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Eulalios
2014-08-24, 06:24 AM
1. Encumbered (-10 Move) = (weight / 3) * (STR / 10) [*1.5 for Small creatures, *3 for Tiny, *3/4 for Large, *1/2 for Huge].

Staggering (1/3 Move) = 2 * encumbered.

Max deadlift = 3 * encumbered.

Eulalios
2014-08-24, 06:25 AM
2. In first round of combat, Initiative is rolled once for each character after declaring plan of action. Roll = 1d20 + lesser of (HD OR sum of bonuses for DEX, INT, and WIS). Reroll if you break off and rejoin.

2a. No bonus to initative when encumbered.

2b. Roll initiative at disadvantage if staggering or surprised.

2c. Damage > 1 HD, in one round, forces you to re-roll initiative without bonus, after declaring plan of action for next round.

Eulalios
2014-08-24, 06:26 AM
3. "Hit points" are abstract of defensive ability. end of combat recovers (level + CON bonus) hp; short rest recovers (HD + CON bonus) hp; long rest recovers all hp. However, your first significant wound is taken when you cross zero hp, or whenever your attacker gets a natural 20 that would otherwise hit you. The first significant wound is equal to whatever is the rolled damage.

3a. A significant wound is one that requires a total of three successful Death Saves to stabilize. When significant wounds sum up to negative hp > (STR + CON), or if any significant wound has negative hp > STR -> death.

3b. A Death Save is a CON roll, DC = 10 + (negative hp). Each failure augments the wound by -1 hp. Roll at a disadvantage if taking any action other than "not dying."

3c. A character using a healer's kit may attempt to contribute one Ability check toward the three successful Death Saves needed to stabilize a significant wound. Roll at a disadvantage if using an improvised kit.

3d. To recover hit points from stabilized significant wounds, take a long rest and make a successful Death Save and/or have someone else make a successful Ability check for use of healer's kit and/or herbalist's kit. Hp recovered on each wound = CON save bonus of wounded character + proficiency bonus(es) of successful healer and/or herbalist. No more than three total checks (Death Save, healer, herbalist) per day.

3e. Incidental damage: any round that a combatant passes adjacent to another combatant two or more size categories smaller (e.g., a Large creature passes by a Small creature), the smaller combatant loses hp = larger creature's weight / smaller creature's weight, just from scrambling to get out of the way.

3f: Scaling significant wounds: Small creatures take half again as many negative hp as rolled for a significant wound; Large creatures take 2/3 as many negative hp as rolled.

3g: Critical hits: a natural 20 that would hit anyway, deals maximum possible damage to hp and rolled damage as a significant wound, regardless of hp status.

Eulalios
2014-08-25, 08:07 PM
4. Hyborian Spell Casting is different from standard D&D. Very different.

4a. Spell lists for Bards, Clerics, Druids, Wizards: There's only one list with all the spells, which anyone magicky can learn and cast. What you know depends on who you know and where you go. Spell levels and spell slots: Exist, but don't (directly) limit what you can cast. See below.

4b. Spell levels part 1: Casting times (generally): If it's an Enchantment or Illusion, (spell level)/(caster level) actions, but each target gets a chance to negate by making a WIS Save DC = (your passive Deceive / Intimidate / Perform / Persuade) + (spell level). Anything else, 3^(spell level)/(caster level - spell level) actions. Minimum 1 action for any spell.


E.g., a cantrip requires one action to cast, a 2nd level spell such as Web requires 9 rounds (a minute and a half, but that's a long time in the midst of combat) for a 1st level caster but only 1 action for a caster 11th level or higher, something of 3rd level requires 27 rounds for a 1st level caster ... Wish and the like 9th level spells would require 3^9 rounds or roughly 55 hours for a 1st level caster, "only" about 5 hours for a 20th level caster. On the other hand, spell durations are magnificently increased - basically if it's not an inherently "instant" effect (fireball, magic missile, etc.) then it endures for the caster's will, lifetime, or until dispelled.

4c: Spell levels part 2: Spell slots (Corruption / insanity / arcane apotheosis): Each long rest you regain the stamina to cast a total number of spell levels equal to the sum of your spell slots.

E.g., in case you have 3 first level slots and 2 second level slots, then you have a sum of seven spell slots. Why am I spelling this out for the vast majority of people who like to play magic users?
In case you might happen to cast a spell that exceeds your daily sum of spell slots, roll a WIS save DC = (10 + spell level - caster level). No matter what spell is it. If you make the save, continue rolling for that spell each time you cast it thereafter (regardless of spell slot allotments), until you fail. Once you fail, lose 1 WIS and gain 1 new spell of the same school, within one level from the failed spell. You no longer need to roll WIS saves for the spell you failed ... nor for the spell you gained. Oh, and also ... after a failed WIS save, you can't cast any more until you have a nice long rest.

4d. Learning new spells: Beyond the "gain by pain" method at 4c, above, ... At each level, given access to an arcane focus and a spellbook (any spellbook), you may learn any one spell from standard list or make a new spell that modifies any one property of any spell you already know. If you already have failed your WIS save for a spell being modified, then the new spell also is save-free.

