Classless Lamentations of the Flame Princess

I enjoy the idea behind the old school inspired Lamentations of the Flame Princess, but I've never been a fan of class levels, especially without multiclassing. So as a simple thought exercise, I came up with this approach for a point buy or classless LotFP:

Classless LotFP

This topic is to discuss the concept of classless LotFP.

The purpose is threefold:

1) It's fun! (I love tinkering, like most other gamers)
2) It will help give me a better understanding of the game!
3) It might actually work!

I would never suggest though  that this is the way it should be done, just how it could be done.

What makes a class?

1) Hit points
2) Skill points
3) Bonus to hit
4) Spellcasting
5) Saving Throws
6) Bonus to attribute
7) Combat technique
8) Armor usage with spells
9) Miscellaneous rules

1) Hit Points

Needs to be taken each level to get effect, may be taken once per level
Let's ignore the MU for a moment and say that the default is 1d6
1 pt: d8
2 pt: d10
3 pt: d12

2) Skill Points

May be taken twice at chargen, once per level Skill points are bought individually
1 pt: 1 skill
3 pt: 2 points in one skill

3) Bonus to hit

May only taken once during chargen, and only once per level
2 pt: +1
5 pt: +2

4) Spellcasting

MU or Cleric spells, can't cast while more than lightly encumbered by definition
May only taken once during chargen, and only once per level
Move up a level in spellcasting: 2 pts (use either MU or cleric depending on type taken)

5) Saving Throws

May only taken twice during chargen, and only once every other level
1 pt: add 1 to each
1 pt: add 2 to two of the five

6) Bonus to attribute: (like the dwarf or halfling)

Only once every four levels and never on the same attribute
2 pt: add 1

7) Combat technique

Only need to do each once
1 pt: Defense/Parry bonus
1 pt: Push

8) Armor usage with spells

1 pt: Cast spells while heavily encumbered (like an elf)
3 pt: May cast spells with any encumbrance (2 pt if you already have the ability to cast spells while heavily encumbered)

9) Miscellaneous

2 pt: to increase encumbrance
2 pt: to allow con bonus to hp after 9th level
2 pt: to memorize and additional spell per level (doesn't affect # of spells that can be cast)
2 pt: only surprised on 1 in d6

Character generation

Characters get 8 points to start and 3 points per level. One point may be saved and carried over into the next level.

Experience point progression is that of the fighter and halfling, since it is somewhat mid-range and it is a nice even number (2,000 XP base).

Everyone starts off with a given set of saving throws:
Pa: 14, Po: 13, BW: 16, MD: 14, M: 15

Spellcasters

One approach with spellcasters is to simply not allow people to be both cleric and MU (this would be in line with current LotFP world view).

If you wanted to do this however, you could simply say that whenever considering if a character is Lawful or Chaotic, you use whichever one is WORSE.

First Level builds:

These don't correlate 1:1 with the levels, but the spirit is there.
I had to add in my house-rule about MUs to get them on a par with the others.

Cleric

+1 to hit: 2 pts
Spell casting: 2 pts (cleric spells)
Heavily encumbered: 1 pt
Any encumbered: 2 pts
Improve Saving Throw: increase two by 2 (Poison and Magical Device): 1 pt

Fighter

+2 to hit: 5 pts
1d8 hit points: 1 pt
Combat technique: 2 pts

Magic User

+1 to hit: 2 pts
Spell casting: 2 pts (MU spells)
Improve Saving Throw: increase 2 by 2 (Paralysis and Magical Device):  1 pt
Increased spell memorization: 2 pts
+1 skill Language: 1 pt

Specialist

+1 to hit: 2 pts
2 skill pts in one skill: 3 pts
2 skill pts in one skill: 3 pts

Dwarf

+1 to hit: 2 pts
d10 hp: 2 pts
Bonus saving throw +1 to all: 1 pt
Skill: Architecture 1 pt
Encumbrance increase: 2pts

Elf

+1 to hit: 2 pts
Spell casting: 2 pts (MU spells)
Heavily encumbered: 1 pt
Combat technique: 2 pts
Skill: +1 search: 1 pt

Halfling

Bonus saving throw +2 to all: 2 pts
Attribute increase: Dex +1: 2 pts
2 skill pts in Stealth: 3 pt
1 pt in bushcraft: 1 pt

Monk

+1 to hit: 2 pts
Spell casting: 2 pts (cleric spells)

