Tenkar's Tavern: Low Level Monsters for use with 5e Basic from Legacy of the Crystal Shard

Monday, July 7, 2014

Low Level Monsters for use with 5e Basic from Legacy of the Crystal Shard

Via a Mike Mearls retweet of a Morrus (ENWorld) tweet - we have a document that gives us a selection of low level monsters for use with the 5e Basic Rules.

Very cool.

Legacy of the Crystal Shard - Encounters and Monster Statistics: D&D Next

7 comments:

christianJuly 7, 2014 at 10:36 AM
So awesome! How'd they know I needed a wererat and quasit stat blick? Sweet!
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Mystic ScholarJuly 7, 2014 at 11:32 AM
Considering the prices of the up coming publications, it's nice that they're throwing a few "teasers" out there to wet our appetites.
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JDJarvisJuly 7, 2014 at 12:06 PM
Thanks, it was interesting to see the monster stats because it puts more of the rules into context. methinks anyone worried about "bad saves" could just chill out and not worry about it because the DCs to resist monster attacks don't look to go very high.
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DeadstopJuly 7, 2014 at 3:00 PM
Note that these monsters use the playtest rules (you can tell because they have "level" instead of "CR," so their stats may not tell us anything definitive about MM monsters. Perhaps someone with the Starter Set could compare the goblin or orc here with the ones there and note any significant differences.
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UnknownJuly 7, 2014 at 3:06 PM
The XP will need to be adjusted if they come from playtest, but mechanically they will work to provide good challenges for characters made with the Basic Rules.
And by adjusted, I mean nearly doubled.
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Pun IsaacJuly 7, 2014 at 3:45 PM
I have this and the Murder In Baldur's Gate stats printed and in my 5E binder. I realize they're not made using finalized versions of the rules, but I have a finally they'll do until I get something more concrete.
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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

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Monday, July 7, 2014

Low Level Monsters for use with 5e Basic from Legacy of the Crystal Shard

7 comments:

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