GLOG Two-Player Class: Ogre

An old and unfinished draft from 2019. Bad Whiskey Games beat me to the punch and my heart wasn't really in it anyway, but this is technically playable albeit incomplete, not a terrible writeup, so here it is for all.

The fearsome two-headed ogres cometh! For creatures so large and formidable, one may wonder why they aren't more ubiquitous. As it turns out, the two-headed ogre has a proclivity for getting in its own way; the perfect counterfactual to two heads being better than one. It's not that they aren't bright, contrary to popular belief, ogres are naturally quite gifted, and many an ogre head has trained in the finer arts of wizardry. However, the ogre bickers with itself so frequently, so tactlessly, so shamelessly, as to give the impression of being an adolescent dimwit. That said, an ogre whose two heads have learned to work in unison is a threat of both brain and brawn, not to be trifled with.

Luneder: https://www.deviantart.com/luneder/art/Two-Headed-Ogre-433111634

Unique Mechanics:

• The Ogre is played by two players! It has two heads but one body, so while they share physical stats, they have separate mental stats.


• The Ogre is a large creature, so adjust dice accordingly.


• The two heads may add abilities from the templates below, or take separate classes. If they take separate classes, only the head that took that class gains the benefit (if this would not make sense for some reason, consult your GM and come up with a reasonable solution).


• The two players choose their actions simultaneously in combat. They should write down roughly what they intend to do and hand it to the GM (or blurt it out simultaneously). The Ogre can attack twice, or attack and cast a spell, or attack and move, but only if moving towards the target. if one head moves away from the target that the other head attempted to attack, treat as a critical fail. Basically, magic resolves first, then movement, then physical attack.


• Outside of combat, the Ogre is assumed to function normally, unless the players disagree on a course of action. They can argue it out (in character, of course) until the GM gets bored, then the GM can make them roll to Punch it Out.


• Punch it Out: A coin flip or high-low on a die. The two heads punch, kick, and wrestle each-other / themselves in a cartoon dust-pile fight for a moment, and then take whatever action the winner of the roll decided. 

Starting Gear:

Template:
A
B
C
D

Tunnels & Trolls: Maximum Hack Pt. 2, Character Types and Talents

As I explained in the first post, this is an old draft I finally decided to publish. Apparently I never completed it, but it is what it is.

This is a continuation of TNT: Max, my heavily-modified hack of TNT (that may or may not get re-branded if I think it's sufficiently different from TNT proper). In the first post I talk about character creation and abilities, which I think maintain the spirit of TNT, while being more streamlined. Here I'll talk about Character Types and Talents.

Character Types

Warrior

The Warrior is virtually identical to TNT Deluxe.

• +1d6 combat dice per level (unarmed or melee weapon).
• Can double the damage reduction of armor but increase chance of it breaking (Roll SR LK for Wear & Tear).
• SR starts at 1, on each fail, increase subsequent Wear & Tear SR level by 1 and decrease damage reduction of armor by 1, until it no longer provides any more protection.
• No Magic

Rogue

I am not a fan of the TNT Deluxe Rogue. It seems to suffer from the "generalist" problem; it can do everything mildly well, but nothing exceptionally well, which is just not satisfying. I attempt to ameliorate that with this version of the Rogue. This version doubles-down on being a "skill monkey". Since I intend to heavily emphasize talents in this system as compared to TNT Deluxe, this will hopefully make Rogues much more useful.

• Start with one Level 1 spell and one extra Talent.
• Gain a number of spells each level with a total spell level up to their Rogue Level.
• E.g. A level three Rogue can learn three level 1 spells, or one level 2 spell and one level 1 spell.
• Once per day, can roll a LK SR in place of another SR at one level higher than the SR it's replacing.

Wizard

Other than gaining spells per level in addition to being able to learn spells by other means, wizards in TNT Max are basically the same as TNT Deluxe.

• Start with all first-level spells.
• Spells cost Wizard Level – Spell Level less PRE to cast (e.g. for a level 2 wizard casting a level 1 spell, the spell costs 2-1=1 less PRE).
• When casting with a focus (staff, wand, amulet, etc.) subtract Wizard Level from PRE cost (e.g. a level 2 wizard with a focus spends 2 fewer PRE to cast a spell).
• Only apply Combat Adds to Light Weapons.

