Post by raisin on Jul 9, 2018 5:04:57 GMT -6
After starting a new Barbarians of Lemuria campaign perusing the very fancy Mythic edition, I have decided that the quantity of house rules I want to play with grant my vision of the game a fancy title. We've had the Original, Legendary and Mythic editions, so I shall give you Barbarians of Lemuria - Apocrypha Edition.
[EDIT : Go check out the Google Doc in my last post, this post was an initial draft.]
Character Generation
1. Pick an Origin
Axos Mountains, Beshaar Desert, Boreal Forest (Faux-Eskimo "Bei Wei")*, Empty Lands (Any humanoid from Tekumel, Talislanta, Rokugan, etc.), Festrel Swamp, Fire Coast,
Halakh, Kasht Swamp, Khanat (Faux-Mongol "Ghatai")*, Khansan (Faux-Chinese "Xi Liu")*, Klaar, Lysor, Malakut, Oomis, Parsool, Qo & Qush Jungles, Satarla, Shamballah,
Skull Islands, Tyrus, Urceb, Valgard, Zalut
*: these are from the french supplement Chroniques Lémuriennes (Lemurian Chronicles)
2. Pick your Careers
You may choose up to four careers, and get 4 points to spend between them. Each starts at 0 and may not be raised above 3 at chargen.
If you pick only one career, you don't get 4 points to spend since the max is 3, but you get one more Hero Point for later.
Alchemist, Assassin, Barbarian (or Savage), Beastmaster, Beggar, Blacksmith, Dancer, Executioner, Farmer, Gladiator, Hunter, Merchant, Mercenary, Minstrel, Noble, Physician, Priest, Sailor, Scribe, Sky-Pilot, Slave, Soldier, Temptress, Thief, Worker, Other
3. Pick your Stats
You get 4 points to spend between Strength, Agility, Mind and Appeal, as usual. No stat may go above 3 at chargen.
4. Record Secondary Stats
You get (10+STR) Hit Points. You die at 0HP.
Your Attack Throw is a roll of 2D6+Agility+Most Appropriate Career (pick highest if more than one applies). You roll that to hurt things be it in melee or with missile weaponry.
Your Defence Class is 8+Agility OR Most Appropriate Career (your choice). That is the number your foes need to roll to hit you in combat.
You also get 3 Hero Points (4 if you only have one career).
5. Record Favored Equipment, if any
Weapons all do d6 damage (+Strength for melee, or halved for thrown weapons). Light armor is cosmetic.
Weapons that allow you to parry, shields, helmets and heavy (metal) armors can all be sacrificed to avoid a hit.
Characters have whatever they need based on their careers as long as it's easy to transport and start the game with barely enough coins to scrap a living.
6. Record the Rest
Like your name, a post-it worth of backstory and/or motivations if you want to, what you look like, etc. That's it.
A Few Rules
Hard/Tricky/Risky Roll: 2D6+Stat+Career, roll equal or over 9 for difficult things, 10-12 range for really incredible feats. Not having an appropriate career makes things harder.
Initiative: if unclear, d6 for each side of a battle, odd ties go to the enemy, even ties go to the players. Players always go first against Mooks unless ambushed.
Mooks: 9+ to hit, die in one hit, inflict 1 point of damage on a successful hit (numerous hordes or particularly dangerous mooks may get up to +3 to their roll to hit)
Critical Hits against Mooks allow you to kill (damage rolled) foes in one round. Legendary Hits yield double that number.
Toughs: 10+ to hit, 3-8 (d6+2) HP, inflict 1-6 points of damage on a successful hit (these may get up to +3 individually depending on how well-trained they are)
Also used to represent serious but not incredibly lethal beasts and smaller monsters or minor demons.
Critical Hits against Toughs kill them in one hit. Legendary hits mean you treat Toughs as Mooks who just took a Critical Hit.
Bosses: 11-14 to hit, 10+HP, inflict damage as PCs do (you can give them stats or just record an appropriate bonus).
Each adventure may have one nemesis-worthy villain who also has 3 Hero Points to spend. Big old monsters don't get those, but they may get some Damage Reduction.
Critical Hits against Bosses inflict normal damage +6. Legendary Hits inflict normal damage +12.
How to Spend Hero Points
Spend a Hero Point to Reroll any dice throw, Defy Death when you reach 0HP (either get KO'd or stay up and keep fighting then pass out once the fight is over),
Decide of a Twist of Fate - invoke the mysterious luck that often accompanies proper heroes by making up some plausible small event or detail that helps you, or simply
Make a Critical success into a Legendary success. Nemesis also get to Come Back d4+1 episodes later and turn out to not be as dead as previously believed.
Actually, Players also may use that last one instead of Defy Death once per character.
Other Notes
No Boons or Flaws. No Sorcery Rules and no Sorcerer career. Would probably use Mythic Edition for Alchemy and Engineer preparations, or just wing it, which is more likely.
Will playtest soon and come back with informed yet-biaised opinion on the quality of my house rules. 
