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Octhorrorfest, Ghost Stories: 1D12 Hauntings Tables For OD&D and other RPGs

Octhorror is here again! That means, of course, several supernatural posts and game aids for your help get your game in the spirit of the season! You should be able to tell from the title that, this year, will be focused on dealing with the spirit world!

I typically give stats for a creature, or a specific rule to use in play. The first post of the year is going to be a little more generic. This post is intended to help those Referees that want to add a bit of the supernatural to the game, or run a Halloween session, without having to do a ton of prep. To this end I give you tables to create a sandbox ghost story for your players to deal with. The intent here is that the players will discover the haunting and have to deal with putting the spirit to rest. This post assumes that D&D or another fantasy game is being played. Enjoy!

D12: What Is Being Haunted?

1. A castle/manor
2. The local inn/tavern
3. Someone's home
4. An old abandoned house
5. A cemetery or barrow
6. A magic item the PCs have discovered
7. Mundane treasure (gold, jewelry etc.)
8. A common item (used adventuring gear, a farmer's plow etc.)
9. A holy site (temple, grove, cemetery etc.)
10. An item owned by an NPC
11. An NPC (see rules for possession and obsession)
12. One of the PCs (see rules for possession and obsession)

D12: Why Is the Spirit Earthbound?

1. The spirit does not realize it has died
2. The spirit was murdered and must be avenged/murderer brought to justice
3. They died while on a quest. The quest must be completed for the spirit to move on.
4. An item was stolen from the home or resting place of the spirit and must be returned
5. The spirit was bound to the haunted (see table above) by means of a spell.
6. The deceased deliberately became a ghost, specter etc, hoping to gain power as an undead spirit
7. A curse separates this spirit from the spirit of it's one true love, who has passed on to the other side.
8. A part of the spirits corporeal body is missing/stolen and must be returned to it's place of rest.
9. The spirit broke an oath before dying and is now cursed until it proves it's worth.
10. The body of this spirit is alive, but the current possessor of it's body severed it's ties to get rid of the proper owner.
11. The spirit is a loved one visiting from the otherside. It is not truly earthbound but may not be able to find it's way back.
12. The spirit was a being resurrected, but the attempt failed and now is stuck between two worlds.

Halloween Ghost by Tom Shropshire

Speaking of Ghost Stories, if you haven't done so already, head on over to the Appendix N Entertainment Store at DriveThruRPG to pick up my first adventure, "Hidden Hand of the Horla" PWYW for a limited time!

Dice Mechanics For Morale And Loyalty In OD&D and Classic D&D

Continuing on with an idea I had for more simple dice mechanics, begun back in the Simple Dice Mechanics for Reaction Rolls post, I have come up with a system loosely based upon the one provided for troops in Swords & Spells for OD&D. You can see pages 19-20 of the aforementioned OD&D supplement to see my inspiration for this system.

 

For those of us who are avid Swords & Wizardry enthusiasts, +Matt Finch presents us with this in the complete rulebook, with regards to morale:

 

"Morale

 

Certain monsters, such as mindless or undead creatures, are fearless and always fight to the death. The majority, however, will not continue to fight a hopeless battle; they will seek to retreat, flee, or surrender. The Referee decides when monsters abandon the battle and retreat, based on the situation and the monsters’ intelligence. Keep in mind that the party’s own non-player-character allies might decide to flee if their prospects of survival look grim."

 

It's up to the referee. I love it. I love the simplicity. HOWEVER (yeah, you knew that was coming,) just like with the reaction rolls, sometimes I like things random. Sometimes I want the same surprise that my players get. I also don't always want to make every decision  for every creature that the players encounter. I have always used a relatively arbitrary 2d6 roll, based upon conditions, kept in my head for morale. That said, I've been feeling like it's time for a change. I've toyed with a few things, but re-reading the actual OD&D rules, including Swords & Spells, I was inspired to create what follows. Bear in mind, these rules will apply to henchmen, hirelings and troops used by the PCs just as much as they apply to enemies!

 

Rules! We've Got Some Rules Around Here!

