Number Appearing

On the whole "close to the bones of AD&D" thing - one experiment that has always appealed to me is to treat the number appearing entry of things in the Monster Manual as absolute maximums. This is already the case with the most powerful creatures therein, they are unique. So do this with all of the monsters - since you can encounter 10-100 pilgrims according to their Men entry, that means there are but 100 pilgrims in the whole world. Ah, but wait! There's 5 alignment groups of pilgrims... so there's 500 pilgrims in the whole world! 400 elves & orcs, 4 dragons of each type (I only use green, black, red & white, so there'd be 32 dragons, 1 of each color and age...), 6 barbed devils, etc...

I know! Big deal! Still, this is a setting I would like to play with more. There's 1 lich, 100 sprites, 6 ogre magi... I'll append to this post later the total population list I culled from the MM (it's on a different computer) so I don't lose it.

The only way I'd diverge off the ridiculously strict read with a little Holmesian thing I've never been able to shake - the way that the alignment for many creatures is listed with options (dwarf LG or N, giants & dragons too... must revise my dragon # again... gah!) - more creatures in the Holmes book are listed as being possibly neutral, and I adopt that because I really like neutral! So this could boost the number of demi-humans, unless the differences are within the already established total population (are there 400 LG dwarves AND 400 neutral dwarves, or 200 of each?)...

Anyway - it makes for a small world, or creates the sense of it, because these numbers are smaller, but still not small. They do become more manageable and comprehensible to me though. And interesting points come up all over the place - in the issue of pets & guard animals. Dwarves, elves, goblins, gnolls - several demi-human and humanoid species have animals - stone giants w/cave bears, etc... Given the # Appearing for the cave bear, chances are that these are the only cave bears in the world. Another decision point comes up with the issue of the classed-types that show up with the Men groups - should these then be the only classed beings in the whole world? Should the PCs have to be drawn from this pool of pre-existing classed characters?

It definitely reinforces humanocentric AD&D, men far outnumber any other race. Again, I'll post the numbers in a minute.

EDIT:

