
UPDATE! (touch-up and added ideas)
Set-Up: Dice and Use
There should be at least two sets of dice: one for the Dragon Master to use; the other for the players to share. A dice set is made-up of two six-sided dice (d6), two eight-sided dice (d8), two ten-sided dice (d10), and two twelve-sided dice (d12). The normal ranges of dice rolls uses by heroes and monsters are d8 to d12, but there are some creatures who are largely helpless in the face of adventure, such as commoners and normal animals, so they use a d6 if they try anything heroic. In most cases, players only need to roll one die for an action, but getting an advantage or disadvantage will require rolling two dice. When a hero or monster has a situational advantage, such as being an attacker with the higher ground, the attacker roll two dice of the same type keeping the highest die result, discarding the lowest. On the other hand, if a hero or monster has a situational disadvantage, such as fighting on shaky or slippery ground, the attacker roll two dice and using only the lowest roll.
Loot
There are no money in Dragon Strike, so heroes cant buy anything. Using "Loot Tokens" could help heroes acquire new items, bribe monsters, gain the help or services of monsters or background characters, or to barter or gamble with other heroes or background characters. A Loot Token represents some sort of high value item, like a shinny palm-sized gemstone, a piece of jewellery, a jeweled-encrusted dagger, a priceless relic, a bolt of silk, a stack of fur pelts, a rare bottle of fine elven wine, or even a simple sack of assorted coins; it could be anything! Weight, exact value or details of these tokens are not important as this is an abstract form of treasure used to facilitate barter without the bean-counting that comes with most fantasy games. Loot tokens can be found in treasure chests and on some monsters. While heroes, Orcs and Bugbears do carry some pocket change on their persons, its usually not enough to count as loot. Likewise, common equipment found on heroes, like rope, pack, food and such, are not valuable enough to count as loot. They are so cheap, a Loot Token can restock any or all missing equipment for the entire party (although, there are monsters who are willing to part with a much needed hammer for a tidy sum).
Magic treasure maybe used in place of Loot Token. Some magic treasure are worth more then others. That is, the Gauntlets of Ogre Power has the permanent ability to do 2 points of damage with any weapon while Ring of Spell Turning has limited number of uses, so a magic trader might want more loot than normal. The value of each magic treasure should be left up to the players and Dragon Master and can make for good role-plying opportunities.
Loot Tokens as a game prop is simple: Use cheap plastic coins. You can buy a bag of them at a dollar store. If you can make your own cards, come up with you own Treasure Cards that are nothing but simple but vivid descriptions of wealth along with a note stating that the hero "gains 1 Loot Token" or the card is "worth 1 Loot Token." Loot Tokens should be given out sparingly, as too many tokens could make the game too easy and the novelty of finding specific valuables starts to wear thin.
Equipment
The use of equipment is purely for role-playing. In games with no Dragon Masters, or in "tournament-style" play, these items maybe ignored, or used to trigger effects set in the adventure (like using Enemy Bait to remove some static monsters in The Legend of Zelda game).
All heroes start off with the following equipment: Backpack, Food, Mirror, Rope, Sacks, Torches and three (3) of the following: Bullwhip, Chisel, Cross, Crowbar, Grappling Hook, Hammer, Holy Water, Lantern, Metal Spike, Nails, Net, Pick Axe, Wine Skin, Wooden Stakes, Wooden Pole. Thieves also get Crowbar and Lock-Picking Tools for free. As on option, the Dragon Master can give each Hero a Loot Token that represents a sack of gold coins.
Unless stated otherwise, items "spent" in an adventure are replenished between adventures.
Unlike Loot tokens, a Dragon Master can safely add these mundane items to monsters and in rooms without effecting game-balance too much - unless the players are crafty little MacGyvers.
Equipment List
These are just some of the many things you can do with these items. Some items maybe rigged to work like other items, or used as improvised weapons. In both cases, the player is penalized with a lower dice-type. Players should feel free to come-up with their own ideas to make unique uses for the equipment they have at hand. Dragon Masters should feel free to add additional items to this list.
Backpack: Used to hold the hero's equipment - if this get taken, the hero loose all equipment (but not any magic items, or any weapons or armor).
Bullwhip: Maybe used to lash at an enemy (no damage, but enemy looses next attack), to disarm an enemy (enemy's attack is one die-type less), or to swing on an overhanging branch or beam like a vine-rope.
Chisel: Used with hammer to carve words or marking into stone, or to brake or deface statues and stone work.
