(DM Lemmy says Roll for Initiative).
Character Creation
Everything remains pretty much as is with just a
few changes.
Strength
Your Strength score provides a Muscle Power modifier or MP
which works as you might expect. It provides a modifier for opening
doors and doing damage with muscle powered weaponry (meaning everything except crossbows). We do increase its modifier by a point.
18 = MP +4
16-17 = MP +3
14-15 = MP +2
12-13 = MP +1
10-11 = MP -0
8-9 = MP -1
6-7 = MP -2
4-5 = MP -3
3 = MP -4
16-17 = MP +3
14-15 = MP +2
12-13 = MP +1
10-11 = MP -0
8-9 = MP -1
6-7 = MP -2
4-5 = MP -3
3 = MP -4
Encumbrance
Is not optional, but it is different and it plays off of your Muscle
Power. Every 400 coins you carry reduces your MP by 1, even if this means turning it into a penalty.
0 = MP -0
400 = MP -1
800 = MP -2
1200 = MP -3
1600 = MP -4
400 = MP -1
800 = MP -2
1200 = MP -3
1600 = MP -4
How encumbrance effects your total muscle power
determines your movement rate. With Normal / Encounter / Running...
MP +4 = 240/80/240
MP +3 = 210/70/210
MP +2 = 180/60/180
MP +1 = 150/50/150
MP -0 = 120/40/120
MP -1 = 90/30/90
MP -2 = 60/20/60
MP -3 = 30/10/30
MP -4 = 15/5/15
MP +3 = 210/70/210
MP +2 = 180/60/180
MP +1 = 150/50/150
MP -0 = 120/40/120
MP -1 = 90/30/90
MP -2 = 60/20/60
MP -3 = 30/10/30
MP -4 = 15/5/15
If your fighter has a strength of 14 this will
provide MP +2. Carrying 400 to 799 coins of stuff will reduce it to MP +1. It also reduces your movement rate to 150/50/150. If you
were carrying 399 coins or less you would regain that extra point and
it would boost your movement to 180/60/180.
Dexterity
There are no to-hit rolls so the missile fire adjustment becomes a
damage bonus. However, you may not combine your Muscle Power with the Dex
bonus. Use whichever one gives you the best bonus.
When range is a consideration, what was a to-hit
roll is now a damage modifier. Short increases damage by +1. Long
reduces it by -1.
Level
Damage Bonus
No to-hit rolls? No
problem! Characters gain a damage bonus based on their level.
Fighter Types (Dwarves, Elves, Fighters and Halflings) a +1 is gained for each experience level. A level 5
fighter gains a +5 on every damage roll.
Semi-Fighter Types (Clerics, Thieves) gain
a +1 every other level.
Non-Fighter Types (Magic-Users) do not gain a bonus.
Monsters use their hit dice in place of a
level, ignoring any add ons. A bugbear is a fighter type with Hit Dice 3+1. It gains a +3 on all damage rolls.
Weapons
Before the game begins, be sure to add together what you can so you know what to roll when the time comes. This means....
Damage Die + Magic Bonus + Muscle Power + Level
Damage Bonus
For a Battle Axe +2 in the hands of a 3rd
level fighter with an encumbrance adjusted muscle power of +1 you
would write down Battle Axe 1d8+6.
Reductive Armor
Class
Armor Class is now reductive, meaning
when you get hit you subtract your AC from the damage and anything left over it is taken as hit point damage. To make the conversion
use the table below, B/X is on the left. The S/M value is on the
right.
AC 9 = AC -2
AC 8 = AC -3
AC 7 = AC -4
AC 6 = AC -5
AC 5 = AC -6
AC 4 = AC -7
AC 3 = AC -8
AC 2 = AC -9
AC 1 = AC -10
AC 0 = AC -11
AC -1 = AC -12
AC -2 = AC -13
AC -3 = AC -14
AC 8 = AC -3
AC 7 = AC -4
AC 6 = AC -5
AC 5 = AC -6
AC 4 = AC -7
AC 3 = AC -8
AC 2 = AC -9
AC 1 = AC -10
AC 0 = AC -11
AC -1 = AC -12
AC -2 = AC -13
AC -3 = AC -14
Pop-Point
AC
Or you might want to give Pop-Point AC a
try. With this system AC is the number of points of damage it takes to cause one hit point to pop. If you get hit by 8 points of damage and have a
pop point AC 3 then only 2 points of damage slip through to damage
your character. To make the conversion the B/X is on the left
and the S/M is on the right.
