TLoS: The Fighter

One of my goals in this little experiment is to demonstrate that at its core, 5e is just a bunch of mechanics. The reason this is important to me is that once seen as simply mechanics, there is a tremendous amount of freedom that we have as players of the game to describe those mechanics any way we want to.

At a fundamental level, this is why I prefer older versions of the game and the retro-clones that emulate them — they deal mainly with mechanics rather than the special effects those mechanics represent. It frees those of us who play the game to interpret those mechanics to look the way we want them to without all the effort that I am putting into this little project.

For someone like me, the level of detail that 5e goes to when it describes what their mechanics look like is an unending irritation. For example, one of the 1st level spells available to the TLoS fighter is Hail of Thorns. We are told that:

 the spell creates a rain of thorns that sprout from your ranged weapon or ammunition

What if I want it to be a troop of fey that appear and fire their weapons with my character? Or what if I want the plants of the area to throw parts of their leaves and bark at the creature my character is firing at? Why can't the arrow hit the ground in front of the target and then explode into hundreds of little thorns into the face of the creature? There are all kinds of ways the mechanics of this spell can be described and rather than allowing imagination to run wild with the rules as written, I am forced to ignore hundreds of pages of fluff.

Enough whinging...here are a pair of .PNG files that redefine the 5e mechanics for the Ranger and turns them into an evocative version of the fighter, in the spirit of BX:

 

 

Gamer ADD: Toward and Old School version of 5e Part 2

One of the things that drives me batty about 5e has nothing to do with either the system or the mechanics. I really despise the presentation and layout. Awhile ago, I did an experiment to see if I could to a “Player’s Guide” for my Lost Colonies campaign world for 5e. It was a nightmare. Trying to figure out what a class can do at any given level is a chore that can result in looking up several different references in different parts of the rulebook. The process was so headache-inducing that I gave up trying.

When my Gamer ADD-addled brain started thinking about treading down the 5e road again, I did not want the published core books (or any other books) involved. Dealing with just the SRD (while still too complicated in its presentation) makes things easier to deal with.

Thus, when thinking about an Old School Hack of 5e, I want the presentation to be simple and easy to digest. One easy editorial decision that will make that process easier is to limit the number of levels covered in the game. 0e covers Fighters and Clerics up to 10th level and Magic-users to 16th. I have been playing this game since 1979 and I have only seen two characters make it to 9th level. I played one (a bard in 3.5 that retired at 9th level) and the other was a PC in my Lost Colonies Campaign (LL). Thus, from a practice experience POV, having a game only cover levels 1-10 seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Of course, my experience is almost exclusively with xp being awarded according to older rule-sets where xp is not only harder to come by, but 1xp=1gp is the primary means of gaining xp (and in some cases it’s Arneson’s 1xp=1gp spent). Thus, in order to make levels 1-10 feel like a complete game, the xp needed for each level is going to need a slight overhaul.

In 0e an 11th level Magic-user needs 300,000xp. Conveniently, if one were to use that number for the xp needed to get to 10th level, halving that for each level (effectively doubling the xp needed for each level) the xp needed to get to 2nd ends up being 1000. This number is half as much as what is needed in older editions of the game (thus, making leveling faster/easier for the modern gamer context) but is much higher than the 300 needed in 5e as written (which helps placate my own old school proclivities).

Given this info, here is a rough draft of the kind of layout I have in mind for this project:

Yes. That is ONE page for everything needed to play a fighter from 1st-10th level.

Note that there are a couple of changes from the SRD for the fighter:

• The Proficiency Bonus progresses slightly faster. I did this to make Fighters better at fighting in the long-term than Clerics and Magic-users.
• I replaced the 7th level Martial Archetype power “Remarkable Athlete” with the mechanics of the 7th level Barbarian ability “Feral Instinct” — advantage on initiative. I did this to keep the fighter class more focused on fighting prowess.
• I replaced the Martial Archetype power at 10th level with an Extra Attack (which would be granted normally at 11th level). Again, I did this to keep the focus of the class on fighting prowess.

