HackMD
Halberd
Halberd is a hack of GLAIVE, which is in turn a hack of KNAVE (which is in turn a hack of D&D 1e). KNAVE is a rules toolkit created by Ben Milton for running old school fantasy RPGs without classes. GLAIVE brings in concepts from other compatible OSR RPGs and optional Talents.
Halberd is a tweak of that, adding races, books, emphasizing usage die, and adding additional scenarios.
This ruleset is divided into the core ruleset and a number of scenarios and advanced options.
New players should ignore anything outside of Playing the Game, only adding additional rules as instructed by the DM.
Features
Adding, subtracting, and modifying rules is both expected and encouraged. Halberd's features include:
Abilities are king.
All d20 rolls use the six standard abilities. The way that ability scores and bonuses work has also been cleaned up, rationalized, and made consistent with how other systems like armor work.
Optional player-facing rolls.
Knave easily accommodates DMs who want the players to do all the rolling. Switching between the traditional shared-rolling model and players-only rolling can be done effortlessly on the fly.
Optional Talents.
Talents are a hybrid of class descriptors and the feats or perks found in many other games. The game is still classless, but Talents allow Players to define their Characters with more specificity than the contents of their pack.
Partial Success Support
Support for partial success is baked into the system from the start, allowing DMs to present systems that have degrees of success while still only needing to come up with a single DC.
Designer commentary.
The rules include designer comments explaining why each rule was written the way it was, to aid in hacking the game.
Playing the game
To play Halberd, the GM will describe a scene to you. Simply have your character interact as you think they would in reaction to what the GM describes. If at any point the GM thinks that you might not be able to accomplish the task you describe, they may call for a Saving Throw.
Stats
There are six stats that define your character. Each of the stats are used in different circumstances.
Strength: Used for melee attacks and saves requiring physical power, like lifting gates, bending bars, etc.
Dexterity: Used for saves requiring poise, speed, and reflexes, like dodging, climbing, sneaking, balancing, etc.
Constitution: Used for saves to resist poison, sickness, cold, etc. The Constitution bonus is added to healing rolls. A PC’s number of item slots is always equal to their Constitution defense.
Intelligence: Used for saves requiring concentration and precision, such as wielding magic, resisting magical effects, recalling lore, crafting objects, tinkering with machinery, picking pockets, etc.
Wisdom: Used for ranged attacks and saves requiring perception and intuition, such as tracking, navigating, searching for secret doors, detecting illusions, etc.
Charisma: Used for saves to persuade, deceive, interrogate, intimidate, charm, provoke, etc. PCs may employ a number of henchmen equal to their Charisma bonus.
Designer’s Note (Knave): In a system that relies so heavily on the six stats, it’s important for each of them to play an important role, to discourage dump stats. Non-magical characters tend to dump the mental stats, for example, so I increased their usefulness.
Saving Throws
If a character attempts something where the outcome is uncertain and failure has consequences, they make a saving throw, or “save”. To make a save:
- negotiate with the DM the results of success and failure
- decide if you want to raise or bargain (see Raises and Bargains)
- add the bonus of the relevant Ability to a d20 roll (see above).
- If the total is greater than the difficulty set by the GM (15 by default), the character succeeds. If not, they fail.
Designer’s Note (Knave): Requiring saves to exceed 15 means that new PCs have around a 25% chance of success, while level 10 characters have around a 75% chance of success, since ability bonuses can get up to +10 by level 10. This reflects the general pattern found in the save mechanics of early D&D.
If the save is opposed by another character, then instead of aiming to exceed 15, the side doing the rolling must get a total greater than the opposing character’s relevant defense score in order to succeed. If they fail, the opposing side succeeds. This type of save is called an opposed save. Note that it doesn’t matter which side does the rolling, since the odds of success remain the same.
Example: A wizard casts a fireball spell at a goblin, who gets a saving throw to avoid. This is resolved as an opposed save using the wizard’s INT versus the goblin’s DEX. The goblin may roll plus their DEX bonus, hoping to exceed the wizard’s INT defense or the wizard may roll plus their INT bonus, hoping to exceed the goblin’s DEX defense.
Designer’s Note (Knave): An ability’s defense score is essentially its average roll. Requiring the rolling side to beat the opposing defense allows contests to be settled more quickly, eliminates the possibility of ties, and allows the game to be run with players doing all of the rolling if they so choose, since the odds of success are the same no matter which side rolls.
If there are situational factors that make a save significantly easier or harder, the DM may grant the roll advantage (ADV) or disadvantage (dis-ADV). If a roll has ADV, roll 2d20 and use the better of the two dice. If it has dis-ADV, roll 2d20 and use the worse of the two dice.
Designer’s Note (Knave): The DM is of course free to impose positive or negative modifiers rather than use the ADV system, but most players seem to enjoy it and it simplifies the math.
Combat
Initiative
From "The Black Hack"
At the start of every Round each Player rolls a DEX save for their Character. Those that succeed, take their Turn before their NPC opponents. They must then discuss as a group to decide their own order for individual Character actions.
Designer’s Note: Rerolling initiative every round makes combat more dangerous, since it’s possible for one side to go twice in a row.
Actions
A PC can move and perform a single action on their turn. This action may be:
- casting a spell
- making a second Move
- making an attack
- using a Talent
- attempting a stunt
or any other action deemed reasonable by the DM.
Movement
From "The Black Hack"
Combat can be done either in abstract distances or on a grid, depending on what is more appropriate for the situation.
If using abstract distances, on each turn the player may move from one range to an adjacent range.
| Range | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Close | Hand-to-hand combat. Ranged weapons cannot be used. Most spells also unusable. |
| Near | Ranged weapons, most spells, polearms with reach. |
| Far | Ranged weapons and most spells. |
| Distant | Longbows, muskets, and siege weapons. |
If using a grid, a player may move up to 5 squares per turn.
Attacking
Melee weapons can strike Close foes, but ranged weapons cannot be used if the shooting character is engaged in melee combat. To make an attack, roll a d20 and add the character’s STR or WIS bonus, depending on whether they are using a melee or ranged weapon, respectively. If the attack total is greater than the defender’s armor defense, the attack hits. If not, the attack misses.
Alternatively, an attack roll can also be resolved by the defender rolling a d20 and adding their armor bonus, hoping to roll a total greater than the defense of the ability the attacker is using. If they succeed, the attack misses. If they fail, the attack hits.
Designer’s Note: In other words, attacks are resolved the same way as opposed saves, just using Armor in place of an ability.
On a hit, the attacker rolls their weapon’s damage die to determine how many Hit Points (HP) the defender loses.
Stunts
Stunts are combat maneuvers such as stunning, shoving, disarming, tripping, sundering armor, and so on. They are resolved with a versus save. They may not cause damage directly, but may do so indirectly (for example, pushing an enemy off of a ledge). The DM is the final arbiter as to what stunts can be attempted in a given situation.
Advantage in combat
Characters can gain ADV in combat by attacking a target that is unaware, on lower ground, off balance, disarmed, distracted, or tactically dis-ADV in any significant way. The DM, as usual, has the final say.
