About Old School & Cool Vol. 3

Old School & Cool Volume 3 is the third installment of Knight Owl Publishing's zine series dedicated to OSR games.

It was crowdfunded last February during Zine Month. I backed the project and the printed zine has just landed here at my place, all the way from Portland, US to Pisa, Italy!

It came in a simple letter envelope, plus a protective plastic wrap. It came in good condition (except for a corner on the cover).

The zine is one of those US formats I can't fathom, similar to A5 but slightly narrower. It looks beautiful. Color cover, b/w interior, good staple binding and print quality, 40 pages of goodness, with clear layout and nice art. I especially like the full wrap-around cover art.

So what's inside?

The objective of this zine is to give options and content for b/x d&d and its simulacra, Old-School Essentials included, to go beyond the 14th level limit.

This is achieved in the various sections of the zines: new options for classes, high level spells, immortal artifacts, monsters, gods who used to be adventurers, and the adventure "Don't Lose Your Head".

First of all, the zine introduces the concept of "level x": instead of coming up with tables upon tables of new level progression beyond level 14 (or lower, depending on class limits), the zine presents the idea that once a character has reached their class' maximum level, plus another xp threshold listed in the zine, they can reach "level x" if they defeat ("though not necessarily kill") a level x character.

Defeating another character is a very interesting concept (yes I know druids already had that) and one that makes progression more interesting than just an abstract, arbitrary xp goal.

Once both conditions are met (xp and victory over a level x character), the new level x hero must choose one of two paths: Ascended or Descended. These two may sound a bit like "good" and "evil" (which in turn is quite close to how the law/chaos opposition seems to map in b/x d&d), but it's not necessarily so. The two paths available to clerics are pretty much so, with one being the angelic healer, and the other an aspiring demigod of undeath. Things are definitely more nuanced for the two paths available to dwarves: the runesmith and the grudge keeper. I like that, as per the rules presented in the zine, the choice is free and not tied to alignment in any way, and that there is no neutral choice between, say, the path of the vigilante and the path of the crime lord for thieves, forcing players to an interesting ethical choice beyond their alignment. . This section, with two paths for each of the seven bx classes, is 10 pages.

Each level x path offers a packet of new class abilities (in most cases 4 or 5), plus of course access level x spells for spell caster classes.

The zine lists 8 arcane level x spells and 6 divine level x spells, described in 4 pages. These are of course very powerful (the arcane list includes a wish spell, for example).

What I like about both the new class abilities and the new spells is that yes of course they are powerful (often extremely powerful), but also that they are not just and not only numerical bonuses, but often give new capabilities. Examples: an elf who's picked the path of the unseely fey can "command any animal, beast, or monster with 10 or fewer HD, so long as they are within a forest". That's one hell of a special skill, and the type of ability that truly changes the game, which is good, in my opinion. Another example: one of the level x divine spells completely restores an undead creature to life, as if death and undeath never happened to them. This, in a domain level play, can have a lot of consequences which can be interesting to explore and definitely may go beyond mere combat.

I like that these new powers, abilities and spells are clearly not mere conversions of stuff from other editions.

I don't like that here and there some rules are not 100% crystal clear in their meaning, or so they appear to me.

I can't be sure these powers and skills can work or will ruin the game with their immense power, but one thing is sure: before players gain those skills, they must defeat an NPC who possesses them, and it will definitely require some very clever planning and group work. Think for example of a grudge keeper dwarf: one their abilities says once they lose half their hp they "lose track of their dwarfmanity" (LOL) and until all enemies are dead they attack at -2 but roll 1d100 for damage! Go kill that guy, I dare you, this is what the zine says, and I like it.

The "Immortal Artifacts" sections presents 22 (again, very powerful) magic items. These are cool and detailed with backstory, powers, and also a corrupting trait and some way to neutralize them. These are very cool and can definitely be introduced as treasure (and game changers, and of course as part of the arsenal of villainous NPCs,) into a high level campaign wether you choose to use the "level x" rules or not.

