OD&D Barbarian Redux

Already an update to yesterday’s post—this update assumes a game with a Strength ability modifier to melee damage, or at least Fighter melee damage. Basically this update just eliminates the two-handed weapons with one hand advantage and the magic-wary disadvantage.

Barbarian

Minimum Ability Requirement: N/A

Weapons, XP, HD/Level, and Saves as Fighter 

Advantages

1. Climb as Thief; must be in light or no armor.

2. Exceptional Strength: +3 to Strength at the start. 

3. Frazetta Wear: When unarmored, AC is improved by 1 for every point of Dexterity over 10 (does not stack with Dex modifier).

4. Oxen Hale: One-time (1st level) bonus of 1 hp per point of Constitution over 10 (does not stack with Con modifier).

5. Unbreakable: If Constitution is 13+, take ½ damage from falls and save vs. stone for ¼ damage.

Disadvantages

1. Armor restriction: Leather (from level 1), Chain (from level 5), Plate (from level 9).

2. Starting money (1d6 × 10).

3. Reaction rolls involving other people –2.

4. Illiterate (at start, may invest in learning as levels gained).

OD&D Barbarian

I've updated my OD&D Barbarian class. I've play-tested it in two solo sessions now (using Richard Bartle’s The Solo Dungeon) and I'm liking it.

This class is especially made for my modified version of OED, but I'm pretty sure it can work for most any OD&D-based system. My key OED modifications relevant to this class are the same, or very similar, to my OD&D rules that I've posted on this blog in the past, namely (1) d6-based HD—though now I give thieves 2/3 HD per level and Wizards 1/2 HD per level; (2) 1d6 damage—with 1d8 used for two-handed melee weapons; (3) Strength modifies Melee To Hit but not Damage.

Barbarian

Minimum Ability Requirement: N/A

Weapons, XP, HD/Level, and Saves as Fighter 

Advantages

1. Climb as Thief; must be in light or no armor.

2. Exceptional Strength: +3 to Strength at start of game. 

3. Hand of the Wheel: Barbarians with a minimum Strength of 18 can wield a two-handed sword or battle ax with one hand (1d8 damage).

4. Frazetta Wear: When unarmored, AC is improved by 1 for every point of Dexterity over 10 (does not stack with Dex modifier).

5. Oxen Hale: One-time (1st level) bonus of 1 hp per point of Constitution over 10 (does not stack with Con modifier).

6. Unbreakable: If Constitution is 13+, take ½ damage from falls and save vs. stone for ¼ damage.

Disadvantages

1. Armor restriction: Leather (from level 1), Chain (from level 5), Plate (from level 9).

2. Starting money (1d6 × 10).

3. Reaction rolls involving humans –2.

4. Illiterate (at start, may invest in learning as levels gained).

5. Magic Wary: No spellcasting by any means (e.g., Protection scroll); health-related potions only; must save vs. spells to take up other magic items, including weapons/armor.

Final Thoughts

I like how the different ability-score-based advantages—especially when combined with Delta's Fighter Feats—allow for variation. I think this is an improvement over having ability score minimums. The “Magic Wary” disadvantage is one that still needs some experimenting with and may well need to be tweaked. I did have one other Advantage, which I just today removed in the interest of simplifying things a bit, but I could still go either way on it—Indomitable: Saves against mental attacks (including charm, fear, illusions, etc.) are at +1 per point of Wisdom over 10 (does not stack with Wis modifier).

A Holmes Supplement for OD&D

Another project from the past couple of weeks: Supplement H for OD&D. This is most of the material from the Holmes manuscript that presents additions or variations on the rules previously published in the original three books and first three supplements. "Most" because I have left out a few items that were clearly mistakes or simple omissions that don’t have much implication. The version of the dungeon is closer to the sample dungeon in the manuscript than the version I recently posted, as this one contains all of the original content (i.e., including advice for new Dungeon Masters) and only having gone under a very light copyedit/style edit. Also included in this supplement is Holmes’s “Warriors for Hire” article published in Alarums and Excursions in 1976.

Cover: 

Contents:

Zenopus Dungeon OD&D Adventure from Holmes Manuscript

So I recently edited and typeset the Dungeon of Zenopus original version. It’s edited to remove some of the advice for beginners, as well there is some light copy/style editing, but it retains all of the actual content of the original Holmes manuscript version. This is especially suitable for OD&D/LBB play. 

PDF: The Dungeon of Zenopus by J. Eric Holmes: An OD&D Adventure for 2–3 1st-level characters.

This is of course owing to Zach’s work at Zenopus Archives.

The map used in this booklet was posted here by itself the other day: Dungeon of Zenopus original Holmes map with grid.