DCC/Rules Summary

This campaign uses the 8th Edition Dungeon Crawl Classics ruleset with the occupations and classes of the Death Slaves of Eternity module.

Changes from regular DCC that are motivated by the Sword & Sorcery theme of the campaign (as opposed to "regular" house-rules) are noted using this icon.

Races
All characters are humans.

The Dwarf class is renamed Soldier. The Elf class is renamed Cultist. The Halfling class is renamed Raider.

Minimum hit points per level

 * Level-0 characters, Magi and Witches replace a d4 roll of 1 with a 2 when rolling for hit points.
 * Cultists, Raiders and Thieves replace a d6 roll of 1 or 2 with a 3 when rolling for hit points.
 * Shamans replace a d8 roll of 1, 2 or 3 with a 4 when rolling for hit points.
 * Soldiers replace a d10 roll of 1, 2, 3 or 4 with a 5 when rolling for hit points.
 * Warriors replace a d12 roll of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 with a 6 when rolling for hit points.

Note that a negative Stamina modifier can still reduce the hit point gain per level below these numbers. The DCC rule that a character earns a minimum of 1 hit point per character level regardless of Stamina remains in effect.

Birth Augur
Characters with a starting Luck modifier of zero have no Birth Augur.

Txez0-8tlz6.png Gender

 * See DCC/Character Generation.


 * Strong brawny characters are more likely male than female (but all sizes and shapes do exist).
 * Adventurers are more likely male than female (unless you decide otherwise)
 * Monsters and men alike generally perceive males as bigger threats.
 * Female characters find Strength just as irresistible as Personality.

Equipment
Regular weapons are made out of iron, not steel. Metal armor is unusual and costly. Actual statistics remain unchanged for simplicity.

To avoid having to minmax choice of weaponry: warriors and clerics may use a d8 damage die even if normally lower. This allows the character to keep using a familiar or thematic weapon without worrying it makes such a bad choice mechanically.

Shields
Warriors, Shamans, and Soldiers may sacrifice their shield (if they wield one) to reduce damage from an incoming attack to 1. For particularly massive attacks, the damage reducing is "half" only. The shield is permanently destroyed.

The shield can't modify effects of critical hits.

Keeping track of Score changes

 * This is a clarification, not a rule change.

Characters have two values for each ability score.


 * Your permanent or maximum score. Despite the name, this *can* change, but only in rare and exceptional cases. The minimum permanent score is 3 and the maximum permanent score is 18. If you would gain points above 18, they manifest as temporary points. In other words, your current score can be 19 or higher even though your permanent score is only 18. While your modifier goes no higher than +3, this is useful since you keep that +3 even if you lose a point or two. Such a current score lasts as long as it lasts.
 * Your temporary or current score. When you burn ability points or take ability damage, your current score sinks below your maximum score. When you reach 0, bad things happen (see Ability Loss, page 96). When you heal back up, you regain ability points up to your maximum but no higher.

Exception: Luck.


 * For most classes, you only have the one Luck score. When you burn Luck points, your score is lowered. In the rare case the Judge rewards you Luck points, your score is increased. You do not keep track of a temporary score since there is no Luck healing.
 * Thieves and Raiders do track Luck just like the other scores, since they do heal Luck damage and burned Luck points. If the Judge rewards you Luck points and this would take you over your permanent maximum, not only do these points manifest as temporary points above your maximum, your maximum does increase by 1 (up to 18).

Mercurial Magic
The core rules make, on average, four out of five spells you learn "mercurial" (=with strange side effects). I suggest casters are ensured to have at least one "standard" unmodified spell to make mercurial magic a bit more special. Also, less book-keeping.

The simplest rules proposal is that for the very first spell you learn, you may pick the 50 result instead of rolling: "No change. The spell manifests as standard."

Some Mercurial effects fit Magi better than Witches, and vice-versa. If your spell gains a random Mercurial effect you feel is a poor fit, you may re-roll. The re-roll is made unmodified by your Intelligence and is final.

Txez0-8tlz6.png Non-magical healing
"Pure" Sword & Sorcery would not have easy access to any form of healing, and instead simply assume characters start each adventure at full hit points. To avoid changing the DCC ruleset too much, the campaign is a "hybrid" approach, that does not change the original rules too much. The Lay on Hands ability of Shamans (the DCC Cleric class) remains, but new ways to heal "naturally" are introduced, hopefully freeing up the Shaman to do other things beside just heal their friends!

When this section refers to healing a hit die; roll your class hit die, add your level and apply your Stamina modifier. You heal that many hit points (minimum 1), up to your maximum.

This section only helps you heal hit point damage, not ability point damage.

Examine your wounds
Once per encounter in which you have suffered damage, you may spend your action to examine yourself and find your wounds weren't as bad as you feared. You heal a hit die.

Once you have examined your wounds, you cannot do it again in this encounter. You need to suffer further damage in a future encounter first.

Recuperate
If you are able to complete a full turn just resting, you may spend 1 Stamina point or Luck point. You heal a hit die.

This activity is repeatable. (Until you run out of ability points...)

Personality is good for morale
Any character with a positive modifier to Personality can inspire another character to regain their fighting spirit. This requires the pair to spend an evening in each other's company. For instance, carousing. This activity is entirely voluntary. In fact, coaxing or pestering a character into helping you pretty much ruins the mood (consider their Personality modifier to be zero for that evening)...

The inspired character heals one d4 for every point of the inspiring character's Personality bonus in addition to the 1 hp for a good night's rest.

Starting Potion
Each player (not character) is given a magic Potion by the Judge. As you might expect, it is single-use only.

Until the player decides to determine which character holds the potion, this remains undetermined. One character holds the Potion, you just don't need to determine who just yet. This way you cannot easily lose the Potion when you unexpectedly lose your characters to accidents.

Note: you are free to give it away to another player's character, or even a NPC if you want. The Potion is enchanted to appear worthless, so you can never sell it for more than 5d12 copper pieces.

Each player gets one out of three Potions, determined randomly. Roll 1d3:
 * 1) Strength Potion: restore one attribute (imbiber's choice) to its maximum. Only Thieves and Raiders can do this for Luck.
 * 2) Vitality Potion: increase your maximum hit points by 1d6, then restore your hit points to this new maximum.
 * 3) Luck Potion: reset a character's Luck score. Set imbiber's Luck score to a roll of 3d6. If your new Luck modifier is non-zero, remove your old Birth Augur (if you have one); then randomize a new one.