Matt P’s Old-School Essentials House Rules, v2.

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Introduction
These are my house rules for Old-School Essentials: Advanced Fantasy. They aim to create an experience that’s a mix
of B/X D&D and AD&D 2e while adding some unique touches of my own, many inspired by excellent OSR
resources and blog posts across the internet. Class/race advancement tables are compiled here. Discussion of the
reasoning behind some of these can be found on my own blog The Dwarf Died Again.
Table of Contents

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT ................................................................................................................ 1

XP AWARDS ........................................................................................................................................... 3

CLERICS ................................................................................................................................................ 4

DRUIDS, BARDS, AND FOOLS ................................................................................................................. 4

DWARFS/HALFLINGS/GNOMES ............................................................................................................. 4

FIGHTERS .............................................................................................................................................. 4

MAGIC-USERS ....................................................................................................................................... 5

THIEVES ................................................................................................................................................ 6

COMBAT RULES & RULINGS .................................................................................................................. 7

EXPLORATION/GENERAL ...................................................................................................................... 9

HIRED HELP ........................................................................................................................................ 10

INJURIES AND HEALING ....................................................................................................................... 11

META AND MISC. RULES ....................................................................................................................... 12

Character Advancement
Ability score generation
After rolling ability scores for a new character (3d6
in-order), a player may do one or both of the below
before continuing with character creation:
 Swap any two ability scores
 Invert the array by subtracting each ability
score from 20 (with an original score of 18, treat
the end result as 3 instead of 2)
This does not replace the 2-for-1 prime requisite score
swap after choosing a class, which is still available
per the standard OSE rules.
Character classes
The below classes are available to player characters:
 Fighter
 Magic-user
 Cleric
 Thief
 Druid
 Bard
 Fool
Other classes may be allowed at Referee discretion; it
doesn’t hurt to ask.
Demihuman characters
Though most player characters are human, players
may create characters of certain non-human species
(generally referred to as demihumans) if they desire.
Demihuman characters have various special abilities
as described in OSE Advanced Fantasy and on the
house rules Google doc.
The following demihuman species are available for
player characters:
 Dwarf
 Elf
 Half-Elf
 Halfling
 Gnome
While the class selection available to demihumans is
somewhat limited (e.g. dwarfs cannot be magic-users
due to their inherent resistance to magic), there are
no ancestry-based level caps (unlike in OSE: Advanced
Fantasy). Demihuman characters may advance to the
same maximum levels as humans in any of the classes
that are available to them.
1
Though the “race as class” classes from OSE are not
available, classes such as the spellsword-like Elf class
can be approximated using multiclassing.
Humans are versatile
Human characters can choose any class, and can add
+1 to any ability score during character creation at the
cost of –1 to a different random ability score.
While not possessing the special abilities of
demihumans, humans are more apt to raise their
ability scores with level (see below) due to their
unmatched grit and determination.
Improve ability scores with level
Whenever a character levels up, they may attempt to
improve one of their ability scores.
Starting with any ability score of their choice, the
player rolls a d20, trying to roll equal to or higher
than that ability score’s current value (not counting
temporary bonuses or penalties). On a success, that
ability score permanently increases by 1. Ability
scores cannot be raised above 18 in this way.
On a failure, the player can try to raise a different
ability score until they either succeed in raising one or
run out of attempts. The total number of attempts
allowed on any given level-up is determined by the
character’s ancestry as shown in the below table.
Ancestry # of attempts
Human 4
Half-Elf 3
Other Demihumans 2
This roll is made with a +4 bonus when attempting to
raise a class prime requisite or an ability score for
which the character’s ancestry has a bonus. This roll
is made with a –4 penalty when attempting to raise
an ability score for which the character’s ancestry has
a penalty. Humans do not have ancestry ability score
bonuses/penalties here (regardless of if they took the
option to add +1 to a score at character creation).
Characters who suffer from level drain lose 1 point in
a random ability score for each level drained.
Multiclassing Reroll max hit points every level
Players who wish to create characters with the When a character levels up, the player rolls all the
abilities of multiple classes can do so with Referee character’s hit dice and adds (CON modifier) x (new
approval. This works as follows: level) to find their new max hit point total. If this
 The XP requirement for a multiclassed character total is equal to or lower than the character’s previous
to gain a given level is equal to the sum of the max hit point total, they instead gain 1 max hit point.
XP requirements for the constituent classes to Characters who suffer from level drain re-roll their
gain that level maximum hit points using their new number of hit
 A multiclassed character’s saving throws and dice, adding (CON modifier) x (new level). If the total
attack bonus are equal to the best of those of is equal to or greater than the character’s current hit
their constituent classes. point total, they instead lose 1 max hit point.
 A multiclassed character’s hit die and flat hit Smoothed attack/save progression
points gained above 9th level are equal to the
average of those of their constituent classes Character attack bonus progression is per the table
(rounded up, so a Fighter/Cleric has a d8 HD) below rather than the tables given in OSE. Martial
 A multiclassed character can use the weapons classes are those which would normally advance in
and armor allowed to all of their classes, though attack bonus/saves every 3 levels, semi-martial
some restrictions may apply (e.g. many thief classes those which would normally advance every 4
skills suffer penalties while wearing medium or levels, and non-martial classes those which would
heavy armor and non-elves have difficulty normally advance every 5 levels.
casting arcane spells while wearing armor) Semi- Non-
Level Martial
 A character with two classes cannot advance Martial Martial
higher than 11th level, and a character with three 1 19 [0] 19 [0] 19 [0]
classes cannot advance higher than 9th level 2 18 [+1] 19 [0] 19 [0]
 In order to multiclass, a character must have at 3 18 [+1] 18 [+1] 19 [0]
least a 12 in the prime requisites of all their 4 17 [+2] 18 [+1] 18 [+1]
constituent classes, as well as meeting any 5 16 [+3] 17 [+2] 18 [+1]
other qualifications for the classes 6 16 [+3] 17 [+2] 18 [+1]
Certain multiclass combinations may not be available 7 15 [+4] 16 [+3] 17 [+2]
at Referee discretion. 8 14 [+5] 16 [+3] 17 [+2]
9 14 [+5] 15 [+4] 17 [+2]
Multiple characters 10 13 [+6] 15 [+4] 16 [+3]
Players are allowed (and encouraged) to have 11 12 [+7] 14 [+5] 16 [+3]
multiple characters. However, a player can only send 12 12 [+7] 14 [+5] 16 [+3]
a single one of their characters out on any given 13 11 [+8] 13 [+6] 15 [+4]
adventure – characters not adventuring are assumed 14 10 [+9] 13 [+6] 15 [+4]
to be conducting other business, training, or chilling
Saving throws improve at the same smoothed rate as
in town. A player may create at most one new player
character between each session. attack bonus, but can never have a target number
lower than 2. The starting saving throw values for the
A player’s different characters should generally be classes are given in the table below:
separate from each other. Familial or similar
Class D W P B S
relationships that would allow two characters to act
as one (sharing gold or magic items, for example) are Fighter 12 13 14 15 16
not allowed unless approved by the Referee. Magic-User 12 13 14 15 12
Cleric 10 13 14 15 14
No prime requisite XP bonus Thief 12 12 12 15 15
Prime requisites do not provide an XP bonus. There Druid 10 13 14 14 15
are other benefits to having high prime requisites, Bard 12 13 13 15 14
and tracking the XP bonus is a pain for the Referee. Fool 13 13 13 13 13

