TEXT: Knave 
  KNAVE is a rules toolkit created by Ben Milton for run-
  ning old school fantasy RPGs without classes. Adding, 
  subtracting and modifying rules is both expected and en-
  couraged. Knave’s features include: 
  High compatibility with OSR games. If you have a library of 
  OSR bestiaries, adventure and spell books, little or no con-
  version is needed to use them with Knave. 
  Fast to teach, easy to run. If you are introducing a group of 
  new players to OSR games, Knave allows them to make 
  characters and understand all the rules in minutes. 
  No classes. Every PC is a Knave, a tomb-raiding, adventure-
  seeking ne’er-do-well who wields a spell book just as easily 
  as a blade. This is an ideal system for players who like to 
  switch up their character’s focus from time to time and 
  don’t like being pigeonholed. A PC’s role in the party is 
  determined largely by the equipment they carry.  
  Abilities are king. All d20 rolls use the six standard abilities. 
  The way that ability scores and bonuses work has also been 
  cleaned up, rationalized, and made consistent with how 
  other systems like armor work. 
  Optional player-facing rolls. Knave easily accommodates 
  referees who want the players to do all the rolling. Switch-
  ing between the traditional shared-rolling model and play-
  ers-only rolling can be done effortlessly on the fly. 
  Copper standard. Knave assumes that the common unit of 
  currency is the copper penny. All item prices use this de-
  nomination and approximate actual medieval prices. 
  A list of 100 level-less spells. 
  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: You 
  are free to share and adapt this material for any purpose, 
  including commercially, as long as you give attribution. 
  Designer commentary. The rules include designer com-
  ments explaining why each rule was written the way it 
  was, to aid in hacking the game. 
  Character 
  Creation 
  PCs have six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitu-
  tion, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each abil-
  ity has two related values: a defense and a bonus. 
  When creating a PC, roll 3d6 for each of their abilities, in 
  order. The lowest of the three dice on each roll is that abil-
  ity’s bonus. Add 10 to find its defense. 
  After you’ve finished rolling, you may optionally swap the 
  scores of two abilities. 
  Example: You roll a 2, 2, and 6 for Strength. The lowest die is a 
  2, so your PC’s Strength has a bonus of +2 and a defense of 12. 
  Repeat this process for the rest of the abilities. 
  Designer’s Note: “Ability defense” is my term for what is nor-
  mally called ability scores. I refer to them this way to make it 
  clearer how they work during opposed saves, explained later.  
  The rolling mechanic will make most abilities start at 11/+1. 
  The bonus and defense of three abilities will rise by 1 point each 
  time the PC gains a level, up to a maximum of 20/+10 by level 
  10. This puts everything on an intuitive ten point scale, and is 
  intended to mirror the way that attack bonuses, hit dice, and 
  saving throws in most OSR games increase by about one point 
  per level. 
  PCs start with 2 days of rations and one weapon of 
  their player’s choice. Roll on the Starting Gear ta-
  bles on the following page to determine starting 
  armor and equipment. 
  Designer’s Note:  Rolling for starting equipment dramatically 
  speeds up the character creation process, which is important if 
  you’re playing a high-lethality game like Knave. If you want to 
  permit shopping for equipment, however, have players roll 
  3d6x20 to find their starting copper pieces. Note that spell books 
  are not normally available to new PCs, but you could always 
  add “random spellbook” to the Dungeoneering Gear table, or 
  simply allow new PCs to roll a random spell in exchange for not 
  starting with any armor. 
  PCs have a number of item slots equal to their Constitu-
  tion defense, and items they carry must fit into available 
  slots. Most items take up one slot, but some take up more. 
  Some small items can be bundled together into a single 
  slot. Ask the referee if you are unsure.  
  Designer’s Note: Item slots make tracking encumbrance very 
  fast and easy, which is important since resource management is 
  an important aspect of the game. They also represent character 
  customization slots, since what a Knave is carrying goes a long 
  way towards determining their playstyle and role in the party. 
  Armor comes with an armor defense value. Note that val-
  ue on your character sheet with its corresponding Armor 
  bonus (always 10 less than the defense). If the PC is not 
  wearing any armor, their armor defense is 11 and their 
  armor bonus is +1. 
  Designer’s Note: “Armor defense” is essentially the same concept 
  as armor class in most OSR games. It’s been renamed to empha-
  size the connection between the way it and ability defenses work. 
  The armor bonus exists in order to allow combat to be run en-
  tirely player-facing, as explained in the combat section. 
  Roll 1d8 to determine your PC’s starting and maxi-
  mum hit points. A PC’s healing rate is 1d8+ Consti-
  tution bonus. Their exploration speed is 120ft per 
  exploration turn, and their combat speed is 40ft per round. 
  Designer’s Note: All hit dice are assumed to be d8s in Knave, for 
  PCs, NPCs, and monsters. This simplifies the game and keeps 
  things compatible with the stats in most OSR books. Note that a 
  PC’s Constitution bonus is not added to their hit point rolls. Ref-
  erees who don’t want starting PCs to be quite as fragile might 
  want to allow starting HP to be rerolled if it is below 5. 
  Invent or roll the rest of your PC’s traits, such as 
  their physique, face, skin, hair, clothing, virtue, 
  vice, speech, background, and alignment, using the 
  random tables on the following page. Choose a gender and 
  a name for your PC, but don’t get too attached. It’s a dan-
  gerous world out there. 
