Tag Archives: Pahvelorn

Converting GP to XP

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In Pahvelorn, you get XP from treasure recovered from the underworld or perilous wilderness. This happens when you spend the GP so recovered. Note that you don’t get XP just from spending money, it has to be money derived from recovered treasure. There are lots of good explanations about why this works well in D&D, but here’s one over at the LotFP blog if you’re curious.

This should very much be considered a draft set of rules. I’ve used some of these systems in play before, and the community at large has had, it seems, a positive experience with carousing as a game mechanic, but generalizing these ideas to other activities (magical research, alternatives for clerics, etc) very much seems to be an active and ongoing project (for example, see this post over at In Places Deep and this one at Kill it with Fire).

ALL CLASSES

  • Upkeep. Choose a standard of living: squalid, standard, or luxurious. Squalid gives you a -1 penalty to pretty much everything due to poor nutrition and low-quality rest. Living luxuriously won’t help you swing a sword, but it might affect some reaction rolls and may attract attention (both good and bad). Living squalidly may give you some reaction roll bonuses if you are trying to blend into poorer social groups. Preliminarily, upkeep costs per week are (rounded up, if fewer days than one week are spend in civilization between adventures): 1 SP (squalid), 5 GP (standard), and 100 GP (luxurious). I reserve to right to tweak those as I see fit.
  • Other Expenses. Repairing or replacing weapons, paying retainers, purchasing passage on a caravan, etc. Some other referees only like to give XP for spending on things that you don’t get other utility from, but I don’t have that concern. As long as the source of the money was treasure, anything is fair game.
  • Advertising. Advertising may be the only way to find certain specialized kinds of retainers. I will be using something similar to the system in the Ready Ref Sheets. This allows you to spend from 1 – 600 GP per week looking for special kinds of hirelings.
  • Strongholds. Traditionally, characters build a stronghold at name level (for fighters, this is 9th level, Lord; for clerics this 8th level, Patriarch). Magic-users often build towers to study and practice their dark crafts, though name level is not as clearly defined (though it is probably the Wizard title, gained at level 11). In any case, to have the funds for such a venture, you need to start saving. Once you locate a stronghold site, even if the area is not totally cleared, you may start to put money towards its creation.
  • Big Ticket Items. Like a ship, for example. You can take XP without spending the GP if you bank the funds with some reputable moneychanger, but if you spend that money on anything else you will take an XP penalty in the future. Maaaaaybe you can do this for strongholds too.
  • Goals. Perhaps your character collects pottery from a particular lost civilization, or is obsessed with any tidbit of knowledge regarding elves and Elf-Land. If you spend money on a PC fascination, you can take XP for that expense.
In addition, there are some class-specific ways to spend recovered treasure. In general, they work by spending GP and then making a saving throw to avoid unintended consequences (this procedure was adapted from Jeff’s carousing rules).
CLERICS
  • Rites, ceremonies, marriages, funerals, naming ceremonies, consecrations, purifications, sitting in judgement, and exorcisms. I have had so many ideas for this recently, I think they deserve a separate post. Also, remember, clerics are widely respected, but as demon hunters and travelling law men, not sedentary priests.
FIGHTERS
  • Carousing. This can be either public (a feast) or private (wine, lotus powder, etc).
  • Competition. Wrestling, jousting, non-lethal gladiatorial combat. The specific options will vary based on location.
MAGIC-USERS
  • Magical Research. See here. Money spent this way should be recorded and can be used towards magical research rolls later.
THIEVES
  • Carousing. See fighter entry above.
  • Surveillance. This should be appropriate to your character concept (e.g., an urban rogue can surveil city contacts whereas Robin Hood might be talking to shepherds and watching the comings and goings of the Sherif’s soldiers). This can get you some sweet rumors or threat level information that you might not be able to discover any other ways.
  • Poisons. Brewing or buying; both require GP.
A character may spend money in off class ways, but takes a saving throw penalty, if one is required. The side effect might be interesting… what happens when a fighter sneaks a peak at the magic-user’s grimoire and can’t restrain her curiosity? I don’t know, try it and I’ll make up some system to resolve what happens.

I think that should be enough for now.

OD&D Equipment

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TL;DR: Skip to the bottom and roll 3d6 on the table for starting equipment and wealth. Continue reading here if you are interested in the details. You can find PDF versions of these tables on the downloads page.

In OD&D, one is instructed to roll 3d6 * 10 for starting GP and buy all equipment manually. Here is a one-roll method which uses a 3d6 table. This table has 64 different starting packages, one for each class at each potential starting wealth level. I built it strictly using the prices and equipment in Men & Magic, so should be useful in any vanilla OD&D game. Buying equipment has traditionally been the most time consuming part of creating a D&D character, but hopefully this can speed the process up. Maybe I should have broken this post into several more specific posts, but most of the following sections have bearing on starting equipment, so I have left it all together.