Special Types

This includes Multi-Typing, Subtypes, Specialists, and other unique cases.

Multi-Typing

A character may choose to take the benefits of a different type. In other words, at Level 2, a Warrior may choose to take a level as a Rogue, meaning they would be considered a Level 1 Warrior and a Level 1 Rogue. It would not be practical to multi-type with Warrior and Wizard since they have certain mutually exclusive abilities (as a Warrior, you can't cast magic; as a Wizard, you can only apply Combat Adds to Light Weapons). In such a case, it may be better to make a subtype.

Subtypes

While it's fun to come up with new Character Types, sometimes it's more practical just to tweak a pre-existing Character Type. It's a good template to easily hack in your own Character Types without too much worry about balance or playtesting. I posted a few TNT Character Sybtypes that could be tweaked for this system pretty easily. In particular, if you want a completely non-magical Rogue, you can use the Ace; give them an additional talent instead of a spell at level 1, and they can add their Ace level to SRs when applying a talent in addition to the normal talent bonus.

Specialists

I have somewhat mixed feelings about including this feature from TNT Deluxe, but you certainly don't have to use it. If you rolled triplets on an attribute during character creation (put one or more asterisks by the attribute), they are considered "Specialists". You may want to tweak it depending on your setting, but I would say this should grant them something like a talent, or level 1 spell-like ability, as the result of a mutation or some other non-mundane means. It should be something that feels cool, but doesn't make them uber-powerful compared to the rest of the party.

Talents

Unfinished 🙃

Tunnels & Trolls: Maximum Hack Pt. 1, Character Creation and Attributes

This is a super old draft from like 2019. I kinda stopped with TNT after I had an off-putting interaction with one of the TNT devs (won't say which one, and will say explicitly it was nothing terrible, more just a difference of opinion?) and also because my Aquarian Dawn TNT Campaign got killed by covid (or maybe it had gotten disrupted by work, I don't remember anymore).

Anyway, I haven't been up for writing lately but wanted to post something, so I'm digging this out, make what you will of it. There's a part 2, I forget if that's sufficient or if I had left it in an incomplete state, but I'll post part 2 eventually as well.

design notes in this color

Tunnels & Trolls: Maximum

Or, 

The GLOG of TNT

I've been playing TNT for a little while now and really love the system. Here were my initial thoughts when I first started getting into it. This is my attempt to create a new version of the game, one that streamlines things and makes some heavy modifications, but is still true to what TNT is; in the spirit of DIY efforts towards old-school D&D from the OSR movement, and in particular GLOG. Even though I actually have very little experience playing GLOG, one thing that I like about it, is its emphasis on streamlining DIY and customization, and I hope this hack for TNT ends up working in a similar regard. While this hack does change the core game, it should be mostly backwards compatible with other versions of TNT, with a little bit of adjustment. It is probably presumptuous of me to assume this hack could have the same impact for TNT as GLOG has had for OSR, but that's the goal. I should also say that at this stage this hack is mostly untested, except for the pieces of retroactively integrated into my current campaign, but TNT is a simple enough system that I feel reasonably comfortable with the changes I've made to the system.

One additional note: I may decide to "rebrand" this entirely, removing TNT-specific terminology and making it effectively its own game, since TNT doesn't have a proper OGL or equivalent. My understanding is that the TNT people are pretty reasonable, but if I take this far enough, I'd like to actually have ownership of it, and I think the end product will likely be distinct enough to justify it. But at least for now I will continue to refer to it as a TNT hack.

I've been appreciating following Jones Smith's Fiction First system unfold at wasitlikely, so I've decided to break this hack up into several posts as well, and then I'll collate it all at the end. This makes it more manageable, and it also allows for me to adjust things based on any feedback.

Another note, I will likely continue to make new Character Types and Hacks for TNT Deluxe as I've been doing, but when possible, I will try to include versions for TNT Max as well, and also to make TNT Max versions of other Character Types I've already posted.

