BECMI/BX additional material

kenada · May 21, 2024

DarthBeckett said:
While I was looking at OSE, I saw their online reference material. I forget the name exactly, but it was ORR.

Oh, I think I found what you mean. Apparently they refer to the SRD as the Online Rules Reference. I had no idea. Thanks!

For what it’s worth, and it may not be much if you’re not interested, none of the Advanced stuff is in the SRD. Unlike the Classic Fantasy books, which is mostly available as open game content, most of Advanced Fantasy was declared Product Identity under the OGL.

Twiggly the Gnome · May 21, 2024

DarthBeckett said:
Currently I am just making a short list of house rules and notes for ideas. I can anticipate people being interested in the Druid and possibly a Bard, so just looking at some ideas.

The "Fairie Charms" from Tall Tales of the Wee Folk would make a good Bard spell list.

DarkCrisis · May 21, 2024

Apparently via magazines and supplements BECMI has more classes. I myself have found Dwarf Cleric and Shadow Elf (better dark vision but not as good at detecting secret doors etc). The other day I found (via research) an old Dragon Magazine that had rules for Elf Clerics (take out fighter specific special stuff and use cleric magic instead) and mentions how to make Druids. Bards are in another issue.

Whizbang Dustyboots · May 21, 2024

DarkCrisis said:
Apparently via magazines and supplements BECMI has more classes. I myself have found Dwarf Cleric and Shadow Elf (better dark vision but not as good at detecting secret doors etc). The other day I found (via research) an old Dragon Magazine that had rules for Elf Clerics (take out fighter specific special stuff and use cleric magic instead) and mentions how to make Druids. Bards are in another issue.

The various GAZ often offered player character options and the ones focusing on demihuman nations all did, as I recall, since they knew that an all-elf party or all-halfling party would be operating with fewer resources than an all-human or mixed party would.

I'm sure there's a list out there somewhere, if one doesn't want to snag all the PDFs of the GAZ releases. (Which would be rewarding, but not cheap.)

bloodtide · May 22, 2024

GAZ 5 - Elven tree keepers can get some druid/cleric spells.
GAZ 13 - Elf Shaman (Page 27)
Dragon Magazine 177 - Robrenn Druids and has the 'bard' thief
Dragon Magazine 178 - Elf Cleric, paladin & Knight.
Bruce Hearld made a Druid class on his blog
Carcass Crawler #2 has a wood elf class for OSE (B/X). Basically a regular B/X elf with druid spells instead of wizard spells.

The Vaults of Pandias has the huge list of all the BECMI classes on their web site. The site is also full of other stuff too.

For the spells, you want to make them close to existing spells. Though I highly recommend making them divine weapon and divine strike, so they each fit with each god. This nicely keeps sea gods doing water magic.

Mannahnin · May 22, 2024

DarthBeckett said:
While I was looking at OSE, I saw their online reference material. I forget the name exactly, but it was ORR.

Ah! That's the other name for the SRD. The System Reference Document. Got it. Like Kenada, I didn't remember that they used the acronym ORR as well.

It's important to bear in mind that the SRD / ORR only includes the core rules and material from Classic Fantasy (ie: the equivalent of B/X itself), not from the Advanced Fantasy version (which is the one that has more spells and classes a la AD&D).

DarthBeckett · May 22, 2024

kenada said:
Oh, I think I found what you mean. Apparently they refer to the SRD as the Online Rules Reference. I had no idea. Thanks!

For what it’s worth, and it may not be much if you’re not interested, none of the Advanced stuff is in the SRD. Unlike the Classic Fantasy books, which is mostly available as open game content, most of Advanced Fantasy was declared Product Identity under the OGL.

I am still considering picking it up after the summer.

DarkCrisis said:
Apparently via magazines and supplements BECMI has more classes. I myself have found Dwarf Cleric and Shadow Elf (better dark vision but not as good at detecting secret doors etc). The other day I found (via research) an old Dragon Magazine that had rules for Elf Clerics (take out fighter specific special stuff and use cleric magic instead) and mentions how to make Druids. Bards are in another issue.

I'm familiar with the Dwarven Cleric and Shadow Elves from the Gazateers.

I was actually tossing around the idea of making the Druid an Elf with Cleric Spells(+) and Fighter.

Any chance you remember what magazine you remember seeing these options?

DarthBeckett · May 22, 2024

bloodtide said:
GAZ 5 - Elven tree keepers can get some druid/cleric spells.
GAZ 13 - Elf Shaman (Page 27)
Dragon Magazine 177 - Robrenn Druids and has the 'bard' thief
Dragon Magazine 178 - Elf Cleric, paladin & Knight.
Bruce Hearld made a Druid class on his blog
Carcass Crawler #2 has a wood elf class for OSE (B/X). Basically a regular B/X elf with druid spells instead of wizard spells.

The Vaults of Pandias has the huge list of all the BECMI classes on their web site. The site is also full of other stuff too.

For the spells, you want to make them close to existing spells. Though I highly recommend making them divine weapon and divine strike, so they each fit with each god. This nicely keeps sea gods doing water magic.

Wow, thank you. I was aware of the Gaz material, (I have only partially read some of them), but last I recall Dragon Magazine was in the 400's before it stopped. Most of my collection was the 3.0/3.5 era.
Interestingly, I was just on Vaults of Pandias yesterday, looking for some answer to a question, and had no idea they had homebrew material. I will definitely double check. Thank you.

DarthBeckett · May 22, 2024

kenada said:
Oh, I think I found what you mean. Apparently they refer to the SRD as the Online Rules Reference. I had no idea. Thanks!

For what it’s worth, and it may not be much if you’re not interested, none of the Advanced stuff is in the SRD. Unlike the Classic Fantasy books, which is mostly available as open game content, most of Advanced Fantasy was declared Product Identity under the OGL.

One of the things I am interested in is that BECMI goes up to Level 36, (as well as "Immortal", which I'm not super interested in). So, a lot of the B/X-based games tend to cut it short, 10th-16thish level.

Granted, this might not even happen, or likely will not even reach that point, but at this point, it is something of an interest check and an is this even a good idea?

thirdkingdom · May 22, 2024

DarthBeckett said:
No, I'm actually reading through all the BECMI books and Rules Cyclopedia and have ordered a few adventures I want to try to run in the future.

Currently I am just making a short list of house rules and notes for ideas. I can anticipate people being interested in the Druid and possibly a Bard, so just looking at some ideas.

I've done a bunch of conversions from later editions in OSE, including bard, monk, binder, um, quite a lot, actually. Warlock, sorcerer, hexblade, etc.

BECMI/BX additional material

kenada

Legend

Twiggly the Gnome

Legend

DarkCrisis

Reeks of Jedi

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

bloodtide

Legend

Mannahnin

Scion of Murgen (He/Him)

DarthBeckett

Explorer

DarthBeckett

Explorer

DarthBeckett

Explorer

thirdkingdom

Hero

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