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Contents

Features
Editorial
3 The Classes Issue

Build It And They Will


4 Come
(Re-)Introducing Kits

Branching Out
8
Multi-Classing Combos
Mystery Dice Goblins - Specialist D&D
Character Goals
11 Dice Store
Class-Based Adventure Goals

The Last Roll - Part 2 Acknowledgements


15
A short story with meaning Cover art by Jeremy Mohler, Standard Stock Art:
Issue by Outland Entertainment.
A Non-Magical Bard
17
New Class: Skald Art on page 4, 8 & 11 by Darren Adams-Beutel
Art on page 6, 7, 14, & 19 by Fat Goblin Games
27 Want More & Next Month Art on page 17 by Daniel Comerci
Art on page 22 by AlextheMapMaker

Featuring art by Daniel F. Walthall, found at:


drivethrurpg.com/product/181517, available
under a CC BY 4.0 licence:
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

All art ©, used with permission, all rights


reserved. Some artwork provided by Zed Nope,
and used with permission.
Unless otherwise mentioned, all articles are
written by Russ at YUMDM.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 2
The Classes Issue Thanks to my Patrons
RollStats, Matt Kurowski, Jacob Alexander,
ButterflyDefect, J. David Chrisman, Alex, Korg INC,
I love Old School Essentials (OSE).
NOLA Bert, GameCat, Kay Bee, Roll to Save, Lee
Boden, DM Jangy, Joseph Hurley, William Mayorga,
One of the reasons I love it so much is it Dave Manley, Darryl McCarthy, Michael Brewer,
(and B/X, from which it is based) are super Jason Lemieux, Eric Scheid, Steven D Warble,
simple systems you can easily add Qyubey, Magelord Bjorn, KAM, Peter Lawson,
additional rules on to without breaking Arthur Braune, Paul Vandyke, Michael Reuter,
Gregory Kirkpatrick, Michael Spredemann, Aaron
anything.
Seigo, Lordfulmine, Christy, allan wakefield, Games
With Dave, Jay Alan, AjaxVibe, Father Goose,
And this is what this issue is all about. Christer Enfors, George Fuentes, Alan, Geena,
Jean-Claude Tremblay, Simon Williams, Floyd Zoot,
Taking one part of the rules - classes - and John Snow, Matt bayliss, Daniel Harkins, Carl
bolting on some new rules, as well as some Russell, James F. Kelley, and Ronald Easterday, Jim
old rules from various editions, to create a "Wilmanric" Pacek, Keith Parker, Eric Babe, Robert
Vilkaitis, Dennis Bretton, Michael Lee, Chet Cox,
custom masterpiece.
Craig Pettie, Bill Jaimez, Dwight Fidler, Michael,
Brett Bozeman, David Ross, Aaron Morgan, None of
But whichever parts you choose to use, as Your business, David Schnoll, Robert Alford,
always, happy gaming! Hafsteinn Ársælsson, Colton Juhasz, David Risher,
Phill Massey, Alien Spaces, Frank Tedeschi, Stephen
- Russ from YUMDM Jolly, Louis DiThomas Keller, MechJack TV, Derek
https://yumdm.com/ Reny, Andrew, Raith Richwine, Julio Scissors, Joe
Johaneman, Jay Sivyer, Hart R, Chris Strahm, Chris
https://twitter.com/yum_dm
de Haan, Van Davis, Grant G, Tim Cropley, Greg,
Eren Azcan, Riley, David, André alias DD, Andrew
Spurgeon, JT, Brother Who, Jamal L. Wilkins, josh
About Me yoder, Jimberish, Che Webster, Dmasaurus, Morgan
Hazel, Trey, Richard Cunningham, Bryan Newman,
I have been roleplaying for over 30 years Robin Sampson, Tom Thrush, Todd Hersey, and
and DMing for most of those. I have played Rainer Gustin, Jose Perez (Bromos Sunstar),
over 50 different roleplaying games, but my Steenstrupian, Paul Juliano, nikkiro, William
first love is fantasy - it’s like coming home. Dvorak, Mark Kelly, Stuart Wiltshire, Alex Nicholson,
LaughingBubba, Stefer, and Ivel.
… for making this zine as good as it is.
Other TTRPGs I like: WEG D6 Star Wars,
Feng Shui RPG, & Warhammer FRP. Want to join this team and support the zine? I
have a Patreon account:
https://www.patreon.com/yumdm
(Tiers are available to receive a physical copy).

