In Labyrinth Lord, Thief skills reach maximum values at level 14. Even though these are good skill levels, the cap makes Thieves unappealing characters at high levels, since all they gain per level after this point is a mere one Hit Point per level, a few more rows on the Attack Table, and a single improvement to their mediocre saving throws at 17. For this, they need to earn 120,000 XP per level past name level, which is not a fast rate (it's equal to Fighters, and the Cleric needs only 100,000 per level).
Frank Mentzer's BECMI edition dealt with the maxed-Thief problem by retroactively nerfing Thief skills in the Companion Set so they actually needed more levels to get 99%+ abilities. I think that Thieves are underpowered as it is (hence my house rule to up their HD to d6), so that's not a solution I favour. Apparently (I'm going from second hand information, since I've never owned this one) the Moldvay/Cook Expert Set intended a different approach, promising unique advanced skills for higher level Thieves in the Companion Set (which never got made). In that spirit (and also inspired by the AD&D 2e High Level Campaigns book) I've had a go at making up Master Thief Skills.
So:
MASTER THIEF SKILLS
At level 15 and up, a Thief gains 15% to two separate Master Thief Skills per level. The maximum that any of these skills can be raised to is 75%.
Master Thief Skills List:
Hide in Plain Sight (advanced Hide in Shadows)
This skill allows the Thief to attempt to Hide in Shadows even when he is already being watched. In combat, a successful Hide in Plain Sight can set up a Backstab for the following round.
Swift Glide (advanced Move Silently)
This skill allows the Thief to Move Silently at full movement speed, even running. A Swift Glide roll allows passage across liquid surfaces, requiring a walking pace (no slower or faster) and no other actions; failure means falling in.
Jury-Rig Traps (advanced Find & Remove Traps)
This skill allows the Thief to reset a trap he has already disabled with a trigger of his choosing, allowing the possibility of tricking dungeon denizens into their own traps. The skill can even be used to move a trap (unless it's on a large enough scale that this is impossible) or disassemble parts for the Thief's own purposes (for instance, to retrieve an intact bottle of acid from an acid trap, replace it with holy water, etc.). Failure at this skill doesn't result in triggering the trap, it simply means that the operation is beyond the Thief's abilities.
Finesse Locks (advanced Open Locks)
This skill allows the Thief to pick a lock without tools, or to pick a lock with tools in a single round. If the skill roll fails, a normal Open Locks roll can still be attempted (with tools) on the same lock. Another use for this skill is, after picking a lock, to sabotage it so that the key(s) it was made for no longer fit, but the Thief can open the lock by Finesse without having to roll.
Wallrunning (advanced Climb Walls)
This skill allows the Thief to climb at the same speed as moving across level ground, and still keep one hand free. A failed skill roll means that this advanced form of climbing won't work in this case, but it doesn't mean falling, and a normal Climb Walls can still be attempted. Should the Thief fall (for any reason) within reach of handholds, he can attempt this skill to grab on and prevent the fall; if he falls without anything to grab, a skill check still allows him to take half damage.
Unfasten (advanced Pick Pockets)
This skill allows the Thief to unfasten armour or clothing on a target by undoing buckles or clasps, cutting straps, etc. This can be attempted in or out of combat, with chances modified as per Pick Pockets. Success allows the Thief to unfasten the target's apparel either immediately, after 1d6 rounds, or after 1d6 turns (Thief's choice from the three options). The effect is to halve movement, and reduce the AC of armour by 2 (and possibly reduce the target's modesty!). Multiple unfastens increase the AC penalty but don't hinder movement any further. The target can cancel the movement penalty by spending one round sorting his apparel, but the AC penalty can only be sorted by spending a full turn putting the armour back together.
Showing posts with label classes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classes. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Forgotten Realms Race-Classes for Labyrinth Lord
Last weekend, I made up LL-style race-classes for all the major races of the Realms in the 4e era. I'm loving how quick and simple it is to make things for this game - it's a breath of fresh air after years of running d20, where the most basic things drag down into mind-numbing drudge work.
Anyway, here they are for anyone who might find them useful:
DRAGONBORN
Requirements: STR 9, CHA 10
Prime Requisite: STR
HD: d8 (+2 HP per level above 9)
XP: As Magic-User
Maximum Level: 12
Armour and Weapons: Any, but standard armour doesn't fit; custom armour is required costing double or more.
Attacks: As Fighter
Saves: As Dwarf/Halfling, but replace the "Breath Attacks" column with a duplicate of the "Poison or Death" column.
