Swords & Wizardry: Standard Adventurer's Pack

I usually hand out a character creation cheatsheet: a single sheet of paper that walks players through character creation step by step with references to the relevant pages of the rulebook. Its purpose is to speed up character creation for new players. For whatever reason, buying equipment seems to take a fair amount of time. So as part of the cheatsheet, I created a standard adventuring pack that players may opt purchase for 20 gold pieces in lieu of buying their gear item by item.

Standard Adventurer's Pack
backpack	bedroll
waterskin	iron rations, 7 days
2 bottles of wine	large sack
crowbar	5 torches
tinderbox	pint of oil
hammer	10 iron spikes
hemp rope, 50 feet	grappling hook

This may seem like a fairly limited amount of equipment, but it actually is 75.7 pounds (or 757 coins) for purposes of encumbrance. That's a manageable pack for a strong, physically fit male. But it is a substantial burden nonetheless. It highlights the need to either hire porters or other retainers to help carry equipment or carry far less equipment, perhaps dividing up essential equipment between members of an expedition.

New Swords & Wizardry Character Class: The Witch

For my Shattered Kingdoms campaign, my plan is to detail the area around the Hyrcanian Sea as a desolate land of witches and make the witch (or warlock) available as a new character class. Below is my tentative draft of that new class.

The Witch

Witches are lawful or chaotic spellcasters who receive their powers by daily petition in the same fashion as clerics and druids. But whereas clerics pray to the gods and druids venerate nature itself, witches supplicate primeval elemental beings or lesser nature spirits, such as:

• Notos, the South Wind—a spirit of the air who is a harbinger of storms and father of the fallen leaves;
• The Faerie Queen—a fey demigoddess who presides over a court of nymphs, sprites, and other woodland beings;
• Ningal, the Lady of the Reeds—a water spirit who safeguards marshlands with a retinue of naiads and fishes;
• The Horned God—a demigod associated with the wilderness and wild places who is served by an army of fauns;
• Old Worm—a chthonic entity associated with decay, decomposition, and the despoilment of nature; and
• Odqan, the Prince of Cinders—a fiery spirit who lights the way for his chosen and incinerates all unbelievers.

Witches use the Druid Advancement Table for level progression and that class’s saving throw, spell progression chart, spell list, and hit dice, but they do not gain access to fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh level spells due to the limited power of the beings that they serve. To offset this significant limitation, witches gain the following abilities:

Expanded Spell List. At each level, including first, a witch may select one spell from the magic-user spell list and add it to those she may cast. The spell must be of a level that the witch can currently cast. She receives these additional magic-user spells in the same manner as any other—by supplication of the elemental being or nature spirit she worships. This expands her magical repertoire, but she remains subject to the memorization limits imposed by the Druid Advancement Table.

Cantrips. Twice a day, on a roll of 1–4 on a d6 the witch may cast a cantrip—a minor spell that may not do damage or have combat effects. Witches may use these to do things like clean, dry, fasten or tie, freshen, palm, polish or shine, spill, sprout, stitch or sew, or warm objects or persons. If used to affect others—such as making them nod or sneeze—no save is allowed.

Bless or Curse. At second level, a lawful witch gains the power to bless and a chaotic witch gains the power to curse, which may be invoked once per day. To bless, the witch rolls a saving throw; if she succeeds, her target is blessed for 1d4 +1/level rounds. While blessed, the target makes two rolls whenever a die roll is required and always takes the most favorable result. Conversely, when a witch curses another, the target must make a saving throw; if the target fails, he is cursed for 1d4 +1/level rounds. While cursed, the target makes two rolls whenever a die roll is required and always takes the least favorable result.

Familiar. At third level, a witch gains a randomly chosen familiar—a spirit in animal guise that aids her. These come in many forms, four of which are detailed below, and confer various abilities on their mistresses as they advance in level. If her familiar is slain, a witch takes 1d2 damage and must save or faint for 2d4 rounds. A slain familiar reappears in a week’s time.

