http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/categories/hacking-talk/feed.rss Wed, 19 Jun 13 05:04:42 -0400 Hacking Talk - Old School Hack Forums en-CA http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/383/as-i-said-over-on-rpg-net-an-idea-for-a-hack-of-my-own- Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:55:51 -0500 Chugosh 383@/discussions
I'm going to be using a hack of the Old School Hack rules, liberally stealing content from the brilliant guys who have hacked the same game into their own versions, so thanks to Kirin Robinson, Andrew Shields, Jason Mical, and Zack Wolf, the last of whom wrote his [URL="http://sentientgames.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/shadow-hack/"]"Shadow Hack"[/URL] version of Shadowrun/OSH. My contributions to the mechanics will be, I think to use 2d8 for most rolling, because face hits are funny, and using d8s will lead to more of them.

Races, I think, will be Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Trolls and Goblins. Jobs would be Fighter, Magic Guy, Spirit Guy, Skulky Guy, and Techy Guy(covers the hacker and rigger roles, might split.) Cross class talents would run just like the other hack games.

But the setting itself is what I'm talking about, as I begin to cobble it all together. I picture a world now pretty much tamed, with wide tracts of magically automated farms providing food and other resources for the glowing golden megacities. Great guilds hold as much power as the crowned heads of the world, and things have never been brighter, but at the roots of all this glory there is the dirt that really makes things happen. About everyone has a small magical amulet with a polished crystal they can look into for all sorts of information, that has all their records and even their money stored in it, and many have their bodies covered in magical jewelry and tattoos to give them strength, speed, and power. Golems and homonculi of every shape and size are everywhere taking care of their masters' errands.

So that is where I am at so far.

I will add for this forum in particular that I do not mean to step on toes, but I do mean to rip off as much as I need. I do not know if I will ever publish my work on this, but if I did I will do it the same generous way you guys have. ]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/369/old-school-hats-osh-in-the-wild-west Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:01:07 -0400 JasonMical 369@/discussions
http://www.jasonmical.com/oldschoolhats/

Feedback is definitely welcome. Note that I'm not a graphic designer so forgive any errors in the layout - I did what I could in Keynote. ]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/381/static-or-mostly-static-traits-vs-leveling Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:44:23 -0500 Chugosh 381@/discussions I was looking at the FATE system real close because it seems to have this as one of its features. But here is my old flame OSH, and I cannot help but think there could be something in setting up some kind of similar thing for that.]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/287/shadow-hack Sat, 02 Jun 2012 23:00:52 -0400 SentientGames 287@/discussions
http://www.sentientgames.wordpress.com]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/382/a-completely-different-starting-point- Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:52:40 -0500 Chugosh 382@/discussions
I'd start by using d12s rather than d20s, but really only because I like them more on a purely personal level. Plus I can draw d12s. The armor and damage levels would likewise be adjusted for the lower thresholds the dice would work with. It would make any points of advancement (say in a shoot or fight skill) that much more valuable.

Nothing finished, mind. Just thinking out loud, so to speak.]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/163/new-book-fictives-portable-pantheon-2012-released Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:05:17 -0500 fictivefantasies 163@/discussions
Also included is a way to make religious organizations, and even a way to pit those organizations against each other to provide interesting background conflicts. You can make non-human clerics, and assign divine energies to non-clerics or to clerics of gods not included in the list.

Finally, a history of the Breathing World so you have a backdrop for the ideology and theology of the game world–flexible enough for you to do your own thing, but providing enough structure that players can get a sense they’re part of something bigger.

We have 6 male gods, 6 female gods, and 6 gods that are neither; of those 6, 3 are androgynous and 3 are sexless. Anyway, there are 100 new talents provided, so if you want to make your own pantheon you should have plenty of inspiration for mixing and matching divine magics.

The gods are presented as not focused on good or evil, but instead focused on subjects of interest; it is their organizations in the world that can be good or evil depending on their interpretation and implementation of what they think their god wants. This should provide a far deeper depth of play, and endless possibility for conflicts and alliances.

Here is the resource page with all the good stuff. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/old-school-hack-resources/

Here is the book itself. http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/osh-portable-pantheon-2012.pdf]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/372/belief-systems-and-codes-of-honor Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:37:15 -0400 fictivefantasies 372@/discussions http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/belief-systems-and-codes-of-honor/

Every point of Commitment can be used towards taking a belief system or a code of honor. These can be taken at generation or added during play for free—they carry their own cost.

