The following article appeared in L’avant garde #70, December 1984. It is the last of nine articles by Phenster during Dave’s “Year of L’avant garde.” It covers the penultimate topic in Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules.

Apart from the categories, here under, I have only a few notes, which follow the article.

Categories

Regarding identification of magic items, Holmes only admonishes players against having “a hireling or non-player character flunkie try out a newly found piece of equipment” (39). Identify Magic Items by Trial goes in category [H] Holmes, as it only puts in words what we might already assume.

Holmes gives wands 100 charges (38) in text similar to that of OD&D (Monsters & Treasure 34). Holmes neglects charges for staffs, to which OD&D gives 200 charges. The Pandemonium Society is less generous. I class Charges for Found Staffs and Wands in [E] Extra.

Also under [E] Extra, I place the following magic items: Bone Sword, Witch Ward, Ring of the Arch-Mage’s Lament, Dungeoneer’s Haversack, and Robe of Enlightenment.

As they are drawn from cultural elements within Hazard’s campaign, I put Wraith Blades, Banelore Staff, and Ritual Masks and Skins of the Caerlon under [C] Campaign. DMs may want to tailor those items to their own campaign.

And my favorite item from the Great Halls, the Rod of ICBMs goes into the category [P] Pandemonium. Let this thing fall into player hands at your own risk. Special thanks out to my old high-school friend Rod Stanley for telling me—must have been sometime around 1984—about this most gonzo of magic items.

Notes

Charges for Found Staffs and Wands [E]: Failure of a staff or wand with 100 charges comes from “Dweomercraeft,” wherein the magic-user rolls a d12 to determine the successful creation of the charged item. See also Chance of Failure [E] in the follow-up article “The Study and Use of Magic.”

Banelore Staff: Phenster mentions, in “State of Pandemonium,” (Paradigm Lost #5, October 1985), that Mithrellas “is a wizard of the Seventh Order in the Banelore Cabal” (“Campaign Names”).

Ritual Masks and Skins of the Caerlon: Reference to the First Peoples appears in “MYSTERIORUM LIBRI” and “Monsters in the Deep Dungeons.” Phenster divides the powers of the masks and skins by double slashes (//) according to the length of time one has worn the articles: one day // moon cycle // a year and a day.

Ring of the Arch-Mage's Lament: “…it doesn’t take up a memorized spell. But after you use the ring, you can’t cast any more spells…” I’m not sure of what use any remaining spells would be to a lamenting mage if they can’t cast any more spells anyway. Phenster seems to allow the possibility. I assume that, by “fatigued,” Phenster refers to the effects of not resting after 5 turns of movement. See “Movement, Encumbrance, Carrying Capacities, and Resting.”

Dungeoneer's Haversack: In “Movement and Encumbrance” (May 1984), Phenster previously established that retrieving an item from a haversack takes only one round. The action can be done in combat as long as one is not under attack.

Rod of ICBMs: Phenster does not mention charges for rods in general nor of this rod in particular. The lone rod in Holmes (cancellation) “will function but once” (38). In OD&D, rods appear in Greyhawk, where they have 25 charges (48). One charge, 25, or a thousand—probably doesn’t matter in Kingdom Come.

This is the 38th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

This is the 37th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

Adventure Hooks

I enjoy treasure myself. As a DM, I like to put it in chests, hide it in cubbyholes, and secure it behind deadly traps. As a player, I enjoy opening the chest, discovering the old bag of gems in the secret niche, and realizing—sometimes too late—the devious trap.

Maybe this is—as the Pandemonium Society is often criticized—“not very sophisticated.” But all our high-minded, character-driven hooks and plots seem contrived compared to the simple lure of a chest full of gleaming treasure.

We might say it’s an easy out. An unimaginative DM’s crutch. The promise of fabulous wealth stacked up behind the threat of sudden death pulls the line of tension taut all by itself. But I say, managing the tension to create an engaging play experience is a challenge that few game masters achieve, whether with a treasure-seeking, character-driven, or any other kind of hook.

Not only must one build the tension, the DM has also to relax the stress from time to time, so as to pull the line back again a little tighter. Tighten and release, tighten and release, again and again, each time more tight. In this way, we build the tension over time and maintain player engagement until, at adventure’s end, the final release.

