Absolutely Mental

In a recent discussion on the Brave Halfling forums, I commented that it would be fairly easy to use the S&W:WB saving throw as a base number and extrapolate a list of saving throws more compatible with original D&D’s saving throw matrix.  To release it under the open gaming license it would need to be a… “re-imagining” of the matrix to avoid any copyright entanglements.

My original idea was just to determine the difference between the WB saving throw and the OD&D saving throw for each level, calculate the average difference across all levels, and apply that as a modifier to the WB saving throw based on the category of saving throw being made.  After doing the calculations I discovered that wasn’t feasible because, for instance, the Magic-user wound up with a +5 modifier versus breath weapons.  Augh, could you imagine the poor 1st level Magic-user trying to save versus a 21?

So what I’ve created is a per-class and per-level saving throw matrix which lists the modifier applied to the base WB saving throw for each OD&D style saving throw category.  The matrices appear below.

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The contents of this post from this point forward are designated Open Gaming Content under the terms of the Open Gaming License, linked here.

Orf
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Hit Dice: 1+1
Attacks: fist (1d3) or weapon (1d6)
Special: None
Move: 12
HDE/XP: 1/15

A truly perverse magical crossbreed created by an insane wizard, orfs combine the worst qualities of both dwarves and orcs.  They have short legs, long arms, and an ape-like posture.  Their skin is ashen gray and mottled green, and their hair and beards are stringy, dirty, and tend to be brown in color.  Their pronounced foreheads and outcropping lower jaw complete their primitive appearance.

Most orfs are possessed of only animal-level intelligence, communicating with grunts and growls.  The most promising of them understand basic tool use, although it rarely progresses beyond the realization that smashing things with a club is more effective than smashing things with their fists.  They are curious by nature, however, and will oftentimes attempt to emulate the lifestyles of other races, particularly men.

Orfs are quick to anger and once wounded will lash out in a rage at the source of their pain.  Rarely will an enraged orf back down from an opponent; most orfs so angered will fight until it – or its opponent – is dead.  Luckily, orfs tend to congregate in small, human-like family groups consisting of two or three males (one of whom is dominant and has figured out how to use a simple weapon like a club or axe), a female, and whatever children the group has managed to produce.

As mentioned in a previous post, I present to you the evil Count Krugerov’s “signature” spell.  Krugerov should have been a multi-class Assassin.  Imagine him using his dagger to kill someone and his spell to take their guise, as he works his way closer and closer to his mark.

The contents of this post from this point forward are designated Open Gaming Content under the terms of the Open Gaming License, linked here.

Krugerov’s Cannibalistic Mutation
Spell Level: Magic-user, 3rd Level
Range: Caster
Duration: 1 hour or Referee’s discretion

This spell enables the Magic-user to alter the appearance of his or her form to that of another human or humanoid being.  Exacting detail is maintained; even normally hidden or undiscovered birthmarks and blemishes will be recreated by this spell.  The material component for this spell is a chunk of flesh from the human or humanoid who is being duplicated, which must be eaten by the Magic-user as the spell is cast.

The contents of this post from this point forward are designated Open Gaming Content under the terms of the Open Gaming License, linked here.

Shab-Ittoq

Long before the coming of humans and their ilk, the world was ruled by ancient, eldritch beings from beyond space and time.   These beings were active only when the universe was in a particular alignment; when the universe held a different alignment these beings could not exist as we understand it and passed away eons in a state of psuedo death waiting for the cosmos to right itself.

The last shift in the alignment of the universe heralded the coming of men and their humanoid cousins, who happily assumed stewardship of the world in the absence of these alien beings.

As the universe shifted, the great island-city wherein most of these entites lived sank far beneath the waves to settle at the bottom of the ocean; as their high priest retreated into a dark temple, one of its tentacles was severed.  Trapped beneath the rubble of the sunken city and bathed in the otherworldly energies which clung to the ruins, the monstrous tentacle mutated and took on a life of its own.

For some reason, the tentacular horror which became known as Shab-Ittoq is not bound to the same laws as is the being from which it was created, and it is able to exist regardless of how the universe is aligned.  Over the course of time, Shab-Ittoq has freed itself from its prison under the rubble of the sunken city and now it carries out the will of its parent which is made clear through powerful, psychic dreams.

Shab-Ittoq is not the only being who receives the twisted dreams of its creator; from the moment man reached a level of self-awareness, some men have been cursed with a sensitivity to the alien being’s dream-sendings.  Unable to bear the mental brunt of such alien thoughts, these men go mad, worship the eldritch beings as if they were gods, and recruit others into cults which actively work to prepare the world for when the universe is once again aligned and the monstrous beings return to re-establish their rule.  Shab-Ittoq often acts as a proxy and herald to these cultists, making apperances and accepting sacrifices on behalf of its maker.

Being composed of unearthly material and not subject to the laws of matter as we know them, Shab-Ittoq can never truly be killed.  If it is reduced to 0 HP, Shab-Ittoq will dissolve into a viscous, slimy goo which seeps through the ground to eventually find its way back to the sunken city.  Once it reaches its home,  it slowly re-forms and emerges with full HPs by the next full moon.

Shab-Ittoq: HD 10; AC 0 [19]; Atk 1 smash (3d6) ; Move 12; Save: 6; CL/XP: 10/1400; Special: swim

The contents of this post from this point forward are designated Open Gaming Content under the terms of the Open Gaming License, linked here.

What is HACZ?
A character’s HACZ (Hit Armor Class Zero; pronounced “hacks”) value provides an easy way to determine if an attack was successful against a given armor class, without having to reference charts or tables mid-combat.

Using HACZ
To make an attack, the player rolls a d20 and applies any modifiers (from ability scores, magic, etc.) to the die roll. The total is subtracted from the character’s HACZ value. The result indicates the lowest descending AC for which the attack would be successful.

Alternately, subracting a descending armor class value from a character’s HACZ value will reveal the number an attack roll needs to meet or exceed in order to successfully hit that armor class.

Determining HACZ
To determine a character’s HACZ value, reference the character’s class and level on the following chart:

For values beyond 10th level, please reference the Attack Matrix for the class in question.