House Rules – Page 2 – The Rambling Cleric

This site has been gathering dust for a few months now. Being a hospital chaplain during an on-going pandemic makes for little time or energy. Oh, and since it has been on my heart and mind lately, if you have not gotten vaccinated AND you do not have a legitimate medical exemption or a truly sincere religious belief to exempt you (truly sincere, not some BS you pulled from the internet to get around the issue) then let me say this: #@*%$#!! #####EDITED OUT RAGE TO KEEP FROM GETTING FIRED#####

I know it’s your decision. No doubt. My decision is to take a moment and express my rage. My decision has been to spend the last two years with patients dying from COVID, along with their families. It’s tragic, and I’m tired of seeing the same situation over and over again. It’s like some twisted Groundhog day scenario.

Sigh. Moving on. I’ve been a little burned out if I’m being honest. Hell, the only reason I’m even making a post now is that I’m home sick with sick kids that bestowed the gift of projectile vomit on me last night…the chucky kind. That’s love. Anyway, I’m home today and everyone is finally sleeping peacefully (for now). What follows is a draft for one of the non-human options in my Long Night campaign set in 6th-century “England.” I now present the Hægtesse.

Herbal Lore & Remedies in D&D

By The Rambling Cleric

On April 26, 2021

In House Rules

I’ve always been an outdoor person, and I spent a lot of time playing in the woods or splashing around in a creek not far from my childhood home when I was young. This love of nature has continued throughout my life. Knowledge of edible and medicinal plants, however, was something I only got into later in life. Although I consumed all kinds of easily identifiable plant life and fruit when I was a child (wild onions, cattails, honeysuckle, kumquats, etc.), I never really dedicated any kind of serious attention or study to the subject. I think this first began to change when I lived in Japan.

Foraging, Hunting, & Wilderness Survival in B/X D&D

By The Rambling Cleric

On April 10, 2021

In B/X D&D, House Rules

FORAGING: Characters travelling in the wilderness may attempt to search or hunt for food, either to extend their normal supplies or prevent starvation. Searching for food may be done while travelling. If 1 is rolled on a d6, the party will have found enough to feed 1-6 men for one day. This food will consist of nuts, berries and possibly small game. To hunt, characters must spend a day without moving. There is a 1 in 6 chance of having an encounter from the Animal Subtable on the Wilderness Wandering Monster Tables. This encounter is in addition to any normal encounter rolls for the day. Days spent resting cannot be used for hunting.
Cook, ed. Dungeons & Dragons Expert Rulebook, 1981, p. X51

I love the simplicity of this mechanic, and in my experience resolving attempts to forage or hunt during play is super quick and non-intrusive. Although the rule as described above allows for an actual encounter when hunting, I usually handle hunting just as abstractly as foraging to keep the game moving. With that said, I would certainly play out a hunting encounter depending on the context and feel of the gaming session. The AD&D Wilderness Survival Guide which came out in 1986 provided four pages on how to handle foraging, hunting, and fishing. Sure, that’s great for times when you need a bit more complexity and detail; however, I’ll take a solid one paragraph mechanic over four pages of unnecessary complexity for my games.

Digressive Musings on Old-School D&D

Tag: House Rules Page 2 of 3

The Long Night Hægtesse: Supernatural Furies in an Anglo-Saxon Campaign World

Herbal Lore & Remedies in D&D

Foraging, Hunting, & Wilderness Survival in B/X D&D