Bonus saving throw +1 to all: 1 pt
Combat technique: 2 pts
1d8 hit points: 1 pt

Ranger

+1 to hit: 2 pts
Combat technique: 2 pts

1d8 hit points: 1 pt
2 skill pts in Bushcraft: 3 pt

Paladin

+1 to hit: 2 pts
Spell casting: 2 pts (cleric spells)
Heavily encumbered: 1 pt
Improve Saving Throw: increase 2 by 2 (Poison and Breath Weapon):  1 pt
1d10 hit points: 2 pt

Healer

Spell casting: 2 pts (cleric spells)
Heavily encumbered: 1 pt
Increased spell memorization: 2 pts
Improve Saving Throw: increase 2 by 2 (Paralysis and Poison):  1 pt
Improve attribute (Wisdom): 2pts

My Avatar in many places

Glossing over the game breakers

The real world has some unfortunate limits which have the potential to restrict the "flow" of a game.

These are some pretty big things which do have serious consequences for a game, so they are often discussed as to why breaks in theses rules are allowed or not allowed.

I'm going to break them down as I see them by their closest link to science. I've thought of three so far (I'm not sure if there are any others of the same "magnitude" as these however). Most of them ultimately have to do with time compression (not waiting days, months, years, decades for things to happen).

Biological Sciences
Healing
Healing is one of those things that often gets glossed over. Honestly if people took damage like they did in games, it would probably takes weeks or months to get back to normal, yet in most games, a little bandaging goes a long way to making a character all healed up. "Get back in there!"

Physical Sciences
Speed of Light travel
The Speed of light is not just a good idea, it's the law. But if we can't travel FTL, how can we realistically explore space in a game? "Engage warp drives"

Social Sciences
Language
In many instances, the language barrier will halt communication between groups of people for quite some time. Who wants to wait while interpreters on each side haltingly figure out each other's language over the course of several adventurers? "The babel fish is an amazing discovery"

I'm not saying that either course (ignoring or enforcing these limits) is right or wrong, it's just that it seems that these are often brought as touchstones in discussions of games.

Can you think of any others?

Orane LaBonaventure

Here's a Savage Worlds Deadlands character that's modified from the character I played to be a pregen with an advancement path.

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 Orane LaBonaventure
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Faith d10, Fighting d4, Guts d6, Healing d4, Intimidation d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d6, Riding d4, Stealth d4, Streetwise d4
Charisma: +2; Grit: 1; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Enemy (Major): Bayou Vermillion, Loyal
Edges: Attractive, Arcane Background (Miracles), Voodoo
Gear: Bowie Knife (Str+d4+1), dress blouse, work blouse, 2 pairs silk stockings, 2 pairs shoes, fancy dress, 2 skirts, chaps, bonnet, bed roll, file, hammer, hatchet, iron skillet, 2 boxes matches, mess kit, 4 days trail rations, horse, saddle, saddle bags, $19.75

Notes: On June 23-24, 1874 over ten thousand followers, both black and white, swarmed to to catch a glimpse of Marie Laveau performing her legendary St. John's Eve rites on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Attending this gathering with her aunt, the young mixed blood Orane LaBonaventure immediately recognized her calling in following the ways of Voodoo. An unfortunate incident involving a now deceased, over-amorous Bayou Vermillion rail boss forced Orane to leave New Orleans by way of joining a traveling show. Being the "face" of the traveling show has taught Orane many skills, although her Voodoo sensibilities still make her uncomfortable with technology. 


Orane likes to only get close enough to cast Fear on a group of adversaries (using a dried rattlesnake rattle as the focus). Barring that however, she usually takes a more supportive role, casting Deflection (a piece of armadillo skin) or Boosting Shooting/Fighting (a snake's tooth), and of course Healing (jimson/honey mixture.)

"Away! Le Grand Zombi will rain fear down upon your souls!"

Orane's Advancement path
Novice
5 xp - Conviction
10 xp - Healer
15 xp - Spirit d12
Seasoned
20 xp - Faith d12, Persuasion d8
25 xp - Charismatic
30 xp - Notice d6, Intimidation d6
35 xp - Vigor d8
Veteran
40 xp - Streetwise d6, Guts d8
45 xp - Taunt d4
50 xp - Guts d10, Taunt d6
55 xp - Strong-willed
Heroic
60 xp - Smarts d8
65 xp - Persuasion d10, Notice d8
70 xp - Guts d12, Persuasion d12
75 xp - Intimidation d10, Streetwise d8

I know I could have re-arranged things to have Taunt during chargen, but then I thought I'd leave it "instructional" (and it isn't really thematic either, she just needs the d6 for Strong-willed).

I also didn't take Snake Oil Salesman since that would have required "explanation" to take a Prof edge after chargen and I wanted to keep it vanilla.

I realize it's more skill-based, so if you want to you could swap in Holy Warrior probably in Veteran and/or Level-Headed somewhere in Heroic.

Diesel

Here's another PBEM Villains and Vigilantes Character for a game that is currently on hiatus.

Every GM for V&V has their own way of doing skills, if at all, which you can see in the difference between Diesel and The Black Orchid.

Name:  Diesel

Identity: Lorenzo Batali

Sex: Male

Side: Good

Experience: 0

Level: 1

Training: Agility

Age: 27

Strength: 16 (Armor St: 26)

Endurance: 13 (Armor End: 23)

Intelligence: 33

Agility:  11

Charisma: 10

Powers/Abilities:

1. Hgt Int A (+17)

Using his Heightened Intelligence, Lorenzo built a diesel-powered set of armor

2. Device Armor B (114 AR) - Three powers

  a. Strength +10

  b. Endurance +10

  c. Double CC

3. Flame Power - Shoot from arm – PR: 2 per attempt

Finally, in one hand is a large club (not powered) which gives him a +3 to hit and a +1d6 damage. It cannot be thrown normally.

Weakness:

Special Requirement: Suit operates under normal air conditions. Can't work without oxygen or in water or in enclosed spaces, even if Lorenzo has life support.  

Weight: 170 lbs

Basic Hits: 3.4

Hit Mod Normal: (1.6)(1.4)(1.8)(1.0)=4.032

Armor Hit Mod:(2.5)(2.6)(1.8)(1.0)=11.7

Accuracy: +1 (w/ Club: +4)

Damage mod: +4 (w/ Club: +4 +1d6)

Hit Points : 14 (Armor Hit Points: 40)

Healing Rate: 0.3 (Armor Healing Rate: 0.6)

Power:  73 (Armor Power: 93)

CC: 459   (Armor CC:  3379)

Basic HtH: 1d6+4

Armor Basic HtH: 1d12+4 (wClub: 1d12+1d6+4)

Movement: 40” (Armor Movement: 60”)

Agility Mod: 0

Public Standing: -/-

Hero Points: 0

Perception:  54%

Intuition: 28%

Inventing Points: 3.3

Inventing: 99%

Origin: Unnaturally smart, creates armored suit

Legal Status: No criminal record

Skills:

1.       Area Knowledge (INT) – Empire City maps – 136%

2.       Area Knowledge (INT) – Empire City waterworks – 136%

3.       Accuracy: +1 to hit (AGL)

4.       Animal Handling (CHR) – 70%

5.       Climbing (STR+AGL/2) – (77%) 92%

6.       Computers (INT) – 136%

7.       Crime (INT) – 136%

8.       Disguise (CHR) – 70%

9.       Driving (AGL) – 70% 

10.   Electronics (INT) –  136%

11.   Explosives (INT) – 136%

12.   Fast Talk (CHR) – 70%

13.   Gambling (INT) – 136%

14.   Firearms (INT) – 136%

15.   Knowledge (INT) Business – 136%

16.   Knowledge (INT) Civics – 136%

17.   Knowledge (INT) Politics – 136%

18.   Language (INT) English – 136%

19.   Language (INT) Arabic  – 136%

20.   Language (INT) Spanish – 136%

21.   Language (INT) Italian – 136%

22.   Mechanic (INT) – 136%

23.   Navigation (INT) – 136%

24.   Observation + 30% to Perception.

25.   Profession (INT) Auto mechanic –  136%

26.   Profession (INT) Metalsmithing – 136%

27.   Science (INT) Cybernetics – 136%

28.   Science (INT) Robotics – 136%

29.   Street Wise (INT) – 136%

30.   Survival (INT) – 136%

31.   Swimming (END) – (76%) 106%

Origin/Background:

Lorenzo grew up in the working class neighborhoods of Philadelphia and moved to Empire City with his family when he was about seven. Even at this young age, Lorenzo was different, being significantly smarter than almost anybody any of them knew. In order to keep him from getting bored and getting in trouble at school, Lorenzo worked with his father at a municipal garage keeping all the dump trucks, trash trucks, buses and snow plows running. This also, however, only took about a third of the time it took other mechanics to do the job, so he learned about many other things as well, hanging out with various drivers, accompanying them on their runs. On trips such as this, he quickly picked up several new languages, learned all the city routes, both above and below ground, lots of local issues and politics as well as becoming a master mechanic. 

Lorenzo later joined his brother for a while making custom big rigs for drag strip racing, learning metallurgy and the intricacies of high performance engines. While all of this was fun, Lorenzo still felt restless and believed that he could put his mind to better use. He combined all of his knowledge and used it to build a powerful diesel-powered suit of armor and set out on a solo life of crimefighting until he was approached to join the Protectors.

Lorenzo is friendly and jovial, willing to chat with anybody from grease monkeys to professors, but he’s a little uncomfortable around ostentatious displays of wealth and what he believes it stands for. His suit of armor reflects his background, being a belching behemoth with smoke coming out the twin pipes in his back and wielding a powerful flamethrower in one hand and a big metal club in the other.

The Black Orchid

This is a character I am currently playing in an online V&V game:

The Black Orchid

Secret Identity: Annie Kokuran

Age: 27

Gender: F

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 155 lbs

Level: 1

Experience Points:

As elusive and fascinating as her namesake, The Black Orchid slips among the shadows of the night, blithely shrugging off death and danger.

Super Powers and Super Skills:

1. Skill: Will Power A

2. Skill: Hgt End  A + 18

3. Darkness Control: 17.5 in radius, range of 42 in

4. Devitalization Ray: Pr 3, 3d10 Power damage, Range of 87 in

5. Regeneration (can't heal light damage): 3.2 HP per round

6. Hgt Int B +21

Weakness: Diminished Senses (-4 to attacks in broad daylight)

Statistics:

Strength: 11

Endurance: 29

Agility: 14

Intelligence: 33

Charisma: 15

Hit Points: 30

Power Points: 87

Carrying Capacity: 327.9025 lbs

Hand-to-Hand Damage: 1d6

Accuracy: +1 (Including Power Mods)

Damage Modifier: +4 (Including Power Mods)

Detect Hidden: 24

Detect Danger:  28

Reaction Modifiers: +2 from Good, -2 from Evil

Movement: Ground:  54 per turn

Healing Rate: 3.2 hit points per day

Occupation: Engineer

Security Clearance: 5

Wealth: 15

Skills:

Accounting/Finance

Martial Arts

Athletics

Medical

Awareness

Military

Book Knowledge

Business

Persuasion

Communications

Research

Engineering

Esoterica

Government/Bureaucracy

Subterfuge

Technology

Vehicle Operation

Legal

Wrestling

Luck Points: 1.5

Background:
Annie Kokuran spent most of her youth in Our Fair City, the pleasant child of an absentee father and loving mother. Even as a young child, her natural fortitude and keen mind set her apart from her friends. Focusing on her studies, she graduated at the age of 18 from Hallowed Hills University, a very expensive, very exclusive institution of higher learning. She never knew who paid for her education and she knew enough not to probe too deeply. 

Her talents were immediately recognized by the National RoboDynamics Corporation where she rapidly rose in the ranks. Annie oversaw several research programs designed to augment the capabilities of soldiers, particularly in reconnaissance and surveillance. During a demonstration of one of the new technologies, an explosion occurred, spraying all present with an experimental “stealth” chemical. Many were injured in the blast, and Annie lost her job, being cited for “negligent oversight”. Annie suffered remarkably few injuries, although she did become overly sensitive to sunlight after the accident.

At first Annie became bitter and resentful, but then used her intellect to learn more about what happened that fateful day. Over the course of a few years, she uncovered that it was clearly sabotage, and although very sophisticated, it appeared to have no particular motivation. During this time however, she discovered that everyone else who was in the blast had been systematically disappearing, through what seemed to be a carefully orchestrated series of events to minimize suspicion. Finally, in what she believed to be a result of the chemical exposure, Annie also discovered that she seemed to be able to create and control areas of darkness.

When Annie presented her findings about the sabotage, the disappearances, and the strange powers she started to manifest, it fell on deaf ears at  NRDC. Luckily for her, a representative of CHESS was visiting NRDC and took an interest in her story and had her reinstated. Annie now works officially for NRDC on “Special Programs” (nearly always CHESS-funded) but recently she has been approached by CHESS about doing some field work herself.  While training to further gain control of her darkness manipulation, Annie also discovered that she could generate and hurl bolts of pure vacuum, literally sucking the energy out of opponents in doing so.

What is old school?

[Edit: I polished this up a bit and sent it over to the fine fellows at RolePlayDNA.

Go check out their blog. It's read a lot more than mine is!

http://p5productions.com/roleplaydna/2012/07/09/aint-no-school-like-the-old-school/ ]