Topic: questions from Solon

Hello,
I recently purchased Player Core Book at a FLGS. I'll use this thread to ask some questions.

The back cover indicates the existence of a Referee Core Book. Has that been published yet?

Re: questions from Solon

Nope... it was funded as an Indiegogo project awhile ago. I think the estimated release date is "future," but it will be pretty awesome when it does come out.

Until then, you could download the free Labyrinth Lord rules (http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html) and just use the Referee/Labyrinth Lord sections for monster rules. Really, most else of what you need is the in the Rules and Magic book already.

Re: questions from Solon

On page 23, 4th paragraph, it indicates that an elf is trained both as a "Fighter" and a "Magic-user" but I'm not sure what they mean. They went to the trouble of capitalizing both those words so you think that would mean something but maybe not. I can't figure out how the elf is, in any way, a Fighter. It has smaller hit dice. It is stuck with a +1 attack bonus and that never gets better. Exactly how is an elf a Fighter?

Re: questions from Solon

Elves and Dwarves can use the Press and Defensive fighting maneuvers like a Fighter.  In addition, Elves will have more hit points than Magic-users.

Lastly, the statement is an artifact from older editions of the game, where Elves did increase in fighting ability and could use swords and armor (which Magic-users could not use). LotFP does away with some of those elements in favor of more focused classes, but the result is Elves which are more Magic-user and less Fighter.

Re: questions from Solon

Page 25. 3rd paragraph

It seems to indicate that halflings only have 5 in 6 Stealth while in wilderness and thus it would be 1 in 6 in a dungeon. Is that correct?

Re: questions from Solon

Yes, that is technically correct. However, it wouldn't break the game if you decided (as a gaming group) to give Halflings a greater Stealth skills in dungeons too, perhaps a 3 in 6 chance?

Re: questions from Solon

Am I correct in thinking that the Cleric has no "turn Undead" special ability?

Re: questions from Solon

It is no longer a special ability, but it is part of the Cleric spell list.

Re: questions from Solon

I may have overlooked it but I did not see any prohibitions on use of weapons for any character class such as magic-users only using daggers and staffs like in Basic D&D. Are there any?

Are there any class prohibitions concerning armor?

Re: questions from Solon

Solon wrote:

I may have overlooked it but I did not see any prohibitions on use of weapons for any character class such as magic-users only using daggers and staffs like in Basic D&D. Are there any?

Are there any class prohibitions concerning armor?

Nope & nope.

You people are all alike, you march in here, young, try and touch the local things.
I suppose next you'll be spraying me with one of those cans of paint, smearing poor Tubbs here with excrement.

Re: questions from Solon

No outright prohibitions, but Magic-Users and Elves cannot cast spells at certain levels of Encumbrance.

Re: questions from Solon

So, the armor class is handled like 3.x but what about ability checks?

Is there anything in the book about it?

Re: questions from Solon

I don't think there is anything in the book about ability checks in general, though Strength checks are used in the grappling rules. There might be something in the Referee book, but I don't own the Grindhouse edition, so I cannot tell you precisely.

In general, OSR games tend to handle ability checks in one of several ways:

1. Roll 1d20; if you roll under the ability score you are checking, then you succeed.
2. Roll 3d6; if you roll under the ability score you are checking, then you succeed.
3. Two characters roll 1d20 and add the relevant ability score modifier; higher total wins.
4. Roll a saving throw instead if it makes sense (example: save vs. Breath Weapon to duck away from a passing swarm of insects).

You can use whichever makes sense to you.

Re: questions from Solon

There isn't such thing as ability checks in vanilla oldschool tbh. That is why Referee book doesn't even mention them (I own Grindhouse copy). You can use Saving Throws instead but it's difficult sometimes to imagine defensive ST as active ability check. If someone want to use them, then CironeAE listed most popular solutions.

Re: questions from Solon

I have the impression 0-level humans have 1d6 HP. Is that correct and somewhere in the book?

Re: questions from Solon

Yes, the Fighter has an extra 0 level line in the chart, as do all the demi-humans, for 0 level NPCs.

Re: questions from Solon

In Better Than Any Man, the book indicates that the golden scarab is a 1 HD creature but attacks like a 5 HD creature. This leads me to think that the higher the HD the higher the attack bonus.

Is that correct and where in the Player Core Book does it say that? What is the specific rule for monster attacks?

Re: questions from Solon

There are not rules in the Rules & Magic book on how to play monsters as the Referee. Those rules are in the Referee Guide.

I cannot remember what the exact rules from the Grindhouse Referee Guide are, but here is a good option for any old-school RPG: monsters have attack bonus (or THACO, or whatever) and saving throws the same as a Fighter of level equal to a monster's hit dice.

So a 2 HD monster in LotFP would save like a level 2 Fighter and have an attack bonus of +3.

The scarab would have an attack bonus of +6 but only have 1d8 hit points and save like a level 1 Fighter.

Last edited by CironeAE (2014-10-26 04:12:32)

Re: questions from Solon

That's the one thing I should have put in the R&M book (since as it turns out Ref book development goes into extra innings...):

Monster Attack Bonus = Hit Dice, and it saves as a Fighter if it is a "normal" creature, as a Dwarf if it is an unreal monster with no supernatural abilities, as a Halfling if it does.

Re: questions from Solon

JimLotFP wrote:

That's the one thing I should have put in the R&M book (since as it turns out Ref book development goes into extra innings...):

Monster Attack Bonus = Hit Dice, and it saves as a Fighter if it is a "normal" creature, as a Dwarf if it is an unreal monster with no supernatural abilities, as a Halfling if it does.

Thank you for posting this. This is really helpful as it is hard to find an old Ref book.
I plan on buying a Ref book when they come out, but is there any plan to release an artless version like with the R&M?

Re: questions from Solon

Rules & Magic book, P. 6         

It seems the Intelligence mod helps "against Magic-user spells" but does it also help with Device saving throws since that would be magical devices like wands? Should it also apply to Paralyze saving throws since that includes certain spells?

Wisdom mod gives a bonus to "non-spell related saving throw rolls" so a little clarification would be good.

Re: questions from Solon

Solon wrote:

Rules & Magic book, P. 6         

It seems the Intelligence mod helps "against Magic-user spells" but does it also help with Device saving throws since that would be magical devices like wands? Should it also apply to Paralyze saving throws since that includes certain spells?

Wisdom mod gives a bonus to "non-spell related saving throw rolls" so a little clarification would be good.

Basically, if it's magic, Intelligence mod will give you a bonus to the throw, and if it's not, wisdom will.

Also, you can get a PDF copy of the Lamentations Referee book for free right now:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/148012/Lo … se-Edition

And, since you seem relatively new to the OSR scene (I was in your spot about 2 years ago!) I always recommend this Old School Primer to people (also a free download):

http://www.lulu.com/shop/matthew-finch/ … 59558.html

Re: questions from Solon

I looked in the Rules and Magic book. I looked in the Grindhouse ref book. I didn't see anything about saving throws for monsters. Is there a rule in one of the books?

Re: questions from Solon

Monsters save the same as a fighter with levels = to the monsters hit dice.

Page 49, Grindhouse Ref book, under the section titled "Hit Dice."

"This determines how many hit
points a monster has (1d8 per Hit Die), how
well the monster fights (Attack Bonus +1 per
Hit Die), what their saving throw values are
(as a Fighter of the same level), and how
much experience is gained for defeating it,
so this is possibly the most important of the
monster’s stats."