Special Abilities: Dragonborn are trained in techniques to fight dragons and gain a +1 to hit against them, increasing to +2 at level 7 and +3 at level 11. They gain Draconic as a bonus language.
Dragonborn also have a breath weapon of their own, of a single type like a true dragon chosen at character creation (for example, a cone of fire like a red dragon). This does 1d6 damage, usable once per day, with half the area of the true dragon's breath weapon. The damage improves to 2d6 at level 4, and 3d6 at level 8. The dragonborn gets two uses per day at level 2, three at level 6, and four at level 12. The area increases to the true dragon's at level 10. Targets gain a saving throw versus Breath Attack for half damage. Dragonborn are immune to the effects of their own breath attack, as well as the same kind of breath attack from other dragons and dragonborn. They are further immune to ordinary instances of a similar nature to their attack. For instance, a dragonborn with a red dragon type breath weapon is immune to all ordinary fire. However, dragonborn will sustain half damage from magical based attacks that are similar to the nature of their breath attacks. A dragonborn with blue dragon breath, for instance, will not suffer damage from a natural lightning strike, but will suffer half damage from the spell lightning bolt.
At 9th level, a Dragonborn can become a leader among his kind, equivalent to a Fighter of equal level.
DWARF
Adventuring dwarves in the Realms are either Gold Dwarves or Shield Dwarves. Both use the Dwarf class without modifications.
ELF
The choice of subrace modifies the core Elf class:
Drow (Dark) Elf: Drow are limited to chainmail or lighter armour and no shield, but can Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as a Thief of equal level. They do not cast spells like a typical Elf, but can invoke Darkness (reversed Light as the Magic-User spell), Faerie Fire (lights up a target giving all attackers +2 to hit them and negating benefit of invisibility or concealment, 120' range, no save), and/or Levitate (as the Magic-User spell), up to a total number of combined uses equal to the Drow's level per day. Drow also gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws against magic, and resist all effects of a spell on a successful save even if it would normally still do half damage (but Drow still don't get a save against effects that don't allow a saving throw). Drow have infravision to 120'. Instead of the Elf bonus languages, they get Drow and Undercommon.
Moon (Silver) Elf: Moon Elves use the default Elf class.
Sun (Gold) Elf: Sun Elves are limited to chainmail or lighter armour and no shield, but with their deep knowledge of the arcane they can use magical items allowable to any other class (even clerical scrolls), alignment, etc.
Wild (Green) Elf: Wild Elves are limited to leather (or no) armour and no shield, but have the ability to hide like a Halfling. Their spells come from the Clerical spell list (not the Magic User/Elf list) and they know all available spells like a Cleric. When using a bow, they gain one additional attack per round.
Wood (Copper) Elf: Wood Elves are limited to studded leather or lighter armour and can use a shield, but have the ability to hide like a Halfling. Their spells can be prepared and cast from any mixture of both the Magic-User and Cleric spell lists; they know all spells from the Cleric list, but must learn Magic-User spells as normal.
GENASI
Requirements: CON 12
Prime Requisites: STR and CON. Both at 13+ gives +5% XP, STR 13+ and CON 16+ gives +10% XP.
HD: d6
XP: As Elf
Maximum Level: 10
Armour and Weapons: All
Attacks: As Fighter
Saves: As Elf
Special Abilities: Genasi choose a single elemental aspect (air, earth, fire or water) at character creation, and have magical abilities dependent on their choice. Air genasi do not need air to breathe, earth genasi have a -1 AC bonus for hard skin, fire genasi are immune to normal fire and take half damage from magical fire, and water genasi can breathe underwater and move underwater as fast as on land. All genasi have 60' infravision.
Genasi also gain spell-like abilites depending on their element that they can invoke twice per day each, all from the Magic-User spell list, once they reach the required level (in brackets).
Air: Floating Disc (1), Levitate (3), Fly (5), Arcane Eye(7), Cloudkill (9)
Earth: Shield (1), Locate Object (3), Protection from Normal Missiles (5), Polymorph Self (7), Passwall (9)
Fire: Light (1), Continual Light (3), Fireball (5), Wall of Fire (7), Conjure Elemental: fire only (9)
Water: Sleep (1), Mirror Image (3), Water Breathing (5), Wall of Ice (7), Transmute Rock to Mud (9)
At level 10, the genasi gains a secondary elemental aspect, adding all the base abilities of both. The second aspect doesn't add more castings, just options - for example, a Fire/Water Genasi can cast Light or Sleep twice per day, or once each, etc., but these don't need to be prepared.