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XP awards
Characters gain XP on a 1:1 basis for the GP value of
treasure recovered from adventures, with the XP
divided evenly amongst all PCs and retainers. XP can
also be gained in additional ways as detailed below.
XP for completing objectives
At the Referee’s discretion, characters can gain XP for
completing objectives, such as surviving dungeon
delves, discovering significant locations, returning
remains of deceased comrades for burial, helping
important NPCs, or completing epic quests.
The amount of XP gained from a typical award
usually scales with party/dungeon level, see below:
Party/dungeon level XP from a typical award
1-2 100
3 250
4 500
5 1000
6 2000
7 3000
8 5000
9+ 10000
XP for discovering magic items
Characters gain XP for discovering the powers of
magic items recovered from adventures. This XP may
only be gained if and when the party identifies the
item’s powers (as determined by the Referee).
Characters who put themselves at risk or sacrifice
something to make these discoveries may receive
extra “shares” of a magic item’s XP value.
The table below is used as a guideline to supplement
Referee discretion regarding magic item XP value.
Magic items which are sold without ever being
identified simply offer XP for the sale value as if they
were non-magical treasure.
Item XP value
Weapon (Damage Die) x (Magic Bonus)^3 x 50
Armor (Base AC Bonus) x (Magic Bonus)^3 x 150
Shield (Magic Bonus)^3 x 300
Scroll/Book (Sum Contained Spell Levels) x 100
Wand/Staff (Sum Contained Spell Levels) x 1000
Potion Between 200 and 1000 based on effect
Other Referee discretion
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XP for extravagant expenditures
Characters can gain extra XP by spending their
wealth on various non-adventure-related exploits
during their downtime. In general, the specific
fictional form of these expenditures depends on the
milieu of the character in question – players are
encouraged to be creative.
In any given week of downtime, a character can
spend any amount of gold for XP, though only one
level can be gained between each adventure so any XP
that would cause a character to level up more than
once is lost. Each expenditure awards XP equal to the
amount of gold spent multiplied by a randomly
determined percentage between 50% and 100%*.
In order to qualify for granting XP, an expenditure
should be appropriate for the archetype of the
character but not provide any direct mechanical
benefits. Buying weapons and armor, stocking up on
potions, researching new spells, or creating magic
items for use in adventuring do not qualify as
extravagant expenditures. Building taverns /
hospitals / libraries / businesses, buying expensive
clothes, carousing, or giving alms all qualify.
* specifically, (50+half a d100)%
XP for helpful “meta” roles
The Referee may award extra XP to players who take
on various out-of-game roles helpful to the Referee or
gaming group. Some common roles and their typical
XP values are listed below for reference.
Role XP value
Caller 1 award
Chronicler 1 award
Mapper 1 award
Provide Meal (# of players fed/2) awards
XP for monsters is rescaled
Defeated monsters award XP equal to (10*HD^2,
+50% for each special ability) each, instead of using
the XP awards table from OSE. Results are slightly
more generous at lower levels.
XP for partially absent characters
Characters who are only partially present for an
adventuring expedition (usually due to dying or
joining the party halfway through) may receive only a
partial share of group XP (usually half).
Clerics
Bonus spells for high WIS
Divine casters with WIS of 13+/16+/18+ can learn and
cast an additional 1st/2nd/3rd level spell when they gain
access to the given spell level.
Create more divine spell scrolls!
Divine casters with the ability to create magical items
after reaching a certain class level can create magic
scrolls of their known spells before reaching that level
as long as the spell is not of the highest level of spell
they can cast.
Minor healing
A divine caster can expend any memorized spell or
take one hit die of damage to cast a weaker version of
cure light wounds that heals for 1d4 instead of 1d6+1 hit
points. If this is interrupted, the spell is still expended
or the caster still takes damage. Unlike cure light
wounds, this healing does not cure paralysis.
Turn undead changes
The cleric turning table from OSE is not used. Instead,
when turning undead the player rolls 2d6, with the
result modified by 2 for each point of difference
between the cleric’s level and the monster’s HD – a
bonus if the cleric is higher level, a penalty if vice
versa. Paladins turn undead as if they were clerics of 2
levels lower.
On a modified roll of 8 or higher, 2d6 HD of undead
are turned away and flee. On a modified roll of 14 or
higher, 2d6 HD of undead are annihilated. In mixed
groups the lowest HD undead are affected first; a
successful turning roll always affects at least one
creature. The table below shows the unmodified 2d6
