I'm taking a second crack at THIS POST because I wanted to expand it to cover more levels (14 rather than 9) and thus give players a little more freedom to customize their characters - hopefully without making the whole thing too complicated or somehow "un-OSR." I figure more levels means more chances to pick different paths and more possible combinations of those paths. Also, I wanted to try something different with the saving throw categories, among other things.
To recap, Daniel Sell wrote a nifty classless (or perhaps more accurately, multi-class) advancement system called "How to be an adventurer" on his blog, which I believe was later featured in The Undercroft #9. More recently, Brent Ault did some cool tweaks to it and produced his own classless system for LotFP.
Now I present my own tentative tweaking. Assume LotFP rules as written wherever I don't contradict them below. You also might as well assume that I'm paraphrasing or outright quoting Brent Ault or Daniel Sell below, except where I make my own changes.
This is meant for a setting with only human PCs. If you wish to include different playable races, it might be useful to add in "Perks," like in Brent Ault's system or the previous version of this one. Per Brent Ault's version, Perks "can be combined to create traditional races, or something that is wholly original." However, I've removed Perks from this system for now.
Character Creation
- Roll your attribute scores.
- Select a Path: Fighting, Proficiency, or Casting. If you're creating a character above first level, choose one Path per level (you can take the same path for multiple levels, of course). Record your HP, saving throws, and any skills, spells, spell slots, attack bonuses, and combat options.
- Roll 3d6 x 10 in silver pieces to purchase equipment.
- Before selecting a Path, every character begins with a +1 base attack bonus and a 16 in each saving throw category.
- Each level, including 1st, you must opt for either Proficiency, Casting, or Fighting.
- Your Constitution bonus is only applied to the number of HP gained for the first 9 levels.
- The first level in this path grants 4 Skill Points to expend. Every subsequent level in this path grants 2 Skill Points to expend.
- The first level in this path also grants you one free set of specialist's tools.
- Gain 4 HP (plus or minus your Constitution modifier if applicable).
- Gain 2 Saving Throw Points to deduct from the saving throw(s) of your choice.
- The first level in this path grants the ability to perform general magical operations (like transcribing spells, researching spells, and crafting magic items) as per Rules & Magic p. 79-83 and the front endpapers of Vaginas are Magic. The first level in this path also grants you one free spellbook.
- Gain 1 Spell Slot (use the Vaginas Are Magic rules).
- Gain 1 random spell to transcribe into a spellbook once at no cost. (You can also learn spells through adventuring and study, as usual.)
- If a spell has an effect that varies by caster level, only count your Casting Path levels, not your total number of levels.
- Magic-User and Cleric spells are one and the same.
- Gain 4 HP (plus or minus your Constitution modifier if applicable).
- Gain 1 Saving Throw Point to deduct from the saving throw of your choice.
- The first level in this path grants the fighter's combat options (Press, Defensive Fighting, and the +4 version of Parry) and firearm rules (per Rules & Magic p. 159 and 161).
- Roll once on the Fighting Path Bonus Table (see below).
- Gain 8 HP (plus or minus your Constitution modifier if applicable).
- Gain 1 Saving Throw Point to deduct from the saving throw of your choice.
Roll 1d20:
- 1-10: +1 base attack bonus, up to a maximum of +10. If you already have the maximum base attack bonus, choose a different available result.
- 11-12: Gain 3 additional Saving Throw Points to deduct from the saving throw(s) of your choice. You can only gain this result once. If you have already gotten this result once before, see Result 1-10 instead.
- 13-14: You are only surprised on a 1 in 6 (as per the Elf class in LotFP). If you have already gotten this result once before, see Result 1-10 instead.
- 15-16: It takes five additional items to gain the first point of encumbrance (as per the Dwarf class in LotFP). If you have already gotten this result once before, see Result 1-10 instead.
- 17-18: Increase the amount of damage you do with any weapon (including your bare hands) by 1 die size, following this pattern: 1-->d2-->d3-->d4-->d6-->d8-->d10-->d12-->d20 (the maximum for mundane weapons). If you have already gotten this result once before, see Result 1-10 instead.
- 19-20: You get a second attack per round. Also, instead of making a second attack, you can make one extra round's worth of progress toward reloading a weapon. For example, you could fire a light crossbow every round (rather than every other round), or fire a heavy crossbow once every other round (rather than once every three rounds). If you have already gotten this result once before, see Result 1-10 instead.