Character Creation

Roll 3d6 six times, drop the lowest two, and assign the values to the attributes Physique (PHY), Finesse (FIN), Presence (PRE), and Luck (LCK). You can be less generous at your table if you'd prefer, but I like to be nice.

If you roll triple values on any one of those 3d6 rolls, roll 3d6 again and take the total as a single value, and put a * next to that attribute for every triplet.

Either before or after attribute rolls, choose or roll randomly for a Character Type and apply any starting abilities.

Take an equipment package or some starting amount of gold (250 for instance).

Take three talents.

I've reduced the attributes for simplicity and out of personal preference. I'll explain my reasoning for these attributes next. Otherwise, this is mostly similar to standard TNT. I increased the number of talents because I think talents are a nice, light, flexible way to give characters special abilities, and talents will also effectively replace kindreds. I realize kindreds (race in D&D) is something many people like about the game, but I don't think it works as well with the decreased number of attributes since it's based on mulitplicative modifiers and how they affect combat adds. Even with D&D I prefer a race-as-flavor or race-as-class approach. However, if you want special kindred abilities, talents can be used in that regard (as discussed in a later post).

Attributes

Physique (PHY): This attribute reflects physical abilities, such as the ability to inflict physical harm, fighting skill, weight-lifting / encumbrance (if you're so inclined), physical durability, fortitude, etc.

• Use for PHY SRs.
• Add each point above 12 to damage total as Combat Adds.
• PHY also reflects the maximum amount of damage you can take before being incapacitated.

Finesse (FIN): This attribute reflects dexterity, flexibility, acrobatics, speed, agility, defensive maneuvers, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, etc. 

• Use for FIN SRs.
• Add each point above 12 to damage total as Combat Adds.
• Use for missile attacks and finesse attack SRs.

Presence (PRE): This attribute reflects certain ephemeral aspects of a person; their force of will, magical abilities, ability to draw an audience, etc.

• Use for PRE SRs.
• Certain spells have a PRE minimum in order to be cast.
• PRE also reflects maximum mana for spellcasting.

Luck (LK): This attribute reflects luck as an actual force of nature in the universe, but also gets used as a catch-all for things that might not fit neatly into the other attributes, such as item durability (Wear & Tear). In certain cases it is also used to defend against the effects of magic; primarily curses or magic which affects fates and destinies.

• Use for LK SRs.
• Add each point above 12 to damage total as Combat Adds.
• Use for Wear & Tear SRs.

Attributes are where this hack most differ from core TNT. I prefer to have a few, very broad, very archetypal attributes. TNT Deluxe attributes aren't bad, and I can understand why somebody might want to keep Strength and Consitution or Intelligence and Wizardry separate, but that's not what I'm doing here. I've said before on this blog that I'm a big fan of Cypher System, so this is somewhat modeled after that. I've always liked the idea of "Presence"; in part because I don't like Intelligence as a quantitative attribute, but also because Presence allows you to condense magical ability, charisma, and some of these other ephemeral qualities in a useful and interesting way, so you can avoid dump stats while still codifying these qualities. I don't plan on making the curse / fates aspect of LCK a major sub-system, if I make it at all it would be bolt-on, but I do think that with four attributes, it doesn't make sense to have magic condensed solely into a single attribute. 

In subsequent posts I will talk about the different character types, talents, character advancement, and other basic mechanics of the game. It is mostly pretty similar to TNT Deluxe except where it is accounting for these attributes, but I do try to somewhat standardize characters and NPCs with a uniform Character Rating metric, but I'm getting ahead of myself!

TNT Character Type: Mystic

Tunnels & Trolls (TNT) is a really simple game that I like quite a bit. I don't want to over complicate the game because it doesn't need it, but I do think it lends itself well to little OSR-like hacks. For instance, I'm working on rules for massive combat called the Mechs & Monstrosities Hack.

The warrior / rogue / wizard types in TNT are already pretty all-inclusive, but I thought I'd try my hand at designing an additional character type that fills a unique role or has a unique feel. I don't think it's adding anything that couldn't technically already be done in TNT, but hopefully it's interesting enough that people want to try it out anyway.