The OD&D equipment list can be broken into the following categories (GP prices are in parentheses):

  • One-handed melee weapons: dagger (3), hand axe (3), mace (5), sword (10), battle axe (7), morning star (6), flail (8)
  • Two-handed melee weapons: spear (1), pole arm (7), halberd (7), two-handed sword (15), lance (4), pike (5)
  • Missile weapons: short bow (25), long bow (40), composite bow (50), light crossbow (15), heavy crossbow (25), quiver 20 arrows (10), case 30 quarrels (10), 20 arrows/30 quarrels (5)
  • Animals & accessories: mule (20), draft horse (30), light horse (40), medium warhorse (100), heavy warhorse (200), saddle (25), saddle bags (10), barding (150)
  • Armor: leather (15), chain (30), plate (50), helmet (10), shield (10)
  • Exploration gear: rope (1), 10′ pole (1), iron spikes (1)
  • Containers: small sack (1), large sack (2), backpack (5), water/wine skin (1)
  • Light sources: 6 torches (1), lantern (10), flask of oil (2)
  • Bug spray: 3 stakes & mallet (3), steel mirror (5), silver mirror (15), wooden cross (2), silver cross (25), vial of holy water (25), wolvesbane (10), belladona (10), garlic (5)
  • Rations: quart of wine (1), week iron rations (15), week standard rations (5)
BASIC OBSERVATIONS
First, everything here has a use, and the offerings tell you a lot about the game. Learning about and exploiting monster weaknesses is very important. It is the largest single category, unless you consider weapons as one category. Also, everything is priced in GP (no silver or copper), presumably for making buying initial equipment easier (I think that is good design, compared to the baroque complexity of the AD&D price lists). I have ignored animals and vehicles in the starting packages, as they are not likely to be relevant at first level. “Bug spray” items are designed to combat specific monsters (I could not think of a better term). The entire equipment list fits on one digest-sized page.
COMPOSITION OF STARTING PACKAGES
I have tried to give each starting package at least one item from each of the following categories (when appropriate by class): melee weapon, missile weapon, armor, exploration gear, container, light source, bug spray, and rations. Everyone gets iron rations, even in preference to armor, because you need iron rations for expeditions, and all characters should be going on expeditions. If you don’t like your starting package, feel free to drop down to any lesser level and take the difference in GP. For example, if you roll 10, you could take result 8 + 20 GP. Some packages may seem less useful than others, but I would encourage you to consider playing what you roll, as figuring out how to make use of the equipment can be fun and interesting.Armor is determined as the best affordable by spending no more than half of the starting money. Missile weapons. For example, I gave clerics and fighters plate + shield (a value of 60 GP) for wealth roles of 120 or higher (for the clerics options without scrolls). Half of the cleric packages and all of the magic-user packages at 120 GP or higher begin with a scroll (see below). No more than every other thief package is given a missile weapon, as some people do not allow thieves a wide selection of weapons. Slings are mentioned in Supplement I: Greyhawk, so I have assumed availability at a cost of 1 GP (the entire thief class comes from that book, so if I am including the thief in this chart it seems reasonable to include a few of the mundane weapons as well). 

STARTING WITH SCROLLS

I have given all magic-users that roll 11 or more for starting wealth a scroll. First level scrolls for 100 GP are present in the rules (Men & Magic page 7), though they can’t be created by magic-users prior to 11th (“wizard”) level. Because of this, one won’t actually find scrolls for sale at the price of 100 GP in the game world, but it seems like a reasonable cost for assessing starting equipment. Determine the particular spell in any way desired. Rolling 1d8 on the table of first level spells (page 21) seems eminently reasonable to me. Another option would be to let the player pick one of the spells that they can cast under the assumption that they scribed the scroll before play started. For added spice you may want to roll for the level as well; there are few things more entertaining than giving a first level magic-user one use of disintegrate, animate dead, or fireball.

CLERIC WEAPONS

If I were to interpret weapons allowed for clerics conservatively and stick to the weapons listed explicitly in Men & Magic, the poor cleric would be left with only one weapon: the mace (and even some flanged maces are arguably edged, but I won’t go there). However, the book does helpfully add: “Other items cost may be calculated by comparing to similar items listed above” (Men & Magic page 14). I think the most appropriate list of starting weapons is probably what Cameron DuBeers suggested:

Mace, hammer, club, quarter-staff.

I’ve gone several ways with slings. I eventually settled on disallowing them, reasoning that a cleric or anti-cleric would want to punish the enemies of his faith by his own hand.

Derived prices are 5 GP for a war hammer (based on the price of a mace) and 1 GP for either a club, cudgel, or quarter-staff. Thank you also to everyone else who responded to the topic about cleric weapons over at ODD74.

