Campaign Journal: B2 "Keep on the Borderlands! The Shunned Cavern...

 This is the next part of our campaign journal, discussing B2.  You should be able to use the tags to find previous posts about B1.  For those just joining us, we are adventuring with three heroes:  Dragonwing (F3), Magic Hands (MU3), and Flowing River (Druid 3).  The players are all kids, pre-k through early elementary, and they're doing great.

We've had a few sessions so I will just hit the highlights.

SPOILERS FOR B2 AHEAD

PAPERS AND PAYCHECKS

The players arrived at the keep and spend much of a session exploring the outer bailey.  They were flush with loot from B1 so they upgraded armor, paid a travelling witch to learn a new wizard spell or two, and paid taxes (scutage to avoid 40 days of service to the keep).  They secured lodging and heard a few lurid tales of danger and wealth at the keep.  The kids had never interacted with NPCs like this so it was worth dragging out a bit.

Of course, a friendly jovial priest staying in an apartment had breakfast with the new folks in town and sized them up.  The merchants and sergeant at arms complained of raids on caravans and patrols and suggested starting with some of the caves near the mouth of the canyon.

FIRST EXPEDITION -- OWLBEARS, OH MY!

The players ignored the suggestion to start with the caves near the front of the canyon and instead went straight down the middle, all the way to the back.  Despite several fairly ominous warning descriptions, they ventured into the owlbear cave.  Oh my!

Luckily, the players had faced an Owlbear in Hero Kids, a simpler fantasy RPG, so they were familiar with the trope and recognized they had a dangerous foe on their hands once they blundered into the nest.  Dragonwing landed a few lucky max damage hits which quickly whittled the monster's HP down.  Magic Hands threw up Shield which saved him from a few nasty hits, drawing attacks from the creature.  When Dragon Wing went down, Flowing River was able to throw a timely Cure Wounds on the warrior, getting him back in the fight...  Flowing River then went down and needed a Healing Potion.  After a tough fight that used up most of the resourced, the Owl Bear was defeated!  Huzzah!

The players continued exploring the shunned cavern.  They found the room with the pool and slimes.  Magic Hands, wearing no armor, boldy dove right into the pool and snagged the treasure without hesitation.  I used a 2d6+STR roll for swimming and he rolled boxcars -- sounds like a great dive to recover the loot!  Dragon Wing and Flowing River got "glopped" by some slime, drew them off for a round, enabling Magic Hands to escape with the loot.  All three heroes beat a hasty retreat, not bothering to stick around to fight the slow moving slimes.

Not a bad start to B2!

Finishing B1

 Last week my intrepid players finished off B1.  Spoilers ahead for B1!

This was their most focused adventure yet.  They knew they needed to find stairs down, then find a specific piece of jewelry.  After some quick and somewhat lucky poking around, they found the stairs down.  Huzzah!

The first room in the basement level has some random mining equipment and spoilage about.  For some reason they were convinced there might be something of value here and they spent many turns searching every inch of wall for a secret door or other remarkable item.  This delay was punished with an eventual "1" on a random encounter roll, generating their first Level 2 Wandering Monster:  a Ghoul.  The ghoul got the drop on them, charged in, paralyzed brave Dragon Wing the Fighter, and started tearing at him.  Luckily the other heroes quickly dropped the ghoul, but they are now respectful of the power of the undead!

The heroes then poked around in the basement for a bit.  They knew they needed to work their way to the north but weren't quite sure how the paths connected so there was some exploration.  They battled an ogre (an encounter which could have been avoided with more care, but it went ok) and found a few minor treasures.  

The heroes then found some minor camping supplies which they pilfered.  They were surprised by Sir Lancesome, third cousin to the more famous Knight of the Round Table, a valiant Lawful Fighter 4.  Having had a number of run ins with short kobolds, and suspecting these tiny adventurers of taking his things, Lancesome interrogated them from the darkness about his quest objectives (he was out to slay a band of hobgoblins and rescue the fair maiden Melissa, whose chambers are on the first floor).  The heroes did not know about any hobgoblins and told him of the lady's chambers upstairs, and then Lancesome evaded them, not looking for a fight himself.

Shortly thereafter, the heroes had a run-in with a wandering patrol of hobgoblins.  Only two strong and outclassed by the party, the hobgoblins rolled a reaction check (uncertain) and extorted a "toll" of 20 SP each from the heroes (one paid gladly for everyone, the others were more reluctant), then beat a retreat to tell their chief.   Encounter avoided.

Finally, the heroes linked up with their previous map.  They quickly raced to the known secret door, had their wizard fire up "locate object" to look for secret door mechanisms, and found their way to the hidden treasure room.  Huzzah!  Within after a brief encounter, the treasure was found, and the heroes began to escape...  During their escape, they felt watched; the druid cast faerie fire and outlined a humanoid silhouette who then dashed off...  a band of fighters with levels and a treasure including an invisibility potion were also on this floor, and perhaps they will follow the adventurers to their next destination...

Having retrieved the elvish crown of quest completion, the heroes returned to their camp and met with the elves.  The elves granted the druid a reincarnate spell to restore an unjustly slain neutral fighter (who came back as a faun), the fighter three javelins of lightning and identification of his magic sword, and taught the wizard a new spell.  

B1 complete!  Next stop:  B2 -- Keep on the Borderlands.  Also, later, a review on B1.

B1 Campaign Journal: Pools & Kobolds!

 This post is part of a multi-post series.  You can read the previous one here:

http://vedronspotionshop.blogspot.com/2023/01/b1-in-search-of-unknown-campaign.html

SPOILERS AHEAD -- B1 "INTO THE UNKNOWN"

THE MAGIC POOLS

The players recently learned from a captured NPC about the path to some interesting pools.  So, off they want to check it out.  First, there was a brief fight -- two giant lizards (level 2 monsters) had taken up residence in there for some reason.  They were quickly dispatched.

The players then carefully examined the pools.  Astrid our cleric was not able to attend so this was just young players going solo, and I'm impressed at their thoroughness and caution vs. risk taking.  They were good about poking water with spears before investigating further, taking very small sips rather than big gulps, and not touching stuff that was clearly Really Icky (like slimes).  They did try to carry off as many of the potion-y waters as they could, and were disappointed when they lost their glamour upon leaving the room.  The only one that really tripped them up for awhile was some illusory treasure.  

They also had an absolute ball in this room.  I actually set this one up with minis using little round circle wood disks for the pools and they had a blast moving them from pool to pool.  There was a chance for total disaster here but they avoided all the major missteps.

