Runehammer - This is the way

question
#1

So I have digested the rules for the most part and it all makes sense for the most part. I find with Runehammer that I have to break my 5E mindset. “There is a rule for this in the book, just give me a tic, which may or may end up what does Crawford say on the matter”. Nothing wrong with that but I like Runehammer games loosey goosey take: “What works for your table”. See I was fortunate enough to start playing D&D back in 1979. The basic ruleset was 50? pages and probably left a lot of questions. But I was lucky in that my fellow players had 18 INT and answered those questions before I even asked - Ha Ha. So here is my take on what is no so much questions on the rulings of C&S but simply my thoughts (yet to play a game mind):

  1. Armourer - “On a failure the armour is destroyed”. I will go with if they roll 20 (critical failure) it’s destroyed. If they simply “fail” they can’t try again (unless they improve their skill, but someone else can have a go.
  2. Evade - I need to think on this one a bit more.
  3. Gambling - One of several skills that in other systems gains the player wealth but in C&S what to do? Just story it and say the character(s) live like royalty that night? Probably.
  4. Pickpocket - As above.
  5. Repair - Same as Armourer.
  6. Skinning - Similar thoughts as per Gambling. Do they gain wealth (hero points) if they sell the hide(s)? I’m thinking they can barter the hides for equipment.
  7. Spell Research - As read this seems very powerful - Gain a HP per day for spells? My take for now is if they find a spell in an item and say said spell is worth 6 HPs. They can use this skill to understand/learn the spell but it will take 6 successful Spell Research rolls, 1 attempt per day.
  8. Trading - Similar thoughts as per Gambling. Do they gain wealth (hero points) if they succeed?

So for the most part I am confident to run it as per my above thoughts. My biggest concern (where I may be way off the track) is Spell Research and Trading.

Your thoughts?

#2

Welcome to the Brainstorm!

A few things I want to point out is that Armorer and Repair are more meant to be middle of combat and adventuring use and its a gamble, since you may not always have the best set up (Keep in mind that you can Take a Breather after a conflict and repair 1 item or restore 1 skill). However, you can play it with Critical Fails for destruction, but I would play it as is and say:

If you aren’t confident that you can repair that, you may not want to try and wait for appropriate equipment and rest. That’s the gamble!

Gambling and Pickpocketing can be used to gain petty cash (some GMs still play with actual standard currencies), but you can also use this for high-stakes gambling for high valued items in-game (that could be worth a lot of Hero Points).

Skinning can be very useful on harvesting rare hides from defeated foes that could be utilized in new equipment. If you have an artisan that could forge you some Basilisk Hide Armor, being able to harvest it will be VERY important.

Spell Research requires a lot of time, materials, and effort to do proper study. You don’t roll for each day you do research. You would see how much time the PCs have to actually rest and then they will tell you how much time they will dedicate to Research. Once you agree on the amount of available time and dedicated time, you ask for a roll. If they succeed, then they gain HP equal to the amount of days dedicated to the Research. If they fail, all their research and time is not fruitful and wasted: the formulas and components are wrong and wasted.

Trading is a great skill for any Skull PC, as some of their items are not available through traditional means and may be well OVERPRICED in Hero Points. Keep in mind that the HP cost for items in the game is the average or standard. This can go UP or DOWN depending on the area and how friendly the NPC is towards the players.

Cheers!

#3

Thanks so much - I really like your take on things. Guessing your WIS is 18 :laughing:
Honestly, I really appreciate the feedback :+1: