Armor Class: We use ascending Armor Class.

Your class's Hit Die determines your base weapon damage, e.g. Fighters d8, Clerics d6, Magic-Users and Thieves d4.

Weapon Mastery: At each Attack Bonus (THAC0) increase, your base weapon damage improves by one step, as follows:

1st Bracket - 1dN, N=Class's Hit Die

2nd Bracket - 1 die type up, e.g. 1d6 -> 1d8

3rd Bracket - 2dN

4th Bracket - 3dN

5th Bracket - 4dN

All classes can use all weapons, except clerics (only blunt) and small races (cannot use longbows and two-handed swords).

Many Weapon Traits have been altered. See the Armor and Weapons List.

Attacking with Two Weapons: Classes with Strength or Dexterity as prime requisites can attack with two weapons. Both weapons or the off-hand weapon must have the Light trait. Attacking with two weapons grants a single attack with Advantage.

A Shield grants a +1 bonus to AC, and can absorb the damage from a single blow, but then is rendered useless. Magic shields can absorb a number of blows equal to their enchantment bonus.

A Helmet does not provide a bonus to AC. It can absorb the damage from a single critical hit, but then is rendered useless. It also imposes a -1 penalty to Surprise.

The Mage class is described in Carcass Crawler Issue #1.

Goblins use the class as described in Carcass Crawler Issue #1, except as follows: Replace the “Wolf Affinity” ability with the “Listening at Doors” ability, as described under the Dwarf class entry.

A Thief who successfully Backstabs deals 12 + STR mod flat damage.

Fighters (only) gain the Cleave ability: If a fighter inflicts enough melee damage to reduce an opponent’s hit points to zero or fewer, the fighter can immediately attack another opponent within melee range using the same weapon. The fighter can continue attacking new opponents as long as the above requirement is met.

Thieves, Acolytes, Acrobats, Assassins, Barbarians, and Mages use the D6 Thief Skills alternate system from Carcass Crawler Issue #1, modified slightly. No skill using this system can ever increase beyond a 5 in 6 chance. See the mathematical breakdown here.

• Thief: At 1st level, a Thief has 6 expertise points to allocate. Every level thereafter, a Thief gains 2 points to allocate.

• Acolyte: At 1st level, an Acolyte has 1 expertise point to allocate. Every even level thereafter, an Acolyte gains 3 point to allocate. An Acolyte's Turn Undead skill remains percentage-based, as the type of undead directly penalizes this percentage.

• Acrobat: At 1st level, an Acrobat has 4 expertise points to allocate. Every level thereafter, an Acrobat gains 1 point to allocate.

• Assassin: At 1st level, an Assassin has 3 expertise points to allocate. Every level thereafter, an Assassin gains 1 point to allocate, except at levels 5, 10, and 14.

• Barbarian: At 1st level, a Barbarian has 3 expertise points to allocate. Every odd-numbered level thereafter, a Barbarian gains 1 point to allocate.

• Mage: At 1st level, a Mage has 7 expertise points to allocate. Every level thereafter, a Mage gains 1 point to allocate.

• Spells that are unique to the Necromancer and Illusionist classes are subsumed into the Magic-User spell list at their listed levels. Necromancers and Illusionists are no longer separate classes.

• Newly-created Magic-Users begin with four random Level 1 spells in their spellbooks, in addition to Read Magic.

• Detect Magic: All Magic-Users can detect magical resonance at will, provided the caster can concentrate without distraction and physically touch the subject. Only the existence of magic is detected, not its nature or strength. Each attempt requires one turn.

• Read Magic is not necessary to decipher scrolls, but it is necessary to decipher spellbooks.

• Magic-Users can add new spells of their choice to their spellbook when new spell slots become available to them, but only after training with a mentor or performing research. This is the standard spellbook rule in OSE.

  • It takes one day per spell level per spell to learn spells in this manner.

• Transcribing spells from a spellbook or scroll to another spellbook requires proper tools, and takes one uninterrupted hour per spell level per spell. There is no chance of failure, unless the transcription process is interrupted, in which case it automatically fails. Further attempts can be made without restriction.

• Ritual Casting: Magic-Users may cast spells from their own spellbook beyond their slot capacity (but not beyond their level limit) if they spend one uninterrupted turn per spell level (e.g. a 3rd level spell takes three turns to cast).

• Scrolls of a higher level than the caster’s capability can be cast by any appropriate class of any class level, but they cannot be copied into spellbooks. This prevents scroll-hoarding and simultaneously encourages their use as “one-and-done” power boosts.

• Magical Research:

  • Creating New Spells: It requires one uninterrupted day per spell level per spell to properly research a new spell, with the assumption that proper tools are at hand. Research costs 1000 gp per spell level per spell. These rules apply to both arcane and divine spells.

  • Creating Magic Items: The standard OSE rules apply; however, all casters can attempt to create items at any level.

• Turn Undead: All optional limitations for Turning Undead, as described in the Advanced Fantasy Player’s Tome, are in effect.

When a PC drops to 0 hit points, they are considered to be at Death’s Door.

• PCs at Death’s Door are unconsious.

• Each round, they have a 2-in-6 chance of dying.

• Instantaneous healing of any amount will revive the PC to 1 hp, and they are no longer at Death’s Door.

• If an ally applies bandaging or some other form of suitable triage for at least 1 turn, the wounded PC is no longer at Death’s Door, but is still unconscious. Bandaging cannot be done during combat.

• Retainers still die outright at 0 hit points.

Additional XP will be rewarded by completing Feats of Exploration. Make a copy of my automated tracking sheet, or purchase a print and/or pdf copy here!

The procedure: Total the sum of how much XP all PCs need to advance from the start of the level at which they are currently to the next level. That number is constant until a PC gains a level. When a PC achieves a feat, the entire party is awarded the percentage listed of that total. Divide that number by the number of players present during the session to arrive at the per-PC share.

• Rumor: Confirm a rumor’s veracity - 2%

• Quest: Complete a quest - Minor 5%, Major 10%

• Location: Discover an important location - 5%

• Trap: Overcome a trap - Minor 2%, Major 5%

• Puzzle: Solve a puzzle - Minor 2%, Major 5%

• Secret: Find a secret or interpret hidden lore - 2%

• Faction: Manipulating or crippling a faction to your benefit - Minor 5%, Major 10%

• NPC: Interact beneficially with an important NPC when stakes are at play - 5%

• Lore: Apply in-world lore in a useful or flavorful manner - 2%

• Haven: Establish a reliable safe haven - 15%

• Explore: Explore at least five areas of a single dungeon level - 2%

• Skills: Use equipment or abilities in an unorthodox yet useful manner - Minor 2%, Major 5%

• Hazards: Surmount an environmental obstacle or hazard - Minor 2%, Major 5%

PCs may Carouse or Practice Philanthropy in a settlement in order to gain bonus XP. My rules are based primarily on Jeff Reints’s original rules, with inspiration from many other carousing tables and rules I’ve found online.