OSRIC - First Edition Fantasy Roleplaying Game

First Edition Fantasy Roleplaying Game

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New rules for clerical strongholds
By: EOTB
It's a game of chicken when the DM is the crazy one

When a cleric reaches 8th level, the place of worship described must be built within the civilized realms of EOTB
It's a game of chicken when the DM is the crazy one

Approach: gamist over simulationist Appeal: player skill over character skill Aesthetic: Heavy Metal: the Movie over fantasy geographic My games and writing center around sandboxing between urban, wilderness and megadungeon play; and also a heavy dose of other-planar. Quirks include an irrational love of treasure maps, and using the DMG unarmed combat tables. Dice openly rolled to the fullest extent possible. Illusions are real to the character if the player responds except to disbelieve. Gandalf was just a 5th level wizard, prove me wrong.

Extraordinary Delving and Cartography Co. (Part 1 & 2)
Article By: Rachel The Icemaiden

I've been playing in my brothers 1e (with houserules) adventure along with my sister-in-law and a couple of friends since the Christmas holidays. During sessions I doodle some of the action and I've started to develop these into a strip charting the party's progress. I shall be sharing these in this thread - updates will be when I get the time to put pen to paper. Should be noted that these are "cartoons" and I'll be using some artistic license but the spirit of what happens at the table will always be there... Party: Byon of Athfort Human Fighter - Level 3 Aeife Green-oak Halfing Druid - Level 3 Ellodin Afoncoed High Elf Fighter/MU - Level 2/2 Arilith Dorchabas Drow Fighter/MU - Level 2/2 Gorimm (NPC) Dwarf Cleric - Level 3 Part 1 - Hollow Hills Background: The party have been hired by a Whitehaven noble family to rescue their son whom they believe has been kidnapped by a rival family and taken to the port town of Finwyrm to be sold into slavery and taken overseas. The party have left the town of Whitehaven and to reach Finwyrm they would either have to cross a mountain range or take a very long route around them. At the foot of the mountains they came across a settlement of gnomes who had been troubled by bands of goblins and hobgoblins who had taken up residence in an old deserted hillfort. During the clearing of the hillfort the party found an old map which showed a series of tunnels and passages leading through the mountains themselves. They have been in these passages for some days now their progress being dogged by increasing numbers of Duergar. They have lost the cleric Gorimm during one fierce melee and although not finding his body believe him to be dead. We join them as they reach a junction in the passage. An open pit is evident in the secondary passage and further down it are fallen boulders where some of the walls have collapsed..... Arilith on point Ellodin guarding the rear. Note: During the course of the action Arilith, standing right at the lip of the pit, had to make a dexterity save or loose her footing. A roll on d20 of her dex score or under was required to be successful. She has a dexterity of 17... I rolled an 18. My Personal Rules as a Player
By: EOTB
It's a game of chicken when the DM is the crazy one

1) I do not hoard my wow-bangs. If I die with a sheet full of magical items or spells, then I played in vain. I am not here to advance a character, I am here to make fun memories with people I enjoy spending time with...(click above for more!)

The Conqueror Worm

The Conqueror Worm is An OSRIC(tm) module designed for 6-8 adventurers of levels 10-14. Over five centuries ago, there came unto the arctic lands of the North from a far removed dimension an elder being of unfathomable menace. The White Worm, as it was called by the scholars, was a colossal creature with rubbery, corpse-white skin. The primitive humans the foul beast encountered were ill-equipped to deal with the manifold, eldritch magicks in its possession. However, before the dread worm could wholly enslave the Northern lands, the great frost giant jarl Harold Hardrada managed to deal it a near-fatal blow. And so, the White Worm entered into a deep recuperative sleep until such time as it felt strong enough to challenve the kingdoms of the North once again. Unfortunately, the White Worm has just awakened from its centuries-long slumber, and it trying to build up its magical army once again. The PCs can pervent the completion of such by retrieving the magical weapon of the long-dead frost giant jarl and then putting the abominable White Worm to the sword in its ice-walled citadel. Follow Me And Die!
By: Larry Hamilton

I am a long-time gamer. I started with the Holmes Blue Box set of "Basic D&D" that only went to third level, back in March or April, 1977. I then moved on to AD&D, anxiously waiting as each book was released, reading every word as quickly as possible.