As with most of my stuff, due to lack of opportunity, this has not been playtested and will likely need playtesting, but hopefully it's a decent framework for what might be a functional character type.

This type fills roughly three roles:

• It's a mixed magic / fighting class. It's very different from the rogue, but like the rogue, can be a multi-purpose character.


• It's meant to fill the monk / psionic character archetype. That's mostly just fluff, and honestly any of the TNT types could be made to fit that archetype, but this models it a little bit more specifically.


• Inadvertently it's become a charisma / face class. While not typically associated with the monk / psionic archetype, it just kind of made sense with how I built the type, and I think charisma really needs a boost in TNT. For every other class, charisma is the only attribute that doesn't contribute anything besides SR; it doesn't add HP or MP like CON or WIZ, nor combat adds, nor spellcasting. So this hopefully gives charisma a boost!

Mystics

Not all magic is drawn from the metaphysics of reality, or the divine. Some magic is drawn from the self, from those with presence, with an indomitable force of will. Those with the training and discipline, who hone their bodies and minds, transform themselves into something exceptional: the mystic.

Some mystics are extravagant; they wear exotic outfits and carry talismans. They often preach the divine or the occult, whether they believe this is the source of their power or not, and draw the attention of others like moths to flames. When they walk into a room, heads turn. Their very presence demands recognition. Rich or poor, native or foreign, they have an essence, a charisma, that transcends socio-cultural barriers. Their bodies may be unassuming in appearance, but they can channel their mental energies into potent psionic force. 

Other mystics choose a more austere, ascetic life. They revel in manual labor, channeling their disciplined minds to strengthen their bodies. They are wise-men; they do not demand attention when they enter the room, but when they speak, others listen. They are more so warrior monks than mesmerists or occultists, but their power essentially draws from the same place, from existential and epistemological analysis. Their orders may acknowledge the spiritual, metaphysical, or divine, but they are more concerned with ordinary affairs, or philosophies relating to individuals. Some believe that their powers come from an arcane or divine source, but to these mystics, there is no meaningful distinction between the self and these outside forces.

Mystic Stats

• Can fight unarmed or with mystic focus weapons with (1d6 * STR Multiplier) + 1d6 + combat adds
• For human characters, this would mean 2d6 + combat adds
• This is the same as the Martial Arts rules in TNT Deluxe but with an additional 1d6
• Can spend 1 WIZ to add +1d6 combat dice when fighting unarmed or with mystic focus weapons, up to mystic level times per combat round
• Can channel psionic energy / ki through hand motions or mystic focus weapon for a 2d6 + combat adds ranged attack
• Cannot spend WIZ to add additional combat dice
• Use mental stats for combat adds when fighting unarmed or with mystic focus weapons (IQ, WIZ, CHA, LK)
• Can spend 1 WIZ on a SR to change a physical stat roll to mental stat roll: Str -> IQ, Con -> Wiz, Spd -> Cha
• Body and Mind are one: CON and WIZ are interchangeable for taking damage and casting mystic spells.
• Gain one mystic spell per level of mystic level or lower, in addition to being able to learn new spells in other ways (same as wizard and rogue)
• When using regular weapons, the mystic's psionic energy causes wear and tear to the weapon. Roll SR LK for wear and tear, on fail, the weapon deals -1d6 dice, and the next SR increases by 1 level.

Mystic Spell List

Note that this spell list was partially inspired by the psion GLOG class by Angus Warman of the Meandering Banter blog.

You can potentially include some wizard spells as well, although I do think mystics should have a more limited spell list than wizards. The spells should be evocative of wuxia, or something generally psychic / psionic.

Level 1

Third Eye

Cost: 2 WIZ

Duration: 30 minutes

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: Duration x2, or -1 to SR level

Restrict one sense to enhance another, providing +3 on SR rolls related to that sense.

Iron Fist

Cost: 2 WIZ

Duration: 1 combat turn

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: x2 Duration

Forearms and fists are covered in a metallic psionic coating, providing +3 armor for one turn when making an unarmed attack or attack with a mystic focus weapon (attack and armor on same turn as casting). Damage dice count as magical for any effect purposes. Armor bonus does not stack if wearing sleeved armor, gloves or gauntlets, or carrying a shield. 