  Designer’s Note: Randomizing most of a PC’s traits speeds up 
  character creation, but it also has the effect of creating surpris-
  ing, unique characters that most players wouldn’t think to invent 
  or play.+ 
   
   
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  
  Traits 
  Physique 
  1. Athletic 
  2. Brawny 
  3. Corpulent 
  4. Delicate 
  5. Gaunt 
  6. Hulking 
  7. Lanky 
  8. Ripped 
  9. Rugged 
  10. Scrawny 
  11. Short 
  12. Sinewy 
  13. Slender 
  14. Flabby 
  15. Statuesque 
  16. Stout 
  17. Tiny 
  18. Towering 
  19. Willowy 
  20. Wiry 
  Face 
  1. Bloated 
  2. Blunt 
  3. Bony 
  4. Chiseled 
  5. Delicate 
  6. Elongated 
  7. Patrician 
  8. Pinched 
  9. Hawkish 
  10. Broken 
  11. Impish 
  12. Narrow 
  13. Ratlike 
  14. Round 
  15. Sunken 
  16. Sharp 
  17. Soft 
  18. Square 
  19. Wide 
  20. Wolfish 
  Skin 
  1. Battle Scar 
  2. Birthmark 
  3. Burn Scar 
  4. Dark 
  5. Makeup 
  6. Oily 
  7. Pale 
  8. Perfect 
  9. Pierced 
  10. Pockmarked 
  11. Reeking 
  12. Tattooed 
  13. Rosy 
  14. Rough 
  15. Sallow 
  16. Sunburned 
  17. Tanned 
  18. War Paint 
  19. Weathered 
  20. Whip Scar 
  Hair 
  1. Bald 
  2. Braided 
  3. Bristly 
  4. Cropped 
  5. Curly 
  6. Disheveled 
  7. Dreadlocks 
  8. Filthy 
  9. Frizzy 
  10. Greased 
  11. Limp 
  12. Long 
  13. Luxurious 
  14. Mohawk 
  15. Oily 
  16. Ponytail 
  17. Silky 
  18. Topknot 
  19. Wavy 
  20. Wispy 
  Clothing 
  1. Antique 
  2. Bloody 
  3. Ceremonial 
  4. Decorated 
  5. Eccentric 
  6. Elegant 
  7. Fashionable 
  8. Filthy 
  9. Flamboyant 
  10. Stained 
  11. Foreign 
  12. Frayed 
  13. Frumpy 
  14. Livery 
  15. Oversized 
  16. Patched 
  17. Perfumed 
  18. Rancid 
  19. Torn 
  20. Undersized 
   
  Virtue 
  1. Ambitious 
  2. Cautious 
  3. Courageous 
  4. Courteous 
  5. Curious 
  6. Disciplined 
  7. Focused 
  8. Generous 
  9. Gregarious 
  10. Honest 
  11. Honorable 
  12. Humble 
  13. Idealistic 
  14. Just 
  15. Loyal 
  16. Merciful 
  17. Righteous 
  18. Serene 
  19. Stoic 
  20. Tolerant 
  Vice 
  1. Aggressive 
  2. Arrogant 
  3. Bitter 
  4. Cowardly 
  5. Cruel 
  6. Deceitful 
  7. Flippant 
  8. Gluttonous  
  9. Greedy 
  10. Irascible 
  11. Lazy 
  12. Nervous 
  13. Prejudiced 
  14. Reckless 
  15. Rude 
  16. Suspicious 
  17. Vain 
  18. Vengeful 
  19. Wasteful 
  20. Whiny 
  Speech 
  1. Blunt 
  2. Booming 
  3. Breathy 
  4. Cryptic 
  5. Drawling 
  6. Droning 
  7. Flowery 
  8. Formal 
  9. Gravelly 
  10. Hoarse 
  11. Mumbling 
  12. Precise 
  13. Quaint 
  14. Rambling 
  15. Rapid-fire 
  16. Dialect 
  17. Slow 
  18. Squeaky 
  19. Stuttering 
  20. Whispery 
  Background 
  1. Alchemist 
  2. Beggar 
  3. Butcher 
  4. Burglar 
  5. Charlatan 
  6. Cleric 
  7. Cook 
  8. Cultist 
  9. Gambler 
  10. Herbalist 
  11. Magician 
  12. Mariner 
  13. Mercenary 
  14. Merchant 
  15. Outlaw 
  16. Performer 
  17. Pickpocket 
  18. Smuggler 
  19. Student 
  20. Tracker 
  Misfortunes 
  1. Abandoned 
  2. Addicted 
  3. Blackmailed 
  4. Condemned 
  5. Cursed 
  6. Defrauded 
  7. Demoted 
  8. Discredited 
  9. Disowned 
  10. Exiled 
  11. Framed 
  12. Haunted 
  13. Kidnapped 
  14. Mutilated 
  15. Poor 
  16. Pursued 
  17. Rejected 
  18. Replaced 
  19. Robbed 
  20. Suspected 
  Alignment 
  1-5: 
  Law 
  6-15: 
  Neutrality 
  16-20: 
  Chaos 
   
  Starting 
  Gear 
  Armor 
  1-3: 
  No armor 
  4-14: 
  Gambeson 
  15-19: 
  Brigandine 
  20: 
  Chain 
  Helmets and Shields 
  1-13: 
  None 
  14-16: 
  Helmet 
  17-19: 
  Shield 
  20: 
  Helmet and Shield 
  Dungeoneering Gear 
  Roll twice on this table, and once on the following two. 