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 3
Build It And They Will more advanced version of kits called
prestige classes).
Come
If you use (or at least familiar) with kits,
(Re-)Introducing Kits then think of these as a more streamlined
and balanced version, which have been
written with Old School Essentials in mind.
However, like most OSE stuff, they are
easily ported to other editions of the game.

The Advantages of Kits


There are a few reasons why you may want
to bring kits into your old school game,
whether playing OSE, or another clone or
edition of the game.

They Add Flavour


Kits can instantly give your world depth,
and allow players to explore some of the
lore you have created. Or, they can help you
expand on that lore as you play.
Kits were first introduced in the 2nd edition
of the game, and quickly filled all following
They are Simple to Use
sourcebooks. But they were somewhat over
Unlike prestige classes and archetypes of
cumbersome. What follows is a slimmed
later editions, they are super easy to use:
down version of kits for use with OSE.
simply apply a kit at first level and take into
account their benefits and hindrances.
So, What are Kits?
That’s it. There is no gaining additional
Kits are a type of character template that
abilities as you level or worrying about
provides players with a pre-made character
power creep.
background, theme, and equipment, along
with at least one advantage and
Kits are Optional
disadvantage. They are designed to be a
As GM, you don’t have to use them if you
quick and easy way for new players to
don’t want to. As a player, you don’t have to
create a flavorful character.
apply a kit to your character - it’s
completely optional.
Why Bring Them Back?
Like all of the older editions of the game, Acquiring Kits
kits never really went anywhere. They
A character can only choose a kit for their
simply failed to make the transition from 2e
character as part of the character creation
to 3e (the third edition of the game used a

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 4
process. And only one kit can be chosen for Kit Structure
each character. Below is how kits are structured.

The GM has the final say whether a Description


particular kit is available in the campaign. This is a basic overview of the kits.

Designing Kits Requirements


When designing your own kits, I find they Any special racial, ability score, or
fit best when they are linked to the lore of alignment requirements are listed
your campaign world. here. Characters cannot take the kit if they
don’t meet the requirements.
Instead of generic fighter kits, for example,
you can use a kit to better define a Role
Myrmidon from Myrbridge (an actual type The basic role the character plays in the
of city guard from my own campaign world and in the party.
world).
Secondary Skills
While you can indeed create various kits for If you use secondary skills, then any
each class (as I have done below), you may suggestions are listed here. The GM can
find it worth the effort to tweak these and either allow the player to choose from this
tie them with a particular race or culture in list, or roll randomly.
your campaign world.
Equipment
You can then follow the structure above to Any equipment the character would likely
create them. have is listed here.

A couple of design concepts to keep in Special Benefit


mind: The special benefit the kits provide the
character is listed here.
1. Keep it thematic: The bonuses and
penalties should complement your kit's Special Hindrance
concept. A dragon knight shouldn't get The special hindrance the kit provides the
bonuses to pick locks, for example. character is listed here.

2. Avoid stacking bonuses: Don't give your


kit too many advantages in one area. Example Kits
Spread the love! I have included two example kits below, but
feel free to come up with your own, or
3. Consider opportunity cost: What modify the example.
options is the character giving up by taking
this kit? Make sure the trade-off is fair.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 5
Example Kits Role
The loremaster is the go-to party member
Below are some example kits you can use in
when they need to know something.
your campaign. They are more generic kits
that can be used usually by more than one
Secondary Skills
class.
Lorekeepers tend to have the following
secondary skills: bookbinder, or
Lorekeeper mapmaker.

Equipment
A lorekeeper is rarely without their writing
equipment, and receives D4 quills, ink, and
2D3 pieces of parchment as a bonus.

Special Benefit
Lorekeepers learn to speak many different
languages. At every odd level above 1st
(3rd, 5th, 7th, etc) a lorekeeper receives a
new language.