result needed for a cleric to turn and destroy undead
at various cleric and monster relative levels.
Cleric level vs Monster HD
–3 –2 –1 = +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6
Turn – 12 10 8 6 4 T T T T
Destroy – – – – 12 10 8 6 4 D
A cleric who fails in an attempt to turn the undead
cannot turn any further undead in the same
encounter. If different undead show up or the cleric
has a turn away from combat to pray, meditate, and
re-center, she may attempt to turn undead again.
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Druids, Bards, and Fools
Heavily modified or new classes
The Druid and Bard are significantly different than in
OSE Advanced Fantasy, and the Fool class is not in that
rulebook. See house rules Google sheet for details on
these classes.
Dwarfs/Halflings/Gnomes
Short people
Dwarfs, halflings, and gnomes subtract 10’ from their
encounter movement speed due to their short stature
(minimum 10’). Exploration movement is unaffected.
Size-based weapon restrictions
Dwarfs cannot use two-handed swords or longbows
due to their height, but can use all other weapons.
Halflings and gnomes cannot use longbows, and they
treat all melee weapons as if they were one size larger
(they cannot wield normal two-handed weapons and
must wield the larger one-handed weapons with two
hands). They can still wield small weapons (short
sword, club, hatchet, etc.) with one hand.
Fighters
Deadly dance
After killing a monster with HD equal to or less than
his level, a Fighter may make an additional weapon
attack against another enemy within 10’ of the slain
enemy. The maximum number of extra attacks
allowed in a single round is defined by weapon as
shown in the table below.
Weapon Max # of extra attacks
Crossbow 1
Other Missile 2
Melee 3
Master of arms
Fighters gain +1 to the damage rolls of their weapon
attacks at level 3, then every 3 levels thereafter for
one-handed weapons, or every 2 levels thereafter for
two-handed weapons.
Magic-users
Bonus spells for high INT
Arcane casters with INT of 13+/16+/18+ can learn and
cast an additional 1st/2nd/3rd level spell when they gain
access to the given spell level.
Cantrips for casters
Learning to bind an arcane spell to a mortal mind
requires decades of training, and even then it is not
uncommon for arcane energy to “leak” out in
sometimes unexpected ways. A practiced magic-user
can harness this leakage to produce minor magical
effects (called cantrips) related to the spells they
currently have memorized. For example, an MU with
sleep memorized might be able to make a humanoid
creature drowsy enough to yawn, while an MU with
fire ball memorized might be able to produce tendrils
of smoke from her fingertips or light a candle.
Except in cases of extreme ingenuity, these effects
should not provide significant combat advantages or
replicate the abilities of other classes.
Elves cannot use cantrips because their fey minds
leak arcane energy less readily.
Create more arcane spell scrolls!
Arcane casters who can create magical items after
reaching a certain level can create magic scrolls of
their known spells before reaching that level as long
as the spell isn’t of the highest spell level they know.
Elves can cast spells in armor
An elven arcane caster trained in the armor’s usage
can cast spells without any penalty while wearing up
to plate armor, or while wearing up to chainmail
armor if half-elven.
Flexible spell slots
Higher level arcane spell “slots” can be used to
memorize spells of a lower level – e.g. a 3rd level MU
could memorize three copies of floating disc instead of
using their 2nd level spell slot to memorize invisibility.
This also applies to spells known – e.g. a 3rd level MU
could know three 1st level spells rather than two 1st
level spells and one 2nd level spell.
Illusionist spells are MU spells
Illusionist spells from OSE Advanced Fantasy are part
of the MU spell list – there is no separate illusionist
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class. Spells from this tradition may, however, be
more difficult to find in the world than “standard”
MU spells for those not focused on them.
Learning new arcane spells
Per the standard OSE rules, an arcane caster can only
know (aka be capable of memorizing) a number of
spells equal to the total number of spells they can
memorize in any given day. When an arcane caster
gains a level and thus increases the number of spells
they may know, they can learn new spells through:
1. Magical research (as described in OSE)
2. Consulting a guild/mentor (limited selection)
3. Copying a scroll (consumes the scroll)
4. Copying from another magic-user’s spellbook
(consumes the spell from the book)
Magic darts
An arcane caster can expend any memorized spell or
take one hit die of damage to cast a weaker version of
magic missile that deals 1d4 instead of 1d6+1 damage.
If this is interrupted, the spell is still expended or the
caster still takes damage.
Spell books can be scrolls
Once a caster has read the spell book of another