When a character has ADV against an opponent on their combat turn, they may either
- Apply ADV to their attack roll or stunt against that opponent
- Make an attack and a stunt attempt in the same round against that opponent, without ADV.
Critical hits
During an attack roll, if the attacker rolls a natural 20 or the defender rolls a natural 1, the attacker rolls damage die twice, adding them together. Defender must roll usage on their armor.
If the attacker rolls a natural 1, they roll the usage die on their weapon.
Morale
Monsters and NPCs all have a morale rating, usually between 5 and 9. When they face more danger than they were expecting, the DM will make a morale roll by rolling 2d6 and comparing the result to the NPC’s morale rating. If the roll is higher than the rating, the NPC will attempt to flee, retreat, or parley.
Morale rolls can be triggered by defeating half of an enemy group, defeating a group’s leader, or reducing a lone enemy to half HP. Other effects may trigger a morale roll at the DM’s discretion.
Hirelings also make morale rolls when they aren’t paid, their employer dies, or they face extraordinary danger. Morale may also be improved by paying hirelings more and treating them well.
Fleeing
Players may flee combat at any time where it is reasonable. DM may optionally call for a WIS save if it might be difficult. When fleeing, use chase rules (see Chases).
Players are be expected to judge for themselves when an encounter is beyond their ability. HD and HP of enemies will be obscured from the characters. Armor and other stats may optionally be known to players.
Death and Healing
After a meal and a full night’s rest in town, PCs regain lost hit points equal to a d8 plus their CON bonus. They may remove either an Injury, Fatigue, or Stress condition.
PCs may not rest in a dungeon. Resting while travelling has its own rules, detailed in Travelling.
Once per day, PCs may take a lunch (1 ration) to recover d6 HP and remove a point of Fatigue.
Designer’s Note: CON bonus is a big help when it comes to healing.
When a character reaches 0 HP, they are incapacitated. PCs take the Injured condition. On each subsequent turn, they may make a dis-ADV CON save at difficulty 13 + excess damage to attempt to stabilize. On each failure, players remain incapacitated and take an additional Injured condition. Should a player reach 3 injuries, they will die (same as other conditions). If they roll a 1, they will immediately die.
If successful, player stabilizes at 1 HP.
Players may be assisted by others, in which case the roll is no longer dis-ADV.
Damage done to NPCs works mostly the same, but it is assumed that they will fail all their rolls unless assisted. This means they will die 2 turns after reaching 0 HP unless someone intervenes.
Hirelings have special rules, detailed in the Hirelings section.
Items and Wealth
PCs have a number of item slots equal to their CON defense. Most items, including spellbooks, potions, a day’s rations, light weapons, tools and so on take up 1 slot, but particularly heavy or bulky items like armor or medium to heavy weapons may take up more slots. Groups of small, identical items may be bundled into the same slot, at the DM’s discretion. As a general guideline, a slot holds around 5 pounds of weight.
Every 100 coins takes up one slot.
Designer’s Note (Knave): Using item slots makes encumbrance simple enough that players will be willing to track it. Slots are also the key to character customization, as a PC’s gear helps determine who they are. Raising CON, therefore, will probably be a priority for most characters.
See Player Appendix A for a complete item list. While in town you may purchase any items on that list (subject to DM discretion).
Usage Die
From "The Black Hack"
Many items have a usage die associated with them, starting at a d6 by default. Whenever an item is used, roll the associated usage die. If a 1 or 2 is rolled, the usage die drops a step.
Use these steps: D20 >D12 >D10 >D8 >D6 >D4 >gone.
Character Advancement
Partly from RELIC
A character levels up according to the following table:
| Level | XP | Talents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 250 | +2 Talents |
| 3 | 1000 | |
| 4 | 2500 | +1 Talent |
| 5 | 5000 | |
| 6 | 8500 | +1 Talent |
| 7 | 13000 | |
| 8 | 18500 | +1 Talent |
| 9 | 25000 | |
| 10 | 32500 | +1 Talent |
| 11 | 41000 | Retired |
PCs gain XP by:
- bringing treasure and coin back to town at a rate of 1XP per coin
- through Carousing
- being gifted XP at the end of the session (each player gives 50XP per session)
- through Intrusions
- by living up to their Virtue (50XP per session)
Go through the following sequence when a player levels up:
-
Roll a number of d8s equal to their new level to find their new HP maximum. If the result is less than their previous maximum, their maximum HP increases by 1 instead.
-
Raise the defense and bonus scores of 3 different stats of their choice by 1 point. Abilities may never be raised higher than 20/+10.
Designer’s Note (Knave): You can also raise stats randomly if you want. My preferred method is to roll a d20 for each stat, in any order, raising that stat by 1 if the roll is less than that stat’s defense. Keep cycling through the stats, stopping when three stats have advanced, and skipping any stats that have maxed out. In this method, natural talents will tend to advance faster than weaknesses, which makes PCs more varied and specialized.
- Pick a new combat ability from the list below.
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Quick Attack | Can choose to attack before opponent (with dis-ADV) |
| Precise Attack | If initiative is won, can choose to attack after opponent (with ADV) |
| Broken Shield | Can soak up any amount of damage from a single attack into a shield. Shatters shield. |
| Parry | Can use weapon to defend, in addition to shield. Roll weapon usage die after defending. |
| Double Attack | May attack twice with dis-ADV. Take one point of exhaustion. |
| Taunt | On a successful CHA save, draws attention of attacker to taunter, rather than other targets |
| Combined attack | Two or more players make an attack together, combining their stat bonus to the attacking player's. Uses up all players' turns. |
| Aggressive stance | Roll attacks with advantage, but defense with disadvantage |
| Defensive stance | Roll attacks with disadvantage, but defense with advantage |
- Upon reaching level 2, players may select 2 talents from the lists in Player Appendix D. Players do not have to select from the same class, and classes are only templates (in other words, everyone is always multiclassing). On each even numbered level up, players may select another Talent.
Designer’s Note: Though grouped by theme, players are encouraged to mix and match ideas to create their own unique characters.
Some of these ideas are unique, while others are inspired by or adapted from other such lists in the OSR blog-o-sphere or adapted from D&D Feats. (The Man With The Hammer, Marshal Brengle, Buildings Are People)
The list is in no way comprehensive. Players and DMs are encouraged to create their own Talents.
- Add one sentence of background to your character. This can something in your past, a connection to another PC, a unique feature, or something else! Should your character make it all the way to level 10, they should have quite a story to tell.
Retirement
At level 11, your character is retired. They have won the game and now live out their days in peace (or notoriety…). Work with the DM to establish what becomes of them. Do they keep bees in the countryside? Have they become a mover and shaker in the political world? Or have they given in to the eldritch voices whispering in their ear, and raise a new dark tower?
Magic
Spells are cast out of spell books, which must be held in both hands and read aloud. Each spell book can only be used once per day. Importantly, each spell book only holds a single spell, and each spell book takes up an item slot, so if a PC wants to be able to cast a wide variety of spells, they’ll have to fill most of their inventory with spell books.
Designer’s Note (Knave): It’s always seemed odd to me that spell levels don’t correspond to PC level in most OSR games. Well, now they do. I also took the abstract notion of spell slots and turned them into something concrete; PCs can cast as many spells as they can physically carry. Boost CON if you want your PC to carry around that mobile library.