The Chasm of the Damned

Every inn hearth is ringing with chatter and every guildhall is silently watching and preparing. Nobles are equipping adventuring parties, and religious orders are hiring sword arms to be at the ready. All of this activity centers around one fact: this is the month that the legendary Chasm of The Damned returns. The Chasm is never late; once every 37 years, in this month, a mysterious gorge riddled with caves and populated by strange creatures appears somewhere within 200 miles of the spot in which legend says it originally sat. It stays for exactly 108 hours then slowly fades away... taking with it anyone who does not escape in time. The Chasm's return is soon at hand; sometime this month it will appear and various groups stand ready to pounce should the Chasm be within a quick travel distance. Regardless of the veracity of legends, elder adventurers who have journeyed into the Chasm and returned always give three pieces of advice: bring a cleric, bring plenty of sacks, and don't be in the Chasm after 108 hours. The Seven Shrines of Nav'k-Qar

The Seven Shrines of Nav'k-Qar is An OSRIC(tm) module designed for 6-8 adventurers of levels 8-12. Nav'k-Qar! A name lost to antiquities and feared only by scholars who know of the dread toad god's former power... once surrounded by a cult which performed the most vile and evil acts in his honor. Now that all of his followers are long dead and the temples of the Gray One completely destroyed, the final resting place of the cult's last riches has been a source of speculation for generations. At long last, one scholar discovered the location of that elusive shrine, the greatest one of all... the fabled Seven Shrines! Do you have the strength, knowledge and skill to penetrate the horrors of that dread place and wrest the vast treasure from the jaws of the Gray One himself?

Prison of Meneptah

Advanced Adventures #4: The Prison of Meneptah is a 32-page OSRIC(TM) module designed for 4-7 adventurers of levels 8-10. When news came that an army led by a secretive cabal of war wizards failed in their attempt to unseat one of the rulers of Hell, the leader of the arcane order rallied his remaining forces so that another assault could be put into motion. In preparation for the eventual assault, he elected to further explore one of the planes newly discovered just a few months prior, which detected as highly magical in nature. Perhaps, just perhaps, this mysterious desert-like plane would provide him with the powerful magicks needed to overthrow the dreaded Lord of the Flies himself! A force of twenty men and women was eventually dispatched to the plane on a mission of exploration. None have yet returned... Can a hardy band of adventurers journey to the strange desert-like plane and bring home with them any surviving members of the lost expedition? What information on the denizens of the strange world can be gathered for the coin of the cabal? Undead In AD&D
By: Larry Hamilton

I was reading up on the various undead in the Monster Manual, and noted which ones in their descriptions specifically mentioned throwing holy water on them would hurt them.

The Sarcophagus Legion

The Sarcophagus Legion is An OSRIC(tm) module designed for 4-6 adventurers of levels 2-4. Sultan Mehmet rules his desert kingdom with absolute power, save for the trackless wastes of the interior where the authority of his army and bureaucrats holds no sway. The nomadic dervishes that call this inhospitable sea of sand their home recognize no authority greater than the warlord who leads their individual band. Sultan Mehmet is viewed with contempt by these barbarians, and the instruments of his rule are attacked whenever the opportunity presents itself. The two people are effectively at war, and have been for centuries. Recently, Sultan Mehmet's beautiful wife Syriana fell into the grasp of the dervishes when the caravan with which she was traveling came under attack. Now, her desperate and humiliated husband has turned to courageous and resourceful adventurers to see to it that she is returned safe and unharmed. The Curse of the Witch Head

Advanced Adventures #3: The Curse of the Witch Head is a 12-page OSRIC(TM) module designed for 4-6 adventurers of levels 6-10. Over two cenuries ago, the Duke Ithinge ordered an underground complex to be built to house the Witch Head and keep it from those who would use its powers for evil. The construction of the complex was performed in a remote and secret place, its chambers and corridors filled with traps and terrors devised by his new court wizard. With the complex completed, the laborers were enchanted to never reveal its location. He knew he could not destroy the Witch Head, for it was forever linked to the vitality of his family line; its power was fueled by the evil deeds of his fore bearers, and it was written in legend that the heir who destroyed the relic would be the last of the line. Last month, good Duke Ymis, received a secret message from a band of outlaw adventurers: the Witch Head had been discovered! The outlaws swore that unless the Duke hands over to them his only heir, his daughter Derica, they would use the powers of the relic to wreak havoc on the countryside and bring his rule to a crashing end. Can a hardy band of adventurers put down the ancient evil or will it rise again?