1       aerial servant, beholder, demon prince, succubus, arch devil, 
        ice devil (11 HD), pit fiend devil (13 HD), djinni (7+3 HD), 
        dragonne (9 HD), efreeti (10 HD), elemental (8, 12, or 16 HD), 
        gelatinous cube (4 HD), ghost (10 HD), golem, homonculous (2 HD), 
        hydra (5 to 12 HD) , imp (2+2 HD), invisible stalker (8 HD), lich (11+ HD), 
        mimic (7 to 10 HD),morkoth (7 HD), neo-otyugh (9 to 12 HD), night hag (8 HD),
        nightmare (6+6 HD), pseudo-dragon (2 HD), quasit (3 HD),gynosphinx (8 HD), 
        sylph (3 HD)
1-2     cave bear (6+6), bulette (9 HD), barbed devil (8 HD), bone devil (9 HD),
        megalosaurus dinosaur (12 HD), otyugh (6 to 8 HD), purple worm (15 HD), 
        rust monster (5 HD), shambling mound (8 to 11 HD), giant constrictor 
        snake (6+1 HD), titan (17 to 22 HD)
1-3     black bear (3+3 HD), catoblepas (6+3), “typed” demon (8 to 11 HD), 
        erinyes devil (6+6), horned devil (5+5), gray ooze (3+3), medusa (6 HD), 
        spirit naga (9 to 10 HD), ochre jelly (6 HD), roper (10 to 12 HD), 
        giant amphisbaena snake (6 HD), water weird (3+3 HD), will-o-wisp (9 HD), 
        wind walker (6+3)
1-4     basilisk (6+1 HD), black pudding (10 HD), chimera (9 HD), 
        ceratosaurus dinosaur (8 HD), dragon (5 to 11 HD), ettin (10 HD), 
        storm giant (15 HD + 2-7), gorgon (8 HD), jackalwere (4 HD), 
        giant fire lizard (10 HD), werebear (7+3 HD), manticore (6+3 HD), 
        mind flayer (8+4 HD), nymph (3 HD), rakshasa (7 HD), giant scorpion (5+5 HD), 
        sea hag (3 HD), criosphinx (10 HD), hieracosphinx (9 HD), phase spider (5+5),
        umber hulk (8+8 HD), vampire (8+3 HD)
2-5     displacer beast (6 HD), giant owl (4 HD), owlbear (5+2 HD), 
        salamander (7+7 HD), giant poisonous snake (4+2 HD), giant spitting 
        snake (4+2 HD), unicorn (4+4)
1-6     anhkheg (3-8 HD), axe beak (3 HD), brown bear (5+5 HD), carrion 
        crawler (3+1), cockatrice (5 HD), dryad (2 HD) , ghast (4 HD), 
        cloud giant (12 HD + 2-7), green slime (2 HD), jackal (½ HD), giant 
        subterranean lizard (6 HD), ogre mage (5+2 HD), spectre (7+3 HD), 
        wyvern (7+7 HD), yeti (4+4 HD)
1-8     fire giant (11 HD + 2-5), frost giant (10 HD + 1-4), 
        stone giant (9 HD + 1-3), giant minotaur lizard (8 HD), minotaur (6+3 HD), 
        giant spider (4+4 HD), giant poisonous toad (2 HD)
2-8     carnivorous ape (5 HD), giant boar (7 HD), hell hound (4 to 7 HD), 
        wereboar (5+2), mummy (6+3  HD), satyr (5 HD), shrieker (3 HD), 
        winter wolf (6 HD)
1-10    hill giant (8 HD + 1-2)
1-12    wild boar (3+3 HD), huge spider (2+2 HD), giant toad (2+4 HD), troll (6+6)
2-12    griffon (7 HD), harpy (3 HD), giant lizard (3+1 HD), wraith (5+3 HD)
3-12    bombardier beetle (2+2 HD), fire beetle (1+2 HD), doppleganger (4 HD), 
        dire wolf (3+3 HD), worg wolf (4+4 HD)
2-16    gargoyle (4+4 HD) , hippogriff (3+3 HD), wight (4+3 HD)
4-16    blink dog (4 HD), brownie (½ HD), manes demon (1 HD), wild dog (1+1 HD)
3-18    boring beetle (5 HD), pteranodon (3+3 HD), giant killer frog (1+4 HD), 
        werewolf (4+3 HD)
1-20    giant eagle (4 HD), leprechaun (½ HD +1), treant (7 to 12 HD), giant wasp (4 HD)
2-20    flightless bird (1 to 3 HD), ogre (4+1 HD), shadow (3+3 HD), 
        large spider (1+1 HD), wolf (2+2 HD)
5-20    pixie (½ HD) 
2-24    giant centipede (¼ HD), ghoul (2 HD)
3-24    zombie (2 HD)
4-24    centaur (4 HD), wererat (3+1 HD)
3-30    skeleton (1 HD), stirge (1+1 HD)
5-30    lemure devil (3 HD)
6-36    bugbear (3+1 HD)
5-40    giant frog (1 to 3 HD)
10-40   larva (1 HD), lizard man (2+1 HD)
5-50    giant rat (½ HD)
10-60   triton (3 HD)
20-80   nixie (½ HD), sahuagin (2+2 HD)
1-100   giant ant (2 HD)
10-100  berserker men ((1+1 HD (d6)), cave men ((2 HD (d6)), 
        pilgrim men (1 HD (d6)), sprite (1 HD), troglodyte (2 HD)
10-120  tribe men (1 HD (d6))
20-200  elf (1+1 HD), gnoll (2 HD), hobgoblin (1+1 HD), bandit men (1 HD (d6)),
        brigand men (1 HD (d6)), merman (1+1 HD), 
30-300  nomad men (1 HD (d6)), orc (1 HD)
50-300  merchant men (1 HD (d6))
40-400  dwarf (1 HD), gnome (1 HD), goblin (1-1 HD), kobald (½ HD)

AD&D thought of the day

1st level magic user. Plenty of fun as is, however, I've been thinking about a way to let starting wizards make temporary magic items. How's this...

1. cast a Nystul's magic aura on an object, lasts 1 day/level
2. cast a Find Familiar (doesn't count against the 'once a year' stipulation). Casting time is 1-24 hours. The familiar is bound to the object with the aura on it.
3. cast whatever spell you want the object to store or use after that.

It will have as many charges as the caster's intelligence-level (diminishing returns)

kinda cute.

