Due to one of our players having a bit of an accident that left her wheelchair bound for a few months and my place not being very handicap accessible, we’ve put our Waterdeep campaign on hold. Also, with it being the holiday season, players would be missing various sessions for various reasons. So, in its place, we’ve been playing Michael Curtis’ excellent Stonehell mega-dungeon (with, of course, some modifications and a bit of tongue in cheek). We are not, however, using Labyrinth Lord (for which it was published) or any other OSR systems or pre-d20 D&D editions. We’re still playing 5e. I’ve encouraged everyone to play characters “against type” from what they usually play and to use this as an opportunity to explore the rules of 5e and take risks a bit more.
Speaking of rules, we are using some house rules specifically for this little side campaign and that’s what this post will focus on.
No experience points are gained for defeating monsters or going on adventures nor are we using milestone xp. Instead, characters need to train to go up a level. The cost of training is a number of gold pieces equal to the XP that would normally be required to level up (e.g., it costs 300gp in training costs to reach 2nd level). Oh, we’re handwaving any training time. This is my “gold as XP” approach and, I hope, it also encourages the players to approach their adventures less from a kill things and take their stuff slog and more of a be creative and intelligent in looting the dungeon.
It also puts the players in the interesting (they might say agonizing) position of having to choose what to do with the treasure that they recover. Do they save and “bank” it towards the cost of training a level? Or do they use it to get better gear (e.g., better armor for a higher AC) to improve their chances of surviving a foray into Stonehell? Do they sell that magic item for a nice, tidy sum or do they keep it to use? Since resource management isn’t really that big of thing in 5e, but is for “old school” games, this introduces an element of that sort of tension.
As a general rule, long rests cannot be taken while in the dungeon. Do they risk pressing on after they’ve depeleted their spell slots, hit dice, and the like? Or do they return to the safety of the nearby town, Hawk’s Nest, to recover and recoup at the risk of the dungeon “restocking” as well? Given how some of the sessions have gone so far, this has added a different kind of tension to the game than our normal campaign. One that, dare I say it, lends a hint of an old school feel to it.
Oh, if the party does get “stuck” or “lost” in the dungeon and can’t find their way out, I do take pity on them. The organization, Hawk’s Nest Hellion Extrication, Liberation, and Perquisition Services (Hawk’s Nest H.E.L.P.S.), can come to the rescue and recover the survivors for a small fee of 100gp per PC per level. This gives the players the pleasure of yet another significant and potentially costly or deadly (if they press on) choice to make. (P.S., Adventures in Stonehell are called Hellions in Hawk’s Nest.)
Lastly, we are using Sidekicks from the recent 5e Essentials Kit. A sidekick can be hired for an equal share of the treasure recovered in the foray that they accompany the party. For some reason, the first two sidekicks hired were both named Bob (which became a theme). Originally, I had let everyone know that if they mistreated their sidekicks, word would get back and other sidekicks would demand a larger share of the treasure to travel with such dangerous adventurers. That, I soon realized given the number of sidekicks biting the dust, would require that I’d have to start tracking it so I came up with something else.
By decree of the World-Expansive Brotherhood-Extraordinaire of Buddies, Oppos, Bulwarks, and Sidekicks (aka WeBeBOBS), in the event of the untimely demise of a sidekick or in the event that they do not otherwise return from the expedition into Stonehell for any other reason, WeBeBOBS shall receive the share in lieu of the member receiving it. This seemed like an easier way (at least for me) to handle it. Oh, and yes, all the sidekicks are now named Bob…the guild of sidekicks is WeBeBOBs after all.
I found a random personality trait table of one word adjectives for NPCs (you can find it here). Each Bob gets one random adjective and I ham it up to the amusement, chagrin, and groans of the players. The sidekicks are known by these traits (e.g., Macho Bob, Self-Serving Bob, etc.). Outside of the hamming it up, the players largely control their sidekicks (with the sidekick going on their initiative turn to keep things simple). There is no guarantee that a prior Bob will be available when the PCs want to hire a new one. Originally, I was going to say one Bob per player. After our last session with four Bobs to be hammed up (Impudent Bob, Odious Bob, Smart Bob, and Weepy Bob), I might just reconsider that. 😉
That’s enough for now. I’ll post more about the different changes to Stonehell, the town of Hawk’s Nest, and my use of OneNote and D&D Beyond for running this game in some (near?) future posts.