In addition, a lorekeeper gains the


knowledge as does a Bard. At 1st level, they
have a 2-in-6 chance to know some lore
about monsters, magic items, or heroes of
folktale or legend, but this chance
Lorekeepers are knowledge-hungry increases to 3-in-6 at 4th, 4-in-6 at 8th, and
spellcasters who seek knowledge over gold, 5-in-6 (max) at 12th level.
enhancing themselves through learning.
Special Hindrance
They can be bookish learners in libraries, Lorekeepers spend so much time
wise hermits who keep a village’s history researching and writing down new
and tales intact, or wanderers who travel knowledge their combat effectiveness
from nation to nation collecting stories as suffers. Their hit die drops one die type (D6
they go. to D4, D4 to D3), plus their starting THAC0
is 20 [-1] and increases from that point.
Requirements
To qualify to be a lorekeeper, the character
must be a spellcaster of one sort or another. Over the coming months, in future issues, I
They also must have an Intelligence score will be creating a number of kits for the
various classes.
of 12 or greater.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 6
Monster Hunter Equipment
A monster hunter has D4 traps that they
can use against their monster of choice.

Special Benefit
Choose one of the following monster types.
That is the monster you have chosen to
primarily hunt:

Aberrations, Animals, Beasts, Constructs,


Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Giants, Magical
A monster hunter specialises in tracking beasts, Oozes, Plants, Shapechangers,
and fighting specific monster types Undead, Vermin.
(dragons, undead, etc.), gaining bonuses
against them. Against your chosen monster type, you gain
the following benefits:
The Monster Hunter kit can be adapted to
any class, but fighter, ranger, and druid ➔ +10% bonus on tracking
offer natural synergies. ➔ A 4-in-6 stealth chance (or an
additional +1 if using the
Requirements expanded D6 skill method in Issue
To qualify to be a monster hunter, the 13 of d12 Monthly).
character must have a Wisdom score of 12 ➔ +1 damage per class level
or greater.
Special Hindrance
Role Because of their obsessiveness towards
The Monster Hunter is a dedicated tracker their creature of choice, monster hunters
and predator of dangerous creatures, have the following hindrances:
specialising in taking down the most
fearsome beasts that threaten the land. ➔ -10% tracking with any other
They are not mindless berserkers, but creature type other than their
cunning strategists who study their quarry, creature focus
exploit weaknesses, and utilise specialised ➔ Only a 2-in-6 chance to hide or
equipment to achieve victory. move silently against all other
creature types other than their
Secondary Skills chosen focus
Monster hunters usually have the ➔ Due to their obsessive nature,
following: animal trainer, blacksmith, monster hunters receive a -1
huntsman, seafarer. reaction roll penalty.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 7
Branching Out A fighter can really be any trained martial
character - they can be a mercenary, a
Multi-Classing Combos swashbuckler, an archer, a soldier, a village
hero - the list is almost endless.

Instead of seeing a fighter as any or all of


these, for multiclassing purposes, simply
see a fighter as a formally trained warrior.

And you can do this for the rest of the


classes.

Acrobat - An agile rogue.

Assassin - A trained killer.

Barbarian - A primal warrior who acts on


instinct.

Bard - A charismatic and knowledgeable


jack-of-all-trades.

Cleric - A pious representative of their


Multiclassing is one of those additions to
church and divine spellcaster.
the game that divides GM and players alike:
some love it and some hate it.
Druid - Someone who cares for, and
defends, nature.
If you’re the latter, I think this may go some
way to changing your mind.
Fighter - A formally trained warrior.
One of the advantages of allowing
Knight - An honour-bound soldier in the
multiclassing is the ability to create new
service of a liege.
classes from combining two or three
existing classes into a new, more
Magic-User - An arcane spellcaster.
campaign-based, class.

Paladin - A warrior for their deity.


The first thing you need to do is to think of
classes differently.
Ranger - A rustic warrior.
Let’s take the fighter as an example.
Thief - A rogue with many skills.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 8
Combining the Classes Examples
Once you look at each of the classes in this
way, it becomes easier to combine them to Knight + Rogue = Infiltrator Knight
make new, more campaign-based, classes. A character that works for his liege as an
agent who specialises in undercover or
If you have an idea for a new role within covert work. They infiltrate a guild or cult
your campaign, simply choose two (or and then works to dismantle it from the
three) classes that work to create your idea. inside.

You can even do this randomly if you want Fighter + Bard = Mercenary Herald
to kick-start your creative juices. A character who mercenaries choose or
hire to spread the word about their heroic
Simply roll on the Random Class Table twice deeds and exceptional skills. A Mercenary
(or three times) and then come up with a Herald also acts as an intermediary
new class that would combine those two (or between those hiring, and the mercenary
three) classes. company.

