Sunday, May 24, 2015

Psionics for Labyrinth Lord

(Note: this houserule for Labyrinth Lord uses the traditional ability modifiers originally found in Basic DnD. If you don't know what those are, they are as follows:

  • 3: -3
  • 4-5: -2
  • 6-8: -1
  • 9-12: 0
  • 13-15: +1
  • 16-17: +2
  • 18: +3
Psionics is something not everybody likes. I like the aesthetic of it, but I don't quite like it in ODnD or ADnD, so I made my own thing, inspired by both of them! This is best used with the AEC, but you can use it with default LL if you want.

Determination of Psionic Ability
The chance of a character having psychic powers is equal to their base chance based on their race plus the highest of their INT, WIS, or CHA modifiers, multiplied by 5. You then roll 1d100, and if it is equal to or below the probability generated earlier, your character has psionics. The base chances of psionics in the races of the AEC is as follows:
  • Dwarf: 15
  • Elf: 2
  • Gnome: 12
  • Halfling: 10
  • Half-Elf: 5
  • Half-Orc: 10
  • Human: 10

Mental Prowess
You gain levels in your psionic ability separate from your class levels. This uses its own XP chart, with the XP you gain being split between mental prowess and class levels as you wish. The leveling chart for mental prowess is as follows:
  1. XP: 0
  2. XP: 1,500
  3. XP: 4,500
  4. XP: 6,000
  5. XP: 13,500
  6. XP: 22,500
  7. XP: 33,000
  8. XP: 45,000
  9. XP: 58,000
  10. XP: 13,500/level after ninth
Psychic Powers
As you gain mental prowess, you will gain eldritch psychic powers. You begin with 2, and gain 1 more for each level you gain in mental prowess. The first two powers you learn do affect your ability scores as noted below, but they do not affect your class abilities as noted below unless there is something below level 1, such as is the case with the fighter.

When you learn a psychic power, you can either opt to gain a new power, or you can gain another use of a power you already know. Both options affect your abilities the same. All powers affect non-psions, but non-psions cannot retaliate.

A list of psychic powers is provided below.

Affect on Abilities
Your ability scores and class abilities are affected by your increasing in psionic power. Each class is affected differently, with the effect on its abilities being noted below. If any classes seem like they are different from what they are in the AEC, that is because I have changed them into a more streamlined form.
Assassin: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 level of assassination ability.
Cleric: For every psionic power they learn, they lose either 1 spell or 1 level of turning ability.
Druid: For every psionic power they learn, they lose either 1 spell or 1 level of shapeshifting ability.
Fighter: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 level of combat ability.
Illusionist: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 spell.
Monk: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 level of all of their abilities (not saves/combat ability).
Paladin: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 level of all of their abilities (not saves/combat abilities).
Ranger: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 level of their ranger skills.
Thief: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 level of their thief skills.
Wizard: For every psionic power they learn, they lose 1 spell.
Your ability scores are also affected. Your Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution score decreases by 1 for every 2 powers learned, and your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score increases by 1 for every 2 powers learned.

Psychic Defenses and Attack Bonuses
The defense used in psychic combat is Mental Strength, or MS, which is calculated as follows:
  • (ascending) 10+the highest of your Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma modifiers+your mental prowess
  • (descending) 10-the highest of your Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma modifiers-your mental prowess
The attack bonus used in combat (when using ascending MS) is equal to the highest of your Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma modifiers plus half your mental prowess. If you are a member of the monk class, it uses your full mental prowess, rather than half of it.
When using descending MS, you must use a combat matrix like that in the ADnD Dungeon Master's guide. I will not be making one here, but a good bet is the one for the fighter in default LL.

List of Psychic Powers
Mind Blast: The most common and most basic psychic power. It emits a 30 ft. long cone that deals 1d8 damage to anything that enters it. The damage increases by 2 points for every level of mental prowess you gain.
Explode-a-Head: This power attempts to blow up the head of the target. It can only target creatures that you can see. You must make an attack roll against the target, and if it succeeds, the target must make a saving throw vs. death. If the save fails, they instantly die. If the save succeeds, or the attack roll fails, they take 1d6 damage.
Mind Blank: This power makes your mind invisible to other psychics, making you unable to be targeted. You make a check on the lowest of your three mental ability scores, and if it succeeds, you cannot be targeted by psionic attacks.
Mental Barrier: This power makes it harder for mental attacks to hit. It makes your MS 15 (if using ascending) or 5 (if using descending), unless it is better. This number increases by 1 every level of mental prowess you gain.
Animal Telepathy: You can speak to 1 type of animal of your choice. You can choose another type when you gain levels in mental prowess.
ESP: You can read the minds of those around you. Most metals block this. When you gain levels, you can choose metals that normally stop ESP to cease this defense. The only ones that always protect are aluminum and lead.
Telekinesis: You have control over your environment. You can manipulate 1 object, but gain the ability to manipulate 1 more for each level you gain.
Comprehend Languages: You can understand everything that all people you can hear say. You cannot understand all writing.
Precognition: You can see a few seconds into the future. For every level you gain, the time you can see into the future increases by a minute.