THE WIZARD'S APARTMENTS

The next place they stumbled into was the great wizard Z's chambers.  They had a brief fight with some giant spiders which went pretty well for them.  I did tone down poison for my game -- instead of an instakill, it deals 1-6 points of damage per hit die of the victim on a failed save.  These nasties had a moderate bite (2 points per HD) which hurt plenty, especially as we are all using D6 hit dice (+1 per die for fighters, +1 for high con).  Again, like the mapping last game, an OSR heresy -- but I don't find insta-kill poison on common monsters found at low levels before anyone has any countermeasures (Neutralize Poison) to be particularly fun.

After a thorough search of the apartments, the players found a clue that I added to the adventure:  among the wizard's invoices was a receipt for a "special door" associated with the "vault" along with the name of the craftsman.  I'd decided the treasure was well hidden behind a secret door and there  was little chance of them finding it without some assistance.  If the players wanted to there was also an easy little town sidequest there for them to look up the guildmaster and then find and interrogate the masons.

The illusory treasure trick really threw them for a loop.  They really got onto the idea that perhaps the treasure in the pool and the treasure in the wizard's room were linked.  I linked a simple trap to this trick -- a magical gong that would sound three times after someone messed with the loot (of course, triggering a wandering monster check).

DER KOBOLDS

The kobolds popped up again on said wandering monster check.  I decided that the wards that the wizard had put in place kept them bound to the stronghold but also prohibited them from entering certain rooms, like his chambers and the library.

The kobolds had a great reaction check and I decided that they'd want to bring the adventurers to meet their chief and parlay.  So they left a trail of breadcrumbs back to the kitchen/dining room and dashed off.

The characters opted to go to the kitchen which I had as a bustling place with two kobolds cooking up a storm.  Everything of course was a fairy illusion.  A little overwhelmed by the bustle, the characters opted for the dining room.  In the dining room, the chief was prepared to receive the adventurers.  Had things gone ugly, he was ready to make a quick escape via the salon and a secret door, but there was no need.

I decided the kobolds had a problem:  they were magically bound to the place and they wanted out.  The wizard's McGuffin of Binding was in the library, which they can't get into, and so they needed someone else to go in and get it for them.  In exchange they would help the adventurers find treasure.  I played the kobolds as shifty, uncertain, and terrified of the lawfully aligned magical sword (cowering in its presence and refusing to talk if it was not covered up), but generally telling the truth or half-truths (NEVER TRUST THE FEY!).

A deal being struck, the kobolds led the adventurers into the dungeon...  but they couldn't help themselves.  Instead of going a direct route to the library, they led the adventurers to a maze-like area that happened to be infested with undead.  They figured they'd let the adventurers go through the maze and meet them on the other side, (1) because it'd be entertaining and (2) to wear the adventurers down, just in case.  But primarily because if you're a 2' tall chaotic fey creature that's been trapped in a dungeon for awhile its hilarious to watch a Zombie/Adventurer cage match.

The heroes were less than amused, although they did survive the maze.  Dragonwing fumed:  "They tricked us!  And wasted our time!"

The heroes caught up with the giggling kobolds and demanded to be taken right to the library, right now.  So off they went again.  The kobolds started plotting in dwarvish to each other.  Dragonwing and Flowing River told each other, "They're going to trick us again, we know it..."  Luckily, the party wizard -- invisible -- spoke dwarvish!  Magic Hands snuck up behind the kobolds and listened in.

"We'll take them to the library...  and then they break the thing... then we trap them with the cage trap... then we run away!  Hee hee hee!"

Magic Hands relayed the conversation to his comrades and they all whispered:  "They're totally going to trick us!  But we know how! Hah!"

The Kobolds took the crew to the library, where the old Chief was waiting with another of the group.  He explained that the Kobolds were not permitted into the room.  The heroes broke open the door easily enough, and found the McGuffin -- a purple magical glowing lava lamp.  The Chief tried to touch it and got zapped with magic, so he asked the heroes to break it.  All three eagerly agreed and threw it on the ground to shatter it.  A burst of magical energy filled the stronghold, and the Kobold's binding was released!

THE TRAP

The kobolds then agreed to lead the heroes to the treasure room. Instead, they took them to a certain corridor which has a nasty portcullis trap.  "There secret door that way!" urged the little chaotic imps (technically true -- not at the end of the hallway, but if one looks at the map, there is a secret doorway in that general direction).

The heroes were skeptical.  Flowing River looked at the map and it definitely did not make sense for a secret door to be there.  Dragon wing and Magic Hands were muttering "its a trick, they're going to try to trap us."

"Ummm.  No we aren't.  Definitely not trapping you right now." (technically true -- they'll trap them in a few seconds)

Flowing River asked how they would find it.

"You're a clever hoo-man hero!  I bet you find toooons of secret doors!  It will be easy!"

The heroes asked the kobolds if they were sure.

"Oh yes!  Very sure.  Many secret doors are magic.  Like the voices at the entrance!  Easy to find!"  (again, a half truth and not outright false)

Well, that settled things.  All three heroes ran to the end of the hallway and started searching.  CLANK!  Trap deployed.  Heroes trapped.  The kobolds ran off giggling.

"Those things actually tricked us!  We knew they would!  And they still did!"

The players were equal parts laughing hilariously, proud that they'd seen it coming, and now worried about being stuck in a trap.  I "bent" the module rules a bit to let one of them escape through the bars (there is a picture of a halfling working out through the bars in the module art, so its not too far off...), and after a brief outnumbered battle against some giant rats, Dragonwing rescued his companions by hauling on a lever and resetting the trap.

They went back to the kitchen only to find it completely abandoned, all the delicious banquet food actually long rotten.  The dining room where they had parlayed with the chief much the same, except for a note left there for them.

THE CLUE

Luckily for our heroes, the kobold chief thoughtfully left them a note because as obnoxious as the fey are, especially the chaotically inclined ones, a deal is a deal.

It explained that they were scared of hooman adventurers so they ran away (true), that they didn't know where the crown was (true) but to be careful in case its cursed (its not, but the kobolds are scared of all things elvish and lawful and good), that there is a hidden treasure room in a secret passage in the basement near the flying mice (true -- they're bats though), that there is a powerful bad hoo-man warrior in the basement that the adventurers should be on the look out for and ambush if they can (sort of true -- he's a lawful Fighter 4 I rolled up, so of course the Kobolds are terrified of him -- and wouldn't mind sowing a little more discord among the forces of weal on their way out).  And if they want to meet up again the heroes just need to leave out silver and sweetcakes on Midsummer's Eave, because the last few days have been absolutely hilarious entertainment for bored chaotic fey house spirits and these adventurers put up with their constant and potentially lethal shenanigans, unlike most other visitors (true -- I'll let the heroes summon them later that way, its how one would traditionally appease/summon their local Der Kobold House Spirit).