Table: Random Class Cleric + Magic-User = Dweomercrafter


D12 Class A character who worships the god of magic.
Skilled in both divine and arcane
1 Acrobat
spellcasting, the Dweomercrafter is a
2 Assassin specialist class within the church. They are
knowledgeable about spellcasting and how
3 Barbarian
magic works, experimenting with various
4 Bard parameters of magic.
5 Cleric
Assassin + Bard + Fighter = Blade
6 Druid
The Blade is a versatile and deadly
7 Fighter character who excels in both combat and
social situations. They can inspire allies,
8 Knight
deal significant damage with sneak attacks,
9 Magic-User and handle a variety of combat situations
10 Paladin with finesse.

11 Ranger
Sticking to the Rules
12 Thief Once you have your idea for a class, follow
the usual rules for multiclassing.
Note: All characters must meet any
requirements for the class.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 9
Advanced Combos Instead, they receive the following:
Once you have a list of new classes based
on your multiple class combinations, you Disguise
can look at changing them slightly to fit An Infiltrator Knight often needs to
their new roles. disguise themselves for their missions. The
Infiltrator Knight can change their
This requires you to swap out some traits appearance to appear as any general type of
with others. person of the same race.

Let’s look at the Infiltrator Knight as an Appear as Another Race: At 5th level, the
example. Infiltrator Knight can disguise themselves
as another race (of roughly the same size).

These disguises pass general inspection,


but a closer inspection requires a
successful CHA check.

Flying Mounts
The Infiltrator Knight has no need for
flying mounts. Instead they receive the
following:

The Knight’s Traits


Undetectable
The Infiltrator Knights traits remain the
Due to great mental training, at 5th level,
same except as mentioned below.
an Infiltrator Knight is protected from
effects like detect thoughts, discern lies,
Combat
know alignment, and magical location such
Infiltrator Knights can wear any armour
as Locate Creature.
that suits the mission, and this is entirely
acceptable.
Mounted Combat
As mounts are not that important to an
Single Combat: The Infiltrator Knight does
Infiltrator Knight, they do not receive the
not need to fight the most powerful or
+1 to attack.
worthy foe. Instead, they must focus their
efforts on the target of their mission, be
Instead they receive a +1 to attack when
that a person or other objective.
they are in an advantageous position to
their enemy.
Horsemanship & Mounted Combat
To an Infiltrator Knight, horseback
The Thief ’s Traits
expertise isn’t all that important. So, they
These largely stay as they are, but of course,
do not receive either of these traits.
progression will be slower.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 10
Character Goals These individual goals can provide
Class-Based Adventure opportunities for adventure, either for that
PC alone (which is handy for when the
Goals other players do not show up) or for the
By Russ & Pete Lawson whole adventuring party to take part in.

This will be an on-going series in the OSE class You can tie these to the classes abilities and
books I will be releasing over the next few talents, or just to the character themselves.
months.
Listed below are most of the race-as-classes
A lot of campaigns revolve around group with six ideas around personal goals. Use
tasks and missions, be they overarching these to spur your imagination.
plots or smaller missions.
The rest of the race-as-class options will
In this article I look at individual goals and appear as a Website Enhancement on my
ambitions based on the character’s class (or site. The other classes will appear in the
race for race-as-class characters). next few issues of the zine.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 11
Dwarves Elves

➔ Retrieve: Find a lost clan or family ➔ Relic: Recover a powerful elven


heirloom - this may have been relic, like a lost spellbook, a
lost long ago or just recently sacred bow, or a piece of
➔ Reclaim: Recover lost territory or enchanted jewellery
ancestral lands. This could be a ➔ Defend: Guard your homeland
forge or mine or even a from threats such as encroaching
stronghold from traditional civilization, deforestation, or the
enemies (goblins or orcs), or a supernatural
new threat ➔ Magic: Seek out and master
➔ Justice: A personal mission could ancient elven spells or magical
involve unravelling a mystery or knowledge that has been lost to
exposing a hidden truth - this time, hidden in lost tomes, or
could include investigating guarded by reclusive elven sages
corrupt officials, solving a series ➔ Vengeance: Seek revenge against
of crimes, or discovering a those responsible for an elven
conspiracy tragedy, or to prevent a similar
➔ Legendary Item: Create a great tragedy from happening again
piece of weaponry, armour, or ➔ Diplomat: Serving as a bridge
other artefact. This may involve between elves and humans (or
seeking out rare materials, another race), fostering
studying ancient techniques, and understanding, and working to
overcoming challenges to create resolve conflicts
a masterpiece ➔ Lore: Uncover forgotten lore
➔ Trade: Establish a new trade route about your people, their origins,
or re-establishing a new one, or their interactions with other
either between clans, or other races. This could involve delving
races or factions. This would into ancient libraries,
require diplomacy, negotiation, deciphering cryptic inscriptions,
and overcoming various or seeking the counsel of wise
obstacles elven elders
➔ Honour: Your clan or family has
suffered a great loss or has been Gnomes
dishonoured in some way, your
personal mission could be to ➔ Forge Alliances with Fey Creatures:
restore your clan's honour and Seek to forge alliances with fey
reputation. This could involve creatures.
completing heroic deeds, or ➔ Create a Gnomish Utopia: Aspire to
proving your worth through create a gnome utopia by finding
challenging trials