PCs are unable to create, copy or transcribe spell books. In order to gain new spell books, PCs must adventure for them, by either recovering them from dungeons or looting them from other magicians. PCs that openly carry many spell books are likely to be hounded by bandits and wizards looking to “acquire” them. When a spell allows for a save, make an opposed INT save against the defender’s relevant ability, usually DEX for ranged attack spells, CON for lifedraining spells, INT for mind-altering spells, or WIS for Illusions.
Designer’s Note (Knave): Note that spell books can be easily re-skinned as rune stones, clay tablets, potions, scrolls, or whatever else fits your campaign. If you wanted a more dangerous, low-magic setting for example, you could make spell books potions or scrolls that are only used once and then lost forever. The random spell generator found in my other game, Maze Rats, can be useful for generating ideas for new spells.
See Player Appendix B for a full list of spells.
Conditions
Partially taken from Buildings are People)
Conditions are adverse effects that your character can experience. These can either be the direct effect of a spell, environmental effect, or attack, or they might be imposed as a cost of failing certain actions.
Players can optionally take on a condition as part of a Raise, or take them on as a bargain for ADV ("I'll take one point of Fatigue to have ADV on this next roll").
Each condition takes up an inventory slot. All conditions can stack on themselves. Getting 3 or more of a single type of condition has the same effect as dropping below 0 HP (see Death). If 3 Stress is accumulated, may roll on Player Appendix H: Madness instead.
| Condition | Cause | Cure |
|---|---|---|
| Injured | Falling below 0 HP, special effects | Can be removed through sleep |
| Fatigue | Not sleeping at night, strenuous activity | Can be removed through sleep |
| Hunger | running out of food | Remove one hunger per meal eaten |
| Poisoned | bad food, attacks | Antidote or sleep (DM discretion) |
| Cold | Environment, spells | Warm up in heat (remove one per hour) or change to appropriate clothing |
| Stress | Raises, horror | Engage in vices (DM discretion on amount of stress removed by an action), take drugs, or rest in town. |
Some special conditions do not take up a slot, but are worth calling out. If not in combat while these conditions occur, continue rolling saves until successful, taking damage before each save.
- Fire: While on fire, take d6 damage per combat round. WIS save to extinguish.
- Drowning: While drowning, take d6 damage per round. DEX save to surface (situation permitting).
Designer's note: Conditions suck a lot. The number of conditions the DM should pass out should be dependent on the difficulty the players desire. For a simple hack and slash game, conditions may come up rarely. For a horror game, players may need to resist stress every hour.
Creating a character
Several character sheets are listed below, but feel free to use any KNAVE character sheet you like.
Horizontal Character Sheet: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/386254
If you'd like to just automatically generate a character, use the following tool. Tap any bolded element you don't like to reroll.
Stats
PCs have six stats: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHR).
Each ability has two related values: a defense and a bonus. When creating a PC, roll 3d6 for each of their stats, in order. The lowest of the three dice on each roll is that ability’s bonus. Add 10 to find its defense.
After you’ve finished rolling, you may optionally swap the scores of two stats.
Designer’s Note: “Stat defense” is Milton’s term for what is normally called stat scores. Knave/Glaive refers to them this way to make it clearer how they work during opposed saves, explained later.
The rolling mechanic will make most stats start at 11/+1. The bonus and defense of three stats will rise by 1 point each time the PC gains a level, up to a maximum of 20/+10 by level 10. This puts everything on an intuitive ten point scale, and is intended to mirror the way that attack bonuses, hit dice, and saving throws in most OSR games increase by about one point per level.
Race
By default, your character is a human. DM permitting, you may select a different race for your character from Player Appendix. When selecting a race, reroll one stat as indicated by that race, and note any particulars about them that you should roleplay.
Equipment
PCs start with d4 rations and one weapon of their player’s choice. Roll on the Starting Gear tables on the following page to determine starting armor and equipment.
Armor
| Roll | Armor |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | No armor (take a spell for free) |
| 4-14 | Padded Armor |
| 15-19 | Studded Leather Armor |
| 20 | Chain |
Helmets and Shields
| Roll | Shield |
|---|---|
| 1-13 | None |
| 14-16 | Helmet |
| 17-19 | Shield |
| 20 | Helmet and Shield |
Dungeoneering Gear
Roll twice on this column 1, and once on the following two. All items start at d6 usage. All players start with d4 wealth.
| Roll | Item (2x) | Item | Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rope, 50ft | Air bladder | Incense |
| 2 | Pulleys | Bear trap | Sponge |
| 3 | Candles, 5 | Shovel | Lens |
| 4 | Chain, 10ft | Bellows | Perfume |
| 5 | Chalk, 10 | Grease | Horn |
| 6 | Crowbar | Saw | Bottle |
| 7 | Tinderbox | Bucket | Soap |
| 8 | Grap. hook | Caltrops | Spyglass |
| 9 | Hammer | Chisel | Tar pot |
| 10 | Waterskin | Drill | Twine |
| 11 | Lantern | Fish. rod | Fake jewels |
| 12 | Lamp oil | Marbles | Blank book |
| 13 | Padlock | Glue | Card deck |
| 14 | Manacles | Pick | Dice set |
| 15 | Mirror | Hourglass | Cook pots |
| 16 | Pole, 10ft | Net | Face paint |
| 17 | Sack | Tongs | Whistle |
| 18 | Tent | Lockpicks | Instrument |
| 19 | Spikes | Metal file | Quill & Ink |
| 20 | Torches | Nails | Small bell |
Designer’s Note (Knave): Rolling for starting equipment dramatically speeds up the character creation process, which is important if you’re playing a high-lethality game like Knave. If you want to permit shopping for equipment, however, have players start with d8 wealth instead of d4. Note that spell books are not normally available to new PCs, but you could always add “random spellbook” to the Dungeoneering Gear table, or simply allow new PCs to roll a random spell in exchange for not starting with any armor.
PCs have a number of item slots equal to their CON defense, and items they carry must fit into the available slots. Most items take up one slot, but some take up more. Some small items can be bundled together into a single slot. Ask the DM if you are unsure. Carrying more items than you have slots for results in all Ability rolls being made with dis-ADV.
Designer’s Note (Knave): Item slots make tracking encumbrance very fast and easy, which is important since resource management is an important aspect of the game. They also represent character customization slots, since what a Knave is carrying goes a long way towards determining their playstyle and role in the party.
Armor comes with an armor defense value. Note that value on your character sheet with its corresponding Armor bonus (always 10 less than the defense). If the PC is not wearing any armor, their armor defense is 11 and their armor bonus is +1.
Designer’s Note (Knave): “Armor defense” is essentially the same concept as armor class in most OSR games. It’s been renamed to emphasize the connection between the way it and ability defenses work. The armor bonus exists in order to allow combat to be run entirely player-facing, as explained in the combat section.
Hit Points
Roll 1d8+ CON bonus to determine your PC’s starting hit points.
A PC’s healing rate is 1d8+ CON bonus.