  1. Rope, 50ft 
  2. Pulleys 
  3. Candles, 5 
  4. Chain, 10ft 
  5. Chalk, 10 
  6. Crowbar 
  7. Tinderbox 
  8. Grap. hook 
  9. Hammer 
  10. Waterskin 
  11. Lantern 
  12. Lamp oil 
  13. Padlock 
  14. Manacles 
  15. Mirror 
  16. Pole, 10ft 
  17. Sack 
  18. Tent 
  19. Spikes, 5 
  20. Torches, 5 
  General Gear 1 
  1. Air bladder 
  2. Bear trap 
  3. Shovel 
  4. Bellows 
  5. Grease 
  6. Saw 
  7. Bucket 
  8. Caltrops 
  9. Chisel 
  10. Drill 
  11. Fish. rod 
  12. Marbles 
  13. Glue 
  14. Pick 
  15. Hourglass 
  16. Net 
  17. Tongs 
  18. Lockpicks 
  19. Metal file 
  20. Nails 
  General Gear 2 
  1. Incense 
  2. Sponge 
  3. Lens 
  4. Perfume 
  5. Horn 
  6. Bottle 
  7. Soap 
  8. Spyglass 
  9. Tar pot 
  10. Twine 
  11. Fake jewels 
  12. Blank book 
  13. Card deck 
  14. Dice set 
  15. Cook pots 
  16. Face paint 
  17. Whistle 
  18. Instrument 
  19. Quill & Ink 
  20. Small bell 
  
  Item 
  Costs 
   
  All prices are given in copper pen-
  nies. Payment for things like ships, 
  real estate, and so on usually takes 
  the form of trade goods, favors, or 
  oaths of fealty rather than coins. 
  Tools & Gear 
  Air Bladder 
  5 
  Bear Trap 
  20 
  Bedroll 
  10 
  Bellows 
  10 
  Black Grease 
  1 
  Block and Tackle 
  30 
  Book (Blank) 
  300 
  Book (Reading) 
  600 
  Bottle/Vial 
  1 
  Bucket 
  5 
  Caltrops (bag) 
  10 
  Cards with an extra Ace 
  5 
  Chain (10 ft) 
  10 
  Chalk (10 pieces) 
  1 
  Chisel 
  5 
  Cookpots 
  10 
  Crowbar  
  10 
  Drill 
  10 
  Face Paint/Makeup 
  10 
  Fake Jewels 
  50 
  Fishing Rod/Tackle 
  10 
  Glass Marbles (bag) 
  5 
  Glue (bottle) 
  1 
  Grappling Hook 
  10 
  Hammer 
  10 
  Holy Water 
  25 
  Horn 
  10 
  Hourglass 
  300 
  Incense (packet) 
  10 
  Iron Tongs 
  10 
  Ladder (10 ft) 
  10 
  Large Sponge 
  5 
  Lens 
  100 
  Lockpicks  
  100 
  Manacles 
  10 
  Metal File 
  5 
  Mirror (small, silver) 
  200 
  Musical Instrument 
  200 
  Nails (12) 
  5 
  Net 
  10 
  Oilskin Bag 
  5 
  Oilskin Trousers 
  10 
  Padlock and Key 
  20 
  Perfume 
  50 
  Pick 
  10 
  Pole (10ft)  
  5 
  Quill and Ink 
  1 
  Rope (50ft)  
  10 
  Sack 
  1 
  Saw 
  10 
  Set of Loaded Dice 
  5 
  Shovel  
  10 
  Small Bell 
  20 
  Soap 
  1 
  Spike (iron)  
  5 
  Spike (wood)  
  1 
  Spiked boots 
  5 
  Spyglass 
  1000 
  Tar (Pot) 
  10 
  Tent (3 man)  
  100 
  Tent (personal)  
  50 
  Twine (300 ft) 
  5 
  Waterskin  
  5 
  Whistle  
  5 
  Light 
  Candle, 4 hours 
  1 
  Lantern 
  30 
  Lamp Oil, 4 hours 
  5 
  Tinderbox 
  10 
  Torch, 1 hour 
  1 
  Armor 
  Shield 
  (Defense +1, 1 slot, 1 quality) 
  40 
  Helmet 
  (Defense +1, 1 slot, 1 quality) 
  40 
  Gambeson 
  (Defense 12, 1 slot, 3 quality) 
  60 
  Brigandine  
  (Defense 13, 2 slots, 4 quality) 
  500 
  Chain  
  (Defense 14, 3 slots, 5 quality) 
  1200 
  Half Plate  
  (Defense 15, 4 slots, 6 quality) 
  4000 
  Full Plate  
  (Defense 16, 5 slots, 7 quality) 
  8000 
   
  Weapons 
  Dagger, Cudgel, Sickle, 
  Staff, etc. (d6 damage, 1 slot, 1 
  hand, 3 quality) 
  5 
  Spear, Sword, Mace, Axe, 
  Flail, etc. (d8 damage, 2 slots, 1 
  hand, 3 quality) 
  10 
  Halberd, War Hammer, 
  Long Sword, Battle Axe, 
  etc. (d10 damage, 3 slots, 2 
  hands, 3 quality) 
  20 
   
  Sling (d4 damage, 1 slot, 1 hand, 
  3 quality) 
  5 
  Bow (d6 damage,  2 slots,  
  2 hands, 3 quality) 
  15 
  Crossbow (d8 damage, 3 slots, 
  2 hands, 3 quality) 
  60 
  Arrows (20) 
  5 
  Quiver (capacity 20) 
  10 
  Clothing 
  Poor 
  10 
  Standard 
  50 
  Noble 
  3000 
  Furs 
  5000 
  Winter 
  100 
  Food 
  Travel rations (1 day) 
  5 
  Animal Feed (1 day) 
  2 
  Bacon, side of 
  10 
  Bread, 1 loaf 
  1 
  Cheese, 1 lb 
  2 
  Cider, 4 gallons 
  1 
  Cod, whole 
  20 
  Eggs, 24 
  1 
  Flour, 5 lbs 
  1 
  Fruit, 1 lb 
  1 
  Garlic, bunch 
  1 
  Grain, 1 bushel (8 gal.) 