HALF-ELF
Half-elves choose from human classes, and are handled like humans in the game mechanics except that they gain the Elf abilities of infravision 60', the increased ability to detect secret doors, and immunity to ghoul paralysis. They also get the Elf bonus languages plus Common and their local language; this is Chondathan, Damaran, Thayan, or Untheric, defaulting to the region where the character begins play (Chondathan in the Dalelands). Half-Elves gain a bonus -1 Reaction Adjustment, cumulative with any modifier from Charisma.
They pay for this with a 10% XP penalty, cumulative with any XP modifer from INT (for example a half-elf with 13 INT has a net -5% modifier to earned XP).
HALFLING
There are two subraces of Halfling adventurers:
Lightfoot: limited to studded leather or lighter armour and may use a shield, but can Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as a Thief (may hide as a Thief or as a Halfling, whichever is better at the time).
Strongheart: use the default Halfling class.
Both subraces speak both Common and their local language; this is Chondathan, Damaran, Thayan, or Untheric, defaulting to the region where the character begins play (Chondathan in the Dalelands). Both subraces can use slings for 1d6 damage (i.e. the damage is not reduced for the weapon's size).
HUMAN
Humans in the Realms speak both Common and their local language; this is Chondathan, Damaran, Thayan, or Untheric, defaulting to the region where the character begins play (Chondathan in the Dalelands).
TIEFLING
Requirements: DEX 9, INT 9
Prime Requisites: DEX and INT. Either at 13+ gives +5% XP, both at 13+ gives +10% XP.
HD: d4
XP: As Magic-User
Maximum Level: 10
Armour and Weapons: All weapons, no armour or shield.
Attacks: As Thief
Saves: As Magic-User
Special Abilities: Tieflings have infravision to 60', and have a +4 bonus to saving throws against fire, cold, and electricity. They have Abyssal as a bonus language. They can use all Thief skills (except Pick Pockets, but including Backstab) as a Thief one level lower (minimum level 1). They can learn and cast spells as a Magic-User, and automatically know one spell per character level but cannot learn spells by any means besides gaining levels. The spell known at level 1 must be Protection from Evil.
Anyway, here they are for anyone who might find them useful:
DRAGONBORN
Requirements: STR 9, CHA 10
Prime Requisite: STR
HD: d8 (+2 HP per level above 9)
XP: As Magic-User
Maximum Level: 12
Armour and Weapons: Any, but standard armour doesn't fit; custom armour is required costing double or more.
Attacks: As Fighter
Saves: As Dwarf/Halfling, but replace the "Breath Attacks" column with a duplicate of the "Poison or Death" column.
Special Abilities: Dragonborn are trained in techniques to fight dragons and gain a +1 to hit against them, increasing to +2 at level 7 and +3 at level 11. They gain Draconic as a bonus language.
Dragonborn also have a breath weapon of their own, of a single type like a true dragon chosen at character creation (for example, a cone of fire like a red dragon). This does 1d6 damage, usable once per day, with half the area of the true dragon's breath weapon. The damage improves to 2d6 at level 4, and 3d6 at level 8. The dragonborn gets two uses per day at level 2, three at level 6, and four at level 12. The area increases to the true dragon's at level 10. Targets gain a saving throw versus Breath Attack for half damage. Dragonborn are immune to the effects of their own breath attack, as well as the same kind of breath attack from other dragons and dragonborn. They are further immune to ordinary instances of a similar nature to their attack. For instance, a dragonborn with a red dragon type breath weapon is immune to all ordinary fire. However, dragonborn will sustain half damage from magical based attacks that are similar to the nature of their breath attacks. A dragonborn with blue dragon breath, for instance, will not suffer damage from a natural lightning strike, but will suffer half damage from the spell lightning bolt.
At 9th level, a Dragonborn can become a leader among his kind, equivalent to a Fighter of equal level.
DWARF
Adventuring dwarves in the Realms are either Gold Dwarves or Shield Dwarves. Both use the Dwarf class without modifications.
ELF
The choice of subrace modifies the core Elf class:
Drow (Dark) Elf: Drow are limited to chainmail or lighter armour and no shield, but can Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as a Thief of equal level. They do not cast spells like a typical Elf, but can invoke Darkness (reversed Light as the Magic-User spell), Faerie Fire (lights up a target giving all attackers +2 to hit them and negating benefit of invisibility or concealment, 120' range, no save), and/or Levitate (as the Magic-User spell), up to a total number of combined uses equal to the Drow's level per day. Drow also gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws against magic, and resist all effects of a spell on a successful save even if it would normally still do half damage (but Drow still don't get a save against effects that don't allow a saving throw). Drow have infravision to 120'. Instead of the Elf bonus languages, they get Drow and Undercommon.