This isn’t so easy to do. I haven’t been terribly successful at it in my own DMing career. So I am unable to give you the key to unlock that success at the game table. Maybe some tricks are to build up the promise and the threat in alternating increments. Break the tension with comedy on occasion or by letting the characters rest to heal wounds and regain spells. Keep the tension high by denying the rest.

I do know that we must, both, make good the threat and deliver the treasure, without either killing the party or giving away so much treasure as to render the reward banal.

Part of delivering the treasure is to present the goods in an intriguing manner. As Phenster implies in “Wherefore Deep Dark Dangerous Dungeon Delves,” the party should “hardly ever just open a door into a room with a big hoard of coins and jewelery and magic stuff and the dragon out getting its internal fires rekindled.” Even among the piles of coins in a dragon’s hoard—which is properly dug out from beneath the dragon’s still writhing form—players will want to discover the more interesting items: A scroll tucked into a bone case—is it cursed? Or is it a high-level spell? A vial of rose-colored liquid…? And that glowing sword… are those elven runes?

You may have noted, as I did, Phenster’s qualifier “hardly ever.”

In any case, I am quite sure that, in addition to going in after treasure, we should break it up on occasion with a few other sorts of hooks. Phenster mentions a few examples. I break them into the following broad categories:

Exploration and Discovery

Whatever the characters are going in after, the players are often in the dungeon to explore it. They want to open the door, look behind the curtain, and see what’s at the end of the chasm. The last is Phenster’s example. These are not the usual hooks that we learn about prior to the adventure. The party discovers these locations already inside. Then, curiosity piqued, they desire to explore further.

We can encourage this curiosity with interesting dungeon environments. Gary Gygax explains in “How to Set Up Your D&D Campaign” (Europa, April 1975, 19), “Each level should have a central theme and some distinguishing feature.” We might further divide the dungeon level into sections.

Taking an example from my own Deep Dungeon Doom, one level is formerly a network of demonic charnel pits, long-since remodeled to fit other purposes. Now, adventurers must find their way through a minotaur maze and a grotto veiled in magical darkness, explore the upper and lower regions of a deep rift, and visit an ancient fortified dwarven drinking hall, presently occupied by an evil cult bent on releasing a baalgaur from the level above.

Quest

Phenster’s example is for a magic wand, but the object of a quest can be any sort of undertaking in which some journey is involved, whether self-motivated or instigated by an NPC. In addition to finding an item—magic or otherwise, a quest might be to rescue prisoners, capture some ne’er-do-well, or destroy an object. The object of a quest might even be, according to Phenster, to gain experience points.

Scenario-Based

A scenario-based hook is derived from the dungeon’s context or a situation in the dungeon. An example from the Great Halls is when the party learns of a gateway to Hell and takes it upon themselves to search for it. It can also be an organic situation that grows from campaign events, like when somebody else finds the gateway first and lets out a horde of demons.

Patron Mission

A patron mission properly falls under a quest. The only difference is that the patron pays upfront, or for some reason the PCs are beholden to the patron, so they are willing to undertake the mission. The party might even be on retainer, being prepared to do the patron’s bidding in exchange for a monthly fee.

Phenster’s example is the mysterious Angharad Called the Fane, who brings to mind Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser’s respective patrons, Ningauble of the Seven Eyes and Sheelba of the Eyeless Face. Though these examples are mysterious personages, a patron may also be of the more common sort.

Treasure

Fantastic Materials

Phenster introduces adamant and mithril into Pandemonium Society games. He describes both, detailing their uses, without giving any guidance as to their value relative to gold. Perhaps it’s best that we leave it vague for the sake of the DM’s freedom. I class these under [E] Extra, as these materials, with their roots in mythology and sometimes found in fantasy fiction, were in circulation among 1980s D&D groups.

Adamant [E]

With qualities of both unbreakable metal and hard stone, adamant has many and diverse uses. As a metal, it may be fashioned into weapons and armor as well as tools. It is also used in large constructions, such as the Gates and foundation of Pandemonium, one imagines, by pouring it, in its molten state, into a mold. Like a stone, it is cut into gems of extraordinary value.