The players puzzled over this for awhile and pieced it together!  Now they just need a safe way to return to the basement level, for they know exactly the spot to look.

THOUGHTS THUS FAR

The pool room and copious "Tricks" in B1 are great for low level adventure.  It really keeps the lethality down but has definitely kept our young player's interest.  The game has a lot of exploration, interaction, puzzle solving, and just a tad bit of combat.  We have busted out a battle map for the fights but barely need it, as B/X style combats are a quick and simple affair.  This is a big departure from later editions, where even simple fights can take a half hour or more.

As a GM B/X is awesome.  Most things happen on a roll of 5-6/6 or 6/6.  If I want more fidelity I roll 2d6 -- 6 equals neutral result, 9 equals success.  Snake eyes are critical failure and boxcars critical success.  Monsters are easy to improve -- AC13, does 1d6 damage, has 1d6 HP.  If it is beefier than that it goes up a level (fewer in number), deals 1d3 or 1 HP damage instead of 1d6, or has only 1 HP.  Works great.  Super easy to improvise on the fly.

For dice rolls I've started converting as many player facing modifiers as possible to different dice combinations.  1d6+2 becomes 1d10.  Instead of adding +2 to hit when charging, roll 1d20 and 1d4 and add them together.  Stuff like that.  I'm finding it makes the player facing math much faster.  The odds are somewhat different but close enough, and players of all ages love rolling dice.  I think I am going to go through my rules and full-on embrace the 5E style "advantage/disadvantage" (for big modifiers) and a +/- 1d3 or 1d4 (for small modifiers) to the maximum extent possible.  There is a purity in using a D6 for as much as possible that I appreciate but its just plain faster to have players chuck 1d10 instead of 1d6+2.

Dynamic storytelling and emergent worldbuilding is great.  From the simple decision to treat the kobolds I generated as mischievous, chaotic, and somewhat evil house spirits run amuk I got two sessions of adventure and the heroes had to really work for a clue.  We also have established what kobolds are in this game world.  I thought about making the Binding McGuffin harder to find or destroy but due to pacing just wanted to keep things moving -- it would have been easy to say that it needed to be destroyed in one of the pools for instance though (like acid).  As much as the kobolds wanted to be free, it was in their nature to impulsively put the heroes through potentially lethal side jaunts just for chaotic funsies, so they did so.  I've also had them carefully tell half truths or mostly truths in typical fey fashion, again setting the character for kobolds going forward.  I would not have had all these plot threads, tricks and traps, or other things thought up in advance had I sat down and tried to do it -- it all came together from random rolls which is pretty awesome.

I was impressed at how B1 is being handled by very young players.  They have continued to have a good mix of caution with tricks balanced with boldness when needed (valiant Dragonwing slaying the rats to free his friends!).  Things that might seem a played out trope for more experienced players in B1 are fresh for the true novice, which is who the module is intended for, so its hitting the mark with the target audience.

I think we will get 1-2 more sessions out of this module, depending on thoroughly they search the entire place.  At the pace they're at it feels like they are about halfway through.  Also of help in the quest, Magic Hands picked the "locate object" spell to learn so that he can help find the crown.  Very clever that little pre-k kiddo.  Between the clues and the spell they'll be well on the track.

The PCs also gained just enough XP to hit level 3.  Had they missed the gems on their first session they'd be just hitting level 2 now which is fine.  They'll probably be knocking at the door of level 4 depending on how much they find.  I don't love the lowest levels, frankly and getting to the sweet spot of level 3-7 is great.  Also the player's experience here checks with what I remember from Random Megadungeon Meat Grinding in AD&D back in the day -- much of your survival depends on getting an early, easy score of gems/jewelry, preferably on a high risk/high reward run to level 2 of the dungeon where you roll the dice on finding jewelry without running into an ogre or something similarly nasty.

I have not been pulling punches with random dice, encounters, etc. The only real things I'm softening are insta-die poison and mapping, which I would do for any group.  

Finally it was a good chance to learn an important lesson that you should NEVER TRUST THE FEY and that dealings with them never go as expected.  Luckily the heroes didn't eat any of the faerie food being prepared in the kitchen...

B1: In Search of the Unknown Campaign Journal Introduction & Initial Delve

 

 This is the first in a series of posts cataloguing a delve through B1, "In Search of the Unknown," by Mike Carr.  I'll wrap up at the end with a review, and in the mean time there will be a campaign journal.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

THE MODULE, SETTING AND TWEAKS

My players really want a Norse theme, so we went with that.  There's a druid in the party so I set the dungeon in the midst of a great fey-filled forest.  The elves are slowly leaving to sail away, and goblins are taking over, so there's a bit of a fey-humanoid brawl going on that the players are in the midst of.  A fortress nearby (probably the Keep on the Borderlands) is on the edge of the wood.

Instead of stocking the dungeon with the suggested monsters and treasures, I used the random tables from my home ruled Donjons & Drakes, which are heavily inspired by the 3LBB.  Luckily everything is compatible.  The monsters are very similar.  The 3LBB are more generous for monetary treasure and stingier for magic items.  As an example, the B/X list gives a whopping 10 magic items, two of which are bogus.  My tables (based on 3LBB) give an average of 1-2 items, which is exactly what I came up with.  On the flip side, 3LBB will give at least 1-2 good caches of gems & jewelry each level of a dungeon, and each cache is hundreds or thousands of GP equivalent -- enough for low level types to gain a level.

THE PLAYERS & THEIR CHRACTERS

Dragon Wing, a Lawful Human Fighter with remarkable strength and constitution, played by a first grader.

Magic Hands, a Neutral Human Wizard with exceptional intelligence, played by a pre-K kiddo.

Flowing River, a Neutral Human Druid with great ability scores all around, played by a third grader.

Astrid, the traditional cleric with mace and Cure Light Wounds, played by your hostess.  Astrid is there as a character who can hold the line with heavy armor, heal up the others when they need a curative spell, and provide some helpful guidance... not as one to drive the adventure.

The kids all have experience with hero kids and miniatures wargames as well as other tabletop games, but as you can see this is a young group.  You'll see how they do!

