Land of Ice (The Encounter, Part 2)

[continued from here]

DAMAGE

Most weapons do D6 damage on a successful attack roll. Melee weapons requiring two hands to use (mauls and pole arms) do D8 damage. Characters with strength less than 8 reduce melee damage by one die type (to D4 and D6 damage respectively). With the exception of crossbows, all missile weapons do D6 damage with a successful attack; crossbows do D8 damage.

Enchanted weapons do not add their “plus” to damage; instead, they increase the damage die used based on their bonus. For example, a +1 sword would do D8 damage instead of D6, a +2 sword would do D10 damage, and a +3 sword would do D12.

Healing and Major Wounds

Most characters heal D6 hit points per day of rest; fighters heal D8 hit points per day of rest. In both cases, the roll is modified by the character’s constitution bonus (or penalty).

As explained in Chapter 2, when a character’s hit points are reduced to 0, additional damage is subtracted from constitution. Constitution points are recovered much slower: 1 point per two days of rest. A character does not need to recover lost constitution points before recovering hit points (though a lowered constitution may result in a reduced rate of hit point recovery). Remember that dvergar double the rates for healing damage (2D6 hit points per day and 1 point of constitution for every day of rest).

A character whose constitution is reduced to less than half its starting value due to damage suffers a major wound and becomes unable to act for the remainder of any combat encounter; the character is unconscious, in shock, or suffering such terrible pain as to be helpless. Major wounds have permanent repercussions; at the end of an encounter when a character has suffered a major wound, roll percentile dice to determine the lasting result:

Roll – Wound
01-20 – Nasty, permanent scar
21-25 – Loss of eye: -2 penalty to future missile attacks; two such losses result in total blindness
26-30 – Loss of ear/hearing: surprised on a 3 (as if wearing full steel helm); hearing rolls only succeed on 1 in 8
31-35 – Broken jaw: unable to talk for D4 weeks (fails all reaction rolls)
36-40 – Concussion: save versus death ray to wake from coma (checked daily), intelligence reduced 2 points, characters with psychic powers lose 1 point of psychic ability
41-55 – Broken ribs/torn muscles: -1 penalty to attack rolls and AC for D4 weeks
56-60 – Broken/sprained back: reduce strength and dexterity by 2 points, carrying capacity by half; save versus paralysis for effects to be temporary (D6 weeks)
61-70 – Internal organ damage: take D8 additional constitution damage, constitution permanently reduced 1 point
71-85 – Major wound to arm/hand: one arm is useless; roll save versus wands for effect to be temporary (D6 weeks).
86-00 – Major wound to leg/foot: one leg is maimed/useless and character’s movement rate is halved; save versus wands for effect to be temporary (D6 weeks).

Due to their genetically engineered fortitude, dvergar will eventually heal even “permanent” injuries caused by major wounds. It takes D12 months for a dvergr to regenerate a permanent injury (temporary injuries heal in one-half the normal time).

SAVING THROWS

For the most part, characters have the same saving throws in LAND OF ICE that are found in the B/X rules. Saving throws versus psychic abilities are always made using “saves versus spells;” most northmen consider psychic talents to be the same as “magic” anyway.

Saving throws by class are as follows:

Fighter – NM, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Wands – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6
Dragon Breath – 17, 15, 13, 10, 8, 5
Spells – 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8

Huntsman – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 11, 9, 7, 5, 3
Wands – 12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 14, 12, 10, 8, 6
Dragon Breath – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
Spells – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7

Magician – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 13, 11, 8, 6, 5
Wands – 14, 12, 9, 7, 6
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 13, 11, 8, 6, 5
Dragon Breath – 16, 14, 11, 9, 7
Spells – 15, 12, 8, 6, 4

Skald – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Wands – 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7
Dragon Breath – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7
Spells – 15, 12, 9, 7, 5

Thief – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 13, 12, 10, 8, 6
Wands – 14, 13, 11, 9, 7
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Dragon Breath – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
Spells – 15, 13, 10, 8, 7

Alfr – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Poison/Death Ray – 12, 10, 8, 6
Wands – 13, 11, 9, 7
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 13, 11, 9, 8
Dragon Breath – 15, 13, 10, 8
Spells – 15, 12, 10, 8

Dvergr – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Poison/Death Ray – 10, 8, 6, 4
Wands – 11, 9, 7, 5
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 12, 10, 8, 6
Dragon Breath – 13, 13, 10, 7
Spells – 14, 12, 10, 8

Psychic Corruption: Every time a character with psychic abilities earns a point of corruption (whether voluntarily or by rolling “snake-eyes”), the player must roll a “corruption saving throw.” The target number for success is equal or greater than the character’s total number of corruption points. If the save versus corruption is failed, the DM rolls D12 on the Corruption Table to see the impact on the character:

Roll – Corruption Result
1 – Character goes berserk, attacking friend and foe alike until restrained and/or left alone for 1 turn
2 – Character lapses into a coma for at least D4 days; save vs. death ray daily to regain consciousness
3 – Character is catatonic and drooling for D4 hours, conscious but unable to act or move
4 – Character goes blind in one eye (as Major Wound); eye takes on startling color/appearance
5 – Character’s hair changes; roll D6: 1-3 permanently goes white; 4-6 permanently goes bald
6 – Character’s loses large chunks of memory and is reduced one level of experience
7 – Character develops a shaking palsy; lose five points from dexterity (minimum 3)
8 – Character acquires a personality disorder; once per session, DM can take control of PC for 1 turn
9 - Character’s skin takes on a permanent pallor, bruises easily, veins readily visible
10 – Character loses ability to speak for at least D4 weeks; save versus spells or permanent
11 – Character undergoes a radical transformation; see below
12 – Roll save versus death ray or die; if character survives, reduce all abilities by 1 and reduce psychic corruption points by 2D6

Transformation effects differ depending on which psychic talent caused the corruption point to be gained. If the psychic talent was adrenal stimulation (“berserker”) the character becomes a ghoul; if the talent was molecular agitation (“pyromancy”) the character spontaneously combusts taking 4D6 damage directly to Constitution. Otherwise, a northman become a draugr. Alfar never become draugar or ghouls; instead they become wraiths. All these creatures are described in Chapter 6.

MORALE

Morale for NPC hirelings and retains is determined based on the employer’s level: morale is equal to 5 + the employer’s level of experience. If the PC employer has a reaction bonus or penalty due to her charisma score the adjustment is added to (or subtracted from) the morale.