Moon (Silver) Elf: Moon Elves use the default Elf class.
Sun (Gold) Elf: Sun Elves are limited to chainmail or lighter armour and no shield, but with their deep knowledge of the arcane they can use magical items allowable to any other class (even clerical scrolls), alignment, etc.
Wild (Green) Elf: Wild Elves are limited to leather (or no) armour and no shield, but have the ability to hide like a Halfling. Their spells come from the Clerical spell list (not the Magic User/Elf list) and they know all available spells like a Cleric. When using a bow, they gain one additional attack per round.
Wood (Copper) Elf: Wood Elves are limited to studded leather or lighter armour and can use a shield, but have the ability to hide like a Halfling. Their spells can be prepared and cast from any mixture of both the Magic-User and Cleric spell lists; they know all spells from the Cleric list, but must learn Magic-User spells as normal.
GENASI
Requirements: CON 12
Prime Requisites: STR and CON. Both at 13+ gives +5% XP, STR 13+ and CON 16+ gives +10% XP.
HD: d6
XP: As Elf
Maximum Level: 10
Armour and Weapons: All
Attacks: As Fighter
Saves: As Elf
Special Abilities: Genasi choose a single elemental aspect (air, earth, fire or water) at character creation, and have magical abilities dependent on their choice. Air genasi do not need air to breathe, earth genasi have a -1 AC bonus for hard skin, fire genasi are immune to normal fire and take half damage from magical fire, and water genasi can breathe underwater and move underwater as fast as on land. All genasi have 60' infravision.
Genasi also gain spell-like abilites depending on their element that they can invoke twice per day each, all from the Magic-User spell list, once they reach the required level (in brackets).
Air: Floating Disc (1), Levitate (3), Fly (5), Arcane Eye(7), Cloudkill (9)
Earth: Shield (1), Locate Object (3), Protection from Normal Missiles (5), Polymorph Self (7), Passwall (9)
Fire: Light (1), Continual Light (3), Fireball (5), Wall of Fire (7), Conjure Elemental: fire only (9)
Water: Sleep (1), Mirror Image (3), Water Breathing (5), Wall of Ice (7), Transmute Rock to Mud (9)
At level 10, the genasi gains a secondary elemental aspect, adding all the base abilities of both. The second aspect doesn't add more castings, just options - for example, a Fire/Water Genasi can cast Light or Sleep twice per day, or once each, etc., but these don't need to be prepared.
HALF-ELF
Half-elves choose from human classes, and are handled like humans in the game mechanics except that they gain the Elf abilities of infravision 60', the increased ability to detect secret doors, and immunity to ghoul paralysis. They also get the Elf bonus languages plus Common and their local language; this is Chondathan, Damaran, Thayan, or Untheric, defaulting to the region where the character begins play (Chondathan in the Dalelands). Half-Elves gain a bonus -1 Reaction Adjustment, cumulative with any modifier from Charisma.
They pay for this with a 10% XP penalty, cumulative with any XP modifer from INT (for example a half-elf with 13 INT has a net -5% modifier to earned XP).
HALFLING
There are two subraces of Halfling adventurers:
Lightfoot: limited to studded leather or lighter armour and may use a shield, but can Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as a Thief (may hide as a Thief or as a Halfling, whichever is better at the time).
Strongheart: use the default Halfling class.
Both subraces speak both Common and their local language; this is Chondathan, Damaran, Thayan, or Untheric, defaulting to the region where the character begins play (Chondathan in the Dalelands). Both subraces can use slings for 1d6 damage (i.e. the damage is not reduced for the weapon's size).
HUMAN
Humans in the Realms speak both Common and their local language; this is Chondathan, Damaran, Thayan, or Untheric, defaulting to the region where the character begins play (Chondathan in the Dalelands).
TIEFLING
Requirements: DEX 9, INT 9
Prime Requisites: DEX and INT. Either at 13+ gives +5% XP, both at 13+ gives +10% XP.
HD: d4
XP: As Magic-User
Maximum Level: 10
Armour and Weapons: All weapons, no armour or shield.
Attacks: As Thief
Saves: As Magic-User
Special Abilities: Tieflings have infravision to 60', and have a +4 bonus to saving throws against fire, cold, and electricity. They have Abyssal as a bonus language. They can use all Thief skills (except Pick Pockets, but including Backstab) as a Thief one level lower (minimum level 1). They can learn and cast spells as a Magic-User, and automatically know one spell per character level but cannot learn spells by any means besides gaining levels. The spell known at level 1 must be Protection from Evil.
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