Classic Six: The Game Inside OD&D

[NN]

Interesting. Ive two questions:

Rather than cap at level 6, why not either :

- adjust the xp tables so high level advancement is really slow
- modify the xp system so that only level-appropriate challenges give any xp
so 'high' level characters will only get xp by hunting down rare, legendary, lethal, foes

in what way is an outright cap better than this?




Secondly, I think that theres a problem in the rules for your type of game, at the other end.

Theres not enough granularity in the 'harmless to 1 HD/level" area.

For example, the below 0 level humans are crammed into a handful of hit points and to-hit scores.

- an utterly harmless old peasant
- a miserable weak serf
- an average farmer
- a miltiaman
- a bandit
- a soldier

Its more important in your type of game to draw a distinction between say the serf, the mitilia, and the soldier.

So, perhps you should consider

- start PCs at 2nd level

- playing 1st level characters is an unusual option, like playing 0-level in AD&D

- 'normal' humans then have 0, 1st, and even 2nd level to be statted into

- Similarly, demihumans and humanoids will be bumped up a bit (eg more 2HD orc seargents)

 

[Jack Daniel]

Of course, another option is simply to use experience itself as a way of slowing level advancement, so that surpassing 6th level is possible but extraordinarily difficult. Something along these lines (to use the core classes e.g.):

Level   Fighter      Cleric       Mage         Thief      
==========================================================
Lv 1... 0 .......... 0 .......... 0 .......... 0 .........
Lv 2... 1,000 ...... 750 ........ 1,250 ...... 600 .......
Lv 3... 4,000 ...... 3,000 ...... 5,000 ...... 2,400 .....
Lv 4... 16,000 ..... 12,000 ..... 20,000 ..... 9,600 .....
Lv 5... 64,000 ..... 48,000 ..... 80,000 ..... 38,400 ....
Lv 6... 256,000 .... 192,000 .... 320,000 .... 153,600 ...
Lv 7... 1,024,000 .. 768,000 .... 1,280,000 .. 614,400 ...
Lv 8... 4,096,000 .. 3,072,000 .. 5,120,000 .. 2,457,600 .

Rare indeed would be the game where characters other than thieves even reach the 7th-8th level range, but the fact that it's possible makes those kind of heroes (wuxia warriors and untouchably mighty sorcerers) special indeed. And it does allow for a world where the vast majority of people are zero level or low-level, where the kings and lords are level five or six, and then you have the rare characters of seventh level and up who have had some peculiar impetus to adventure that long (they found the Green Destiny, wore the One Ring, or trained with a sifu like cruel Pai Mei or the invincible Muten-Roshi).

EDIT: Ah, I see you were arriving at the same conclusion at just about the same time I was writing this post, NN. Truthfully, this idea (slower XP tables) seems to me much easier to implement than an outright conversion of E6 from 3rd edition to an older version of the game. This idea is much simpler, and it's growing on me.

 

[Ry]

This idea is extremely hot. I love it.

 

[Aus_Snow]

If I was to do this kind of thing, I'd think about using either actual OD&D ('O' as in 'original') or, for something a bit different, Basic Fantasy.

For BFRPG, I would probably opt for an E8 variant, as the numbers look better across the board right there, than at 6. And there wouldn't be anything particularly offputting - in the context given - about the 4th level spells in Basic Fantasy, that I can think of.

At 8th level, here's the classes:

Cleric - HD 8d6, AB +4, DRoP 8 MW 9 PoP 12 DB 14 Sp 13, spells 3/2/2/1
Fighter - HD 8d8, AB +6, DRoP 9 MW 10 PoP 12 DB 13 Sp 14
M-U - HD 8d4, AB +3, DRoP 11 MW 11 PoP 10 DB 14 Sp 12, spells 3/3/2/2
Thief - HD 8d4, AB +4, DRoP 10 MW 12 PoP 11 DB 12 Sp 12, OL 60 RT 55 PP 65 MS 60 CW 87 H 45 L 58

Of course, what to do then. IMO, It's quite OK to simply halt advancement. Or, something like the original E6 solution could be implemented. Somehow.

There's the stronghold guidelines, I suppose. The level as written is 9th, but that could as easily be 8th. Alternatively, the next stage of 'evolution' (beyond the maximum level of 8th) might be that very ability to set up a stronghold. A virtual level 9, if you will. And perhaps that could be gradually improved, with the help of a great deal of XP of course, and perhaps extended to larger and larger domains. . .

Just off the top of my head.


edit ---Though, gotta say, BFRPG is miles away from being as high-powered at high levels as most (with due emphasis, so as to more strongly indicate 'not ALL') forms of 'official' D&D. . . in its full unadulterated glorious simplicity anyway. 6th level spells is where it caps out, which helps there.