 

I. Situational Examples For Rolling Morale Checks

 

In Combat

 

• Creature(s) drop below 50% HP
• "Leader" of group is slain/unconscious
• When opposed by superior magic
• When drastically outnumbered/out "gunned"
• "Elite" allies are slain or withdrawing from combat
• When the tide of battle turns against the creature(s)

 

Out of Combat (in the case of henchmen, hirelings and pack animals, this may result in desertion of the PCs)

 

• Creature(s) not being paid/cared for properly (including any abuse)
• Inclement conditions (anything from trap ridden dungeons to extreme weather)
• Consistent encounters with "otherworldly," eldritch or otherwise out of the ordinary creatures (ex. common men at arms encountering undead or demons for the first time, or consistently)
• Exposed to taboo locale, creature, power etc.

 

II. The Morale Check

 

When a morale check is made, roll 1d20 comparing the result to the following tables. If the result is equal to, or lower than the desired number, the check is a success. If it is higher, then the creature(s) fail the morale check and attempt to flee, in combat, or desert the situation if outside of combat.

 

Base Morale Check

 

Creature's HD            Check

Below 1                         5

1 - 2                               6

2+ - 3                             7

3+ - 4                             8

4+ - 5                             9
5+ - 6                             10

6+ - 7                             11

7+ - 8                             12

8+ - 9                             13

9+ - 10                           14

10+ - 11                         15

11+ - 12                         16

12+ - 13                         17

13+ - 14                         18

14+ & Higher                19

 

NOTE - There is always a chance of failure, except in extreme cases as determined by the Referee. If any modifiers raise morale to 20 or above, on a roll of 20 a second roll is made. If the second roll also results in a 20 the roll is failed.

 

Morale Bonuses (all applicable bonuses are added to the Base Morale Check)

 

Loyalty Rating 13 - 17   +1*
Loyalty Rating 18          +2*
Leader CHA 13+            +1*
Strong Resolve (Dwarf,  +1
Human etc.)
Superior Resolve (Elf,    +2
fanatic etc.)
Rallied (via a leader's     +1 - +3 Referee's discretion
speech, bard's tale etc.
Well cared for/rested**  +1
Trained for situation       +1
Paladin present applies   +3
to lawful only
Advantage (winning       +1 - +3 Dependent upon scale of advantage
battle etc.)

Morale Penalties (all applicable penalties are subtracted from the Base Morale Check)

Loyalty Rating 4-7         -1*
Loyalty Rating 3-           -2*
Leader CHA  7-             -1*
Weak Resolve (weak     -1
goblinoids etc.)
Inferior Resolve (gob-    -2
linoids fighting in day-
light etc.)
Leader flees                    -1
Leader slain                    -2
Shaken                            -1 - -3 Referee's discretion
Ill cared for/tired**        -1
Untrained in situation    -1
Disadvantage (losing     -1 - -3 Dependent upon scale of disadvantage
battle, wounded etc.)   

* -These bonuses and penalties do not stack. Use the best possible bonus/penalty applicable.
** -cumulative over time

Loyalty Ratings

When a henchman, hireling or military unit is acquired a roll will be made to determine how loyal they will be to the PC. This is done the in the same manner that attribute scores are determined. Rolling 3d6.

This can also be done, if needed for the loyalty that an army, unit etc. has toward it's leader. An example might be that the PCs want to hire away some of a local merchant's guards. A roll should be made to determine how loyal the NPCs are to their "leader" and a morale check should be made based upon this with modifiers based upon the PC's CHA and what the PC is offering.

Similarly loyalty ratings can be applied to ideals, jobs etc. where NPCs are concerned, if the referee wants a random factor added to a situation. How much do these guards really care if the treasure they are guarding in route to the castle comes up light when they arrive? Is this thief really dedicated to his guild, or will he give up secrets signs and passwords for the right price?

Loyalty Rating Modifiers (all applicable modifiers used to adjust the loyalty rating)

Same race as Leader/Master   +1
Same alignment                      +2
Same religion                          +1
Leader CHA 13+                    +1
Common goal/aspiration        +1
Leader/Objective reputable    +1
Leader/Objective deplorable  -1
Opposite alignment                -3
Opposed religion                    -3
Leader CHA 7-                      -1
Opposed goal/aspiration        -1

There you go. I hope that this is helpful.

Simple Dice Mechanics for Reaction Rolls in OD&D and Classic D&D

Reaction rolls are something that many modern games have gotten rid of, or are at least ignored by most Referees of said games. There may be some encounters in which reaction rolls could be ignored, especially those crucial to the adventure, after all, the dragon guarding her hoard shouldn't looked favorably upon adventurers coming to take it from her! Still, for lesser encounters, and random encounters, reaction rolls are a boon to the Referee, and can add interesting twists to the adventure.

