DCC RPG -- how does it differ?

[Finarvyn]

geoffrey asked a neat question in the other DCC thread (https://odd74.proboards.com/thread/14940/dcc-rpg?page=2&scrollTo=243445) where he wanted to know how easy it was to convert from DCC to other old school products. I took a quote from the core rulebook to help answer this.

HOW IS THIS GAME DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I HAVE PLAYED BEFORE?

If you are familiar with the d20 system (3.0 and 3.5):
• DCC RPG does not have prestige classes, attacks of opportunity, feats, or skill points.
• Classes and races are one and the same. You are a wizard or an elf.

If you are familiar with various iterations of AD&D:
• DCC RPG uses an ascending armor class system. A normal, unarmored peasant is AC 10, while a warrior in plate mail is AC 18.
• Attacks, saves, and skill checks all involve rolling 1d20, adding modifiers, and trying to beat a number.
• There are three saving throws: Fortitude, Reflex, and Willpower.

No matter what edition you’ve played before:
• Clerics turn creatures that are unholy to their religion. This may include un-dead and other creatures.
• All spells are cast with a spell check, where the caster rolls 1d20, adds certain modifiers, and tries to score high. The higher the roll the more effective the result. Each spell has a unique chart that adjudicates the spell’s results.
• Wizards may or may not lose their spells after a casting. A low result means the wizard cannot cast the spell again that day. On a high result, he can cast the spell again.
• Cleric spellcasting works differently from wizard casting. Clerics never lose a spell when it’s cast. However, when a cleric casts any spell and fails in his attempt, he may increase his “natural failure range.” By the end of the day, a cleric may automatically fail on more rolls than just a natural 1.
• There is a critical hit matrix. Higher-level characters and martial characters generate critical hits more often and roll on more deadly result tables.
• You can burn off ability scores to enhance dice rolls. All characters can burn Luck, and wizards and elves can burn other abilities.

I thought this might be better in its own thread, rather than lost in the middle of the other one.

[linebeck]

If you would like DCC magic to be more like ODD, turn all spells to classic "cast and forget" and have the magic-user roll their "spell check" only when they first attempt to learn the spell (as opposed to every time they cast it) -- the spell check result is the version of the spell they are able to memorize.

If the spell check roll is a failure, they cannot memorize that spell.

The magic-user can re-reroll the spell check every time they level up but either (1) must accept the result; or (2) may accept the result if higher than the prior check.

Corruption results are as normal, but happen "off-camera" so to speak--not when the spell is cast during an adventure.

[phantomtim]

I would add the unique experience of the 0-level funnel to the list of what makes DCC different from other F20 games.