Acknowledgements

Character Creation

Roll 3d6 for STR, DEX, CHA. Make saves / saving throws by rolling a d20 under these when appropriate (only when there are stakes associated with the situation).
Take 3d6x10 silver pieces (sp)
Choose: take 3 HP, or roll 1d6 HP

Experience & Advancement

Gain 1 XP for every silver piece (sp) spent on carousing, partying, donating, gambling, or other pursuits without material reward. Slaying monsters may award XP as well, but this is significantly more dangerous and less rewarding than stealing treasure.

When a character gains a level, do the following:

  1. Roll 1d20 for each ability score. If it is greater than or equal to the ability score, increase that score by 1 (up to a max of 19).
  2. Increase HP by +1
Level XP
1 0
2 2,000
3 4,000
4 8,000
5 16,000
6 32,000
7 64,000
8 128,000
9 256,000

Equipment & Encumbrance

Don’t track individual item encumbrance unless players try to exploit it.
Instead, players can choose an encumbrance state:

  • Unencumbered: always act before monsters.
  • Encumbered with supplies: can carry 2 weeks of supplies for wilderness travel
  • Encumbered with treasure: can carry 10,000 coins or one significant piece of treasure
  • Encumbered with armor: gain the benefits of heavy armor

Coinage: 1 gold piece (gp) = 10 silver pieces (sp) = 50 copper pieces (cp)

Weapon Damage Notes Cost (sp)
Club d6   1
Staff d8 long 2
Dagger d6 off-hand 3
Sword, Mace, Axe d8   8
Polearm d10 long 10
Sling d4   1
Javelin d6 thrown 5
Bow d6 long 30
Crossbow d8 slow 20
  • Off-hand: Can use in off hand (dual wield). Treat per “multiple attacks” rule.
  • Long: Uses two hands, impaired in tight quarters.
  • Slow: As long, and additionally cannot use if wielder moved this turn.
  • Thrown: Can throw a short distance.
Type Armor Notes Cost (sp)
Unarmored 0    
Shield +1   10
Light Armor +1   20
Heavy Armor +2 encumbered 150

Cannot wear light and heavy armor at the same time.

Transport Cost (sp) Carrying Capacity Notes
Mule 20 2x men CHA 10
Horse, Riding 80 2x men CHA 8
Horse, War 200 3x men CHA 12, requires double feed
Ox 60 6x men CHA 6
Cart, hand 5 2x men  
Cart, draft 15 2x beast pulling it  
Wagon 90 4x beast pulling it  

Combat

Encounter procedure:

  1. Reaction rolls: If disposition of the enemy is unknown, choose one player to make a CHA save. On success, enemies are at least neutral.
  2. Initiative: players make DEX save; successful characters can act before monsters, failures act afterwards.
  3. Turns: on their turn, a combatant can move and take one action (such as an attack).

Attacking:

  1. Players declare who they are attacking
  2. Multiple attacks: Roll all damage dice from all attacks against a particular target
  3. Choose single highest die
  4. Subtract target’s armor
  5. Deal remaining damage to HP
  6. If HP depleted, deal remaining damage to STR and target makes a STR save
  7. On failure, down & dying
  8. Repeat for next target until everyone on one side has acted
  9. Repeat for other side

Morale: Enemies must pass CHA save to avoid fleeing. Organized groups use leader’s save. Make morale save when…

  • Lose 1/3 of number
  • Lose 2/3 of number
  • Reach 0 HP (lone foes only)

Undead are always hostile, never check morale, and normally cannot be reasoned with (intelligent undead such as liches or vampires are an exception).

Fleeing requires a successful DEX save, as well as a safe destination to run to. If you are mounted and your pursuers are not, you automatically succeed at fleeing. Passing through a secret door will always evade a pursuer.

Death & Healing

If STR reaches 0, dead
If DEX reaches 0, paralyzed
If CHA reaches 0, comatose

Healing:

  • Short rest: Takes a few minutes in a safe, well-lit area. Heal all HP.
  • Long rest: Takes a night in camp and eat a meal. Heal all HP and heal d6 of one ability score.
  • Full rest: Takes a week in town and paying for room and board. Heal all HP and all ability scores (usually; depending on accomodations).

Dungeon Delving

The Clock: When you enter the dungeon, the clock starts at 20 (use a spindown d20 from MtG for this). Each turn, roll 1d6 and subtract the result from the clock. When the clock hits 0, a wandering monster is encountered and the clock resets to 20.

Turns: One turn of dungeon exploration takes about ten minutes, and generally allows the party to take one action, such as:

  • Open a stuck or locked door
  • Search the room thoroughly, revealing traps and secret doors
  • Take a short rest
  • Interact with a feature of the room, such as a trap
  • Move to the next room

Darkness: When the party does not have a light source, 1d8 is rolled against the dungeon clock each turn instead of 1d6, and they are unable to find traps or secret doors regardless of time spent searching.

Light Sources: Torches, candles, lamps, or the like require a free hand to hold them. One such light source is required for every 4 dungeon explorers.