The monsters section includes ten creatures, such as Apocalypse Dragons, Devil Wyverns, Kaijus, Shoggots, and Ghost Cataphracts (a Ghost Rider inspired undead, complete with a "hellfire flail" that extends to 15'). They range from 12 to 33 HD and of course have very nasty special abilities. These are solid and interesting and, like the previous section, can surely be introduced as mega enemies for level 10+ parties.

The "Gods who used to be adventurers" section (2 pages) briefly describes four godly NPCs, with brief background, game statistics, holy symbol, unique special abilities, and individual art pieces. These are frankly cool, and are connected with the other contents of the zine such as the artifact, but on the whole I'm not sure what's the deal here. Even though they have the six abilities scores listed, based on their statistics they don't seem to be level x characters, but their own thing, so what are they here for? Possible adversaries or allies, I suppose, but the intended purpose is not perfectly clear as it is not stated.

The final 4 pages feature a scenario for characters who "have enough experience to reach level x but need to defeat a level x champion. Characters of less power but great cunning could perhaps survive, but it would not be an easy task".

This is a short open scenario with a city threatened by an evil level x magic user, but also protected by a good level x fighter. It also features several creatures from the monsters section and a couple of items from the Immortal Artifacts section. It could have benefited from having one or two extra pages to make a few details clearer, but overall it seems to me a good example of high level play scenario, which is quite rare. It is an open scenario where clever thinking, diplomacy and political decisions may have a large impact and, while the default approach is to stop the evil magic user, the scenario will still work if the group decides to challenge the good fighter instead.

Overall

Overall the zine is very good, with lots of things that can be dropped into high level campaigns (10+), all together or in selected bits, and I'm glad I backed it! If it's ok to have ogres and trolls in scenarios for level 1-3 characters, then you can definitely put some of those mega monsters (and magic items, and spells) in a level 10-14 scenario.

Print version?

The print version (I suppose the same as mine), alone or with the PDF, is available at the Knight Owl Publishing store, while the pdf alone is up at DriveThruRPG.

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Into OSR? Check my other OSR posts and reviews!

About Cliché Dungeon Design

 I've recently watched a video by a friend and rpg designer who advised GMs to avoid trite cliché dungeons such as the goblin lair cave, the undead crypt, the vermin-infested sewer, and so on.

That surely is sound advice, in general, unless your players are complete RPG beginners. But I feel there's more to be said about those cliché, and more than a little something that's worth saving about them.

I think those cliché, with their list of obvious places and situations, are actually very good, if you don't stop at that when designing your dungeon.

Why are they good? Because they empower player agency by allowing players to have solid expectations of what can be found. If the environment fits a logical scheme, you can make predictions and take meaningful decisions while exploring the place.

This can, of course, become very bad, if all there is to your dungeon is the cliché place and situation. A dungeon adventure should be a foray into the unknown, and the trite goblin cave won't take you there at all, if all you put in it is the same old barracks, kitchen, prisoners room, wolves pen, throne room, and hidden treasure. Such places will make the dungeon easy to understand and navigate, which is good, but you'll need some extra work if you also want your dungeon to be more entertaining, challenging, and engaging.

One way to do that little extra work is to take time to come up with the dungeon backstory. That can be as simple as a three step timeline:

1. Origins: Who built the place? What was the purpose? What's left of the original construction?

2. Distant Past: Who occupied the place in the past? For what purpose? Did they modify it? What is left of their passage? Have they really left? Why? Also: Natural events such as cave-ins and floods? These can create new, unintended paths through the dungeon and have other consequences.

3: Recent Past: Have the current dungeon denizens altered the environment for their purposes?

Let's put this to work with the boring goblin lair cave concept.

1. It was a natural cave. Ok. Vast, with all the usual cool places of natural caves: crystal cave, pools, fungi, chasm. A waterfall too! Or it could be lava... but for this example I'll keep lava out of it.

