Old Style is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game heavily inspired by early editions of Dungeons & Dragons and other modern games in the OSR style. It's also inspired by other games, retro and new, that I think have neat mechanics and deserve some time in the sun. Ultimately, This is a personal hack of what my kind of beer and pretzels style game would be.
This page is a working document that will eventually contain all the core rules needed for anyone to start playing. I will be updating this regularly with devlog-style updates in the posts section.
Dungeon-delving, monster-hunting, and swashbuckling with a psychedelic spin.
- d20, roll under.
- Four abilities: Vitality, Wits, Agility, and Might.
- PCs are skilled, but squishy.
- Timer mechanics.
- Emphasis on rules modularity: use only what you need when you need it.
hack 'em. break 'em. take 'em & make 'em yours.
Goons
You're goons. Thugs, miscreants, ne'er-do-wells. Goons skitter across the grimy floor of the world, hustling and throwing down. When you're not working--which is often--you're wherever trouble seems to be. Left behind by the world, you get little in terms of honor and respect. But where there's an heirloom to be found or a monster that needs slaying, it's the goon who'll do it for a fair price.
The world is filled with lost and forgotten things. Built atop the ruins of previous empires, it sits like a teetering mountain on mysteries of the past.
Background
Roll 1d4 for your goon's background. Roll 2d6 for 2 traits from that background.
TK
Abilities
Abilities are the foundation of a goon and determine how well they are likely to perform actions.
- Vitality: fortitude, hardiness, and overall health.
- Wits: reason, perception, and willpower.
- Agility: nimbleness, manual dexterity, and precision.
- Might: strength, endurance, and stamina.
Roll 3d6 for each ability.
Hit Protection
A goon's Hit Protection (HP) broadly represents their ability to avoid physical harm, mitigate damage, and an overall kind of readiness for violence.
HP is fully restored with a full rest.
HP is equal to Vitality plus current proficiency bonus.
Luck
Despite the high mortality of goons in the world, they are notorious for possessing a stubborn ability to delay meeting the Maker. Luck spills from their guts before their entrails do. Rumors abound of the gnarliest fates some goons have narrowly avoided.
Luck is restored at a rate of 1 point per day with full rest. The rate is halved without full rest. There is no limit to how much Luck a goon may have. The GM may award luck for any reason, especially exceptional roleplaying.
Goons may spend 1 luck point per round to:
- reduce Risk Factor by 1,
- change a major complication to a minor one,
- change a minor complication to no complication,
- reroll a failed roll,
- to find a needed item on their person.
Goons cannot give their Luck directly to another PC. Lucky outcomes that benefit others are incidental and indirect.
The base Luck score is equal to a goon's bonus.
Bonus
With years to their name, a goon gets a little better at most everything they do.
A goon's bonus is determined according to their years of experience adventuring. Bonuses modify ability scores, HP, and proficiencies.
Bonus starts at 0.
Proficiencies
A goon's proficiencies are all the skills, big and small, that they develop over time. They are specific and specialized areas that may include anything from skill with a particular type of weapon to drafting and negotiating contracts (it's only a curious coincidence that both often end in bloodshed).
If a goon possesses a proficiency applicable to an ability check, they may add their bonus to their score.
Goons start with 2 proficiencies of their choice as well as any gained through background.
Encumbrance
Weight is measured in stone. 1 stone is roughly 5 pounds. The average longsword weighs approximately 1 stone. Carry includes anything held over the shoulder, on the back, or around the waist and hips. Items worn or held (unless it has Heavy property) do not count toward carry weight.
A goon is considered encumbered when carrying 1 whole stone above total Carry. They are considered immobile when carrying twice their Might score in stone. The player temporarily loses 1 point of Might for every stone above Carry. They must also make Might saves every 6 minutes. If they fail, they are exhausted and immobile.
Carry is equal to Might in stone.