Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Random BX Dwarf Advancement

The normal BX (or whatever) Dwarf-as-Class rules apply at first level.  When you level up you get more hit points but attacks, saves, etc. do not advance.  Instead, roll twice on this chart:

DWARF
1-39 You gain +1 to-hit.
40-48 You gain +1 to all saves.
49-52 You gain d4 more hit points.
53-54 Roll on Zak’s Fighter chart.
55 You have a nose for gold.  Once per day you can smell the largest pile of gold in the vicinity,similar to locate object in range and duration (120’ feet, 6 turns).  This power does not function when troglodytes, ghasts, dungeon skunks, large piles of dung, etc. are within range.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
56-59 You can really hold a grudge.  Pick any type of monster you encountered in the previous session.
 You are now +2 to-hit that type of being.  Alternately, chose a single individual and you are +4 to-hit them and do double damage dice.  You can roll this multiple times, but you must pick someone different each time.  Also, the group and individual bonuses do not stack.  If you pick orcs on one roll and the Orc King of Bloodsplatter Gulch on another, you are still only +4 to hit the Orc King.
60-62 Your strength, endurance, and packing skills are so finely attuned that normal treasure and equipment only costs you half encumbrance.  Huge objects are still a bother, though.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
63-64 You are an expert on thin dungeon walls, the kind that are only a pencil tip wide on the map.  You can detect such walls when searching for stuff and you can listen through them as easily as a standard dungeon door.  If rolled a second time, you gain the ability to punch a dwarf-sized hole through such walls with only a single pickaxe blow and a successful Open Doors roll.  Reroll if you get this result a third time.
65-66 Your clan has long standing good relation with the gnomes.  You speak Gnomish (if you needed this ability before now those gnomes obviously spoke a different dialect) and get +1 reaction rolls from gnomes.  If rolled again you can also speak to burrowing mammals, but only possess bad tourist level vocabulary.  If rolled a third time, re-roll.
67-68  The dwarves have been recording their memories in song going back to before the making of the world, and you have memorized a metric crapton of them.  Once per session you can sing a song to remember a clue related to any ancient mystery.  The DM must provide something useful, but they also get to make an immediate check for wandering monsters.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
69-71 Dang, you are getting good with that crossbow.  You are +2 to-hit and the die size for damage bumps up a category.  You can reroll this as many times as your DM lets you get away with.
72-73 Your clan used to do business with the folks of the Deep Down.  You speak Undercommon and get +1 reactions when dealing with troglodytes, drow, svirfneblin, abholeth, kuo-toa, etc. but NOT those damn duergar. Reroll if you get this result a second time.
74 You once got a glimpse at a partial copy of the Ultimate Treasure Map of the Dwarven Kings (a.k.a. the Worlogog), the original of which purportedly shows every hidden treasure in the entire multiverse.   You know the location of whatever crazy MacGuffin you seek or simply a spot where a Type H treasure lies.  It is no more than 4 sessions away.  You must have a fair shot at it--like any other treasure, but there's no guarantee you will get it. If you don't get it by the fourth session you can keep trying or let it go and roll again on this table. However if you choose to roll again and then you do get the thing somehow anyway, you lose whatever gimmick you rolled. The DM must think up some clever reason why.