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 12
or establishing a hidden haven human and elven skills. Your
where gnomes can thrive character's goal is to master the
➔ Protect Gnomish Homelands from art of dual heritage, combining
Mining Exploitation: Take on the the strengths of both races in
responsibility of protecting these areas such as combat, magic, and
precious environments from social skills.
exploitation. ➔ Retrieve an Elven Relic: Inspired
➔ Enhance Gnomish Trade Routes: by tales of ancient elven
Seek to enhance gnomish trade artefacts, your character
routes. embarks on a quest to retrieve a
➔ Magic Creation: You strive to significant relic that holds
create new magic spells and cultural or magical importance to
magic items the elven people.
➔ Create Gnomish Diplomatic Envoys: ➔ Create a Sanctuary for Mixed-Race
Aim to establish gnomish Individuals: Recognizing the
diplomatic envoys. struggles of being a half-elf, your
character aims to establish a
Half-Elves sanctuary where individuals of
mixed heritage, not just
➔ Bridge the Gap Between Human half-elves, can find acceptance
and Elven Cultures: Strive to act as
a cultural mediator, fostering Halflings
understanding and cooperation
between the human and elven ➔ Expand Halfling Trade Networks:
communities. Your character may seek to
➔ Discover Your Elven Heritage: With expand halfling trade networks,
a foot in both human and elven establishing new routes,
worlds, your character seeks to negotiating lucrative deals, and
uncover and embrace their elven enhancing the economic
heritage. prosperity of halfling
➔ Mediate Conflicts Among communities.
Mixed-Race Communities: In ➔ Establish a Culinary Haven: With a
regions where humans and elves natural talent for cooking and a
coexist, conflicts may arise. Your love of good food, your halfling
character takes on the role of a character aspires to create a
mediator, working to resolve renowned culinary haven (like an
disputes and promote harmony inn, tavern, or dining hall).
between the diverse inhabitants. ➔ Protect Halfling Homeland from
➔ Master the Art of Dual Heritage: Larger Threats: Despite their
Being a half-elf provides unique small stature, halflings are
opportunities for blending fiercely protective of their

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 13
homelands. Your character's goal diverse races, your half-orc
is to safeguard halfling villages character aims to establish
and farmlands. alliances between different
➔ Master the Art of Stealth: communities.
Capitalising on their natural ➔ Redeem Orcish Bloodlust:
nimbleness, your halfling Acknowledging the darker
character aspires to become a aspects of orcish heritage, your
master of stealth. character seeks to redeem the
➔ Discover the Secrets of Halfling bloodlust associated with orcs.
Luck: Halflings are often ➔ Discover the Lost Relics of Orc
associated with good luck. Your Tribes: Motivated by a desire to
character seeks to understand reconnect with your roots, your
and harness this innate luck, character embarks on a quest to
exploring the mystical aspects of discover the lost relics of ancient
halfling fortune. orc tribes.
➔ Foster Close-Knit Halfling
Communities: Halflings value Drow, Duergar, and Svirfniblins will be
close-knit communities, and your featured as a Web Enhancement for this issue
character aims to strengthen on my website.
these bonds.

Half Orcs

➔ Elevate Half-Orcs in Society: Tired


of the discrimination and
prejudice faced by half-orcs, your
character strives to elevate the
status of half-orcs in society.
➔ Uncover the Legacy of Orc Ancestry:
Fascinated by your orc heritage,
your character seeks to uncover
the lost history and traditions of
orc ancestors.
➔ Protect Half-Orc Communities:
Understanding the vulnerability
of half-orc communities, your
character takes on the
responsibility of protecting these
enclaves from external threats.
➔ Establish Cross-Cultural Alliances:
Seeking to promote unity among

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 14
The Last Roll - Part 2 the ground, and he held his arm, gritted his
teeth.
A short story with meaning
by Scout Prior It took them both a beat to clear their
heads. The Sylvarian drew his shortsword,
Story continued from Issue 31 using his left hand, as blood ran down his
In the first part of the story our adventurers right arm. Balorin pulled his great axe from
had tracked a creature into a cave system over his shoulder, and held it in both
which turned out to be a Black Dragon. hands, with only a slight tremble.

“You made a mistake in disturbing me, “We may have bitten off more than we can
feeble creatures,” the dragon hissed. “Now chew with this beastie,” Balorin said.
you will perish.”
“It may well be,” The Sylvarian replied.
“Not today, you murderer of the innocent,”
Sir Aldrec shouted. “For justice!” And with With their focus taken by the dragon, they
that bold statement hanging in the air, the did not hear Sir Aldrec until a ritualistic
knight went to charge forward, then chant echoed through the caverns. They
tripped, and fell. both looked over their shoulders at their
knight companion. The Paladin had used a
For a moment, the dragon seemed single drop of blood to mark a cross on his
confused, but was then met by a pair of breastplate, and now weaved a symbol in
dangerous objects flying towards him. The the air with the same finger. Now, he
Sylvarian struck with an arrow, while chanted aloud with rising intensity and
Balorin hit with a throwing axe. volume, finishing with a finger pointed
directly at the dragon.
The dragon did not react well. With a
sudden dart of his head towards Balorin, A wave of energy swept past the elf and the
the beast let forth a stream of yellow acid. dwarf, energising them, and they stood a
little straighter. When it reached the
The dwarf, while agile enough to avoid the dragon, however, it had the opposite effect.
full blast, was caught by the edge of it. His The dragon seemed to shrink a little and
armour and exposed skin hissed and even whimpered.
sizzled as the acid burned. The sturdy
dwarf roared in pain. Sir Aldrec was not done, not even remotely.

Not yet done with the pair, the scaled terror Twice more he called aloud to summon
turned on the elf. Two quick slashes with its ethereal aid to his cause. And with each
talons each drew blood, and a bite took a shout, the dragon flinched. Then, eyes fixed
chunk from the elf’s arm. His bow fell to on his enemy, he grasped his longsword,
and began to move. “Cometh the hour.” The

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 15
Sylvarian breathed. After a few steps, Sir inside, dirt scattered by mourners covered
Aldrec began to run. He did not stumble. the top. They were the last to pay their
He did not fall. respects, so they were alone.

Soon, he had passed his companions. As he “Can’t believe he critted twice in a row,”
charged the dragon, he raised his sword Dom said.
aloft and leaped forward. “Cometh the
man.” The Sylvarian concluded in wonder. “Dragons-bane.” Leon added.

The black dragon shrank back, but to no “What?” Dom asked.


avail. The Paladin struck down with an
overhead strike, his blade now blazing a “That’s the title you get when you kill a
white light. As it struck, the blade cleaved dragon,” Matthew said.
through scale and bone, searing flesh. A
bright light accompanied the strike, They stood silent for a moment, then
reaching the dragon’s eyes. Then, a Matthew retrieved something from his
moment after the flash of light, a clap of pocket and held it out in his open palm.
thunder rang out, echoing across the cave
walls. “He gave me his lucky D20 after that last
game,” Matthew said. “Said he wanted me
The dragon was pushed backwards and to throw it to him. Said it brought him luck.
toppled over. It blinked, looking around in Said it brought him to us.” Matthew’s voice
shock, its sight now taken by the magical caught at the last.
strike. The Paladin strode forward and,
with a mighty hew, struck the dragon one Tears appeared all round.
last time, and again, the light flashed, and
the thunder rolled. After a few moments, Matthew cleared his
throat, and threw the dice into the grave.
All movement stopped and the murderous “Good luck, dragons-bane.”
beast was a threat no more, the thunder
rumbled away down dark passages of the Expecting a sound as the dice bounced off
cave. “By my beard,” Balorin exclaimed, the hardwood of the coffin, there was only
“you ended it!” silence. It had, in fact, fallen onto the dirt
on top and remained atop the coffin. One
Sir Aldrec turned to face his friends and side faced up.
said, “It’s been an honour to fight with you,
gentlemen.” The three companions bent over together
—●— to see the result and smiled. [End]

The three friends stood in silence by the If you want to read more stories by Scout
open grave. The coffin had been lowered Prior, see their Patreon.