  4 
  Herbs, 1 bunch 
  1 
  Lard, 5 lbs 
  1 
  Onions, 1 bushel 
  8 
  Salt, 1 bushel 
  3 
  Spices, 1 lb 
  100 
  Sugar, 1 lb 
  12 
  Wine/ale, bottle 
  1 
  Animals 
  Chicken 
  1 
  Cow 
  100 
  Dog, hunting 
  50 
  Dog, small but vicious 
  20 
  Donkey/Pack Horse 
  300 
  Goat 
  10 
  Hawk 
  1000 
  Horse, riding 
  1000 
  Horse, war 
  10,000 
  Ox 
  300 
  Pig 
  30 
  Sheep 
  15 
  Lodging 
  Bed, per night 
  1 
  Private room, per night 
  2 
  Meal 
  2 
  Hot bath 
  2 
  Stabling and fodder 
  2 
  Ships 
  Ship, high quality 
  720/ton 
  Ship, good quality 
  480/ton 
  Ship, used quality 
  240/ton 
  Ship, poor quality 
  120/ton 
  Raft 
  50 
  Fishing boat 
  500 
  Sloop 
  5000 
  Caravel 
  25,000 
  Galleon 
  125,000 
  Transport 
  Carriage 
  320 
  Cart 
  50 
  Wagon 
  120 
  Henchmen 
  Wages are per day, not including 
  food, supplies, shelter, etc. 
  Laborer 
  1 
  Scribe 
  2 
  Archer 
  3 
  Mason 
  4 
  Man-at-arms, on foot 
  6 
  Armorer or Blacksmith 
  8 
  Man-at-arms, mounted 
  12 
  Master Builder 
  15 
  Barber-Surgeon 
  25 
  Knight 
  25 
  Buildings 
  Hovel 
  120 
  Row House 
  1200 
  Craftsman’s House 
  2400 
  Merchant’s House 
  7200 
  House with Courtyard 
  21,600 
  Guildhall 
  32,600 
  Stone Tower 
  48,000 
  Temple 
  75,000 
  Stronghold 
  100,000 
  Cathedral 
  500,000 
  Imperial Palace 
  2,500,000 
  
  Playing 
  the Game 
  Abilities 
  Each of the six abilities is used in different circumstances. 
   Strength: Used for melee attacks and saves requiring 
  physical power, like lifting gates, bending bars, etc. 
   Dexterity: Used for saves requiring poise, speed, and 
  reflexes, like dodging, climbing, sneaking, balancing, etc. 
   Constitution: Used for saves to resist poison, sickness, 
  cold, etc. The Constitution bonus is added to healing 
  rolls. A PC’s number of item slots is always equal to their 
  Constitution defense. 
   Intelligence: Used for saves requiring concentration 
  and precision, such as wielding magic, resisting magical 
  effects, recalling lore, crafting objects, tinkering with 
  machinery, picking pockets, etc. 
   Wisdom: Used for ranged attacks and saves requiring 
  perception and intuition, such as tracking, navigating, 
  searching for secret doors, detecting illusions, etc. 
   Charisma: Used for saves to persuade, deceive, interro-
  gate, intimidate, charm, provoke, etc. PCs may employ a 
  number of henchmen equal to their Charisma bonus. 
  Designer’s Note:  In a system that relies so heavily on the six 
  abilities, it’s important for each of them to play an important 
  role, to discourage dump stats. Non-magical characters tend to 
  dump the mental abilities, for example, so I increased their use-
  fulness.  
  Item Slots 
  PCs have a number of item slots equal to their Constitu-
  tion defense. Most items, including spellbooks, potions, a 
  day’s rations, light weapons, tools and so on take up 1 slot, 
  but particularly heavy or bulky items like armor or medi-
  um to heavy weapons may take up more slots. Groups of 
  small, identical items may be bundled into the same slot, at 
  the referee’s discretion. 100 coins can fit in a slot. As a gen-
  eral guideline, a slot holds around 5 pounds of weight. 
  Designer’s Note: Using item slots makes encumbrance simple 
  enough that players will be willing to track it. Slots are also the 
  key to character customization, as a PC’s gear helps determine 
  who they are. Raising Constitution, therefore, will probably be a 
  priority for most characters. 
  Saving Throws 
  If a character attempts something where the outcome is 
  uncertain and failure has consequences, they make a sav-
  ing throw, or “save”. To make a save, add the bonus of 
  the relevant ability to a d20 roll. If the total is greater 
  than 15, the character succeeds. If not, they fail. 
