Shadowblade: A new class for the Adventurer, Conqueror, King System

Shadowblade 

Prime Requisite: DEX and INT 

Requirements: None 

Hit Dice: 1d6 

Maximum Level: 14 

The Shadowblade can be seen as a Thief that wants more than to dabble into the arcane arts, or as a Mage that wants to improve its limited combat training. 

At first level, Shadowblades hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. Shadowblades advance in attack throws and saving throws as thieves, by two points every four levels of experience. They may fight with any missile weapons and any one-handed melee weapons, and may wield a weapon in each hand if desired. They cannot wear armor heavier than leather, and cannot use shields.

Shadowblades have the same thieving skills as a Thief of the same level. 

In addition, they may perform feats of acrobatics. In lieu of moving during a round, the Shadowblade may attempt a proficiency throw of 20+ to tumble behind an opponent in melee. The proficiency throw required for the tumble is reduced by 1 per level of experience the character possesses. If successful, the Shadowblade is now behind his opponent. The opponent loses the benefit of his shield, if any, and the Shadowblade can backstab his opponent (gaining +4 to his attack throw and bonus damage based on his level). Shadowblades also gain a +2 bonus to saving throws where agility would help avoid the situation, such as tilting floors and pit traps. 

Shadowblades cast spells as Mages of one-half their level, using the same spell list and the same rules for learning and casting spells. Unlike Mages, Shadowblades can also cast spells while wearing armor. They can use any magical items available to Mages or Thieves. 

When a Shadowblade reaches 5th level (Thaumaturge-Rogue), he may begin to research spells, scribe magical scrolls, and brew potions. 

When they reach 9th level (Shadowblade), Shadowblades may construct a hideout. When a Shadowblade builds a hideout, he will gain 2d6 1st level Shadowblades as apprentices, come to learn under a master. If hired, they must be paid standard rates for ruffians. These Shadowblades will serve the character with some loyalty, though at least one will be an infiltrator working for the Shadowblade’s local rivals, sent to keep an eye on the character. Additional rules for hideouts are detailed in the Campaign chapter. 

A Shadowblade also has the ability to backstab. He must catch an opponent unaware of his presence, either by surprise or by moving silently and/or hiding in shadows to sneak up on his opponent. When backstabbing, the Shadowblade will receive an attack bonus of +4 and, if successful, deal additional damage for every four levels he has attained. A Shadowblade at 1st through 4th levels does double the normal damage, at 5th-8th levels does triple the normal damage, at 9th-12th levels does quadruple the normal damage, and at 13th level or higher does quintuple the normal damage. 

Shadowblades have the following range of skills, which improve as the Shadowblade gains levels according to the progression on the Thief Skills table. 

When a Shadowblade attempts to make use of one of his skills, the character or Judge will make a proficiency throw of 1d20. (Usually the Judge will make rolls for these abilities, because a Shadowblade is not always aware when he has failed.) After applying any relevant modifiers (e.g. due to the complexity of a lock), the result is compared to the target value listed on the Thief Skills table below for the appropriate skill. A result that is greater than or equal to the value listed for the proficiency throw that corresponds to the Shadowblade’s level is a success. A roll of 20 is always a success, and a roll of 1 is always a failure. 

Opening Locks: With the aid of thieves’ tools, a Shadowblade may pick mechanical locks. He may only try to pick a particular lock once, and if he fails, he may not try the same lock again until he reaches a higher experience level. The Judge may apply bonuses or penalties to the roll, depending on the complexity of the lock. 

Finding and Removing Traps: Through careful inspection and probing, a Shadowblade may find hidden traps and then attempt to disable or discharge the trap harmlessly. A Shadowblade may only try to find or remove a trap once in any given area. The Judge may apply bonuses or penalties to the roll, depending on the complexity of the trap. If the Shadowblade fails, he may not try again until he reaches a higher experience level. Note that these are separate skills, for a Shadowblade must find a trap before he can remove it. 

Picking Pockets: This skill is the bread and butter of non-adventuring thieves for it is a quick source of income – though not without peril. A throw that is less than half the target value means that the intended target notices the thieving attempt. The Judge will then make a reaction roll with a -3 penalty to determine the intended victim’s reaction. 