CLERIC SCROLLS

According to the rules, “There is a 25% chance that any scroll of spells found will contain those usable by clerics” (Monsters & Treasure page 24). But also: “All Scrolls are spells for Magic-Users, and regardless of the level of the spell they can be used by any Magic-User capable of reading them” (Monsters & Treasure page 32). In addition, nowhere in the rules does it state that clerics can create magic items of any kind, though Men & Magic dedicates half a page to wizardly creation of magic items. How do we reconcile these seeming contradictions without assuming an editorial mistake? Here is one way (the quote is from ralph on ODD74):

Scrolls will contain those spells usable by clerics 25% of the time, but are for Magic Users.

How many spells appear on both classes lists? (I don’t have my books available at the moment.)

Could it be those spells that are on 25% of scrolls?

In other words, clerics can cast spells from “magic-user” scrolls, but only those spells that show up on the cleric spell list. Here is a list of those overlapping spells, sorted by cleric level.

  1. Light (C 1, MU 1)
  2. Detect Magic (C 1, MU 1)
  3. Protection from Evil (C 1, MU 1)
  4. Detect Evil (C 1, MU 2)
  5. Hold Person (C 2, MU 3)
  6. Locate Object (C 3, MU 2)
  7. Continual Light (C 3, MU 2)
  8. Remove Curse (C 3, MU 4)
  9. Protection from Evil, 10′ radius (C 4, MU 3)

One could roll d4 on this table to select the contents of a beginning cleric scroll.

BUNDLES FOR RE-EQUIPPING

  • Budget explorer (22 GP): backpack, waterskin, 6 torches, 1 week iron rations
  • Deluxe explorer (39 GP): backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations
  • Budget vampire slayer (10 GP): 3 stakes & mallet, steel mirror, wooden cross
  • Deluxe vampire slayer (73): 3 stakes & mallet, silver mirror, silver cross, vial of holy water, garlic
  • Werewolf slayer (35): 5 silver tipped arrows, wolvesbane
  • Heavy infantry (83): plate armor, shield, helmet, sword, dagger
  • Budget infantry (19): leather armor, spear, dagger
  • Archer (78): leather armor, longbow, quiver of 20 arrows, sword, dagger
  • Skulk (24): leather armor, dagger, 50′ rope, belladona
  • Spelunker (6): 50′ rope, 10′ pole, 12 iron spikes, 3 stakes & mallet
I actually don’t know all that much about medieval soldiering; I’m sure other people could come up with some better re-equipping packages based on historical warrior examples.
 

RATIONS

There are two types of rations: iron (15 GP for one week) and standard (5 GP for one week). Iron rations are explicitly described as “for dungeon expeditions” (Men & Magic page 14). Given that most low-level adventurers will be crawling dungeons (as the wilderness is too dangerous), it seems important that all starting packages include some iron rations (even though that is half of starting wealth on the low end of the roll).

I am going with the interpretation that standard rations are still relatively resistant to spoilage, but often require cooking. This is one reason why they are not going to be as useful for dungeon exploration, unless you also bring firewood and kindling (good luck keeping it dry). Also, consider that cooking in a dungeon, even if possible, will likely attract attention. So the quick take-away here is that iron rations are for the underworld and standard rations are for the wilderness.

Also remember that rations have a secondary purpose in OD&D: as a distraction for pursuing monsters. From The Underworld & Wilderness Adventure, page 12:

Edible items will have a small likelihood (10%) of distracting intelligent monsters from pursuit. Semi-intelligent monsters will be distracted 50% of the time. Non-intelligent monsters will be distracted 90% of the time by food.

Treasure will have the opposite reaction as food, being more likely to stop intelligent monsters.

In that light, standard rations may be considered more edible by monsters than iron rations. I would probably only use the above distraction probabilities for standard rations, so you might also want to stock up on standard rations to use as monster bait. However, standard rations will quickly become inedible to mortals in the strange environment of the underworld. (Side note: mentioned just prior to the above quote on the same page, burning oil is also a good deterrent.)

See this thread and this thread for more discussion.

PAHVELORN-SPECIFIC NOTES

With the exception of mounts (horses are rare and valuable), all the prices in Men & Magic are valid for the town of Zorfath. Note that clerics in my campaign can use any weapon, but I have kept the table to non-edged weapons as per the rules so that this can be useful to others as well. If you are playing in my campaign, feel free to drop down one category and add a sword, or take the fighter entry rather than the cleric entry. In fact, if you want to play against type (for example, a diabolist magic-user disguised as a soldier), feel free to take the starting package for any class at the level rolled.