  Designer’s Note: Requiring saves to exceed 15 means that new 
  PCs have around a 25% chance of success, while level 10 charac-
  ters have around a 75% chance of success, since ability bonuses 
  can get up to +10 by level 10. This reflects the general pattern 
  found in the save mechanics of early D&D. 
  If the save is opposed by another character, then instead of 
  aiming to exceed 15, the side doing the rolling must get a 
  total greater than the opposing character’s relevant defense 
  score in order to succeed. If they fail, the opposing side 
  succeeds. This type of save is called an opposed save. Note 
  that it doesn’t matter which side does the rolling, since the 
  odds of success remain the same.  
  Example: A wizard casts a fireball spell at a goblin, who gets a 
  saving throw to avoid. This is resolved as an opposed save using 
  the wizard’s Intelligence versus the goblin’s Dexterity. The goblin 
  may roll plus their Dexterity bonus, hoping to exceed the wiz-
  ard’s Intelligence defense or the wizard may roll plus their Intel-
  ligence bonus, hoping to exceed the goblin’s Dexterity defense. 
  Designer’s Note: An ability’s defense score is essentially its av-
  erage roll. Requiring the rolling side to beat the opposing defense 
  allows contests to be settled more quickly, eliminates the possibil-
  ity of ties, and allows the game to be run with players doing all 
  of the rolling if they so choose, since the odds of success are the 
  same no matter which side rolls. 
  If there are situational factors that make a save significant-
  ly easier or harder, the referee may grant the roll advantage 
  or disadvantage. If a roll has advantage, roll 2d20 and use 
  the better of the two dice. If it has disadvantage, roll 2d20 
  and use the worse of the two dice. 
  Designer’s Note:  The referee is of course free to impose positive 
  or negative modifiers rather than use the advantage system, but 
  most players seem to enjoy it and it simplifies the math. 
  Reactions 
  When the PCs encounter an NPC whose reaction to the 
  party is not obvious, the referee may roll 2d6 and consult 
  the following table. 
  2 
  3-5 
  6-8 
  9-11 
  12 
  Hostile 
  Unfriendly 
  Unsure 
  Talkative 
  Helpful 
  Combat 
  At the start of each combat round, determine initiative by 
  rolling a d6. On a 1-3, all of the enemies will act first. On a 
  4-6 all of the PCs will act first. Reroll initiative each round. 
  Designer’s Note: Using simple group initiative speeds up com-
  bat, keeps all of the players engaged, and avoids bookkeeping. 
  Rerolling initiative every round makes combat more dangerous, 
  since it’s possible for one side to go twice in a row. 
  On their turn, a character may move their speed (usually 
  40 ft) and take up to one combat action. This action may 
  be casting a spell, making a second move, making an at-
  tack, attempting a stunt, or any other action deemed rea-
  sonable by the referee. 
  Melee weapons can strike adjacent foes, but ranged weap-
  ons cannot be used if the shooting character is engaged in 
  melee combat. To make an attack, roll a d20 and add the 
  character’s Strength or Wisdom bonus, depending on 
  whether they are using a melee or ranged weapon, respec-
  tively. If the attack total is greater than the defender’s 
  armor defense, the attack hits. If not, the attack misses. 
  Alternatively, an attack roll can also be resolved by the 
  defender rolling a d20 and adding their armor bonus, hop-
  ing to roll a total greater than the defense of the ability 
  the attacker is using. If they succeed, the attack misses. If 
  they fail, the attack hits. 
  Designer’s Note: In other words, attacks are resolved the same 
  way as opposed saves, just using Armor in place of an ability. 
  
  On a hit, the attacker rolls their weapon’s damage die to 
  determine how many Hit Points (HP) the defender loses. 
  A bonus damage die of the weapon’s type may be added to 
  the roll if the ideal weapon was used against an enemy type 
  (for example, using a blunt weapon vs. a skeleton). 
  When a character reaches 0 HP, they are unconscious. 
  When they reach -1 HP or less, they are dead. Players 
  should roll up a new level 1 PC when their old one dies, 
  and should rejoin the party as soon as possible. 
  Stunts 
  Stunts are combat maneuvers such as stunning, shoving, 
  disarming, tripping, sundering armor, and so on. They are 
  resolved with a versus save. They may not cause damage 
  directly, but may do so indirectly (for example, pushing an 
  enemy off of a ledge). The referee is the final arbiter as to 
  what stunts can be attempted in a given situation. 
  Advantage in Combat 
  Characters can gain advantage in combat by attacking a 
  target that is unaware, on lower ground, off balance, dis-
  armed, distracted, or tactically disadvantaged in any signif-
  icant way. The referee, as usual, has the final say. 
  When a character has advantage against an opponent on 
  their combat turn, they may either A.) Apply advantage to 
  their attack roll or stunt against that opponent or B.) Make 
  an attack and a stunt attempt in the same round against 
  that opponent, without advantage. 
  Critical Hits and Quality 
  During an attack roll, if the attacker rolls a natural 20 or 
  the defender rolls a natural 1, the defender’s armor loses 1 
  point of quality and they take an additional die of damage 
  (of the weapon’s type). If the attacker rolls a natural 1 or 
  the defender rolls a natural 20, the attacker’s weapon loses 
  1 point of quality. At 0 quality, the item is destroyed. Each 
  point of quality costs 10% of the item’s cost to repair. 
  Designer’s Note: The slow degradation of their gear is another 
  resource clock ticking down during long dungeon raids along-
  side hit points, spells, torches, and so on.  