Moving Silently: Shadowblades may move with total silence. When successful, even keen eared guards will not hear the movements of a Shadowblade. However, the Shadowblade always thinks he is successful in this skill, and will not know otherwise unless and until others react to his presence. Shadowblades may move silently at ½ their standard combat movement rate without penalty. If they move greater than ½ speed, they take a -5 penalty to the proficiency throw. If they run, they take a -10 penalty. 

Climbing Walls: Shadowblades are adept at scaling sheer surfaces, including walls or steep cliffs. They require a proficiency throw for each 100' they intend to climb. If the roll fails, they fall a distance equal to half the attempted distance, plus the distance covered by any previous throws, taking 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet. Shadowblades climb at ¼ their standard combat movement rate. 

Hiding in Shadows: A Shadowblade may attempt to skulk unseen in the cover of darkness. A Shadowblade will always think he is successful in this skill, and will not know otherwise until others react to his presence. A Shadowblade will remain hidden so long as he stays motionless. If he moves, he must make a new proficiency throw to hide. 

Hearing Noises: Shadowblades can attempt to listen for noises in a cave or hallway and at a door or other locations. The Shadowblade must be quiet and in a quiet environment. 

Level	Petrif. & Paralysis	Poison & Death	Blast & Breath	Staffs & Wands	Spells	Atk. Thr.
1-2	12+	13+	16+	14+	14+	10+
3-4	11+	12+	15+	13+	13+	9+
5-6	10+	11+	14+	12+	12+	8+
7-8	9+	10+	13+	11+	11+	7+
9-10	8+	9+	12+	10+	10+	6+
11-12	7+	8+	11+	9+	9+	5+
13-14	6+	7+	10+	8+	8+	4+

Shadowblade Level & Spell Progression 

Experience	Title	Level	HD	Acrobatics	1	2	3	4
0	Arcanist-Footpad	1	1d6	20+	-	-	-	-
2775	Seer-Hood	2	2d6	19+	1	-	-	-
5550	Theurgist-Robber	3	3d6	18+	2	-	-	-
11100	Magician-Burglar	4	4d6	17+	2	-	-	-
22200	Thaumaturge-Rogue	5	5d6	16+	2	1	-	-
45000	Enchanter-Scoundrel	6	6d6	15+	2	1	-	-
90000	Sorcerer-Pilferer	7	7d6	14+	2	2	-	-
180000	Mage-Thief	8	8d6	13+	2	2	-	-
330000	Shadowblade	9	9d6	12+	2	2	1	-
480000	Shadowblade 10th level	10	9d6+2*	11+	2	2	1	-
630000	Shadowblade 11th level	11	9d6+4*	10+	2	2	2	-
1110000	Shadowblade 12th level	12	9d6+6*	9+	2	2	2	1
1260000	Shadowblade 13th level	13	9d6+8*	8+	2	2	2	1
1410000	Shadowblade 14th level	14	9d6+10*	7+	2	2	2	2

*Hit point modifiers from constitution are ignored 

Proficiencies 

General Proficiency List: Adventuring, Alchemy, Animal Husbandry, Animal Training, Art, Bargaining, Caving, Collegiate Wizardry, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Endurance, Engineering, Gambling, Healing, Intimidation, Knowledge, Labor, Language, Leadership, Lip Reading, Manual of Arms, Mapping, Military Strategy, Mimicry, Naturalism, Navigation, Performance, Profession, Riding, Seafaring, Seduction, Siege Engineering, Signaling, Survival, Theology, Tracking, Trapping. 

Shadowblade Proficiency List: Alertness, Battle Magic, Bribery, Combat Trickery (disarm, incapacitate), Elven Bloodline, Familiar, Fighting Style, Lockpicking, Loremastery, Mystic Aura, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Quiet Magic, Sensing Power, Skulking, Swashbuckling, Trap Finding, Weapon Finesse.

Proficiencies Gained per Level (C=class prof., G=general prof.)

Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Shadowblade	C+G			C	G			C	G			C	G

You can get the PDF in the Downloads page.

