The Headless Horseman is a despicable and cursed traitor who haunts the highways and byways.
AC 13 (leather), HD 5 (27), ATK 1 greataxe +4 (1d8/1d10), MV near, S +2, D +2, C +3, I +1, W +1, Ch -2, AL C
As I work on BXRP I'm torn on which combat system I want to use. I've been planning to use the system where a Character's Chance to Hit is rolled and if it is successful their target's Armor Class would then be rolled as well. If the AC roll was also successful, the highest roll would win, unless Critical were involved (rolling doubles). However, in using BX DnD as an engine I keep thinking about letting a target's AC be the base chance to hit and modify it with a the Attackers Chance to Hit--essentially using the Ascending AC system that has been in place since DnD 3E.
I do think that which ever way that I go I will present the alternate version in an Appendix.
At the moment I think the latter approach is winning since it sticks with a foundational piece of modern BX retroclones, but I like the attack vs. defense element that BRP's D100 system employs.
If you have a strong opinion either way then please share it with me.
Armor Class
Armor |
AC |
Cost (gp) |
Weight (Coins) |
Leather |
60% |
20 |
200 |
Chainmail |
70% |
40 |
400 |
Plate mail |
80% |
60 |
500 |
Shield |
5% |
10 |
100 |
Thief
Requirements: None
Prime requisite: DEX
Hit Dice: 1d4
Maximum level: 14
Armour: Leather, no shields
Weapons: Any
Languages: Alignment, Common
Back-Stab
When attacking an unaware opponent from behind, a thief receives a +20% bonus to hit and doubles any damage dealt.
Combat
Because of their need for stealth and free movement, thieves cannot wear armor heavier than leather and cannot use shields. They can use any weapon.
Read Languages
A thief of 4th level or higher can read non-magical text in any language (including dead languages and basic codes) with 80% probability. If the roll does not succeed, the thief may not try to read that particular text again until they reach a higher level of experience.
Scroll Use
A thief of 10th level or higher can cast arcane spells from scrolls. There is a 10% chance of error: the spell does not function as expected and creates an unusual or deleterious effect.
Thief Skills
Thieves can use the following skills, with the chance of success shown opposite:
Thief Skills Chance of Success
Level |
CS |
TR |
HN |
HS |
MS |
OL |
PP |
1 |
87 |
10 |
35 |
10 |
20 |
15 |
20 |
2 |
88 |
15 |
35 |
15 |
25 |
20 |
25 |
3 |
89 |
20 |
50 |
20 |
30 |
25 |
30 |
4 |
90 |
25 |
50 |
25 |
35 |
30 |
35 |
5 |
91 |
30 |
50 |
30 |
40 |
35 |
40 |
6 |
92 |
40 |
50 |
36 |
45 |
45 |
45 |
7 |
93 |
50 |
70 |
45 |
55 |
55 |
55 |
8 |
94 |
60 |
70 |
55 |
65 |
65 |
65 |
9 |
95 |
70 |
70 |
65 |
75 |
75 |
75 |
10 |
96 |
80 |
70 |
75 |
85 |
85 |
85 |
11 |
97 |
90 |
85 |
85 |
95 |
95 |
95 |
12 |
98 |
95 |
85 |
90 |
96 |
96 |
105 |
13 |
99 |
97 |
85 |
95 |
98 |
97 |
115 |
14 |
99 |
99 |
85 |
99 |
99 |
99 |
125 |
All skills are rolled on d%, with a result of less than or equal to the listed percentage indicating success. Thief Skills allow for extraordinary feats such as climbing a sheer surface instead of merely climbing or hiding within a shadow instead of ducking into an alley. If the action is something that any creature could try then the Thief gets to roll the appropriate Skill first and then may try the general test if their first roll was a failure.
Player Knowledge
The referee should roll for hide in shadows and move silently on the player’s behalf, as the thief always believes the attempt to be successful. If the roll fails, the referee knows that the thief has been noticed and should determine enemies’ actions appropriately.
After Reaching 9th Level
A thief can establish a thief den, attracting 2d6 apprentices of 1st level. These thieves will serve the character with some reliability; however, should any be arrested or killed, the PC will not be able to attract apprentices to replace them. A successful thief might use these followers to start a Thieves’ Guild.
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Saving Throws |
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Level |
XP |
HD |
CTH |
D |
W |
P |
B |
S |
1 |
0 |
1d4 |
55% |
40% |
35% |
40% |
25% |
30% |
2 |
1,200 |
2d4 |
55% |
40% |
35% |
40% |
25% |
30% |
3 |
2,400 |
3d4 |
55% |
40% |
35% |
40% |
25% |
30% |
4 |
4,800 |
4d4 |
55% |
40% |
35% |
40% |
25% |
30% |
5 |
9,600 |
5d4 |
65% |
45% |
40% |
50% |
35% |
40% |
6 |
20,000 |
6d4 |
65% |
45% |
40% |
50% |
35% |
40% |
7 |
40,000 |
7d4 |
65% |
45% |
40% |
50% |
35% |
40% |
8 |
80,000 |
8d4 |
65% |
45% |
40% |
50% |
35% |
40% |
9 |
160,000 |
9d4 |
80% |
55% |
50% |
60% |
45% |
55% |
10 |
280,000 |
9d4+2* |
80% |
55% |
50% |
60% |
45% |
55% |
11 |
400,000 |
9d4+4* |
80% |
55% |
50% |
60% |
45% |
55% |
12 |
520,000 |
9d4+6* |
80% |
55% |
50% |
60% |
45% |
55% |
13 |
640,000 |
9d4+8* |
90% |
65% |
60% |
70% |
55% |
65% |
14 |
760,000 |
9d4+10* |
90% |
65% |
60% |
70% |
55% |
65% |
CTH: Chance to hit, STR Modifier applies to Melee attacks and DEX Modifier applies to Ranged attacks.
D: Death / poison; W: Wands; P: Paralysis / petrify; B: Breath attacks; S: Spells / rods / staves.
Art by Andrea Ardinghi I've worked very hard at limiting my Gaming ADD over the past 12 months and I'm finally finding success with ...