Labyrinth Lord House Rules

When I play Labyrinth Lord instead of just regular BX I have a collection of house rules. These are General and then Class specific with a major tune up to the Thief class by going away from the % dice and use a simple d12 for thief functions. Feel free to comment about any variations on these rules you may use in your own campaigns. I have cobbled these together from a variety of sources across the internet but this mess is what I have settled upon for my table.

GENERAL

HIT POINTS

Characters get maximum hit points at level 1. At each level up, the character rolls his entire new hit dice, adding Constitution modifiers, and takes this roll if it is higher than the current hit point total, or keeping the existing hit point total if that's higher. Example: a level 1 Fighter with 14 Constitution gets 9 HP (max d8+1), and at level 2 he rolls 2d8+2 for HP, keeping 9 HP if the new roll is lower.

ATTRIBUTE ROLLS

When creating a character, the player rolls 3d6 in order, nine times. The first six rolls make up the six attributes in the order: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The final three are floating results that can be substituted in for any of the six attributes (or discarded if too low to be any use).

ATTRIBUTE CHECKS (as needed)

Roll d20 under attribute score; bonuses/penalties can come from DM for perceived difficulty, difference in levels/HD and/or attributes between character and opponent, etc.

-or-

Difficulty Level Number of d6 Rolled

Easy 2d6

Average 3d6

Difficult 4d6

Very Difficult 5d6

Formidable 6d6

Nigh Impossible 7d6

ALL SHIELDS MAY BE SPLINTERED

Any time you take damage, you can opt instead to say your shield absorbed the force of the blow. The shield is shattered and must be discarded, but you don't take any damage from that hit. Magical Shields have a 10% per plus of surviving. Additionally any Magical Shield may be used to increase a Saving Throw against a magical bolt, ray or even Dragon Breath by its defensive plus again with a 10% chance per magical plus of surviving otherwise losing a magical plus in the process.

HELMETS

Are situational and without a Helmet terrible things could possibly happen to your skull and the jelly inside it.

WEAPON DAMAGE AS CLASS DAMAGE

All weapon damage is equal to the character's hit die; two-handed weapons are one die size higher, and naturally small weapons are one hit die lower. At a Character’s ‘Name’ level this is shifted up by one for all categories.

FIRST AID

After combat characters, may be bandaged & regain 1 HP/Level of Target using bandages and field dressings, these are part of Healing Kit and cost 8 SP/Use

ONE LAST BREATH

Any time a PC runs out of hit points, that character can make a single d12 roll on the table below. This is at the Labyrinth Lord's discretion, and the LL is well within his or her right to declare the character dead outright. If the character dies, see rules for replacement PCs below. This table can only be rolled on once per session by a player.

One Last Breath

1-2 “He’s Dead Jim” Dead, just dead

3 "He may never walk again." Character has suffered a brutal and grievous injury and is unconscious. 2d6+12 weeks to heal. Permanent disability, possible limb amputation (up to DM, expect something nasty)

4 "It looks bad..." Character is terribly injured and unconscious. 2d4+9 weeks to heal. Permanent disability. (Up to DM, perhaps loss of 1d4 points from one or more ability score)

5 Character is Injured and unconscious. 1d4 weeks to Heal. Permanent disability and scarring 1d2 point ability damage.

6 "I think she'll pull through." At 1 hit point, unconscious. 1d4 weeks to recover. All ability scores at -2 for 1d4 weeks after recovery.

7 At 1 Hit Point, 1 week to recover. Ability scores are -2 for 1 week.

8 At 1 hit Point, Unconscious for 3d4 rounds. -2 to all Ability scores for 1 week

9 "That was a nasty hit..." At 1 hit point, unconscious for 3d4 rounds. -1 to all ability score for 1 week.

10 “Cold Cocked” Unconscious for 3d4 Rounds, at 1 Hit Point, no adverse effects

11-12 "And they’re up!" Regain 1d4 hit points (count from 0), no adverse effects*

LANGUAGES

Alignment Languages will not be used but rare unusual languages will be, examples such as Celestial, The Black Tongue, etc

INT will not limit total number of languages but only initial languages.

ABILITY MODIFIERS TO SAVES AND SKILL CHECKS:

STR: Melee attack and damage rolls; Thrown missile weapon dam-age roll; Open Doors; Saving Throw vs. Paralysis & Turn to Stone.

INT: Saving throw vs. mind-affecting attacks (ex. Charm Person).

WIS: Heal-type spell bonus (see p. 6); Saving Throw vs. Spells.

DEX: Armor Class; Missile weapon attack rolls; Saving Throw vs. Magic Wands & vs. Rods and Staves.