Saints & Sinners

My friend +Gerardo Tasistro launched today his latest project on DriveThruRPG:

Saints & Sinners is a modern combat roleplaying game set between WWII and the Vietnam war. It's a light d6 game meant to leverage the player's decisions and GM ruling to create a fast paced adventure. The GM screen fits on a two sided piece of paper and includes all tables and modifiers needed to run the game. The quick start guide is four pages long and allows the players to jump into the game after rolling 6 stats and selecting basic equipment and skills.

Highlights of the game include:

• Fear and suppression as a key element in combat. Rate of fire, visibility and psychological reactions play an important role in the game. Spotting, attacking and relocating become key strategies as a player. 
• Chained hand to hand combat that links the attack and defence of opponents in a way that allows for the use of martial arts style and stance(offensive, defensive and neutral) to gain advantage when defending or attacking.
• Skills are easy to understand, describe and use. The team rules allow for character cooperation by pooling their skills to achieve greater chance of success when failure is not an option.

The game uses a novel 4d6 system requiring only d6 to play and is cantered around a task roll system that uses human readable terms such as hard, difficult, skilled or expert. It is detailed around combat given the nature of the game, but it can be easily extended by the players and GM to apply it for other tasks such as piloting, intelligence gathering, etc.

This is a rough-cut edition with extensive play test going on. Keep an open eye for updates and new releases of the rules. Your feedback is always welcome please follow the game and join our play tests and demonstrations in the Weapons Free community on G+.

Get your copy now (it's PWYW!), read it, play it, join the upcoming play tests. Let us know what you think.

On magic items

I totally dig this idea +Edgar Johnson came up with in his post The Shadow that Magic Casts.

Basically what (I think) he's saying is that wizards carry with them mundane items that, with time and after successive spells being cast, become magically imbued with the wizard's essence. Then, the can wizard use them as decoys so that the Ones Who Dwell Between couldn't get to him. But you better go and read the whole article yourself.

I can see everyone with wizards in their campaigns start building up these unique magical items. So, how would this work in your DCC game? The way I see it, the player will need to keep track of what items are being getting affected. Every time the wizard casts a spell, make a roll on his equipment list to randomly determine the affected item. 

• If the casting was a success, make a mark on the rolled item.
• If the casting was a critical success make 1d3 marks.
• If the casting was a failure and the item has been previously affected, erase a mark.
• If the casting was a failure and the item hasn't been previously affected, leave it alone.
• If the casting was a critical failure and the item has been previously affected, erase all the item's marks.
• If the casting was a critical failure and the item hasn't been previously affected, the item is then rendered useless for further enchanting. 

Maybe in case of a critical failure the wizard could spellburn to prevent the outcome. 

The DM would need to set how many marks are needed for the item to reach the status of magical. For example, to be  powerful enough as to be detected by the Detect Magic spell.

And now, a couple of questions: What situations attract the attention of the Ones Who Dwell Between? How this is affected by the number number of magic items the party has?

Another playtest

A while ago, I had the honor to be part of the playtest of the Blood for the Serpent King by +Edgar Johnson, which appeared as an add-on of DCC's Bride of the Black Manse by +Harley Stroh. 

Last night we ended playtesting another of Edgar's adventures (code name: Planet X). It started back in late January and we did about 10 sessions, in which almost all the guys from the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad campaign (+Adam Muszkiewicz, +Wayne Snyder, +James MacGeorge, +Phil Spitzer, +Doug Kovacs  and +Jason Hobbs) were present at one time or another (we miss you +Bear Wojtek).

We hope the adventure sees the light in the near future. Stay tuned!

The road to GenCon 2014

After many years of wanting to go to a gaming convention, finally this year I'm going to make it to GenCon Indy. Some of the guys from the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad crew went last year and encouraged me about going. I talked about it with my wife and, after doing the math and seeing we could afford it, she gave me the green light. So far the roadmap is on schedule:

• Buy plane tickets? Done.
• Buy 4-day badge? Done.
• Renew passport? Done.
• Get a non-immigrant visa? Process initiated.

Indianapolis here we go!