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A Non-Magical Bard morale on following rounds. This lasts for
as long as the Skald recites the poem or
New Class: Skald song, and for D4 rounds after.

Skalds play a Silver Tongue


vital role The skald is incredibly persuasive and
serving as charismatic. They can use their words to
entertainers, influence NPCs, charm monsters, or even
chroniclers negotiate peace treaties.
of history
and The Skald gains a +1 to all reaction rolls
genealogy, when communicating with an NPC.
and even
political At 5th level, this applies to monsters also.
advisors.
They are also Blessed Blade
stout The skald can imbue their weapon with a
warriors who often travel with warriors on blessing through a short poem or chant,
conquests, documenting it. temporarily gaining the ability to hit
creatures only able to be hit by magical or
Requirements: Str 9 silver weapons.
Prime requisite: CHA
Hit Dice: 1d6
History and Lore
Maximum level: 14
Armour: Leather, chain mail and shields The skald has a vast knowledge of history,
Weapons: Any legends, and myths. They can use this
Languages: Alignment, Common knowledge to identify creatures, translate
ancient languages, or uncover hidden lore
A skalds primary motivation is to record about places or artefacts.
and preserve history and genealogy.
From 2nd level, a skald has a 2-in-6 chance
However, skaldic poetry is also a form of of knowing lore pertaining to any of these,
entertainment, performed at feasts and this increases to 3-in-6 at 5th level, 4-in-6 at
other gatherings. 9th level, and 5-in-6 at 13th level.

Inspiring Verse War Chant


The skald can use their poems and songs to At 3rd level, the skald can let out a powerful
grant a temporary morale boost to allies. war cry that demoralises enemies and
inspires allies. For D4+CHA bonus in
All who can see and hear the skald for one rounds, all allies within 60-ft gains a +1 to
whole round gains a +1 to attack rolls, and all fear saves, and a bonus D4 hit points.

© 2023 YUMDM, All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for personal use. 17
Your Average Joe Weapon and Armour Proficiency:
Proficient in the use of all weapons, as well
NPC Classes as all armour and shields.

Most people in your campaign world are Commoner


going to be ordinary folk going about, and These are your labourers, farmers, and
minding, their own business. Below are five other non-skilled commoners.
different NPC classes you can use to define
ordinary people in your campaign world. Hit Dice: D4
THAC0: 20 [+0]
How to Use These Typical Secondary Skills: Farmer, Miner,
When the characters meet with a NPC, Potter, Tailor, Woodcutter.
simply decide which class they fit into from Weapon and Armour Proficiency:
those below. The majority of common folk Proficient in simple weapons only: spear,
are either commoners or experts. staff, sickle, and similar weapons.

Adept Expert
Adepts are NPC spellcasters, either Experts are the crafters and professionals
self-trained, or trained by hedge wizards or in the world.
tribal shaman.
Hit Dice: D4
Hit Dice: D4 THAC0: 20 [+0]
THAC0: 20 [+0] Typical Secondary Skills: Any listed
Typical Secondary Skills: Apothecary, Weapon and Armour Proficiency:
Embalmer. Proficient in simple weapons only: spear,
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: staff, sickle, and similar weapons.
Proficient in simple weapons only: spear,
staff, sickle, and similar weapons. Warrior
Spells: D4 first level spells. Warriors are strong combatants, but lack
the skills of professional trained fighters.
Aristocrat
These NPCs are born into noble or wealthy Hit Dice: D8
households, and can have significant THAC0: 19 [+1]
influence. Typical Secondary Skills: Animal Trainer,
Armourer, Bowyer/Fletcher, Seafarer, or
Hit Dice: D6 Weaponsmith. 50% can ride a horse.
THAC0: 19 [+1] Weapon and Armour Proficiency:
Typical Secondary Skills: Animal Trainer Proficient in the use of all weapons, as well
(birds of prey), Diplomat, Mapmaker, as all armour and shields.
Vintner. Can also ride a horse.

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Need More? Next Month
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Monthly Issue 31. classes (Magic-User & Illusionist) & the holy
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