  Morale 
  Monsters and NPCs all have a morale rating, usually be-
  tween 5 and 9. When they face more danger than they 
  were expecting, the referee will make a morale roll by 
  rolling 2d6 and comparing the result to the NPC’s morale 
  rating. If the roll is higher than the rating, the NPC will 
  attempt to flee, retreat, or parley. Morale rolls can be trig-
  gered by defeating half of an enemy group, defeating a 
  group’s leader, or reducing a lone enemy to half HP. Other 
  effects may trigger a morale roll at the referee’s discretion. 
  Hirelings also make morale rolls when they aren’t paid, 
  their employer dies, or they face extraordinary danger. 
  Morale may also be improved by paying hirelings more 
  and treating them well. 
  Healing 
  After a meal and a full night’s rest, PCs regain lost hit 
  points equal to a d8 plus their Constitution bonus. Resting 
  at a safe haven restores all lost HP. 
  Designer’s Note: Constitution bonuses do not affect maximum 
  hit points like in most OSR games, but it is a big help when it 
  comes to healing. 
  Monsters 
  All monsters from OSR bestiaries should work as-is in 
  Knave with no major conversion needed. Here are some 
  guidelines. 
  Hit Dice/Hit Points: All monster hit dice can be assumed 
  to be d8s unless otherwise specified. To get the monster’s 
  hit points, just multiply the number of hit dice they have 
  by 4 (or 5 if you’re feeling mean.) 
  Armor: Monster AC (if ascending) is identical to Armor 
  defense. If the AC is descending, subtract it from 19 (if it is 
  from OD&D or B/X D&D) or from 20 (if it is from 
  AD&D) to find its ascending equivalent. 
  Attack Bonus: Any attack bonus given is unchanged, and 
  can be added to both melee and ranged attacks. If an attack 
  bonus is not given, assume that it is the same as the mon-
  ster’s number of hit dice. 
  Damage: Damage remains the same. 
  Morale: Morale rating remains the same. 
  Saves: Since OSR monsters usually don’t come with ability 
  scores, assume that monsters have ability bonuses equal to 
  their level, with the corresponding ability defenses. 
  Example: A typical 4 HD monster would have a bonus of +4 and 
  a defense of 14 in all of its abilities by default, unless modified 
  by the referee. 
  Designer’s Note: Due to the unified 1-to-10 scale of Knave, mon-
  sters and NPCs essentially add their hit dice or level to any at-
  tacks or saves they make. Obviously this should be adjusted by 
  the referee when it doesn’t make sense. 
  Advancement 
  Whenever a PC accumulates 1000 XP, they gain a level. As 
  a guideline, PCs receive 50 XP for low-risk accomplish-
  ments, 100 XP for moderate-risk accomplishments, and 
  200 XP for high-risk accomplishments. The referee should 
  freely notify the PCs of how much XP different objectives 
  are worth when asked. 
  Designer’s Note: This is the way I run advancement because it’s 
  simple and easy to understand. Of course, swapping in milestone 
  advancement, session advancement, or an XP-for-coin system 
  works perfectly well. If using XP-for-gold or silver, note that a 
  gold piece is 100 copper, and a silver piece is 10 copper. 
  When a PC gains a level, they roll a number of d8s equal to 
  their new level to find their new HP maximum. If the re-
  sult is less than their previous maximum, their maximum 
  HP increases by 1. They also raise the defense and bonus 
  scores of 3 different abilities of their choice by 1 point. 
  Abilities may never be raised higher than 20/+10. 
  Designer’s Note: You can also raise abilities randomly if you 
  want. My preferred method is to roll a d20 for each ability, in 
  any order, raising that ability by 1 if the roll is less than that 
  ability’s defense. Keep cycling through the abilities, stopping 
  when three abilities have advanced, and skipping any abilities 
  that have maxed out. In this method, natural talents will tend to 
  advance faster than weaknesses, which makes PCs more varied 
  and specialized.  
  
  Magic 
  The spell lists from any old-school RPG will work perfect-
  ly well in Knave, provided that they go up to 9th level. 
  There are many free lists of classic spells available online.  
  In Knave, PCs may only cast spells of their level or less, so 
  a level 3 PC could only cast spells of level 0 to 3. Spells are 
  cast out of spell books, which must be held in both hands 
  and read aloud. Each spell book can only be used once per 
  day. Importantly, each spell book only holds a single spell, 
  and each spell book takes up an item slot, so if a PC wants 
  to be able to cast a wide variety of spells, they’ll have to fill 
  most of their inventory with spell books. 
  Designer’s Note: It’s always seemed odd to me that spell levels 
  don’t correspond to PC level in most OSR games. Well, now they 
  do. I also took the abstract notion of spell slots and turned them 
  into something concrete; PCs can cast as many spells as they can 
  physically carry. Boost Constitution if you want your PC to 
  carry around that mobile library. 
  PCs are unable to create, copy or transcribe spell books. In 
  order to gain new spell books, PCs must adventure for 
  them, by either recovering them from dungeons or looting 
  them from other magicians. The higher the level of the 
  spell book, the rarer and more valuable it is. PCs openly 
  carrying high level spell books are likely to be hounded by 
  bandits and wizards looking to “acquire” them. 
  When a spell allows for a save, make an opposed Intelli-
  gence save against the defender’s relevant ability, usually 
  Dexterity for ranged attack spells, Constitution for life-
  draining spells, Intelligence for mind-altering spells, or 
  Wisdom for Illusions. 