Mithril [E]

Phenster cites as applications armor, jewelry, and architectural features. Unlike adamant, mithril has only the qualities of metal. Among those qualities, though, are strength and extreme light weight. Mithril is a favorite material of elves, who use it in their delicate architecture, which often must be supported by and woven into living wood.

Treasure Maps

I love maps as much as I love treasure. That the one might lead to the other is natural and right in all worlds, fantasy and mundane, and the presence of such wonderful items as treasure maps should be encouraged at every occasion.

Chance for Maps or Magic [C]

Comparing the chance for maps or magic in early D&D editions, Holmes follows OD&D at 25% (Holmes 34, Monsters & Treasure 23), whereas AD&D pulls it down to 10% (Dungeon Master’s Guide 120). In B/X, Moldvay, Cook, and Marsh move treasure maps into the magic scroll category, negating the initial roll for maps. One-quarter of scrolls are treasure maps, but only 20% of magic items are scrolls, which yields an overall 5% chance for a map result (B46, X45).

The chance for maps in the Pandemonium Society varies by Dungeon Master. Hazard goes by Holmes—25% chance for maps, while Phenster hands out only 10% maps, and Basel limits maps to 1 out of 12 (8.333%). The DM may determine a suitable chance for maps or magic in the campaign and share the information with players or not.

Treasure Maps Tables [E]

Phenster’s treasure maps tables are more generous than any of the contemporary sources: OD&D (Monsters & Treasure 23, 26-7), AD&D (Dungeon Master’s Guide 120-1), or B/X (B46, X45). I put the tables in category [E] Extra, but the DM may want to examine the tables and modify the numbers as seems fit. As the values go up with the die result, one might roll on the Treasure and Magic tables with a smaller die, especially on shallow dungeon levels.

I reproduce the tables here, changing only Phenter’s ranges to dice notation. These tables supplement the information given under “Maps and Magic Categories” (Holmes 34). On a treasure map result, roll d12 on the Map Find table to determine the kind of treasure. Then roll d12 on the corresponding Treasure or Magic tables. A result of 1 to 5 on the Treasure table gives you that many (n) d6s in thousands of gold pieces. I quote Phenster’s reminder:

The g.p. amount on the table is the VALUE of the treasure, not necessarily a bunch of coins. It could be lots of kinds of stuff, like works of art, paintings, statuettes, tapestries, books, etc.

Exceptional Value of Gems and Jewelry [E]

OD&D allows exceptional values for gems up to half a million g.p. Holmes (for low-level PCs) limits exceptional values to 1,000 g.p. Neither has exceptional values for jewelry, though OD&D gives base values up to 10,000 g.p. In a complex and adorable system of dice rolls, AD&D allows for increased as well as decreased values for gems and exceptional craftsmanship for jewelry (DMG 26). B/X gives the DM permission to raise jewelry’s value without further guidance, though Moldvay advises against it for Basic levels (B47). B/X offers no exceptional value for gems.

Though he doesn’t mention it, Phenster refers to the Gems and Jewelry sections under “BASE VALUE TREASURES” (Holmes 34). From Phenster’s text, it appears that, upon finding a gem or jewelry, Pandemonium Society players were allowed to roll the chance for exceptional value.

Gems

After determining the base value of a gem, roll a d6. On a 1 result, raise the value to the next higher and roll again. At the highest value, a 1 result indicates double value. As Phenster doesn’t specify, after doubling the highest, the DM may roll again or not as desired. You know what this DM would do.

Jewelry

Phenster’s text on the chance for jewelry’s exceptional value confounds understanding. In hopes of adding clarity, I show my interpretation as a table.

Electrum

“If electrum is added it is optionally worth either twice or half the value of gold” (OD&D Monsters & Treasure 39).

At least since Holmes Basic, electrum coins are worth only a half gold. But OD&D allows another option: one electrum piece equals two gold.

Electrum is an alloy of gold and silver. It occurs naturally. Silver was often added to adjust the gold-silver ratio. Generally, pure gold would not be wasted to produce it. Electrum also contains traces of other metals, including platinum. Without trace elements, an electrum coin valued at half a gold piece would contain 44.4% gold and 55.6% silver. I know this through a mysterious divination practice that hardly resembles mathematics.