caster using read magic, they can cast spells from the
spell book as if it were an arcane spell scroll. As with
arcane spell scrolls, spells cast in this way disappear
from the spell book. Arcane casters can even do this
with their own spell books, but the spell will
disappear from their book and need to be re-written
before they can memorize it again!
Spell book clarification
The spell book of each arcane caster is entirely
unique, with the spells notated in some combination
of esoteric ciphers, multi-dimensional geometrical
figures, mad gibberish, and/or chaotic scribbles that
allows that particular caster to force the spell into
their mind for later use.
Reading another caster’s spell book via read magic
allows an arcane caster to gain knowledge of the
spells within, but not to memorize them himself
unless he takes the time to learn the spell and add it
to his own spell book in his own idiosyncratic style.
Weapons for wizards
Magic-users are considered “trained” with staffs and
slings in combat in addition to daggers.
Thieves * These X-in-6 abilities progress at the same rate as
the standard thief’s “hear noise” ability.
All skills are available ** The “jumping” ability also includes the acrobat’s
“tumbling attack”, though the bonus damage from
A 1st level thief allocates 160 total percentage points
this does not scale with level as back-stab does.
among any skills of her choice from the list below.
*** Arcane Academic can’t be gained before 10th level.
One skill can start at up to 70%, one other skill can
start at up to 50%, and all other skills can start no Back-stab gets deadlier
higher than 30%. A minimum of 15 points must be
A thief wielding a bladed weapon always rolls a d8 for
allocated to a skill for the thief to use it.
back-stab damage, regardless of the weapon used.
Every time she gains a level, the thief gains an Additionally, the thief’s damage multiplier for back-
additional 30 percentage points to allocate to her stabbing increases to 3x/4x/5x at 4th/8th/12th level.
skills, but no more than 15 points per skill per level.
Each skill also has an associated ability score or two. Evasion change
A thief gains +2% to the rating of a skill per point A thief with the “evasion” ability subtracts 2 from
above 10 in the associated ability score (–2% per point opponents’ attack rolls made while the thief is
below 10). For dual abilities, use the higher score. breaking from melee, for a net of –2 to be hit on a
Ability Max fighting withdrawal or +0 to be hit on a retreat.
Skill Abbr
Score Chance
Read Languages RL INT 95% Hiding in combat
Find/Remove Traps TR DEX/INT 95% In an environment with suitable shadows and/or
Open Locks OL DEX/INT 95% cover, a thief can use the hide in shadows skill to
Hide in Shadows HS DEX 95% attempt to hide during combat, potentially allowing a
Move Silently MS DEX 95% back-stab attempt against a nearby enemy on the
Pick Pockets PP DEX 95% following turn. This can only be attempted as part of
Break Fall FA DEX 75% movement that ends with the thief not actively
Tightrope Walking TW DEX 99% engaged in melee combat. As usual, the Referee
Climb Sheer Surfaces CS STR 99% makes this roll and thus the thief will not necessarily
The “max value” of a skill represents the highest know if she was successful.
success chance the thief can have in the skill when Read languages
using it, but a thief can always allocate additional
points to a skill to make up for penalties. The read languages skill is adjudicated not merely as
a binary success/failure, but with the % rolled equal
All abilities are available to the % of the document understood by the thief.
Rather than gaining special abilities automatically, at Binary success/failure is also checked – rolling a 90%
1st level a thief chooses one of the below titles and with a skill rating of 80% results in a failure while
gains the given ability as the appropriate class of rolling a 45% with the same skill rating of 80% results
equal level. The thief gains an additional title/ability in 45% of the document being understood.
at 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 14th level: Thief skill adjudication
 Master of Perception – gain Hear Noise (Thief) Thief skills are interpreted as just shy of supernatural:
 Master of Detection – gain Find Secret Doors* any character can move quietly (standard 2-in-6
 Master of Circumspection – gain Find Traps* surprise chance) but a thief can move silently (no
 Deceitful Dastard – gain Disguise (Assassin) surprise roll needed); anyone can hide with cover
 Athletic Vaulter – gain Jumping (Acrobat)** available but a thief can hide in shadows, fading away
 Artful Dodger – gain Evasion (Acrobat) into the darkness in the corner of a room.
 Dirty Fighter – gain Back-Stab (Thief) Generally, most checks can be attempted multiple
 Venomous Blade – gain Poison (Assassin) times at the cost of additional time.
 Arcane Academic – gain Scroll Use (Thief)*** Doubles on a skill roll signify either a critical success
or critical failure (exact effect up to Referee).

