[2e] Hybrid DMG/S&M Class Creation

[LibraryOgre]

Ok, so I've been playing with some ideas, and I want to take it a step further:

Using the Spells and Magic Priest Class options, you create the character class of your choice, using as many points as you wish... but for every 10 points you spend on your class, you receive a 1 point multiplier for the create-a-class XP chart in the DMG. The standard priest from S&M, which is 120 points, would thus have a 12 modifier; their XP table would thus run 2400/4800/9600/24000/48000/180000/336000 then +360000/level.

Without cost, you begin with a few things. You have Priest ThAC0, a d8 HD, and advance in spells as a priest, if you take access to any priest spheres or wizard magic (ideally, this would be a purchased ability, but that requires essentially building the ability to buy access to a spellcasting table). At base, you cannot take proficiency with any weapon, nor do you know how to use armor. You begin with access to General proficiencies only; additional access needs to be purchased.

A few other abilities that have to be added:

Armor Use 5/10/15: For 5 CPs, your character may use Studded Leather or Lighter armor, as well as small shields and bucklers. For 10 CPs, they are limited to Chain Mail or Lighter Armor, and medium or smaller shields. For 15CPs, they may use any armor.

Warrior Attacks (30): For 30 CPs, your character gains an additional 1 attack every 2 rounds with all weapons at level 7, then again at level 13.

Weapon Use: 5/10/15: For 5 CPs, your character may use a limited slate of weapons; club, staff, sling, darts, knives, daggers, and crossbows. For 10 CPs, your character may use a more robust selection of weapons; all Bludgeoning weapons or one-handed melee weapons are common, but the DM may allow a limited slate of appropriate weapons. For 15 CPs, your character may gain proficiency in any weapon.

[LibraryOgre]

An idea that, if incorporated, would require some reworking of the numbers above. Because it removes the "every class defaults to access to the priest spellcasting table", the points to xp ratio would need to be loosened.

***

Maximum Spell Level (10+): Using the Wizard spell table, you gain spells up a set maximum spell level; for example, if you choose 3rd level maximum spells, this ability will cost you 30 CPs, and you will advance up to table, gaining no more than 3rd level spells; at 10th level, you would be able to cast 4 1st level spells, 4 2nd level spells, and 3 3rd level spells per day. If this ability is delayed, you are a 1st level caster at the 1st level it is available; you cannot delay 9th level spell access to 18th level and reduce the overall cost. When choosing this option, the character must choose a primary casting stat; wisdom, intelligence, or charisma. That attribute will determine maximum spell level, maximum spells known, and chance to learn spells encountered.

Bonus Spells (15): The character gains bonus spells for a high casting attribute (wisdom, intelligence, or charisma), when compared to the wisdom table.

Priestly Magic (5): The character does not learn their magic, but rather is granted it by an external force. As a consequence, the character knows all spells available to them of a given spell level, but must adhere to a code of ethics. This code of ethics restricts them to being within one step of a given alignment, and must include at least 3 functional taboos on behavior that the DM considers significant and relevant to the deity in question.

Armored Caster (5/10/15): For 5 CPs, your character may cast spells while wearing Studded Leather or Lighter armor, as well as small shields and bucklers. For 10 CPs, they are limited to Chain Mail or Lighter Armor, and medium or smaller shields. For 15CPs, they may use any armor. This price must be paid in addition to proficiency in the armor, and may be separate (you may choose, for example, to allow your character to wear any armor, but only cast spells in studded leather or lighter, for example).

School and Sphere Access (varies): Access to Priest spells is acquired through the Access to Spheres table outlined in Spells and Magic; priest spells ignore their school for the purposes of learning (i.e. to learn Cure Light Wounds, you must have access to the Healing sphere, not merely access to the Wizard school of Necromancy). Access to Wizard spells is available at 1 CP per school per level; access to all wizard spells thus requires 72 CPs (8 schools of magic times 9 levels of spells). If a spell is in an available school, it is available to the caster, unless it is also part of a Barred School.

Barred Magic (varies): An optional restriction, the character is unable to use magic that is part of a certain Barred School or Sphere at any level above that of a non-magical person. For each School or Sphere barred, the character character gains 5 CPs OR one-half its cost for major access as a sphere, whichever is less. If a spell is otherwise available, but also part of a barred school or sphere, the character may not learn or cast it, nor use any magic items associated with it that are not otherwise available to all characters.

***

The "Maximum Spell Level" ability is meant to emulate not just that clerics are limited to 7th level spells, but also Paladins and Rangers. S&M allows for "Delayed Acquisition of Abilities", whereby things you will get later are reduce in cost by 1 CP for every 2 levels it is delayed, with a minimum of 1. So, a Paladin, who gains access to spells at 9th level, and has a maximum of 4th level spells, would pay 40-4, or 36 points, to have that ability.

[sengmeng]

This is a lot less about fetishes than I thought the title indicated.

[LibraryOgre]

This is a lot less about fetishes than I thought the title indicated.

Look, I'm doing a houserule set to overhaul a 30 year old gaming system that hasn't been used in 20 years, that I don't even play.

If you don't think there's some kind of a fetish involved, you have too narrow of a definition.

Now, do you have something to contribute, or are you just here to tell a 25 year old joke?

[LibraryOgre]

I know most of you aren't following my notebook in the Dragonsfoot Workshop, but I thought I'd toss out an update, since I just hit a new milestone: I've included psionics and, I think, pretty much everything else in my CP-based 2e (https://rpgcrank.blogspot.com/2020/09/updates-to-cp-based-d.html).

Even figured out how to work saving throws, but that's still a bit conceptual.

I have an idea to integrate race into this; humans who don't take any racial abilities will have a lot more CPs to spend on class abilities if you've got a cap on CPs, or non-humans have a higher XP requirement if you're not. I'll have to play with it, though, and go over some of the racial abilities, and figure out how I want to integrate that.