1. Owl. HD 1d4 hit points +2/witch’s level; AC 2; Atk talons (1d2+1/witch’s level); Move Fly 15; Save and THAC0 are the same as the witch. The owl confers the following abilities:

Level	Ability Conferred by Familiar
3	darkvision 60 feet—the witch may always see in non-magical darkness
4	acute hearing—the witch may hear sounds as a thief of the same level
5	camouflage—the witch is invisible while motionless in natural cover on 1–4 on a d6
6	fly—once per day, the witch may fly like the owl for one round per level

2. Wolf. HD 3d4 hit points +2/witch’s level; AC 4; Atk bite (1d4+1/witch’s level); Move 18; Save and THAC0 are the same as the witch. The wolf confers the following abilities:

Level	Ability Conferred by Familiar
3	lupine movement—the witch has movement rate of 18 and may leap 16 feet
4	acute senses—the witch may make a saving throw to avoid being surprised
5	wolfsight—once per day, the witch may see through the wolf’s eyes for 1 round/level
6	howl—in the wilderness, the witch may summon 1d4 wolves once per day

3. Rook. HD 1d3 hit points +2/witch’s level; AC 0; Atk beak (1+1/witch’s level); Move Fly 18; Save and THAC0 are same as the witch. The rook confers the following abilities:

Level	Ability Conferred by Familiar
3	secret wisdom—the witch gains an extra first- or second-level magic-user spell
4	messenger—the rook may carry messages of 50 words or less to and from others
5	location—once per day, the witch may locate an object per the clerical spell
6	truesight—once per day, the witch may see through illusions and see invisible things

4. Serpent. HD 2d4 hit points +2/witch’s level; AC 3; Atk bite (1d3+1/witch’s level); Move 10; Save and THAC0 are same as the witch. The serpent confers the following abilities:

Level	Ability Conferred by Familiar
3	snakeskin—the witch has a base armor class of 7 [12] and her skin is waterproof
4	serpentine metabolism—the witch need only eat every 1d4 days and may feign death
5	shed skin—once per day, the witch may significantly alter or disguise her appearance
6	venom—a target hit by the witch additionally loses 1d4 hit points/round until it saves

Wand. At seventh level, a witch acquires a wooden wand which permits her to focus her concentration and will when invoking the power of the being she supplicates. For every 1d4 hit points expended, she may increase by 50 percent the area of effect, duration, or range of a spell cast. Alternatively, the witch may impose a -1 penalty to a target’s saving throw for every 1d4 hit points expended. The witch must choose how many d4s she will roll before seeing their results.

Magic Items. Like druids, witches are able to use any magical item usable by clerics with the exception clerical scrolls.

Coven. At eleventh level, a witch may found her own coven by building a place of worship and consecrating an altar there. This may consist of a circle of standing stones, a sacred grove, a chapel, a cavern complex, or some other edifice appropriate to the power the witch serves. A witch who does so will attract lesser witches and other followers.

Shattered Kingdoms: Jub, The Wicked

In the original Shattered Kingdoms Gazatteer, I included the following entry for the city-state of Jub:

Jub. Jub is a wealthy, independent city-state associated with trade, without regard to legality and morality. In particular, it is known for its vast slave market, lotus trade, and brothels, which are typically staffed by temple prostitutes in houses of worship. Jub’s principal deity is Mammon, a god of gluttony, greed, and lust.

But the entry provided no further details on slavery or the lotus trade and the Shattered Kingdoms Pantheon omitted any mention of Mammon. The following expanded material provides those details.

MAMMON is a chaotic god of gluttony, greed, and lust whose worship originated in Jub. His symbol is several gold bars stacked into a pyramid surmounted by an all-seeing eye. His priests have these abilities:

• bribery: once per day, his clerics may offer a bribe of 3d6 gold pieces; the bribe acts like a charm spell, but only for a single object or purpose and a more limited duration (save allowed)
• recruitment: retainers are always available for hire by Mammon's clerics and accept an offer of employment on a roll of 1–5 on a d6, so long as they are paid twice the going rate in gold; they have 1d3 hit points more than usual

The bribery ability reflects the way in which Mammon's priests corrupt others with money. The specified amount of money, 3d6, assumes ordinary circumstances. The referee may require the priest to offer a larger bribe if, for example, the priest is requesting a significant betrayal or if the party being bribed is especially loyal or virtuous. In other cases, the referee may allow the priest to increase the amount offered in order to impose a penalty on the target's saving throw.