The Clerics in Groat's End
By: EOTB
It's a game of chicken when the DM is the crazy one

Comonoc the Spry Cleric of Xan Yae, 11th level S 4, I 15, W 18, D 3, CH 15, AC 10, HP 39, AL N Psionic Ability 150 (75 att/75 def) attack modes: psionic blast, mind thrust defense modes: mind blank, mental barrier Disciplines: (minor) domination, ESP, object reading, precognition; (major) energy control Spells normally memorized: (7/6/5/4/2/1) command, CLWx2, light, remove fear, sanctuary, augury, hold person, messenger, slow poison, withdraw, wyvern watch, cure disease, dispel magic, magical vestment, meld into stone, speak with dead, implore, CSW, divination, PFE 10' rad, commune (if unable to memorize commune then golem or insect plague instead), true seeing. old, sane, precise, violent, diplomatic, cheerful, active intellect, hard-hearted, intellectualist, scrupulously honest, interested in husbandry and athletics Comonoc is an emaciated, legless whisp. He's well-regarded by the poorer masses because of his frequent assistance to sick or injured children and his financial support of the soup kitchen. Although the town isn't particularly fervent, Comonoc is influential while working quietly towards his own ends, which are invested in the status quo. He often changes the course of events small and large without anyone being the wiser...(click above for more!) Magical Protections In AD&D
By: Larry Hamilton

This is the third part in a three part series of articles spawned by my research into undead in AD&D.

The Flaming Footprints of Jilanth

Advanced Adventures #5: The Flaming Footprints of Jilanth is an OSRIC(TM) module designed for 6-8 adventurers of levels 3-5. A short time ago, the Lord Admiral of Ranste suddenly disappeared. Now the streets of this thriving trade port are filled with bare footprints that dance with ghostly green flames, the signature of the long-dead pirate Firebeard. Has the dreaded buccaneer come back from the grave to haunt the city that hounded him to his grave? The Ranste Council fears the worst, and has hired a band of adventurers---the PCs---to determine the truth behind the unsettling happenings. To that end, the PCs have been sent to the abandoned pirate-cove on the tropical isle of Jilanth to ensure that Firebeard has not returned to his old haunt. If indeed he has, the PCs are to use all the resources at their disposal to send the cut-throat back to hell! The Icemaiden
By: Rachel

During AD&D sessions I doodle some of the action and I've started to develop these into a strip charting the party's progress. Updates will be when I get the time to put pen to paper. It should be noted that these are 'cartoons' and I'll be using some artistic license but the spirit of what happens at the table will always be there.

Undead In AD&D Part 2
By: Larry Hamilton

Yesterday, I wrote a bit about Undead in AD&D, with a focus on the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide. I got a lot of likes and comments on it, some wanting to see what I had to say about the Fiend Folio. AD&D Complexities A Left-handed View of AD&D
By: Rick Steeves
It's Complicated

Ever spent two hours figuring out the results of chain lightning and two characters with rings of spell turning? Welcome to investigating the intricacies of D&D complexities.

The Blue Bard
By: Anthony Huso
OSRIC Supplements

I play AD&D. My goal is to help you play AD&D, Rules-As-Written, not only so that a wonderfully byzantine time in gaming isn't lost, but so that you can have as many stories and as much fun I and my crew have had over the years. The Mystical Trash Heap
By: Trent Foster
A blog about D&D and other 80s-era pop culture

My infrequently-updated blog ostensibly covering the entire gamut of 80s-era pop culture but in practice focused mostly on D&D, specifically Gary Gygax-flavored 1st edition AD&D and the World of Greyhawk. Occasional house-rules and new crunch (spells, monsters, items, etc.) are posted alongside reviews and retrospectives, reminiscences, philosophical musings, polemic rants, and other standard blog fare.

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