TABLE FOR STARTING EQUIPMENT

3d6 Cleric Fighter Magic-User Thief
3 cudgel, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, 4 GP spear, dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 3 GP dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 4 GP cudgel, sling, pouch with 20 sling bullets, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 4 GP
4 cudgel, shield, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, wooden cross, 4 GP cudgel, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 1 GP 2 daggers, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 2 flasks oil, 50′ rope, 7 GP cudgel, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 1 GP
5 mace, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, 5 GP leather armor, morning star, dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 3 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 7 GP cudgel, dagger, sling, pouch with 20 sling bullets, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 6 GP
6 quarter-staff, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 12 iron spikes, wooden cross, 3 stakes & mallet, steel mirror, 10 GP leather armor, battle axe, hand axe, dagger, sling, pouch with 20 sling bullets, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 7 GP dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, vial of holy water, 9 GP sword, dagger, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 9 GP
7 chain armor, war hammer, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, 2 small sacks, 8 GP chain armor, spear, dagger, sling, pouch with 20 sling bullets, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 11 GP dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole 5 flasks of oil, silver mirror, belladona, 9 GP cudgel, light crossbow, case with 30 quarrels, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 6 GP
8 chain armor, shield, mace, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, wooden cross, 2 small sacks, 8 GP chain armor, shield, sword, dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 4 GP dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 2 vials holy water, 4 GP sword, light crossbow, case of 30 quarrels, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 7 GP
9 chain armor, shield, war hammer, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, 2 small sacks, 3 stakes & mallet, steel mirror, 10 GP chain armor, spear, light crossbow, case with 30 quarrels, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 11 GP 3 daggers, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, vial of holy water, 16 GP sword, 2 daggers, 35 short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, leather armor, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 1 GP
10 plate armor, shield, mace, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, wooden cross, 10 GP plate armor, shield, sword, dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 4 GP dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 2 vials holy water, 24 GP sword, dagger, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 32 GP
11 plate armor, shield, war hammer, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, small sack, 2 GP plate armor, two-handed sword, 3 daggers, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 2 flasks oil, 9 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 67 GP sword, light crossbow, case of 30 quarrels, 2 silver tipped quarrels, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 10 GP
12 plate armor, quarter-staff, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, silver cross, 4 GP plate armor, shield, sword, light crossbow, case with 30 quarrels, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 2 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 77 GP sword, dagger, short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 17 GP
13 cudgel, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, scroll, 4 GP plate armor, flail, dagger, 35 short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, small sack, 10 GP dagger, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, scroll, 10′ pole, 4 GP sword, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 65 GP
14 plate armor, shield, mace, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, silver cross, 10 GP plate armor, shield, sword, light crossbow, case with 30 quarrels, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 5 GP 2 daggers, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, scroll, 50′ rope, 11 GP sword, light crossbow, case of 30 quarrels, 6 silver tipped quarrels, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 20 GP
15 leather armor, mace, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, scroll, 2 flasks oil, 1 GP plate armor, helmet, 2 battle axes, dagger, light crossbow, case with 30 quarrels, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 5 flasks oil, 15 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, scroll, 10′ pole, 7 GP sword, short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, 6 silver tipped arrows, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 20 GP
16 plate armor, shield, helmet, war hammer, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, silver cross, 3 stakes & mallet, steel mirror, 12 GP plate armor, two-handed sword, dagger, short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 2 small sacks, 15 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, scroll, 50′ rope, 17 GP sword, 4 daggers, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 98 GP
17 chain armor, war hammer, 6 torches, backpack, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, wooden cross, scroll, 10 GP plate armor, halberd, dagger, long bow, quiver of 20 arrows, 2 silver tipped arrows, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 10 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, scroll, 10′ pole, 27 GP sword, light crossbow, case of 30 quarrels, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, 80 GP
18 plate armor, shield, helmet, mace, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 50′ rope, silver cross, vial holy water, 12 iron spikes, 3 stakes & mallet, small sack, 10 GP plate armor, shield, helmet, sword, 2 daggers, light crossbow, case with 30 quarrels, 4 silver tipped quarrels, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 9 GP dagger, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, scroll, 50′ rope, 37 GP sword, 3 daggers, short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, 8 silver tipped arrows, leather armor, backpack, waterskin, lantern, 4 flasks oil, 1 week iron rations, 10′ pole, 31 GP

Pahvelorn 20 Setting Questions

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Here are answers to Jeff’s twenty quick campaign setting questions for the Vaults of Pahvelorn OD&D campaign.

What is the deal with my cleric’s religion?

Clerics are members of an ancient order of holy warriors dedicated to the power of law. In legend, the order originated as the elite judicial and martial arm of a mighty and just empire, but is now a religion of mysteries. See here for more details.

Where can we go to buy standard equipment?

In Zorfath: the General Store, the blacksmith, and Thracle’s Grand Emporium.

Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?

The blacksmith in Zorfath can probably take care of it given a few weeks (and some extra gold).

Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?

The master of the Lustrous Tower to the southeast is reputed to be no slouch. Many people assume that the vanished wizard Ismahir would be the greatest were he to return, and if he is not dead.

Who is the greatest warrior in the land?

There hasn’t been a great warrior in a generation. Perhaps you will be the next? Libash Dalzat, Griffonlord, and master of the stronghold Shem Nabar to the east, claims the title of “Great Redeemer” (despite having lost the sword), but he has not ventured forth in many years, nor sent his knights on errands. He is said to have grown distrustful.

Who is the richest person in the land?

The travelling merchant Thracle maintains an emporium in Zorfath, though he is usually not in attendance. Goods available at Thracle’s Grand Emporium change frequently, so it pays to visit regularly. Thracle also employs the sage Strodastin, who resides permanently in Zorfath. Strodastin will pay good coin for texts or volumes of forgotten lore. Thracle also owns part of The Giant’s Sword (the tavern), and several other businesses.

Fabulously wealthy merchants from the overworld used to visit and bring strange goods, but they have not been seen in many years.

Where can we go to get some magical healing?

The stronghold Ilum Zugot to the northwest is ruled by the priest king Agamos. He is known for dispensing miracles in reward for labors.

Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?

The alchemist Useth (owner of Useth’s Apothecary) in Zorfath has antidotes for some poisons, diseases, and curses. Useth has been sick for many years, and most of the work in the business is now done by one of his several apprentices, Shilum being the primary. The wizard of the Lustrous Tower might be able to help with more dire enchantments, such as cases of polymorph or petrification.

Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?

Nothing public, but you might be able to discover something during play.

Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?

The sage Strodastin resides in Zorfath (see the “richest person” entry above for details about his employer, Thracle). The apothecary Useth has some minor alchemical skills.

Where can I hire mercenaries?

There are sometimes soldiers and other retainers for hire at the lodge for the Society of Treasure Hunters in Zorfath.

Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?

Magic-users are looked upon with fear and awe. They may not carry weapons heavier than a dagger and are expected to dress in a way that advertises their wizardlyness (concealed sorcery is assumed to be demonic). Outside of civilized areas, such laws are obviously less strongly enforced (though you may encounter travellers on the road that might attempt to take the law into their own hands). Remember also that banishment from a town or stronghold is a significant punishment, as travel in the wilderness is dangerous, and many old roads between settlements have been reclaimed by the wilderness.

In general, each stronghold or settlement enforces their own, unique laws, so it can be useful to investigate the customs before potentially causing offence (which can lead to inconvenient things like being challenged to a duel or banished).

Which way to the nearest tavern?

The main drinking establishment in Zorfath is marked by an ancient giant’s sword thrust into the ground next to the door. It has no other marking, but is known to residents as The Giant’s Sword.

What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?

Several dragons have been reported south of the Shagagramis wastes. Some claim there is actually only one dragon, but others say that caravans have been attacked by multiple dragons working in concert.

Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?

The citadel of Trolmun, to the west, ruled by Efulziton the Necromancer, has been engaged in an ongoing struggle with some sort of demonic incursion from the Cobramurk Mountains.

How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?

The town of Slexmul somewhere to the north is famed for gladiatorial combats. Any noble of means is expected to maintain private arenas with slaves and beasts. Fabulous fighting styles are much appreciated in Slexmul. It is, after all, the birthplace of Slexmulian stilt-fighting, among many other even stranger styles. Menagerie caravans sometimes travel to Slexmul, though word is that the road north of Gosmermorul has become all but impassable.

Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?

Some crackpot is trying to start up a cult around the dragons spotted just south of the Shagagramis Wastes.

What is there to eat around here?

Farms surround Zorfath, and farmers make up the bulk of the population. The green bread and gruel from the farmed grain makes up the biggest part of the Zorfathian diet. There is a small fishing village south of Zorfath on the banks of the Gust Snang, and the catch is the second most common foodstuff. Other fare consists of giant rabbit (common in the hills), serpent, and meat from the rare six-horned stag (which can sometimes be found in the Whiskerknife Hills or Cobramurk Mountains). The supreme delicacy is the flesh of the Beautiful People (though well-preserved bodies are more valuable for taxidermic purposes).

Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?

Libash Dalzat, lord of Shem Nabar, lost the sword Redeemer during an expedition in the Cobramurk Mountains many years ago. The lost sword is not a topic to be spoken of in Shem Nabar among polite company.

Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?

Several dragons are known to make their lairs in the Cobramurk Mountains to the south and west. Periodically, they savage caravans and carry off plunder and slaves. In addition, several dragons seem to have made their home in the plains south of the Shagagramis Wastes (that is north of Zorfath). They seem to behave oddly for dragons (travellers have reported sinuous dragon dancing under open sunlight, and nobody knows what to make of that).

