Getting ready to put a little more pen to paper with my B/X Companion (actually, I've already putting pen to paper, but I have to sit down and type it into my nicely formatted document), and I was starting to second guess myself...thinking of things I had originally intended to leave out and now wondering if they belong.
Today it was Paladins and Holy Avengers. Oh, I know I've written many times that I think clerics are the "paladins" of B/X. But my Companion is meant to BUILD UPON B/X, not break down and redefine what has already been written. So while I may throw in an optional rule or two that would allow a cleric to use a spear for Athena or a cruciform sword for Christ, I'm certainly not going to "break the foundation" by saying clerics ARE paladins, templars, or martyr-prone champions (much as I might define them as such in my own campaigns).
But then where does that leave the Holy Avenger sword? I have no such magic item in the game and I kind of miss it...but I have no one to wield such a weapon. And I certainly don't intend to add new classes and ESPECIALLY not a paladin (didn't I just say clerics are the paladins of B/X? Yeah, I did). So what to do...shoot.
Mmmm...I may have to do a whole post on the Holy Avenger sword (this blog was originally supposed to include a whole list of magic sword entries...what happened to that?).
Anyway, I may have figured out a solution I can live with, though I'm not sure if others will be exactly pleased. Ah, well...you can't make everyone happy all the time.
The other thing I was thinking of today, and missing, and wishing I could throw in the mix in some way, shape, or form was PSIONICS. Call me crazy if you will. That's another topic that deserves its own post....
So I take it the paladin as presented in the Cyclopedia is beyond the scope of B/X?
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could throw the Holy Avenger in there as a weapon that is acceptable for Lawful clerics to use, or perhaps only Lawufl fighters who are in service to a Lawful clerical order/temple. Perhaps the sword can only be used by those who are pure of heart. (DM's discretion on that, I suppose)
I always felt psionics worked best as "Magic-User minus spellbook and prememorization, minus all components, but including vision and they can be interrupted" for practitioners, or "One spell you can cast as above X/day".
ReplyDeleteI'd do something like this. If the character is a practitioner, that's his class. Psionicist. Maybe make him a special spell list, but why not just use the M-U list?
If he's a natural or mutant, assuming he's already rolled the chance to gain that ability, do the following roll:
1d12
1-4 Cantrip (non-combat) power
5-7 Level 1 power (Detect Magic, Unseen Servant)
8-9 Level 2 power (ESP, Detect Lie)
10 Level 3 power (Clairvoyance, Telepathy)
11 Roll twice ignoring results of 11+
12 Roll thrice ignoring results of 11+
That way you have a one-page Psionics document if you riff off the M-U list. Add a page if you want a new list and a dozen pages for new Psionic spell effects.
I'd go with the Holy Avenger as the province of the Lawful warrior, whether you limit that definition to Fighters or expand it to include Clerics, Elves, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'd also skip psionics. I like psioncis, obviously, since I've spent so much time working on them for my game, but I don't think they go well with regular magic.
@ Ryan: I considered something like the RC (either Clerics becoming Pals, or Fighters) but it felt too much like "I am trying to fix BECMI" which I am NOT trying to do. Mentzer's game is its own animal...my game starts at level 15 but doesn't "suddenly offer up new class options!" As in, "crap if I'd known I could have changed to a paladin EVENTUALLY I would have started as a fighter instead of a cleric!"
ReplyDelete@ D: seems a bit random, but not too bad.
@ Matt: You know, I have yet to check out your blog site...I will peruse your Dark Sun stuff later tonight for inspiration!
@ Matt and Ryan: the holy avenger may be a lost cause in B/X. If clerics can use swords it will be an optional rule, and there will be no magic items included based on "optional rules." As far as Lawful weapons for Lawful fighters, well...there already ARE intelligent swords n'est-ce pas? This may have to remain an AD&D (and later staple).
: (
@ Matt: You know, I have yet to check out your blog site...
ReplyDeleteFor shame. :)