CON: Hit point roll per level gained, Saving Throw vs. Death Ray and Poison.

CHA: Reaction roll when interacting with NPCs & monsters; Max number of Retainers; Retainer morale and loyalty.

ALE & WENCHES

Optionally when paying expenses as per above a PC may opt to ‘live it up’ by spending 1d6x100gp on general debauchery. The amount spent is converted into bonus experience points. However, rolling above your character’s level of experience indicates a roll on the Secret Carousing Mishap Chart. The 1d6 x100gp figure only applies in backwater burgs like the town near the starting dungeon. Should you travel to bigger towns or cities you can roll a larger die when raising hell.

HEROIC SEND OFF

When an adventurer dies and the party is unable (or unwilling!) to have them raised from the dead, the PC party may give the corpse a Heroic Sendoff. This requires at least 24 hours and something cool like a big-ass funeral pyre, the raising of a burial mound, or a funeral ship floated down the river. The corpse must be armed and armored for combat, as appropriate to the class of the character. Each party member may donate up to 100gp times the level of the stiff as additional grave goods, the amount being spent is converted to bonus XP for the donor. Each party member may also donate one magic item to the grave. Scrolls, potions, and other one-shot items net a bonus of 250xp, while more permanent items get you 1,000xp. Magic items that would have been unusable by the deceased do not count.

CLASS STUFF

CLERIC

Martial Class

Clerics are not limited in Turning attempts to once per encounter. Each additional attempt, deducts a -1 penalty to the attempt.

Weapon Choice is specific to the portfolio of the deity they are following.

A Cleric’s Holy Symbol if of a material that is specifically harmful to a particular undead grants a +2 bonus to the attempt. If the Cleric also has other items harmful or avoided by the particular undead this bonus is counted as well, such as garlic for vampire etc

Ritual Magic: Casters can gain access to ritual magic which do not take up any spell slots but require complex rituals that involve rare, expensive, and exotic materials and may take from turns to cast to days of interrupted ritual.

Wisdom bonus to All Healing

Clerics of any level may make scrolls of any spell they are able to cast. The cost is 200gp/Spell Level and one week of time per spell level. Requires a sanctified area.

Every 5 levels a Cleric gains additional Divine Class Abilities varying by Ethos and Deity.

May brew potions at 5th level, typically associated with healing or their Patron’s Deity’s Ethos

Remove Wards: Clerics of Guardian and Magic ethos deities may disarm and detect magical similar to a wizard/magic-user. This ability is equal to a Thief’s ability of equal level modified by Dexterity reaction.

THIEF

Thief Class use a D6 for Hit Die

D12 Thief Skill Checks (My d12 chart would not post well but I will make an addendum to add to this when I make it into jpg)

Clarification on the scope of Thief skills: Starting chance of success may be low, but they represent the chance of exceptional feats. "Move silently" is the chance of complete silence, which isn't always needed - moving quietly is usually enough to give a chance of surprising an enemy, and that doesn't require a roll. "Hide in Shadows" is the chance of remaining unseen in direct line of sight with only shadow for concealment - having real concealment can improve the chance or give automatic success. Players may be able to find traps (and find ways around them) by experimentation and cleverness, without having to succeed at "Find and Remove Traps" rolls.

Thieves may make up to three attempts per lock, after that it is only attempt-able at that same lock when they level.

Thieves may use Dex bonus to their ‘to hit’ for all light weapons

FIGHTER

Skillful Fighter Have option to use DEX bonus for missile weapons to hit with Light weapons,

Cleave: A killing blow allows the character to follow up with an attack on an adjacent enemy. [Edit:] Fighters (& their subclasses) can cleave a number of times per round equal to their level, and other martial classes once per round.

Firing into Melee: on a roll of 1-3, a character hits a friendly. Roll another to-hit to see if the friendly takes damage. Chance to hit friendlies is eliminated if a player takes time to aim. Aiming and firing in the same round confers a to-hit penalty of -2 otherwise it is -4 to hit. Aiming and waiting until the next round eliminates penalty.

Offensive Focus (declared at beginning of round, before initiative): +2 to hit, +2 AC for round

Fighting Defensively (declare at beginning of round, before initiative): -2 to hit, -2 AC for round

Fighters gain an additional attack per round starting at 5th level and every 5 levels afterwards capping at 15th level and 4 attacks per round.

Fighters have Sub Classes which may have minor bonuses to specific abilities, cultural and regional benefits.

MAGIC-USER/SPELL-CASTER

Mages get the benefit of bonus spells for high INT as Divine casters do for high WIS.