Pahvelorn Side & Over Views

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Here are side and over views of the known entrances leading to the Vaults of Pahvelorn. They lie deep within the pit left when the fortress ascended. The castle’s absence revealed both caves and remnants of long buried ruins. Originally, what has come be be known as Demongate was just a bare cave, but someone (or something) carved a demonic visage around it. The town of Zorfath lies just south of the chasm, and there are also ruins of several towers and bits of curtain wall left from Pahvelorn Castle.

Pahvelorn Chasm Side View
Pahvelorn Chasm Over View

Seal Evil

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Joseph William Turner, Interior of a Prison

Sometimes truly destroying a demon is impossible or impractical. In such cases, magical seals are sometimes employed. Clerics may learn the seal evil rite upon reaching fourth level. Learning requires four months study with a holy text describing the rite or one month of study with a cleric can can perform the rite. Creating a seal is closer to creating a magic item than casting a spell. It requires one day of work (regardless of the seal level) and 100 gold pieces per level of seal. A cleric may not create a seal of level higher than their experience level as a cleric. So, for example, a fifth level cleric could create a fourth level seal at the cost of 1 day of work and 400 GP in expenses. The same cleric could not create a seal of strength higher than fifth level.

However, multiple clerics working together may create stronger seals. All clerics so cooperating must have learned the rite (and thus must be at least fourth level). For each cleric in excess of the first, the strength of the seal is raised by one level, to a maximum level of 20. The time to complete the rite is still one day, but costs are commensurate with the final level of the seal (so a 15th level seal created by a 7th level cleric and eight assistant clerics would take one day and 1500 GP in sacrifices and components).

Seals work by preventing magical or chaotic beings from passing through the warded area, usually a door, though a physical barrier is not required. Such beings include elementals, undead, demons, powerful sorcerers, and cauldron-spawned beastlings (but not natural humanoids or animals, even if dangerous). Affected creatures inside the sealed area with hit dice equal to or less than the level of the seal may not in any way cross the barrier. In addition, if the barrier is an entrance into a closed area (such as a room, coffin, or complex), such creatures may also not leave via any other route (for example, tunnelling through dirt around the door is not possible). In addition, all the benefits of a protection from evil spell are present.

Clerics of any level can immediately identify a seal and ascertain its potency. In addition, clerics of fourth level or higher can read any details included (seal inscriptions are written in the hidden language of law). Magic-users will recognize a seal but must make an intelligence check to determine its level. Seals detect as magical, and read magic can be used to uncover details about the evil being warded against (if the seal creator decided to include such information). Anyone else may identify a seal with a successful intelligence check, though no details about its power or reason for being should be provided. A sage can often assess the level of a seal if provided with rubbings or sketches.

Creatures with more hit dice may attempt a saving throw versus spells once per lunar cycle to break the seal. If successful, the seal is destroyed. In addition, unless accompanied by a cleric who knows the seal evil rite, anyone crossing the threshold will break the seal. Thus, creatures trapped within a sealed chamber will often seek to trick or tempt mortals into transgressing the seal.

The Uses of Monsters

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The Capture of Cerberus (image from Wikimedia)

In the Vaults of Pahvelorn game, no XP is awarded for defeating monsters. From a game design point of view, this is probably the only house rule with a potential for major unintended consequences, so I am approaching it enthusiastically but with caution. The main intention is to break the primary association between killing monsters and advancing in the game.

Sometimes you do just want to kill creatures and take their stuff, but that is not the only profitable way to interact with strangers. Here are some other possibilities.

  • Minions. Many intelligent foes would be just as happy working for you as against you, if you make it worth their while. Payment is a good start, but subdual and enslavement can also work sometimes, and fighting against a someone’s enemies is always a decent way to get on their good side. The magical option is traditionally charm person or charm monster.
  • Mounts. Some rideable creatures are intelligent and can be bargained with. See the entry on retainers above. If not, feeding creatures is a good opening gambit (though you need to discover what they eat first, if you don’t want to offend them). Unintelligent creatures will require some training time, and paying an animal trainer (or beast master, if you can find one) can help speed up that process. The magical method is charm monster.
  • Taxidermy. Preserved monsters are a sign of wealth, power, and erudition. It is considered especially chic to replace eyes with precious gem stones. Specimens of The Beautiful People are particularly prized by collectors.
  • Resources. While you won’t generally encounter NPCs that send you on quests for 10 hell hound ears (or whatever), many creatures do provide components of value. For example, fire beetles contain an unstable compound useful in creating high quality oil and other combustibles. Poison, if safely extracted and stabilized, is also always valuable in the black market (if you don’t want to use it yourself). Sometimes, a poison sample is required to formulate an effective antitoxin. If in doubt, haul a carcass back to a sage and get it examined.
  • Gladiators. Pitting slaves or monsters against each other is good sport in some lands, though it is not permitted (publicly) in Zorfath.
  • Menageries. Travelling circuses and menageries will often pay good coin for captured or subdued beasts. Sometimes, they just transport them to distant customers (zoos, arenas, sorcerers) while other times they are trained as circus creatures. Enslaving and selling creatures will not endear you to their relatives, however.
  • Dissection. Useful for a bonus on spell research, and perhaps for things like the creation of chimeras. I have an earlier post about this too.
Anything that is potentially dangerous can also be used creatively. This includes hazards, traps, and monsters.