The recruitment ability reflects the fact that some men's loyalty can be bought with coin and the priests of Mammon have a reputation for paying well. As a result, retainers are always available for hire by these priests, regardless of locale or circumstances, and seldom turn down their offers of employment. Retainers hired by priests of Mammon have 1d3 more hit points than usual because the higher rate of pay draws the very best mercenaries.

Slavery. Slavery is common throughout the region, but the conditions of servitude and the treatment of slaves varies from place to place. People are reduced to slavery in many ways, including conquest, criminal conviction, and debt. The region also is home to many former slaves—be they runaways, manumitted slaves, or those who bought their freedom. Characters may opt to begin play as a slave or former slave. Those who do so receive a +1 bonus to strength or constitution, but suffer a -2 penalty to their charisma due to their low social status, which is evident from tattoos or brands associated with slavery.

Lotus Trade. The lotus may be bought in the markets of Jub. Its purchase and use may be illicit elsewhere. Ordinary lotus blossoms are pink in hue. These addictive blossoms are consumed for their narcotic properties. Extraordinary varieties also may be available for purchase, but are especially dangerous. These varieties cost 250 gold pieces (or more).

White Lotus. Consuming the white lotus increases a single attribute by 1d4 points for a number of turns equal to the die roll. An ability score may temporarily exceed 18 as a result; if this occurs, the referee will assign appropriate bonuses.

Crimson Lotus. Consuming the crimson lotus imparts 3d4 temporary hit points for a number of turns equal to the die roll. The imbiber loses these before suffering any loss to his normal hit points. This does not alter the user's level or hit dice.

Blue Lotus. Consuming the blue lotus permits a spellcaster to rememorize 1d2 spells immediately and cast spells as one level higher for 2d4 turns. If used by a non-spellcaster, it will impart a +2 bonus to saving throws against magic for 2d4 turns.

Purple Lotus. Consuming the purple lotus confers immunity to mind-altering spells or magical effects, such as charm, sleep, and hold person, as well as psionic attacks for 3d4 turns. It also shields the mind from extra-sensory perception or detection.

Yellow Lotus. Consuming the yellow lotus allows the imbiber to see the true nature of things for 4d4 turns. For example, the imbiber sees through illusions, secret doors are as obvious as ordinary ones, and invisible creatures are visible.

These extraordinary lotus blossoms are no less narcotic and addictive and their consumption entails serious risks:

• when a lotus blossom is imbibed, the user must make a saving throw or fall unconscious for 2d4 rounds and be strung out for twice as many turns upon awakening, suffering a -1 penalty to all rolls during this period
• a user who fails the preceding saving throw, must make a second saving throw once he is no longer strung out; if the user fails this second saving throw, he is now addicted to the lotus
• lotus addicts do not gain any of the benefits of consuming the lotus when used, but must spend 10% of the treasure they obtain on ordinary lotus blossoms; this percentage increases 5% with each level gained thereafter
• a lotus addict who does not spend the required amount of treasure purchasing ordinary blossoms suffers a -2 penalty to all rolls; he also may suffer this penalty if his immediate supply is somehow lost or destroyed
• a lotus addict can be cured of the addiction by a neutralize poison spell; once cast, the addict must pass a system shock roll (see page 8 of the rulebook) or be incapacitated for 2d6 days

N.B. The guidelines regarding lotus blossoms were inspired by K&K Alehouse commenter Welleran's house rules.

Swords & Wizardry House Rules: Jumping

Adventurers often try to jump across a pit, from one ledge to another, or over an obstacle or hazard. Swords & Wizardry has no rules for jumping. As these situations are common and consistency is desirable, I have created the following rules:

Jumping

Strength Score	Standing Long Jump	Running Long Jump
3–4	1d4+2 feet	2d4+5 feet
5–6	1d4+3 feet	2d4+6 feet
7–15	1d4+4 feet	2d4+7 feet
16	1d4+5 feet	2d4+8 feet
17	1d4+6 feet	2d4+9 feet
18	1d4+7 feet	2d4+10 feet