5e and The Lost Colonies

When the current party I am GMing created its characters, I had yet to get my hands on the core books and was operating solely with my reading of the Basic version of 5e. As such, I limited the choice of classes to the archetypal four found in Basic: Cleric, Fighter, Rogue and Wizard. This made my life easier and, as I explained to my players, all of the other classes are really just variations of those four classes.

Having now read the PH and getting a better handle on both the system and the classes I have come to a rather surprising conclusion: if I were to do it all over again, I would have limited the class choice to three, but not the three one might expect.

I say three, because when I first started the Lost Colonies campaign world so many years ago that is exactly the number of classes I allowed (plus the race-as-classes of B/X). I got rid of the thief and wanted to see what the game would feel like with only the three classes of 0e. It worked surprisingly well. When new classes were introduced, it happened organically because of events within the campaign.

I also intellectually like the conceptual and mechanical balance associated with the three classes: Fighters fight, magic-users use magic and clerics are something in between (which, in practice, leaned more towards fighting than magic). This balance, however, does not really exist between the three core classes in 5e. While fighters still fight, the differences between clerics and magic-users have been blurred so much that it is hard to tell the difference without seeing the mechanics behind the special effects.

Thus, the three classes I would use in 5e to emulate that 0e feel I was going for when I first began using the Lost Colonies are:

• Fighter
• Paladin (in the place of the cleric)
• Warlock (in the place of the magic-user)

In the Lost Colonies, all clerics worship the same god. I don’t need different Domains to represent different pagan cults. The paladin better represents a monotheistic set-up. They also don’t get their spell-casting abilities until 2nd level, just like B/X and 0e. In addition, they have fighting skills like a fighter, but don’t have as broad a choice nor are as good at them in the long run as the fighter is.

The warlock is the best D&D representation of the idea that arcane magic is a dangerous thing. It also is the closest I have ever seen D&D get to one of my favorite magic systems — the Elric RPG where demons and elementals were bound into items in order to get magical effects and spells. In addition, this also is a really good analog for the idea that pagan clerics are really magic-users dressed up to look religious.

Obviously, the various patrons for PCs would have to be tweaked else the cleric (paladin) and magic-user (warlock) would not get along very well. My initial thoughts are these: The Summer Queen/Winter King (a variation of the Archfey patron), the Dragon Kings (ancient metallic dragons, which could be a variation on the Great Old One) or the Celestials (archangels, which could be a reverse variation on the Fiend). Since these arcane casters have cantrips and can be really good casters at first level, they are much better at casting than clerics (paladins) who get no cantrips. Thus, it better cements the cleric (paladin) as a tweener whose magic comes from a much different source than the magic of the magic-user (warlock).

For those who want to play a thief, I will provide a background called Thieves’ Guild which will provide all the skills and connections necessary to play one, while still being one of the three core classes. Ironically, this set-up probably does a better job of emulating Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser than any version of D&D ever did.

In the same vein, for those that want to play a barbarian, bard, druid, ranger or monk I will provide a background which will encompass all the skills and backstory necessary to play one.

BTW this is yet another reason I think the background mechanic for character creation is such a brilliant idea. I get to have a much simpler version of 5e by limiting it to three core classes and players can customize these three core classes to emulate all kinds of cool characters without hardly any mechanical shenanigans.

Fighter Titles for Averoigne Part 5

This last installment of this series is for those who do not hear the high calling implied by the other organizations that fighters can be a part of.

Mercenary Guild

Averoigne is sparsely populated and the ability of a noble to raise a decent sized army or maintain any kind of standing army is nigh-impossible. Mercenaries are a necessity for the protection of realm. The Mercenary Guild is officially recognized as an attempt to bring order to the process of hiring mercenaries and making sure that not only are the contracts fair, but that they are not broken. Unless a mercenary has earned the right to break a contract with good cause, all contracts must be carried out to the full before a mercenary may seek other work; however, all members are protected by the guild and if abuse is reported a noble loses the right to negotiate with guild members.