Psionic Wandering Monsters
If you are engaged in psychic combat, there is a 15% chance that a psychic monster will appear the next turn. For every psionic power you use, this increases by 10%. Monsters that may appear include beholders, mind flayers, certain oozes, golems, thought eaters, demons, phase spiders, or other psions.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Cancer Mage


The Cancer Mage (Pestilence Arcane Tradition)
Class: Wizard

Pestilence Savant
Beginning when you select this arcane tradition at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy spells from the Cancer Mage spell list into your spell book is halved.

Plagued Nature
Starting at 2nd level, you are immune to all diseases, and become a carrier of them. No disease ever leaves you, and your face and skin are covered in boils, lesions, and pus-filled sores. Your every breathe carries innumerable plagues and ills, and when someone attempts to remove the diseases from you, either through magic or medicine, they are harmed, taking 1d4 poison damage for every wizard level you have.

Cancerous Companion
Starting at 6th level, you grow an intelligent teratoma somewhere on your body. It can painlessly tear itself from your body and walk around, being unable to attack, but being able to communicate telepathically with its cancer mage. If you are using another spell that functions like this, such as Beast Sense, this functions in conjuction with that.

Infected Wounds
Starting at 10th level, your attacks infect others with the plague and pestilence you carry. This affects both physical and spell attacks. Your attacks infect the target with 1 random disease that you are carrying.

Disease Form
Starting at 17th level, you can take the form of an illness. You will not be able to be detected in any way, except by those with exceptional scent. When infecting someone, they must make a constitution saving throw, and if they fail you take complete control over their actions. You can remain in this disease form for as long as you wish, but you will be affected by medicine and magical healing done on the host individual. When in plague form, you do not need to eat, sleep, breathe, and do not age.

List of Cancer Mage Spells
The following spells count for the Pestilence Savant class feature described above. (spells listed below that are not on the wizard spell list are added for this reason)

Cantrips
Acid Splash
Chill Touch
Mending
Massage
Poison Spray

1st Level
Detect Magic
Disguise Self
False Life
Find Familiar
Grease
Insect Armor (functions as mage armor)
Ray of Sickness
Tasha's Hideous Laughter
Witch Bolt

2nd Level
Alter Self
Beast Sense
Blindness/Deafness
Crown of Madness
Enlarge/Reduce
Hold Person
Melf's Acid Arrow
Ray of Enfeeblement
Spider Climb
Web

3rd Level
Animate Dead
Bestow Curse
Fear
Feign Death
Gaseous Form
Nondetection
Protection from Energy
Stinking Cloud
Tongues
Vampiric Touch

4th Level
Blight
Confusion
Control Water
Evard's Black Tentacles
Fabricate
Giant Insect
Locate Creature
Phantasmal Killer
Polymorph

5th Level
Creation
Dominate Person
Dream
Geas
Hold Monster
Insect Plague
Modify Memory

6th Level
Circle of Death
Create Undead
Disintegrate
Drawmij's Instant Summons
Eyebite
Stone to Flesh

7th Level
Finger of Death
Simulacrum

8th Level
Antipathy/Sympathy
Clone
Control Weather
Feeblemind
Mind Blank
Power Word Stun

9th Level
Power Word Kill
Shapechange
True Polymorph
Weird

Saturday, May 2, 2015

DnD 5th Edition Gamma World!


I have been working on an update of Gamma World for 5e DnD for a good chunk of time now. It follows in the style of 7th edition Gamma World, which used 4e as its rule system. Normally I don't like 4e, but Gamma World 7e was simplified and i liked it! But I like 5e more, and so I am updating it for the 5e ruleset. There are a few changes, which I will detail below:

  • There are no races nor classes. You roll for 2 origins, which define what sort of weird mutant or critter you are. There are 2 kinds of origins: Primary and Secondary. Primary origins are built like classes, and you unlock more capabilities of them as you level up. Secondary origins are built like races, with static powers that either don't or rarely ever increase with level.
  • Alpha Mutations and Omega Tech were cards for GW 7e, which gave you temporary mutations or powerful ancient technology. I will still use the cards for this, but the statistics of the items must be updated for the 5e system.
  • Powerful and dangerous monsters. Monsters made for the GW game will be deadlier than their challenge rating implies, but this is because of your mutant powers from your origins, coupled with your gear, your Alpha Mutations, and your powerful Omega Tech.
When I am finished with the origins, Alpha Mutations, Omega Tech, and a handful of monsters, my group will start playing.
Have a great day!