99 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
99 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: 'HOSR Core Rules: The Basics'
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description: A basic overview of HOSR.
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date_pub: 2023-04-26T22:53:00-04:00
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section: rules
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content_type: feature
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short_code: uhb
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---
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Designed to emulate the fun and fantasy of the earliest versions of the world's most famous roleplaying system, without getting bogged down by an excess of rules.
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These rules are still a Work-in-Progress, so if there's some rule or feature you need that isn't here yet, feel free to either use the equivalent rule from your favorite B/X-compatible retroclone, or roll a die and see what happens.
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[[toc]]
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### How to Play
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There is one _referee_. Everyone else is a _player_.
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The referee's job is to describe what's happening in the game, and the players describe how their characters respond.
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Sometimes, dice are rolled. These dice are described by how many sides they have (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100).
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### Doing Things
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Simple tasks are assumed to succeed. If the task is dangerous or complicated, roll the dice for an [Ability Check](./adventuring.html#ability-checks).
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For most checks, roll a 20-sided die (d20) and add the ability's modifier.
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- A natural 20 means a critical success: the check succeeds, and often includes a bonus for the roller.
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- An 11 or higher is a success.
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- A 6-10 represents a partial success: the check succeeds, but with a potential complication.
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- A 5 or less is a failure.
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- A natural 1 means a critical failure: the check fails, and often includes an extra complication.
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### Abilities
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Each player character (_PC_) has 6 abilities that help to define how they can interact with the world. Each ability has a score from 3 to 18, and each score determines the modifier used when rolling a check for that ability.
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- **Strength (STR)**: Raw physical power, affects melee damage and carrying capacity.
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- **Dexterity (DEX)**: Speed and agility of movement, affects _armor class (AC)_ when under attack.
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- **Constitution (CON)**: Mettle and gumption, affects _hit points (HP)_ gained at each level.
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- **Intelligence (INT)**: Knowledge and reasoning, affects languages known and arcane magic.
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- **Wisdom (WIS)**: Experience and insight, affects divine magic.
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- **Charisma (CHA)**: Appearance and social capability, affects hirelings and eldritch magic.
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### Saving Throws
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When something (bad) happens to a character or monster, they can usually make a saving throw to avoid some (or all) of it.
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To make one, roll 1d20 and consult the appropriate table (with higher results doing better).
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- **Death**: Poison, death ray, bleeding out.
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- **Wielded**: Wands and other aimed items.
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- **Paralyze**: Paralysis, petrification, being buried alive.
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- **Blasts**: Breath weapons and other area effects.
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- **Spells**: General magic, including from rods and staves.
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### Alignment
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Cosmic principles that represent broad world views
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- **Law**: Order, truth, justice, and civilization. Typically prosocial.
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- **Chaos**: Anarchy, power, chance, and destruction. Typically pro-individual.
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- **Neutrality**: Balance, mediation, and detachment.
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### Character Creation
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1. Roll Ability Scores.
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- Roll 4d6 and keep the highest 3 (aka "4d6KH3") for each ability.
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- Either roll 4d6KH3 once for each ability in order and see what kind of character comes up, or make all 6 rolls and assign the results to fit a particular class and/or race.
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- On Roll20, all 6 scores can be rolled at once with this command: `/roll [[4d6kh3]] [[4d6kh3]] [[4d6kh3]] [[4d6kh3]] [[4d6kh3]] [[4d6kh3]]`.
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2. Choose a [Class](/classes/) (and, optionally, a [Race](/races/) besides human).
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3. Determine Starting Level.
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- If playing a legacy character, update starting XP appropriately.
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4. Roll [Starting Hit Points](./adventuring.md#health-damage-and-dying).
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- Type is determined by class, number is determined by level.
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- Re-roll any 1s or 2s.
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- Modify the rolled value by CON modifier.
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5. Choose [Alignment](#alignment).
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6. Note [Starting Languages](./adventuring.html#languages).
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7. Buy [Equipment](./equipment/fantasy.html).
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8. Determine [attacks and AC](./combat.html).
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!!!include(license/wotc-cc-by.md)!!!
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