OSR Chromatic Dungeons has Launched! (Kickstarter)

[Ralif Redhammer]

Backed as well, even though there's a spider on the cover!

 

[Azzy]

Sorry. I can only do the $10 level at this point.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Sorry. I can only do the $10 level at this point.

Don't be sorry. Everything helps. And support from people like you, even at $0, has been a great help for me.

 

[Aging Bard]

Can you give an example of what you mean by older feel with modern rules? For example, 0-2e D&D doesn't use bounded accuracy. As a result, fighters have much higher to hit probabilities than the other classes. Saving throws in 0-2e are based upon class and level, not ability scores. I did not see any excerpts, so I apologize if you have an example somewhere.

 

[Riley]

I'm in for $30! Looking forward to getting the core in print.

Especially looking forward to/hoping for print versions of the basic rulebooks?

 

[Riley]

Can you give an example of what you mean by older feel with modern rules? For example, 0-2e D&D doesn't use bounded accuracy. As a result, fighters have much higher to hit probabilities than the other classes. Saving throws in 0-2e are based upon class and level, not ability scores. I did not see any excerpts, so I apologize if you have an example somewhere.

(As a backer only, not Sacrosanct or an affiliated creator...) from a rules point of view Chromatic Dungeons looks like a streamlined 1e AD&D PHB, with bits stolen from/informed by BX and AD&D 2e. So: in the area where those rule sets meet, and - I would hope - broadly compatible with the 'balance' of those original BX/1e/2e systems.*

Sacrosanct has posted a fair number of previews here:

Chromatic Dungeons posts at izegrimcreations.com

In particular, I found this post most helpful (especially follow through to the linked pdf from this page):

Chromatic Dungeons Ancestry/Class Preview

And here's a bit Sacrosanct has posted on Ancestry and Heritage, which replace Race:

Musings: Ancestry and Heritage

I like it a lot!


*: Back in the day, I had a long campaign which featured a mix of 2e and 1e characters (one player just wanted to play a 1e cleric), and I ran them through some BX adventures without any issues. YMMV.

 

[Aging Bard]

(As a backer only, not Sacrosanct or an affiliated creator...) from a rules point of view Chromatic Dungeons looks like a streamlined 1e AD&D PHB, with bits stolen from/informed by BX and AD&D 2e. So: in the area where those rule sets meet, and - I would hope - broadly compatible with the 'balance' of those original BX/1e/2e systems.*

Just found the blog and previews, but thanks! And yes, that's what it looks like, including classic to hit and saves.

*: Back in the day, I had a long campaign which featured a mix of 2e and 1e characters (one player just wanted to play a 1e cleric), and I ran them through some BX adventures without any issues. YMMV.

BX is a bit different, of course, but 0-2e are more or less compatible, as you say.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Can you give an example of what you mean by older feel with modern rules? For example, 0-2e D&D doesn't use bounded accuracy. As a result, fighters have much higher to hit probabilities than the other classes. Saving throws in 0-2e are based upon class and level, not ability scores. I did not see any excerpts, so I apologize if you have an example somewhere.

I hope I can help answer appropriately. My apologies, I am quite under assault from questions on many platforms, and am trying to keep up

These changes include but are not limited to:
• Alignment. Humanoids no longer have a default alignment in the Bestiary. This will vary by individual monster
culture and region. You as the GM decide if all orcs are chaotic (evil), or if some might be neutral or even lawful
based upon the cosmic forces influencing them.
• Alignment part II. There are only three alignments, similar to B/X: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Rather than being
driven by a sense of individual morals, alignment is influenced by cosmic forces of law, neutrality, and chaos.
• Ability modifiers. Modifiers you get to your ability scores based on race (hereafter called “ancestry”) will not be
the sole method that adjusts your initial ability scores. You will now modify initial ability scores based on class choices.
• Ability scores. Limits or modifiers based on gender or ancestry will not exist.
• Ability checks. Most skill resolution scenarios will be based on a simple ability check. It’s how many of us were
doing it anyway, and does replace the traditional thief percentile based skills that appeared in the game back then.
• Armor Class will be ascending, rather than descending or using attack tables.
• Race. This term is going away and being replaced by Ancestry. The original term was used (and is still being used)
because the game was based on the early fantasy works of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien where species like orcs and
elves were called “races” based on being a humanoid variant of the human race in general. Since then, and over the
past few decades, the term “race” isn’t really the best descriptor to use, and often carries loaded connotations.
• Class categories. Rather than each “class” as unique like it is in 1e, 3e, 4e, and 5e, they will be in groups similar
to how 2e classified them. For example, fighters, berserkers, paladins, and rangers would all be classes under the
Warrior group. Also, barbarians are called berserkers. “Barbarian” is a cultural background (and often used as a
pejorative at that), not an occupation.
• Class features. Some class features/abilities have been added or rearranged to avoid what is called “dead
levels”. A dead level is any level advancement where the PC doesn’t gain anything other than additional hit points.
Dead levels are widely regarded as not a good thing.
• KEEP IT SIMPLE. For those familiar with 1e or 2e, you know that there were a lot of rules for a lot of different
scenarios, from time keeping to aerial flight maneuverability (and we ignored many of them). This game will be more
streamlined and simplified (more along the lines of B/X), putting those scenarios into the hands of the GM to make
an adjudication rather than dedicate hundreds of pages towards rules. The goal is to keep the game moving without
needing to look up many different rules, and to give you a strong outline and guidance on how to handle these
situations, rather than list them out individually for you.
* Compatibility. You should be able to take those old modules from the 70s/80s and easily use them with only very
minor adjustments (mostly moving from descending AC to ascending).

 

[Sacrosanct]

Oh! Regarding your other specific questions (remember, a key requirement is to keep the game pretty compatible with the older adventures with as minimal conversion of rules as possible)

Saving Throws
Broken down into: reflex, poison/venom/disease, creature ability, magic item or spell. Simplified a bit. If you're familiar with the class based saving throw tables of AD&D, these will look very familiar as they are also class based and structured in advancement in the same way (roll number or higher to succeed).

Attack tables
There are no attack tables. Each class group has an attack bonus, kinda like what 3e went with (without the nonsense of different values for different attacks in a round).

For example, a divine character (cleric or druid) will have a +0 bonus to hit at 1st level, +1 at 3rd, +2 at 5th, +3 at 7th, +4 at 9th level, etc. Whereas a warrior class (fighter, berserker, paladin, ranger) will have a +1 bonus to hit per level.

 

[SPECTRE666]

Up to $3000 pledged!