 

 

OD&D and gives us this rule for reaction rolls:

 

 

"...the Referee may roll 2d6 to determine whether the monsters will attack if they surprise the adventurers. On a roll of 2-6, the monsters will be hostile and attack; on a roll of 7-9, the monsters will withhold judgment and wait to see if the adventurers are hostile; on a roll of 10-12, the monsters will have a positive initial reaction to seeing the adventurers, and might even be convinced to offer some help – if they are well paid, of course!"

 

That's OK...

 

Looking at a later edition, Moldvay gives us this option:

 

Reaction Roll Table (2d6+Charisma modifier)

Roll	Result	Explanation
2 or less	Immediate Attack	The monsters are so offended that they attack immediately.
3-7	Unfavorable	The monsters do not like the player characters, and will attack if they may reasonably do so.
8-11	Favorable	The monsters will consider letting the player characters live if they choose to parley; it does not necessarily mean that the monsters like the player characters.
12 or more	Very favorable	The monsters (or perhaps only the monster leader) do, in fact, like the player characters; this does not mean that the monsters will just hand over their treasure, but it does indicate that they may choose to cooperate with the player characters in mutually beneficial ways.

Both have merit. I think we can do a good job at using the best of both rules while making the rule simpler and more simulationist at the same time. In fact, I need to track my source, but I'm pretty sure that Uncle Gary gave us another method. See, the above rule for OD&D might have never been used at his table. Again, I need to check the source, but I believe it was in the 1E DMG that Gygax stated that he had a poker die with all four card suits on it. The heart was marked on one side, diamonds on two, clubs on two and a spade on one. According to memory in the DMG Gary said that he used this die for reaction rolls. The heart was very favorable, the diamonds we somewhat favorable, the clubs were cautious/suspicious and the spade was hostile. This is the basis that I use for my reaction rolls. I use a Gamescience "averaging die," which is a d6 marked 2, 3, 3, 4, 4 and 5. It is essentially the same thing as the die that Gary is talking about. That said, it's not like you need the novelty of either of these dice to get the same sort of results out of a normal d6. So, without further ado, here is my method as slightly altered from Gary's.

 

Ruling on Reactions

 

Reaction Check, roll 1d6.

 

Roll                Result                 Explanation                                                               

 

    1               Hostile                   Creature is hostile toward the PCS and attacks         

                                                   The creature(s) is suspicious or untrusting of the

    2/3  Unfavorable/Suspicious  PCs, it will take little to provoke it.                           

                                                   The creatures trust, or have reason to trust or like 

    4/5    Favorable/Trusting        the PCs. They could be cautious but are favorable    

 

    6    Very Favorable/Friendly  The creature(s) is very favorable and willing to help

 

 It's clean. It's simple. It simulates real possibilities. It's also scalable based upon the environment. It is very easy to knock of one extreme or the other and scale thing back. Take this variant as an example.

Recent Wild Fires Cause Food To Be Scarce; Animal/Monster Reactions:
 

Roll                Result                 Explanation                                                               

 

    1/2               Hostile                   Creature is hostile toward the PCS and attacks      

                                                     The creature(s) is suspicious or untrusting of the

  3/4/5  Unfavorable/Suspicious   PCs, it will take little to provoke it.                         

                                                   The creatures trust, or have reason to trust or like 

     6      Favorable/Trusting        the PCs. They could be cautious but are favorable   

PC Attempts To Affect Reactions:

PCs can attempt to alter the reactions of creatures they encounter. The PCs can attempt to move influence the creature's reaction either in their favor, or provoke the creature toward hostility, if they believe this to be a smart idea! This is done with a Charisma attribute check. This can be done using any rule that the Referee chooses for attribute checks. If the check is successful the creature makes a saving throw. A failed save results in the creature's temperament moves in the intended direction by one number. If the save is failed by a large margin, the Referee may deem that it's temperament moves more than one number. Of course, the referee may deem that the creature receives a bonus to their saving throw, depending upon conditions. If, on the other hand the PC fails the attribute check by a large margin, the Referee may move the creature's reaction in the opposite direction.