OSR Let's make Shadowdark classes!

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

This is using the Seer's spell casting progression. The Elven Champion talents are weighted slightly toward wizards over fighters, which I will have to think about.

 

[Scribe]

This is using the Seer's spell casting progression. The Elven Champion talents are weighted slightly toward wizards over fighters, which I will have to think about.

Is it though? Looking at the odds your landing on a 'mundane' choice most often right?

2d6 Effect
2 Learn one additional wizard spell of any tier you know - Wizard
3-6 +2 to Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence stat - Both
7-9 Gain an additional level of Farsight - Mundane
10-11 Gain advantage on casting one spell you know - Wizard
12 Choose a talent or +2 points to distribute to stats - Both

Yeah. 8 of 12 results are or could be seen as 'Fighter' depending on the Stat chosen. Looks fine to me.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Is it though? Looking at the odds your landing on a 'mundane' choice most often right?

2d6 Effect
2 Learn one additional wizard spell of any tier you know - Wizard
3-6 +2 to Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence stat - Both
7-9 Gain an additional level of Farsight - Mundane
10-11 Gain advantage on casting one spell you know - Wizard
12 Choose a talent or +2 points to distribute to stats - Both

Yeah. 8 of 12 results are or could be seen as 'Fighter' depending on the Stat chosen. Looks fine to me.

I was thinking it would be nice to have a talent roll be definitively fighter in nature, although I feel like awarding weapon mastery might be too good, along with overlapping with Farsight.

 

[Scribe]

I was thinking it would be nice to have a talent roll be definitively fighter in nature, although I feel like awarding weapon mastery might be too good, along with overlapping with Farsight.

Weapon Mastery is what I'm leaving to the Fighter, specifically the level checking of course. Maybe add in +1 damage to melee/range in there some where, since Farsight has the +1 to attack.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Maybe add in +1 damage to melee/range in there some where, since Farsight has the +1 to attack.

That's probably the way to go, replacing getting advantage on a spell. An Elven Champion shouldn't be better at wizardry than a "single-classed" wizard is.

 

[Andvari]

Or elf flavor it. +1 to swords and bows for example.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Or elf flavor it. +1 to swords and bows for example.

Also a good choice!

 

[overgeeked]

So, I'm almost entirely new to designing Shadowdark classes. I'm a big fan of DCC RPG and want port over at least the warrior and some of the wizard shenanigans to Shadowdark. I think the DCC wizard would be easier because you can just add the neat stuff (spellburn, mercurial magic, corruption, spell check roll tables, etc). Either as optional stuff or via magic items. But the warrior is a bit weirder to me. A fighter is a fighter is a fighter, but those DCC RPG mighty deeds are something special. How would y'all bring those over? Make a new class with that as the core schtick?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So, I'm almost entirely new to designing Shadowdark classes. I'm a big fan of DCC RPG and want port over at least the warrior and some of the wizard shenanigans to Shadowdark. I think the DCC wizard would be easier because you can just add the neat stuff (spellburn, mercurial magic, corruption, spell check roll tables, etc). Either as optional stuff or via magic items. But the warrior is a bit weirder to me. A fighter is a fighter is a fighter, but those DCC RPG mighty deeds are something special. How would y'all bring those over? Make a new class with that as the core schtick?

That's the approach I would take. Shadowdark has a fighter, so a DCC fighter would need to be a "warrior" or something.

And some of the fighter's kit (either core abilities or talents) would need to be scaled back to make room for an equivalent of Mighty Deeds of Arms, which is such a central ability of the DCC fighter (and dwarf).

 

[overgeeked]

That's the approach I would take. Shadowdark has a fighter, so a DCC fighter would need to be a "warrior" or something.

And some of the fighter's kit (either core abilities or talents) would need to be scaled back to make room for an equivalent of Mighty Deeds of Arms, which is such a central ability of the DCC fighter (and dwarf).

In DCC the class is called warrior, so that's easy enough.

Likely keep all the basic stuff but drop the three features for mighty deeds. It's simple enough an idea, but not sure how it implement it. Maybe drop the deed die and just automatically gain some kind of rider like disarm, called shot, pin, etc. So on a hit you deal damage and inflict a rider. On a miss, nothing.

To lift some text: This Deed is a dramatic combat maneuver within the scope of the current combat. For example, a warrior may try to disarm an enemy with their next attack, or trip the opponent, or smash them backward to open access to a nearby corridor. The Deed does not increase damage but could have some other combat effect: pushing back an enemy, tripping or entangling, temporarily blinding, and so on.