Designer’s Note (Knave): All hit dice are assumed to be d8s in Knave, for PCs, NPCs, and monsters. This simplifies the game and keeps things compatible with the stats in most OSR books. DMs who don’t want starting PCs to be too frail might want to allow starting HP to be rerolled if it is below 5 or consider starting with 8+ CHR bonus.
Description
Invent or roll the rest of your PC’s traits, such as their physique, face, skin, hair, clothing, virtue, vice, speech, background, and alignment.
Choose a gender and a name for your PC, but don’t get too attached. It’s a dangerous world out there.
Designer’s Note (Knave): Randomizing most of a PC’s traits speeds up character creation, but it also has the effect of creating surprising, unique characters that most players wouldn’t think to invent or play.
Consider just generating a character at https://perchance.org/halberd-character-generator.
Special Situations
Chase
To flee or pursue, the most encumbered party member (lowest number of free slots) in the party (the pursued) does an opposed DEX save against the enemy's DEX.
Find the difference between the rolled result and the DEX score. The player party gains that many "steps" if they succeed. The enemy gains that many "steps" if they succeed.
- If the pursued are 5 steps ahead, they've lost the pursuers. If the player party has successfully fled, check the enemy's morale to determine whether they search for the player party.
- If the pursuers catch up to the pursued, the chase is over and the pursuers automatically win initiative.
The pursued may take a point of exhaustion and gain ADV on their roll.
While in a Chase, all players aside from the Pursued may take an action as if in Combat (ranged attacks only).
At any point, the pursued party can attempt to hide (WIS save against pursuers). Add +1 for each step ahead of pursuers. If failed, the chase is ended.
If the pursued are caught, they may not make another escape attempt from combat and must fight.
Downtime
Lodging
While staying in a city, PCs may choose to stay in lodgings to allow them to recover from their travels. While staying in lodging, recover health as detailed in Death and Healing
Carousing
You can spend your hard-earned credit on experiences rather than on things. Carousing lets you double-dip your experience by spending it at a 1-1 ratio. The more you spend, the more impactful or eventful your experience. Carousing represents having a good time, donating your money, investing in a “business opportunity”, or some other experience involving your wealth and blowing off steam. Alter these tables or add your own mishaps and fortunes. They generally represent getting into shenanigans while inebriated but can also be sober celebratory outcomes.
Carousing Roll
Declare the amount of gold you’re spending and roll 2d6 to see how your evening went.
| Roll | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2-5 | Mishap | Experience is gained, but you’ve all made fools of yourself in some manner. Roll on the carousing mishaps table. |
| 6-9 | Responsible Time | Experience is gained and you all kept things reasonably sane. |
| 10+ | Fortune | Experience is gained, and you’ve all had a stroke of good luck! Roll on the carousing fortunes table. |
Mishaps & Fortunes Table
Roll 1d6, adding + 1 to the results for every 100 GP you carouse with. Larger cities should allow for (or require) more money to be spent. More decadent partying comes with the potential of more volatile or legendary consequences.
Alternatively, just roll a 1d12 and check the results.
| Roll | Mishap | Fortune |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start a brawl. You all are involved in a brawl that gets out of control. Start the next adventure with a black eye and -1 STR per level. The local tavern keeper is no longer quite as amicable. | Jackpot! One of you strikes it rich at the gambling tables! Gain level x 100 gold. (Or 1D6 x 100 if playing without levels) |
| 2 | Minor misunderstanding with local authorities that you’re unable to smooth over. You all spend the next 1d6 days in jail. Now seen as local troublemakers. | Gain a local reputation as the life of a party! Those of ill repute are much more friendly and see you as one of their own. |
| 3 | One of you insulted a local person of rank. They will hold a grudge unless you all publicly apologize and humiliate yourself before them. | Whoa what a trip! The strange powder you sniffed revealed mystic truths about the universe. Young people in the settlement see you as cool and not one of the squares. (Optional: gain a random spell or generate a Maze Rats spell, either one-use or permanent.) |
| 4 | Hangover from hell. The first 2d6 hours adventuring the next day are done with dis-ADV to all STR saves. | Well fed, well rested, and ready to go! The next day of adventuring all saves are done with ADV. |
| 5 | Gambling binge. Your party owes a collective debt equal to roughly half the amount spent carousing to someone you’d rather not own money to. | Citizens arrest! You catch some criminal in the act and are able to restrain them until the authorities arrive. You are seen as hero’s by the settlement for a short time. |
| 6 | You’ve ruined the local economy! Your excess spending means that all prices are now double until next session. | The local blacksmith, due to your influx of cash, has been able to order in an exquisite weapon that he’s willing to sell to you guys for the normal price. |
| 7 | Major misunderstanding with local authorities. All equipment is confiscated until fines and bribes totaling 1d6 x 100 gold is paid. | The local clergy see you guys as protectors of the settlement. They offer you a blessing before your next adventure. |
| 8 | While in a drunken stupor and a spot of trouble, you sought refuge in a church. They took care of you but now as repayment have begun hounding you to perform a charitable act. | Impressed by your ability to drink for days and keep standing, a local hireling of high repute is willing to join you on your next adventure if you wish at no initial cost. |
| 9 | Bad Investment. Invest all your spare coin in some smooth-tongued merchant’s scheme. Turns out it’s a sham. One of the towns merchants flees. | Killer Investment! Invest all your spare cash in some smooth-tongued merchant’s scheme. Turns out it’s real! It returns 50% profits next d4 sessions. |
| 10 | Due to a lost game of darts and a few inflammatory remarks at the tavern, you make bitter enemies with a local rival adventuring party. | Local celebrity. Your ability to carouse with the common folk as lead them to see you as one of their own. The peasants of the settlement are thankful to have you around. You receive free room and board in this settlement of poor quality. |
| 11 | Beaten and robbed. You are waylaid by a bunch of thugs during your drunken carousing. Collectively lose L6d100 coins. | Hot Goss. Your time spent carousing has let you in on some juicy gossip. You learn one major secret about a person in authority. |
| 12 | The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire! Accidentally start a conflagration Roll 1d6 twice. (1-2) burn down your favorite inn (3-5) some other den of ill repute is reduced to ash (6) a big chunk of town goes up in smoke. (1-2) no one knows it was you guys (3-5) one other person knows you did it (6) everybody knows. | Heroic Carousing! It was a night of truly epic debauchery. Everyone roll a d6 to see how your legend grew. (1) Re-roll HP for that level, take new result if higher, increase by 1 if lower. (2) Gain 1 STR (3) Gain 1 DEX (4) Gain 1 WIL, (5) Gain a random spell book (6) Gain Ld6 x 100 GP. |
Dungeoneering
Credit:
While exploring a dungeon, time moves in 10 minute intervals. In each interval, PCs may take one of the following actions:
- Enter a new room
- Listen
- Search the room
- Perform an action
After each interval, 1 d6 is added to a pool. Certain actions may make add additional die to the pool. After 6 die have been added to the pool, the entire pool is rolled. Any 6's result in a random encounter.
The pool is then cleared. At this time, check ongoing effects such as spells, light, etc. If using light, roll for usage.
