REFEREE'S NOTES
Levels: I cap class level progression at 10. This means there are no 6th level wizard spells, rather they have been absorbed into specific magical artifacts.
Hit Dice & Hit Points: I have altered the HD of each class to create smoother, more consistent, progressions. The cleric uses 1d6 per level, the fighter 1d6+1, and the wizard 1d6-1. I also use the "optional" rule (some say it was an original rule) that all HD are re-rolled each time you gain a level. If the new total is higher, you keep it; if not, keep the old total. The tables below reflect this (hence 10-10 at level 10 for a wizard). Excluding Constitution bonuses, at 10th level a cleric should average 35 hit points, a fighter 45 hit points, and a wizard 25 hit points.
Base To-Hit Bonus: Overall improvement for the fighter, he's even more of a fighting beast. The cleric gets a small boost at lower levels, and the wizard remains relatively close to WhiteBox.
Saving Throws: I have reduced class saving throw bonuses to +1. I have added certain specific +1 racial bonuses (detailed in the next post) and +1/+2 bonuses for certain high attributes (detailed in the last post here), so it all evens out in the wash.
Class Abilities: Some of these have been modified to suit my tastes or new ones have been added.
Wizards: I've always hated the stupid-ass name magic-user. Your mileage may vary. :-)
CLASSES
Your character’s class represents his or her adventuring profession. You may choose cleric, fighter, or wizard. There are no racial limitations to your class choice.
CLERIC
The cleric is a holy warrior who casts spells granted by divine forces. Known by myriad titles throughout the world—shaman, priest, templar, ghazi, witch-hunter, lama, monk—the cleric channels divine powers to both thwart his foes and spread his faith.
Prime Attribute: Wisdom (13 or higher gains a 5% XP bonus).
Armor: Wear any armor, may use shields.
Weapons: Use only blunt melee weapons; use only sling or oil as missile weapons. If the cleric’s deity has a favored weapon, the cleric may also use that weapon.
Saving Throws: +1 to saving throws against poison and paralysis.
Spells: Each day, clerics may cast a certain number of divine spells. See Table 4 below.
Banish Undead: Lawful clerics may banish undead creatures, causing them to flee or even outright destroying them. The character must present his or her holy symbol and be clearly visible to the undead creatures in order to banish them. A character can move before or after a banishing attempt.
When a banishing attempt is made, 2d6 + the cleric's level in HD worth of undead creatures must make a saving throw adjusted by the cleric's Wisdom modifier. Undead creatures are affected in order of lowest hit dice to highest, and any surplus HD are lost. Failure indicates the undead creatures are banished and flee (or cower) for 1d6 turns; success means nothing happens to them. A cleric who fails to banish undead creatures may not attempt to banish those particular creatures again for 24 hours. Starting at level 4, a cleric destroys undead creatures of 3 HD or less than his level (ignore HD "pluses") if the creatures fail their saving throws.
For chaotic-aligned clerics, the same total HD undead are forced to obey the cleric for 1d6 turns. If the undead are 3 HD or less than the cleric, they are commanded for 24 hours. Neutral clerics must choose at first level whether they act as lawful or chaotic clerics for the purposes of banishing or commanding undead creatures.
Banish Undead: Lawful clerics may banish undead creatures, causing them to flee or even outright destroying them. The character must present his or her holy symbol and be clearly visible to the undead creatures in order to banish them. A character can move before or after a banishing attempt.
When a banishing attempt is made, 2d6 + the cleric's level in HD worth of undead creatures must make a saving throw adjusted by the cleric's Wisdom modifier. Undead creatures are affected in order of lowest hit dice to highest, and any surplus HD are lost. Failure indicates the undead creatures are banished and flee (or cower) for 1d6 turns; success means nothing happens to them. A cleric who fails to banish undead creatures may not attempt to banish those particular creatures again for 24 hours. Starting at level 4, a cleric destroys undead creatures of 3 HD or less than his level (ignore HD "pluses") if the creatures fail their saving throws.
For chaotic-aligned clerics, the same total HD undead are forced to obey the cleric for 1d6 turns. If the undead are 3 HD or less than the cleric, they are commanded for 24 hours. Neutral clerics must choose at first level whether they act as lawful or chaotic clerics for the purposes of banishing or commanding undead creatures.
Table 3: Cleric Advancement
Table 4: Cleric Spell Advancement
Level
|
Experience Points
|
Hit Dice
|
Base To-Hit Bonus
|
Saving Throw
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
+0
|
15
|
2
|
1,500
|
2
|
+1
|
14
|
3
|
3,000
|
3
|
+1
|
13
|
4
|
6,000
|
4
|
+2
|
12
|
5
|
12,000
|
5
|
+2
|
11
|
6
|
24,000
|
6
|
+3
|
10
|
7
|
48,000
|
7
|
+3
|
9
|
8
|
96,000
|
8
|
+4
|
8
|
9
|
192,000
|
9
|
+4
|
7
|
10
|
384,000
|
10
|
+5
|
6
|
Table 4: Cleric Spell Advancement
Level
|
Spell Level
| ||||
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
| |
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
3
|
2
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
6
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
–
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
9
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
10
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
FIGHTER
The fighter is a cunning warrior who wields lethal weaponry of every sort, be it great sword, hefty axe, or piercing arrow. Fighters of every stripe roam the world—mercenary, soldier, barbarian, rogue, scout, sell-sword, ranger, gladiator—those who live and die by the sword are as diverse as they are deadly.