All mercenaries wear the symbol of a chain. This chain comes in two forms: broken and unbroken. The first is an indication that the mercenary is not currently under contract. The latter indicates that they are.

4. Bond Sword — A Bond Sword has the right to enter into a contract at the guild’s minimum wage. As a sign of their status, they may wear the symbol of a black chain.

5. Oath Sword — An Oath Sword has the right to enter into a contract and may negotiate the wage. As a sign of their status, they may wear the symbol of a silver chain.

6. Free Sword — A Free Sword has the right to break a contract for good cause (as is determined by the guild). As a sign of their status, they may wear the symbol of a gold chain.

7. Mercenary Sergeant — A Mercenary Sergeant chooses an animal as their personal symbol and has the right to wear a heraldic head of the animal. In addition, the Mercenary Sergeant has the right to represent a small group of men (5-10) who are non-guild members to enter into a contract at minimum wage. They must wear the Mercenary Sergeant’s symbol as a sign of that contract.

8. Mercenary Captain — A Mercenary Captain has the right to wear their heraldic animal passant (“striding" to the viewer’s left). In addition, the Mercenary Captain has the right to represent a large group of men (10-50) who are non-guild members to enter into a contract at minimum wage. They must wear the Mercenary Captain’s symbol as a sign of that contract.

9. Mercenary Commander — A Mercenary Commander attracts a group of mercenary followers and has the right to found a Mercenary Company which bears his personal symbol. He has the right to negotiate the price of contracting the company and may also break this contract under good cause (determined by the guild). Their personal symbol is normally worn rampant (rearing up).

For those interested, here is an example of what the heraldry of a mercenary might look like:

Like the Adventurer's Guild, these Level Titles are not exclusively for fighters; however (besides assassins) the majority of member are fighters.

Heraldry for the Fighters of Averoigne

When writing the Level Titles for the Black Swords, I was forced to use language to detail their heraldry that is both difficult to describe and most likely unfamiliar to those who do not have heraldry as one of their hobbies. I had also used some of that language in other entries of the series, but was unsatisfied by my descriptions. Thus, rather then rely on the written word, I quickly drew up the various heraldic symbols of all the various Level Titles that I have described over the last several posts. Enjoy:

Fighter Titles for Averoigne Part 4

I continue with my series of posts on Level Titles for fighters in my version of Averoigne. Please note that the Level Titles of the first three levels are generic for all fighters and include (in order): Veteran, Man-at-Arms and Swordsman.

Black Swords

The Black Swords are the military arm of the Black Monks, one of three main monastic orders in Averoigne. The Black Monks are curiously more politically active than the White Monks, but less politically powerful. After the fall of Rome, it was the Church that symbolized Civilization and protected the people. Since the Black Monks often have monasteries in or near urban areas, it was these monasteries that became centers for the survival of civilization. To this day, most villages and towns see the local abbot as the unofficial town leader and the Black Swords as unofficial militia and protectors. In contrast with the White Monks and Swords, however, the Black Monks and Swords largely operate independently of the Archbishop. While they have his blessing to run their monasteries, their origin and main influence is in the Eastern Empire. Thus, the White Monks are more politically powerful.

4. Squire — A Squire is tonsured as a monk and takes on the name of a patron saint. As a sign of their office, they are allowed to wear a black cross on a gold field. They are always welcome at their home monastery where they they do not pay for room or board.

5. Sergeant — Having developed a closer relationship with their patron saint, a Sergeant carries with them an icon of the Saint. While carrying this icon, the Sergeant has a floating +1 bonus that they may apply to any one die roll during a session. This bonus must be declared before the die roll. As a sign of their office, they may wear a gold cross on a black field.

6. Knight — Knights are automatically granted refuge at any Black Monk monastery, but are expected to pay their own way after three days. As a sign of their office, they are allowed to wear a gold cross on a black and blue party per bend field.

7. Turcopolier — As long as they are carrying an icon of their patron saint, Trucopoliers have a floating bonus of +2 which they may split up into two +1 bonuses or use all at once. As a sign of their office, they are allowed to wear a gold cross on a black and blue per saltire field.