  Designer’s Note: Note that spell books can be easily re-skinned 
  as rune stones, clay tablets, potions, scrolls, or whatever else fits 
  your campaign. If you wanted a more dangerous, low-magic 
  setting for example, you could make spell books potions or scrolls 
  that are only used once and then lost forever. The random spell 
  generator found in my other game, Maze Rats, can be useful for 
  generating ideas for new spells. 
   
  100 Level-less Spells 
  If you prefer spells that are level-less and scale up as the 
  caster becomes more powerful, use the list below. In the 
  following spells, “L” is a number equal to the caster’s level, 
  an item is an object able to be lifted with one hand, and an 
  object is anything up to human size. Unless otherwise 
  noted, all spells with ongoing effects last up to L×10 
  minutes, and have a range of up to 40 feet. If a spell direct-
  ly affects another creature, the creature may make a save to 
  avoid it (as described previously). Success reduces or ne-
  gates the spell’s effects. 
  1. 
  Adhere: Object is covered in extremely sticky slime. 
  2. 
  Animate Object: Object obeys your commands as 
  best it can. It can walk 15ft per round. 
  3. 
  Anthropomorphize: A touched animal either gains 
  human intelligence or human appearance for L days. 
  4. 
  Arcane Eye: You can see through a magical floating 
  eyeball that flies around at your command. 
  5. 
  Astral Prison: An object is frozen in time and space 
  within an invulnerable crystal shell. 
  6. 
  Attract: L+1 objects are strongly magnetically at-
  tracted to each other if they come within 10 feet. 
  7. 
  Auditory Illusion: You create illusory sounds that 
  seem to come from a direction of your choice. 
  8. 
  Babble: A creature must loudly and clearly repeat 
  everything you think. It is otherwise mute. 
  9. 
  Beast Form: You and your possessions transform into 
  a mundane animal. 
  10. Befuddle: L creatures of your choice are unable to 
  form new short-term memories for the duration of 
  the spell. 
  11. Bend Fate: Roll L+1 d20s. Whenever you must roll a 
  d20 after casting the spell, you must choose and then 
  discard one of the rolled results until they are all gone. 
  12. Bird Person: Your arms turn into huge bird wings. 
  13. Body Swap: You switch bodies with a creature you 
  touch. If one body dies, the other dies as well. 
  14. Catherine: A woman wearing a blue dress appears 
  until end of spell. She will obey polite, safe requests. 
  15. Charm: L creatures treat you like a friend. 
  16. Command: A creature obeys a single, three-word 
  command that does not harm it. 
  17. Comprehend: You become fluent in all languages. 
  18. Control Plants: Nearby plants and trees obey you 
  and gain the ability to move at 5 feet per round. 
  19. Control Weather: You may alter the type of weather 
  at will, but you do not otherwise control it. 
  20. Counterspell: Make an opposed Intelligence save 
  against the Intelligence of the caster of a nearby spell. 
  You may do this out of turn as a reaction, or against 
  an ongoing magical effect. On a success, you may can-
  cel the spell. 
  21. Deafen: All nearby creatures are deafened. 
  22. Detect Magic: You hear nearby magical auras sing-
  ing. Volume and harmony signify the aura’s power 
  and refinement. 
  23. Disassemble: Any of your body parts may be de-
  tached and reattached at will, without causing pain or 
  damage. You can still control them. 
  24. Disguise: You may alter the appearance of L charac-
  ters at will as long as they remain humanoid. Attempts 
  to duplicate other characters will seem uncanny. 
  25. Displace: An object appears to be up to L×10ft from 
  its actual position. 
  26. Earthquake: The ground begins shaking violently. 
  Structures may be damaged or collapse. 
  27. Elasticity: Your body can stretch up to L×10ft. 
  28. Elemental Wall: A straight wall of ice or fire L×40ft 
  long and 10ft high rises from the ground. 
  29. Filch: L visible items teleport to your hands. 
  30. Fog Cloud: Dense fog spreads out from you. 
  31. Frenzy: L creatures erupt in a frenzy of violence. 
  32. Gate: A portal to a random plane opens. 
  33. Gravity Shift: You can change the direction of gravi-
  ty (for yourself only) up to once per round.  
  34. Greed: L creatures develop an overwhelming urge to 
  possess a visible item of your choice. 
  35. Haste: Your movement speed is tripled. 
  36. Hatred: L creatures develop a deep hatred of another 
  creature or group of creatures and wish to destroy it. 
  37. Hear Whispers: You can hear faint sounds clearly. 
  38. Hover: An object hovers, frictionless, 2ft above the 
  ground. It can hold up to L humanoids. 
  39. Hypnotize: A creature enters a trance and will truth-
  fully answer L yes or no questions you ask it.  
  40. Icy Touch: A thick ice layer spreads across a touched 
  surface, up to L×10ft in radius. 
  41. Illuminate: A floating light moves as you command. 
  
  42. Increase Gravity: The gravity in an area triples. 
  43. Invisible Tether: Two objects within 10ft of each 
  other cannot be moved more than 10ft apart. 
  44. Knock: L nearby mundane or magical locks unlock. 
  45. Leap: You can jump up to L×10ft in the air. 
  46. Liquid Air: The air around you becomes swimmable. 
  47. Magic Dampener: All nearby magical effects have 
  their effectiveness halved. 