• this table assumes that the jumper is bipedal and the size of an ordinary human or similar humanoids; halflings and dwarves respectively have a -1 and a -2 penalty
• similar penalties should be imposed on other creatures of smaller stature or stride; larger creatures, such as giants, should have significant bonuses and possibly larger dice
• characters with a dexterity score of 13 or better receive +1 bonus and those with a dexterity score of 8 or lower receive a -1 penalty; similar modifiers may be applied to especially nimble and clumsy creatures
• chain mail and ring mail impose a -2 penalty and plate mail imposes a -3 penalty; no penalty or bonus is applied for jumps made by those wearing leather armor or clothing
• encumbrance of 76–100, 101–50, and 151–300 pounds respectively impose penalties of -1, -2, and -4; these penalties are in addition to the penalties for armor
• if a jumper barely misses his target—e.g., someone jumping a chasm comes up a foot short—he may make a saving throw to try to grab hold of a ledge or the like

Design Note. I looked to the AD&D Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide for guidance but disliked their approach. Both guides base a character's jumping ability on his level and provide for very slow advancement in ability; one's initial jumping ability does not improve until seventh level under their rules. A level-based approach perhaps makes sense for a character class that has a specialized jumping skill, like an acrobat. But an individual's general ability to jump strikes me as more of an innate characteristic unlikely to improve too much over time. In this regard, adventurers are dissimilar to professional athletes who specialize in long jumping; the former may jump with some frequency, but the latter are training for that particular event. However, if you wish to incorporate improvement over time into the house rule offered above, one possible approach would be to add a +1 bonus for every two or three levels of advancement. One might provide different rates of advancement to different classes as well (e.g., thieves might advance faster than fighters, fighters might advance faster than clerics and magic-users). I based the outer limits of jumping ability on the world records for the standing and running long jumps, and then reduced the distances for characters with lower strengths.

Swords & Wizardry House Rules: Climbing

In Swords & Wizardry Complete, a thief’s ability to climb walls is extraordinary: a thief’s percentage chance to climb walls applies to surfaces that others cannot climb; if others have a percentage chance to climb a surface, a thief likely can do so automatically (page 23). The following guidelines, which are derived in part from the AD&D Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide, are intended to fill in the gaps in the rules:

Climbing

Climbable Surfaces

• walls and cliffs that are sheer, smooth, only slightly cracked, or rough but without handholds can only be climbed by thieves absent the use of pitons or other gear
• if a wall or cliff is more than sheer—i.e., its angle is less than 90 degrees (e.g., an overhang)—even a thief will have a negative modifier to his climbing roll

Climbing Checks

• for walls climbable by non-thieves, they have a base 40% chance to do so; use of a grappling hook and rope, pitons, or other gear adds a +40% modifier
• for non-thieves, a strength score of 13 to 16 confers a +5% modifier to climbing rolls; a strength score of 17 to 18 confers a 10% modifier to climbing rolls
• chain and ring mail impose a -15% modifier and plate mail imposes a -40% modifier to climbing rolls; climbing rolls made in leather armor or clothing are unmodified
• encumbrance of 76–100, 101–50, and 151–300 pounds respectively impose modifiers of -5%, -10%, and -15%; these modifies are in addition to the modifiers for armor
• negative modifiers also may be applied to climbing rolls for various conditions—moss, moisture, crumbling surfaces—or circumstances such as being attacked while climbing

Falling

• if a climbing roll is failed, randomly determine how high the climber made it before falling; e.g., if climbing 60 feet, roll a d6—a result of 2 would mean a fall from 20 feet
• precautions, such as securing the rope with pitons or roping together with other climbers, may arrest a fall; make a saving throw to see if each piton et cetera holds
• a climber who falls takes 1d6 damage for every 10 feet fallen; he may make a saving throw to avoid 1d6 of this damage, which represents slowing or partial arrest of the fall

Rates of Ascent and Descent

• if necessary to determine a rate of ascent or descent or the amount of time spent climbing, non-thieves climb 5d6 feet per round and thieves climb 6d6 feet per round
• bonuses to the rate of ascent or descent may added for favorable slope or plentiful handholds; these bonuses may consist of additional dice or a modifier to each die

Grappling Hooks

• grappling hooks can be thrown upward a number of feet equal to 1/3 of the character’s strength x 10 and twice this distance horizontally with sufficient throwing space
• to try to secure a grappling hook to a fixed point, roll a d6; on a 4–6 it securely grabs; for those with a strength or dexterity bonus, the hook securely grabs on a 3–6
• if the surface the grappling hook grabs is unstable or is potentially incapable of bearing the load, it is possible that the hook will come loose during the climb

Swords & Wizardry House Rules: Firing into a Melee and Missile Recovery

Firing into a Melee. Swords & Wizardry Complete states that shooting or throwing missile weapons into melee combat is unpredictable and that targets will be randomly determined by the DM, but provides no specific mechanics (see page 40). So I borrow the mechanic from the Planet Eris house rules. If an adventurer fires a missile weapon into melee combat, he makes an ordinary attack roll; if successful, he hits the enemy target. If he misses the enemy target, then he rolls a d6; on a roll of 1 or 2, the errant missile strikes a randomly selected ally instead.