8. Seneschal — Seneschals are automatically granted refuge at any Black Monk monastery without charge. As a sign of their office, they are allowed to wear a gold cross on a black and blue gyrony of eight field.

9. Grand Commander — Grand Commanders may build a stronghold/monastery. As long as they are carrying an icon of their patron saint, Grand Commaders have a floating bonus of +3 which they split up as they choose over the course of a session. As a badge of their office, As a sign of their office, they are allowed to wear a gold cross on a black and blue gyrony of twelve field.

Fighter Level Titles for Averoigne Part 3

I continue with my series of posts on Level Titles for fighters in my version of Averoigne. Please note that the Level Titles of the first three levels are generic for all fighters and include (in order): Veteran, Man-at-Arms and Swordsman.

Green Swords

The Green Swords are the military arm of the Green Monks, one of three main monastic orders in Averoigne; however, since the Green Monks are an eremitic order the Green Swords are a lot less of formalized military force than either the White or Black Swords. Rather, they are a loosely organized, but very close group of wandering warriors who seek to right wrongs wherever they find them. Only in times of great crisis do they actually gather to form an actual military unit. This has only happened once in the living memory of most people in Avroigne. Though Green Swords take a vow of silence like any other Green Monk, due to their military role, their vow can be broken for the purposes of preparing for and fighting in a battle. There are some (especially those who actively seek out to right wrongs) who have permission to speak (briefly) when investigating such cases.

4. Squire — A Squire is tonsured as a monk and is allowed to wear a green Cross on a white field as a sign of their office. When fighting unarmed in combat, the Squire is considered to be armed with a Penetrating Weapon (1d6 at a +1 to hit).

5. Sergeant — Sergeants have greater access to the healing elixirs of the Green Monks than the average adventurer.* They may divide their white field with a green party per chevron (a diamond shape at the bottom of a shield) as a sign of their office.

6. Knight — Knights are allowed to wear a white cross on a green field as a sign of their office. In unarmed combat they may also attack as if wielding a Small Weapon (2 attacks per round for 1d4 damage).

7. Turcopolier — Trucopoliers have regular access to healing elixirs at a slight discount. As a sign of their office, they may wear the symbol of a holly leaf.

8. Seneschal — When unarmed, Seneschals may fight as if armed with a Heavy Weapon (1d10 damage, but automatically lose initiative). As a badge of their office, they may wear an estoile (a star with wavy points).

9. Grand Commander — Grand Commanders may build a stronghold/monastery. They also may request elixirs at any time for a discounted price. As a badge of their office, they may wear the symbol of a sun.

*The famous green elixirs of the Green Monks are a rare commodity that are not normally available to the average adventurer. Green Swords, due to their vocation, are given priority over all other potential customers. Even so, the Green Swords are expected to pay (give a generous donation) for this access.

Fighter Level Titles for Averoigne Part 2

I continue with my series of posts on Level Titles for fighters in my version of Averoigne. Please note that the Level Titles of the first three levels are generic for all fighters and include (in order): Veteran, Man-at-Arms and Swordsman.

White Swords

The White Swords are the military arm of the White Monks, one of three main monastic orders in Averoigne. They are independent of any government or noble and are answerable only to the Archbishop. The order is led by a Grand Commander assigned for life by the Archbishop and is granted the title Grand Master.

4. Squire — A Squire is tonsured as a monk and is allowed to wear a white Cross on a black field as a sign of their office. They have free access to the horses of the White Monks (as long as they are well cared for and eventually returned). Squires may request a Light Warhorse.

5. Sergeant — Sergeants may request a Medium Warhorse. They may add a white chief ordinary (a white stripe across the top) to the black field and white cross as a sign of their office.

6. Knight — Knights are allowed to wear a black cross on a white field as a sign of their office and may request a Heavy Warhorse.