THE HOOK

Our party began on the forest track, heading a Keep on the Borderlands for a warm bed and safe place.  On the road they encountered centaurs who warned of dangers on the road, some goblin wolf riders chasing a white quadruped (they assumed to be a uniorn), and finally some elves leaving for the ships.  The elves shared knowledge of a nearby fortress (that of B1) and provided directions.  They asked if the adventurers would help find and recover an elvish Moon Crown which had been wrongly taken and could likely be found in the fortress; the group agreed.  The elves provided guidance to a safe campsite clearing nearby where the party can rest between delves, four rumors off the module table, and warned the players not to trust the house spirits which were out of control.

The Moon Crown isn't in the B1 module, but its easy enough to add it in as a piece of jewelery.  Bam, done!

THE FIRST DIVES:  FEY AND BANDITS

The first delve into the dungeon was a pretty straightforward.  The magic mouths at the entrance spawned great curiosity -- the players are convinced that there are two tricksters shouting!

The group spent a fair amount of time poking around the entrance area, delighting in finding a few secret doors to alcoves.  They also explored most of Rogahn's apartments, fighting a few minor encounters along the way.

More notably, I had rolled a group of Kobolds living in the kitchens and dining room.  I decided that Kobolds in this game would hew closer to their fey/faerie origin as house spirits (not little mini-gnolls or dragon things), so I played them as devious, trick-loving, dark, and chaotic leaning gnome types who would delight in playing dungeon inhabitants against each other.  I also decided that Zelligar had bound them to the stronghold by some magical McGuffin which is why they could not just leave.  While poking around, we had a random encounter with kobolds which was our first set up.  The two kobolds, clearly outmatched, parlayed with the group.  They told the players that "bad hoo-mans" had taken over the throne room and conveniently provided directions.

The party busted in to the throne room and on the word of the kobolds attacked a neutral Fighter 1 who was reclining on the throne and willing to parlay.  He made a run for a secret door but didn't make it.  

The party then busted into the bedroom and found a second F1, unconscious on the bed.  The treasure in this room was a Lawful Sword +1, and I decided that the neutral fighter had knocked himself out taking damage from it (in old school D&D, swords are often aligned, and if you don't match, you take damage) and was resting.  The party tied up and revived the hurt fighter and questioned him.  After a very high reaction roll, the NPC shared three rumors off the module rumor table, shared what he knew about the sword (not much), cautioned the players not to trust the small house spirits, and gave directions to the pool room in exchange for his freedom.  Dragon Wing, lawful fighter, happily scooped up the sword.

Point this round:  Chaotic Fey.  The kobolds got some of the tougher monsters of the first level cleared out, got to observe the capabilities of this new group in a fight, and got a great show to boot.  

TO THE BASEMENT

After this the party continued poking around.  After a few unremarkable encounters with marginal treasure that cost a few HP and spells, they ended up taking a hidden slide trap to the basement where the armored characters narrowly avoided drowning in a pool.  Once in the basement, Astrid guided the rest of the group to start looking for a way out immediately.  The party was already at a point where it would be prudent to start thinking about leaving, and being dumped on the totally unmapped second level with no way out was no bueno.

After some exploring, characters found themselves in a large cavern full of bats.  Normally this is a baneful encounter for the party, but the druid thought to use his Speak with Animals spell, which lets the bats be conversed with and makes them somewhat friendly, and offered them food from his rations.  He got a great reaction roll so they were quite helpful.  From the bats the druid got directions to a series of secret doors that led to a way out.  Excellent use of a spell resource, equipment resource and roleplay from a kiddo!

After finding the way out, the party poked around a bit more and found a trapped chest near a statute.  Luckily for them, this was one of the few huge hoards in the dungeon -- two pieces of jewelry worth enough XP for everyone to make it to level 2!

With jewelry in hand and spells and hit points running low, the party wisely made their escape.

MORAL REFLECTIONS & EMERGENT GAMEPLAY

I just let the dice fall for they may for the slain neutral Fighter 1 on the throne room.  Guy failed a system shock roll, he dead.  In retrospect, for kids, I should have softened the blow and moral ambiguity by letting him survive.  But here we are.

That said its all working out.  The oldest kids are feeling major regret over doing a Very Bad Thing, even though the house spirits said it was ok.  They now want to seek a Raise Dead or Reincarnation spell from the elves, and have themselves on the clock to find the Moon Crown before its too late.  Its actually worked out ok with a bunch of age appropriate conversations about make-believe and reality, appropriate vs. unjustified use of force (i.e. "is it ok to hurt someone if a third party says to do it?"), and good and bad.  

Its also a great example of emergent old school play.  There's no way I would have come up with a plot where the players would be on a desperate race against time to find an elvish artifact that they could parlay into a reincarnation spell for some rando bandit found in the dungeon.  Yet that's a plot we're on, and the players are really invested in it, and we'll see where it goes.

DM'S THOUGHTS ON B1 THUS FAR

The old school tables result in a dungeon that is mostly empty.  That actually works reasonably well.  It lets groups, for example, get lost on the second level of the dungeon without it being an auto-TPK because there's a good chance they won't run across too many monsters.  It puts a focus on exploration.  This matches the guidance in B1 -- the module tells you to use only 15-20 monsters to fill the 60-something rooms.

I do not care for the very compact map layout of B1 as a judge.  I'm a softy but I am mapping for the players.  Even if they were adults I have no desire to play the game of verbally translating a map to words so the players can then draw a map.  I know that some OSR folks view mapping as an integral part of the game, I just can't derive much love from it the technical process of it.  So while the tight layout of B1 (which if accurately mapped is useful for providing clues to secret rooms and the like) makes sense, it is a pain to map.

The room descriptions are wordy, and info for the players and judge is mixed in each paragraph.  I'd prefer to have an initial paragraph with the things the players see, with amplifying info for the DM in follow on paragraphs.  As it is, I need to read the entire room entry (sometimes half a page) and then break out what to tell the players.

Some of the tropes while tiresome to experienced players are 

Balancing D&D Style Spells

First, sorry there hasn't been much posting lately. I just got over a nasty bout of the flu that landed me in the hospital for a few days and it sucked. On the upside, I had my laptop and did a lot of RPG reading as I had little else to do while under quarantine. I have some more creative thoughts stewing in my nugget but for now I'll stick to something more mundane.

One issue I thought about was spell balance. The DF forums have had a number of polls about most popular spells. One thing that I think is clear is that some spells are very potent and useful and others never see the light of day. Here's a thread that discusses that issue.

I want to repost the solution I developed in that thread here because I think it has some value.

FIRST STEP: Identify
How do we identify problem spells?

