TEXT: Obligatory 
  bligatory 
   Sample 
  ample 
  Rules
  ules
  An OSR Ruleset
  An OSR Ruleset
  by Zzarchov Kowolski
  by Zzarchov Kowolski
  
  Written by Zzarchov Kowolski, Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission.
  TC
  Section
  Page
  Character 
  Generation
  Rolling Attributes (Modifer Table)
  2
  Rolling Class (XP table)
  3
  Fighter
  4
  Thief
  4
  Magic User
  5
  Class Backgrounds
  6
  Starting Languages (Language Table)
  7
  Hit Points 
  8
  Starting Equipment 
  8
  Starting AC
  9
  Equipment
  Price List 
  10
  Inventory 
  12
  Detailed Item Explanation 
  13
  Adventuring
  Experience Points 
  19
  Saving Throws 
  19
  Skills 
  19
  Skill Listing 
  20
  Surprise 
  21
  Reaction Roll 
  21
  Movement 
  22
  Random Encounters 
  22
  Healing and Rest 
  23
  Dungeoneering 
  24
  Light 
  24
  Dark Vision 
  24
  Traps 
  24
  Stuck Doors 
  25
  Combat
  Combat Steps 
  25
  Death and Dismemberment table 
  27
  Cover 
  27
  Shooting into Melee 
  27
  Leaving, Casting Spell, or Firing Missile in melee 
  27
  Parry 
  27
  Two weapon fighting 
  27
  Magic
  Spells 
  28
  Magic Items 
  30
  Name Level
  Strongholds 
  31
  
  2
   
  You know what this world 
  needs another OSR ruleset. For a 
  lot of my OSR/NGR dual statted 
  adventures, people have asked 
  me what OSR ruleset I use and 
  honestly the answer is “the vague 
  mishmash of rules in my head” 
  including a lot of house rules not 
  found in any system. My go to 
  system for a campaign is NGR, but 
  I do know the value of old school 
  gaming as a lingua franca for easy 
  pick-up games. To that end I am 
  putting together this little booklet 
  as a guide for running OSR games 
  the way I do at conventions.  Any-
  time you see something missing, 
  just pick your brain for a similar 
  rule from your game of choice.  
  Content for any OSR game should 
  work just fine for this ruleset.  I 
  will be making the assumption 
  you’ve played roleplaying games 
  before and understand the GM/
  Player dynamic and I’ll lean to the 
  assumption you’ve probably also 
  played classic or old school games 
  before.
   
  -Zzarchov Kowolski
  A core element to an Old School 
  game is that you don’t create a 
  character, you generate one. This 
  has its pros and cons for what you 
  want out of a game, but especially 
  for pickup games its incredibly 
  handy.   Everyone other than the 
  GM will roll up a character using 
  the following steps.
  Step 1
  Get a Character Sheet
  You could print out a fancy one, 
  but its more traditional to use a 
  scrap of paper and write down 
  what you come up with. Be sure to 
  doodle on it and eventually lose it 
  but assure your GM you remember 
  what was on it as you recreate it.
  Step 2
  Roll Attributes
  All characters have six attributes.  
  Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX),  
  Constitution (CON), Intelligence 
  (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Cha-
  risma (CHA).  For each of these 
  roll 3d6 and write the total of the 
  dice as the score.  Each score has a 
  modifier associated with it based 
  on the total (see below) that you 
  should write beside it.
  Score
  Modifier
  3
  -2
  4-8
  -1
  9-12
  0
  13-17
  +1
  18
  +2
  CG
  
  3
  For example, if you rolled 2,6,6 on 
  your first roll of the dice you would 
  write Str  14 (+1) on your sheet 
  somewhere.
  The attributes have the following 
  general uses (among others), but 
  they will be mentioned in each 
  instance they are used so you don’t 
  need to remember this or know the 
  acronyms.
  Attribute
  Uses
  STR
  * Modifies attack 
  rolls with thrown 
  and melee attacks. 
  * Modifies carry-
  ing capacity.
  DEX
  * Modifies AC
  * Modifies attack 
  rolls with missile 
  attacks
  CON
  * Modifies HP per 
  HD
  INT
  * Modifies the 
  maximum number 
  of languages/spells 
  known
  WIS
  * Modifies saving 
  throws
  CHA
  * Modifies the 
  number of follow-
  ers
  Step 3
  Roll Class
  The characters then roll a d6 to end 
  up with a character class.
   
  d6
   
  1-2: Fighter 
   
  3-4: Thief
   
  5-6: Magic-User
  A Fighter is, as the name implies, 
  primarily about fighting opponents. 
  A Thief is all about the things be-
  tween fights, helping to ensure any 
  fights are easier for the fighter.  The 
  Magic-User has potent spells that 
  can bend the rules. Sometimes they 
  help the thief, sometimes they help 
  the fighter.  
  All classes gain 1 hit die (HD) each 
  level and require the same amount 
  of experience points (XP) to lev-
  el up (seen below). XP is gained 
  through recovering treasure while 
  adventuring (see page 19)
  Level
  XP
  1
  0
  2
  1,500
  3
  3,000
  4
  6,000
  5
  12,000
  6
  25,000
  7
  50,000
  8
  100,000
  9
  200,000
  10
  300,000
  
  4
  Fighter
  Fighters gain the following special 
  abilities.
  Martial Fighters are not encum-
  bered by wearing armour.
  Tough Fighters receive an addi-
  tional Hit Die every odd numbered 
  level.
  Slayer Fighters of 5th level or 
  higher make 2 attacks whenever 
  they make an attack action instead 
  of 1.
  Warlord While land, men, and 
  title can be gained at any point, 
  an adventuring fighter will auto-
  matically attract loyal soldiers who 
  follow them if they claim, build, 
  or attempt to capture a stronghold 
  at 10th level. They will attract a 
  number of units of soldiers equal to 
  3 plus their CHA modifier.
  Thief
  Thieves gain the following special 
  abilities.
  Smuggler Thieves can modify their 
  clothes to contain secret pockets, 
  and gain 2 extra inventory slots 
  regardless of the pack they are 
  carrying.
  Expert Thieves gain 1 extra skill 
  die every odd numbered level.
  Survivor Thieves of 5th level or 
  higher may add their entire level to 
  their saving throws instead of half 
  their level.
  Robber Baron  While land, men, 
  and title can be gained at any point, 
  an adventuring Thief will automat-
  ically attract loyal bandits, rebels, 
  or the like into their service if they 
  attempt to claim, build, or capture 
  a stronghold at 10th level. They 
  will also attract an equal number of 
  disloyal bandits who will attempt 
  to usurp them.  They will attract a 
  number of units of soldiers equal 
  to 2 plus their CHA modifier and 
  an equal number of disloyal follow-
  ers. There is no easy way to know 
  which units are loyal or disloyal.
  CG
  
  5
  Magic User
  Magic Users gain the following 
  special abilities.
  Excellent Memory Magic Users 
  are able to learn a maximum of 3 
  additional spells and 1 additional 
  language.
  Occultist Magic Users gain 1 addi-
  tional Spell Point per level.
  Familiar Magic Users of 5th level 
  or higher can summon a Familiar. 
  The magic-user is able to learn 
  an additional spell, and must then 
  imbue a single spell into the fa-
  miliar permanently. At any point 
  afterwards, the magic-user may 
  convert any other prepared spell or 
  spells of equal or greater spell level 
  into that spell.  For example, if the 
  familiar is imbued with Fireball (a 
  third level spell), the magic-user 
  could convert a prepared bless spell 
  (first level) and two prepared magic 
  missile spells (both first level) into 
  a prepared Fireball spell. If the 
  familiar had been imbued with the 
  bless spell, the magic-user could 
  convert a prepared Fireball into 
  three separate instances of bless. 
  Should a familiar die, the Magic 
  User loses a level, but may then 
  summon another familiar.
  Master While a magic-user can 
  always hire guards, build a tower, 
  or raise the dead as finance and 
  magic allow, at 10th level, the mag-
  ic-user will automatically be able to 
  draw forth supernatural servitors 
  through either divine favour, bind-
  ing magics, conjuring, or infernal 
  contracts whenever they first 
  claim, build, or attempt to conquer 
  a lair such as a tower or dungeon. 
  The magic-user is able to summon 
  a number of units equal to 2 plus 
  their CHA modifier.
  
  6
  Step 4
  Roll a Background
  After a class is rolled,  the player 
  looks at the table related to their 
  class and rolls 1d6 to see what their 
  background was before becoming 
  an adventurer.  If the GM wants to 
  allow specialist classes,  the player 
  can roll 1d8 to open up two new 
  possibilities for each class that gain 
  some minor abilities from another 
  class. If a GM allows non-humans, 
  characters with appropriate stats 
  may choose one of the non-human 
  backgrounds instead of rolling.  
  Most of the backgrounds give a bo-
  nus to an attribute.  If you end up 
  with such an attribute, roll an addi-
  tional d6 and add that to the listed 
  attribute on your sheet and change 
  the modifier as appropriate. An at-
  tribute cannot become higher than 
  18 and any additional points are 
  lost.
  Fighter Backgrounds
  Roll
  Background
  Bonus
  1
  Gladiator
  +1d6 STR
  2
  Swashbuckler
  +1d6 DEX
  3
  Barbarian
  +1d6 CON
  4
  Mercenary
  +1d6 INT
  5
  Town Watch
  +1d6 WIS
  6
  Knight
  +1d6 CHA
  7
  Ranger
  +1 Skill Die
  8
  Paladin
  +1 Spell Point
  Thief Backgrounds
  Roll
  Background
  Bonus
  1
  Thug
  +1d6 STR
  2
  Burglar
  +1d6 DEX
  3
  Scout
  +1d6 CON
  4
  Assassin
  +1d6 INT
  5
  Hunter
  +1d6 WIS
  6
  Highwayman
  +1d6 CHA
  7
  Brigand
  +Martial ability
  8
  Charlatan
  +1 Spell Point
  Magic User Backgrounds
  Roll
  Background
  Bonus
  1
  Physician
  +1d6 STR
  2
  Alchemist
  +1d6 DEX
  3
  Hermit
  +1d6 CON
  4
  Wizard
  +1d6 INT
  5
  Druid
  +1d6 WIS
  6
  Witch/Warlock
  +1d6 CHA
  7
  Cleric
  +Martial ability
  8
  Cultist
  +1 Skill Die
  CG
  
  7
  Demihuman Backgrounds
  Elf (Requires a CON less than 12)
             * +1 Spell Point
             * Immune to Level Drain
             * Cannot wear non-magical  
   
   
  medium or heavy armour.
  Dwarf (Requires a CHA less than 12)
             * Gains Dark Vision
             * Dwarves are not 
   
  encumbered by packs.
             * Combat movement rate
   
  is reduces by 5ft.
  Halfling (Requires a STR less than 12)
             * +1 to hit on ranged attacks
             * +1 skill die
             * Cannot wield large 
   
  weapons and medium   
   
   
  weapons take 2 hands.
  Step 5
  Starting Languages
  A character may know a number 
  of languages equal to three plus 
  their INT modifier. All characters 
  start knowing the common tongue 
  (Common), except Dwarves and 
  Elves who know Dwarven and El-
  ven respectively. If they can know 
  additional languages Dwarves and 
  Elves must take Common before 
  rolling or choosing any additional 
  languages.  Characters may choose 
  to start with other random lan-
  guages by rolling 2d6 and consult-
  ing the chart below. Literacy allows 
  a character to read and write a 
  language that they speak (of their 
  choice).  If they roll a result for a 
  language they already know they 
  may choose any result on the table.  
  Magic-Users do not need to be 
  literate but it helps.  A character 
  with the capacity to learn addition-
  al languages may learn them with 
  a season of study or immersion 
  (followed by a lifetime of attempt-
  ing to gain fluency).
  2d6
  Language
  2
  Enochian
  3
  A Dead Language
  4-5
  Dwarven*
  6-8
  Literacy
  9-10
  Elven*
  11
  The Black Tongue 
  (Orcish)
  12
  Infernal
  * or the language of a neighbouring people
  
  8
  Step 6
  Hit Points and Hit Dice
  A character has both a maximum 
  number of hitpoints (referred to as 
  MAX HP) and a current number of 
  hitpoints (HP) that represent a re-
  mainder of that maximum.  When-
  ever a character or monster reaches 
  0 remaining HP they die.  A player 
  character (as in not someone run 
  by the GM) may roll on the “Death 
  and Dismemberment” table if they 
  reach 0 HP from an injury to try to 
  avoid dying.
  A character’s MAX HP is equal to 
  the maximum possible roll of all 
  their Hit Dice (HD) with a bonus 
  (or penalty) to each die of their 
  CON modifier.  A Hit Die is a d6.  
  A character with 3HD and no CON 
  modifier thus has a MAX HP of 18.  
  If they had a +1 CON modifier they 
  would have a MAX HP of 21 and 
  if they had a -1 CON modifier they 
  would have a MAX HP of 15.
  A character starts with a current 
  HP equal to their MAX HP
  Step 7
  Starting Equipment
  Each Character starts with 3d6 
  SP (Silver Pieces), and one of the 
  following equipment packs based 
  on the roll of a d6.
  Roll
  Pack
  Equipment
  1
  Explorer
  Backpack
  Rations (wk)
  Bow
  Quiver
  Knife
  Flint and Steel
  Lantern
  Flask of Oil
  Bedroll
  2
  Tomb Robber
  Crowbar
  Sack
  3 Torches
  Lockpicks
  Oil
  Dagger
  Mysterious Cloak
  3
  Warrior
  Light Shield
  Spear
  Backpack
  Leather Armour
  Wineskin
  Torch
  4
  Pilgrim
  Holy Symbol
  Satchel
  Candle
  Flint and Steel
  Rations (wk)
  Staff
  5
  Looter
  Sack
  Lantern
  Flask of Oil
  Shovel
  Club
  200 Silver Pieces
  6
  Peasant
  Rucksack
  Rations (wk)
  Wineskin
  Shovel
  Torch
  Sling
  Pouch of Stones
  Hatchet
  Mule
  CG
  
  9
  Step 8
  Armour Class
  Armour class (AC)  represents how 
  hard it is to harm a character in com-
  bat (covered on page 26).  The base 
  AC of everyone is 10. This is then 
  modified by DEX (giving it a range 
  of 8-12).  I know a lot of older sys-
  tems had Low AC = good and High 
  AC = bad, and ThAC0 really wasn’t 
  that difficult, but screw it.  This 
  ruleset assumes High AC = good.  
  Armour, Shields, and Great Helms 
  will grant a bonus to AC.  Leather 
  Armour (light armour) gives +2 to 
  AC for example, while a light shield 
  gives a +1 bonus to AC.  The equip-
  ment section will cover this in more 
  detail. Based on available starting 
  equipment, use the following steps 
  to determine your character’s AC.
  1  
  Start with a base AC of 10
  2  
  Modify it by DEX
  3  
  Add +2 for Light Armour
  4  
  Add +1 for Light Shield
  Your AC as a new character should 
  be between 8 at worst and 15 at best.
  
  10
  Weapons
  Type
  Size
  Cost*
  Melee
  Small
  2
  Medium
  15
  Large
  50
  Missile
  Small
  5
  Medium
  30
  Large
  75
  Ammunition
  2
  * Cheap weapons are priced in CP, 
  Standard weapons in SP, and 
  Quality weapons in GP.
  Armour
  Type
  AC
  Encumbrance
  Cost
  Special
  Light Armour
  +2
  Lightly Encumbered
  5 SP
  Medium Armour
  +5
  Encumbered
  150SP
  Heavy Armour
  +8
  Heavily Encumbered
  1000SP
  Great Helm
  +1
  Unencumbered
  50SP
  -1 to Spot Hid-
  den checks
  Light Shield
  +1
  Lightly Encumbered
  10SP
  Heavy Shield
  +2
  Encumbered
  25SP
  Tools
  Type
  Bonus
  Cost
  Special
  Crowbar
  +2 to opening doors
  10SP
  Toolkit
  +1 to picking locks and disabling traps
  50SP
  Lockpick
  Can be used to pick locks
  2SP
  Full Lockpick Set
  +2 to picking locks
  30SP
  Rope (50ft)
  +2 to climbing
  5SP
  Grapnel
  -
  25SP
  Shovel
  -
  5SP
  Flask of Oil
  +1 to opening doors
  1SP
  Splash weapon
  Bandages
  +1 to medicine for stopping bleeding
  2CP
  Herbalist Kit
  +2 to medicine
  200SP
  Small Mirror
  -
  25SP
  Bag of Caltrops
  -
  30SP
  Save vs d6
  Flint and Steel
  1SP
  Supplies
  Type
  Cost
  Food (day)
  1CP
  Rations (week)
  20SP
  Full Wineskin
  2 SP
  All supplies take 1 inventory slot, rations are 
  much more calorie dense.
  Lodging
  Type
  Cost per night
  Basic Shelter
  2CP
  Inn Room
  2SP
  Carousing
  1d100x1d4SP*
  *Roll after carousing, you may end up owing 
  money you don’t have.
  PL
  
  11
  Pack
  Type
  Encumbrance
  Inventory Slots
  Cost
  Special
  Satchel
  Unencumbered
  5 + STR modifier
  2SP
  Backpack
  Lightly Encumbered
  10 +STR modifier
  5SP
  Rucksack
  Encumbered
  15+STR modifier
  10SP
  Sack
  *
  10+STR modifier
  5CP
  Mysterious Cloak
  Unencumbered
  0
  20SP
  +1 to 
  Stealth
  *A sack does not cause encumbrance and is not a pack, but must be carried in a hand. This means you 
  could carry 2 sacks and wear a backpack. You are limited to 1 pack.
  Animals
  Type
  Uses
  Cost
  Dog
  3/6 Spot Hidden
  2SP
  Hunting Dog
  As Dog, and +2 to Tracking
  15SP
  Guard Dog
  As Dog, will also fight enemies. 2HD
  25SP
  Mule
  Can carry 2 Packs
  20SP
  Riding Horse
  Can carry riders, or be used as a pack animal (as Mule)
  75SP
  War Horse
  As Riding Horse, but will ride into battle
  400SP
  Magical Aid
  Type
  Use
  Cost
  Special
  Vial of Holy Water
  Splash Weapon
  25SP
  Can temporarily 
  enchant a weapon
  Holy Symbol
  Casting Implement
  25SP
  Protection against 
  supernatural beings
  Athame
  Casting Implement
  66SP
  Can become a 
  magical weapon
  Flying Rowan Staff
  Casting Implement
  500SP
  Bonus to Saves against 
  Spells and Magic
  Silver Ammunition 
  (1 shot)
  Counts as a 
  Magical Weapon
  10SP
  Light Sources
  Type
  Cost
  Burn Time
  Radius
  Candle
  1CP
  12 Turns
  5ft
  Torch
  5CP
  6 Turns
  30ft
  Lantern
  25SP
  36 Turns per Flask of Oil
  30ft
  
  12
  Equipment probably belongs in 
  a section after explaining how to 
  actually adventure,  but for most 
  people reading this you already 
  know the basics of how to play and 
  so you’ll use the equipment listing 
  more frequently.  So in pandering 
  to you it comes first.
  Currency
  For ease of use, the entire world 
  uses a simple coin based monetary 
  system with universal price con-
  trols, because a wizard did it.   The 
  coins are a gold piece (GP) which is 
  worth 10 silver pieces (SP), each of 
  which is in turn worth 10 copper 
  pieces (CP).  This rule set assumes 
  a “Silver Standard” in that you gain 
  XP for recovering treasure based 
  on its SP value and prices assume a 
  SP is the standard coin adventurers 
  use.  A lot of other OSR systems 
  use a “Gold Standard”.  To convert 
  between them, simply change the 
  treasure, price, and XP values by 
  the appropriate factor of 10.
  Inventory
  A huge part of OSR gameplay is 
  resource management. To facili-
  tate that, there have to be limits to 
  how many resources you can truck 
  along with you.  The more stuff 
  you carry, the less room for trea-
  sure and the slower you move in 
  case you need to run from danger. 
  The OSR inventory system handles 
  these concerns.
  Each character can wear a set of 
  armour, a helmet, hold things in 
  their two hands, and wear a sin-
  gle pack.   Things can (usually) 
  be stored in a pack, allowing a 
  character to carry more things by 
  granting them a number of inven-
  tory slots.  Each “thing” a character 
  has packed away  is 1 slot. Tiny 
  items (like coins) are 200 to a slot, 
  unless you want to be able to draw 
  it in combat (such as a vial of holy 
  water), then it is 1 item per slot as 
  you must pack it specially  in cloth 
  or straw to more easily gain access 
  to it in a hurry.
  Bigger packs allow you to carry 
  more inventory slots but also af-
  fects encumbrance, as does wearing 
  armour for anyone without the 
  Martial ability (Fighters mostly).
  A character is encumbered equal 
  to the worst value between their 
  armour, shield, and pack and has 
  a movement rate to match. A 
  Burglar in leather (light) armour 
  wearing a satchel is lightly encum-
  bered as the leather is the worse 
  encumbering of the two. A Fighter 
  with the martial ability is not en-
  cumbered by armour and so would 
  be unencumbered (satchels do not 
  add encumbrance) but if the fighter 
  donned a rucksack they would be 
  encumbered (a rucksack is encum-
  bering).
  E
  
  13
  Weapons
  There are an almost infinite num-
  ber of potential weapons, especially 
  once you get into polearms.  For 
  simplicity reasons they are defined 
  by three categories: their size, their 
  workmanship and if they are melee 
  or missile weapons.  All weapons 
  deal 1d6 damage.  Weapons will 
  have other abilities where the actu-
  al type is important. A warhammer 
  can be used to drive in a nail, an 
  axe can chop a tied rope, a spear 
  can fight from the second  rank, 
  etc.
  Size
  Small Weapons  
  Things like a rock, fists, daggers, 
  hatchets, truncheons, or slings are 
  small weapons.   Small weapons 
  do not take an action to draw in 
  combat, but re-roll their damage 
  and choose the worse result.  This 
  includes any extra damage from 
  skill dice.
  Medium  
  Things like maces, broadswords, 
  spears, axes, and bows are medium 
  weapons.  Medium weapons take 
  an action to draw in combat.
  Large
  Things like polearms, greatswords, 
  mauls, and longbows are large 
  weapons. Large weapons cannot be 
  drawn from a pack in combat, but 
  re-roll their damage and choose 
  the better result. This includes any 
  extra damage from skill dice.
  Workmanship
  Cheap
  Cheap weapons include things like 
  clubs, staves, stone spears, thrown 
  rocks, and slings. While they have 
  a very low price they are unable to 
  score critical hits and are able to 
  suffer fumbles.
  Standard
  Standard weapons include things 
  like axes, spears, maces, bows, or 
  rusty swords. They are able to both 
  score critical hits and suffer fum-
  bles.
  Quality
  Quality weapons include swords, 
  composite bows, and pretty much 
  any magic weapon. They are able 
  to score critical hits and do not 
  suffer fumbles.
  Natural
  Natural weapons include teeth, 
  claws, fists, horns or other parts of 
  a living being.  They can neither 
  score critical hits nor suffer fum-
  bles.
  Melee weapons are used in hand-
  to-hand attacks, while ranged 
  weapons are used to shoot.  Missile 
  weapons have a range of 100ft for 
  small, 200ft for medium, and 300ft 
  for large.  Ranged weapons require 
  the use of ammunition specific to 
  the weapon (arrows, stones, bolts, 
  etc). Thrown weapons go 30ft.
  ID
  
  14
  Armour
  There are all sorts of different his-
  torical and cultural armours,  but 
  they are simplified into three types 
  (Light, Medium, Heavy). Armour 
  type determines its AC bonus and 
  the amount of encumbrance from 
  wearing it.  Those with the Martial 
  ability do not suffer encumbrance 
  from wearing armour. 
  Light Armour includes things like 
  leather jerkins, gambesons, or even 
  primitive bone armour. It causes 
  the bearer to be lightly encumbered 
  and grants +2 to AC.
  Medium Armour includes things 
  like scale, mail, or segmented 
  armour.  It causes the bearer to be 
  encumbered and grants +5 to AC.
  Heavy Armour is mostly things 
  like Gothic Plate or Hoplite Pano-
  ply armour. It causes the bearer to 
  be heavily encumbered and grants 
  +8 to AC.
   
  Other Protection
  Grand Helms are over-the-top 
  pieces of protection as worn by 
  jousting knights or gladiators rath-
  er than the standard helms includ-
  ed with all armour. It grants +1 AC 
  and a -1 penalty to Spot Hidden 
  skill checks.
  Light Shields include bucklers, 
  targes, and oxhide shields.  They 
  cause the bearer to be Lightly En-
  cumbered and grant +1 AC when 
  held in a hand.
  Heavy Shields include hoplite 
  shields, tower shields, and simi-
  lar bulky shields. They cause the 
  bearer to be encumbered and grant 
  +2 AC when held in a hand. They 
  cannot be drawn from a pack in 
  combat.
  Supplies
  Food represents fruit, vegetables, 
  bread, and other common provi-
  sions. The main limitation is that 
  an inventory slot of food is only 
  enough to feed one person for one 
  day. 
  Rations are calorie dense foods 
  with a long shelf life. Hard tack, 
  jerky, pemmican, and old cheeses 
  would count as rations. They are 
  expensive, but one inventory slot is 
  7 days worth of food for a person.
  Wine is pretty self explanitory, but 
  having strong drink available is 
  useful for regaining hitpoints while 
  camping or when taking a break.
  ID
  
  15
  Packs
  A character may only wear one 
  pack at a time and gain benefits 
  from it. If someone packs a pack in 
  a pack, it doesn’t give more inven-
  tory.
  Satchels are messenger bags and 
  similar travelling gear. They leave 
  the bearer unencumbered and 
  provide 5 inventory slots, modified 
  by STR.
  Backpacks leave the bearer lightly 
  encumbered and provide 10 inven-
  tory slots, modified by STR.
  Rucksacks are very large back-
  packs with supports, often used by 
  porters and soldiers. They make 
  the bearer encumbered and pro-
  vide 15 inventory slots, modified 
  by STR.
  Sacks are not technically a pack, 
  but they do provide extra invento-
  ry slots when held in a hand. They 
  prove 10 inventory slots, modified 
  by STR.
  A Mysterious Cloak is a dark and 
  concealing hooded cloak. It is tech-
  nically a pack, but it provides no 
  inventory slots (it merely prevents 
  someone from using both it and a 
  backpack). When worn without a 
  pack, it gives a +1 bonus to stealth.
   
  Tools
  Crowbars are pretty much what 
  you would expect. They provide +2 
  to Skill checks for opening stuck 
  doors.
  Toolkits are a set of fine work-
  mans tools often used by trades-
  people. They prove a +1 bonus to 
  Skill checks for picking locks and 
  disabling traps or other mechanical 
  devices.
  Lockpicks are a simple piece of 
  bent steel that are combined with 
  some form of tension wrench to 
  allow someone to try to pick a lock. 
  They are tiny items and usually 
  illegal. 
  A Full Lockpick Set is a suite of 
  different speciality picks, rakes, 
  tension wrenches, and other tools 
  in a nice leather case. They provide 
  a +2 bonus to Skill checks to pick 
  locks and are highly illegal.
  Rope is just that, hemp rope in a 50 
  foot coil.  Rope gives a +2 bonus to 
  climbing Skill checks.
  Grapnels are useful for allowing 
  someone to throw a rope onto a 
  ledge and hook onto it.
  Shovels are.. for fucks sake its a 
  damn shovel. Do you really need a 
  description?
  
  16
  Flasks of Oil are needed to keep 
  Lanterns burning, and can be used 
  to oil hinges and grant a +1 bonus 
  to Skill checks when attempting to 
  open a stuck (but not locked) door. 
  It can be turned into a molotov 
  cocktail and turned into a splash 
  weapon.  If you hit with an attack 
  roll you have set the target on fire 
  and it will take d6 damage at the 
  end of all future rounds until extin-
  guished..  Hit or miss, roll 1d6.  A 
  number of targets equal to 7 - the 
  roll take an amount of damage 
  equal to the roll. If a 6 is rolled, one 
  person is hit for 6 damage. If a 1 
  is rolled, 6 people are hit for one 
  damage. Those hit by this splashing 
  oil may make a saving throw to 
  take half damage.
  Bandages give a +1 bonus to Med-
  icine Skill checks to keep someone 
  from bleeding out (often a death 
  and dismemberment table result).
  Herbalist Kits are ye olde doctor’s 
  bag and contain absorbent mosses, 
  various healing herbs, and special 
  drugs. They grant a +2 bonus to 
  Skill checks for Medicine.  They 
  have 6 uses.
  Small Mirrors are useful for all 
  sorts of reasons. You’ll figure some-
  thing out.
  Flint and Steel is used to start 
  a fire. Striking them together is 
  loud, and if used without oil for a 
  quick flame, will trigger a random 
  encounter check in a dungeon.
  Bags of Caltrops can be thrown on 
  the ground, usually to evade pur-
  suers. Anyone moving through the 
  caltrops without carefully sweeping 
  them aside (impossible in combat) 
  must make a saving throw or take 
  1d6 damage.
  Light Sources
  Candles provide shadowy light for 
  the holder that extends 5 feet. They 
  are incredibly easy to extinguish 
  (such as by being in combat) but 
  otherwise burn for 12 turns.
  Torches provide good light for the 
  holder and extend shadowy light 
  for 30 ft. They burn for 6 turns.
  Lanterns are your classic storm 
  lantern (anachronistic or not). 
  They prove good light for holder 
  and extend shadowy light for 30 ft 
  further. As an added benefit they 
  can be hooded to temporarily hide 
  the light. Dropping them often 
  breaks them and causes a fire.
  ID
  
  17
  Lodging 
  Basic Shelter is little more than 
  a roof over your head and a pile 
  of straw to sleep on. It does not 
  include food or drink, it merely 
  keeps you from being arrested for 
  vagrancy. You regain hitpoints as if 
  you were camping (page 23).
  Inn Rooms include not only a bed 
  but a warm meal and strong drink. 
  You regain hitpoints as if you were 
  at an Inn (page 23) ...obviously.
   
  Carousing involves a pub crawl 
  and lots of drunken revelry, al-
  lowing you to regain (or lose) 
  hitpoints. It has a variable cost that 
  may result in owing unsavoury 
  characters a lot of money.
  Animals
  Dogs includes both large and small 
  breed dogs for the same price. 
  Large breed dogs are 1HD and will 
  only fight if attacked. Small breed 
  dogs are 1 inventory slot.  All dogs 
  will help their master keep watch, 
  having a 3/6 skill at Spot Hidden.
  Hunting Dogs have all the features 
  of regular dogs, but also give a +2 
  bonus to tracking Skill checks.
  Guard Dogs have all the features of 
  large breed dogs, but will fight on 
  command and have one extra HD 
  (2HD total).
  Mules are used as pack animals and 
  can carry 2 packs as saddle bags.  
  They will flee from melee combat 
  or if shot.
  Riding Horses can be ridden, 
  having double the movement of an 
  equally encumbered human. They 
  will flee from melee combat or if 
  shot.  Having a rider makes a horse 
  lightly encumbered while having 
  two riders makes it encumbered. It 
  can be used as a pack animal as if it 
  were a mule.
  War Horses have all the benefits 
  of a Riding Horse, but will not 
  shy from combat and will grant its 
  rider (if there is only 1) +1 to melee 
  attacks and +1 AC versus people 
  on foot. It can also rear up to attack 
  instead of moving, making a single 
  attack as a 3HD creature.
  
  18
  Magical Aid
   
  Holy Water is sold in a small glass 
  vial that must be carefully packed 
  to avoid breaking. It can be applied 
  to a weapon, causing the weapon’s 
  next attack to count as if it were a 
  magic weapon until it dries. It can 
  also be thrown against undead and 
  unholy creatures as if it were a flask 
  of burning oil, and can set them on 
  fire.
  Holy Symbols include things like 
  crosses and medallions featuring 
  religious insignia, usually blessed 
  by priests. When brandished in a 
  hand they can be used as a heavy 
  shield against evil (or good) super-
  natural creatures and grant +2 to 
  any saving throws against them.  
  They count as a Casting Implement 
  to followers of the god they repre-
  sent.
  Athames are ceremonial daggers 
  (small standard weapon) engraved 
  with potent runes. After deal-
  ing damage to a living being, an 
  Athame counts as a magic weapon 
  for the purposes of attacking crea-
  tures requiring a magic weapon to 
  harm until after it next strikes a 
  corporeal creature.  They count as 
  a Casting Implement.
  a Flying Rowan Staff is carved 
  from sacred wood and warded with 
  potent sigils. When held, it grants 
  +1 to saves against magic and spells 
  and can be wielded as a large cheap 
  weapon. They count as a Casting 
  Implement.
  Silver Ammunition is any arrow, 
  bolt, or sling bullet crated from 
  pure silver (or at least the weapon 
  head).  It counts as a magic weapon 
  for the purposes of attacking crea-
  tures requiring a magic weapon to 
  harm.
  ID
  
  19
  The Point of Adventuring
  You have fun, a sense of wonder, 
  and have some cool stories to tell 
  your friends.  That is the trite an-
  swer that is not required.
  Old School games assume you are 
  treasure hunters.  It is assumed 
  you will go to dangerous locations 
  seeking to make a fortune, and 
  then later translate that fortune 
  into power.
  Characters will go into wild places, 
  loot forgotten tombs, and ransack 
  lost cities. In doing so they will 
  recover treasure and become better 
  adventurers.
  You are probably familiar with the 
  “level up” mechanic that is in every 
  sort of game. You gain Experience 
  Points (XP) and when you gain 
  enough you level up. This was 
  mentioned on page 3.  Your adven-
  turing party gains 1 XP for every 
  SP (silver piece) they bring back to 
  town from an adventure. That is it, 
  the only mechanic.  The XP is split 
  evenly among the party regardless 
  of what share of treasure people 
  walk away with.
  Everything else in this section are 
  just rules for how the GM adju-
  cates you getting that treasure and 
  returning safely with it.
  A
   
  Saving Throws
  When a character has gotten them-
  selves into trouble and danger is 
  imminent they may be called upon 
  to make a saving throw.  Whenev-
  er a character is required to make 
  a saving throw they roll 1d20 and 
  attempt to score a 15 or higher.  
  They add their WIS modifier and 
  either half of their level to the roll, 
  or their entire level if they are a 
  Thief of 5th level or higher.  There 
  are many different subsets of sav-
  ing throw a character might need 
  to make (such as a save VS poison 
  or a save VS magic), in which case 
  they may be entitled to special 
  bonuses from items. For example, 
  a character may have a magic ring 
  that gives them +2 to a save VS 
  Petrification.  If they are making a 
  Saving Throw against being turned 
  to stone they may then add the 
  +2 bonus,  but not for a different 
  saving throw against the poisonous 
  bite of one of the snakes on the 
  medusa’s head.
   
  Skills
  Characters will periodically try to 
  do some task of uncertain outcome 
  such as breaking down a door, 
  sneaking down a hall, or walking a 
  tightrope.
  All characters have at least one skill 
  die, Thieves and some backgrounds 
  may have additional skill dice.  To 
  make a skill check must be unen-
  
  20
  cumbered or lightly encumbered. 
  When making the check, a char-
  acter rolls all of their skill dice and 
  needs to roll a success on at least 
  one die.  A success is normally a 
  roll of a 1, but each skill check ties 
  back to an attribute (based on what 
  the skill is being used for).  The 
  modifier of that attribute is applied 
  to the success range.  So if a char-
  acter had a STR modifier of +1 
  and was attempting to bust down a 
  door, success would be any roll of 
  1-2.  You may be asking why not 
  instead say you need to roll a 6+ 
  for a die to be a success and then 
  just add the modifier since that is 
  way simpler to explain and math-
  ematically the same?  Tradition. 
  If you and your group are new to 
  OSR games then do it that way. If 
  they are used to OSR games you’ll 
  have to stop every time they roll 
  and explain that “no, rolling a 1 on 
  a listen check is bad ‘’ and it’s easier 
  to just go with it.  Quality tools can 
  grant a bonus in a similar man-
  ner to an Attribute. A useful tool 
  gives a +1 bonus and a specialty 
  tool gives a +2 bonus, a makeshift 
  tool would give a -1 penalty.  A 
  lock pick is needed to make a skill 
  check but also having a box of tools 
  would give a +1 bonus. A full set of 
  specialty lockpicks gives a +2 bo-
  nus, and attempting to use a bent 
  nail a -1 penalty.
  Attribute
  Examples
  STR
  Open Stuck Doors
  Climbing
  Lifting Gates
  DEX
  Stealth
  Lockpicking
  Picking Pockets
  Acrobatics
  CON
  Holding Breath
  Treading Water
  Wilderness Survival
  INT
  Disabling Traps
  Decoding Ciphers
  Medicine
  WIS
  Searching
  Spot Hidden
  Listening at Doors
  Tracking
  CHA
  Reaction
  Deception
  Intimidation
  Sensing a Lie
  Special
  Extra damage on 
  surprised enemies
  Providing Help
  RPG’s are a group activity, so there 
  will usually be a case where mul-
  tiple people will try to perform or 
  help perform an activity. If some-
  one is receiving help with a task, 
  they receive a +1 bonus on the die. 
  The individual helping cannot be 
  performing other tasks like keep-
  ing watch.
  Heroic Tasks
  Truly difficult tasks may require 
  multiple successes (usually 2). Pick-
  ing a simple lock on a door would 
  require one DEX Skill success, 
  while picking the lock on a vault 
  A
  
  21
  constructed by Dwarven masters 
  would require 2 (and thus those 
  with only 1 skill die could not open 
  it).
  Surprise
  Anyone can bust out of cover and 
  attack an opponent in an ambush.  
  Doing so automatically grants the 
  ambusher the higher initiative for 
  the combat but they might also be 
  able to surprise their opponents. 
  To check for surprise,   everyone 
  being ambushed rolls Spot Hidden 
  (WIS Skill) and totals the num-
  ber of successes. Everyone in the 
  ambushing party then rolls Stealth 
  (DEX Skill) and every individual 
  must score more successes than 
  the entire group being ambushed 
  scored. This is very difficult for 
  large parties to pull off.
  If a group is surprised, everyone 
  attacking them adds their skill dice 
  to their damage on the first round.  
  Someone who normally deals 1d6 
  damage with 1 skill point would do 
  2d6 damage to a surprised oppo-
  nent, while someone with 3 skill 
  points would deal 4d6 damage.
   
  Reaction Roll (2d6)
  When encountering a group with 
  unknown attitudes, roll 2d6 and 
  consult the chart below.  The roll 
  can be modified by  one to three 
  steps based on the relationship 
  between the party (or people like 
  them) and the group. Goblins and 
  Dwarves (having a blood feud) 
  would increase tensions by 3 levels. 
  If the party are knights of the realm 
  and run into fellow, although po-
  tentially rival, knights then tension 
  can be lowered by two levels.  Mer-
  chants are uninterested in fighting 
  and would lower by one level while 
  thieves would probably increase by 
  one level.
  Score 
  Result
  10-12
  Violent
  8-9
  Hostile
  7
  Neutral
  5-6
  Friendly
  2-4
  Helpful
  Violent Roll initiative, it’s an 
  attack!
  Hostile If the party makes any 
  hostile motions, or tries to move 
  forward they become violent (roll 
  initiative).  They probably want 
  some sort of toll or payment (aka, a 
  robbery) or perhaps to just call out 
  the party as cowards and challenge 
  them.
  Neutral They are wary of the par-
  ty and will become hostile if they 
  make moves that threaten them, 
  but are otherwise happy to part 
  ways peacefully.
  Friendly They are friendly, and 
  as long as no threats are made will 
  exchange information and agree 
  to tasks that place no real burden 
  upon them (such as relaying a mes-
  sage to a location they are already 
  going).
  
  22
  Helpful They are not only friendly 
  but will offer both information and 
  to render immediate aid if needed. 
  They will do their best to help the 
  party so long as it doesn’t interfere 
  in their own goals, or if the needs 
  of the party are more important. 
  For example, a squad of wandering 
  road wardens might send a runner 
  to town telling them of danger and 
  follow the party to help rescue a 
  kidnapped merchant.
  Trying to talk to a group allows a 
  Reaction check (CHA Skill) to low-
  er their attitude by 1 level.  This 
  requires an action and will always 
  fail if your group has made attacks 
  against their group, even in self de-
  fense. A 6 causes them to increase 
  their attitude by 1 level. Gifts and 
  offerings to nonviolent groups will 
  lower their attitude by 1 additional 
  level.
  Movement
  Movement will be a key factor in 
  surviving encounters.  Characters 
  have a movement rate based upon 
  how encumbered they are.   Char-
  acters are Unencumbered , Lightly 
  Encumbered,  Encumbered, or 
  Heavily Encumbered.   This will be 
  based on a combination of worn 
  armour and what pack a character 
  carries (more on in the equipment 
  section). 
  Combat Movement
  In moments of tension or danger 
  (such as combat), characters may 
  run 35 feet per round if they are 
  unencumbered, 30 feet per round 
  if they are lightly encumbered, 25 
  feet per round if they are encum-
  bered, and 20 feet per round if they 
  are heavily encumbered. 
  Wilderness Movement
  Unencumbered characters move 
  4 hexes per day.  Lightly encum-
  bered characters move 3 hexes per 
  day. Encumbered characters move 
  2 hexes per day.  Heavily encum-
  bered characters move 1 hex per 
  day. These movement rates are 
  modified by the terrain (½ move-
  ment through difficult terrain like 
  forests and hills,  ¼ movement 
  through very difficult terrain like 
  swamps and jungles).
   
  Dungeon Movement
  During dungeon exploration, all 
  characters move slowly as it is 
  assumed they are trying to avoid 
  patrols, sneak along hallways, peak 
  around corners, map, and check for 
  obvious traps or signs of danger.    
  They move 100 feet every 10 min-
  utes (1 Turn).  
  Random Encounters
  As mentioned, Old School games 
  are about rescource management. 
  The fact that you don’t get XP for 
  fighting (only treasure) allows for 
  A
  
  23
  fighting to be a good risk.  Random 
  Encounters are to force the party to  
  treat time as a resouce, the longer 
  they spend doing something the 
  more chance they will encounter 
  another fight and drain resources 
  better used elsewhere.
  In a Dungeon there is a secret 1/6 
  chance every Turn (10 minutes) 
  that a random encountered is 
  triggered.  This also happens if the 
  party makes some really loud noise.
  In the Wilderness there is a 1/6 
  chance of a random encounter 
  during the morning, the afternoon, 
  and evening.  There are also three 
  chances at night (dusk, midnight, 
  dawn) that correspond to a stan-
  dard three shift watch schedule.
  Healing and Rest
  Hitpoints can be regained by taking 
  a rest, having some food and wine,  
  and relaxing a bit. Whenever 
  hitpoints are regained through 
  non-magical means, it is by roll-
  ing a number of Hit Dice (adding 
  any CON modifier to each die) 
  and comparing the total result to 
  the character’s current HP.  If it 
  is higher, that is the new current 
  HP of the character. For magical 
  healing (such as potions or spells),  
  simply add the result of the healing 
  to the current HP.  
  If Current HP is ever somehow 
  more than the MAX HP, the 
  current HP is lowered to the MAX 
  HP.  
  Taking a Break 
  A party can rest for a turn to catch 
  their breath.  This requires either 
  a skin of wine to share, or that 
  everyone eats a day’s rations if they 
  haven’t already eaten today.  Every 
  player rolls 1 Hit Die to potentially 
  regain hitpoints.
  Camping
  When camping for the night, the 
  next morning players roll 1 Hit 
  Die if they aren’t awoken in the 
  night (including being the middle 
  watch), 1 Hit Die if they have food 
  or rations, and 1 Hit Die if they had 
  wine to drink or some other luxury 
  the night before.  This means they 
  may be able to roll up to 3 Hit Dice 
  each, but they may not use more 
  Hit Dice than they have based on 
  their level, class, and background. 
  (A level 1 Magic-User wizard could 
  roll 3 hit dice but select at most 1).
  Inns
  When staying a night at an inn or 
  other proper lodging with food and 
  drink, a character may roll up to 3 
  Hit Dice to potentially regain hit-
  points. but they may not use more 
  Hit Dice than they have based on 
  their level, class, and background. 
  (A level 1 Magic-User wizard could 
  roll 3 hit dice but select at most 1).
  Weeklong Rest
  When resting for a week (includ-
  ing between adventures), a char-
  acter rolls all of their Hit Dice to 
  potentially regain hitpoints.
  
  24
  Carousing
  When having a celebration, pub 
  crawl, or otherwise partying hard  
  a character may roll all of their Hit 
  Dice plus two additional Hit Dice 
  to potentially regain hitpoints but 
  they may not use more Hit Dice 
  than they have based on their level, 
  class, and background. (A level 1 
  Magic-User wizard could roll 3 hit 
  dice but select at most 1).  As a neg-
  ative side effect, if the total of the 
  HD is lower than their current HP, 
  that becomes the new current HP.  
  You can end up worse off. Should a 
  character with a low CON end up 
  with zero or less HP from carous-
  ing,  roll on the Death and Dis-
  memberment table to see what ill 
  effects they suffered.  Don’t drink if 
  you can’t handle your liquor.
  Dungeoneering Concerns
  Light
  Light management is one of the 
  key resources in old school dun-
  geon crawling. The last thing you 
  want to do is push your luck and 
  end up stuck in the dungeon with-
  out light.  Light is abstracted to 
  light levels and a distance. See the 
  following chart.
  Light Level
  Effect
  Blinding
  Unable to see, can only 
  hit on a natural 20. 
  Cannot Spot Hidden.
  Very Bright
  +1 Bonus to spot hid-
  den,  -2 to hit in melee
  Good
  Shadowy
  +1 bonus to stealth, -2 
  to hit with missile fire.
  Dark
  Unable to see, can only 
  hit on a natural 20. 
  Cannot Spot Hidden.
  Blinding and Dark are obvious 
  I hope. Bright is uncomfortably 
  strong, akin to being in front of  
  someone who won’t turn their 
  damn high beams off. Good rep-
  resents normal daylight or a close 
  light source. Shadowy is a dim 
  candle lit room.
  Dark Vision
  A creature with Dark Vision, or 
  any other form of “see in the dark 
  ability”,  counts darkness as 1 
  category brighter.  This can lead to 
  problems with too much light.
   
  Traps
  Rather than just rolling to check 
  for traps and rolling to avoid traps, 
  ideally you should telegraph the 
  potential presence of traps to the 
  careful observer (like dead rats in 
  a room with a poison gas trap). 
  Describing how to check to see if 
  there is a trap and how to avoid 
  its harmful effects is one of the big 
  A
  
  25
  sources of fun in an Old School 
  Game. To resolve them with a die 
  roll would be like going to an Es-
  cape Room and rolling a die to get 
  out instead of solving the puzzles.
  This requires the GM understands 
  the mechanics of the trap and 
  doesn’t just place them in random 
  locations.  If that is the case, use 
  of a WIS Search Skill check and a 
  Disable Trap INT Skill check will 
  also work. If you set off a trap, a 
  saving throw will allow you to take 
  half damage. 
  If a trap is an alarm it will automat-
  ically trigger a random encounter 
  unless a saving throw is made, in 
  which case it triggers a 1/6 chance 
  of a random encounter.
  Stuck and Locked Doors
  Another common obstacles in dun-
  geons will be doors that are stuck 
  shut.  Perhaps they have hinges 
  that have rusted solid, or moisture 
  has caused the wood to warp, or 
  maybe sand of untold aeons has 
  piled against the far side of the 
  door, either way its stuck.
  A STR Skill check to open a stuck 
  door will always open the door,  
  but if the check is a failure it will 
  do so loudly and trigger a check for 
  a random encounter.
  If a door is locked, it can be picked 
  with a DEX skill check.  On a suc-
  cess it opens quickly, on a failure it 
  takes an entire turn to open. On a 
  6 the lock actually jams and cannot 
  be unlocked.   A locked door can 
  also be forced open.  This requires 
  a successful STR Skill check to 
  open and is loud (triggering a ran-
  dom encounter check) whether you 
  succeed or fail. Repeatedly batter-
  ing on the door may draw many 
  random encounters before the door 
  gives way.  A barred door requires 
  2 successes.
   
  Combat
  At some point, its going to come to 
  blows.  Each combat takes 1 Turn 
  and is assumed to feature time after 
  the fight recovering one’s breath, 
  binding wounds, etc.  
  Combat is broken up into rounds, 
  each round is further broken into 
  actions.  Resolve combat in the 
  following steps.
  Step 1.  Roll Initiative 
  All sides roll a single d6 at start of 
  combat. Whichever side had the 
  highest initiative has won initia-
  tive, flip a coin to break ties. This 
  initiative is used for the entire 
  combat.
  C
  
  26
  Step 2.  Rounds
  Combat then proceeds in rounds 
  until one side flees, surrenders, 
  or is destroyed.  Those with the 
  highest initiative go first, then 
  those with the lower initiative. 
  Every character can move and take 
  an action.
  Step 3. Actions
  Common actions include making 
  an attack, casting a spell, or draw-
  ing a weapon or shield.
  Attacks
  To make an attack, a creature or 
  character rolls a d20 and adds their 
  number of Hit Dice (HD) and any 
  modifier from STR for Melee 
  attacks or DEX for Missile attacks. 
  Thrown weapons can use either 
  STR or DEX.
  If the result of this roll is equal to 
  or greater than the target’s AC it 
  is a hit.  Most attacks do a d6 of 
  damage.
  A roll of a natural 20 can be a 
  Critical Hit, though only Quality 
  and Standard weapons may score 
  a critical hit (Cheap and Natural 
  weapons cannot).  A Critical Hit 
  always hits regardless of the op-
  ponent’s AC and always scores 
  maximum damage (a 6 on every d6 
  for damage).
  A roll of a natural 1 can be a 
  Fumble, though only Standard and 
  Cheap weapons can Fumble (Qual-
  ity and Natural weapons cannot). A 
  weapon that fumbles is damaged or 
  lost for the fight, though you can 
  repair it by spending a full Turn 
  doing so.
  Casting a Spell
  Any character with a prepared spell 
  may cast it as an action,  follow 
  the directions in the spell. This is 
  a dangerous thing to do in Melee 
  (see Page 27).
  Step 4. Repeat
  Keep going round by round until 
  one side flees, surrenders, or is 
  destroyed.
  Death
  Opponents are killed when they hit 
  0HP.  Player Characters (or notable 
  levelled opponents or allies) may 
  roll 2d6 on the death and dismem-
  berment table to avoid that fate. If 
  a character is killed (or downed) 
  by a melee attack, the attacker may 
  move forward five feet into their 
  space.
  C
  
  27
  Death and Dismemberment 
  (2d6)
  Score 
  Result
  Effect
  2
  Adrenal 
  Rush
  Roll all Hit Dice, 
  that is the new 
  current HP until 
  the fight is over, 
  then as if Bleeding 
  Out.
  3
  Still
  Standing
  Set current HP 
  to 1.
  4-5
  K.O’d
  Set current HP to 
  1, but is uncon-
  cious for 1 Turn.
  6-8
  Bleeding 
  Out
  Requires a Med-
  icine Skill check 
  within next 2d6 
  rounds to avoid 
  death.
  9-10
  Lost Use 
  of Limb
  Permanet loss 
  d4*1 left leg
         *2 right leg
        *3 left arm
           *4 right arm
  11
  Dead
  Not even true 
  blove can save you
  12
  Mangled
  Dead in a gory 
  manner and 
  armour is ruined 
  beyond easy repair
  Other Combat Concerns
  Cover
  Characters in cover can claim a bo-
  nus to their AC against missile at-
  tacks.  Light cover (such as hedges, 
  corners, and windows) give a +2 
  bonus to AC.  Heavy cover (such as 
  ramparts, trenches, or an emplaced 
  pavise) gives a +5 bonus to AC.
   
  Firing into Melee
  Firing into melee is an ill advised 
  tactic, but the ruthless might not 
  care.  If someone fires into a melee 
  that they are not part of and miss, 
  a random ally must make a saving 
  throw or suffer 1d6 damage.
  Two weapon fighting
  A character wielding a weapon 
  in each hand gains a +1 bonus to 
  attack rolls.
  Parry
  A character wielding an appropri-
  ate weapon (such as a sword, or 
  staff) may Parry instead of moving.  
  A character gains +1 to AC against 
  melee attacks when they Parry.
   
  Leaving, Casting Spells, or Firing 
  Missile Weapons in melee
  Anytime a character does some-
  thing ill advised in melee combat, 
  the same rule can be used.  The 
  character must make a Saving 
  Throw or suffer 1d6 damage.  This 
  could be fleeing, firing a missile 
  weapon, attempting to pick a lock, 
  or casting a spell (unless it is a 
  touch based spell).
  