2. Stone giants settled in! BAM. These 14' tall chaps smoothed and decorated a dozen rooms and of course left a stone throne, five huge stone beds, and clubs made from stalactites. What else? They may have carved the entrance as a huge giant face, or something more subtle, but definitely something goblins wouldn't be able to create. They might have buried their dead in deeper, hidden caves, perhaps protected by magic, and definitely with some big ass treasure. They might have had some stone elemental device/totem/altar, still working now, or needing repair or reactivation.

Why did they leave? Let's say they left because they were attacked. Two of their 14' tall stone skeletons are still in there.

3. Of course goblins changed the environment. They've brought in their stuff and the stuff they've pillaged from farmsteads or robbed from travelers, and set their little traps and alarms, and so on. A mushroom orchard, henhouse, pigsty?

This was literally written in 2 minutes, but now I have enough stuff to make this goblin lair a little bit more unique. They may have found a giant-sized ring which their leader uses as a crown; they may have gathered some cool crystals from the deeper caves; they may have used the stalactite clubs or giant bones as part of their wire traps. They definitely haven't been able to open the sealed, 16' tall stone door to the giant king's sanctum, of course.

Is this enough? If you want. But of course you can go on and make another round at the dungeon backstory, now filling it with details and events you can use to make the dungeon cooler. Some of these I've already come up with above. But what about the goblins? 

This is where you take time to consider the activities of current denizens. Ok they are goblins so yeah they raid farmsteads and/or assault and rob travelers or small merchant caravans. Fine. But also boring! One way to make a better dungeon out of it is to think of specific, special incidents that have happened during such activities and that have consequences on the dungeon.

They might have stolen something unique which, while valuable, may also be dangerous. How about a caged cockatrice? Is it still in the cage, or of course they accidentally freed it and had to barricade a section of the caves? Or... a trunk of alchemical components? Sure they've been messing with it, which may have resulted in some mutated goblins, a proliferation of slimes, or a cauldron full of their "magic potion".

Is this enough? If you want. But of course you can go on. You know what's also missing to shake up the cliché? Some good old conflict for faction play! The goblins must have made enemies, and the mountains are full of dangerous beasts and monsters...

Ideas off the top of my head:

The deeper caves have been invaded by caecilias or frigging purple worms! Those stone giants' totems the goblins have been defacing? I guess their function was to keep those away deep down into the earth! Some still stand, but the goblins haven't figured out why the monsters stop pursuing beyond a certain cave. They've just carved a warning on the wall, like a crude drawing of a stickman (stickgoblin) sitting at the top of a tree, or falling headfirst inside a pipe, or is it a tornado with teeth?

The goblins have messed with the wrong guy(s). They always do. Here's a faction that wants revenge, or their stuff back. You can pick the sentient creature(s) you like from your bestiary, and this is the enemy that is stalking the area, looking for the lair, or waiting for the good moment to attack. Depending on what you pick, lots of different interactions with the party, the goblins and the dungeon may result. This can be a single, powerful individual patiently stalking the cave and killing the goblins one by one predator-style (and it goes straight into the random encounter table); or a group of lesser powerful creatures who were just waiting for a bunch of adventurers to get in and distract the goblins. Very different scenarios here if you go with, let's say, kobolds, neanderthals, or pixies.

Again, whatever you add, take time to consider the impact it may have on the dungeon. The goblins pissed off the pixies, ok, why exactly? Is there something they've taken from them, which can be found inside the dungeon, like a jewel, a prisoner, a magic bough?

Are the goblins aware of the threat? If so, they may have set up specific countermeasures and traps. And signs and consequences of previous battles should be there, including trophies, captured armament, warning posts. Their leader might offer a reward to the party if they can destroy their enemies.