- Nazim's polls provide good guidelines. If 95%+ of folks think its awesome, its likely awesome. If <5% ever pick it, it likely sucks.
- Best spell in vast majority of circumstances. If a spell is effective for combat and utility, and it works in a wide variety of circumstances, it might need a look.
- "I know it when I see it." Like the Supreme Court said, sometimes you just know.

NEXT STEP: Fix OP spells
How do we reduce the power level of overly powerful spells?

- Increase Casting Time: This is dangerous as it risks making the spell useless. 1E's spell disruption rules are pretty harsh; if it weren't for the high probability of losing any long-cast spell, I'd be tempted to say that the uber spells just take two rounds to cast. But that's not viable in 1E. Next.
- Increase Level: This has a lot of merit; its an easy systematic fix. However, it removes certain essential spells from the mage's repertoire at key levels. As has been pointed out, without Sleep, a first level mage is a liability. Waiting even longer for Fireball or Ice Storm is not going to be cool. Next.
- Add Material Component. Now this one, I like. It allows the magic-user to still use their best spells, but we can prevent the Spamming of Spells by adding a material component that costs resources. Spell Level x 50 GP ought to do the trick. Or, you could require use of a special "focus gem." The gem costs 500-1000 GP -- it has to be a cost that's affordable for a low level character but meaningful for a mid or high level character. Whenever an Uber-Spell is used, the player must roll 1d10 (or 1d20, depending on how expensive you want to make these spells). If the player rolls the spell level or lower on the die, then the entire focus is kaput. Cracked, ruined, sucked into the ether, whatever. If they roll higher, then its all good and can be reused. The focus idea is kind of neat because (1) it reduces bookkeeping compared to tracking "12 pinches of powdered gem dust" and (2) it provides a springboard for cool adventures. Finding one of these Arcane Power Gems is a real treat and could be the focus of an adventure.

FINAL STEP: Fix weak spells
How do we increase the power of overly weak spells?

I think the easiest solution is to reduce them in level by one. Giving access to the weak spells a bit early isn't going to hurt anything, most likely, and you can always move it back if it does. This necessitates creating a cantrip/orison level. Or, you could let a player swap one level I spell slot for 3 or 4 "orisons" (i.e., crappy spells).

The other, more elegant, and likely better long run option is to consider each spell individually and apply fixes as needed. That, however, entails lots of work for both DMs (who must make up new house rules) and players (who must learn them). Pass!

Consumables

This DF thread made me think about consumables:
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=35533

In the past, we've handled it a few ways. One method is to track everything, with laborious detail. While this can be fun in a resource-management intensive adventure, it is the anti-heroic. It is also a lot of P&P/epic bookkeeping to deal with.

The other method is to handwave it, perhaps with a few initial expenses costs and then an occasional upkeep. In fact, some of the games I've played with have featured The Spikes and Oil Club, a plane-spanning organization that allows members to draw mundane equipment such as spikes, lamp oil, and ammunition for personal use for no fee once either a life time membership fee (say, 500 GP) or a monthly membership fee (~50 GP) are paid. They conveniently open branch offices in many frontier towns and at the entrances to megadungeons. Sure, its a bit silly (and started as a joke), but it basically rationalizes upkeep.

Thus, players can opt to track everything, in which case they'll probably save some dough, or they can just pay another 50 GP (which a mid-level character can basically ignore) to just handwave the whole thing.

The problem is that trying to track everything becomes unrealistic and unfun. So, you end up just handwaving the whole thing, or engaging in a masochistic episode of papers and paychecks for an hour every session while everyone goes back to town to restock on arrows, biscuits, dried bat guano (can't forget our casters, here), and iron spikes for themselves, their henchmen, and their hirelings.

Here's the solution I propose. Reduce the granularity of the system.

Why are we tracking ammunition expenditure at the 1.6 oz level (that's 1 GP)? Its the same problem as tracking ENC at this level. Above the lowest levels (I'd daresay, before the first succesful adventure -- after even one successful dungeon dive, a character can likely afford nigh infinite spikes and oil) its absolutely meaningless and just encourages characters to carry an absurd amount of supplies.

Instead, it seems better to give a chance that an item is depleted. For example, a case of 20 quarrels might be expected to last two-three encounters or so. After all, that's about 10 solid rounds of shooting per encounter! So, in any encounter where a PC uses their crossbow, they roll a D6 at the end of the fight. If it comes up 1-2, the case is expended. If they didn't take many shots, they get a +1 bonus to the roll. Easy.

OPTIONS

If you want to increase granularity at the expense of complexity, you have a few options.
- Use a more precise die. For example, you could use a D20 and assign very exact chances that an item will be expended (Perhaps rolling equal to or under the number of shots you fired on a D20 expends the consumable).
- Use more states than "full" or "out." For example, in the above case, you could say that a result of 1-4 reduces a full quiver to "depleted" and a "depleted" quiver to "empty." This also reduces implausibility and gives players a warning before key supplies are all gone.

You can also expand it to other classes of items that deplete more slowly. Want to impose a cost for wearing heavy armor? Make them roll for depletion after every week or quest. Want to check on social status? Make a check every quest that you don't pay your living expenses. Etc etc. Just vary the time interval of the check and the replacement cost.

This system should work nicely with the quick and dirty enc system I've discussed.

More Drug Induced Dazes: Variable Initiative Idea

For awhile I've been toying with the idea of using "Initiative Points" or "Action Points."

So, say, a character might have 4 +/- AGILITY modifier action points to spend each round. Actions could cost various points, such as:
1 = Move one square
4 = Make an attack at full strength
3 = Make an attack at 1/2 damage
2 = Give an order
1 = make an opportunity attack
2 = parry
1 = ready an action
etc.

Some CRPGs use a system like this, such as the FALLOUT line's "VATS" system. There are two main problems I see.

First, the bookkeeping at the table would be a pain. Tracking points remaining during a multiphase turn would be obnoxious as hell. Its not bad at all for a computer game, because the computer can keep track of the points, but even if you used tokens at the table and had players toss you poker chips as they took actions, it'd be really annoying and time consuming.

Second, as 4E makes abundantly clear in its design philosophy, the economy of actions is king. In those CRPGs, abilities that get you more action points are highly prized (and often restricted until very high level, a tacit acknowledgment that yes, they break the game, but we'll just limit the amount of time you get to use them). Players will twink anything they can to get more APs because anything that gets you more actions is very valuable.

During my mefloquin induced haze last evening (Yay more drugs!), I had a pondering, however. What if you had variable turn initative where each action you took has a chance to end your turn? Basically, it'd work like this.