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Combat rules & rulings
Ascending armor class
The Referee will use the rules described in OSE for
ascending armor class and attack bonuses that
increase with level, rather than descending armor
class and attack matrix/THAC0.
D-D-D-Duels!
In the event of an organized 1:1 duel (aka not during a
normal combat unless social or cultural conventions
proscribe an uninterrupted 1:1 contest), this optional
rule can be used to inject some tactical variety beyond
just rolling to hit over and over again. Each round,
each character in the fight secretly decides to Parry,
Push, or Feint. Compare the duelists’ chosen tactics to
see what impact they have each round.
Tactic matchup Result
Parry beats Push +3 AC to duelist who parried
Push beats Feint +3 damage for duelist who pushed
Feint beats Parry +3 to hit for duelist who feinted
Both Parry +3 AC to both duelists
Both Push +3 damage for both duelists
Both Feint +3 to hit for both duelists
Above is by Emmy Allen, from “Knock!” issue #1.
Combat maneuvers & stunts
Generally, the case of a character wishing to perform
some sort of miscellaneous combat maneuver against
a foe (such as disarming, knocking out, etc.) will be
adjudicated in one of three ways:
Brute force maneuver: situations in which one or
more combatants wishes to use sheer brute force to
push, pull down, or pin another combatant against
his will are resolved with both sides rolling all their
hit dice and adding them together, with the higher
number indicating the winner. Constitution hit point
bonuses do not apply to this roll, but if one creature is
significantly larger than the other it may get a bonus
to each hit die at the Referee’s discretion.
For the attacker(s), this action takes place in lieu of
making a melee attack. The defender can make a
melee attack with a +2 to-hit bonus against one of the
attackers while still resisting, or forfeit the chance to
attack in exchange for a bonus of +1 per hit die to
resist the overbear attempt.
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 Example: 2 kobolds are trying to shove a 2nd level
fighter away from a doorway he is guarding.
They both roll their hit dice, which
unfortunately for them are only half a hit die
(1d4) apiece, and get 2+3=5. The fighter rolls his
2d8 hit dice and gets 7+2=9, easily holding the
door while cutting one of the unfortunate
kobolds down.
Elegant maneuver: attacker declares what they’re
trying to do and makes an attack roll against their foe
with a –4 penalty. If the attack hits, the target must
make a save vs paralysis or suffer the effect of the
maneuver. This kind of maneuver is appropriate for
disarming, forcing backwards with fancy footwork,
etc., but cannot generally be used to score an instant
kill, cripple/maim, or knockout, which requires a…
Threatening maneuver: attacker declares what
they’re trying to do and makes a normal attack roll
against the foe. If the attack hits, the target chooses to
either suffer normal HP damage from the character’s
attack or suffer the effect of the maneuver.
Threatening maneuvers can be used to attempt
basically any reasonable action (including those also
covered by elegant maneuvers).
Misc. combat rulings & actions
Below are some standardized rulings and rule
interpretations for situations that are ambiguous or
not directly addressed in the OSE rules:
Attacks from behind/flanking: in addition to
negating any shield AC bonus, attacking a combatant
from behind grants a +2 to-hit bonus (as if the
flanked character was retreating from melee).
Thieves attempting to back-stab do not stack this +2
to-hit bonus with their +4 to-hit bonus.
Attacks from behind are not usually possible unless
the defender is unaware of the attacker or is occupied
fighting a different combatant from the opposite side.
Blind combatants: a combatant who cannot see (due
to total darkness or blindness, magical or otherwise)
suffers a –6 to his attack rolls and a –4 to his saving
throws and AC.
Charging: a combatant with a clear path to his
enemy and at least 20’ of room to get a running start
can charge recklessly into melee, moving at 1.5x his
normal encounter speed and attacking with a +2 to-
hit bonus, but suffering a –2 penalty to AC during the
round. Charge attacks are resolved in the same
combat phase their movement completes, rather than
the phase after it completes.
Weapons such as polearms and spears, as well as the
attacks of certain monsters (such as those with
horns) are especially suited to charging and multiply
rolled damage by 2 on a charging hit.
When one or both combatants entering into melee is
charging (and they are both attacking each other),
the combatant with the longer weapon strikes first
regardless of who has the initiative (as long as they
are not surprised).
Defensive fighting/parrying: a character who
wishes to focus entirely on defense can forgo taking
any actions (other than fighting withdrawal) to
improve their AC by +2 until their next turn.
Movement in melee: a combatant engaged in melee
can usually move about 5’ laterally without breaking
away from the melee. This is treated similarly to a
fighting withdrawal. At the Referee’s discretion, this
may not be possible in all circumstances.
Running: a combatant who does not begin the round
in melee combat and takes no other actions during
the round can run at 2x his normal encounter speed.
If he continues running on the next round, he can run