Setting Info

< OLD LINK REMOVED >
A timeline
Some history-lite
Cursory geography
A crude map (WIP!)

Still in the 'setup' phase. Players are submitting ideas and information, so it is still a work in progress. I'm trying my damnest to keep kinda quiet about what this looks like under the hood, and it's difficult because there's really cool things happening in here. Emergent patterns and such. Once the first turn starts, I'll have to start posting the words of the town criers, border edicts and travellers' stories...

One thing is certain, which seems to be much a truism in human internet-based text gaming - the initial plan never survives!

<*> I thought I'd get a couple of people, maybe a slow trickle. Nope!
<*> I was gonna randomly assign players to NPCs I already had in place. It immediately became apparent that that would not be the case across-the-board.
I am not complaining about this - the stuff being submitted is making the setting so much more interesting - so many ideas I would have never come up with. And here's where the 'emergent behavior' thing got really freaky (as in cool). Different players unaware of each other coming up with character and 'kingdom' ideas independantly, that work together very well...different hooks that seem easily related to each-other...etc

One thing that has remained pretty consistent is a sort of 'omni-game' approach. Players are using different systems for game detail of their characters as they see fit. I'm sticking to 1e AD&D as a 'lingua franca', and using it for a lot of the implementation details on my side of things, but there's 2e-isms, some T&T-isms,
and some other stuff from I don't know where!

In real world, I went to the college youngins game club this evening for their first meeting of the semester, and met with three guys that responsed to the flier I put up in a few places last week (like outside the game club's meeting room on campus for one!). One of them was somewhat aware of internet OSR stuff, they all seemed at least somewhat interested (I kinda half-assed pitched Swords & Wizardry/OSRIC aka "Old D&D" - I've never been much of a salesman...but), we're supposed to get together next week to start. In Search of the Unknown.

Quasqueton aside, they're gonna be walking into an amazing environment. Thank you overlords! I can't wait to get the internet ball rolling, so that the players can see what's going on too.

Instant Endgame

I've been kicking an idea around for a while now - or better, a bunch of ideas have been kicking me around, I'm finally getting fed up with it. I started up a free forum some time ago, thinking to myself that it would be good to start running a bunch of play-by-post games there.
Have not yet started any, though I've populated and emptied, populated and emptied it a few times with different setting info and introductions and whatnot.

Never stuck - so I never opened it up for perusal or membership.

I've been running a 'sandbox' style PBP game at Vin's Trollbridge for a while now (roughly 6 months) and enjoying the hell out of it - first time I've been able to run T&T in too many years. Been dwarfing it up in noisms' Warhammer FRP for just as long. So I think that I've become somewhat accustomed to the peculiarities of online play.

So - what to do with the forum space I set aside for running games? I still don't know exactly, but my thoughts on the matter are turning ever more frequently to 3 ideas.

1. An Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1e, mostly BtB, no UA) game with this premise: Characters are loaded on a boat at the behest of some Lord or King, who sends them to clear a wild island, to make it safe for further colonization.

2. A fantasy wargame. Rest assured, I do not intend to implement the 'game' presented in Galloway's Fantasy Wargaming book...(has anyone actually played this?) - no, I've been thinking instead that it would be interesting to have the players take on name-level roles, to determine their retainers and forces, fortifications and incomes and such, and play something more in the spirit of play-by-mail - where players have default orders, issue orders for their realm, and also decide on actions for their character as appropriate. Have no idea what game system to use for this - tempted to use Tunnels and Trolls, as it is the game I have the easiest time adapting to suit any purpose, but Rolemaster or AD&D could be serviceable also...with a dash of Diplomacy...

3. The Wizards War. Legends of many worlds tell of a time that wizards of great power came to conflict and brought wrack and ruin to each-other, wrought artifacts of awesome power, etc, etc, etc - 2 & 3 could really be the same game...

I dunno. I like the idea of refereeing a game where players are not necessarily co-operative, and maybe play-by-email is more conducive to this style, so that orders sent in remain private, and only published results offer information on the game-state.

Any interest, suggestions, thoughts, ideas, etc, are appreciated.
Cheers!