After each action, roll 1d6. There is a chance -- based on the action that you took -- that your turn is over. If you roll below the number listed below, your turn is over and you can take no more actions this round. If you roll equal to the number listed below, take a -1 penalty on all rolls until the start of the next round.

Move a number of squares equal to 4 +/- AGILITY modifier: 3
Make an attack: 5
-- Using a light or one handed weapon wielded alone (no shield/dual wielding): 4
-- Charge: 6
Cast a spell/add to your spell matrix pool: 5
Parry: 3
Give an order: 2
Draw an item: 2
etc.

If attacking, use a specially colored die for your "action" die and roll it at the same time that you roll "to hit."

Example of Play

Frimli Groin and his trusty sidekick Bobo Sackins are escaping the dungeon when they come across a wandering ogre. The encounter begins at 30' range.

The ogre opens up by hurling a heavy two-handed javelin at the duo. He barely misses Frimli and rolls his action die -- a 5! He can continue to act. The ogre then draws forth a club (Rolls a 2; normally he could continue to act, but with his -1 penalty, he is done).

Frimli draws his axe (rolls a 6 -- he's fine) and orders his henchman to throw a dagger (rolls a 3 -- still fine). The dwarf then charges into combat (rolls a 2 -- his turn is over). Bobo hurls a dagger into the fight (rolls a 4 -- he can continue his turn with a -1 penalty on further action checks!), draws another blade (rolls another 4 -- still good), and then parries (rolls a 1 -- his turn is over).

Problems/Tweaks

Hopefully the prices for various actions could be done systematically with the game's verb system. That makes it easy to memorize and negates the need for referencing a table of costs.

Also, this involves more die rolling. That is bad because rolling dice is often slow.

Advantages

While rolling dice is slow, this can remove confusion. You no longer need to track actions expended ("Did that monster use his move action yet?" "Hey, did you use your minor action for anything?"). Things are binary: Either still good to act, or all done. This is good if you plan on running a game with lots of monsters or lots of henchmen/hirelings.

It involves uncertainty. A lot of wargames use uncertainty to keep players on their toes and to replicate the fog and friction of combat. It removes the mechanical surety of always knowing how your turn will play out, often before you've even made it. That helps keep players engaged as they're not sure how things will pan out, and it discourages making overly complicated plans that can slow down gameplay.

It increases tension. Some moves are not interesting (i.e., most move actions in D20). In this system, even drawing your weapon or moving is important, and it ensures that the player always has a chance to roll.

Finally, there is a slight improvement to missile weapons and the defense (and thus reach weapons). Because an attacker that needs to move risks ending their turn prematurely, its good to be able to stand in place to act.

Interaction between players

I think one fault of traditional "D&D" is that it fails to encourage a lot of interaction between players. The only choices you really have are (A) support the party or (B) don't support the party. You can either be tactically effective, or ineffective. Alignment is typically a straightjacket, where wildly different alignments are mechanically bad (1e's morale rules, 3.5's spells that keyed off of alignment, etc) or meaningless. You can either freely share your character resources (a cleric passing out heals, for example) or... well, you don't. See how long that lasts. Splitting up loot is usually the most conflict a group will have but that's easily settled because most of the loot is easy to distribute -- the mage wants the scrolls, not the magic plate mail. Also, handing out loot has a lot of bookkeeping, which doesn't appeal to many players, so they just don't get involved and one or two folks dominate the process.

Thus, players don't really have a whole lot of reasons to interact with each other. Usually they're clamoring for time with the GM. This is why even EGG's campaign moved to getting a co-DM -- when the game is so heavily focused on interaction with that one role, you need a good player:GM ratio to allow enough interaction to keep folks engaged.

What if players had an incentive to interact more with each other? Think of a Diplomacy or Settlers of Cataan game, where player-interaction is the main mechanic. No GM is needed but you often get rich, interactive gaming experiences. Even MMORPG's have this interaction beyond tactical support to some degree with crafting, the economy, etc.

Players need some sort of valuable resource that they can trade, but it can't be so essential to character survival that generating conflict over it (because let's face it, competetition and conflict make things interesting) becomes a death-wish and thus socially unacceptable. A few ideas, just brainstorming:
- Raw materials harvested from monsters (usable for multiple things)
- Processed goods (made from multiple raw materials, used for multiple types of characters)
- Oaths or promises
- FATE points or the like

The trick is to make it rules light-enough that you avoid the treasure-trap of obnoxious bookkeeping.

Any other ideas?

3-18 and Modifiers

Rolling 3d6 to generate ability scores (or some permutation thereof) yields a score of 3-18 that has been retained by all versions of DnD since the earliest days.

OD&D had derived statistics based on these scores but they were inconsistent. AD&D was more consistent in that a score of 16+ tended to get you a bonus. 3E systematically set up intervals of 2 for standardized modifiers that applied to multiple things.

If I ever design/heavily modify a game using the 3-18 attribute scale, I think I'll use this scale for derived attributes:
0-1 -3
3-5 -2
6-8 -1
9-12 0
13-15 +1
16-18 +2
19-21 +3

This has the advantage of keeping modifiers small (minimizing the impact of random chance if you use random generation methods). It also has the mathematical flair of making each modifier kick in at the standard deviation. So a +2 modifier is two standard deviations above the norm (Z=2).

I would couple that with a 4 +/- MOD system for as many derived statistics as possible. That puts possible results into a nice 1-7 range, with most results tending to be 4-6 (assuming a 4d6 drop the lowest or similar stat generation system). Ideal for the Rule of Sevens.

For example:
Carrying Capacity = 4 +/- STR mod, measured in stones
# of Hirelings = 4 +/- CHA mod
# of Languages/Skills = 4 +/- INT mod
# of Fate Points = 4 +/- WIS mod
# of Healing Surges = 4 +/- CON mod

Simple Complexity

I like the idea of layering 2-4 systems together to create a whole that is more complex than the sum of its parts.

For example, let's say we have a very simple game with four classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Magician) and four backgrounds (Wilderness, Nobility, Urban, and Ecclesiastic). There are now 16 different combinations.

A fighter could be a paladin (ecclesiastic), knight (nobility), ranger (wilderness), or thug (urban). Instead of requiring four different classes or subclasses to represent those ideas, I've just layered two systems together. Another advantage is that the player is only confronted with four options at a time, instead of being faced with a list of 16 choices.

If we then layered on more choices (Offensive, Defensive, or Balanced, for example; or maybe Human, Elf, or Dwarf), we'd up the combinations yet again. At least 2 systems are needed to take advantage of this. More than 3 or perhaps 4 systems is perhaps too complicated.