  28
  Spells
  In some Old School games there is 
  a whole system of how many spells 
  of each level a Magic-User can cast. 
  It is much simplied in this system.
  Each spell still has all the normal 
  criteria of an Old School spell 
  entry. They have a spell level, an 
  effect, and require Verbal (spoken 
  magic words), Somatic (magical 
  gestures), and/or Material (use of 
  magical ingredients) components 
  to cast.  You can only cast spells 
  you have prepared ahead of time. 
  Spells from any Old School system 
  are not only cross compatable but 
  I recommend you use them to add 
  spells to your game.
  Other systems use the word “mem-
  orized” to mean prepared. That to 
  me implies that it is just remember-
  ing how to cast a spell.  Preparing a 
  spell is not just memorizing words 
  and acts but all sorts of actions to 
  allow those words and actions to 
  have the desired outcome.
  Preparing means praying for 
  specific Saints to intervene when 
  called upon and making appropri-
  ate offerings. It means performing 
  rituals at appointed times to open 
  extra-planar gates to allow magic 
  to flow, or bartering with Djinni 
  to fetch spells to wait unseen in the 
  astral plane until released by the 
  caster.
  A character can prepare 1 spell lev-
  el worth of spells per spell point. A 
  character with 5 spell points could 
  prepare one 5th level spell, or five 
  1st level spells, or a 2nd and a 3rd 
  level spell, or some combination. 
  Preparing a spell takes 1 hour per 
  level.
  A character can only prepare spells 
  they have learned (mastered) and 
  can only learn a limited number of 
  spells.  This is 3 modified by INT, 
  with Magic-Users able to learn an 
  additional 3. A familiar allows a 
  Magic-User of 5th level or higher 
  an additional learned spell.  Learn-
  ing a spell takes a month worth of 
  study and practice.
  When a spell is cast the prepa-
  ration is expended and it must 
  be prepared again before it can 
  be recast. If a spell has a Verbal 
  component the caster must be able 
  to speak, if it has a Somatic compo-
  nent the caster must have either a 
  free hand or be holding a Casting 
  Implement, and if it has a Materi-
  al component the caster must be 
  holding the component in a hand. 
  The caster must be unencumbered 
  to cast a spell.
  A character with spell points 
  begins with 2 random spells (roll 
  d6 and a d8), and additional spells 
  must be found adventuring. 8 Sam-
  ple spells are listed, but I encourage 
  you to borrow from other games.
  M
  
  29
  1 Bless/Curse
  Level 1
  Components V,S
  Range Touch
  The target gains +1 to saving 
  throws and attack rolls for 1 hour 
  per level of the caster. The reverse 
  (curse) gives a -1 penalty to sav-
  ing throws and attack rolls for the 
  same duration.
  2 Healing
  Level 1
  Components V,S
  Range Touch
  The target increases their HP by 
  1d6+ the level of the caster, up to 
  their MAX HP.
  3 Light
  Level 1
  Components V,S
  Range Self
  An orb of light that produces 60 
  feet of good light hovers over the 
  caster for 1 hour.
  4 Magic Missile
  Level 1
  Components V,S
  Range 100ft
  The target automatically takes 1d6 
  damage for every 4 levels (or part 
  thereof) of the caster.
  5 Stoneskin
  Level 1
  Components V
  Range Self
  The caster gains +3 AC for 1 Turn 
  per level.
  6 Turn Undead
  Level 1
  Components V,S,M
  Range 30ft
  The caster drives away 2d6 HD of 
  undead, who must flee for 1 hour. 
  Only Undead with equal or less-
  er HD to the caster will flee, and 
  undead with the lowest HD are the 
  first to flee. If more HD are rolled 
  then are in range the undead are 
  destroyed.
  7 Knock
  Level 2
  Components V,S
  Range Touch
  A lock or stuck door automatically 
  opens unless warded with magic.
  8 Fireball
  Level 3
  Components V,S,M
  Range 100ft
  The caster hurls a ball of flame at a 
  target point within range, dealing 
  1d6 damage per level to everyone 
  within 30ft of that point.  Those 
  harmed may make a saving throw 
  to take half damage. The materi-
  al component is a ball of sulfur, 
  which is expended in the casting of 
  the spell.
  
  30
  Magic Items
  One of the other major forms of 
  coveted treasure (beyond coin), is 
  magic items.
  Ideally magical items will have 
  strange and unique powers. A 
  sword named “Gloombane” that 
  casts Light in the presence of 
  Shades is pretty cool.  But some-
  times you want to run someone 
  else’s module and it has a +1 sword.
  For magical items of a “plus” vari-
  ety (usually +1 to +5), they work as 
  follows.
  Magical weapons and ammunition 
  give their bonus to attack rolls and 
  damage, and always count as Quali-
  ty weapons.
  Magical armour gives their bonus 
  to AC and saving throws. 
  Magical Shields give their bonus to 
  AC and to attack rolls.
  Magical tools roll an additional skill 
  die with the bonus.
  Anyone literate with at least 1 spell 
  point can read magical scrolls, cast-
  ing the spell contained on it and 
  destroying the scroll in the process. 
  They may also instead try to learn 
  the spell on the scroll (destroying it 
  in the process).
  M
  
  31
  When a character wants to estab-
  lish a stronghold, use these quick 
  and easy rules.
  They must clear out the hex in 
  question of all dangers or obstacles 
  to their building a stronghold.
  They must also clear out all of the 
  neighbouring hexes of any obvious 
  dangers or obvious obstacles to 
  their building of a stronghold.
  Assuming they have workers and 
  materials to begin construction, 
  they pay 10,000 SP to build one of 
  4 stronghold types (or 5000SP to 
  repair a ruin)
  Estates include sprawling fields, 
  hired labourers, and herds of live-
  stock.  They provide 3d6x500 SP 
  each year in income for each level 
  of Estate.
  Castles are fortresses designed to 
  withstand sieges. From a simple 
  motte and bailey or watchtower 
  to a vast citadel. They can hold 1 
  military unit per level of Castle.
  Palaces provide no useful function, 
  but everyone loves them. They 
  impress dignitaries and may have 
  non-mechanical benefits.
  Sanctums include temples, dun-
  geons, laboratories, and other plac-
  es of power.  The lord of a sanctum 
  can prepare 1 extra spell point of 
  spells per level of Sanctum while in 
  the sanctum. These extra spells can 
  only be cast in the sanctum’s hex.
  It takes 1 year to finish construc-
  tion of a stronghold, or 1 season if 
  it is repairing a ruined one. At that 
  point the character becomes the 
  lord and master.
  Fighter lords attract a small unit of 
  20 Guards as a garrison unit. They 
  arrive with just clubs.
  Thief lords can establish a “side 
  business” that earns an extra 500SP 
  a year.
  Magic-User lords will always build 
  on ley-lines and can prepare spells 
  6 times as fast (1 Turn per spell 
  level) in their stronghold’s hex.
  A character may level up their 
  stronghold by paying 10,000 SP 
  times the new level, waiting 1 year 
  times the new level, and clearing 
  an additional ring of hexes.
  For example.  Prince Bi-Tor 
  decides to build a Stronghold. He 
  clears out the hexes, gets the work-
  ers, and pays 10,000SP. A year later 
  he has a level 1 Castle.
  Then he decides to upgrade it, he 
  pays 20,000SP, clears more hexes, 
  and waits 2 years and could have 
  either a stronghold that is a level 1 
  castle and a level 1 estate, or a level 
  2 castle, or other combinations.
  Units at name level (level 10) are 
  groups of 50 soldiers.
  NL
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Neoclassical Geek Revival/Obligatory Sample Rules (NeoGeekRev,OSR).pdf