New Adventuring Skill for Thranconia II

I've added one more adventuring skill to the list to choose from for Thranconia:  BIBILIOPHILE

BIBLIOPHILE: a skill roll allows the detection of book worms in “wormy” books. A skill roll allows the character to appraise the fair resale value of non-magic books found on adventure. Unskilled mages and clerics can attempt these tasks, but it is a 1d100 INT check. The herb vermifuge is the only treatment for book worms.

If you bring a wormy book into your possession, it will destroy all carried scrolls, books and maps within 1 hour.

This skill is of major interest to Magic-Users, of course, but also to Clerics who use spell books in this version of the game (and even Thieves can acquire and use scrolls which are subject to book worm attacks.).  The search of wormy books described in the first version of "Random Dungeon Maker" is now replaced with these rules.

Thranconia Rules Revisions: Omnibus Update

THRANCONIA RULES UPDATE

I’ve been busy doing some sweeping rules revisions for Thranconia (most of it will be rather invisible in most of play, and they should all make things go faster and more smoothly.).   Here is a complete catalogue with links.   

I’d suggest that everyone read the initiative rules and saving throw revisions, and if your characters does a lot of melee, read the weapons and combat maneuvers too.  

I’d suggest everyone who uses weapons, herbs and alchemical products to read through the revised Gear Book.

 

#1—Initiative Refigured

            Doing away with the blocky Blueholme set-up, it was necessary to reconfigure the initiative rules, the weapon details and the combat maneuvers:  see these links:

            Revised Initiative

            Revised Weapon Rules

            Revised Combat Manuevers

 

#2—Maintenance/Living Expenses

            I decided that I liked the Living Expenses/Maintenance we’ve been using for Eldritch Earth better than any we’ve ever used, so I took this opportunity to make Thranconia like that.

            Living Expenses

#3—Buildings (no link) 

            Since we aren’t really using the tabletop models for Thranconia, and I see it being a remote/virtual thing for quite some time, I don’t need to make the buildings match my models.  Instead I made them match with the Blueholme/OD&D set up.  Included in the new gear books

#4—Saving Throws

            My new Saving Throw Calculus is posted here:

            Revised Saving Throws

#5—Business

            The quick and dirty business rules can be found here:

            Business

 

#6—Gear Book Revision

            Since the weapons had to be re-configured, I took the opportunity to re-edit the Gear Book.   A lot of things had gotten muddy in the cutting and pasting from Thranconia to Eldritch Earth and back to Thranconia.   I’ve cleared up with weaponry, alchemy, herbals, and incorporated the building revisions.   The Gear Book and the Revised Combat Cheat Sheet (which I really should have been using more in play, it’s a lot of stuff that is good to know in combat), are both posted as PDFs at this link:

            Thranconia Reference Documents

I'm Doing It, Pulling off the Band-Aid

For Thranconia,   I've been grappling with the Initiative/Turn Sequence for a long time.   I really wanted to give the SR-Rating for weapons a go, I thought it was great in the mass-battle we did before Thranconia I 2 years ago.   But, I found I don't like the blocky nature of the Holmes initiative sequence that I hung the system on.

I instead want to switch to the traditional 1d6 group initiative from AD&D 1e and Basic D&D (and Adventurer Conqueror King for that matter).   

I think it will make dungeon battles go more smoothly and faster.

I've tried to make the weapons charts more interesting and incorporate the RESULTS of the SR system without the numerical framework.   These things will mostly be important to Fighters who want to get interesting benefits from weapons choices, but everyone will likely notice 1-2 small details to their advantage.  

I'll be updating the Gear Book and the Wiki on combat rules in the near future, but the actual changes to game play will be very easy to see and will make things smoother and faster.   For example, the long weapons will often get an Extra Attack at first contact, instead of having to have a melee phase match up, and Charges, Picking things off the ground and Fighting Withdraws will be easier to manage.

Schedule: April 17-18

Looks like no D&D games at all this weekend.   Go outside and play.

Johnny and Prostitutta's Big Shopping List

So Johnny Venice and Prostitutta (and the brick-guards) take a wagon down to Kingston to sell off the Dimensio loot and spend-big time on luxury outfitting for the house.

Prostitutta:

Gown, marvelous    1000gp

Gowns, fine   x2     200gp

Cosmetics 2 sets    30gp

Silk undergarments x260   260gp

Silk , hooded cloaks x2    50gp

Pairs of shoes  x260    104gp          (yes, you read that right, 260 pairs of shoes)

Set of Fine dishes         200gp

Set of silverware                     70gp

Large fine polar bear fur     500gp

Total:  2414gp

Johnny Venice:

Full sized mirror  100gp

Table    15gp

Chairs x6    24gp

Wine racks x2     30gp

Large Painting of Venice   500gp

Wine bottles x30     30gp

14 pints of expensive wine:  100gp (7 bottles)

46 pints of medium wine (23 bottles)   23gp

15 silver candlesticks     150gp

2 crystal goblets               60gp

2 sofas                               20gp

Large bed                          20gp

Cabinets x4                      40gp

China closet   50 gp

Kitchen pots          25gp

Trousers and shirt (good) x2  40gp

Trousers and shirt (fine)   100gp

Leather boots  5 pairs             25gp

Hats x10                                      8gp

Winter cloak x2                              30gp

Hooded cloak x2                            20gp

Bust of Pope Urban II                  100gp

Medium painting of Jesus and John the Baptist having lunch       200gp

200 wax candles                     4gp

 

Total:  1714gp

THRANCONIA new material and coming weekend

April 17-18

I can do either Saturday Night or Sunday Night for the Cat Crew in Thranconia this weekend.   Let me know what's open for people.

I could also do another session, sometime Saturday afternoon or anytime Sunday, for non-Mrow related action.

Two New Thranconia Rules:

Saving Throws:   I've changed how Saving Throws are calculated, roughly same odds, but no more charts.

Saving Throws

Businesses:   I've made a quick and easy set of rules for businesses for Thranconia,  I don't expect it to get much use, but have posted it none the less.

Businesses