Prime Attribute: Strength (13 or higher gains a 5% XP bonus).
Armor: Wear any armor, may use shields.
Weapons: Use any melee or missile weapons.
Saving Throw: +1 to saving throws against death and poison.
Defensive Stance: Provided they have high Dexterity, fighters may forego their own attack in a combat round and instead focus on defensive fighting, improving their AC against all attacks that round as shown on the table below. This bonus is in addition to the normal AC bonus for high Dexterity. (Note: I have a house rule for plate armor that caps one's Dexterity bonus to AC at +1).
Horde Slayer: When fighting foes of 1 HD or less, a fighter makes 1 attack per level.
Mighty: Fighters add their Strength bonus to melee attack and damage rolls. Also, they add their Strength bonus to damage rolls using thrown or muscle-propelled missile weapons (bows and slings, hand axes, daggers, and such).
Table 5: Fighter Advancement
Level
|
Experience Points
|
Hit Dice
|
Base To-Hit Bonus
|
Saving Throw
|
1
|
0
|
1+1
|
+1
|
14
|
2
|
2,000
|
2+2
|
+2
|
13
|
3
|
4,000
|
3+3
|
+3
|
12
|
4
|
8,000
|
4+4
|
+4
|
11
|
5
|
16,000
|
5+5
|
+5
|
10
|
6
|
32,000
|
6+6
|
+6
|
9
|
7
|
64,000
|
7+7
|
+7
|
8
|
8
|
128,000
|
8+8
|
+8
|
7
|
9
|
256,000
|
9+9
|
+9
|
6
|
10
|
512,000
|
10+10
|
+10
|
5
|
Table 6: Fighter Defensive Stance
Dexterity Score
|
Bonus to AC [AAC]
|
3-12
|
None
|
13-14
|
-1 [+1]
|
15
|
-2 [+2]
|
16
|
-3 [+3]
|
17
|
-4 [+4]
|
18
|
-5 [+5]
|
WIZARD
A wizard wields magic spells drawn from the mysterious and often unpredictable arcane forces of the world. Known under many guises in many cultures—mystic, mage, sorcerer, warlock, demonologist, witch—fearful names follow the wielder of arcane power.
Prime Attribute: Intelligence (13 or higher gains a 5% XP bonus).
Armor: No armor allowed, may not use shields.
Weapons: Use only dagger and staff as melee weapons; use only dagger and oil as missile weapons.
Saving Throw: +1 to saving throws against spells.
Spells: Each day, wizards may cast a certain number of arcane spells. See Table 8 below.
Arcane Study: Wizards may learn important facts about any magic item they examine and study—such as a command word, a specific power, or a legend about it. Wizards may use this ability at any time, but it takes 1d6 hours of examination and research to do so.
After spending the appropriate time, roll 2d6 + Intelligence modifier and consult Table 39 below to see what the character learns about the magic item. If the character has access to a respectable library or laboratory to conduct research during the study time, add a +1 bonus to the roll.
The significance and accuracy of information discovered this way is entirely at the discretion of the Referee. This ability does not cancel out the effects of cursed or chaos/law-aligned items (at the Referee’s discretion) when they are touched.
Table 39: Arcane Study
Table 7: Wizard Advancement
Arcane Study: Wizards may learn important facts about any magic item they examine and study—such as a command word, a specific power, or a legend about it. Wizards may use this ability at any time, but it takes 1d6 hours of examination and research to do so.
After spending the appropriate time, roll 2d6 + Intelligence modifier and consult Table 39 below to see what the character learns about the magic item. If the character has access to a respectable library or laboratory to conduct research during the study time, add a +1 bonus to the roll.
The significance and accuracy of information discovered this way is entirely at the discretion of the Referee. This ability does not cancel out the effects of cursed or chaos/law-aligned items (at the Referee’s discretion) when they are touched.
Table 39: Arcane Study
2d6 + Int Mod
|
Result
|
2 or less
|
Catastrophic Failure. The character discovers the full
history and powers of the magic item. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong item. But
the character is absolutely convinced he’s got it right!
|
3-5
|
Failure. The character fails to discover anything
useful about the item.
|
6-8
|
Inconclusive Study. The character discovers a few
interesting leads about the magic item, but nothing concrete about its
history or powers. If the character spends another 1d6 hours studying, roll
again.
|
9-11
|
Discovery. The character discovers one fact about
the history of the magic item, as well as one of its powers and the command
word (if any) to activate it.
|
12 or more
|
Exceptional Discovery. The character discovers the full
history and powers of the magic item, including all command words.
|
Table 7: Wizard Advancement
Level
|
Experience Points
|
Hit Dice
|
Base To-Hit Bonus
|
Saving Throw
|
1
|
0
|
1-1
|
+0
|
15
|
2
|
2,500
|
2-2
|
+0
|
14
|
3
|
5,000
|
3-3
|
+0
|
13
|
4
|
10,000
|
4-4
|
+1
|
12
|
5
|
20,000
|
5-5
|
+1
|
11
|
6
|
40,000
|
6-6
|
+1
|
10
|
7
|
80,000
|
7-7
|
+2
|
9
|
8
|
160,000
|
8-8
|
+2
|
8
|
9
|
320,000
|
9-9
|
+2
|
7
|
10
|
640,000
|
10-10
|
+3
|
6
|
Table 8: Wizard Spell Advancement
Level
|
Spell Level
| ||||
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
| |
1
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
2
|
2
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
–
|
–
|
7
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
8
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
–
|
9
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
10
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
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