2012-02-25 Twenty Questions

20 quick questions. Everybody is doing it.

=> 20 quick questions

1. Ability scores generation method?

3d6 in order.

2. How are death and dying handled?

When you reach 0hp and every time you are hit thereafter you roll on the Death and Dismemberment table; this rule also applies to retainers, if players ask for it.

3. What about raising the dead?

High-level clerics are very hard to find and require days of travel. If you find them, they will cast the spell in exchange for suitable favors. Essentially I will exploit the situation for plot hooks.

4. How are replacement PCs handled?

Start with 0 XP at level 1.

5. Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

Group.

6. Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

On a natural 20, you do max damage.

7. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

Yes; some entries on the Death & Dismemberment table have less severe results for helmet wearing victims.

8. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

Yes.

9. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

You will need to run.

10. Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

Yes.

11. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

Yes.

12. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

Not. I use the simplified Moldvay table which depends on armor worn and coins carried, ignoring everything else. I only use this in a chase situation.

13. What’s required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

It can happen at the end of a session which is when I hand out XP for monsters defeated or during the game when a character wastes an appropriate amount of gold.

14. What do I get experience for?

About 90% is for treasure wasted: Building houses, erecting statues, sponsoring parties, donations, salaries paid to employees. The remaining 10% is XP for monsters defeated.

15. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?

There are very few traps. I try to make them “in your face” obvious. They are triggered by rushing through and committing other foolish mistakes.

16. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

Hirelings and Henchmen: Yes. They roll morale when asked to do things they consider to be too dangerous. Hirelings roll morale when they return home to see whether they settle down or continue adventuring. Enemies roll morale when the first enemy drops and when half the enemies are down; two checks at most.

17. How do I identify magic items?

Potions: 10gp to an alchemist if you cannot guess what it is by sipping it. Potions are coded by color and taste, so if you keep track of those, you won’t have to pay the 10gp. Other magic items usually involve a minor task such as finding an appropriate sage or making contact with the appropriate extra-planar powers. Essentially I will exploit the situation for plot hooks.

18. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

No buying of magic items. Occasionally a village will have an alchemist with a fixed set of potion recipes. These cost 300-500gp each. Other magic items require barter or quests.

19. Can I create magic items? When and how?

Through rituals that you can learn from others; you probably need to have reached name level. Alchemist is not a class for adventurers.

20. What about splitting the party?

Sure.

=> Death and Dismemberment

​#RPG ​#Old School

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2019-03-12 Twenty Questions, Again – an update.

=> 2019-03-12 Twenty Questions, Again

– Alex Schroeder 2019-03-12 16:43 UTC