at up to 3x his normal encounter speed.
Second-rank fighting: a combatant using a long
weapon (spear, polearm, similar) can attack from
behind the front rank of their allies in a melee. A
combatant who is significantly shorter than the
frontline ally (e.g. a dwarf behind a human) makes
their second-rank attack with a –2 to-hit penalty.
Two-weapon fighting: a character wielding a melee
weapon in each hand gains a +1 to-hit bonus and
chooses which weapon’s damage die to roll on a
successful hit. They do not make 2 separate attack
rolls. Magic-users and other “non-martial” classes
who normally improve their THAC0 & saves every 5
levels do not gain this bonus.
Narrative initiative
Combat is resolved using d6 side-based initiative,
but with an action resolution system designed to
have a more freeform and narrative feel than the rigid
move/missile/magic/melee phases described in OSE
or the “I go, you go” individual turn-taking of many
other RPGs. The result of the initiative roll only
determines who has the edge if there is reasonable
ambiguity in-fiction regarding whose strikes, spells,
or actions would happen first.
At the start of each round of combat (before rolling
for initiative) the players tell the Referee what they
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want to do during the round and the Referee decides
what the monsters are doing. The Referee may give a
rough indication of what the characters see the
monsters doing (aka trying to parley, drawing
weapons, running away, casting spells), though the
exact planned actions of the monsters will of course
not be shared with the players.
Combatants can plan to take their actions for the
round at any reasonable point during their
movement (i.e. there is no requirement to move
specifically before taking any actions). Combatants
cannot generally plan to enter and leave melee
combat on the same round (e.g. no closing to melee,
attacking, and retreating all on the same round).
After all sides have declared their intent for the
round, initiative is rolled the Referee resolves all
actions during the combat round, generally in three
grouped phases as described below with the
initiative-winning side completing their actions first
during each phase.
1. Movement (including charges) up to 1/2 total
speed, actions by characters who are acting
before movement, or spells of level 1-2
2. Movement (including charges) up to full speed,
actions by characters who are acting after the
first half of movement, or spells of level 3-4
3. Actions by characters who are acting after the
second half of movement or spells of level 5-6
Note that all references to “speed” above refer to the
total distance a combatant can move in any given
round, as modified by charging, running, fighting
withdrawal, etc.
Movement throughout the round is considered to
happen roughly simultaneously (aka two combatants
who charge each other will meet in the middle). If it
matters who gets a “head start” (such as in the case of
a combatant trying to close to melee with a foe trying
to run away) the combatant who has the initiative
may be considered to react quickly enough to move
1/4 their speed before their opponent starts moving.
This would not apply if both combatants were
already in motion from the previous round.
“Brace” weapons: a combatant wielding a “brace”
weapon who is neither surprised nor already in melee
with someone else can always strike at least
simultaneously with any opponent closing to melee
(not just charging) even if they lost the initiative, or
strike first if initiative is tied.
However, a combatant who is being charged by an
opponent who can reach them during the first phase
(aka in the first half of the charge movement) does
need to win initiative to actually set their weapon vs
the charge and get the double damage bonus.
Breaking off from melee: a combatant making a
fighting withdrawal can only make a melee attack
against their opponent during the same round if the
opponent follows them. The opponent can make a
melee attack against the combatant leaving melee
whether or not they choose to follow (but if they do
not choose to follow, must win initiative to strike
before their opponent moves away).
Player vs player AKA “PvP”: in cases where inter-
party conflict occurs the Referee may optionally allow
the initiative winner on any given round to declare
their actions first, rather than declaring before
initiative is rolled.
Missile weapon changes
Below are a few additions to the missile weapon rules
as given in the OSE rules.
Firing into a melee: a combatant firing a missile at a
target engaged in melee makes his attack roll against
the intended target with a –4 penalty to his to-hit
roll. Any shot that misses with a modified attack roll
less than 10 is resolved as a “raw” attack roll (d20
with no bonuses other than magic) against another
random participant in the melee.
At the Referee’s discretion this rule may not apply in
certain circumstances (friendly fire is less of a
concern when shooting at a huge dragon engaged in
melee with your normal-sized friends).
Firing while in melee: combatants who fire missiles
while in melee suffer a –4 penalty to their AC. No
missile weapons other than already loaded crossbows
can be used to target adjacent enemies.
Untrained armor use
Characters who wear armor not normally allowed to
their class only gain half the additional AC bonus