Fear, Rage, and Command

Continuing from prior post, three more tables (d10) to generate variations or details on such effects.
FEAR

1	Cringing - can take no action except self defence at -1 penalty
2	Terrorized - can take no action
3	Overwhelmed - takes no action, pays strict attention to source. Will surrender.
4	Scared - runs away at double move rate
5	Desperation - 50% runs away (as FEAR(4)), otherwise goes berserk.
6	Dread - 50% fall unconscious, otherwise fall to floor and can be commanded.
7	Doomed - hopelessly attempts to attack source at -4.
8	Tormented - can take no actions. Experiences hellish hallucinations, will hate source.
9	Demoralized - retains will and self control, but all actions at -1
10	Panicked - Drops all held items and runs away at double normal move rate

RAGE

1	Fumes and simmers in private madness. -1 to all attacks, +1 to damage
2	Focused - Attacks current or nearest opponent at +1
3	Distracted - Attacks current of nearest opponent at -1
4	Writhes with bestial spasms - attacks random target in reach (friend or foe)
5	Attacks current or nearest opponent +1 to hit and damage
6	Tantrum - 50% Tries to break whatever is held, otherwise throws it at source
7	Lured - Charges at source to attack.
8	Bully - Spits on corpses, kills helpless victims - attacks weakest targets.
9	Self Abuse - smash head on wall, jump through windows, etc. Does not make attacks unless in doing so will certainly harm self. 50% suicide if option available.
10	Fit - rage directed at inanimate objects only, but gets +1 damage against anyone trying to stop them.

COMMAND

1	Begrudging - will obey, but try to subvert if intelligent (and possible), and any actions pertaining to command at -1. Retains memory
2	As COMMAND(1), but will not retain memory of the experience
3	Listless - obeys command, at -1 to any actions performed pertaining to it. Will not try to subvert.
4	Obeys command, though may try to subvert. Retains memory of experience
5	Considers command in own best interest and will obey. Retains memory of experience
6	Obeys command. Will not retain memory, unless source desires that they do.
7	Obeys command. At +1 to any actions undertaken to fulfill the command. Will retain memory only if source desires.
8	Obeys the command without thought, the effect will last twice normal duration
9	Obeys unquestioningly, +1 to any actions undertaken to fulfil the command. Will resent the source afterwards.
10	Obeys enthusiastically, +2 to any actions undertaken to fulfil the command. Will offer services if applicable

Influence Effect Tables (sys-neutral-ish)

Been digging through my unkempt piles of gaming-notes, map, etc, looking for several tables I made a long time ago and managed to keep because of their utility. Made them after thinking about the different ways to interpret some pseudo-common in-game terms (awe, charm, confusion, fear, command, and rage). Well - found 'em! Many of these terms are used as spell names, or have some delineation in your rulebook of choice, but these tables largely ignore those (edit: I slipped into vague D&D-isms...oh well). Some of the effects allow for secondary conditions (one can perhaps issue commands to one who is awed - or they may be so overcome as to go unconscious). Hope you enjoy! Now I'll never have to look for them again!

d10	AWE	CHARM	CONFUSION
1	Overwhelmed - stops everything, pays attention only to source of awe. Can be commanded	Enthralled - pays attention only to source of awe. Open to suggestion	Takes no action except self-defence
2	Cowers and grovels in abject submission. Can be commanded	Offers source object or service of value	Continues prior or current action at 1/2 effectiveness
3	Shamed - develops aversion to source and seeks distance from it above all else.	Friendship - Wants to help source. Retains free-will. Open to suggestion	Takes no action
4	Transcendent - feels that source has improved target in some ineffable way and is totally grateful. Can be charmed.	Tolerant - will not instigate or assist actions against the source	Wander random direction at half normal move
5	Pious - target believes source to be divine and to be adored. Can be charmed and commanded	Enthusiastic - as CHARM(3), but all actions undertaken at the source's behest are at +1	Wander random direction at normal move
6	Dread - knees buckle, bowels loose, held items are dropped. Unable to take any action. If saving roll failed by large amount, consider a heart attack	Toady - takes no actions but complimenting source. No detail is too mundane to receive copious praise. -1 to all actions undertaken on behalf of source (too distracted)	Wander random direction at double normal move
7	Antithetic Conversion - as AWE(5), but target's alignment/outlook is reversed. Target believes that this change is for the better and is grateful that the source instigated the change. Can be commanded.	Protective - Will defend and protect source to best of ability. Open to suggestion.	Drop all held items. 50% chance target continues to divest itself of possessions beyond what is in-hand
8	Epiphany - as AWE(4), but target gains experience points (1d6 per level times 100) from the experience.	Respectful - as CHARM(4), but is inclined to to follow suggestions from source that coincide with own interests	Continues prior or current action at -d4 penalty to actions
9	Revulsion - as AWE(3), but source becomes the center of lingering psychosis	Infatuation - obsessive interest in source. May be romantic/sexual/possessive. Open to suggestion	Cannot remember anything. May defend self at -1.
10	Fervor - target has no will of own but to serve and glorify the source. Very emotional and irrational. Can be commanded.	Henchman - wants to serve source as a henchman. May be commanded	Struck mute, seized by twitching spasms. Out of touch with reality. May be awed