Softer than gold, harder than silver, electrum is durable yet malleable. Because its refinement was easier, the first coins were minted from electrum.

According to my research, no electrum coin was ever minted containing enough platinum to make it more valuable than gold. Sometimes though, implementing a neglected rule can lend variety and perhaps verisimilitude to the game setting.

It is possible that Gygax & Arneson refer in OD&D to the increased value of some electrum coins to modern day collectors due to rarity and historical significance. In an RPG campaign it may be interesting and fun to give value to coins and artworks based on extrinsic factors, such as their worth to collectors. Though coming up with all the details might be tedious.

The Pandemonium Society gives a greater value to “electrum” coins by giving them an intrinsic value: mixing gold and platinum. Phenster seems to ignore that this mix is commonly known as white gold. We might, however, mix gold and platinum together with silver to make a so-called electrum coin with twice the value of a gold piece. The proper proportion would be 47.8% gold, 22.2% silver, and 30.0% platinum.

Pale Electrum [C]

Electrum coins are worth, either, one-half g.p. or 2 g.p., called yellow and pale electrum, respectively. The DM may decide the value per case or roll for it, 1 out of 6 electrum hoards being worth 2 g.p. per coin.

In my own DONJON LANDS campaigns, iron age and later cultures no longer use electrum, as a general rule. Alloyed coins, both pale and yellow, are minted by bronze age cultures, and they show up, of course, in ancient treasure hoards.

Coin of the Realm [C]

Creating a fantasy campaign, one cannot ignore the nomenclature of coin. Even if you are running a simple campaign, giving names to the denominations of precious metal pieces, in Phenster’s words, “makes the world seem more real,” with little effort.

The Pandemonium Society uses a campaign’s theme to inspire the names. In addition to the currently minted coin, they also give generic names to coins of various ancient mint recovered from dungeon forays.

These last are essentially part of the adventurers’ argot, terms used to differentiate ancient coins from local currency. The practical difference is that gold “standards” and silver “keys” must be exchanged in base town, usually for a 10% fee.

I reproduce Phenster’s table showing the various coins of the realm from Pandemonium Society campaigns.

The following text is from L’avant garde, the Newsletter of the East Middleton Wargamers Association, #69 (November 1984).

This is the 36th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

This is the 34th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

As written, Holmes allows magic-users to create spell scrolls at 1st level. The rules, being for only 1st- to 3rd-level player characters, don’t mention creating other magic items. They also don’t mention a cleric’s ability to make scrolls.

A magic-user of any level may also research new spells in Holmes. The cost is 2,000 g.p. and one week of time—both per spell level, after which the magic-user has only a 20% chance of success.

The same cost in time and gold for spell research is required in the original rules. But in OD&D a magic-user may invest more gold to increase the chance of success. The magic-user may spend the same money again and again to get an additional 20% chance of success for each additional spend, up to 100%.

“Wizards and above may manufacture for their own use (or for sale) such items as potions, scrolls, and just about anything else magical” (Men & Magic, 6).

In OD&D, only wizards—that is, magic-users of 11th level and higher—may create magic scrolls and other magic items. The cost is similar to that of spell research, as is the chance of success.

Without setting a hard level limit on magic item creation, the required spells set the lowest level at which a particular item might be created. The cost limits the number of items created. Rare components keep the DM in control.

In “Dweomercraeft” (L’avant garde #61, March 1984), Phenster outlines the Pandemonium Society’s rules for magic-use, crafting magic items, and researching spells. The Pandemonium Society allows spell-casters, whether magic-users or clerics, of any level to create magic items, provided they can acquire (by adventuring) any rare components, have the spell(s) required, and money for special components, plus money and time per spell level.

Without setting a hard level limit on magic item creation, the required spells set the lowest level at which a particular item might be created. The cost limits the number of items created. Rare components keep the DM in control.

The following house rules are extracted from Phenster’s article. Most of these rules expand on Holmes. Elven Magic and Lost Lore impact the premise behind a campaign, whereas Phenster admits Real Elven Magic is too powerful and Counter-Spell is less efficient than a well-placed projectile. I categorize these as [C] Campaign and [P] Pandemonium. Because Phenster only adds that we need a library, I put Spell Research in [H] Holmes.

