House-Rules for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

Akrasia’s House-Rules

For AD&D (1e) or OSRIC

Part I: Character Creation, Races, and Classes

General Points

1. The page references are to OSRIC, as it is available online for free.  However, all of the rules are useable with AD&D (1e).
2. The rules were designed for a very small group (two players with two characters each).
3. These rules were written for a campaign set in the Moonshae Islands, which is a 'Celtic' region of the Forgotten Realms, hence the references to the 'Ffolk,' various FR deities, and so forth.  But the rules should be useable in any AD&D game.

Character Creation

• Choose the character’s race

• Determine initial ability scores by rolling 4d6, dropping the lowest die
• Replace the lowest roll with ‘15’
• Assign scores in any order

• Apply racial modifiers to ability scores [see OSRIC, pp. 3-7]
• Ensure that the character’s ability scores fall within the acceptable range for his/her race (e.g., a dwarf must have a strength of 8-18, dexterity of 3-17, etc.)
• Human characters can add a total of 1 point to one of their ability scores, either +1 to two different ability scores (e.g., +1 to Strength and Intelligence), or +2 to one ability score (e.g., +2 to Dexterity)
• No ability score can be raised above 18 this way
• Non-human characters can add 1 point to their ability scores
• No ability score can be raised above the character’s racial limit this way
• (E.g., a halfling could not raise his strength above 17, an elf could not raise her dexterity above 19)
• Human characters select their ‘background professions’ (see my article). 
• Either: 
• Choose one profession from Chart I
• Or
• Choose two professions from Chart II 
• If the character is a halfling, half-elf, or half-orc, choose one profession from Chart II
• Dwarves, elves, and gnomes have no background professions

• Choose the character’s class and alignment
• No evil characters permitted (thus no assassin characters)
• No monks permitted (at least initially — they are foreign to the region)

• It is advisable that classes from the following four categories be covered:
• Warrior (fighter or ranger; paladins are rare, though permitted)
• Thief (assassins not permitted)
• Arcane spell-caster (illusionist or magic-user)
• Divine spell-caster (cleric or druid)
• At least one druid, ranger, or bard should be in the party
• Paladins will not adventure (at least for a prolonged period of time) with characters of Neutral or Chaotic Neutral alignment 
• Bards play an important role in this setting, so players may want to consider that class (even though bards do not fit neatly into one of the above four categories).
• The alternative Bard class (from Best of Dragon #3) will be used

Races and Classes (General)

• There are no level-limits on non-human characters
• Humans, however, enjoy the following benefits:
• 1 extra point to assign to ability scores at character creation (humans receive 2 points at character creation; non-humans only 1 point) (see above)
• Superior selection of background professions (see above)
• Maximum hit points at both levels 1 and 2 (instead of only level 1) (see below)
• A +1 to any ability score upon reaching level 6 (an ability score may not be raised above 18 this way)

• Racially-determined class restrictions apply, except:
• PCs of any race may be clerics
• Half-elves and Halflings may be druids (single-class)
• Half-elves may be druids and fighters, druids and rangers, or druids and magic-users (multi-class)
• The following multi-class options are available to non-human characters:
• Dwarves: (a) fighter/thief, and (b) fighter/cleric
• Elves: (a) fighter/magic-user, (b) fighter/thief, (c) magic-user/thief, and (d) fighter/magic-user/thief
• Gnomes: (a) fighter/illusionist, (b) fighter/thief, (c) illusionist/cleric, (d) illusionist/thief, and (e) cleric/thief
• Half-elves: (a) cleric/fighter, (b) cleric/ranger, (c) cleric/magic-user, (d) fighter/magic-user, (e) fighter/thief, (f) magic-user/thief, (g) cleric/fighter/magic-user, (h) fighter/magic-user/thief, (i) fighter/druid, (j) ranger/druid, and (k) magic-user/druid
• Halflings: fighter/thief only

Hit Points

• 1st level characters receive maximum hit points.
• Human characters also receive maximum hit points upon reaching level 2
• When rolling for hit points (levels 2+ for non-humans, levels 3+ for humans), characters take either the roll of the die, or half the die’s maximum, rounded down (so magic-users roll 1d4, and take 2 if they roll 1; fighters roll 1d10, and take 5 if they roll 1-4; etc.)

Bards

• We will be using the ‘alternative’ Bard class from Best of Dragon #3
• Bards play an important cultural role within the setting
• The bards of the Ffolk serve many functions: historians, entertainers, poets, heroes, and spies
• Most Bards are Neutral or Neutral Good in alignment

Clerics

• Northman (human) clerics typically worship the god Tempus (the ‘Lord of Battles’, ‘Foehammer’)
• Clerics of Tempus generally are Chaotic Neutral, Neutral, or (rarely) Chaotic Good
• Humans from the Moonshaes (both Ffolk and Northmen) may also be clerics of:
• Azuth (patron of mages; LN)  
• Deneir (God of literature and art; NG)
• Lathander (God of Spring, Dawn, Vitality, Youth, Renewal, Self-Perfection; NG)  
• Non-human clerics worship deities of their respective pantheons
• Elves: Corellon Larethian, Solonar Thelandira, Hannali Celanil, Labelas Enoreth
• Dwarves: Moradin, Clangeddin, Vergadain, Berronar
• Haflings: Yondalla, Sheela Peryroyal, Avoreen, Cyrrollalee, Bandobaris
• Gnomes: Garl Glittergold, Baervan Wildwanderer, Segojan Earthcaller, Flandal Steelskin
• Half-Elf and Half-Orc clerics typically revere a ‘human’ god

Druids

• Druids of all races within the Moonshaes revere the ‘Earthmother’.
• Druids are common on each of the isles dominated by the Ffolk.  
• There is a Great Druid on each of Gwynneth, Alaron, and Moray
• Most druids are assigned a certain portion of one of their isles as their territory.  At the centre of this territory is a druidic grove.  
• (PCs are assumed to be wandering druids, at least until they reach level 12, and thus do not have their own territories.)

Fighters

• Only single-class fighters may specialize or double specialize in a weapon (multi-class fighters may not specialize or double specialize in a weapon)
• Fighters may specialize in one weapon at level 1 (see OSRIC, p. 14)
• Fighters may double specialize in that weapon (the same weapon with which the character already is specialized) at level 3+ (see OSRIC, p. 14)
• No fighter may specialize or double specialize in more than one weapon

Rangers

• Single-class rangers may specialize in one weapon at level 1 (see OSRIC, p. 14)
• Multi-class rangers may not specialize in a weapon
• Rangers (single-class or multi-class) may not double specialize in a weapon

Paladins

• Paladins may not specialize (or double specialize) in a weapon

Magic-Users and Illusionists

• Magic-users and illusionists are held in suspicion by most of the peoples of the Moonshaes, thus they generally try to hide their profession whilst travelling. 
• Magic-users and illusionists with an Intelligence of 16+ may prepare and cast one additional first level spell each day
• Material components for spells cost the cube of the spell’s level in gold pieces (e.g., the material components for a 1st level spell cost 1 g.p., the material components for a 2nd level spell cost 8 g.p., and the material components for a 9th level spell cost 729 g.p.).
• Note which spells for which your character has the necessary components, and remove those components when the spell is cast (obviously this applies only to spells with material components)
• Material components pouch = 20 gold pieces (holds material components for up to 20 spells; weighs 2 pounds when full)
• 1st level magic-users and illusionists start with one pouch
• Spell books are necessary for memorizing spells
• 1st level magic-users and illusionists start with one ‘standard’ and one ‘travelling’ spell book
• Both books may be assumed to contain the character’s starting spells (4 spells, including ‘read magic’, for magic-users; 3 spells for illusionists)

Thief Abilities

• Thief characters may either:
• Use the base thief ability percentages listed in the class description (OSRIC, p. 26)
• OR
• Distribute the following points amongst the thief abilities at each level — except Climb Walls, Hear Noise, and Read Languages (which follow the chart on p. 26)
• 1st level = 130 points
• 2nd level = 022 points
• 3rd level = 022 points
• 4th level = 022 points
• [Etc.]
• Racial and dexterity adjustments are applied after base skill percentages are determined