Any other ideas for how to make use of monsters?

Healing & Aging (Again)

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Previously I brought up the idea of aging as a potential side effect of healing magic. My original method was cumbersome (1 day of aging per HP healed) and potentially not salient enough to the player. Talysman also weighed in, and suggested that there could be a chance of years worth of aging per die of healing rather than a smaller guaranteed amount of aging. Talysman’s method avoids the need for extra rolls, but the probabilities result in aging being a bit too frequent for me.

I do think the idea of aging one year every once in a while rather than aging days for every instance of healing would work much better in terms of bookkeeping, and also be more salient to the player. I personally don’t mind an extra roll, since healing is infrequent. Based on these principles, here is a revised proposal:

Whenever a character is healed magically, there is a percentage chance to age one year equal to the number of HP so healed, minus the character’s constitution modifier. For example, if a character with 10 (average) constitution is magically healed 6 HP, there is a 6 percent chance of ageing. If a character had a +1 constitution modifier, the same healing would result in a 5 percent chance of aging.

The percentage can obviously be tuned for any specific campaign. For example, if you want the aging to be rarer, you could make it % equal to half the HP healed, or a flat 1 in 20 chance (essentially, a fumbled constitution check). I kind of like having the number of HP healed and the character’s constitution influence the result, however, and HP healed = percentage chance of aging is really easy to remember. Also, if natural healing is 1 HP per day, that means that the recover of 350+ HP is the natural “worth” of one year of aging. Healing the same number of HP magically over the same time period would result in about 3.5 times more aging, making magical healing not a good alternative for the common cases.

The books of magic

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Image from Wikimedia commons

Recently I have been fascinated with the idea of magic books as things with identity over and above individual spells. Here is a system for handling the main D&D spells using grimoires rather than generic spell books. All but eleven of the spells in Men & Magic are accounted for. Magic-users may begin with a copy of Arcana Metaphysica and with one other grimoire (choose or roll 1d12).

Researching a spell for personal use or scribing a scroll is different than creating a grimoire, which is not just a collection of spells. A grimoire is a book of power, painstakingly copied down through the ages, and often the work of an individual (perhaps mad) genius. They also often contain things like poems and chants in addition to spell formulae. Many parts of these eldritch books are unintelligible, even to magic-users. However, the spells listed have been identified by sorcerous tradition, and are commonly understood to exist, even if not all magic-users have the talent or experience to cast them safely. Individual magic-users often create spell books, but these are not grimoires and cannot be used by other wizards (though they may grant a bonus to magic research rolls if examined with the assistance of read magic). Magical spells cannot be shared like science, and often die with their creator.

Some of these grimoires contain very high level spells. Magic-users may attempt to cast or prepare spells above their normal ability, but at great risk. The casting or preparation takes 1 turn (10 minutes of in-game time). If prepared, the highest level spell slot must be used. When cast, a saving throw versus spells is made with penalty equal to spell level and bonus equal to 1/2 level. On a roll equal to or less than the spell level, the magic user suffers a catastrophic backfire. Note that the fumble range is not decreased by increasing level until the magic-user is able to prepare the spell as normal. The saving throw is not made until the moment of casting.

All grimoires are looked upon with fear and awe, but of the individual books, Arcana Metaphysica is by far the most common (relatively speaking) and least mysterious of the known grimoires. Anyone with an education will be able to identify it, and anyone carrying this book will be assumed to be a magic-user. Grimoires are quite bulky; one will occupy most of a backpack or sack. Travelling with several grimoires generally requires multiple chests and servants, or at least a pack animal with generous saddlebags.

Arcana Necromantica, Conjurations & Banishments, and The Roads Between the Stars are all considered forbidden knowledge, and will mark the possessor as a necromancer or demonologist. Even many magic-users will destroy these books if given the chance, though the status of Conjurations & Banishments is ambivalent, as the fragments do contain warding spells. Unfortunately, most of the spells of banishment have not survived.

Copying a grimoire correctly is not something that a common scribe can accomplish. It must be done in the proper ritual setting, and requires the finest materials. Costs as per magical research in Men & Magic. Arcana Metaphysica is the primary exception, often being created by a magic-user during apprenticeship (though some individuals have been able to teach themselves from a pilfered copy of the Arcana). It is also the only grimoire that a magic-user can recreate from memory if the original is lost. The great cost of creating a grimoire does not encourage experimentation, however, and small variations can sometimes doom an entire project.