AC 9 = AC 1
AC 8 = AC 1
AC 7 = AC 2
AC 6 = AC 2
AC 5 = AC 3
AC 4 = AC 3
AC 3 = AC 4
AC 2 = AC 4
AC 1 = AC 5
AC 0 = AC 5
AC -1 = AC 6
AC -2 = AC 6
AC -3 = AC 7
AC 8 = AC 1
AC 7 = AC 2
AC 6 = AC 2
AC 5 = AC 3
AC 4 = AC 3
AC 3 = AC 4
AC 2 = AC 4
AC 1 = AC 5
AC 0 = AC 5
AC -1 = AC 6
AC -2 = AC 6
AC -3 = AC 7
Pop or Reductive? If it was an easy choice you
wouldn't be reading about both of them. Reductive is the current
favorite, but it can easily lead to situations where a character is
either un-hittable or too hittable. Pop point works well, guaranteeing that a creature can almost always be hit. Unfortunately, there is a huge difference between AC 1 and AC 2.
Exploding
Dice!
Whichever AC system you choose to use,
damage rolls should be allowed to explode, meaning that when the die rolls
the best it can roll you get to roll again and add it in. If this
second roll explodes then it will lead to a third roll and possibly a
fourth, going off like a strip of firecrackers.
Magic Spells
Clerics, Magic-Users and Elves still have the
typical limit to the number of spells they can have ready to cast, but in Speed Metal D&D there is no limit to the number of times
those spells can be cast.
There is, however, a chance that the spell will fizzle.
For each spell cast roll a 1d20 hoping to roll under or equal to
the character's Intelligence (or Wisdom if a cleric) plus the
character level minus the spell level doubled.
Roll 1d20 -vs- Int + Character Level
– (Spell Level x 2)
Fireball is a 3rd level spell. When
cast by a 4th level Magic-User with a 16 Intelligence the
character needs to roll (16 + 4 – 6 = 14) 14 or less. Roll a 15
or more and the spell doesn't go off. With a 9th level spell the same character would need to roll (16 + 4 - 18 = 2) a 2 or less. Good luck with that!
Since the only thing that is bound to change is
the die roll, be sure to find your spell conjure scores before the
game begins and write them next to the spell name on your character
sheet. For the example: Fireball 14.
Initiative
Initiative is found at the beginning of a battle
and the same result is used round after round until a round passes
where no one makes an attack. At that point the tide of battle may
change so initiative should be rolled again.
Combat
Combat runs just as you might expect except
no to-hit rolls are made. When your turn comes you simply point out
the creature you are attacking and roll for damage.
Shmearing Damage. When it makes sense you should also be allowed to
hit more than one creature at once (and they likewise), spreading the
damage out like nutella over a warm bloody goblin sandwich. It is left up to the player to decide how much damage goes where.
Parrying Damage. In a similar vein, you can also use or reserve damage points for the purpose of parrying damage headed your way or in the direction of someone close to you. With 6 parry points you can stop 6 points of damage. The catch is that if you don't find something to do with your parry points by the end of the round they disappear.
Parrying Damage. In a similar vein, you can also use or reserve damage points for the purpose of parrying damage headed your way or in the direction of someone close to you. With 6 parry points you can stop 6 points of damage. The catch is that if you don't find something to do with your parry points by the end of the round they disappear.
Monster Rolls. The DM should be encouraged to consolidate die
rolls. No one wants to wait around while two dozen orc die rolls are
made. If the creatures all use the same die roll? Roll once and let them use the same outcome. Randomly rolling a series of numbers in advance works too.
Why Is This Better?
Speed Metal D&D moves faster, duh. First and foremost it uses just one die roll with no
table to look at or number to compare it too. Less noticeable is
how this also cuts down on gamey conversation. There is no, “what do I need to
hit?” being asked. You just reach out and smack that bugbear.
(And sometimes the bugbear smacks you back)
Whether you use reductive or pop armor class, the AC
and all of its ramifications becomes something that the recorder of
the damage needs to deal with and can be done quite quickly.
Last, but not least, Speed Metal D&D patches the
somewhat awkward absence of a fighter's inability to do anything more than
make one low-impact weapon attack per round. The fighter in
particular becomes a damage generating machine, more meat grinder than meat shield and hopefully someone who will prove more useful all throughout the game.
Rock on! This is what I've been trying to find for a B/X D&D game for a long time. Had wondered if there was a good way to run an old-school game without a to-hit roll, and these rules seem perfect for that purpose.
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