*Each point in a belief system or code of honor adds another +1 to a Commitment roll when resisting temptations or violations of that belief system or code of honor.*

Players should suggest that they get the bonus any time it occurs to them and seems appropriate, understanding that the DM is the final interpreter of when the bonus applies and when it does not.

Beliefs and honor only provide this extra boost if they require structure and sacrifice. While they can be general, as described below, it can be entertaining to find or write up specific codes to follow.

*Violating the Belief System or Code of Honor*

Sometimes characters will fail to live up to the strictures of their beliefs, they will be dishonored. When this happens, they get no bonus to Commitment tests of any kind. The only way to restore the bonus is to atone, to sacrifice, to somehow symbolically restore the broken relationship. The player and DM can work together on what that looks like for the character’s situation.

]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/370/fictive-hack-presents-thief-the-hack-project- Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:12:39 -0400 fictivefantasies 370@/discussions
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/thief-the-hack-project-8-12.pdf

This hack provides some dark fantasy grit and a dose of mortality to the game. You can still support a variety of play styles, this version is more oriented towards urban low-combat games.

It is based on the "Thief" video game series: The Dark Project, The Metal Age, and Deadly Shadows. Now I have set it up so you can enjoy that world at your table with some friends.

If you look at it, I'd love to know what you think. ]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/371/master-talents Sun, 26 Aug 2012 10:00:25 -0400 fictivefantasies 371@/discussions
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/master-talents.pdf]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/126/modern-osh-and-zombies Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:37:39 -0400 fictivefantasies 126@/discussions
http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/old-school-hack-modern-slash/

For character generation, I'm going to have a "Background" instead of an inherent ability at generation, to represent a lifetime of whatever they did before. Then I'll have big groups of talents to draw from as the game goes on. Should work out fine.

So: any thoughts on other modern weapons I should note here? Other systems you'd like to see for how to do something in the modern world? Other comments generally?

I will also continue to work up monster traits and a background for various plug-and-play approaches for a zombie apocalypse as well as a game of modern horror investigation. Good times.]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/138/new-book-fictives-talents-and-templates-released Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:49:03 -0400 fictivefantasies 138@/discussions
This book has been fine-tuned from previous blog entries; they are drafts, this is the finished product. There is a lot here!

Grimores expand magic user talents.
Canticles give expression to individual gods for clerics.
A list of open and restricted talents.
28 templates, so you can randomize on 3d10 if you want.
Streamlined character creation including how to learn languages and musical instruments–everything you need to make a character here.
An advancement system so you can play your character as long as you want to.
Different format character sheet and reference page.
Blackpowder, poison, gambling, picking locks, and explosive rules.
More!

On my site: http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/old-school-hack-resources/
The file iteself: http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/fictives-talents-and-templates.pdf

So... what do you think?]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/159/is-the-admin-here Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:58:37 -0500 artikid 159@/discussions stopped the spam invasion...
artikid]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/291/monster-manual-sewn-from-pants-hack Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:33:44 -0400 fictivefantasies 291@/discussions
http://monstermanualsewnfrompants.blogspot.com/2012/07/this-is-home-brew-system-im-running.html]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/169/fictive-adjustments-to-base-classes Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:36:43 -0400 fictivefantasies 169@/discussions
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/fighter-template-update.pdf
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/thief-template-update.pdf
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/dwarf-template-update.pdf
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/elf-template-update.pdf
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/goblin-template-update.pdf
(The Magic User/Wizard and the Cleric were previously adjusted. You can find that in "Fictive's Talents and Templates" for the Wizard and Cleric, also "Fictive's Portable Pantheon".)

These are all posted on my Old School Hack Resources page, here:

http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/old-school-hack-resources/

Lots of other stuff there, you are welcome to check it out if you haven't seen it.

Anyway, I've played quite a bit of Old School Hack, and designed a lot of templates for it, so I wanted to bring the original inspirations in line with my later work. I wanted inherent abilities so tasty that players would be tempted to multi-class. I wanted to adjust the level of disassociated mechanics in some of the talents, and make some of the book keeping a bit easier in some cases.

Since Kirin is taking a look at all the base system right now, this seemed the time to offer my suggestions!]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/290/monster-builder Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:06:08 -0400 fictivefantasies 290@/discussions
http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/awesome-monster-builder/

Try it out! Post your results!