(Spell levels are indicated by the number prior to the spell name.)

The Basics

Arcana Metaphysica, anonymous

  • 1 Read Magic
  • 3 Dispel Magic
  • 4 Remove Curse
  • 6 Anti-Magic Shell

Specialized Grimoires

Roll 1d12:

1. The Hidden Knowledge, attributed to Cochyla the Younger

  • 1 Detect Magic
  • 1 Detect Evil
  • 2 Locate Object
  • 2 ESP
  • 3 Clairvoyance
  • 3 Clairaudience
  • 4 Wizard Eye

2. Realms Seen and Unseen, attributed to the Fifth Council

  • 1 Light
  • 2 Detect Invisibility
  • 2 Invisibility
  • 2 Continual Light
  • 3 Invisibility, 10′ Radius
  • 3 Infravision

3. The Organ of the Inner Moon, attributed to Sezius Elfblood

  • 1 Charm Person
  • 1 Sleep
  • 3 Hold Person
  • 4 Confusion
  • 4 Charm Monster
  • 5 Feeblemind
  • 6 Geas

4. Mastering Gates, attributed to Marlow Shadow-Walker

  • 1 Hold Portal
  • 2 Wizard Lock
  • 2 Knock
  • 5 Pass-Wall

5. Codex of the Cloud-Masters, anonymous

  • 2 Levitate
  • 3 Fly
  • 3 Protection from Normal Missiles
  • 5 Telekinesis

6. Illusio, anonymous

  • 2 Phantasmal Forces
  • 4 Hallucinatory Terrain
  • 4 Massmorph
  • 6 Projected Image

7. On Essence, attributed to Caleia

  • 4 Polymorph Self
  • 4 Polymorph Others
  • 5 Transmute Rock-Mud
  • 5 Growth of Animals
  • 6 Stone-Flesh

8. Arbatel of Flame

  • 3 Fire Ball
  • 3 Lightning Bolt
  • 6 Disintegrate

9. Songs of Three Winters, attributed to Taymar the Wise

  • 3 Slow Spell
  • 3 Haste Spell

10. Arcana Necromantica, anonymous

  • 5 Animate Dead
  • 5 Magic Jar
  • 6 Reincarnation
  • 6 Death Spell

11. Conjurations & Banishments (fragments), anonymous

  • 1 Protection from Evil
  • 3 Protection from Evil, 10′ Radius
  • 5 Conjure Elemental
  • 5 Contact Higher Plane
  • 6 Invisible Stalker

12. The Roads Between the Stars (fragments), anonymous

  • 4 Dimension Door
  • 5 Teleport

Pahvelorn Summary

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CHARACTER CREATION

  1. 3d6 in order for ability scores.
  2. Pick class: cleric, fighter, magic-user, thief (human only).
  3. Roll for equipment (or 3d6 * 10 for GP and purchase à la carte).
  4. If magic-user, roll for starting grimoire.
  5. Roll for starting retainer.
HOUSE RULES

  1. Save versus death at 0 HP (success = unconscious, failure = death).
  2. Reroll HP before each adventure.
  3. Save to retain spells when cast (vancian variant 1).
  4. Magic-Users may arm themselves with daggers only (Men & Magic, page 6) is a legal stricture. If magic-users are seen armed with weapons other than daggers and casting spells in civilized areas, they will be driven away (traditional punishment also includes branding on the face, and sometimes the severing of the primary hand). Further, casting a spell with the intent of harming another man is malfeasance and punishable by death (traditionally burning). Note that banishment is a significant punishment, as pockets of civilization are rare.
  5. All magical weaponry is usable by fighters, and this in itself is a big advantage (Men & Magic, page 6). Magic swords are mostly inert for non-fighters, though they can sometimes be wielded as standard weapons (though they may curse their wielder). There are some warlock blades (which will serve a magic-user) and some holy blades (which will serve a cleric), but these are even rarer than magic swords in general.
  6. Clerics may use edged weapons, but contrary to what it states in the rules, it is a rare magic weapon that will consent to serving a cleric.
  7. Alignment is not about morals or behavior, so there is no need to pick an alignment for your character.
  8. Note that the thief from Supplement I: Greyhawk is available, but I won’t be using anything else from that book (no expanded ability modifiers, variable weapon damage, or variable hit dice).
  9. Clerics may not research new spells, though they may find new spells on ancient holy scriptures through adventuring.
  10. Holmes rules for scroll creation (100 GP & 1 week of time per spell level). Above-level scrolls may be scribed from grimoires.
See also the 20 rules clarifications for more details.