Hovering Water Lily

Cost: 2 WIZ

Duration: 1 combat turn

Range to Cast: Touch

Range of Effect: 5'

Power up per level: Duration x2, or Range to Cast x2 (i.e. 5', 10', etc.), Range of Effect x2, or increase to size or weight of object (i.e. medium, large, etc.), or walk on walls.

Small, lightweight objects can be made to hover around the mystic or psionically tossed (possibly as improvisational weapon attacks). 

Whole Cloth
Cost: 4 WIZ
Duration: 10 minutes
Range to Cast: 5'
Range of Effect: Relative visual range
Power up per level: Duration x2, or increase size of object (i.e. medium, large, etc.), or Range to Cast x2, or add additional sensory effect (i.e. sound, smell, etc.), or capable of independent motion

Creates a small illusory object. If a target is suspicious (e.g. the illusion is implausible), roll a charisma SR to maintain the illusion. If the illusion is attacked, it immediately breaks. If the illusion is given a tactile sensory effect and used as an attack, it does not deal damage or provide combat dice, although on a successful charisma SR, the defender perceives 2d6 illusory damage, which is recovered as soon as the illusion is broken.

Level 2

There is No Spoon

Cost: 3 WIZ

Duration: N/A

Range to Cast: 5'

Range of Effect: 5'

Power up per level: Increase size of object (i.e. medium, large, etc.)

Through focus, the mystic can warp or break any small non-living, non-magical object (such as a spoon). If the object is being held or worn, such as a weapon, armor, or trinket, the target rolls for wear and tear, otherwise automatic.

Crouching Tiger

Cost: 4 WIZ

Duration: Passive for 10 minutes; 1 combat turn once activated

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: Duration x2, or number of defensive uses x2

Speed or charisma SR for a stealth attack against an enemy that does not see you. Roll combat dice for an opposed combat roll, and double the results if the SR was successful (otherwise regular damage). If the SR was successful but the opposed combat roll failed, take no damage. Can also be used to defend against stealth attacks for passive duration one time.

Level 3

Diamond Mind

Cost: 10 WIZ

Duration: 10 minutes

Range to Cast: Self

Range of Effect: Self

Power up per level: Duration x2, or Range of Effect x2 (i.e. 5', 10', etc.) to encompass allies

Mystics have immense willpower and even the ability to psionically impose their will on reality. They are immune to telepathy and can even fake their thoughts to a telepath (Charisma SR roll), and are protected by a shimmering aura that provides +3 armor against any kind of elemental attack and immunity to environmental factors.

ESP

As wizard spell, but level 3, cost 10 WIZ, charisma SR roll to succeed.

Discussion

Here are some design notes / concerns:

• Whereas the rogue is more like a true generalist, the mystic uses both magic and physical combat but in a more narrow way


• Giving mystics mental stat adds for combat and the ability to substitute mental stats for physical stats on SRs at a low cost reflects the "mind over matter" nature of monks, and can be flavored flexibly. It could be that they are shrimpy noodles whose "physical" abilities are entirely psionic, or they could be a shredded washboard whose physical strength comes from their indomitable will.


• Mystics have a more limited spell list than wizards (part of that is me being lazy, but even if I added more spells I want it to be limited), and are focused around wuxia and psionic-like abilities.


• Not unlike D&D, at low levels they're generally going to be weaker, because if they want to use mental adds then they have to fight unarmed or with a monk focus weapon which only deals 2d6, or maximum 3d6 if they pay 1 WIZ. This is hopefully offset by the fact that they can pretty much ignore physical stats, so they should have high combat adds and the ability to grow in both "physical" and magical ability more quickly than a rogue, who would have to spread their stats. As they level and can add more combat dice to their unarmed / mystic focus weapon attacks, they become more comparable to a warrior, but at the cost of WIZ.
• I'm still worried that this type is either woefully underpowered or woefully overpowered, it really needs to be playtested!