Will continue with the others later

pregenerated spellbooks

Added a link to a PDF of pregenerated spellbooks for 1e AD&D Magic Users. There are 6 spellbooks for each point of intelligence, making a d6 easy to determine which is found or available. Kellri's got this stuff in spades, but here's another for the sake of wheel reinvention...also put up some tables to help generate some NPC details if you need to determine an elf's class, or an assassin's race, or a fighter's alignment...

alignment table re-do

I like this better.

d%
01-16	Neutral Evil	58-69	Lawful Neutral
17-24	Lawful Evil	70-76	Chaotic Good
25-31	Chaotic Evil	77-84	Lawful Good
32-43	Chaotic Neutral	85-00	Neutral Good
44-57	True Neutral

Think I'll lay off the alignment for a while.

yet more alignment

Here's a quote from Gygax in Strategic Review. At this point, the system of alignments is beginning to move from the Original D&D (Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic) into that presented in Homes Basic (Lawful Good/Evil, Neutral, Chaotic Good/Evil).

Considering mythical and mythos gods in light of this system, most of the benign ones will tend towards the chaotic/good, and chaotic/evil will typify those gods which were inimical towards humanity. Some few would be completely chaotic, having no predisposition towards either good or evil — REH’s Crom perhaps falls into this category.

I find this interesting on 2 points.

• Allowing one and two term definitions of alignment to co-exist, and
• stating that evil is 'inimical towards humanity', placing the interests of humanity as the objective standard (which is probably the safest approach, maybe the only approach...)

Holmes alignment is the one I've felt most comfortable with. Not too esoteric, but of finer resolution. Continuing to use Lawful and Chaotic as independent terms does not seem a serious complication, and one that allows the existence of objective Law and objective Chaos, in the realm of deities and such.

And to maintain the humanocentric interpretation of alignment, the last paragraph of this article says:
As a final note, most of humanity falls into the lawful category, and most of lawful humanity lies near the line between good and evil. With proper leadership the majority will be prone towards lawful/good. Few humans are chaotic, and very few are chaotic and evil.

Perhaps to reinterpret the 1e AD&D alignment, removing the neutrality of each of its variations (and get rid of True, same as adding it implicitly)...nah.

This is the alignment table I use for random determination

d%	1e AD&D	Holmes Basic
01-05	Lawful Evil	Lawful Evil
06-15	Chaotic Evil	Chaotic Evil
16-20	Neutral Evil	Neutral (evil tendencies)
21-35	Chaotic Neutral	Neutral
36-55	True Neutral	Neutral
56-80	Lawful Neutral	Neutral
81-85	Neutral Good	Neutral (good tendencies)
86-95	Chaotic Good	Chaotic Good
96-00	Lawful Good	Lawful Good

So 60-70% of the aligned population falls into neutral territory, with a greater chance of lawful ethos where applicable. Boring? Realistic? Not sure. Somewhat comfortable though.

How about 13 alignments?

(This is a total ramble. Sorry - it's saturday.)

I've never been able to implement the use of alignment into a game I ran that I thought was satisfying.

Really, I dislike the following ideas as much as I dislike virtually all ideas about handling alignment - except that one which advises willfull exclusion of it.

You can view the 9 axis AD&D alignment (LE-CE-NE-CN-TN-LN-NG-CG-LG) as a 2D array (like the picture on the page). Now sparsely populate the third dimension with doubles of the bases (LL-CC-NN-EE-GG) - say that these are the most exaggerated, atavistic or monolithic interpretations of these ideas...Neutral Neutral seems like True Neutral...UGH - at least there's 13 elements, which might scare prospective DM's off due to superstition and folklore, and those who skip from level 12 to level 14...