  48. Manse: A sturdy, furnished cottage appears for L×12 
  hours. You can permit and forbid entry to it at will. 
  49. Marble Madness: Your pockets are full of marbles, 
  and will refill every round. 
  50. Masquerade: L characters’ appearances and voices 
  become identical to a touched character. 
  51. Miniaturize: You and L other touched creatures are 
  reduced to the size of a mouse. 
  52. Mirror Image: L illusory duplicates of yourself ap-
  pear under your control. 
  53. Mirrorwalk: A mirror becomes a gateway to anoth-
  er mirror that you looked into today. 
  54. Multiarm: You gain L extra arms. 
  55. Night Sphere: An L×40ft wide sphere of darkness 
  displaying the night sky appears. 
  56. Objectify: You become any inanimate object between 
  the size of a grand piano and an apple. 
  57. Ooze Form: You become a living jelly. 
  58. Pacify: L creatures have an aversion to violence.  
  59. Phantom Coach: A ghostly coach appears until end 
  of spell. It moves unnaturally fast over any terrain, in-
  cluding water. 
  60. Phobia: L creatures become terrified of an object of 
  your choice. 
  61. Pit: A pit 10ft wide and L×5ft deep opens in the 
  ground. 
  62. Primeval Surge: An object grows to the size of an 
  elephant. If it is an animal, it is enraged. 
  63. Psychometry: The referee answers L yes or no ques-
  tions about a touched object. 
  64. Pull: An object of any size is pulled directly towards 
  you with the strength of L men for one round. 
  65. Push: An object of any size is pushed directly away 
  from you with the strength of L men for one round. 
  66. Raise Dead: L skeletons rise from the ground to serve 
  you. They are incredibly stupid and can only obey 
  simple orders. 
  67. Raise Spirit: The spirit of a dead body manifests and 
  will answer L questions. 
  68. Read Mind: You can hear the surface thoughts of 
  nearby creatures. 
  69. Repel: L+1 objects are strongly magnetically repelled 
  from each other if they come within 10 feet. 
  70. Scry: You can see through the eyes of a creature you 
  touched earlier today. 
  71. Sculpt Elements: All inanimate material behaves like 
  clay in your hands. 
  72. Shroud: L creatures are invisible until they move. 
  73. Shuffle: L creatures instantly switch places. Deter-
  mine where they end up randomly. 
  74. Sleep: L creatures fall into a light sleep. 
  75. Smoke Form: Your body becomes living smoke. 
  76. Snail Knight: 10 minutes after casting, a knight sit-
  ting astride a giant snail rides into view. He is able to 
  answer most questions related to quests and chivalry, 
  and may aid you if he finds you worthy. 
  77. Sniff: You can smell even the faintest traces of scents. 
  78. Sort: Inanimate items sort themselves according to 
  categories you set. The categories must be visually 
  verifiable. 
  79. Spectacle: A clearly unreal but impressive illusion of 
  your choice appears, under your control. It may be up 
  to the size of a palace and has full motion and sound.  
  80. Spellseize: Cast this as a reaction to another spell 
  going off to make a temporary copy of it that you can 
  cast at any time before this spell ends. 
  81. Spider Climb: You can climb surfaces like a spider. 
  82. Summon Cube: Once per second, (6 times per round) 
  you may summon or banish a 3-foot-wide cube of 
  earth. New cubes must be affixed to the earth or to 
  other cubes. 
  83. Swarm: You become a swarm of crows, rats, or pira-
  nhas. You only take damage from area effects. 
  84. Telekinesis: You may mentally move L items. 
  85. Telepathy: L+1 creatures can hear each other’s 
  thoughts, no matter how far apart they move. 
  86. Teleport: An object disappears and reappears on the 
  ground in a visible, clear area up to L×40ft away. 
  87. Thaumaturgic Anchor: Object becomes the target 
  of every spell cast near it.  
  88. Thicket: A thicket of trees and dense brush up to 
  L×40ft wide suddenly sprouts up. 
  89. Time Jump: An object disappears as it jumps L×10 
  minutes into the future. When it returns, it appears in 
  the unoccupied area nearest to where it left. 
  90. Summon Idol: A carved stone statue the size of a four 
  poster bed rises from the ground. 
  91. Time Rush: Time in a 40ft bubble starts moving 10 
  times faster. 
  92. Time Slow: Time in a 40ft bubble slows to 10%. 
  93. True Sight: You see through all nearby illusions. 
  94. Upwell: A spring of seawater appears. 
  95. Vision: You completely control what a creature sees. 
  96. Visual Illusion: A silent, immobile, illusion of your 
  choice appears, up to the size of a bedroom. 
  97. Ward: A silver circle 40ft across appears on the 
  ground. Choose one thing that cannot cross it: Living 
  creatures, dead creatures, projectiles or metal. 
  98. Web: Your wrists can shoot thick webbing. 
  99. Wizard Mark: Your finger can shoot a stream of 
  ulfire-colored paint. This paint is only visible to you, 
  and can be seen at any distance, even through solid 
  objects. 
  100. X-Ray Vision: You gain X-Ray vision. 
  Thanks 
  Knave was made possible due to the encouragement, feed-
  back and assistance of my Patreon supporters. 
  https://www.patreon.com/questingbeast. 
  A special thanks is due to everyone from the DIY DND 
  community on Google+. 
  This game was made using the free fonts Crimson Text 
  and Sebaldus-Gotisch. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Knave/Knave_10.pdf