All spells must be found or researched, no automatic free spell when leveling

Researched Spells are not counted towards ‘Spells Known Per Level”

Magic-users of any level may make scrolls of any spell they can understand. The cost is 200gp/Spell Level and one week of time per spell level. Up to three spells may be inscribed upon a single scroll. Magic-user can roll to understand spells of levels higher than they can cast, which allows them to make scrolls of spells they could not otherwise use. Elves follow the standard scroll creation rules.

Counter Spells: Spell casting classes with memorized spells may hold their action and sacrifice a memorized spell to counter an equal level spell. Ability check to recognize the spell being cast is INT – Spell level on d20.

Cantrips: As long as a Magic-User character has memorized spells they may cast very minor magical effects with concentration and are related to spells in memory in effect.

Ritual Magic: Casters can gain access to ritual magic which do not take up any spell slots but require complex rituals that involve rare, expensive, and exotic materials and may take from turns to cast to days of interrupted ritual.

Researching Spells: 1000GP/Level of spell for each week of spell research and 2 weeks/Spell Level of time needed with a required Chance to Learn roll at the end of the Research time. These costs can be reduced by circumstance such as having a copy of the Spell but do not currently understand it or spells which are commonly known. This will include having knowledge of a spell by previous casting from scroll.

Copying Spells: After successfully casting Read Magic a Spell Caster may copy it into his or her Spellbook providing they understand it. Copying a spell requires rare and exotic inks which cost 10GP/Spell Level and a day per spell level to be copied, as notation and casting varies from caster to caster in minor ways.

Eldritch Wand: Some; but not all wizards, may begin play with an eldritch wand which allows them to focus their arcane aptitude into mystical bolts that injure and maim. These small bolts must come from the wand attuned to the wizard in much as the same way a Familiar is and deal 1d4+Int Modifier in hit points of damage upon a successful hit. A roll to hit is required and the range is 30 feet before it dissipates with range increments of 10 feet up to its 30-foot range.

Time required to memorize spells is 15 minutes per spell level.

May brew potions at 5th level.

Remove Wards: Using their innate detect magic ability (incurs a 2 point penalty) or with Detect magic cast (Incurs a 2 point bonus) or while memorized (Null point bonus) a wizard/magic-user may attempt to detect/deactivate magical traps as am equal level Thief would disable and detect mundane traps. It requires 1 Turn of interaction to perform. Wizards would use their Dexterity reaction modifier to modify the ability much as a thief would for a mundane trap

RACIAL

HUMAN

Humans may multi class if they have a 16 in each Prime Requisite of each class, it comes much more naturally to Demi Human races

DEMI-HUMANS, GENERAL

Every 5 levels may adjust any racial ability by a pip

Race as Class are Hard Caps but gain special abilities for every 200,000 xp beyond their cap.

DWARF

Considered Martial Class

Race as Class Dwarf may make Minor Magical Arms and Armor at 10th Level

Can also tell direction underground 1-2 in 6

Dwarves have a 2 in 6 chance of finding a secret door if it involved stone work

Dwarves can only ride a pony and cannot fight from horseback, some isolated clans are noted for having domesticated other animals for mounts. Rare

Dwarves gain +1 to hit w/Axes & War Hammers

Dwarves gain multiple attacks as Fighter starting at 5th level.

As Dwarves level and age, they become more tuned to the Oerth receiving increasing positive reaction adjustment in dealings with Earth elemental type creatures.

ELF

Although able to wear Elfin armor and cast spells they are not considered a martial class as much as a mystical creature of magic.

Race as Class have limited spell learning capability but can cast any of their known spells without limited spell memorization. (Like 3E Sorcerer) Various races of elves also have affinity to Druidic nature magic and these may be learned as easily as mystical magic. There are instances of groups of elves with access to Clerical healing magic, specific forms of elemental magic or an affinity to a specific school of magical craft.

Benefit from either High Intelligence or Wisdom for their innate spell casting ability.

Elfin Magic-User/Spell-caster have access to Elfin High Magic

No Dark Vision but Twilight Vision or Low Light Vision for Surface Elves

Superior Senses to other races

Elf may always use DEX Bonus to Hit with any weapon regardless of size. Often referred to Blade Dancing

Elves gain a +1 Bonus to Hit with Long Swords, Spears, and Bows

As Elves age and gain levels they become more tuned to nature.

May brew potions at 5th level.

GNOME

Gnomes can only ride a pony and cannot fight from horseback.

Gnomish talent for Illusion confers a -2 penalty on saves

HALFLING

Awesome Cooks, are known to be able to make attribute affecting cuisine.

+1 to hit with all Hurled weapons and items plus reduce all range penalties.

They got the keefe.

#OSR #LabyrinthLord #BX #RPG