Instead of building a bestiary, I've made something that can populate bestiaries, with very little effort. The most you have to do is the fun part of interpreting and integrating and possibly adjusting the results. Want to whip up big bad monsters fast? Want monsters your players will never see coming and haven't memorized the stat blocks for? Here you go.]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/286/borrowing-good-ideas-from-the-ddnext-playtest Tue, 29 May 2012 22:48:35 -0400 greatfrito 286@/discussions
Anyways, one of the things I like, and will probably implement in my own games elsewhere, is the concept of Advantage/Disadvantage.

It's pretty simple. For D&D, when you have Advantage on a roll, you roll twice (so, 2 d20s), and take the higher result. When you have Disadvantage, you roll twice, and take the lower result. If you have both Advantage and Disadvantage, they cancel each other out.

Like I said, I like this idea. It's a bit swingy, but I think it would be less so in OSH. And heck, it's really something we already see used in OSH, to a degree (such as with Light weapons).


For us, then, it would look like this:

Advantage and Disadvantage
If you have advantage or disadvantage on any roll, you roll one additional die of the appropriate type - an extra d12 on an Attribute test, or an extra d10 on an Attack. If you have advantage, you ignore the lowest die result. If you have disadvantage, you ignore the highest die result.


(This should be compatible with Light weapon rules, and other existing OSH options that let you roll an extra die. For example, if you have Advantage and are using a Light weapon, you would roll 4d10 on the attack. You would ignore the lowest roll, from Advantage. Then you would ignore the lowest of the 3 remaining rolls, and be left with the 2 highest. If you had Disadvantage and are using a Light weapon, you would roll 4d10 on the attack. you would ignore the highest roll, from Disadvantage. then you would again ignore the lowest of the 3 remaining rolls, and be left with the middle 2 dice.)

]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/110/templates-for-classes Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:38:13 -0400 Zartes 110@/discussions
I love how the classes in OSH are presented, and I have to admit that a possible reason why I'm reluctant to use any homebrew classes is because the information wouldn't be presented as nicely. So I'm wondering whether it would be possible to make a form-fillable PDF that could have the stuff about a given class put into it, and then print out something that would match the core classes? ]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/166/my-game-master-game-prep-sheet Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:13:15 -0400 OFTHEHILLPEOPLE 166@/discussions
Below I've posted my rough draft game preparation sheet that I would use to plan out a location my players would be going to. It uses the Arena Template idea that the location where everything taking place has constant Arenas or Arenas that will show up more than once in an adventure while still allowing for improvised Arenas (by the person running the game and the players) to be added for temporary use. The form has areas where the person running the game can write in the stats of any creature(s) that would be encountered more than once or more often in the area. At the bottom there is a Loot table that can be randomly rolled to determine treasure found by the players.

Goal:
1: Making game planning easier through use of a quick, one page, tool.
2: Creating a tool for "spur of the moment" location creation and tracking.

Please feel free to suggest any changes or edit it yourself. Like I said, this is a rough draft and more changes will be coming down the pipeline where I'd eventually like to get this converted to a PDF with graphics to fit the OSH theme.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OFTHEHILLPEOPLE’s Game - Master Location Sheet

Location: _____________________________

Description: _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Arena Template: _________________________ | Improvised Arenas:
1: _____________________________________ | 1: _____________________________________
2: _____________________________________ | 2: _____________________________________
3: _____________________________________ | 3: _____________________________________

Monsters/Enemies:
Name: ____________________ | Name: ____________________ | Name: ____________________
Description: ________________ | Description: ________________ | Description: _______________
_________________________ | _________________________ | _________________________
AC: _____ | HP: ______ | AC: _____ | HP: ______ | AC: _____ | HP: ______
Weapon Type: (L)(RE)(RA)(H)(VH) | Weapon Type: (L)(RE)(RA)(H)(VH) |Weapon Type: (L)(RE)(RA)(H)(VH)
Weapon:_________________ | Weapon:_________________ | Weapon:_________________
Talents: | Talents: | Talents:
[ ]___________________AP: | [ ]___________________AP: | [ ]___________________AP:
[ ]___________________AP: | [ ]___________________AP: | [ ]___________________AP:
[ ]___________________AP: | [ ]___________________AP: | [ ]___________________AP:

Loot: Roll 1d10
1: ______________________ 4: ______________________ 7: ______________________ | 10:
2: ______________________ 5: ______________________ 8: ______________________ | Roll
3:______________________ 6: ______________________ 9: ______________________ | Twice

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: Of course the editing doesn't allow for spacing and correct alignment. If I can send this to someone for hosting it would probably look much better.
EDIT2: Changed name from "Hack-Master" to "Game-Master" to avoid confusion.]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/222/behold-new-content-smosh-phase-i Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:22:42 -0400 greatfrito 222@/discussions
Right now, we're just done (finally) with the main set of classes. Most of these are just our personal attempts to bring "modern" D&D classes into the OSH ruleset, and thus you'll see some overlap with what other folks on the web have done (though the actual mechanics are distinct). The classes include:
Barbarian
Bard
Druid
Gunslinger
Marshal
Monk
Psychic
Tinkerer
Warlock

And also:
Automaton

You can find all of these here: SMOSH Google Docs Folder


We have plans for the future - a lot of optional supplemental stuff, as well as our own take on further OSH advancement and levels - and, eventually, we'll compile that and release it as well, alongside this, in an actual "supplement".

For now though, enjoy!
]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/235/curses-and-gypsy-magic Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:17:14 -0400 fictivefantasies 235@/discussions
Curses.
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/curses.pdf

Gypsy magic.
http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the-vistanti-fate-tradition.pdf]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/233/wizard-familiars-gothic-old-school-hack Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:46:07 -0400 fictivefantasies 233@/discussions
Check this out: not only rules for a wizard getting a familiar, but ONE HUNDRED familiars to choose from, each with a unique advantage! So you can randomize, if you are feeling lucky... http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/100-familiars/

For more resources related to The World Between, check out my resource page. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/old-school-hack-resources/

I won't link to everything, but I've got witch hunters, berserkers, and illusionists up with templates. There is a map, and a 7,000 year history. Also, a new system for horror and terror and madness, if you want to do a Gothic game. (I explain why I think Jack Shear's world and Gothic vibe will work well in OSH here. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/old-school-hack-and-the-world-between-a-strange-but-fitting-match/)

I am using his material to inspire further system offerings for Old School Hack, with the eventual goal of converting some of it enough to give you resources so you can play in the World Between and not have to make it all up as you go. He provided a sketch and prospectus with his compendium, and I want to give you all what you need to actually play there--Gothic Old School Hack, with a seriously gonzo twist. (Berserkers riding polar bears?!)

Anyway, if you check all this out, please let me know what you think.

Also--today only, my site is up for "Site of the Year" and if you'd vote for me I'd appreciate it. http://stuffershack.com/reader-voting-day-5-of-5-for-the-2012-rpg-soty/]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/167/old-school-hack-headgear Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:46:50 -0400 fictivefantasies 167@/discussions
JB organized his chart by class (not ideal for Old School Hack: the Fictive Way, with 40 templates and counting.) After using the table and sort of bending and hammering it to make it work, I knew I'd do one for Old School Hack to focus in on how I want to use the chart. Even though it was not a perfect fit, the idea was so great and the results so entertaining the players clamored to get a fancy hat when they made their characters.

Anyway, it'll post next week, but it's on my resource page. I encourage you to take a look at Old School Hack Headgear and consider letting players earn their characters some Awesome Points during character generation by agreeing to abide by the random result of some rolls to whip up a magnificent hat!

http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/old-school-hack-headgear.pdf]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/131/grimores-books-of-power-books-of-spells Sun, 28 Aug 2011 09:07:25 -0400 fictivefantasies 131@/discussions
Perhaps they start with a different tradition than the one in the base template. The inherent ability remains the same. One of the most evocative shifts in the Magic User template concept is the “Book of Power” so I used that base notion to add a kind of information to the grimore as well.

Here you are. Five new spells, and a book geared for a kind of research. It is not a template, but it greatly expands options for the magic users. What do you think of this concept?

http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/osh-aglatch-grimore-a-new-format-for-a-template/]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/164/mass-effect-rpg-aka-hack-effect Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:10:02 -0500 Drugancius 164@/discussions
I have made Hack Effect, playing Mass Effect using the OSH rule set. I mostly just made because I like OSH as a platform to play some simple, dungeon crawling RPG stuff and have recently upgraded to a computer capable of playing ME and ME2. So I have in the end a 32 page PDF. I was just going to print it out and play at home but decided to spruce it up for sharing. But I don't have a personal website.