Spell Acquisition

Spell Books [E]

Magic-users add spells to their spell books by copying them from other sources (scrolls, books, and dungeon walls, for example) and by spell research.

Elven Magic [C]

Elves are innately magical. Elven magic-users know a number of spells according to their level as noted in the magic-user’s Number of Spells per Day table. When they gain a new level, elves automatically know additional spells granted by their level. Elven magic-users know read magic, but they must cast it instead of another daily spell, whether 1st level or higher. Elven magic-users do not use spell books.

Real Elven Magic [P]

Elves of any class can cast read magic, detect magic, and protection from magic once per day. Casting these spells does not use the power of any daily spells the elf may or may not have.

Unknown Spells Not Recorded [E]

As in Holmes, to copy a new spell into their spell books, magic-users must roll on the Chance to Know Spell table (Holmes, 13). Success means the magic-user knows the spell. Failure means the magic-user cannot learn the spell from the given medium. Diverging from Holmes, when encountering the spell from a different source, the magic-user may make another attempt to know the same spell.

Counter-Spell [P]

A magic-user may use the power of any spell memorized to counter the effect of another magic-user’s spell. To throw a counter-spell, the magic-user must have the initiative on the opposed magic-user and must state, on his or her initiative count, the intention to counter-spell. (Here the magic-user Holds Action [E], if that rule is used.) The counter-speller cannot perform any other actions. When the opposed magic-user casts a spell, the counter-spell caster acts on the same initiative count. If the spell being used is of the same as or a higher level than the spell being cast, the counter-spell negates the spell’s effect. Successful or not, the spell used to throw a counter-spell is lost.

Lost Lore [C]

“Dweomercraeft in the Heptarchy reached a pinnacle a long, long time ago, before the Old Empire, even before the Age of Myth. Now only spells from the rulebook are commonly known among Esoterics…”—Phenster, “Dweomercraeft”

To determine beginning spells for PCs, only spells from Holmes are allowed. Spells from other sources are “lost lore.” Magic-users discover lost lore on uncommon spell scrolls, spell books, and elsewhere, and through spell research. The DM favors spells from Holmes for NPC spell books and spell scrolls on upper dungeon levels. On deeper levels, more lost lore may be found.

Creating Holy Water [E]

To create one vial of holy water, a cleric casts bless on pure water in a font of at least 500 g.p. value. The ritual takes one turn and produces one vial of holy water.

Craefting Magic Items [E]

Magic-users and clerics of any level may create magic items provided they have time, money, access to a laboratory, and can cast the requisite spells. Given below are the cost in time and money to create each item type. Component materials are shown with any additional notes. Component costs are usually included in the base cost. The DM determines spells required, any special components necessary, and their cost.

Scrolls

Cost: 100 g.p. and 1 week per spell level.
Materials: parchment or vellum, quill, and ink.
Note: up to 7 spells may be written on one scroll. No chance of failure.

Potions

Cost: 300 g.p. and 1 week per spell level.
Materials: special ingredients.

Wands and Staffs

For wands and staffs without charges, see Miscellaneous Magic hereunder.

Cost: 500 g.p. per spell level per charge and 1 week per spell level plus 1 day per charge.
Materials: wand or staff.
Note: 100 charges maximum.

Miscellaneous Magic

Cost: 10,000 g.p. and 1 month per spell level.
Materials: varies according to item.

Weapons and Armor

Cost: 10,000 g.p. and 1 month per +1 bonus.
Materials: weapon or armor.

Rings

Cost: 20,000 g.p. and 2 months per spell level.
Materials: finely crafted ring of precious metal.

Non-Player Craefters

An NPC magic-user or cleric might be induced to create a magic item. The time required is the same, but the cost is at least double. An alchemist may create potions in half the time at twice the cost.

Spell Research [H]

Magic-users can add new spells to their spell book through research. Researching a new spell costs 2,000 g.p. and 1 week per spell level. Access to a library is required. The chance of failure applies.

Chance of Failure [E]

When creating magic items (except scrolls) and researching new spells, the chance of failure is 1 out of 12. After spending the gold and time required, the craefter tests the item. A 1 result on a d12 indicates failure. Testing charged items consumes one charge.