Finally, roll one additional d6 for a random resource usage:
| Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | No Effect |
| 4 | Hunger (CON saves) |
| 5-6 | Light fades. Roll usage. |
If your module/adventure has already specified random checks, skip the Tension pool. Only add it when needed, i.e., there is no other tension present. Roll random resource usage on random encounters.
Instead, whenever players make noise, add an additional d6 to the next random encounter roll, taking the higher of the two.
Light/Darkness
Partly taken from https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2019/09/lets-do-some-more-diy-d-and-hack-rules.html?m=1
Managing light is critical for survival. There are three levels of brightness:
- Total Darkness
- Dim Light
- Bright Light
When in Total Darkness, all rolls involving perception are automatically failed. Attacks are disadvantaged, and ranged attacks are impossible. Additionally, PCs will not be able to see the rooms they are in, and must feel around edges and doorways. They cannot detect traps and must take twice as long in each room.
In Dim Light, actions involving close work (reading, disarming a trap, etc.) are disadvantaged.
Most light sources (candles, torches, etc.) cast a 5' sphere of light and will dimly illuminate a room.
While holding a light source, you cannot surprise an enemy in darkness.
If within darkness, you have advantage attacking an enemy holding a light source.
Player vs. Player Combat
In general, PvP combat should be discouraged. You're there to have fun, not to be the best.
If narratively essential, resolve player combat without rolling dice by allowing one PC to describe how they make an attack. However, the attacked player decides if it lands and how much damage it does. By letting one player escalate, but letting the other player decide outcome, the drama can be left in the story instead of the table.
If the PCs are wanting to casually fight, then when inside town they can use training weapons at a local gym that will only take them down to 0 health, rather than killing them.
Finally, if all players assent, normal combat rules may be used. Use this sparingly and judiciously- this can make a great final setpiece, but expect that one or more PC's will not be returning to the table.
Quick/Mass Combat
Before combat, decide if the scene is worth playing out entirely or not. Sometimes, a combat doesn't need to involve all of these steps and multiple rounds, but maybe it still has something interesting happening. Maybe you have random encounters, but those encounters are taking too long and you'd like something quicker. Consider this simple system instead.
- Decide on what the outcomes are. What does success mean for the players? For the enemy?
- Decide modifiers (see following table).
- Declare two players to be combat leaders. Other players are still there for combat, but they aren't actively rolling.
- First combat leader rolls, comparing their attack roll to 15 + modifiers (essentially treating this as armor)
- Players decide whether to retreat or roll again
- Second combat leader rolls, again comparing their attack roll to 15 + modifiers.
If both rolls are success, the players have a complete success, no compromises. If one roll is a success, the players succeed, but have a compromise. If both rolls are failed, the players fail, and enemies get what they want without compromise.
Compromises can either be rolled on the compromises table or be decided upon by the GM and players together.
Modifiers (not every one will be applicable, none should be applicable to both sides):
- surprise
- outnumbered
- better equipped
- home turf
- conditions
- high ground
- position
- resistance
- magic items
- special weapon
- traps
If players want to take a captive, add +1 difficulty for each captive.
If in mass combat, any conditions that would normally be taken by the player now apply to the unit. If more detail is needed, each player may lead their own unit and move around the map as appropriate.
| Roll | Compromise |
|---|---|
| 1 | Major Damage. ADV d12, CON save half. |
| 2 | Minor Damage. 1d8, CON save half. |
| 3 | Damage Armor. Roll usage on all armor for all players. |
| 4 | Damage Weapon. Roll usage on all weapons for all players. |
| 5 | Escaped. Enemies escaped, rather than being captured or killed. |
| 6 | Stressful. Take Stressed Condition. |
Stealth
Stealth is primarily handled through the Tension Pool. When players are attempting to sneak through a location, a potential consequence to most rolls is making noise or leaving traces behind. When players do so, add a die to the Tension Pool. See Tension Pool for rules on emptying the pool.
If players get into combat while attempting to be stealthy, add another die to the Tension Pool at the start of each new round of combat.
When a direct action requires secrecy, have the player with the worst DEX roll a save.
Stranded
(For West Marches Style campaigns)
PCs become stranded when a session is not ended inside a town. It is vitally important that players give themselves ample time to get back. When 30 minutes remain in the session, the DM should set a timer to remind the players.
If the PCs are not back in town when the timer goes off, roll d6 on the following table. Add to the roll:
- Dungeon Level - Player Level (if in dungeon)
- Hex distance from nearest town / 2 - Player Level (if in Wilderness)
| Roll | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | No issues- it was a breeze getting back |
| 3-4 | Got a little lost- lose all consumables (torches, rations, etc) |
| 5 | It was weighing me down - lose half of inventory |
| 6 | Had to leave the gold - lose all treasure and gold |
| 7 | By the skin off my teeth - lose all inventory, but back alive |
| 8 | Behind enemy lines - PC has been captured by an enemy and are held for ransom |
| 9 | The sacrifices - PC are being held as sacrifices in 1d6 sessions |
| 10 | Consumed by the dark - Roll on Player Appendix H: Madness |
| 11+ | Lost for good - Dead |
Travelling
Travelling is done via hexes. Each hex is 6 miles across at its furthest point. While travelling, the day is divided into 3 shifts, 8 hours apiece.
- Morning (8am-4pm)
- Evening (4pm-12am)
- Night (12am-8am)
Players must rest once per day, or take a point of exhaustion (CON saves).
While travelling, players may take the following actions during each shift (detailed below).
- Move
- Rest
- Forage
- Scout
- Explore
Move
While moving, 3 players of the party take on each of the following roles:
- Pathfinder
- Quartermaster
- Scout
The pathfinder is responsible for navigating a route forward. They will make a INT save against the terrain (below) to determine if the party makes forward progress. On a failure, the party does not move. If they are on a path, they roll with advantage.
The quartermaster helps the party find preserve supplies. They make a WIS save against the terrain to determine if players must make a usage save against their supplies.
The scout is responsible for watching out for threats. On a successful DEX save against terrain, they are able to sneak up on threats and inform the party about them.
Random Encounter
While taking a move action, there is a chance for a random encounter to occur.
Roll a d6 and consult the following.
| Roll | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 1 | Random Monsters (roll on terrain table, see DM Tools) |
| 2 | Random Encounter (roll on travel encounter) |
Speed
Players may choose to set a travelling pace while travelling.
If travelling quickly, the pathfinder gains ADV, while Quartermaster and Scout have dis-ADV. Vice versa when travelling slow.
Rest
Players should rest once per day to avoid taking a point of exhaustion. After resting, roll a d6 on the following chart as a bonus:
| Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Recover d4 health |
| 3-4 | Remove one point of exhaustion |
| 5-6 | No Effect |
Forage
Players may choose to forage for supplies. When foraging, roll WIS against terrain difficulty (below).
Scout
The scout may also choose to look ahead if terrain is unknown or unmapped. On a successful WIS save against terrain (below) they may scout two hexes adjacent (one on a partial success).
Explore
The party may also choose to scout their current tile with a WIS save against terrain to attempt to find any hidden secrets.