So basically I joined the forum to see if there was a place here to upload it to, if anyone wanted to host it, or see if there is a recomended "isle of lost toys" from the OSH crowd.

Thanks
Aaron Kavli]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/162/overlay-templates Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:43:32 -0500 fictivefantasies 162@/discussions
Anyway, check it out!

Overlay template. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/osh-overlay-templates/

Immortal. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/osh-there-can-be-only-one-immortals/

Vampire. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/osh-overlay-template-vampire/

Werewolf. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/osh-overlay-template-werewolf/]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/26/setting-hack-gonzo-magitech-land Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:59:42 -0400 MacLeod 26@/discussions
I like games that include Magitech. I like Final Fantasy, especially IV and VI. I want to create Classes that remind me of the good ol' days.

I intend to create 20+ Classes but we'll see what happens once my inspiration for Talent creation starts running out. =P I also recognize that many classes can be "emulated" by picking Talents from other classes... so maybe the following list will end up being trimmed down? Or perhaps I'll create more generalized classes and give them a larger than average (6+) pool of Talents to choose from.

The class list is...



(removed the Dark Knight class posting, refer to the mediafire link for the full docx)]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/141/attribution Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:45:38 -0400 fictivefantasies 141@/discussions
How should attribution work? I already reference the forum in acknowledgments, but with a higher level of borrowing, I feel it best to use specific handles in the acknowledgments. But does that need to go to the point of noting which ideas came from what people before being repackaged for my system? This feels especially complicated when there are some parts that I came to independently, at a later time, because the system works in that direction. But I didn't do it FIRST.

Anyway, just want a sense of how strict the attribution should be (especially since I don't even have names, just forum handles). I appreciate the creativity here.

Is it enough to include a list of screen names in my acknowledgments if I use something that resembles an idea they posted, or if I adapt something they posted to fit into my work? I'm wondering if maybe I should just stop reading the forums, if attribution gets too sticky. What do you all think?]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/137/scenario-the-tireless-archer Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:12:42 -0400 fictivefantasies 137@/discussions
My OSH resource page is here. http://fictivefantasies.wordpress.com/old-school-hack-resources/

The scenario will have a post next Monday, but in the meantime I put it up on the resource page so you could look at it here: http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/osh-the-tireless-archer.pdf

This scenario is a site-based adventure, very different from"The Road to Baffram" (which is an escort mission.)

After 1-3 establishing encounters (that can be skipped or retooled to fit into an ongoing game) the characters go by dirigible to a mysterious tomb in the mountains, guarded by monsters and shrouded by a ceaseless storm that keeps everyone but the most determined mountain climbers out. The structure should accommodate a wide variety of player choices and play styles and still have useful preparation--almost every encounter is a single page of text, and all the maps are at the back.

This adventure includes the Scholar template (complete with adventuring motives) as well as some magic weaponry and a variety of exciting monsters. (Bandits! Venomous crows! Baboons with wings! Carnivorous apes! A frost giant! Weird elves! Animated statues! Phasing ice spiders! And, of course, goblins.)

I am interested to know how you all think I did striking a balance between "fantasy game we could take seriously" and "anything can happen here!"

Enjoy the clash with the Tireless Archer! I welcome your reviews.]]> http://forums.oldschoolhack.net/discussion/139/scenario-lopelia-alchemal-fortress-ruin Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:17:39 -0400 fictivefantasies 139@/discussions http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/osh-lopelia-alchemal-fortress-ruin.pdf

So I've done an escort mission, and a site-based adventure. Now I am experimenting with further expanding the functionality and play styles of Old School Hack by developing a geomorph-based random generator. This is a test dungeon developed for you all to look at and offer feedback (and of course use.)

I will be offering the geomorph random stocker when it is done, but for now, I wanted to show you one of the results that came from my experimentation in developing it. I think it is coming along nicely! I look forward to hearing what you think.

I mean, think about it--if this works, then you can get a geomorph set from various sources, use my random generator, stitch together the results, and pow! My goal is that, using my tools, you can put in 10 minutes of prep per anticipated hour of play. That's 30 minutes for a 3 hour session. Not bad, for an integrated, thematic dungeon ready for lots of improv too.

This will get a blog post later, but as usual, you all are getting a preview.]]>