Nah.

OK. Get rid of the conceit of 'common tongue' instead (maybe allow other less-inclusive ones like Tradespeak, Scholarspeak, Mercenarese, etc (thieves and druids do it, right?)). How about getting rid of all other languages as automatic to the character at creation - only the alignment language stays, so generally people can speak best to those'of like mind'...allow them to be learned as any other...

Eh. In a world without races, that could be cool.

Here's my personal binary favorite: PC and monster.

The concept is really fundamental to the game of D&D - in the sense that it's in the original rules, was there from the start (is it still there now?). Maybe, just maybe, my dissatisfaction with it is a shortcoming of my own. I've always hated using it while playing. I've always felt like players who make a big deal about their character's alignment have some kind of agenda to their play ('always' isn't the best word - maybe 'usually felt that'...anyway). I've always appreciated those games that don't even bother with alignment in the rules. There are, of course, good guys and bad guys in those games (PCs and monsters).

Nevertheless, I've always felt compelled to use it, or at least include it in setting and design for fantasy games, in some way just a cut above token inclusion. Take the swords and magic items that possess intelligence, ego, alignment. Opinions, outlooks, etc - these are elements of sentience - morality, ethics, what is right, what is wrong - you know the rap...

Seems likely that the anti-paladin was an invention very early in the history of the dissemination of the original game. Where's the evil anti-ranger, who hunts the edges of civilization, culling the sheep who stray too far from the village? (well, that role is filled nicely by wolves and monsters I guess...) As a class, I guess that's an assassin...

The endgame of OD&D vs say BECMI (hope I got the order right, BEMCI?). Wargaming vs at-home campaigns. Gross definitions vs fine definitions. Good Guys vs Bad Guys. Team players vs. Individualists. I'm not a big fan of 'epic' style games - so the identification of universal powers of such-and-such alignment always rubbed me wrong.

But, dammit! As a DM, I want to know if some NPC king in question is neutral, good, or evil! (Basically just so I can figure out which of them are fighting...) I still use it in design a lot. For that matter, I want to know if some prospective henchman is Chaotic Evil or Lawful Neutral. I end up writing small programs to automate NPC generation, with the idea that it'll help to populate villages and such (*herm* ok, i do it cuz it's fun) - but within these lists, inevitably, I segregate the NPC into groups of common alignment, to begin to piece together story-hooks and relations between groups...

Assuming you've made it this far, I'll apologize again.

Magifacts

Berserker Stone (unknown quantity, assumed very large)
In the 7th Aeon, two conflicting kings warred over inconsequential matters, and fired arcing cannonades of these stones into the ranks of each-others standing forces. Composed of a chalky soft stone, they cleave easily, and from that break springs a warrior fully equipped, with no interests but attacking all others not cut from the same stone. The warrior (or the organic and inorganic remains thereof) will persist for d3 days. If found in great quantity, the GM might wish to roll percentile to see how many of the stones still retain their enchantment.

Pegarine Folio (unique)
This spellbook is known to have an enduring enchantment upon it which bars it from being opened and read by those of inadequate abilities. In the four-hundred years since it was discovered, it has been owned by six and used by five. There are eight pages, upon which any spell may be written. Any spell in this book can be memorized by the reader, regardless of different or conflicting realm or school of magic, class or alignment difference. (T&T SR Level(20-opener's level) on CH, DX & LK) (D&D I 15 W 15 D 16 C 15 required to use, and Save vs Wand on initial opening attempt)

Spool of Prison String (unique)
This thin string that unwinds from this spool can be used in two ways.
1. A single loop joined around one individual being will prevent it making any voluntary movement.
2. A thread tracked out on the ground around an area will confine those enclosed to that area, but only those present when the loop is joined (i.e. others may enter and leave as they wish). Consider that it has no ceiling for aerial purposes, but maintains its form beyond the atmosphere. Spells and powers of teleportation within the area are foiled, though those able to travel to other dimensions and planes may thusly escape.

In either application, the string cannot be touched or otherwise targeted by actions of those effected.

