House Rules


OSRIC
We will be using a freely available 1E retro clone known as OSRIC.

Character Ability Scores
Roll 3d6, 36 times, and place the results in order in a 6x6 grid.  Label the top and left axes as follows: Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha.  Label the right and bottom in reverse order.  Now select any six stats in a row (left to right, top to bottom, or diagonal).  These will be your new character's stats.  You may swap any two numbers that lie within the straight line you have chosen.

If no scores of 17 or 18 are rolled, you may choose to re-roll all 36 stats.  I will be providing an excel spreadsheet to automate this process.

Hit Points
Start with max hit points at first level.  For every level after first, both you and the DM will roll for your character's hit points.  After viewing the results of your roll--but not the DM's roll--you may choose whether to take your roll or the DM's.

Race
Race level limits no longer apply.  To compensate, human characters are allowed to transfer one point from one ability score to another.  Humans are also allowed to define their own background-appropriate traits that are comparable in power to what other races enjoy.

Classes
I'm generally fine with 2nd edition class kits.  Talk to me if you're interested.

Background
If your character's background is deemed applicable to a particular attribute check, you will receive a bonus between +1 and +4.  As characters grow, they should gain new skills and aptitudes.  To represent this, players are encouraged to keep their background updated as the campaign progresses.

Weapon Proficiencies
Weapon proficiencies are spent on weapon groups, not on individual weapons.  Valid weapon groups are: Shortspears, Swords & Daggers; Flails, Axes, & Maces; Bows & Crossbows; Darts & Slings; Polearms & Long Spears; and Staves, Wands & Spells.  You may also spend proficiencies on 2E fighting styles.

Combat Rounds
Before each round begins, players must declare what their characters are doing in the round.  Once the actions are declared, players will draw from a standard deck of playing cards— jokers included—which is reshuffled each round.

  • Draw two cards and choose the best if you are attacking with a weapon with a maximum damage vs. medium creatures of 5 or less, or if you are casting a spell with a casting time of 2 segments or less. 
  • Draw one card if you are attacking with a weapon with a maximum damage vs. medium creatures of 8 or less, or if you are casting a spell with a casting time of 5 segments or less. 
  • Draw two cards and choose the worst if you are attacking with a weapon with a maximum damage vs. medium creatures of 9 or greater, or if you are casting a spell with a casting time of 6 segments or more.

Characters with high or low dexterity scores should subtract their Surprise Bonus from the max damage of their weapons for the purpose of determining how many cards they should draw.  Characters deemed to have the advantage of surprise improve their initiative draw by one step, drawing four cards and choosing the best if they were already eligible to draw two.

Initiative occurs in the following order: Joker-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-Jack-Q-K-A-Joker.  In case of a tie, clubs beat hearts beat spades beat diamonds.  The DM will count up the cards in order.  It is the player’s responsibility to speak up when their card is called.  No one goes out of order under any circumstances.

If a character has multiple attacks that round, they all occur when the character's card is called. 

A character casting a spell with a casting time of less than one full round may be interrupted any time before his or her card is called.  The spell takes effect when the character's card is called.

A character casting a spell with a casting time of one full round or greater may be interrupted any time before the round in which the spell is completed.  The spell takes effect at the beginning of the round in which it completes.

If a player draws a joker, he or she may act twice in a round: once at the beginning and once at the end.  On their second action, the player who drew a joker may take any action, provided it is different than the action taken at the beginning of the round.  For example, a character who attacked with a longsword could then cast a spell at the end of the round, but could not make a second longsword attack.   A character spending the entire round casting a spell does not benefit from drawing a Joker.

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