4e. Arcane Tricksters, Eldritch Knights, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Sorcerers, Warlocks, other spell-like or granted abilities: casting times are 1 action for anything on your list, which is per PHB. You don't have to roll WIS saves when you cast. However, you can be detected and warded as an outsider / extraplanar / magical creature / etc.

Eulalios
2014-08-27, 08:34 PM
5. Hyborian PCs ... hmmm. This is tricky because of the era in which R.E. Howard wrote.

5a. Playable races and origin places (this map is poorly drawn (http://hyboria.xoth.net/gazetteer/nations.htm), because cartography is a mostly-forgotten science carefully kept mysterious by sea captains and caravaneers):

Dragonborn and tieflings are right out.

Elves can fit in as Khitanis (high elves), Stygians, Keshans, Vendhyai (wood elves), and maybe as forestal drow in the Southern Kingdoms.

Dwarves can work as Taurans, Bossonians, Hyrkanians, and Turanis (hill dwarves), and as Ghulis and Himelians (mountain dwarves). Mix in some PC duergar, too.

Halflings? Picts, Punts, Zembyans, and Kambujans. Probably mixed in with the drow, as well.

Humans are everywhere ... except where there's orcs. Whom we may envision as essentially human appearing, just with the orc stats. Thus, workable as PCs. Cimmerians and Hyperboreans seem fairly orcish in nature. So, too, do many folk of the Southern Kingdoms as well as along the eastern edge of the Vilayet Sea, and in Darfar.

5b. Playable classes:

Pretty much anything PHB, except see spell casting above.

Background + race will strongly determine from where did your character come? Then the backstory will be how they got where we are.

Eulalios
2014-09-02, 01:18 PM
6. Active vs Passive AC. Your "passive AC" is that given by your armor and DEX, plus your proficiency bonus in case you are wielding a weapon with which you are proficient. Your "active AC" is what you can achieve if you focus only on defending yourself with a proficient weapon. It is the greater of your passive AC or your normal attack roll. For example, if you wear studded leather armor and have +1 DEX bonus (AC 13), and you attack with a spear with a +3 bonus for STR and +2 for proficiency, then your passive AC would be 15 while your active AC would be the greater of 15 or (1d20 + 5).

xyianth
2014-09-02, 08:09 PM
6. Active vs Passive AC. Your "passive AC" is that given by your armor and DEX, plus your proficiency bonus in case you are wielding a weapon with which you are proficient. Your "active AC" is what you can achieve if you focus only on defending yourself with a proficient weapon. It is the greater of your passive AC or your normal attack roll. For example, if you wear studded leather armor and have +1 DEX bonus (AC 13), and you attack with a spear with a +3 bonus for STR and +2 for proficiency, then your passive AC would be 15 while your active AC would be the greater of 15 or (1d20 + 5).

Be careful about applying your proficiency bonus to AC. With bounded accuracy, this will lead to significantly more misses. For example: a fighter in plate mail + shield would have a passive AC of 20+proficiency bonus without any bonuses from fighting style/magic/etc... At level 3 (an approximate guess on when plate mail becomes affordable) this gives 22 passive AC. The absolute best attack roll anyone is making at level 3 is +7 [any archery fighter with a 16+ dex] (again, assuming no magic items). This gives the character with the best possible attack chance only a 30% chance to hit. Any non-archery fighter will only be at +5 or worse, giving only a 20% chance to hit. And this is against anyone wearing plate mail and a shield, not a character specialized in defense. In later levels it gets quite a bit worse. It becomes a lot easier to get an AC of 20 + proficiency bonus (plate + shield, monk with 20 dex and wis, mage armor + 20 dex + shield, etc...) and the proficiency bonus is no longer making it easier to hit higher AC creatures since it is countered entirely by the creature's proficiency bonus. This leaves you effectively capped at an effective +5 - +7 to attack vs an effective AC of 20, resulting in 60% - 70% miss rates even at level 20.

Eulalios
2014-09-02, 10:14 PM
Be careful about applying your proficiency bonus to AC. With bounded accuracy, this will lead to significantly more misses. For example: a fighter in plate mail + shield would have a passive AC of 20+proficiency bonus without any bonuses from fighting style/magic/etc... At level 3 (an approximate guess on when plate mail becomes affordable) this gives 22 passive AC. The absolute best attack roll anyone is making at level 3 is +7 [any archery fighter with a 16+ dex] (again, assuming no magic items). This gives the character with the best possible attack chance only a 30% chance to hit. Any non-archery fighter will only be at +5 or worse, giving only a 20% chance to hit. And this is against anyone wearing plate mail and a shield, not a character specialized in defense. In later levels it gets quite a bit worse. It becomes a lot easier to get an AC of 20 + proficiency bonus (plate + shield, monk with 20 dex and wis, mage armor + 20 dex + shield, etc...) and the proficiency bonus is no longer making it easier to hit higher AC creatures since it is countered entirely by the creature's proficiency bonus. This leaves you effectively capped at an effective +5 - +7 to attack vs an effective AC of 20, resulting in 60% - 70% miss rates even at level 20.

This is a fair point. This particular tweak may be better suited to a different hp progression, one that is more RQ style where each lost hp = an actual physical injury.

I might let the "passive" thing work only when one is at an advantage, in other words, against opponents of lesser proficiency. In that case I might go so far, also, as to permit passive attack rolls for auto damage, just to get through the swarm.