Missile Recovery. After combat, an adventurer who fired a bow or crossbow must roll a d2 for each arrow or bolt fired: 1—the missile is broken or lost; 2—the missile is intact and reusable. Alternatively, an adventurer may simply assume that 50% of the missiles fired are broken or lost. The rate of breakage or loss may be higher if the missiles were fired under circumstances ensuring their loss (e.g., if fired over water or if dipped in pitch and set alight before being fired).

Swords & Wizardry House Rules: Encumbrance

Swords & Wizardry Complete addresses encumbrance in a fairly incomplete fashion (see pages 32-33 of the rulebook). It does not provide any weight values for armor, equipment, or weapons. So calculating encumbrance is not really possible on a by-the-book basis. Thus, I have supplemented the rules with additional information from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

Encumbrance

Swords & Wizardry's encumbrance rules are very generous. They assume that standard adventuring equipment is a mere 10 pounds, excluding armor and weapons (see page 32). I generally stick with this assumption for ease of computation. This is Dungeons & Dragons, not Audits & Accountants; detailed spreadsheets tracking encumbrance are not my idea of fun. So I usually guesstimate. But reasonable people sometimes disagree and it may be necessary to calculate encumbrance with greater precision if, for example, an adventurer is carrying a lot of equipment, or it is necessary to determine how much treasure may be carried away from a large hoard. Here are guidelines for doing so:

• 300 pounds ordinarily is the maximum encumbrance for normal adventurers (see page 32); strength scores of 12 and above permit adventurers to carry more weight (see page 7)
• for purposes of encumbrance, every 10 coins or gemstones is one pound unless exceptional in some regard (see page 32); for armor, equipment, and weapons consult the encumbrance tables below

Armor and Clothing

Type	Weight in Coins	Weight in Pounds
Plate Mail	700	70
Chain Mail	500	50
Ring Mail	400	40
Leather Armor	250	25
Clothes	30	3
Robe or Cloak	25	2.5
Large Shield	100	10
Small Shield	50	5
Helm	45	4.5
Boots, Hard	60	6
Boots, Soft	30	3

Equipment

Item	Weight in Coins	Weight in Pounds
Backpack	20	2
Bedroll	30	3
Bottle or Flagon	60	6
Candle	5	0.5
Flask, Empty	5	0.5
Flask, Full	20	2
Grappling Hook	100	10
Hand Tool	10	1
Lantern	60	6
Mirror	5	0.5
Potion	25	2.5
Rations, Iron	75	7.5
Rations, Standard	200	20
Rod	60	6
Rope, 50 feet	75	7.5
Sack, Large	20	2
Sack, Small	5	0.5
Scroll Case	10	1
Spike or Piton	10	1
Tinderbox (Flint & Steel)	2	0.2
Torch	25	2.5
Waterskin, Empty	5	0.5
Waterskin, Full	50	5

Weapons

Weapon	Weight in Coins	Weight in Pounds
Arrow or Quarrel	2	0.2
Axe, Battle	75	7.5
Axe, Hand	50	5
Bow, Long	100	10
Bow, Short	50	5
Club	30	3
Crossbow, Heavy	80	8
Crossbow, Light	50	5
Dagger	10	1
Javelin	20	2
Mace	75	7.5
Sling Stone	2	0.2
Spear	40	4
Staff	50	5
Sword, Bastard	100	10
Sword, Short	30	3
Sword, Long	60	6
Sword, Two-Handed	250	25
Warhammer	60	6

• the tables are not intended to be comprehensive; for any gear not specified in the preceding tables, formulate a weight in coins and pounds based on the values provided above as necessary
• for reference: plate mail, large shield, longsword, dagger, and standard equipment is 97 pounds with a movement rate of 9; substituting chain mail for plate would result in 77 pounds but the same movement rate