What is Miasma and Monsters?

 Starting off quick, here's the PDF of the current version. 

As the Intro section suggests, this is a game based on Knave and Glaive offering a class-less system allowing the players to customize their character as they level up while still doing its best to maintain the "feel" of an OSR game. Starting with AD&D style role playing, myself and most of the friends I play with are used to progressing our characters through mechanical options as it is easier to become invested in a character as you play them. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy games that are in the style of B/X where you can create a character from nothing in a few minutes, but they are meant for a different style of play.

With MaM, I'm trying to strike the perfect (in my eyes) balance between B/X and AD&D gameplay. Players should have high levels of agency not only in how they interact with the world, but with advancing their characters.

For example, there are no Skills and Skill Checks. Non-trivial actions are resolved through Saves based on the relevant Ability Score. I don't want players staring at their sheets for an answer to a problem!

Let's dive into making a character in this system.

Character Generation

Same basic steps as most games, with a few twists that make it stand out:

• Roll Ability Scores
• Roll Starting Health
• Pick a Trait
• Generate Starting Wealth and Gear
• Record AC
• Choose a name, physical traits, etc.

Roll Ability Scores 

We should all be familiar with this, roll 3D6 four times and assign each...wait, four times? Yes, MaM only has 4 Abilities: Brawn, Skill, Mind, and Charm. As a part of the class-less system, having more scores than Paths made no sense so I consolidated Strength and Constitution into Brawn, Intelligence and Wisdom into Mind, and renamed Dexterity and Charisma to Skill and Charm, respectively. Pretty simple and it works out well.

 

Scores and bonuses for these abilities is also a bit different, but subject to change right now. My long-time friend, former roommate, and editor/idea-haver, and I are debating making some radical changes to how scores relate to bonuses, so don't get too attached to these values.

Roll Starting Health

Like Knave, each PC starts with D8 HP, but in this you add your BB (Brawn Bonus).

Pick a Trait

Here's the real meat and potatoes of the class-less system. Starting at level 1 and every level after, choose from one of the 4 Paths a Passive Bonus and a Trait. Note that you can only have a maximum of 5 Traits at a time, but at level 6 and beyond you can exchange a Trait for another one. At level 9, you can pick 1 Capstone Trait. These cannot be exchanged.

Each Path is tied to an Ability Score and the PBs and Traits therein reflect what that Ability focuses on. Big, beefy, bopper use the Brawn Path. Fast glass cannon? Skill. Magic? Mind. Charismatic commander cheering on comrades? Pick Charm. Or mix it up and make something of your own design! Most RPG class archetypes can be built using a combination of Paths.

Generate Starting Wealth and Gear

Pretty standard. Roll 3D6 for starting silver coins, pick an equipment pack, then roll for some miscellaneous gear. One addition is that instead of having little to no description for Adventuring Gear, MaM has a few lines for each suggesting a standard use.

Record AC

AC = AC value from armor worn (if any) + SB (Skill Bonus). Shield adds 1. Some Traits may affect this.

Choose a name, physical traits, etc.

Hooked nose? Double-chin? One eye? All your choice.

That's just a quick taste of the system so far. I'll write future posts on nearly every section of the game, and more as I develop it.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing you feedback.