75 You find a back door out of here.  The next time you are in a dungeon and your goose is cooked, you discover a secret door leading to safety BUT only 1d6 people may pass through it.  You are guaranteed the #1 spot, but your friends may have to dice for who survives and who is left behind. Also, the DM totally decides where your escape tunnel leads.  You may get another Get Out of Jail Free card on gaining a further level if the next time you roll this you have already expended the previous one.  Otherwise, you lose both opportunities and do not get to reroll.
76-78  You have an extraordinary memory for lineages and family history, even for a dwarf.  Every time you encounter another dwarf you can recite the history of the great alliance of their clan and yours for +2 reactions, include morale for henchmen and such.  Or, you can recite why their clan sucks and yours rules, gaining +2 morale bonus to hit the poor bugger.  Finally, any time you fight alongside another dwarf PC against traditional dwarf foes (orcs, goblins, etc.) you can both gain +2 to hit as you recite the history of your clans' joint efforts to wipe out those jerks.
79-80  Shields shall be splintered and you’re just the fucker to do it.  Any time you roll max damage on a melee attack versus an armored opponent they lose d3 points of Armor Class, starting with their shield.  Yes, you can totally game this by taking a weapon with a smaller damage range, but be a mensch and stick with a d4 warhammer or handaxe, for Moradin’s sake.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
81-83  People who build monsters out of stone or metal make you laugh.  You never need magic weapons to do damage to golems, robots, or other constructs made of stone, metal, crystal, etc.  Also, if you do employ a magic weapon you can crit the bastards like normal, scoring things like bleeding results even though it makes no damn sense.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
84-85 You really know how to get the most from rocks.  Given two fistfuls of dungeon rubble, you can fashion any standard dungeon equipment (a 50’ rope, a days worth of iron rations, a single torch, whatever).  It works just as normal--though the rations taste terrible--until used or the end of the session.  You may use this talent once per session.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
86  Too tough to die.  You may escape any one death that is narratively plausible--e.g. this won’t help you if you’re beheaded--but the DM may delay your reappearance as long as deemed dramatically necessary.  You may get another free life on gaining a further level if the next time you roll this you have already expended the previous one.  Otherwise, you lose both mans and do not get to reroll.
87-91  You’ve decided it’s time to grow that mohawk.  Immediately roll on Zak’s Barbarian chart.
 From now on, every time you level up, roll once here and once on the Barbarian chart.  If you ever lose your mohawk, you lose all your barbarian abilities (including to-hits and such) until you get it back.  Obviously, you stop wearing helms. Every time this result comes up again just make another throw on the barbarian chart.
92-93 You have an ear for metal, my righteous bro.  You are +1 to any Listen attempt that could involve metallic sounds, such as orcish swords and armor on the other side of the door.  Furthermore, if you roll a 1 to Listen the DM must give you some further information about the nature of the metallic sound.   Reroll if you get this result a second time.
94 Flame eater: you are perfectly happy walking around a dungeon with a mouth full of Greek fire.  When you spit it out make a normal flaming oil attack at +2 due to the surprising nature of it.  Note that you do not need any mechanism to light the stuff.  Maybe it’s the beard?  Iron teeth?  I dunno.  The downside is that your PC cannot speak while loaded.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
95-97  Discerning greed: Whenever there are otherwise identical gems or jewels to split up (like 5 gems worth 100gp each) try to get the first pick of them when splitting the treasure.  If you get the first pick, your item is worth 50% more than advertised.  You must be greedy and secretive about this fact.  You keep the bonus gold value and xp to yourself or else in the ensuing argument you drop the item and it shatters.  Reroll if you get this result a second time.
98-99  Oh, man, your beard is getting way effing long, even for a dwarf.  Thanks to your sweet beard-fu once per combat you may attempt a bonus trip attack in addition to your normal melee attack.  The downside is that all friendlies in melee range (including yourself) also trip and falls on any to-hit roll of ‘1’, in addition to any other fumbles rules in play.  If you roll this a second time, you get better at controlling your beard, eliminating the fumble effect.  If rolled a third time, re-roll.

100  You have an eye for obscure dwarvish magic items.  Unless the DM has already specified the origin of an item, you may declare any found magic item of less than artifact status to be Dwarven Made™.  This applies even if it is not normally usable by dwarves.  Now it is.  Furthermore, it has additional powers ONLY usable by dwarves.  The DM should roll on the same chart that lists the item or the nearest equivalent.  (BX-based example: Not only is that Wand of Illusion now usable by dwarves, but in their grubby little hands it now also functions as a dwarves-only Staff of Power!  Holy shit!)  You may use this ability just once.  You may roll this result again, but if you have not used the previous roll, you lose both opportunities.

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