All saves start at 16. No saving throw can go below 2.
- There are two different saving throw categories: Magic (modified by Intelligence) and Non-Magic (modified by Wisdom).
- Besides those granted by their chosen Paths, every character gains 1 additional Saving Throw Point to deduct from the saving throw of their choice at levels 2, 5, 8, 11, and 14.
- When rolling a saving throw, ability score modifiers (Intelligence and Wisdom) are added to the number rolled, NOT the character's saving throw itself (i.e. the number recorded on the character sheet for that saving throw category). This is important because...
- If a character already has a saving throw of 2 in both categories, and that character is entitled to additional Saving Throw Points (i.e. additional deductions to saving throws) due to gaining a level, the character gains that same number of Skill Points instead.
- For example, if a character decides to take the Proficiency Path every single level, both saving throw categories will be reduced to 2 at level 12, so level 13 of the Proficiency Path will grant them 4 skill points (2 as usual, and 2 more in lieu of Saving Throw Points), while level 14 in the same Path will grant them 5 skill points (2 as usual, 2 in lieu of the Saving Throw Points from the Proficiency Path, and 1 in lieu of the Saving Throw Point granted for reaching level 14).
(This post explains why I removed the Search skill.)
- Architecture
- Athletics (Add Strength Modifier) (Replaces Climb, Open Doors, and Swimming)
- Bushcraft
- Languages (Add Intelligence Modifier)
- Medicine
- Seamanship (If a character has a higher Seamanship skill than their Athletics skill, they can use the former instead of the latter when swimming or when climbing a ship's rigging.)
- Sneak Attack
- Stealth (Includes the functions of Sleight of Hand)
- Tinkering
Experience and Leveling
Summary of Main Differences From Brent Ault's Version
(In case you'd rather work from Brent Ault's excellent PDF)
- All characters follow the fighter's experience table from Rules & Magic.
- Level 14 is the maximum level.
- Once level 14 is reached, every additional 120,000 experience points grants you +2 maximum HP (Constitution modifier no longer applies). In addition, pick an ability score and roll 3d6. If you roll higher than the current ability score, that score increases by 1 point. No ability score can increase above 18.
(In case you'd rather work from Brent Ault's excellent PDF)
- Level 14 maximum.
- After Level 14, every 120,000 XP gives you 2 HP and the chance to increase 1 ability score. Pick an ability score and roll 3d6: if you roll higher than the current score, it goes up by 1 (maximum 18).
- Constitution modifier is added or subtracted every level from 1 to 14, and not added to or subtracted from HP gained beyond level 14.
- Fighting Path gives exactly 8 HP, other Paths give exactly 4 (not counting Constitution modifier).
- Replaced standard Fighter base attack bonus progression with the Fighting Path Bonus Table.
- Saving Throws start at 16. Minimum is 2.
- Different saving throw categories, only 2 total: Magic and Non-Magic. Magic is modified by Intelligence, and Non-Magic is modified by Wisdom.
- Proficiency Path gives 4 skill points the first level it is taken, and 2 per level after that.
- Vaginas are Magic casting system.
- One free random spell for each level of Casting Path.
- Perks are removed.
- The first level of Casting Path gives you a free spellbook, and the first level of Proficiency Path gives you a free set of specialist's tools.
- Clarified that the first level of Fighting Path gives the fighter's combat options and firearm rules, and that the first level of Casting Path allows the use of general magical operations.
- Clarified that only Casting Path levels count toward spell effects (e.g. If a PC with 3 levels of Casting and 6 levels of Fighting casts Magic Missile, the spell will do 3d4 damage).
- If you're going by Rules & Magic for determining what things are modified by ability scores, Strength doesn't add to melee damage (but does add to the Athletics skill, or Open Doors on the original skill list), and Constitution doesn't modify any saving throws.
- Silver standard, as per Rules & Magic.
- The skill list is the same as in Rules & Magic, with the following exceptions. Climb, Open Doors, and Swimming are condensed into Athletics, which is modified by Strength. Sleight of Hand and Stealth are combined into one skill, named Stealth. Medicine and Seamanship are added. If a character has a higher Seamanship skill than their Athletics skill, they can use the former instead of the latter when swimming or when climbing a ship's rigging. Search is removed.