Terrain Difficulty
| Terrain | DC |
|---|---|
| Plains | 7 |
| Jungle | 14 |
| Mountain | 15 |
| Swamp | 15 |
| Forest | 9 |
| Desert | 10 |
| Ocean | 5 (by shore), 18 (open water) |
Advanced Rules
Advanced Saving Throws
Raises and Bargains
Raises and bargains may be used by players to negotiate different terms for a saving throw. To raise a saving throw, players propose a better or different outcome for both success and failure. The DM may choose to accept or decline their offer.
Olgar is attempting to cross an enormous pit on a catwalk. The DM says if she succeeds on her saving throw, she'll make it halfway across, but if she falls she'll be dangling from the side. She proposes instead that she'll run across, making it all the way if she succeeds but immediately falling in if she fails. The DM agrees to the new terms.
A player may also bargain for ADV on a roll, typically through the use of Conditions. A bargain introduces a negative outcome regardless of success or failure, but grants ADV on the save.
Olgar attempts to bribe the guard. Even though she'd initially been planning to use a rare artifact, she Bargains with the DM for ADV by throwing in a wealth roll as well.
Olgar stands in front of the locked cell door. She really wants to make sure this succeeds, so she Bargains taking a point of Stress in exchange for ADV.
Partial Success
Sometimes a situation may not be a binary pass fail, and presents a range of outcomes instead.
In these situations, a Save >= 10 gives success, but at a Cost. A Save >= 15 gives an unmitigated success.
Players may propose their own costs if they wish, allowing them to use Partial Successes. While DM veto is allowed, it is encouraged to allow players their own proposals.
Costs can take many forms, and is largely situational. Some suggestions include:
- You grab the rope, but it's fraying in your hands
- You knock out the guard, but his helmet falls off, hitting the ground with a clang
- You decipher the cryptic runes, but it leaves you Stressed
- You stab the demon, but it dulls your blade. Roll usage die on weapon.
Designer's Note: use this judiciously. Not every situation needs a complication, sometimes picking a lock is just pass or fail.
This range of "partial success" is a much smaller band than it looks compared to a PBTA system. However, given the gaussian bump that ADV gives, this number works well (see Advantage Stacking for the math).
Advanced Items
Books
Books are used to grant ADV to certain types of saves (think of them as comparable to D&D's skills). Books start at d4 durability. Multiply cost by 1.5 for each increased durability die.
Designer's note: while skills aren't explicit in the game's structure, these take the place of them while still utilizing Knave's core mechanic - item slots.
Be generous with how players can use their books. Sure, maybe they don't have time to pull out their book on politics in the middle of their audience with the king. However, they might have done some reading beforehand, still granting them ADV.
Drugs
Drugs carry with them a chance of addiction. On each use of the drug, roll CON save. On failure, you become addicted to the drug. For each subsequent failure, increase your addiction level by 1.
If addicted, must roll with dis-ADV until the drug is taken each session. Additionally, you must consume an amount of drugs equal to your addiction level to receive their effects.
To remove addiction, take two stress and refrain from consuming any additional drugs until the next level up.
Enchantments
In some towns, enchantments for your weapons may be purchased. Enchanting a weapon lowers its DMG by 1 dice.
| Enchantment | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cold | 200 | On a hit, target makes a STR save or next attack is impaired. |
| Thunder | 200 | On a hit, target makes a DEX save or can’t move next round. |
| Necrotic | 200 | On a hit, target makes a WIL save or loses next turn. |
| Poison | 200 | On a hit, target makes a STR save or 1d4 damage for 1d4 rounds. |
| Fire | 300 | On a hit, target makes a WIS save or takes fire damage (see Conditions). |
| Psyonic | 300 | On a hit, target makes a CON save or is thrown backwards. |
| Disintegration | 500 | On a hit, target makes a DEX save vs instant obliteration & the wielder takes 1 fatigue. Exceptionally powerful & rare. |
Hirelings
(partially taken from GLOG)
Players can hire henchmen, followers, or mercenaries up to their charisma bonus. If players manage to get followers, they don't need to pay them wages, but will still need to make sure they have food, supplies, and shelter. Followers tend to have lower morale.
Animal companions, unless called out by a talent, may be used as a henchmen (depending upon the type of animal). Animals can consume animal fodder or normal rations and don't take wages. Animals cannot follow orders unless specifically trained (sit, stay, shake are fine, disarm the spinning blade trap is not). Each night an animal isn't fed it rolls a morale save and will refuse to obey orders and attempt to run away if failed.
Wages for hirelings are per day, not including food, supplies, shelter, etc.,
Henchmen will not participate in combat, but will hold items for you or perform tasks. A henchmen has 10 slots. Certain henchmen, such as scholars, will grant ADV on certain types of saves.
Henchmen are very weak, and are assumed to have 1HP unless otherwise applicable.
The example list of henchmen is representative, but not exhaustive. Henchmen have abilities in addition to what is called out here, this is just a start.
| Henchmen | Cost | Ability |
|---|---|---|
| Laborer | 1 | Can perform basic actions. |
| Scholar | 2 | ADV on research, history, and investigation. |
| Mason | 2 | Can construct simple structures. |
| Armorer or Blacksmith | 2 | Can repair armor or weapons after combat. |
| Master Builder | 4 | Can construct large structures, leading other workers |
| Doctor | 5 | Once per day, characters may recover as if having taken a full rest. |
Mercenaries offer a static bonus to combat and damage rolls, but will not hold items. They wil perform simple tasks, but tend not to be specialized in anything besides combat.
Mercenaries don't have HP, but if their patron's HP drops below 0, there is a 50% chance that they will take the blow for them instead and die (even if the attack wouldn't have been aiming to kill the player).
| Mercenary | Cost | Ability |
|---|---|---|
| Guard | 2 | +1 attack, +1 damage |
| Man-at-arms | 3 | +2 attack, +2 damage |
| Knight | 5 | +3 attack, +2 damage |
If the players have hired more Mercenaries than there are players, they are now an army, and should use the mass combat rules outlined in the DM section.
Intrusions
Intrusions are bargains that can be offered to players in exchange for XP (50XP for small, 100XP for medium, 150XP for large). Players may choose to reject an intrusion at any time.
Intrusions should be bad for a player. DMs may tell the player what the outcome will be ahead of time, or they can tell the player what they are bargaining for ahead of time.
Particularly bad outcomes should be rewarded with more XP.
DM Roger offers Player Olga an intrusion: if she accepts that the rope she's swinging on was actually greased, he'll award her 100XP. She accepts, taking the XP, and rolls DEX with dis-ADV.
Players may also propose intrusions on other players. These may be accepted at DM discretion. An accepted intrusion awards both the proposer and acceptor the XP bonus.
Designer's Note: because the players have agency in deciding whether to take an outcome or not, feel free to go crazy with the amount of bad you heap on. Intrusions should be used for situations where ordinarily a player would call bullshit. Bad outcomes should still happen organically, but things like ambushes and killing off NPCs feel less antagonistic if the player feels like they got a chance to thwart the problem.
Base Building
Every adventuring party needs a way to spend their treasure. A base provides a place to store equipment, rest up, and prepare before adventures. Start with a core module, then invest as you see fit.
See Player Appendix F: Base Building for list of modules and options.
