Requirement Roll

Emily Carroll

Thinking about changing things up with my (I am tired of saying old schoolish, DIY, dndish, etc, and I don't really find the term OSR useful, so how about) Basic Red classes. In the process I think I'm going to reassess the ability score requirements of so many old games and exotic classes. I like the idea of people being to play a really shitty dwarf in the same way someone can play a really shitty thief. But I like the idea of requirements as gatekeepers from everybody just playing nine elves in a row. So how about a d12 roll? You roll 1d12 and then you can be anything equal to or less than the value rolled.

This is what I'm thinking about for thresholds and classes, and what comic book artists I'd associate with each class (you don't have to look like that but you get 5% bonus XP if you do; that's right, I'm decoupling bonus XP too):

1 Thieves work weird now. They are from Mike Mignola.

2 Fighters work like LotFP (level as tohit bonus, press/fight defensively, quickly improving saves) and can make death saves to not die at 0HP like everyone else does. John Buscema.

3 Priests work like Prophets and follow Magic-User rules for armor and weapons. They all have strange faiths and new gods. Charles Vess.

4 Dwarfs are much the same but instead of deep dwellers they're just nocturnal and make homes deep inside pretty much anything (this is why they are always so grouchy during daytime) and have a great sense of smell instead of infravision. Mark Buckingham.

5 Magic-Users work like Wonder & Wickedness/VAM! and they all look like they came from almost any Doom Patrol comic except for the ones John Byrne made.

6 Judges are straight about healing and smiting and get the good armor and weapons. They serve The Church, whatever church that is. Brian Bolland or Kevin O'Neill.

7 Witches and Druids work like These Druids and Emily Carroll draws them

8 Elfs all work like BX Halflings. Wendy Pini, or maybe Jill Thompson, or Moebius.
9 Monks can be random or strange but they are all specifically Fat Cobra, Princess Mononoke, or Donovan from Darkstalkers.
10 Weird FLAILSNAILS races/classes always look like Scrap Princess designed them.

11 Barbarians, Rangers, Assassins, or any other AD&D style class that we just kitbash until it fits. Yoshitaka Amano, which I think is cheating.
12 Some manner of absolutely unique thing. I will extend the offer, whether it be allowing a good orc, a talking lion, weirder spellcasting, or giving you a gun. Something I would normally use an NPC for, now you can be that thing and get levels. If you don't like what I offer then fine, you get your pick of the other classes, go nuts.

If you have 2 or more ability scores 6 and under you may also be a Hobbit regardless of roll. Hobbits are a consolation class where each ability score 6 and lower unlocks bonus abilities, I will update this part when I finish that article. They are little Jack Davis people.

Those who suffer sanity-crumbling effects can become Crazy Boys. Crazy Boys all slowly start to look like silent film characters.