8/19/2019 [Pits & Perils] I Had a Few Questions About It

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[Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

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03-05-2014, 11:26 PM

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Oct 2013577

Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

We're really happy you enjoy the ga me, and we appre ciate your kind words!

Consolidating armor class and hit points was done for simplicity, but again, it has arealism:

First, it dispenses with the interesting fiction that high-level characters could wadethrough a mob of kobolds and not take so much as a scratch. Low-level enemies

r emain ver y dangerou s, especia lly in nu mbers...

The nature o f games is such that high-level types still need to be challenged. We justwanted to be more honest about what was happening and to spread things out acrosslevels!

And yes, low-level characters enjoy a decent buffer of hit points, with fewer gained ateach new level. Some, like fighters, get better hits as part of their skill set, asopposed to say, magic, while others (magicians) suffer lower hits to balance theirotherwise considerable abilities, namely spell-casting.

But consider that a simple 1d6 trap could reduce a character quickly, especially if

they've already encountered enemies. Not to mention that a pair of orcs (say, 2/+1 inleather armor) could really challenge a fighter since they get the flanking bonus (+1)and the fighter can only deal with one at a time (unless they have the sweepingmove).

The same low chance to hit that protects the player-characters also protects their

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8/19/2019 [Pits & Perils] I Had a Few Questions About It

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enemies, and even a simple bonus matters when your attack spread is 2-12 instead of 1-20. Factor in multiple attacks, and things can get hairy quick!

Mathematically, each +1 bonus equals (approximately) +9%, so outflanking matters!

Oh, and you're correct: 10+4=14 HP (not including armor, of course).

We really like your magic classes. They're nicely integrated and balanced, especiallywith the elves, and we confess to having not considered the schools of magic you

propose - very nice!

Like so many OSR games, P&P was designed with an old-school ethos. The mostimportant of these being that each campaign is a game unto itself, even when thesame basic rules are being used. We think you've achieved that nicely!

Last edited by Oldehouserules; 03-05-2014 at 11:44 PM.

We're Olde House Rules , creators of Pits & Perils ,an original old-school role-playing game! Andcheck out Blood of Pangea and our Pits Perilous blog!

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03-06-2014, 08:26 PM

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Oct 2013577

Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

Arcane Adventurers make a clever addition. The essential dungeon explorer!

Druids are really cool, and we love the additional abilities. Shapeshifters are alsopretty sweet. We like how you've built a specialization around just a few spells (andreally tapped their potential).

Elves are also nicely done. We like how they've retained an essential "elvishness"while making (human) magicians the dominant specialists. Elves are reluctant toimpose their will upon nature, even through magic.

Overall, balance and integration between the four is very well done, and perfect for amagically-centered campaign.

Nice job using spell availability for balance, by the way. Each has its own character .

Best of luck as your games get underway! We're hard at work on new resources onthis end...

Last edited by Oldehouserules; 03-06-2014 at 09:38 PM.

We're Olde House Rules , creators of Pits & Perils ,an original old-school role-playing game! Andcheck out Blood of Pangea and our Pits Perilous blog!

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03-06-2014, 11:28 PM

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Jul 2012125

Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

I'm glad to see that my assumptions about the combat rules were fairly accurate. I

must applaud you on the transparency of intent for your rules, that's not an easy thingto do.

Truth be told about the Arcane Adventurer, I was looking over the spell list and seeingwhich ones naturally seemed to naturally group together and I saw all these utility typespells that didn't necessarily lend themselves to any on particular specialty or another.Upon further inspection though, they all seemed to be things that would always be niceto have on an adventure and the sum together didn't seem too powerful to have all inone package. So then the class idea just kind of sprang up from there.

Thank you for the compliments on the specialties. Druids have always been a favoriteclass of mine, so they were a natural to be one of the first I wrote. As for the elf

change, I couldn't bring myself to narrow their spell options down to 4 or 5, so I justdecided to eliminate the more overt and destructive spells as those seemed less 'elfy'.

I hope to get to try this all out with my group soon with a bit of a test drive. It willunfortunately be a bit longer until I can run something more substantial since I justfinished running a couple sessions of Hulks & Horrors and now the DM in the group isgoing to resume out 4e campaign of War of the Burning Sky.

I eagerly await any new stuff you all come up with. I'm immensely impressed withwhat you've done already and I can't wait to see more.

I went ahead and wrote up a few more specializations. I feel a little iffy about theGeneralist and the Stormcaster, but I like how the Illusionist and Warmage turned out.I'm thinking I might next try my hand at more non-magic type classes that adapt someof the spells for their special abilities. Such as a Ranger that has something of apermanent Hide and Mute (self-only) effect when in natural settings and canimmediately Calm wild animals and perhaps a Berserker who can fly into a rage wherethey Grow and give off a permanent Fear or Rout effect when raging. Anyway, here arethe other specialties:

Spoiler: Even More Stuff! Show

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03-07-2014, 06:57 PM

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Oct 2013577

Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

Yeah, we like the Arcane Adventurer too. It hearkens back to when all characters werebasically an "adventurer", which is very old-school. And it has a cool Gray Mouser feelto it, which is nice for old-timers like myself!

I was thinking yesterday: Is there going to be a generalist? Question answered!

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Back in the AD&D days, illusionists were always a versatile class because illusionscould be of anything. This is true with Ruse, and the need for concentration balancesits power nicely.