7. Turcopolier — Trucopoliers may hear cases in the ecclesiastical court and may request multiple Light Warhorses. As a badge of their office, they may wear a great helm colored white on one side and black on the other.

8. Seneschal — Seneschals may request multiple Medium Warhorses. As a badge of their office, they may wear a great helm colored white on one side and black on the other and crested with a cross.

9. Grand Commander — Grand Commanders may build a stronghold/monastery. They may also request multiple Heavy Warhorses. As a badge of their office, they may wear a white great helm crested with a cross.

Fighter Level Titles for Averoigne Part 1

A little over a year ago, I did a series of posts about utilizing Level Titles in a way that was more integrated into a campaign world. I produced one set for each of the four core classes, mostly reflecting how I would use them in context of my version of Averoigne; however, when it came to fighters, I opted to be more generic than I had been with the other three classes. The results were not very satisfying, but I never went back and wrote any campaign specific level titles — until now.

As I noted in my series of posts on Level Titles,  making them campaign specific can really make them sing. This poses a problem in the case of fighters because they really require more than one set of Level Titles. Though the other three classes are fairly generic, it is easy to justify a single guild structure for each class. Fighters, however, are the most generic of the four classes — they can be anything from a soldier to a barbarian to a gladiator to any number of iterations. Thus, only one set of Level Titles doesn’t do the class justice. This, therefore, is the first post in an attempt to create several options for fighters in Averoigne.

All fighters in Averoigne begin with the same Level Titles for the first three levels (the apprentice stage), after which they may align themselves with one of the various groups which grant Level Titles for higher levels:

1. Veteran — The term veteran reflects the fact that fighters have already been involved in some kind of fighting or military action.

2. Man-at-Arms — A man-at-arms is someone who has chosen to live the life of a fighter. In demonstrating this commitment and the amount of skill (and luck) to become a man-at-arms, they are granted the right to publicly bear arms, with the exception of a sword. In most places, however, even man-at-arms are discouraged from wearing armor or carrying more than one weapon in public.

3. Swordsman* — Swordsmen have earned enough respect that they are allowed to openly carry a sword. They may even wear armor in public without raising too much suspicion.

*If a character declines to join any of the following groups, they remain a Swordsman regardless of level.

Chevaliers

The Chevaliers, also known as The King’s Men, are one of the ways that the King of Salia exerts his influence upon the region. Since there are few Salian nobles in Averoigne and the Averni nobles only give lip service to their loyalty to the crown, the King created a organization that bypasses the authority of the nobility by being answerable directly to him. The Chevaliers are almost exclusively Salian and must swear absolute fealty to the King.

4. Under-Sheriff — Is given jurisdiction over a village to administer the King’s Law. Has the right to wear a red rose as a sign of office.

5. Sheriff — Is given jurisdiction over a several villages, a few towns or a small city to administer the King’s Law. Has the right to wear a red rose as a sign of office.

6. High Sheriff —  Is given jurisdiction over a county to administer the King’s Law. Has the right to wear a white rose as a sign of office.

7. Marshall — Is given the right to convene a civil court and act as judge. May conscript Under-Sheriffs in order to conduct an investigation. Has the right to wear a fleur-de-lis as a badge of office.

8. Constable — May conscript Sheriffs on order to conduct an investigation. Has the right to wear two fleur-de-lis as a badge of office.

9. High Constable — Oversees all legal activity within a region (and attracts/is assigned followers to carry out this duty). Has the right to wear three fleur-de-lis as a badge of office.

Thema Calabria

This is the remnant of a military unit from the Eastern Christian Empire that is now largely autonomous due to being cut off from their original home. The term Thema refers to a military jurisdiction of the Empire. For a brief period, the Eastern Empire had a foothold in the West, headquartered in Syracuse and the Thema was called Calabria. This foothold was overrun, and part of the retreating force found refuge in Averoigne. Today, it is tolerated by the King of Salia due to past service against barbarian incursion and the unit pays lip service to the King; however, its ranks have recently been bolstered by a growing number of Averni dissatisfied with the Salian King and who yearn for a return to the Rome represented by the Eastern Empire.