Invasions
With glory and fame comes danger. The higher the total cost investment in a base, the higher the risk to be invaded by conquering forces. Once a week, roll a d10. On a 1, the base gets invaded. Roll on the table below to see how large the invading force is. The roll is modified by the total cost of the base / 100, rounded down.
| d100+cost/100 | Invading force | Attack |
|---|---|---|
| 1-79 | Local thugs | d4 |
| 80-99 | Bandits | d6 |
| 100 - 119 | Mercenaries | d8 |
| 120 - 139 | Warband | d10 |
| 140 - 159 | Militia | d12 |
| 160 - 349 | Battalion | d20 |
| 350 - | Army | d100 |
Resolving Invasions
Roll your bases's Defense die modified by your total Defense value vs the invader's Attack die. An equal or higher roll means the defense was successful and nothing happens. Otherwise, roll on the Defeat table. A natural 1 is always a defeat.
| Roll | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Defeat. Invaders control the base. |
| 2 | Defeat. All modules are destroyed and hirelings are killed. |
| 3 | Partial Defeat. 50% of modules are destroyed, 50% of hirelings are killed. |
| 4 | Partial Defeat. 25% of modules are destroyed, 25% of hirelings are killed. |
| 5 | Parley. Pay 20% of the total base cost in tribute. |
| 6 | Parley. Pay 10% of the total base cost in tribute. |
Misfortune
Once a week, roll a d20. On a 1, misfortune has struck. Roll on the table below to see what happens.
| Roll | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Earthquake. 50% of modules destroyed. |
| 2 | Revolt. 50% of hirelings gone. |
| 3 | Fire. 25% of modules destroyed. |
| 4 | Flood. 10% of modules destoryed. |
| 5 | Plague. 25% of hirelings killed. |
| 6 | Infestation. 10% of hirelings killed. |
DM Tools
Reactions
When the PCs encounter an NPC whose reaction to the party is not obvious, roll 2d6 and consult the following table.
| Roll | Reaction |
|---|---|
| 2 | Hostile. Immediate attack. |
| 3-5 | Unfriendly. Possible attack. |
| 6-8 | Neutral. |
| 9-11 | Friendly. Monster leaves or considers offers. |
| 12 | Helpful. Enthusiastic friendship. |
NPCs also have a motivation. Roll a d10 and consult:
| Roll | Motivation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food | You can distract them with rations, point them towards corpses, cast a food illusion. |
| 2 | Aid | They could be hurt and need medical aid of some sort. |
| 3 | Gold | They want money. Extortion, toll, tax, tribute, or greed. |
| 4 | Valuables | Rare or unique items. Excellent pairings can result in their friendship or gaining as allies. |
| 5 | Territory | This is their turf. They will defend it, ask you to leave, or to prove why you should be able to pass through. |
| 6 | Info | They want to know about a nearby NPC, faction, landmark, or location. |
| 7 | Help | They need something from nearby, probably somewhere dangerous. Kill something, clear out an area, retrieve something. |
| 8 | Trade | They have random equipment (from each category on the equipment tables) and want to trade or sell. 1 in 6 chance they have something rare or valuable. Good business means possible friendship. |
| 9 | Mission | They’re in service to another nearby NPC or faction and are helping to achieve a goal for them. |
| 10 | Directions | They are lost and need directions somewhere, or help being escorted there safely. |
Time
Time is tracked in the following increments
- 8 hours
- 1 hour
- 10 mins
- 10 seconds
8 hours is used for the highest level of time, generally following low pressure, boring events. Some examples include:
- travel times (see travel)
- sleep
While it can increment timers, it does not advance the Tension Pool.
Hours are the standard for anything that is lower pressure, but somewhat time sensitive. Each hour increments a Tension Pool, which may eventually advance overall goals for an antagonist. Some examples include going around town or researching.
10 minutes is the standard non-combat action in an unsafe area. The most classic example is dungeon delving, but it might also include sneaking through a military base or posing as a scientist at a conference.
Running the Hexcrawl
In different environments, different random events and monsters may appear. On rolling a 1 or 2 on the random events table, consult the following.
| Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Random enemy encounter |
| 2 | Random encounter |
Weather
Iridescent haze
Causes a reflective, rainbow fog to descend in the mornings. Causes 1d6 increase in difficulty to scouting.
Roll d6 every morning
| Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | constant laughter is heard |
| 2 | foul dreams of death make it impossible to rest |
| 3 | sky and sun become green |
Amber fog
fog thickens to point of being visibily amber, misty tendrils rise from ground. 2/6 chance of making magic items unusable in the day.
Bubbling rain
light mist that doesn't seem to settle in a single place, rain that rises and falls.
Rain
Just plain ol rain. Can escalate into a thunderstorm. Causes 1d4 increase in difficulty to all movement tasks.
Thunderstorm
Thunder and lightning. Cannot rest during thunderstorm. 1d6 increase in difficulty to all movement tasks.
The Webbing
A thin film of webbing, as if from a spider, descends on every surface. 1d8 increase in difficulty foraging.
Magnetic tide
Magnetic storm causes metallic items to become magnetically charged. d6 increase in difficulty on any attack rolls.
Environment
Plains
Enemies
| d6 | Enemy |
|---|---|
| 1 | d6 wolves |
| 2 | d6 kobolds |
| 3 | Carnivorous Plant |
| 4 | d4 Mercenary |
| 5 | d6 orcs |
| 6 | acid cat |
Forest
Enemies
| d6 | Enemy |
|---|---|
| 1 | d8 gem rats |
| 2 | ghoul |
| 3 | mold ogre |
| 4 | d4 scab possum |
| 5 | d6 spider |
| 6 | d4 sugar bee |
Encounters
Swamp
Enemies
| d6 | Enemy |
|---|---|
| 1 | Carnivorous Plants |
| 2 | ghoul (1d4) |
| 3 | mold ogre |
| 4 | d8 gem rats |
| 5 | d6 spider |
| 6 | d4 giant cockroach |
Encounters
Random Effects
Sometimes a player will ask for something that seems even odds to you, or you're just unsure. Roll a d6, on 4-6 favor the players, on 1-3 go against them.
Enemies
Mostly from Highland Paranormal Society
Every monster has the following set of stats: Hit Dice, Armor Defense, Attack, Morale, Speed.
Hit Dice (HD): Indicates the number of hit dice to be rolled to determine a monster's hit points. Unless stated otherwise, a hit die is a d8. A monsters HD is also its ability bonus. For example, if a monsters HD=2, the GM rolls 2d8 to determine its HP. Its saves are 1d20+2 and its ability defense scores are all 12
Armor Defense (AD): The number that an attack roll must beat to hit the monster. For example, to hit a monster with an AC of 13, a player's attack roll must be 14 or higher.
Attack (ATT): The monsters attack type, the amount of attacks it can do per turn and the damage of that attack. Some monsters have multiple types of attacks. For example, ATT: 1 Bite 1d6, 2 Claw 1d4 means that the monster can do one bite attack for 1d6 damage per turn or 2 claw attacks for 1d4 damage per turn.
Morale (ML): See Morale.
