A hybrid of ICRP, DCC and 5e HC Mode

inspiration
homebrew
5e
dcc
#1

Greetings, Programs!

As you see in the title, i created a monster… Why?
I’m in love with ICRPG, but my players can’t wrap their head around a few things. Namely:

  • Everyone has 10 HP
  • No levels
  • Every weapon has the same dice

They love the other concepts, like ROOM DC, HARD and EASY, Abstract distance etc.

So i decided to create this ‘monster’ for new players, and players who mainly played 5e and similar systems but looking for a less rule-heavy and simpler system.
The aim be modular and OSR compatible and to get new people into roleplaying. No innovation, I stole nearly everything (’’ marks) and made a set of rules what I think fits a new group the most. I share it, maybe it will give some inspiration to a fellow DM. :slight_smile:

Some of the basics:

  • Max level is 10.
  • Proficiency (but only +1 on 1th and 2nd level) + HARD and EASY. PROF is the character’s expertise, and HARD and EASY is for the circumstances. (Ranger is proficient in tracking. Tracking in fresh snow or wet mud is EASY)
  • Pure Hit Dice [5e HC mode]: The characters get Hit Dice only until 5th level. At each Level, roll your class Hit Die and add that to your HP. CON doesn’t applies, but it will be at least 1 + CON.
  • Only the four base classes, BUT: You have archetypes (inspired by FTD ). Work out these archetypes with your DM, to give your class some flavour. You will see some examples in the document.
  • Actions: Everyone does one thing a turn by large.
  • Initiative: There are two basic possibility, Group Initiative [OSR]: both side roll d6, the group with the greater value starts the fight, if the rolls are equal, both group comes simultaneous (You can roll every turn). Every group member declare their action, than resolve it. Note: We use that because of the simplicity. THE OTHER is Simultaneous initiative [PDM]: first ranged attacks and magic, then melee attacks. Professor Dungeon Master explains this method in this video. At simultaneous melee attacks, if a target dies, compare the attack values, and if the attack of the killed target is lower, it loses it’s attack.
  • Luck Dice! [DM Scotty]: Players can use them on any roll. I use the Luck Dice rules from DM Scotty with the following changes: You get a Luck Die after the second failed roll in a row, and for every fail after that, and You can have three Luck Dice maximum
  • Roll to cast and NO Spell levels! To cast a spell your character has to make a SPELLCHECK (d20 + Spellcasting modifier + PROF). There are no specific spells or spell levels. You should work out your spells with your DM. I will show you my formula (doc) and DCs for the Spellcasting. NOTE: use Maze Rats as spell name generator!
  • Simplified Arms and Armor: Only light (+dex) and heavy armor. Only Simple weapons (1h: d6, 2h: d8, ranged: d6) and Martial weapons (1h: d8, 2h: d10, ranged: d8), and i use ICRP tags to differentiate. I show you my formula for magic items in the doc.
  • Class-specific CRIT tables [DCC]: The funnest rule after Spells and Luck Dice! If a character rolls a natural 20, take your maximum DAM and roll from the table assigned to your class and level.
  • TABLES! TABLES!: Steal or create your own. Use tables for character traits, crits, fumbles, magic, loot… Everything! Gygax was right!

If you are interested:
Furnace

One last thing: Creating Monsters.
You can use monsters from any OSR compatible system. I use the method of Professor Dungeon Master (youtube: Dungeoncraft).
Monster stats:

  • HP (Goblin: 3 HP)
  • ATK (Goblin: +2)
  • DAM (Goblin: d6)
  • AC: ROOM DC
  • SAVE: ROOM DC - 10
  • Traits: … (like “heavy armored: HARD to attack.”, “Fire breath: Everyone NEAR - DEX SAVE, 6d6 DAM, Recharge: 5-6”)

Feel free to give some constructive criticism. :slight_smile: This is the first, raw version, I’m sure it’s filled with grammar and semantical errors.
Thank you for taking the time. :slight_smile:

#2

Thanks for sharing this, some interesting stuff. On the Roll to Cast Spells… why don’t you just use the room target + spell level as the DC ?

#3

Thank you for stopping by.

There are four reasons, why the spells system works that way:

  • One important bit of the system is that there are no spell levels.
  • The second: For me multiple levels of success are essential for Spells, Dungeon Crawl Classics got it right. For us the problem with that system is, that some of the success level of a spell is very hard to understand exactly what is does and it breaks the flow of the game. So I wanted to come up with a simpler solution, what lies on the same principles.
  • I don’t want to punish ‘support’ spells. Why is harder to cast a Blessing on an ally in the lair of a sleeping dragon, then in a room full of goblins?
  • Lastly: I don’t want to punish greater level players (they should be stronger). E.g. ROOM DC = 18. If Success Level 1 is the ROOM DC, then if a player roll a 18, the effect will be the same as rolling a 12 in a ROOM DC 12 encounter. That way the player won’t feel any progression.

Example from two games:

  • A player wants to be a ‘fire mage’. I give her the spell Fireball spell right away. Let’s count with a lvl1 character. With 16 Intellect she has +3 on the SPELLCHECK. Her average roll will be 13-14, so most of the time she will cast a ‘Firebolt’ dealing 1d6 dam.
    BUT: let’s say, she crits and has some Luck Die from previous missfortunes. The CHECK will be 20 + INT + PROF + 2*PROF = 20 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 25. This is Success Level 3. You see on the Success Level table that it means 4 dice. You slap on your knees and say: “OK, so it deals 3d6 DAM (3d) to everyone CLOSE (1d)!” The player says: “No-no.” and rolls a Luck Die (d6): The result is 4! The Spellcheck is now 29, Success Level 4, it became 7 dice! You say: “Alright… then it deals 5d6 DAM (5d) to everyone NEAR (2d)!” And she kills all her party members… You would think it’s too strong for a lvl1 character. Yes! But she rolled a 20 and had some Luck Dice! And ofcourse with great power comes great BUMM. If she rolles a nat 1, then she roll ‘backfire’ on the mishapt table, she also needs to roll for Success Level. Aaaand she killes all her group members too, but this time even herself. :slight_smile:
  • Now let’s have a lvl5 character (+3 PROF) with the 18 Intelligence (+3). She is in a ROOM DC 17 encounter, fighting a Hill Giant. She rolles a 15. She is on Success Level 1 but didn’t make it, because the ROOM DC is higher. Next time she rolls 18! The spell hits and it’s success level 2, not only 1d6, but 2d6 DAM.

I hope, i could explain my thought process behind the mechanic. :slight_smile:

#4

Hi there, I’ve arrived late for this, but, like yourself, have been looking for the “right” homebrew mix of ICRPG, OSR and 5e. I’ve downloaded your material and will be looking into it. Thank you!