Fleeing the Dungeon: When the party flees back to camp in disarray (as opposed to an orderly withdrawal), each character must make a save against DEX and CHA. If the DEX save is failed, they lose 1d6x10% of treasure obtained. If the CHA save is failed, they take 1d6 CHA damage.

Tunnelling

One man can move a 5x5x5ft cube of dirt every 2 hours, or the same volume of rock every 4 hours. The appropriate tools such as pickaxes and shovels are required.

Tunnels can be crawled through slowly if they measure 5x5ft, or walked through normally if they are 10x10ft.

Wilderness Travel

Wilderness travel turns take place over turns of one day in length. Each day, the party may take one of the following actions:

  • Move 2d6+8 miles towards another area
  • Explore the current area to reveal landmarks
  • Hunt and forage to recieve d4-2 days of food and water (natural features permitting).
  • Travel within the current area to a discovered landmark

Spellcasting

Spellbooks contain a single spell. Anyone can cast a spell by holding a spellbook in both hands and reading its contents aloud.

Spell Level: A spell’s effective caster level is equal to the amount of CHA damage the caster inflicts upon himself. This CHA damage can be healed with rests just as with any other ability score damage. The max spell level is 6th (and thus max CHA damage that can be inflicted this way is 6 damage).

Scrolls are similar to Spellbooks, however they burn to ash after one use, and are always cast at 1st level.

Casting: Unless otherwise specified, spells take 1 action to cast and require two free hands.

Duration: Unless otherwise specified, spell effects last for 10 minutes per spell level.

Counterspells: Any spellbook may be cast as a counterspell instead of it’s normal spell. A counterspell protects one person per spell level from the effects of one spell.

Spell Descriptions

  1. Animate Dead: Animate a number of undead equal to spell level. Roll d6 when spell ends: (1-3) undead become hostile, (4-5) undead collapse into dust, (6) undead serve the caster permanently.
  2. Augury: Perform a divination to determine whether a given course of action will result in “weal” or “woe”. The caster may ask one question per level. DM rolls a d6 secretly: on a 4+, the answer is truthful. Sacrifice 1d6 STR in blood to guarantee a truthful answer.
  3. Charm: Hostile creatures become neutral, neutral become friendly, and friendly creatures become infatuated. Affects a number of creatures equal to spell level.
  4. Circle of Protection: Draw a circle on the ground with chalk, salt, or blood. Undead, fey, demons, or other unnatural creatures cannot cross the boundary. Protects one creature per spell level.
  5. Control Weather: Control the weather, causing clear skies, storms, winds, etc as desired. Effects last for 1 day per spell level.
  6. Dominate: Release control of your own body and domineer that of a nearby creature. Subject saves to prevent.
  7. Fireball: Deals 1d6 fire damage per spell level to all targets in a small area (such as a melee or a room). Targets save for half damage.
  8. Fly: Fly at walking speed. Affects one creature per level. Spell is reliable for 10 minutes per spell level, then has a chance to end on each subsequent turn on a roll of 5+ on a d6.
  9. Hold Person: Paralyzes a number of creatures equal to spell level. Subjects save to avoid.
  10. Invisibility: Turn one creature per spell level invisible.
  11. Knock: Open one stuck or locked door within arm’s reach.
  12. Lightning Bolt: Deals 1d6 lightning damage per spell level to all targets in a line. Targets save for half damage.**
  13. Scry: Requires a mirror, crystal ball, still water, or similarly reflective surface. Remotely see and hear events that are up to 10 miles away per spell level.
  14. Sleep: Puts all within a small area (such as a melee, or a room) into a deep slumber. Subjects save to avoid.

  15. Speak with Dead: Ask 1d6 questions of the corpse of a deceased intelligent creature. Reaction rolls apply and negotiation may be required. Corpse may be dead for a period of time based on spell level…

    Spell Level Deceased for…
    1st 1 week
    2nd 1 month
    3rd 1 year
    4th 10 years
    5th 100 years
    6th 1000 years
  16. Third Eye: You can see all invisible, ethereal, and shapechanged creatures in their true form. You also see the auras of spells (both cast and prepared) and enchanted objects.
  17. Tongues: You can comprehend all written and spoken languages.
  18. Water Breathing: Can breathe under water for 10 minutes per spell level. Affects one creature per spell level.
  19. Wind Barrier: Buffeting winds prevent missile attacks from harming those within. Protects one creature per spell level.
  20. Wizard Lock: Locks one door, chest, window, or similar portal. Requires a knock spell or similar magic to open.

Monster Conversion

HP = HD + 3 (default to d6 if unsure)
STR, DEX, and CHA default to 10 each. Increment by +/-4 if particularly strong, brave, agile, etc.
Attacks: Use same die type. Multiple attacks are rolled as normal, but only the highest die deals damage.
Armor: Lightly armored or naturally armored monsters have 1 or 2 armor. Particularly impervious monsters (dragon scales, etc) have 3 armor.
Morale: B/X-style morale scores can be converted to CHA per the following table:

B/X Morale CHA score
2 1
3 2
4 3
6 7
7 9
8 13
9 15
10 18
11 19
12 20

Table: Morale-to-CHA Conversion

License

Creative Commons License
Cairn House Rules by Tyler Farrington AKA Underwater Owlbear is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.