D&D General Do You D&D OSR?

[The Soloist]

I play BX, AD&D and D&D 2024 solo. I don't play other OSR games. Instead, I insert my homebrew rules in TSR D&D editions.

 

[darjr]

Starting an OSRIC php game and my dwarf fighter has a 4 charisma! He’s going to be a survivor and rather upset about it. #osric #dnd #ttrpg #cheezits

 

[Foodgeek]

One of the nice things about LotFP (B/X), which we run, is if your modifiers total under zero, you reroll, but I can see someone rolling a 16, for stats 9-12, and a 4, and that is 0. We had a guy who rolled under zero four times till he finally got +1 total.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

One of the nice things about LotFP (B/X), which we run, is if your modifiers total under zero, you reroll, but I can see someone rolling a 16, for stats 9-12, and a 4, and that is 0. We had a guy who rolled under zero four times till he finally got +1 total.

I think a number of more recent OSR games have a similar optional rule. Random generation is all well and good, but playing a hapless character who will die 30 seconds into the dungeon is just a waste of time.

 

[Reynard]

I think a number of more recent OSR games have a similar optional rule. Random generation is all well and good, but playing a hapless character who will die 30 seconds into the dungeon is just a waste of time.

Most OSR games have relatively small modifiers for stats, so it is less important if you roll badly. The die (d20) is so big that few modifiers, good or bad,make any real impression early on. The more important things are stuff like elves and secret doors, etc.

 

[Foodgeek]

Eh...I would have missed a couple of magic saves without my +2 bonus from INT and the INT bonus subtracts 2 days from researching and scribing scrolls. It makes a difference for my magic user. The rogue's bonus with a bow has also been a close call a few times. If the DM had said, no rerolling the fighter would have had -5 in modifiers the first roll...which would have been pretty bad for him.

 

[Reynard]

Eh...I would have missed a couple of magic saves without my +2 bonus from INT and the INT bonus subtracts 2 days from researching and scribing scrolls. It makes a difference for my magic user. The rogue's bonus with a bow has also been a close call a few times. If the DM had said, no rerolling the fighter would have had -5 in modifiers the first roll...which would have been pretty bad for him.

How do you get -5 in B/X?

 

[Foodgeek]

He rolled two 5s, an 8, and everything else was a zero mod, 9-12. He rolled several more times and still couldn't get to zero or above. I changed his dice, and finally, he hit zero but the rest of us were at +2, so the DM let him try again and he got +1, which is all zeros and a 1.

 

[Reynard]

He rolled two 5s, an 8, and everything else was a zero mod, 9-12. He rolled several more times and still couldn't get to zero or above. I changed his dice, and finally, he hit zero but the rest of us were at +2, so the DM let him try again and he got +1, which is all zeros and a 1.

Gotcha. I though you meant a -5 on a single ability in B/X. My bad.

 

[Foodgeek]

No, the max is -3 and you have to roll a 3. Nobody rolled above 16 (I had the only one) or below 5 (he had two). Looks pretty normal until you realize he rolled stats 4 times below zero modifiers, and one at zero...so most of the negative rolls were one person of the 4.