Sunday 30 December 2018

The B/X Essentials Amaghli



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.

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