from doing so and are encumbered as if they were
wearing armor one step heavier.
Additionally, some class abilities may be less effective
or have a chance of failure. Success chances for skills
requiring bodily agility/dexterity are typically halved
for each step of armor worn that is heavier than the
allowed armor for the class that granted the skill.
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Shields when used untrained still grant their normal
AC bonus, but are doubly encumbering and cause
attacks made with weapons in the other hand to be
made with the “non-proficiency penalty” below.
Arcane spellcasting while wearing armor (trained or
not) or while wielding a shield untrained requires the
caster to make a save vs spells or the spell fizzles and
is lost. At the Referee’s discretion, this chance of spell
failure may be mitigated if the spellcaster is able to
cast their spell very slowly and carefully (outside of
combat or similar high-pressure situations).
Untrained weapon use
Characters who wield weapons not normally allowed
to their class or ancestry make their to-hit rolls with a
non-proficiency penalty as shown below:
Class type Non-proficiency penalty
Martial –2
Semi-Martial –3
Non-Martial –5
This applies both to “training-based” weapon
restrictions and “size-based” weapon restrictions.
Weapon tweaks
The weapon list from OSE is used along with variable
weapon damage, but with some minor changes:
 Axes reroll 1’s on their damage dice and add 1 to
the final result for each 1 rolled
 Blunt weapons have +2 to-hit vs plate armor
and brittle enemies (skeletons, statues, etc.)
 Crossbows deal d8 damage rather than d6
 Hatchets (small axes) exist, cost the same as
hand axes, and deal d4 damage
 Mauls (two-handed blunt weapons) exist, cost
the same as maces, and deal d8 damage
 Polearms deal d8 damage rather than d10
 Staffs deal d6 damage rather than d4
 The “slow” quality is removed from all weapons
Exploration/General
Item-based encumbrance
Instead of tracking the exact weight of equipment
and treasure characters are carrying, movement rate
is determined by simply counting the number of
significant items the character is carrying.
Items can either be equipped or packed. Equipped
items are those that are worn, held, or ready to be
used on short notice (on a belt, in a sheath, etc.).
Packed items are stored away in backpacks, bags, etc.
Retrieving a packed item in the middle of combat
takes 1d4 rounds, while equipped items can be used
immediately.
A character’s movement rate is the lower movement
rate of that of their number of equipped and packed
items, as shown below. A character’s STR modifier is
added to the number of packed items they can carry.
Equipped items Packed items Movement rate
0-3 0-10 + STR mod 120’ (40’)
4-5 11-12 + STR mod 90’ (30’)
6-7 13-14 + STR mod 60’ (20’)
8-9 15-16 + STR mod 30’ (10’)
Most objects that weigh more than 1 lb. and can be
carried in 1 hand count as 1 item worth of
encumbrance. Objects that weigh more than 8 lb. or
require 2 hands to carry count as 2 items worth of
encumbrance. Some exceptions are listed below:
 Daggers, torches, and rations* can be packed 3
to a single item “slot” when bundled together
 Bows and crossbows count as 1 item, but so do
their quivers (so they net 2 items)
 Leather/chain/plate armor count as 0/1/2 items
worth of encumbrance when equipped, or 2/3/4
items worth of encumbrance when packed
 Each 100 metal coins counts as 1 item
 Tiny objects like rings, gems, etc. don’t typically
count as encumbering in small numbers
* This list of “bundle-able” objects is not exhaustive,
feel free to ask for clarification with similar stuff
Repeated searches
Search and listen checks of various kinds may
generally be attempted more than once, but each
attempt costs a turn.
Rest when you’re dead
Contra OSE, adventurers do not need to rest 1 turn for
every 5 turns spent exploring a dungeon.
Tension pool
At the Referee’s discretion, wandering monsters and
other random events may be handled using the Angry
GM’s “tension pool” mechanic rather than the
standard OSE rules. (source)
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The tension pool is a bowl in the middle of the table,
into which the Referee periodically drops d6 dice.
 Every time the party takes a time-consuming
action, the Referee adds a die to the pool.
 Every time the party takes a reckless/risky
action (noisy etc.), the Referee rolls the pool.
 Actions that are both time-consuming and
reckless result in the Referee adding a die, then
rolling the pool.
 Whenever the 6th die is added to the pool, the
Referee rolls the pool and removes all the dice.
Any time a 1 comes up on any die when rolling the
pool, a complication arises. This is typically a
wandering monster, but may be some other
complication depending on the relative level of
danger in the party’s current situation.
Complications may not necessarily arise
immediately, but will generally arise fairly close to
when the tension pool is rolled.
Hired Help
Fewer loyalty checks
Loyalty checks for retainers do not occur after every
adventure as described in OSE, but will occur at the
Referee’s discretion if the retainer feels the party has
treated them unfairly, if they have been put in a
significant amount of danger, if they have witnessed
something especially terrifying, or if the party has
pursued goals not in keeping with their interests.
Paying for spell casting