Also like how you save the really powerful (offensive) spells for the stormcaster andreally pare it down to just a few. Ditto for warmages (to a lesser extent). I'd certainlywant one on my side!

Variety of spell effects is power, and the lack thereof an effective balancingmechanism.

At any rate, you cross-balance a lot of moving parts, and it speaks to the feeling of your campaign.

Yes, elves are their own animal, and given their desire for harmony, they would bereluctant to tap the more disruptive powers of nature for any reason. And, of course, ithelps balance them against other characters.

Sounds like you have a lot of gaming on your plate. We're honored that you chose oursfor your busy schedule, and we hope you and your group enjoys it. We do plan anothersupplement, and possibly a setting with more content.

We'll see what the year brings. Oh, and we hope to be running events at Pretzcon(Omaha) and KantCon (Kansas City)...

Last edited by Oldehouserules; 03-07-2014 at 10:23 PM.

We're Olde House Rules , creators of Pits & Perils ,an original old-school role-playing game! Andcheck out Blood of Pangea and our Pits Perilous blog!

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03-08-2014, 01:40 AM

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Jul 2012125

Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

I admit I got a little (ok, a lot) carried away with the warmage. I somehow had notcompletely realized that magical plate has a minimum of a +4 to bonus hits. I think I'llreduce the armor allowance for them to at most chainmail and maybe just leather. Ifigured the reduction in the magic items they could use would also help compensate fortheir destructive potential. I should mention that given the more or less at-will natureof magic with my houserules, that pretty much all spells will allow a saving throw.

Alas, I live a ways away from Omaha or Kansas City and have neither the time nor thefunds to make it to either of those cons, but I wish you the best.

I've decided to try my hand at a couple of non-mage-y classes and along with it onemore change to a spell.

Spoiler: You know the drill Show

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Last edited by seadaily; 03-08-2014 at 06:25 PM. Reason: Edited the Assassin and Heal a bit

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03-08-2014, 03:07 PM

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Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

P&P, as written, uses magic items as a form of advancement. The ability to use certainones is part of a character's skill set. The impressive array of wands and staves is adeliberate augmentation of their power.

But it's also a limitation, as most involve fewer uses replenished at great cost in timeand/or money.

The same goes for fighters, who do not improve fighting ability, but can employ magicitems that allow them to do so. Actually, combat moves were introduced in part todifferentiate combat specialists without upsetting this...

That said, access to magic items is another way to empower and/or balancecharacters. The fact that you grant saving dice also goes a long way towards balancingpower for "magic at the ready" magicians.

Otherwise, spells are ultimately just effects . They can be applied to non-spell castersand attributed to non-magical sources, and it becomes a simple matter of referencingthe original spell when doing so. Very nice job here, by the way!

We really like your group healing concept. This adds a lot of flexibility and forces theplayers to think and set priorities. The berserker is also pretty interesting. You cross-balance this in many ways, like not being able to use charisma, etc. We also like thatthey advance on the dwarf table - now here's a balancing mechanism used in newways!

Ditto for assassins . You've managed to make sound scary .

Ultimately, we wanted to create a game that was complete and whole unto itself, butthat could be tailored by referees for their personal campaigns. The rules are at once afull game (like D&D), or raw materials and resources (like GURPS). In the hands of a

capable referee, this should work just fine. We're delighted to see that this is the case!At any rate, whatever depth and complexity exists in a game should come from thereferee. You've got this nailed!

Last edited by Oldehouserules; 03-08-2014 at 03:21 PM.

We're Olde House Rules , creators of Pits & Perils ,an original old-school role-playing game! Andcheck out Blood of Pangea and our Pits Perilous blog!

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03-08-2014, 07:08 PM #17

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Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

That is one thing I've been trying to keep in mind. I may change the warmage to allowup to plate armor, but like the savant, magic armor interferes with their magic. Thatshould hopefully keep them in check a bit more.

I've revised the assassin a bit. I felt their shadow form was a little too strong as an at-will ability. So it now costs them one HP to enter the form and it lasts for 1 turn andeach turn after the first costs another HP. Their backstab ability upgrades to mimic thethief's at 9th level. And I put in one ability that I had forgotten which was the ability tohandle poison without danger. If I find in play that the shadowform is too powerful, Imay reduce it to one round of activation per HP spent.

Let me say thank you again for letting me monopolize your time like this. I haven'tquite had an opportunity to discuss a game with the designer(s?) like this before andI've enjoyed the discussion greatly. I also hope this thread has made other peopleexcited about this game as well.

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03-08-2014, 07:48 PM

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Re: [Pits & Perils] I had a few questions about it.

The pleasure was all ours!

We're online fairy often (punctuated by the occasional week or so off) and we're gladto answer questions. We've enjoyed the discussion too, and greatly appreciate yourinterest!

Play testing is the best (and most enjoyable) way to see what works, but your HP drainfor shadow form makes sense given the material disruption involved. The savant'sinability to use magic armor works in practice because allowing it would greatlyexpand their ability to employ psychic functions, which was not its purpose. It soundslike you've got it handled...

Take care and see you around the forum!

Last edited by Oldehouserules; 03-08-2014 at 08:03 PM.

We're Olde House Rules , creators of Pits & Perils ,an original old-school role-playing game! Andcheck out Blood of Pangea and our Pits Perilous blog!

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