I’ve been busily converting my
old Rolemaster races over to several
different formats, by way of an experiment, and finding out just how much
potential for difference – and therefore disaster – there is between four
descendants of the same system. The race in question is the Amaghli:
in my RM campaigns, they’re master spell casters, sages and
contemplatives. Small, winged mountain dwellers (they can’t fly, but can use
their wings to glide), they’re not very good in combat, but deep in wisdom and
possessing an inner harmony with the elements of wind, earth and cold. I’ve
already written up a treatment of them for Blood & Treasure, but that leaves three more (gulp) systems to consider.
So: conversion to B/X Essentials. Of the four systems,
it’s the least immediately complex, but, when coming from a much more
simulationist system like RM, that can be problematic. The Amaghli become a
racial class, but defining that in light of the above is more difficult than I
at first assumed. They must be a spell-using class, but they can’t be easily
confined to the Cleric or Magic-User spell lists, as in RM they draw on
multiple magical traditions, able to progress well as Druids, Magicians,
Clerics, Healers and Mentalists (of fond memory, one of my players once created
an Evil Lay Healer). So the list has to draw upon multiple sources, and I had
to step across from B/X Essentials to
draw upon Labyrinth Lord. Their spell
list – representing these multiple potentials – includes spells from the B/X
Cleric and Magic-User, plus Druid, Cleric and Magic-User spells from the Labyrinth
Lord Advanced Edition Companion and a
few new spells and picks from Necrotic Gnome’s Theorems and Thaumaturgy.
Next step is coming up with
adequate numbers for Saving Throws and such: Amaghli fight pretty much as do
Magic-Users (i.e. not well at all: in RM I didn’t allow them to develop as
Fighters or Rogues, Thieves and Delvers being their best combat professions),
and have strong Resistance Roll bonuses against Essence and Mentalism in RM,
but not much else. This translated into better saves against Spells and Wands.
The final step is to allow for
the sage-like capabilities of the Amaghli and their cliff-dwelling lifestyle. I’ve
always been a fan of precision and complexity (which I feel one ought to
restrain to some extent when working with a B/X-derived system), so I considered,
and then dismissed using the abilities of the Sage hireling from OSRIC. Instead, I gave them the ‘Arcane
Lore’ ability, expressed as a chance on a d10 roll, reflecting the Amaghli
knowledge of – and obsession with – all things magical. They can use this score
to answer questions pertaining to one
minor field of interest, selected from a fairly limited range, but roll on a
d12, instead. With regard to their mountain habitat, I gave them the same chances
as a Thief to Climb Sheer Surfaces and a +2 bonus to saves against cold-based
attacks.
Here, in any case is the finished
product: the Amaghli class for B/X
Essentials.
Amaghli
Small and delicate, these
mountain-dwelling sages are famed throughout the New Kingdoms as practitioners
of magic and purveyors of wisdom. When they venture out of their quiet
hermitages, they are usually seeking out some new magical knowledge or rare
item. Amaghli average 2’6”
in height and have a movement rate of 100’. Although they possess fragile
translucent wings, they cannot fly, but can use their wings to glide great
distances when the winds are favourable. They can glide 80’ per round. Amaghli
are very slender with almost skeletal torsos and limbs. Their skin is a pale, light
blue and their narrow faces are dominated by their long, droopy noses and
mirthful green eyes. They live for up to 1000 years.
Requirements:
Minimum INT 9, minimum WIS 9, maximum STR 12
Prime Requisite:
WIS
Hit Dice:
1d4
Maximum Level:
10
Allowed Armour:
none
Allowed Weapons:
dagger, staff, sling
Languages:
Alignment language, Maghlic, Ketelcqa, Vandori, High
Kantari, one human lingua franca
Abilities:
Combat: Poor
combatants, Amaghli may not wear armour or bear shields. They have a very
limited range of weapons.
Arcane Lore: Exceptional scholars of all things magical,
Amaghli are able to answer many obscure questions pertaining to magic items,
spells and spell casters and the history of magic. To determine if they can
answer a particular question, they must roll equal to or less than their Arcane
Lore target number (see the table below) on a d10. They may also attempt to
answer more general questions from two chosen secondary fields by rolling under their Arcane Lore target number on
a d12. They may select from the following fields: demons & devils, monsters,
humanoids, fey, history, geography, religion or nature.
Climb Sheer Surfaces: Experienced mountain dwellers, Amaghli
possess the climbing ability of a Thief of equivalent level.
Spells: Amaghli
prepare and cast spells in exactly the same manner as a Magic-User, maintaining
a spell book and memorising them at the start of each day. However, their spell
list (see below) is far more eclectic in nature, reflecting their closeness to
both nature and the divine. They also gain Read
Magic as a free spell in their spell book at first level.