Hiring an NPC to cast a spell for the party (such as
cure disease or raise dead) generally costs a sum of gold
or incurs some other debt per Referee discretion and
the fictional situation (1e AD&D DMG as a guideline).
Retainer XP
Per the OSE rules, hired NPCs who accompany the
PCs in their dungeon-crawling (aka retainers) only
gain half XP for any of their activities due to their
limited agency in decision-making and deliberation.
Retainers with classes consume a full share of group
XP (and thus actually get a half share), while normal
human retainers consume a half share of group XP
(and thus actually get a quarter share). Normal
human retainers start at –1000 XP and take a class
when they reach 0 XP.
Injuries and Healing d20 Result Effect
20 Adrenaline surge Regain 1d6 HP
Binding wounds 19 Weakened Lose 1d8 STR
Within 1 hour (6 turns) of combat or most other 18 Addled Lose 1d8 INT
events that cause HP damage, characters with access
17 Haunted Lose 1d8 WIS
to basic medical supplies can take 10 minutes (1 turn)
to bind their wounds, regaining 1d4 hit points. This 16 Hobbled Lose 1d8 DEX
healing cannot exceed the damage taken in the most 15 Broken Lose 1d8 CON
recent damaging event, and can only be performed 14 Embittered Lose 1d8 CHA
once for each damaging event.
13 Badass scar Looks really cool
HP damage caused by certain sources (e.g. some
12 Presto-digit-fenestration Lose 1d3 fingers
magic) may not be able to be healed in this way.
11 Yarrr!! Lose an eye
Healing permanent injuries 10 Your arm’s off! Lose an arm
Healing magic such as raise dead can also heal 9 It’s just a flesh wound Lose a leg
permanent injuries: restoring lost limbs, eyes, etc. –
8 Right in the kisser Lose 1d6 teeth
though not at the same time as restoring life (any
given raise dead spell must be used to either restore Deal your full HD
in automatic
life or heal a permanent wound). 7 Heroic demise
damage to a nearby
Use of magic to heal permanent wounds incur a enemy, then die
system shock roll (see below), but the system shock Regain half HP; you
roll is made as if CON was 4 points higher due to the 6 Divine intervention now owe someone
less extreme nature of the healing. in Very High Places
5 Didn’t hear that coming... Lose an ear
Natural healing
4 Sniff no more Lose your nose
When resting in a safe place with amenities (such as
3 Somehow unscathed! Just knocked out
an inn) characters regain 2 hit points per character
level for each day of rest. When resting in a non-safe System shock
location (dungeon or wilderness), characters regain 1
hit point per character level for each night of rest. Some ordeals (such as being raised from the dead or
returning to flesh after being petrified) permanently
Save or die! weaken a character who endures them. In such
A character reduced to 0 hit points must make a Save situations, a system shock check is made by rolling a
vs Death. On a success, the character survives but d20 and trying to roll equal to or below the character’s
suffers an effect (usually a permanent injury) based CON score.
on the result of the saving throw roll per the If the system shock roll succeeds, the character's CON
following table. On a failure, the character is killed. score is permanently reduced by 1 point. If the system
Massive damage: if the excess damage after reducing shock roll fails, the character's CON score is reduced
a character to 0 HP exceeds the character’s max HP, by 1d4 points and all other ability scores are reduced
the character dies instantly; no save vs death allowed. by 1 point. A character with a score reduced below 3
must retire.
Healing ability score loss: a character who loses 1d8
points in an ability score (results 14-19 on the table) Certain exceptional situations may result in
can, after 2 weeks of dedicated rest and recuperation permanent character death on a failed roll, rather
in a safe place, regain 1d4 points in that ability score. than merely ability score loss.
This can result in a higher ability score than before
the injury occurred.

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Meta and misc. rules
Living expenses
Characters incur living expenses of (20 + 1% of XP)
per month, max of 1000 GP/month. This reflects food,
lodging, gear maintenance, training, guild dues, etc.
Refilling consumables between delves
Any consumables on the mundane equipment list
costing 5 GP or less (arrows, torches, rope, spikes,
rations, etc.) that are part of a character’s “standard
kit” (aka what they carry on their person when going
on an expedition) are automatically refilled between
expeditions, within reason. This is assumed to be
subsumed in living expenses, see above.
Retirement
Players may, for a variety of reasons, choose to have
their characters retire from adventuring. A character
who retires may gift treasure to a suitable heir or the
party without incurring the typical 10% inheritance
tax charged by the bank to the estates of deceased
characters. However, the retiring character must
retain at least enough for 1 year of “adventurer-level”
living expenses (calculated per above). A retired
character becomes an NPC under the control of the
Referee (albeit with considerable input from the
character’s former player).
The “Murky Mirror”
Questions of “in character”, “out of character”, etc.
will be handled using the murky mirror approach
described in the Angry GM’s “Through a Glass
Darkly” post.

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