ADDENDUM:

OD&D's layers (4):
- Ability Scores
- Class
- Equipment selection or spell selection
- Alignment

AD&D adds (5):
- Race (split from class)

D20 adds (8):
- Feats
- Prestige Classes (basically paragon paths)
- Robust skill system

4E adds (9):
- Epic Destinies

Plus each addition tends to add more choices within each category. 1E had more classes, plus ways to combine the base classes. 3E had yet more classes and even more loose multiclassing rules.

Where's the sweet spot? I think the Rule of 7 helps us out here: Perhaps 5-9 layered systems (erring towards the lower end) with either 3 components each (the Rule of Three) or 5-9 choices.

So if you have 5 "layers" with 5 choices per layer, that gives you 3125 possible character combinations.

Weapons List

I've built a spreadsheet with weapons data, originally intended for C&C. I figured I'd post the key points here as a musing.

PRINCIPLES

Names. One particular weapon in C&C may stand for several real-world items. For example, a morningstar could be mechanically described as a mace. A machete, messer, or other single edge blade might be represented by the same item. If you don't like the idea of using a trident, call it a military fork or steel spear.

Skill Level. Basic weapons can be used by anyone. Martial weapons require some training. Simple weapons are somewhere in between. See the Weapons Allowed table for info. The purpose of this is to give more martially oriented classes more, better weapons choices. The cleric gets to choose their spells, so they have fewer weapons options available to them than the fighter, who only gets to pick his weapon.

Category. Weapons are categorized as light, one handed, or two handed. These are their BASIC characteristics.
Light Weapons (EV 1, base damage 1d4, finessable)
One Handed Weapons (EV 2, base damage 1d6)
Two Handed Weapons (EV 3, base damage 1d10, reach)

Cost. Expressed in gold pieces. Some weapons are free and can be scavenged. Note that cost is not really a significant balancing factor beyond the lowest levels except for arming large bodies of men, unless you allow magic items to be bought by using some sort of multiple of the base cost.

Type. This is how the weapon inflicts harm: Piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning.

EV. The encumbarance value of the item. (NOTE - I would reskin this based on STONES).

Damage. The amount of damage done by the weapon.

Range. For hurled and missile weapons, this is the range increment. For each multiple of the range increment, a -2 penalty is imposed. Maximum range is 5 x Range Increment.

Family. Weapons are organized into groups with shared characteristics. For example, all maces are good against heavy armor.

Ability. Some weapons may differ from the norm or have a special ability.

Space Required. If you must know the space required (radius) to use the weapon, use these guidelines: Piercing polearms such as spears or pikes require 1' regardless of size/length. Multiply the EV of the weapon by 2 in most cases. Multiply the EV of the weapon by 1 if it needs less space or is fast (single edge blades?). Multiply the EV of the weapon by 3 if it is very unwieldy (flails, whip).

SUGGESTIONS: Pick a weapon that thematically appeals to you. All weapons within the types have been balanced against each other. That is, all simple weapons are roughly balanced and are of similar "power." In the long run, a mace will be as useful as a spear, so it is really personal preference. Choose whichever weapon appeals most to you!

Martial weapons are usually superior to simple weapons. Warriors with high STR/CON may be able to select and carry multiple weapons in order to gain a tactical advantage. For example, a paladin may use his horseman's mace against heavily armored foes but then switch to his sword to finish off enemies wearing lighter armor.\

GUIDE TO WEAPON FAMILIES

Clubs & Staves. Clubs and staves are free and easily improvised .
Generally, these are poor weapons. But they can be used by anyone and are cheap. Ideal for peasant levies or characters who must scavenge for weapons.

Maces. All maces are +1 to hit foes in heavy armor.
This is your entry level bludgeoning weapon. Little more than a weighted club, a mace is nothing fancy but quite effective against skeletons, plate-mail clad knights, and other heavily armored creatures. Mounted characters benefit from the horseman's version.

Hammers. +2 to hit foes in heavy armor
Hammers are an upgrade to maces. They are the best anti-armor weapons.

Flails. +1 to hit foes in heavy armor; +1 bonus on any check to trip or disarm a foe
Also an upgrade over a simple mace, the flail trades some of the armor penetration of a hammer for tactical options. Knights may appreciate the horseman's version. Flails require a lot of space; this is good if you want to control an area but bad if you fight in formation.

1 Edge Blades. +1 to hit foes with no armor or light armor
The entry level bladed weapon. These weapons are crude but effective against foes who lack armor protection.

Swords. +1 to hit foes with no armor or light armor; Swords also do extra damage
An upgrade compared to Single Edged Bladed weapons, swords are highly versatile. The bonus to damage is useful all the time. Any warrior is safe selecting a blade.

Axes. +1 to hit foes with no armor or light armor; On a "20" to hit, axes score a critical threat (2x).
Axes are also an upgrade to Single Edged weapons. Warriors with many bonuses to damage -- as from high strength -- will benefit greatly from the occasional "critical" hit. Use a STR check to confirm a critical for double damage! If the STR check fails, the axe instead does maximum damage. This makes axes the ideal weapon for a berserker type character.

Spears. Spears deal 2x damage vs. charging foes; -1 penalty to hit vs. heavy armor.
Spears are an ancient and effective weapon. They excel at forcing foes to keep their distance, but are not so effective against heavier armors.

Picks. +2 bonus vs. heavy armor; very similar to hammers but less variation in damage dealt
Picks are similar in many ways to hammers. The damage dealt is comparable but is less random. Mounted warriors may appreciate the horseman's version!

Lances. Lances deal double damage on a mounted charge
Any mounted character -- especially those with high strength or knights -- can make good use of a lance. They are somewhat useful as polearms dismounted.

Advanced Polearms. Various effects, including 2x damage vs. chargers and bonuses to trip/disarm foes.
These are generally variations on spears. They will keep foes at a distance. Some are designed to unhorse knights or tear weapons out of hands.

Hurled Weapons. Hurled weapons are light, and one can carry two per assigned EV
Darts or javelins have been used since ancient times by skirmishers to soften up enemies before entering melee.

Slings. +1 damage vs. large foes; May add STR bonus to damage
David may have slain Goliath with a sling, but most characters will find them to be the least effective of the missile weapons. They are widely available however.

Crossbows. Crossbows require about 1/2 round to reload; one can only move 5' if reloading and firing in same round
Crossbows are ideal for characters with low STR, or for those who want a ranged option but have little martial training.

