Thoughts on Player Characters

     In this entry I will discuss what I am using from 5E and OSE and why. I also go a little bit into what I am modifying to fit the style of play I am trying to evoke.

    For creating characters in my current OSE5E game, I decided to use the standard array as the baseline for attributes. In other games I prefer a 3d6 variation, but for this specific situation I am using the array just to get the ball rolling. The idea behind this is to have the players have a really decent character. This will make the players more comfortable when transitioning into an old school play style. They will have a lot of health, and also have a really high AC. First and foremost I want to have players at my table, and I am willing to throw them some bones up front in order to make that happen.

    Having the characters fully stacked will ensure that they won't go down to a one shot arrow.. (although I much rather prefer that style of play in the lower levels). I say all of this to set the tone for the style of play I am going for. I want the players to have ample reason to not blame low hp, or old school characters for the reason they TPK. I will go into creating scenarios that go outside of the character sheets at a later time.. (I'm sure most of my audience already excels at this to be fair.) 

    Since character creation is fully PHB 5E, everything can be managed right on the DND Beyond website. What I have that is going to go outside of 5E is easily manageable in the notes section of the website, or with a notepad at home. Granted I do need to more organized in physical form than I care to admit. I like to just sit down and play on the fly, so I guess that is another reason I am leaning on webistes to hold all of the character sheet info for me. 

    Now, enough apologizing for using 5E, I know I know.. the horror. I will go into what I am using from Old School Essentials as it pertains to the Characters now. A big change that I am leveraging is the use of encumbrance and weight in coin. For all of my players, this was totally new territory, and initially they did not understand it. Having weight they are carrying be important will also make backpack management important. This has interesting dynamics in and of itself, but more on that at a later time. Weight in coin also pairs up nicely with GP as XP and the level progression chart I am using. Weight in coin, and GP as XP will also encourage a more Indiana Jones style play and less Diablo style play. I am aware that not all classes from the PHB has a leveling chart in OSE, but they are easily subsituted enough. I still am unsure what save system I am going to be using, but poison triggering a traditional save seems very appealing.

    There are some things that don't pertain to either game that I am modifying though. Skills in 5E are something that I have found that players leaned on way too much, at least at my table. I am looking to break away from the character sheet as much as possible. For skills, I have decided that you are either skllled or you aren't. What I mean by that, is if a character is proficient in a skill, then they may use that skill. Most of the time I will not even ask for a roll. If a character isn't skilled, I might ask for a high DC to be able to pull off something that could easily be accomplished by a skilled player. I have also modified the rest and healing system. I am not going to pretend to know if I have this ironed out yet, and the rest/ healing is still a work in progress. Lastly, for this blog at least, I have tried to find a medium between death at 0hp and the 5E death saves mechanic. As of now, I am using negative HP. Negative 5 HP will result in a lingering injury, and negative 10 is instant death. Any HP in the negative will also add to the DC of the death saves. Although this is a new mechanic to my table, there has been multiple times where a PC is having to make death saves with a DC18. In the short amount of time we have used it, the mechanic seems to have created a sense of urgency at the table.  

    Anyway, there's still a ton of stuff I am wanting to discuss, but I'm at work and my brain is turning to scrambled eggs. Feel free to message me on twitter, or comment here and I will happily discuss all of this stuff further. Happy gaming friends. 

- DMJG