The Boomtown Rule

“The Boomtown rule says that the price of stuff goes up when a lot of treasure comes out of the dungeon and into the town. … The price of everything doubles when the highest level PC gets to 4th level. It doubles again at 8th, 12th, etc. Everything means everything: from ale at the tavern to guild fees and hireling rates.”—Phenster, “Dungeoneering”

Phenster does not explicitly mention it in “the Boomtown rule,” but if “everything means everything,” the rule applies also to magic item creation, and craefting becomes an expensive hobby.

Comparative Examples

I show Phenster’s examples to compare cost and power. I convert weeks and months to days, using 4 weeks or 28 days for one month.

Phenster’s “Dungeoneering” article (L’avant garde #74, August 1985) begins with typical subterranean obstacles before diverging into magic items, other equipment, and monsters, in addition to “the Boomtown Rule.” The ring of plate mail, salt’s effect on zombies, and the (non-intelligent) enormous spider come from the first edition (1st through 3rd printings) of Basic D&D (1977), as does the dwarven war hammer.¹ This diverse collection of rules is all over the book. I arrange them in Bluebook order.

I find no improvements to make in Phenster’s text describing the monsters. I, therefore, leave the descriptions of the cargolith and the enormous spider as is. I add only a category to each: Cargolith [C] and Enormous Spider [E].

Seeing in the Dark

Phenster doesn’t go into details about Dark Sight [E]. I add that light interferes, as in Holmes, and that a dark-sighted character cannot read in the dark.

Holmes doesn’t specify the later. If we wanted to allow it, we could justify reading in the dark by a different physical process or some innate magic. The advantages of an all dwarf/elf party who could read and see clues in frescoes and wall markings without light, however, might be too tempting and, so, upset any balance of character choices.

With that in mind, many intelligent dungeon dwellers, though they can see in the dark, may still have want of light.

Dark Sight [E]

Monsters, including dwarves and elves but not humans or halflings, can see up to 60 feet in the dark. Any light source interferes with this dark sight. Dark-sighted creatures cannot read without light.

Finding Traps

Regarding traps, Holmes only states that a character springs a trap on a d6 roll of 1 or 2 (10), and a table gives a thief’s chance to remove it beforehand (12). Phenster describes how the Pandemonium Society finds traps without tripping over them.

Find Traps [E]

Players may find a trap by describing how and where the character searches. No dice roll is required. Concealed traps may be discovered only by thieves, who have the same chance to find a trap as they have to remove it.

Force Doors [E]

With a roll of 1 or 2 on a d6, a character may force a stuck or locked door on the first attempt. Strength modifiers are subtracted from the dice roll. A 6 result indicates the door remains intact. Only a character with a higher strength score can open it on a successful roll. On any other result, the door still blocks sight but may be opened without any further dice roll.

Using this rule, we avoid the tedious series of dice rolls and get more impact out of a single throw. Keeping the 6-result failure in combination with the strength modifier allows for more serious consequences for characters of average strength and below.

Normal Weapons

War Hammer [E]

A war hammer does d6 damage (as an ordinary weapon in the Damage Dice by Weapon Class Table) and may be thrown up to 30 feet (as a hand-hurled axe [Holmes, 20]).

Hand-and-a-Half Battle Axe [E]

A battle axe may be wielded in one or two hands. With one hand, it deals d6+1 damage and is treated as a normal weapon with regards to initiative order.² Two-handed, a battle axe deals d6+2 damage and is treated as a two-handed weapon, that is, it goes last in the round.³ (See the Attack Priority by Weapon Quality Table in “Weapon Damage and Attack Priority.”)

Caltrops [E]

A creature moving through strewn caltrops must slow to half speed to avoid stepping on one. Moving at normal speed, a creature has a 50% chance of taking 1 point of damage. A creature who steps on a caltrop moves at half speed until the damage is healed. One bag of caltrops, costing 1 gp, covers a 100-square-foot area, e.g. 10' × 10'.

Salt [P]

A handful of salt does d8 damage to zombies. To hit, treat the missile weapon as an oil flask (Holmes, 19) with a maximum range of 10 feet. One bag of salt containing 12 handfuls costs 1 gp.