Speed (SP): The distance a monster can move per turn. A monster may also have a special ability or behavior explained in their description.
| Monster | HD | AD | ATT | ML | SP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACID CAT | 2d6 | 11 | 1 Bite 1d6, 1 spit 1d6 | 6 | 30' | Acid spit requires a save to resist an extra 1d4 acid burn damage. |
| BANDIT | 2 | 12 | 1 Sword 1d6, or 1 Bow 1d6 | 6 | 30' | Bandits often lurk near lonely highways, ready to ambush travellers. |
| CARNIVOROUS PLANT | 2 | 12 | 1 Vine Whip 1d6 1 Bite 1d8 | 11 | These plants blend in with less dangerous vegetation until a victim is within its vines' reach. | |
| KOALA | 2 | 12 | 2 Claw 1d4, 1 Bite 1d6 | 6 | 30' | These large blue Koalas hide in the trees of the Nectar Valley, waiting to drop on intruders without warning. |
| FLUORESCENT WOLVES | 2 | 12 | 1 Bite 1d8 | 6 | 30' | Their bright neon coats help them blend in With the vibrant flora of the Nectar Valley. |
| GEM RAT | 1 | 11 | 1 Bite 1d8 | 5 | 30' | Large translucent gem colored rodents |
| GHOUL | 3 | 13 | 2 claw 1d6 | 1 Bite 1d8 | 6 | 30' |
| GIANT COCKROACH | 1 | 15 | 1 Bite 1d4 | 5 | 40' | They grow 24 long. They will aggressively protect their nests. |
| GIANT SCORPION | 2 | 13 | Claw 1d4, 1 stinger 1d8 | 7 | 40' | On a critical stinger hit the target must save to avoid an extra 1d4 poison damage. |
| GNOLL | 2 | 14 | 1 scimitar 1d6, 1 Bite 1d6 | 6 | 30' | Hideous Cackle will intimadate enemies on a failed CHA save, giving dis-ADV next time they are attacked. |
| GOBLIN | 1 | 12 | 1 Club 1d6 | 5 | 30' | Goblins get ADV on sneaking in the dark. |
| KRAKEN | 20 | 19 | 8 Tentacles 6d6, 1 Bite 4d6 | 10 | 30' | Krakens have 8 tentacles, each 500 ft long. They get up to 8 tentacle attacks a turn. They can emit a 100' cloud of ink 4 times a day. |
| LICH | 10 | 12 | 1 dagger 1d4 | 10 | 30' | These undead wizards are hungry for magic. They are armed with 2 Spellbooks/artifacts and 2d4 Spell scrolls. Enter their domains with caution. |
| MERCENARY | 3 | 14 | 1 Longsword 1d10 | 6 | 30' | Skilled sellswords who fight for the highest bidder. |
| MOLD OGRE | 5 | 13 | 2 Fist 2d6 | 7 | 30' | Twice per day it can spray a cloud of spores in a 30' radius. Con save or fall asleep for 1d6 combat rounds. |
| ONE-EYED FITCH | 4 | 14 | 2 Claw 1d8, 1 Bite 2d8 | 7 | 30' | 20' long giant polecat with one large eye in the middle Of it's head. They live in underground burrows and are obsessed with eating Skullstrich eggs. |
| ORC WARRIOR | 2 | 13 | 1 Mace 1d8 | 6 | 30' | Green hog like humanoids. If an Orc Warrior kills an enemy it gets ADV on it's next attack. |
| ORC BERSERKER | 3 | 14 | 1 War Axe 1d10, 1 Tusk 1d6 | 7 | 30' | When these green humanoid hogs reach OHP they get one more attack before falling in battle. |
| ORC WARLORD | 4 | 15 | 2 Scimitar 1d8, 1 Tusk 1d8 | 8 | 30' | War Cry: gives any ally orcs ADV on their next attack. |
| PURPLE WORM | 6 | 17 | 1 Bite 3d8, 1 Tail 2d6 | 11 | 50' | Purple Worms roam the caverns beneath the Earth searching for organic matter to feed their insatiable hunger. |
| RED DRAGON | 9 | 17 | 1 Bite 3d10, 2 claws 1d8, 1 Fire Breath 3d8 | 9 | 30' | Red Dragons breathe fire in a coneshape 90ft long and roughly 30ft wide at the base. |
| SCAB POSSUM | 1 | 12 | 1 Claw 1d4, 1 Bite 1d6 | 5 | 30' | These mangy foul smelling creatures are often found in city sewers. The smell of blood drives them into a frenzy. |
| SHARK BEAR | 4 | 13 | 1 Bite 2d8, 2 claws 1d8 | 6 | 40' | Deadly shark bears are a danger both in the water and on land. |
| SKELETON | 1 | 11 | 1 sword 1d6 | 6 | 30' | Blunt weapons like clubs and hammers do double damage against Skeletons |
| SKULLTRICH | 3 | 15 | 1 Talon 2d6, 1 Beak 1d8 | 6 | 30' | Like an Ostrich but With bone like natu:ral armor growing on it's body. |
| SLIME BAT | 1 | 12 | 1 Bite 1d6, 1 Spit | 6 | 30' | Slime Bats spit a slippery substance at their prey. DEX save to avoid falling down when walking on slime or to avoid dropping weapon when attacking after being slimed. |
| SNAKE WARRIOR | 3 | 14 | 1 Spear 1 d8 | 7 | 30' | Many who trespass in the Suplhur Jungle end up as dinner for the Snake Peoples brood of hatchlings. |
| SPIDER | 2 | 12 | 1 Bite 1d6, 1 web | 5 | 30' | Spiders prefer to trap victims in their webs instead of fighting them head on. STR save to break free from web. |
| STONE APE | 4 | 17 | 4 Fist 1d8, 1 Bite Ida | 7 | 30' | Large 4-armed gorillas with rough stone like skin. Often mistaken for bou1ders when sleeping. |
| SUGAR BEE | 2 | 12 | 1 sting 2d6 | 6 | 40' | 2-3' long bees with sugar like crystal growths on their back. They die once they lose their stinger in a succesful attack. They always travel in swarms. |
| TROGLODYTE | 2 | 12 | 1 Spear 1d6 | 6 | 30' | These reptilian humanoids live in caves and sometimes ride Giant Scorpions as steeds. |
| TROLL | 5 | 15 | 2 Claw 1d6, 1 Bite 1d8 | 6 | 30' | Trolls regenerate 1d4HP per round. If a Trolls child is wailing the troll parent gets ADV on attacks. |
| TROLL TODDLER | 2 | 12 | 2 Claw 1d4, 1 Bite 1d6 | 6 | 30' | They regenerate 1 HP per round. A wailing Troll Toddler makes it impossible for anything within 120' to sleep. |
| UNDERGNOME | 2 | 12 | 1 Dagger 1d6, 1 Bite 1d6 | 5 | 30' | They look like very short old bearded humans, extremely pale with all white eyes. Their forced smiles never leave their face. They try to lure people into their small tunnels with candy and go1d. |
| ZOMBIE | 2 | 12 | 1 Claw 1d4, 1 Bite 1d6 | 11 | 30' | Zombies are immune to spells that affect the mind. On a critical hit, a zombie's target must make a CON save to avoid disease. |
Wilderness Encounters
Use https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/srd/index.php/Wilderness_Encounters.
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