Defensive Bonus: Like Halflings, Amaghli gain an advantage due
to their diminutive nature, reflected in a -2 to their AC when engaged by foes
of Giant size or larger.
Cold Resistant: Seasoned dwellers amid the snow and ice of
high peaks, Amaghli gain a +2 to Saving Throws against cold-related magic.
Arcane Lore
|
Climb Sheer Surfaces
|
Spells by Level
|
Saving Throws
|
||||||||||||
Level
|
XP required
|
HD (1d4)
|
AC 0
|
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
Death
|
Wands
|
Paralysis
|
Dragon Breath
|
Spells
|
||
1
|
0
|
1
|
19
|
4
|
87%
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
14
|
2
|
2200
|
2
|
19
|
4
|
88%
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
14
|
3
|
4400
|
3
|
19
|
5
|
89%
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
14
|
4
|
8800
|
4
|
18
|
5
|
90%
|
3
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
14
|
5
|
17500
|
5
|
18
|
6
|
91%
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
11
|
13
|
14
|
11
|
6
|
35000
|
6
|
18
|
6
|
92%
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
11
|
13
|
14
|
11
|
7
|
70000
|
7
|
17
|
7
|
93%
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
12
|
11
|
13
|
14
|
11
|
8
|
140000
|
8
|
17
|
7
|
94%
|
5
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
12
|
11
|
13
|
14
|
11
|
9
|
260000
|
9*
|
15
|
8
|
95%
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
10
|
8
|
10
|
12
|
8
|
10
|
500000
|
9+1
|
15
|
8
|
96%
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
10
|
8
|
10
|
12
|
8
|
AMAGHLI SPELL LIST
|
||||||
1st Level Spells
|
3rd Level Spells
|
|||||
Comprehend Languages*
|
Clairvoyance
|
|||||
Detect Magic
|
Create Water
|
|||||
Hold Portal
|
Dispel Magic
|
|||||
Light
|
Fog Cloud^
|
|||||
Magic Aura*
|
Hold Person
|
|||||
Protection from Evil
|
Infravision
|
|||||
Purify Food & Water
|
Protection from Evil 10' radius
|
|||||
Read Languages*
|
Protection from Normal Missiles
|
|||||
Read Magic
|
Remove Curse
|
|||||
Reveal Charm**
|
Shower of Stones (N)
|
|||||
Scribe*
|
||||||
Shield
|
4th Level Spells
|
|||||
Barkskin***
|
||||||
2nd Level Spells
|
Confusion
|
|||||
Briar Burst (N)
|
Cure Disease
|
|||||
Continual Light
|
Cure Serious Wounds
|
|||||
Cure Light Wounds
|
Gust of Wind*
|
|||||
Detect Evil
|
Speak with Plants
|
|||||
Detect Invisibility
|
Wall of Ice
|
|||||
Detect Snares & Pits***
|
Wizard Eye
|
|||||
Knock
|
||||||
Levitate
|
5th Level Spells
|
|||||
Locate Object
|
Commune
|
|||||
Ray of Ice^
|
Conjure Elemental
|
|||||
Resist Cold
|
Contact Higher Plane
|
|||||
Speak with Animals
|
Dispel Evil
|
|||||
Enchant Arms*
|
||||||
Ice Storm*
|
||||||
Stone Shape***
|
||||||
Wall of Stone
|
Advanced Edition Companion Magic-User spells are designated “*”.
AEC Cleric spells are designated “**”.
AEC Druid spells are designated “***”.
Elementalist
Spells from Theorems & Thaumaturgy are
denoted by “^”.
Spells marked
(N) are new, and described below.
All other
spells are from B/X Essentials Cleric
& Magic-User Spells.
Briar Burst
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 50’
This
spell conjures an explosion of multiple hardened thorns – about 1” in length –
that expand to fill a 10’ radius. All
foes caught within the radius must save
vs. spells or take 1d6+1 damage (foes wearing chain or better take 1d4
damage).
·
Visibility
is reduced for the duration. Those attempting to fire missiles from within the
radius suffer a -2 penalty to hit.
·
Spell
casters caught in the radius whilst attempting to cast a spell who fail their
Saving Throw have their concentration broken and fail to cast the spell. The
spell is not lost, however.
Shower of Stones
Duration: Instant
Range: 100’
A ray
of small pebbles and sharp stones strikes on foe, causing 1d4 damage per level
of the caster. A successful save vs.
spells halves the damage.
·
The
ray hits the target automatically, with no roll required.