To play more like 'DND' and not random loot?

#1

Hey, friends!

So I love this game first of all. I want to get my players to try it, and they play DND (1st-3.5 edition), and they are showing interest, until I bring up how loot works. They would rather play as ‘classes’ similar to classic Dnd. Leveling up and getting new abilities and such. Not so much their characters being defined by loot they get.

Is there anything in either core or master edition that I could use for them to pick and make a class? Or any resources in which to do so? Thank you so much for any and all help <3

#2

Master Edition is more geared toward the combination of Types (classes) and Loot, add in the Milestone paths and you have the makings of more class-based game play.

There are several Community developers here that also have made more class-based ICRPG settings.

As for myself I am making all new types (classes) for my next game set in a bronze age, and all new Milestone Paths for players to pursue in longer form game play.

#3

Oh this is great, thanks a bunch! I wonder if anyone has shown how to make stuff like this? For example, opening up like basic fantasy / old school essentials and how to remake those simple characters in ICRPG. Does Master edition talk about how to do this? IF you know of course :smiley:

#4

Pages 66 through 75 of the Master Edition offer some good tips and base lines for advanced play.

As for making your own Types (classes) I would point you to both Hank’s and Kane’s YouTube channels.

As a matter of fact, Kane just published a workshop video on creating new Types as he stepped through the process of making the Paladin Type.

#5

Now as far as making your game have the equivalent of levels, that’s where things get a bit tricky. If that is how you want to run the game then I would actually recommend running a game system the supports level play. There are ways to make games like 5e play more like ICRPG. 5e Hard mode being one of them, you can find that on DriveThruRPG, or even better from the source its self Runehammer.

For my self and my game I am implementing an old White Wolf game method of gaining and spending experience points. Where players gain at least 1 Exp for showing up then addition points if they learned anything new about the game, their characters, or the movements and motivations of their foes. Additional points can be accumulated like hero coins, and Unspent Hero coins from an evening net the character +1 exp but they start the next session without the hero coin. Similar to Mastery in Master Edition every 20 natural 20s earn the character more exp to spend on advancement, I have it written in my notes as +3exp but that is subject to change.

Spending the exp as above work like this, the players may spend any amount of EXP at a place of rest (like a town, monastery, guild hall, etc. basically any place they can train or learn new abilities, spells, or acquire new items)
1 XP - Random Shabby Loot
1 XP - 100 Coins
2 XP - 1 Chest Reroll
3 XP - Random Setting Loot
4 XP - Random Epic Loot
5 XP - +1 Stat Bonus
5 XP - Generic Milestone Ability
5 XP - Favored Type Milestone Ability [the first one you start is your favored]
7XP - Non Favored Type Milestone Ability
7 XP - Favored Milestone Path Reward [the first one you start is your favored]
8 XP - Heartstone Piece (1of 3) [collect 3 gain +1 heart]
10 XP - Non Favored Path Milestone Ability

As a side note I still may offer a unique milestone reward for excellent play or specific goals being achieved, for example if a player is playing Rothgar the Barbarian seeking the War Maul of Chieftains and follows all the hooks and clues to find its resting place then the character acquires the War Maul of Chieftains. But to further empower the once fable relic to its full glory the character may need to perform a ritual to cleanse it of the previous chief’s soul or some such.

#6

ICRPG more or less has levels: They’re just called Milestones.

Just note that HP doesn’t scale.

#7

It’d be fun to make a web of milestones that act like a level up or customization graph, similar to Skyrim or World of Tanks.

#8

I have an idea for something like a Sphere Grid like FFX or FFXII where each Type branches towards three distinct Milestone Paths, and spaces for generic Milestone to be plugged in along the way, but that felt overly restrictive for my next game even if my wife would squeal in delight at playing something with an interesting sphere grid.

#9

I agree with folks above. One thing you could do is to make “leveling trees” where characters get to advance on during play and pick up new loot as they go.

One thing that can deterrent people away from ICRPG, atleast judging from my experience, is that players get horrified at idea that they can gain new power as awesome loot, but then they also lose that power if they loose the loot. I’ve come with two solutions to this, which you could use with your group.

  1. Safeguard the loot. If partymember acquires a milestone reward they always have “spare” copy lying around somewhere, like in their HQ or at hands of friendly patron. If they lose the loot during play, they can return to pick up new one by visiting familiar place or safe npc.

  2. Turn loot into talents. This one I’ve actually used. I had party to start out with number of talents and instead of milestone rewards, they would gain a talent. Talents are basically just simple but cool abilities mimicking ones gained from loot but A, you can only have certain number of them and B. once you choose your talent, you cant get rid of it except in very special circumstances.

Talents especially seemed to work well because they resemble familiar class abilities but players wont likely know that you just took loot from random table and disected it into talent. xD

#10

I have de-emphasized Loot in favor of Feats as PCs level and it works fine. Using a bit of both is totally fine. It’s a toolkit, do what works best. I mine ideas from 5e, PF2e, and anywhere else for fun class abilities. Go nuts.