Cross: If an undead or demonic monster is next to a cross-carrying hero, it has to make a successful "Save vs Magic" to attack the hero.
Crowbar: Maybe used to open locked or barricaded door, or combined with rope to make an improvised grappling hook (unlike other rigging, this occurs no penalty).
Food: Once per adventure, a hero may eat food to recover one lost hit point. Maybe use to bait, lure or bribe animal-like monsters.
Grappling Hook: Used to throw line up a cliff or pit. Maybe to trip an enemy snag a flying monster.
Hammer: Used to hammer-in stuff, or pull-out old nails.
Holy Water: Used to attack undead or demonic monsters as a Fireball spell, but only inflicting 1 hit point on a failed "Save vs Magic" roll.
Lantern: Used lite dark rooms, but are not prone to being blown-out like torches.
Lock-Picking Tools: Used (only) by thieves to open locks, disarm traps or rig traps for monsters. Without this, the Thief can roll at one die-type less.
Metal Spike: Maybe used with a hammer to secure rope to a hard ground.
Mirror: Maybe used to signal allies, look-around corners, or to fight monsters with Stone Gaze at one die-type less.
Nails: Maybe used with the hammer to fix a damaged cart or barricade a door with loose wooden boards.
Net: Maybe used to snag an enemy on a successful attack equal to a Feat of Dexterity. (no damage but enemy must spend next attack to cut free from the net at AC 4)
Pick Axe: Used to clear fallen rocks, open locked or barricaded doors, or used as an improvised weapon that attacks at one die-type less.
Rope: Maybe used to tie-up captured monsters, tie-down loose items, throw-down a line for others to climb with, to lasso an enemy like the net (but a one die-type less) or a grappling hook (if enemy is flying - also at one die-type less), rigged as a grappling hook with a rock (roll a Feat of Dexterity at one die-type less) or anything else the players dream-up of - ropes are highly versatile.
Sacks: Use to hold loot, or to shroud the head of a monster.
Torches: Used lite dark rooms or set fires. Torches are easily snuffed-out by wind.
Wine Skin: Like food, but can be used to bribe thinking monsters - by getting them drunk!
Wooden Stakes: Maybe used with a hammer to secure rope to a dirt ground, or to barricade a door.
Wooden Pole: Maybe used to jump pit or chasm at one extra spare, search for traps an an extra space, or to trip adjacent human-size monsters.
Dying Heroes
A hero who runs out of Hit Points is dying, and must immediately uses a magical treasure that restores Hit Points or fall unconscious (can do anything). A dying hero remains on the board for two rounds, face down. If the heroes fail to heal the dying hero within that time, the fallen hero dies, and the body is removed from the broad (its body is picked clean by carrion). An unconscious body maybe moved with a successful Feat of Strength. Looting a dying hero evokes the dragon.
Feats
Although the default rules notes that the player has to roll a 6 or more to succeed at feat, but a Dragon Master may rule that a task is easier or harder then normal. An easy task only needs a 4 or more to succeed, while a difficult task would an 8 or more to succeed.
The standard Heroic Feats (6 or more) should be heroic in nature; the type of actions you see pulled off by pulp heroes and most of the examples account for this. Sneaking past a sleeping monster should be a basic feat.
Basic Feats (4 or more) on the other hand are simple things that normal people would have a hard time doing, like jumping a 1-square gap, rushing past an Orc and the like. This only need to be rolled if a hero has an ability of d8 (or less), otherwise, the hero is just successful.
Legendary Feats (8 or more) are what heroes find fantastic and can only be done by heroes with an ability of d10 or higher and will loose 1 hit point in the attempt or 2 on a failure. This is the sort of over the top action you see in old-school comic books and goes beyond the limits of what the instruction booklet allows. Leaping your full movement, throw a builder a short distance, push around giants and dragons, kick down walls and castle gates, doing two normal feats, or adding a background "in play" element, such a conveniently placed haystack to bake one's fall, are all possible with a Legendary feat.
A hero with a d10 or higher attack can make a powerful Legendary Attack that ether adds an extra point of damage to an attack or allow for two attacks. To do so, make an attack roll. On a success, the hero takes 1 point of damage and pulls off a Legendary attack. On a failure, the hero takes 2 points of damage and pulls off a normal attack.
