A Psionics Sytem Using Playing Cards for Old School D&Ds and BRPs

Zener cards

First, you gotta see if you are psychic. You must roll a d100 at or under your mind stats (one chance per each stat. So in D&D you would roll three times, once each vs your INT, WIZ, and CHA.

Since the average score for an ability is around 10 if you are doing 3d6, you overall end up with about a 27% chance of being psychic in this system, so DMs gotta be aware that it won't be rare if they adopt this rule.

Let's get to the actual meat of the post. The brain meat. If your GM has access to those psychic guessing cards from Ghostbusters, use those. Most tables will have to use tarot or playing cards tho. Do magicians shops have Zener cards?

Anyhoo, to do a psionic thing, negotiate the potential effects this the ref and then guess a card (Zener) or a suit. If you guess right, you did the thing without issue. If you guess wrong, you take a consequence in accordance with how hardcore you pulsated your temple-veins.

when she goes
for closing the
gate at the end
of a season,
that is a
high stakes risk

For instance, if you tried to scanners a guy's noggin to pulp. The game Judge may simply say, "you're dead." But I say if you are trying to splode a simple mook's pituitary, the stakes are still low. If the stakes are low, I think it is more appropriate to have a psychic nosebleed.

You take damage from the nosebleed equal to the number that appears on the card (face cards make you pass out). Since Zener cards don't have obvious numbers, count the lines on them (a circle has 1 line, an star has 5).

See, now that you know they are more forgiving, you are going to buy the game facilitator a deck of these Zener things.

One parting bit of consideration: as a PC gains experience, perhaps they should get a little bit better at doing the dramatic stuff. Maybe once you get seasoned, stuff that used to be dramatic, like picking up a whole semi truck, are not quite as risky for you as they used to be. Or maybe you get to draw two cards and take the best for something that is now a tried and true power for you. The world is your Ψ-oyster.

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d12 Names for Ravens

I'm not sure when I am going to use these in the course of running elfgames exactly, but I think I might adapt the Crow Mauler from Fear & Hunger. To be honest, I mostly was geeking out about the etymology of raven words.

1. Nihthroc
2. Hhræfn
3. Corvo
4. Huginn
5. Muninn
6. Poe
7. Abraxas
8. Phobos
9. Deimos
10. Oreb
11. Brân
12. Corbie

Do you have any good black bird names? Rook away in the comments. I wanna see a whole murder of you.
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Vexillum [Dungeon Vocab]

Today's word is one that may work for something held by hobgoblin bands and clerics alike, tho of different appearance. 

Vexillum is a diminutive form of the Latin word for sail. I stole most of the followng info from a wiki. Suckers.

The term "vexillum" (plural "vexilla") is used more generally for any object such as a relic or icon used as a standard in battle, & may be considered the offensive equivalent of the more defensive palladium in this context.

 Vexillology, or the study of flags, derives its name from this word, and a vexilloid is a standard that is not of conventional flag form. Nearly all of the present-day regions of Italy preserve the use of vexilla.

Many Christian processional banners are in the vexillum form; usually these banners are termed labara (Greek: λάβαρον) after the standard adopted by the first Christian Roman emperor Constantine I which replaced the imperial eagle with the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧. For example vexillum is used by the Legion of Mary as the term for its standards. A small version is used on the altar and a larger one leads processions.

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Bonus words: Furca is a hobo-pole and sarcina is a hobo-bindle, in roman soldier terms.

 

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d12 Origins of Sorcerous Knowledge

1: A leprechaun whispered it to be freed. 

2: By following the clues uttered by an imprisoned madman. 

3: Revealed in a sweven (prophetic dream) after drinking a priest's blood.

4: Painstakingly worked out from an acrostic uttered by a cursed Say and Speak.

5: Spelled out in braille on the back-acne of a giant.

6: Granted by a talking fish in gratitude for being thrown back.

7: Hidden on the sole of an angel's sandal.

8: When the names of 13 demons were fed into a computer, it spit this out of the laser printer.

9: From your pen-pal, Pandelume.

10: The mantras of meditation were learned by listening to the ravings of an oracle.

11:  A satellite in geosynchronous orbit has been sending you microwave-pulses.

12: A visit to Mimir's preserved head in the forgotten grotto of the gods was most illuminating.

 

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d66 Random Dungeon Generation

If, when rolling the dice, you need some shapes, take cues from the dice you rolled. 1s can be long, 2s can be symmetrical, 3s can be round, &c. You could even use the numeral shapes themselves. Doors can often be placed by feels alone. 

11 Corridor, ending in a door.

12  Corridor, doors on both sides.

13  Corridor, dead end.

14  Corridor, leads to cruciform intersection.

15  Shaft down. Corridor with secret door it that is too soon.

16  Shaft up.

21 Teleporter room, altar to the god of dungeons.

22 Teleporter room, trap (sigils lead to other sigils).

23 Teleporter room, magic mirrors.

24 Empty room, dead end.

25 Occupied room, dead end.

26 One-way path such as a drop, turn-style, crumbling Moria pillars, &c.

The threes may have to apply retroactively if they are rolled first.

31 Same as whatever the last roll was, but also with a small shrine.

32 Same as the last roll, but also trapped.

33 Same as the last roll, but there is a secret passage.

34 Same as the last roll, but occupied by a treasure-guardian.

35 Same as the last roll, but the floor or ceiling has given way.

36 Same as the last roll, doubled.

41 Cavern, small. Next four things are also cave system.

42 Series of small caves and grottoes.

43 Underground river, lake, or sea. 5 places to go around it.

44 Path carved by the god of the underworld.

45 Purple worm tunnels. Walk without rhythm. 

46 Bug tunnels. Some bugs are smart. Some are humanoid.

51 Stairs up.

52 Stairs down.

53 Ramp up.

54 Slope down.

55 Elevator.

56 Wind or pheumatics. 

61 Fortified area such as a fort or castle. 10 or more rooms.

62 Fane. At least 4 rooms.

63 Cluster of 5 rooms occupied by a faction.

64 Catacombs. Long and tall.

65 Under-jungle (usually fungal).

66 Dragon complex. Nice and roomy with 5 areas.

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Old School Saving Throws as Milestone Advancement

 

Remember years ago when I talked about Barony/Conrad's Game? Today we're gonna mix the ignobles milestone advancement from that RPG with the old D&D saves. In never actually talked much about the ignoble deeds before. It’s a neat system. Maybe the first milestone system in RPGs! To advance from one job to the next in Barony, you need to check off the following things:

Adventure (Travel Exotic Lands, Danger and Intrigue) 

Bard's Tale (Fame, Triumph, Notoriety) 

Battle (Military Engagements and Strategy)
Crafty Deeds (Cunning Execution of Skills and Ingenuity) 

Desires Fulfilled (Profit, Revenge, Power)
Exercising Prudence (Forethought Plans or Precautions) 

Growth (Leadership, Comradeship, Political Authority) 

Heroics (Boldness, Courage and Audacity) 

Magical Events (Acquisition, Exposure, Use)

Each deed can only check off one thing. 

 

I could actually say to use this system and call it a day, but we are here to provide a slightly simple alternative to XP counting for old school D&D type games, or at least in the spirit of them. 

 

So, here comes my idea:

When, in the course of your wanderings, you character survives* something that falls under the following categories, check it off. If they are all checked, you erase the checks and you can level up.

□　Death Rays or Ray-guns

□　Poisons or Diseases

□　Mesmerism or Mind Control
□　Paralysis or Stonification
□　Dragon Breath or Explosions
□　Wands, Rods, Staves, Curses, or Spells

There you go, no need to count XP. 

You might have noticed that my old school D&D saves don’t match your rulespedia or whatever. That’s okay, none of the old D&Ds agree with each other. Just use yours. Mine are better tho.

Maybe undead can be slightly friendlier in this system; if you get caressed by a ghoul, you lose one of your check marks (not the paralysis one!) instead of a whole level. 

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*: Or is resurrected after experiencing.

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The Seventh Ability Score is Gold

Sometimes the seventh score is Luck, and that is a useful one to have, but this post is about starting gold. Many D&Dalikes have you roll 3d6*10 for starting gold. And many DnDs let you swap ability scores around or lower one score to raise another. In our Black Pudding game, I have let the players consider gold to be a score that these options are applicable to. Can't afford that helm? Maybe you can sacrifice your CON of 11 to get a little extra cash up front.

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