Is this enough? Ok, it really is enough when you think it is. For such a dungeon scenario, you may really want to outline at least two personalities, with their goals, wants and needs. The cliché here would have a presumptuous but kinda dumb goblin king, and a devious, cunning advisor or shaman. You know what? Invert those, then put in a goblin princess who wants to escape and live her life. Or become queen. Or join the avenging pixies. Spend 5 minutes to give at least 2 goblins some extra reason beside survival to tell the party "hey don't kill me, let's work together", or "hey don't kill me, I have something for you", such information or actual help.

This can really be enough now. BUT! One more way to play on the cliché is to work on the reason(s) to go into this dungeon. The complete cliché scenario is the goblins have treasure because they stole stuff, kill them and it is yours. Coming up with something different adds a very impactful layer on the dungeon and how it plays out.

Three off the top of my head:

The group is hired to extract that rebellious goblin princess. Depending on who's commissioning the extraction, and for what purpose, she might be happy to come along, or be part of the problem. It might even be her own machination all along!

One of the stone giants' ancient devices must be repaired in order to stop the swarm of earthquakes that's been going on in the region. Hey, the goblins might actually want to help, if convinced (that's why you also want those caecilias or killer pixies in the picture).

Sometime after the giants' demise and before the goblins' arrival, the legendary bandit king hid one of his seven treasure trunks inside one of the pools of the deeper caves, and the party has found a partial map to it. Now the goblins become a completely accidental problem.

Ok, NOW I think there's enough meat to make a nice goblin lair cave that doesn't suck, while still be made out of a pretty cliché scenario idea.

One last consideration: Prison of the Hated Pretender, Tomb of the Serpent Kings and Ominous Crypt of the Blood Moss are cool dungeon adventures that closely fit the train of thought of this post, as they both start from a cliché scenario type (actually: the SAME cliché scenario type!), but feel very unique and are absolutely cool!

Into OSR? Check my other OSR posts and reviews!

About Prison of the Hated Pretender

 Prison of the Hated Pretender is great short dungeon written and illustrated by Gus L.

It is available as pay-what-you-want on drivethrurpg, and you really have no excuse not to grab it now, because it's a very good one!

I grabbed the PDF and printed and stapled it at home.

The Basics

The 20-page pdf includes a backdrop village for the adventure, rumors and hooks, and the description of the dungeon itself, which has 10 keyed locations. It is "for 4-6 characters level 0-1", so basically a starting adventure.

It includes "universal" old-school statistics which are perfectly compatible with OD&D/BX/BECMI and their clones and pseudoclones. Treasure seems set to values that are appropriate for xp-for-gold systems, too.

It also includes an appendix with 5e statistics which, frankly, I didn't even bother to read.

Art is nicely evocative and the map is really good and included in three versions.

Same goes for the writing style, reasonably compact but very evocative.

The Dungeon Adventure

The Prison is not a dungeon proper, as it is above ground. It's a head-shaped, three-story tower of sorts, with an underground crypt. It's the crowned head on the cover.

Despite the small area, the prison definitely allows for multiple expeditions, because the place is full of interesting stuff to investigate and interact with, AND there's a faction of creatures that just keep coming on and on, until the players figure out what makes them return and how to prevent that, which means a typical group of the suggested level will be forced to leave fairly often, and plan to visit again.

In the 10 rooms of the Prison, there's pretty much everything a good dungeon adventure should have: faction play, possible non-violent interaction with creatures, mysteries to unravel, traps and hazards that are well described in their functioning and trigger and with ways to figure they are there, and treasure that is interesting.

Extra Feature: An OSR Essay on Dungeon Design AND Refereeing

PotHP also shines as an excellent guide of sorts for GMs who want to familiarize with the old-school style of play and adventure design, as each page has a box of text explaining the design approach of the adventure, the reasons behind it, and how to best run it.

The combination of "theory" and playable example truly is gold, and puts PotHP in the same category as Tomb of the Serpent Kings as great "educational" modules (and great modules on their own right).