Magic Items

Magic Swords

“Weapons with a plus after them are magical and the user adds the plus to his die roll for a hit… Magical weapons other than swords always add their bonus to both hit probability and to the points of damage scored” (emphasis mine, Holmes, 37).

Holmes carries the magic sword rule forward from OD&D, which states:

“The swords all receive bonuses as far as the probability of hitting an opponent is concerned, but some also gain a damage bonus when they do hit. These swords are those with a +2 or +3 against specific creatures, but not those with a general bonus of +2 or +3” (Monsters & Treasure, 30).

The Pandemonium Society, like most of us at the time, gives swords the same bonus to damage as to hit. The society also uses the glowing sword rule, possibly borrowed from AD&D, wherein “Most swords (and all daggers) of magical nature shed light when drawn from their scabbard” (DMG, 165; see also PHB, 102). Wondering why only 20% of swords would have this property, I add that these swords are made in a certain era or perhaps in a certain land. Thus the [C] Campaign designation.

Magic Sword Bonus Damage [E]

A magic sword gives its magic bonus to the damage roll as well as the attack roll.

Glowing Magic Swords [C]

One out of five magic swords sheds light in a 10-foot diameter when drawn. With rare exceptions, glowing swords were enchanted during the time of the Old Empire.

Dwarven War Hammer [E]

For any character, this is a +3 magic weapon. A dwarf can throw it up to double normal range (60 feet) without a range penalty. If it misses its target, the hammer comes back into the dwarf’s hand. A hit scores an additional d6 damage or 2d6+3. If the target is a giant, the damage is 3d6+3.

Rings of Armor [E]

These magic rings of plate mail, chain mail, and leather armor confer the respective armor’s AC to the wearer with an additional bonus equal to the ring’s magic bonus, +1, +2, or +3. The magic bonus is also applied to saving throws. A character wearing equal or better armor gets only the bonus to saves.

The Boomtown Rule [P]

As adventuring parties haul wealth out of the dungeon and into base town, the local economy suffers from inflation. To model the situation in a simple way, double prices for all goods and services when the player party reaches 4th level of experience. Double all prices again at 8th and 12th levels, and so forth.

This rule should only be used—if at all—in a campaign where most of the found treasure comes into a single town.

¹ Zenopus Archives provides an exhaustive list of changes between Holmes’ first and third editions. Note that we have, within the “Holmes edition” of D&D, three editions of the blue booklet, each edition having a number of printings.

² I take the idea for a one-handed battle axe from Paul Siegel, who suggests fixing a broken concept in B/X by removing the asterisk (which designates a two-handed weapon) from the battle axe. Siegel credits another for the idea in an episode of Wandering DMs. I regret that I can’t find the episode with the mention.

³ Retaining the two-handed battle axe and increasing the damage is my own idea.

In his “Dispatch from the Campaign Desk” in L’avant garde #74 (August 1985), editor Dave writes: “From the Pandemonium Society, we get some new twists on old rules and an armored personnel carrier for your fantasy wargame campaigns!”

Another curiosity in Holmes is the player character move rates. The Movement Table (9) shows that an “unencumbered, unarmored man” explores the dungeon at 240 feet per ten-minute turn, a fully armored man at 120. This corresponds to OD&D, wherein “Two moves constitute a [ten-minute] turn” and, so, a fully armored character moves 120 feet in a turn (The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures, 8).

A discrepancy arises, though, when we consider monster move rates. Man-sized creatures move from 60 feet to 120 feet per turn. An orc, for example, has an armor class of 7 (leather armor) and moves at 90 feet per turn. Inserting a line between unarmored and fully armored characters for “half armor” on Holmes’s table (as does Phenster), a leather-armored character would move at 180 feet per turn or twice as fast as the orc.

As written, the rules leave no room for ambiguity. Each monster entry is explicit: “Move: 90 feet/turn,” to use the orc example.

In “Movement and Encumbrance” (L’avant garde #63), Phenster gives weight-allowance ranges then admits to estimating encumbrance. I give Movement Rates [H] to align character move rates with those of monsters, which includes estimated encumbrance, and Encumbrance [E] as the more detailed option. Further, I separate extra and super heavy loads into another rule in the [P] Pandemonium category. Phenster adds carrying capacities for haversacks and pouches, which I put in the [E] Extra category.