AD&D Soothsayer

The Soothsayer

Soothsayers are a sub-class of magic user, though they have some qualities of illusionists and clerics also. To be a soothsayer, a character must have a minimum intelligence of 12, wisdom of 9, dexterity of 11, and a charisma of 9 or more. Soothsayers do not gain bonuses to earned experience by dint of high ability scores. Soothsayers can be of any alignment, and may or may not be affiliated with a religious organization, cult, or church, but should not be considered as necessarily representative of this organization as the cleric generally is.

Soothsayers gain levels and follow the spell schedule of the illusionist. Hit dice are d6. Soothsayers can wear no armor heavier than leather and cannot use a shield. They may arm themselves as per illusionists, and choose one other weapon to be allowed to use. Soothsayers attack and save as clerics.

They may use magic items available to magic users, illusionists, and clerics (though some deities/religious organizations might disallow the functions of clerical items for a particular Soothsayer whose alignment, outlook or purpose is antithetical).

Soothsayers are more inclined toward information gathering and influence than acts of grandiose magic. They are more likely found as fortune tellers, hermetic seers, advisors, adventurers, iconoclasts and zealots or charlatans and mountebancs than leaders of a flock, crusaders or academic thaumaturges. Some cultivate an aura of mystery about themselves, others use their abilities in the service of others.

The particular methods of soothsayers allow them to cast Read Magic 1 time a day for each level they have attained. Additionally, soothsayers may cast the reversed form of any spell currently memorized, where such reversed forms exist.
Spells available to soothsayers

--	Level One	Level Two	Level Three	Level Four
1	Change Self	Augury	Blink	Charm Monster
2	Charm Person	Detect Charm	Clairaudience	Confusion
3	Command	ESP	Clairvoyance	Cure Serious Wounds
4	Comprehend Languages	Find Traps	Illusionary Script	Detect Lie
5	Cure Light Wounds	Forget	Spectral Force	Divination
6	Detect Evil	Hold Person	Non-detection	Emotion
7	Detect Illusion	Hypnotic Pattern	Remove Curse	Exorcise
8	Detect Magic	Speak with Animals	Slow	Phantasmal Killer
9	Hypnotism	Imp. Phantasmal Force	Speak with Dead	Polymorph Self
10	Identify	Know Alignment	Suggestion	Wizard Eye
11	Phantasmal Force	Locate Object	Tongues	Plane Shift
12	Audible Glammer	Misdirection	Dispel Magic	Contact Other Plane

--	Level Five	Level Six	Level Seven
1	Atonement	Find the Path	Astral Spell
2	Chaos	Vision	Antipathy/Sympathy
3	Commune	Invisible Stalker	Cacodemon
4	Speak with Monsters	Legend Lore	Instant Summons
5	Feeblemind	Mass Suggestion	Mind Blank
6	Magic Jar	Reinacarnation	Trap the Soul
7	Maze	Repulsion	Mass Charm
8	Polymorph Other	Spiritwrack	Heal
9	Quest	Veil	Imprisonment
10	True Seeing	Word of Recall	Alter Reality

Crude PDFS

I posted a link to some small PDF files that I've made and thought I should offer an explanation.
They're beside the top post of this page.

First off, a set of tables for hex-occupant generation. I went through Holmes D&D and extracted those creatures listed with treasure types, put in a dash of personal bias, and made tables for lair generation. Each table is rolled with 2 20-siders. There's two tables, the first contains races, the second, monsters.

The second is a list of the spells I've recently been posting here. Yay! More spells!

Anyway - coming to understand how easy PDFs are - albeit, crude ones.

Further researches of Ghanto Manuscript...

Curse of Cowardice
Casting Time 1 minute
Duration 1 day/level
Target gets initial saving throw. If failed, target must save vs spells to enter melee, or to undertake other actions that call for an excessive bravery.

Curse of Hiltbite
Casting Time 1 minute
Duration 1 day/level
Target gets initial saving throw. If failed, target takes 1 damage each round for each hand holding a weapon.

Enduring Symbol
Casting Time 1 hour
After casting this spell, caster places gold ingots or bars on the symbol, of a worth no less than 14,000 coins, which suffuses into the pre-existing symbol and vanishes. The symbol from then on must be dispelled twice in one hour to be removed.