4. Dekarchos — While in Averoigne, a Dekarchos can muster 10 men in times of crisis. In addition, they have access to the unit’s armory.* They have the right to wear the unit’s insignia (a stylized golden cross on a red background).

5. Kentarchos — While in Averoigne, a Kentarchos can muster 50 men in times of crisis. They may wear the Greek Numberal ‘ν’ as part of their badge of office.

6. Komes — While in Averoigne, a Komes can muster 100 men in times of crisis. They may wear the Greek Numberal ‘ρ’ as part of their badge of office.

7. Droungarios — Has two Komes and any men they muster under their command. Will be recognized by the Averni people and Averni nobles as a judge in civil disputes. They may wear the Greek Numberal ‘σ’ as part of their badge of office.

8. Tourmarches — Has six Drouganarios and any men they muster under their command. They may wear the Greek Numberal ‘ισ’ as part of their badge of office.

9. Strategos — This is the highest rank within the unit. The Strategos will have a personal retinue (attracted followers) and will have four Tourmaches and any men they muster under their command. They may wear a two-headed eagle as part of their badge of office.

* Items like swords and mailed armor are not readily available in Averoigne. While there are armorers, what swords and mails they produce are normally already paid for by nobles who are far more important to the business survival of the armorer than an adventurer. Having access to the unit’s armorer, therefore, makes getting such equipment increasingly easier as the fighter increases in level.

More Level Titles: Fighters

For the purposes of creating level titles that reflect rank, I must admit that those for fighters are probably the most difficult. This is due to the fact that of all the core classes, the fighter is the most generic. It is designed to encompass everything from a barbarian to a knight and a rapier wielding fop to a gladiator armed with spiked gauntlets. As such, there will necessarily be less specific rights and privileges as compared to my previous efforts with clerics and magic users.

• Veteran — The term veteran reflects the fact that fighters have already been involved in some kind of fighting or military action. They might have been mustered as infantry in the defense of a city, gotten into street fights as a tough or spent time in an arena as a gladiator. The starting equipment of the fighter should reflect this background. The most common weapons are spears, polearms and crossbows. However, they are discouraged from owning the status weapon of their predominant culture — these might include axes/warhammers for dwarves, longbows for elves and swords for most halflings and humans. Openly carrying weapons of any kind is strongly discouraged if allowed at all.
• Man-at-Arms — A man-at-arms is someone who has chosen to live the life of a fighter. In demonstrating this commitment and the amount of skill (and luck) to become a man-at-arms, they are granted the right to bear all arms except for status weapons. In most places, however, even man-at-arms are discouraged from wearing armor or carrying more than one weapon in public.
• Warrior — Warriors have earned enough respect that they are allowed to both wear armor and carry more than one weapon in public.
• Swordsman — The title Swordsman reflects the status weapon of most human cultures. Among other races/cultures this title will reflect the status weapon of that culture. For example, Dwarves of this level might be known as Axeman or Hammers depending upon the tribe. These fighters have earned the privilege of openly bearing this weapon of rank in public.
• Free Sword — Although most fighters are free agents who often choose to hire their services out to various entities or institutions, this freedom is not guaranteed until one achieves the title Free Sword.
• Sword Master — These fighters are among the best trained warriors in the land. If they haven't already recovered a status weapon of renown through their adventuring, they are expected to pay the best smiths in the land to forge a status weapon of great quality.
• Hero — These fighters are of great renown and will be well-known (if not instantly recognized) by the folks in the same local area that the fighter uses as his home base.
• Champion — At this point, a fighter's fame has spread beyond the local area.
• Lord — The fighter starts to attract followers from far and wide wishing to serve someone with such a lauded reputation.

Please note: this is intended to be fairly generic with a very loose guild structure (if one is there at all). Should a more robust guild structure be desirable, added privileges and obligations can be added to the above titles (or guild specific titles). It is also conceivable to have several different versions of these titles for the purposes of emulating predominant fighter-based cultures (barbarian vs. civilized, for example).