A hero with a Save vs Magic of d10 or more can roll a Legendary Spellcasting to effectively cast a spell twice. The player rolls a Save vs Magic like it is a Legendary Attack. On a success, the hero takes 1 point of damage and cast the spell with double the targets, effect (damage, dealing), or duration. On a failure, the hero takes 2 points of damage and cast the spell as usual. As an option, a success could mean that the spell is not spent.
Players would only be able to pull off Legendary Feats, Attacks or Spellcasting a hand full of times and can be represented by Legendary Tokens.
Sneaking and Sneak Attack (without cards)
If the Thief is alone and encounters a monster, he/she can sneak-up to the monster by making a Heroic Feat of Dexterity. If successful, the monster is unaware of his/her presence. As long as the Thief maintains the stealth - by doing nothing but moving, opening/closing doors, drinking potions and the like - then he/she can move past the monster or move up to it, to pick its pocket or make a sneak attack. A sneak attack uses a d12 to strike instead of a d8. Once the thief attacks, the stealth is lost.
If a monster is being attacked by another hero in hand-to-hand combat, the Thief can move in and strike the distracted foe. The Thief must make a Basic Feat of Dexterity - no action needed - and if successful, he can make a sneak attack.
Campaign Adventures
When designing an Adventure Book as a series of adventures tied by an overall story arc, there are two ways to approach this:
- A linear chain of scenarios that leads to a climactic ending.
- A choose-your-own-adventure styled game that can branch-off in different directions, and can have multiple endings.
When playing such a game - linear or otherwise - players are going to play the same hero game-after-game, until the hero dies. If a hero dies, the player can choose a new hero, and can (randomly) draw treasure cards equal to the number of magic treasure owned by the dead hero, minus one for every dead hero by that player. The new hero appears by the beginning of the next adventure. Heroes start off with little or no magic treasure, and must acquire them in the course of play. Items acquired by a hero are recorded on a sheet of paper (the treasure cards are just used for reference and random draws), and can be used throughout the campaign, until lost, stolen or are given away. The heroes heal up between adventurers, unless the heroes jump to the next adventure. That is, the heroes might be trying to sneak into the Caste by making their way across the Valley to enter the cave entrance, which leads to the Cavern, which then leads to a back entrance in the Caste. In that case, the heroes have not had the time to heal, as they are just going from one map to the other. On the other hand, if the heroes get captured, then they could start out in the Caste dungeon without any of their stuff (they will have to find it in another room), and are unhealed (or less, if the scenario noted that they were tortured).
Spells
As a rule, the Dragon Master could rule that spellcasters can roll Save vs Magic to avoid discarding a cast spell. A 6 or more is need for First Level Spells; 7 or more for Second Level Spells; and 8 or more for Third Level and Teraptus Spells. Dragon Masters should be mindful with how powerful magic-users will become if they can continue to recast spells until their luck runs out.
First and Second Level Spells can be classified as Lesser Arcana spells, while Third Level and Teraptus Spells are classified as Greater Arcana spells, and are mixed together. That is, the Wizard hero and the Evil Wizard has access to all Greater Arcana spells. So the Elf has 3 Lesser Arcana spells; the Wizard have 7 Lesser Arcana spells and 2 Greater Arcana spells (or 6 LASs and 3 GASs, to make things more balanced); and the Evil Wizard have 6 Greater Arcana spells. Spell cards are used as reference and random draws. As an alternative, players can roll a d12:
Lesser Arcana Spells:
1. Charm
2. Cure Light Wounds
3. Darkness
4. Detect Invisibility
5. Invisibility
6. Knock
7. Levitate
8. Magic Missile
9. Shield
10. Shocking Grasp
11. Sleep
12. Web
Greater Arcana Spells:
1. Cancellation
2. Dimension Door
3. Dispel Magic
4. Fireball
5. Fly
6. Haste
7. Ice Storm
8. Lightning Bolt
9. Stoneskin
10. Teleport
11. True Seeing
12. Vampiric Touch
Spell Clarifications:
Cancellation: The spell destroys one random piece of Magic Treasure held by a hero or monster in sight. Determine which item gets destroyed by drawing a Treasure Card. The targeted hero or monster must "save vs. magic." If successful, the treasure is safe - otherwise, the item dissertations. This spell may also target other magically enhanced items, like magic locks or traps, or on animated monsters, like the Fire Elemental or Living Statues.
Teleport: The caster can move any hero or monster he can see to any other space he can see. If the target is unwilling, then a successful "save vs. magic" will resist the effects. The caster may teleport the target over a trap or hazard.
True Seeing: This spell lasts 4 turns.
Next Post: New Monsters!