Liquefy Metal
Casting Time 1 minute
Duration 10 seconds/level
Range 5'/level
The caster can effect one non-magical object composed of metal (1 pound/level). If the item is heavier than the caster can effect, the spell fails. If the metal object is held or worn, a save vs spells is allowed. Otherwise, the metal becomes a liquid without changing temperature. If not contained it will spill to the floor. At the end of the spell's duration, the metal returns to its natural hardness.
(*should probably allow normal metal things a save too...)

& more trickeries

Aery Vantage
Casting Time 1 minute
Duration 1 minute/level
Caster must close eyes and stand still for duration of spell or it is broken. Caster's vision is centered at a point up to 100'/level directly above his position. The view can rotate in all directions, and be repositioned on the vertical axis at will.

Feral Spell
Casting Time 10 seconds
Range 10'/level
Duration 1 minute/level
Target domesticated animal must save or revert to a wild or non-domesticated state. The animal's rider or handler may make this saving roll if present and of higher level. Some particularly well-trained animals may gain a bonus to the saving roll. The animal returns to its normal condition when the spell ends. This spell has no effect on creatures of greater than animal intelligence.

Ferrous Charm
Casting Time 1 minute
Duration 10 minutes/level
Cast on an iron object, the object then protects the holder/wielder/wearer, granting a +1 to saving throws/3 levels of caster.

Namelessness
Casting Time 10 seconds
Range 10'
Duration 10 minutes/level
Target saves or cannot remember own name. Nothing else about target's memory is altered.

Riddle
Casting Time 30 seconds
Duration Varies
With this spell, the caster presents a riddle to 1 target/3 levels within hearing range. The caster must use a language the targets understand – but the spell has the peculiar quality of transmitting the voice through ambient noise of volumes that would normally impair the communication. Targets are allowed a saving roll. Those that fail suffer a -1 to all rolls for a number of rounds equal to their intelligence score divided by 2.

Symbol/Ward of Passivity
Casting Time S: 1 hr/lvl, W: 1 min/lvl
AOE S: 30'R/level, W: 10'R/level
Duration S: Permanent, W: 1 hour/level
All who enter the AOE (except caster) must save or suffer a reduction of 1 on to hit rolls, damage and armor class while in AOE.

Symbol/Ward of Weaponlessness
Casting Time S: 1 hr/lvl, W: 1 min/lvl
AOE S: 30'R/level, W: 10'R/level
Duration S: Permanent, W: 1 hour/level
Any who enter the AOE must save vs spells or immediately sheathe, sling, or stow any weapons in hand. All within area of effect must save vs spells to draw a weapon. These effects do not apply to the caster of the Symbol or Ward

D&D combat vs Time

Time wins again!

Actually, no. This particular conflict is yet unresolved, and I think that I may have figured out where the D&D abstract combat/time system started to break down. I could be (and probably am!) wrong - but here is a point where the long round feels wonky.

Touch attacks.
In D&D there's the assumption that foes spar, that the 'to-hit' roll represents the one chance in that time to 'land a telling blow' or somesuch. OK. So in walks a cleric who was clever enough to reverse his cure spell, and all he needs to do it touch the target - not to land a telling blow. In the D&D combat round there's a lot of implied action, and many of these imply contact. Touching a target - surely - is an easier task than drawing blood...
So - not a big deal as far as I am concerned, but it is very easy for me to imagine a player (probably would have been me if I ever played!) crying foul. "You want to give coup to the hobgoblin who is swinging a scimitar...at you...ok..."
Maybe I'm laying the blame in the wrong camp. Perhaps the apocryphal moment was spurred by a carrion-crawlin' a-hole DM (OK. That almost certainly would have been me)

I dunno - I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of elucidating this idea. It's just turning into an anti-player screed...

-------------And while I'm at it!

Called shots.
I've always had players want to do this. Really, from as long as I can remember running games - at least one player wants to poke an eye out, hamstring, disarm, etc...I've realized that this has NOTHING to do with D&D combat and time. Sorry. One reason why I liked T&T early on was because it supplied a method to resolve such things...and the D&D long round really gives them ammunition - "with that much time I can't aim for the neck, huh?" - I wonder how many variations there are on called shot house rules out there...

I don't really hate players - can't blame them for looking for/thinking of advantages, seeing as how I'm pelting them with blood bats and poisoned darts and whatnot...