Bows. Bows are capable of volley fire, firing multiple shots with the two-weapon fighting penalties.
While they require years of training, bows are the best ranged weapons available.

I have this info in spreadsheet form; post a comment with your email address if you want the nicely formatted spreadsheet!

		CAT	TYPE	COST	EV	DAM	RANGE	ABILITY
BASIC WEAPONS
	Clubs & Staves	All clubs and staves are free and easily improvised
	Club	LT	B	0	2	1d4	10
	Staff	1H	B	0	4	1d6
	Quarterstaff	2H	B	0	6	1d6		Reach; Can be dual-wielded at -3/-6
	Single Edged Blades	+1 to hit vs. foes with no armor or light armor
	Dagger/Knife/Sickle	LT	P/S	2	1	1d4	10
	Slings	+1 damage vs. large foes; May add STR bonus to damage
	Sling	LT	B	1	1	1d4	50	Cost includes bullets... free if using stones: -1 damage
	Staff Sling	1H	B	5	5	1d6	50	Arc trajectory - Cannot hit foes in first range increment
SIMPLE WEAPONS
	Maces	All maces are +1 to hit foes in heavy armor
	Horseman's Mace	LT	B	5	2	1d4		+1 to hit when used mounted
	Footman's Mace	1H	B	10	4	1d6
	Heavy Mace	2H	B	25	6	1d10		Reach
	Single Edged Blades	+1 to hit foes with no armor or light armor
	Machete/Messer/Scimitar	1H	S	5	3	1d6
	Voulge/Bill/Bardiche/Glaive	2H	S	10	5	1d10		Reach
	Spears	Spears deal 2x damage vs. charging foes; -1 penalty to hit vs. heavy armor; only 1' space required
	Short Spear	LT	P	1	1	1d4	20	Considered 1H for dual-wielding purposes
	Spear	1H	P	3	3	1d6	10
	Long Spear	2H	P	5	5	1d10		Reach
	Hurled Weapons	Hurled weapons are light and inexpensive, and one can carry two per assigned EV; all sales 2 for 1
	Dart	LT	P	1	1	1d4	20
	Javelin	1H	P	3	3	1d6	30
	Pilum	2H	P	5	5	1d8	20
	Crossbows	Crossbows are slow to reload, limiting the user's mobility and rate of fire
	Light Crossbow	1H	P	35	4	1d6	80	Requires 1/2 action to reload
	Heavy Crossbow	2H	P	100	6	1d10	120	Requires full action to reload
MARTIAL WEAPONS
	Hammers	+2 to hit foes in heavy armor
	Throwing Hammer	LT	B	1	1	1d4	10
	War Hammer	1H	B	5	3	1d6
	Maul	2H	B	10	5	1d10		Reach
	Flails	+1 to hit foes in heavy armor; +1 bonus on checks to trip or disarm a foe; require lots of space to use!
	Horseman's Flail	LT	B	5	2	1d4		+1 to hit when used mounted; Requires ~3' radius
	Footman's Flail	1H	B	10	4	1d6		Requires ~6' radius to use
	Dire Flail	2H	B	15	6	2d4		Reach; Requires ~9' radius to use
	Swords	+1 to hit foes with no armor or light armor; Swords also do extra damage as shown below
	Short Sword	LT	S	10	1	1d6
	Long Sword	1H	S	15	3	1d8
	Great Sword	2H	S	30	5	1d12		Reach
	Axes	+1 to hit foes with no or light armor; On a roll of "natural 20" to hit, axes score a critical threat (2x)
	Throwing Axe	LT	S	5	1	1d4	10
	Battle Axe	1H	S	10	3	1d6
	Danish Axe	2H	S	20	5	1d10		Reach
	Picks	+2 to hit vs. foes in heavy armor; very similar to hammers but less variation in damage dealt
	Horseman's Pick	LT	P	5	2	1d4		+1 to hit when used mounted
	Footman's Pick	1H	P	10	4	1d4+1
	Bec-De-Corbin	2H	P	20	6	1d6+2		Reach
	Lances	Lances deal double damage on a mounted charge
	Lance	1H	P	5	5	1d6		Reach; requires 2H when dismounted
	Heavy Lance	2H	P	10	7	1d10		Reach; Must be mounted on heavy warhorse
	Advanced Polearms	Piercing polearms require only ~1' of space to wield, making them ideal as a second rank weapon
	Trident/Military Fork	1H	P	10	4	1d6		2x damage vs. charge
	Halberd	2H	P/S	10	6	2d4		No reach; 2x damage vs. charge; +2 to Trip
	Ranseur	2H	P	10	6	1d10		Reach; +2 on all Disarm checks
	Guisarme	2H	S	10	6	1d10		Reach; +2 on all Trip checks
	Pike/Partisan	2H	P	10	6	1d10		Reach; 2x damage vs. charge
	Bows	Bows are capable of volley fire, firing multiple shots with the two-weapon fighting penalties
	Shortbow	1H	P	30	3	1d6	60
	Shortbow, Composite	1H	P	75	3	1d6	70	Can be built for high STR
	Longbow	2H	P	75	5	1d8	100	Cannot be used on horseback
	Longbow, Composite	2H	P	100	5	1d8	110	Can be built for high STR
	Unusual Weapons	A grab bag of miscellaneus weapons! All are martial weapons unless otherwise noted.
	Saber	1H	S	15	3	1d6		+1 to hit if mounted; +1 to hit foes with light/no armor
	Crossbow, Hand	Lt	P	100	2	1d4		Requires 1/2 action to reload
	Whip	LT	S	10	2	1d4		Reach; Deals subdual only; +2 to trip/disarm
	Sap	LT	B	1	1	1d4		Deals subdual damage
	Bastard Sword	1H/2H	S	25	4	1d8		Deals 2d4+1 when wielded two handed; +1 vs. light/no
	Open Fist (not monk)	LT	B	0	0	1d2		Deals subdual damage; basic
	Main Gauche	LT	S	25	1	1d4		If TWF, sacrifice off-hand attack for +1 to AC in melee
	Featherstaff	1H	B/S	50	4	1d6		Blades are concealed until use; +2 to Disarm
	Shield, Light	LT	B	c.f.	c.f.	1d3		Lose shield bonus for round if attacking; TWF penalties
	Shield, Heavy	1H	B	c.f.	c.f.	1d4		Lose shield bonus for round if attacking; TWF penalties

Hrm... Looks like the Range and Special ability columns got cut off. Curses on you, Blogger Formatting! Although its likely more just operator error on my part...