On resting, Holmes stipulates that “one turn every hour should be spent motionless” (9), as does OD&D (The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures, 8), without exacting any penalties should the players ignore the requirement, which we often did. Phenster adds consequences. Resting [E] is informed by Chainmail (11).

Movement Rates [H]

A character’s movement rate is limited by armor worn and treasure carried according to the table below. The movement type depends on the situation, explained after the table. Units are feet per turn unless otherwise shown in the header. The max weight column is given for use with Encumbrance [E].

Note: “Normal” rate refers to the normal move speed in the dungeon (see table).

Dungeon

Normal: Moving in cramped, dim spaces is hazardous even without the threat of monster attack or unseen pitfalls. Characters may move at normal rate over familiar terrain. Still, they are surprised on a 1 to 3 and may not notice any changes since their last passage. Other move rates are derived from the normal speed.

Exploring: Wary of lurking monsters and on the lookout for hidden treasure, a character moves at half normal rate while exploring.

Combat: In a 10-second combat round, a creature can move and normally defend itself while moving ¹⁄₆ the distance it can explore in one turn.

Faster Movement

Phenster shows a running rate of twice normal speed for dungeon environments and adds the option to run during combat outside melee. I add running outdoors up to three times the move rate. I also add forced march for long-distance overland travel.

At any movement rate, except exploring and journey, creatures can double or treble their speed within limits defined below. In the dungeon, running is twice or thrice normal move rate (not the exploring rate). Moving faster than the given rate, a creature is surprised on a roll of 1 to 4.

Double time: An unencumbered character can double-time for 3 turns. A half-armored character for 2 turns. Fully-armored 1 turn. A character burdened with a heavy load cannot run.

Sprint: Sprinting is three times the current rate. Flank attacks on a sprinting character are made as if to the rear (see Flank and Rear Attacks [E]), gaining a +2 bonus on the attack roll. After sprinting one round, fully-armored characters cannot run (sprint or double-time) the next round.

Forced march: Traveling overland, characters may move half again their journey rate for one day. They must rest the next day or be fatigued (see Resting [E], below).

Outdoors

Wilderness and journey rates are considered the base move, which is further modified by terrain type. We’ll get to that later.

Town: Characters can move through non-threatening, well-lit, open spaces ten times faster than in dungeons, assuming they are not making a map either. In poor lighting conditions, the rate is halved.

Wilderness: Exploring a dangerous but open environment, characters move at three times the normal dungeon rate. The wilderness rate is expressed in yards per turn. Again, halve the rate in poor lighting conditions.

Journey: Overland travel is 11 times faster than the normal move rate in the dungeon. The journey rate can be derived from the normal dungeon move rate divided by 10 in miles per day.

Heavy Loads [P]

Phenster’s table breaks heavy loads into three weight ranges. Characters so encumbered cannot run, and those with extra and super heavy loads take penalties in combat and cannot travel long distances. All that adds a certain realism but is over complex for the Holmes spirit, so I separate this rule from Movement Rates [H].

Encumbrance [E]

Encumbrance is measured by an item’s category according to the following table. Only armor, weapons, and treasure are considered. All other items are counted in the standard allowance, which is 100 coins. Weapons by weight are given in the Damage Dice by Weapon Class Table in “Weapon Damage and Attack Priority.”

Strength adjustment: A character can carry 200 additional coins for every +1 bonus for strength or 100 fewer coins for every −1. (See “Ability Score Modifiers in the Great Halls of Pandemonium.”)

Carrying Capacities [E]

These are the carrying capacities of common containers.

Resting [E]

Characters must rest for one turn after exploring for five turns, running, or combat. The number of turns a character can run without resting depends on their encumbrance (above).

Characters who do not rest suffer a −1 penalty on attack and damage rolls and move at the next slower category. Hirelings check morale at −1 on the dice (see Morale [E]). For every five more turns exploring or any running or combat, the penalties increase by 1 and the move rate goes down another step. Unencumbered characters moving slower than their move rate don’t need to rest.

This is the 30th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.