). A 2nd level monk has half the normal chance to be surprised. A 3rd level monk's fists strike like silver weapons. A 4th level monk can heal himself of 8 HP per day (10 HP after reaching 5th level). A 5th level monk attacks twice per round unarmed and his fists strike as +1 magical weapons.
As per the ordinary rules of the game, dwarves and halflings advance as fighters only. Halflings are limited to 4th level (Hero), while dwarves can attain 5th level (Swashbuckler). A halfling that reaches 17,600 XP does, however, gain the additional skill slot that other characters earn for reaching 5th level (although no other benefits are gained). Elves advance simultaneously as both fighters and mages, rolling six-sided hit dice each level, until 4th level (Hero/Magician). An elf that reaches 32,000 XP does not level up, but does gain an additional skill slot.
Epic Advancement: Although characters' power reaches a plateau at 6th level, characters can still advance through the acquisition of more skills and the potential of improving their hit points. At every 15,000 XP after surpassing their maximum, whatever that may be, characters earn a new skill slot. Also at this point, a character may re-roll all of his hit dice at once and keep the new total if it's better. This second procedure may repeat at every 15,000 XP earned until such time as a character rolls the maximum possible HP total for his hit dice (which, prior to Constitution adjustments, will be 48 for fighters, 40 for dwarves and monks, 36 for clerics and thieves, 24 for mages, elves, and halflings).
Monsters and Items The most balanced selection of monsters and items for a game of this level range appears in the 1991/1994 reprint of the Basic Set, variously titled "New Easy-to-Master D&D Game" or "Classic D&D Game". At higher levels and during "epic" advancement, monsters and items from the Expert Set can supplement.
But I really, really dig this "Epic Six" idea, because it's just what the doctor ordered for a different style of gameplay, one that better mimics movies and fantasy novels. It instantly transforms the game and all its underlying assumptions to one of less wahoo, more grit; and it's such a dirt-simple concept that I wonder why it isn't commoner. "High level D&D gameplay doesn't do a very good job of reflecting other fantasy media." "Okay, then limit the game to levels one through six, and voila, problem solved." How brilliant and elegant is that?
But it's not quite that simple. I don't play d20 anymore, whereas the default Epic Six rules rely quite a bit on feats for "epic" advancement. This poses a problem for someone trying to use, say, OD&D. I need a separate set of rules. And, hey, what the heck... here they are.
Classic Six
All rules are as per OD&D—whichever revision you prefer to play, but the newer the better, since these rules necessarily incorporate some material from the Gazetteers/Rules Cyclopedia—except where noted here.
Level Advancement: Characters belonging to the core human classes (fighter, mage, cleric, and thief) can only advance to the 6th level of experience. A 6th level character is considered to have reached "name" level. Dwarves and monks are limited to 5th level, while halflings and elves are limited to 4th level.
Hit Dice, Attacks, and Saves: Hit dice and saving throws work as normal for OD&D, except that they are limited to a character's maximum level (4th, 5th, or 6th). Attack rolls improve slightly faster than normal, as given on the tables below.
General Skills: Characters have skills, as described on pg. 81 of the Rules Cyclopedia. (General Skills lend themselves well to a low-powered game; Weapon Mastery decidedly does not.) All characters begin the game with (4 + Int mod) skill slots, with an additional skill slot earned at 5th level. The benefit of knowing a skill is delineated as follows: a character who is trained in a skill can attempt a skill check by rolling 1d20 vs. the related ability score, whereas attempting to use a skill untrained requires rolling 1d20 vs. one-half the related ability score.
Code:
Fighters
Lv(HD) Title XP THAC0
1(d8) Veteran 0 19
2(d8) Warrior 2,000 18
3(d8) Swordmaster 4,000 17
4(d8) Hero 8,000 16
5(d8) Swashbuckler 16,000 15
6(d8) Baron 32,000 14
Code:
Clerics
Lv(HD) Title XP THAC0 Spells Sk-Zo-Gh-Wi-Wr-Mu-Sp-Va
1(d6) Acolyte 0 19 -- 7--9--11---------------
2(d6) Adept 1,500 19 1 T--7--9--11------------
3(d6) Priest 3,000 18 2 T--T--7--9--11---------
4(d6) Vicar 6,000 17 2/1 D--T--T--7--9--11------
5(d6) Curate 12,000 17 2/2 D--D--T--T--7--9--11---
6(d6) Patriarch 24,000 16 2/2/1 D--D--D--T--T--7--9--11
Code:
Mages
Lv(HD) Title XP THAC0 Spells
1(d4) Medium 0 19 1
2(d4) Seer 2,500 19 2
3(d4) Conjurer 5,000 19 2/1
4(d4) Magician 10,000 18 2/2
5(d4) Enchanter 20,000 18 2/2/1
6(d4) Wizard 40,000 18 2/2/2
Code:
Thieves
Lv(HD) Title XP THAC0
1(d6) Apprentice 0 19
2(d6) Footpad 1,200 19
3(d6) Robber 2,400 18
4(d6) Burglar 4,800 17
5(d6) Cutpurse 9,600 17
6(d6) Master Thief 19,200 16
Code:
Monks
Lv(HD) Title XP THAC0 AC Unarmed Special
1(d8) Initiate 0 19 9 1d4/x1 Bonus Skills
2(d8) Brother 2,500 18 8 1d4/x1 Awareness
3(d8) Disciple 5,000 17 7 1d6/x1 Qi Strike (silver)
4(d8) Immaculate 10,000 16 6 1d6/x1 Heal Self
5(d8) Master 20,000 15 5 1d8/x2 Qi Strike (+1)
Code:
Demihumans
Lv Dwarf/Halfling Elf
1 0 0
2 2,200 4,000
3 4,400 8,000
4 8,800 16,000
5 (17,600) (32,000)
Epic Advancement: Although characters' power reaches a plateau at 6th level, characters can still advance through the acquisition of more skills and the potential of improving their hit points. At every 15,000 XP after surpassing their maximum, whatever that may be, characters earn a new skill slot. Also at this point, a character may re-roll all of his hit dice at once and keep the new total if it's better. This second procedure may repeat at every 15,000 XP earned until such time as a character rolls the maximum possible HP total for his hit dice (which, prior to Constitution adjustments, will be 48 for fighters, 40 for dwarves and monks, 36 for clerics and thieves, 24 for mages, elves, and halflings).
Monsters and Items The most balanced selection of monsters and items for a game of this level range appears in the 1991/1994 reprint of the Basic Set, variously titled "New Easy-to-Master D&D Game" or "Classic D&D Game". At higher levels and during "epic" advancement, monsters and items from the Expert Set can supplement.
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