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OSR+ Official Errata
Rules & Rulings
Below is an archive of errata, rulings, and rule clarifications for the OSR+ Core Rules.
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3 months ago
Attacking from Stealth and Skulking Stances
Posted February 8, 2024
Prior to this revision, an attack you made while stealthed was considered a risky action, meaning you may be entitled to a check to remain hidden when you attack (or the enemy can check against you to reveal you). Moreover, the Swift tactic made it such that attacks with the tactic are not considered risky, meaning opponents were not entitled to a check to detect you.
Playtesting has revealed that PCs attacking without risk from stealth via Swift or even making risky attacks from stealth (where the PC has a high enough scores to reliably avoid detection) leads to video game-like narrative results. That is, we end up with situations where the PCs continue to attack from stealth with impunity, while NPCs stand around oblivious because the mechanics shortchange them, akin the dreaded "cardboard box" conundrum from Metal Gear Solid (to borrow a reference from our resident designer Courtney). While the core rules caution about the law of the fiction and afford the GM fiat to deal with these situations, we believe the onus shouldn't be on the GM to deal with mechanics that impose as much non-diegetic weight as these!
To combat this scenario, any attack you make from stealth now immediately negates your stealth score, and you become detected. The Swift tactic, instead of removing the risk from attacks you make that have the tactic, now makes it possible to check to maintain your stealth status for the first attack against an opponent only. This means that a Swift weapon, due to its speed and finesse, gives you a chance to preserve your skulking when you attack, but subsequent attacks with the weapon reveal you, in accordance with what would be expected from opponents who are actively being beset upon.
On Skulking Stances
Finally, there are a handful of active stances that confer near invisibility when acting stealthily: particularly Move Silently and Hide in Shadows. The design intent of these stances is for PCs to skulk—as in old school thieves, who sneak nearly supernaturally through extremely risky spaces. In order to preserve that intent, stances like these have been revised to include the below bolded reservation:
Years of skulking in darkness have turned you into a master of shadows. When using this stance, you are effectively invisible if you are least three-quarters obscured by darkness. Most checks to detect you automatically fail, unless the observer knows you are hidden and is using a different sense to detect you, per the rules of invisibility. If the GM requires a check to remain hidden, you may re-roll it if you fail. You cannot maintain this stance while engaged in combat.
Effectively, PCs using this stance can set up a surprise attack by skulking in the shadows, but once the attack is made, the jig is up and you're detected: you'll either need to retreat so you can re-establish a stealth score, or continue the combat in the open. The reservation helps to mitigate the "cardboard box" conundrum and preserve the integrity of the fiction.
3 months ago
Changes to Spellsing Technique
Posted February 7, 2024
The Bard class is able to extend the duration of a spell indefinitely per its technique Spellsing, which makes the spell function as a concentration spell.
Our resident designer Courtney noticed that the Bard's technique becomes less useful when they reach higher levels, because most encounters last between 3 and 4 rounds. To help the Bard class out, we've changed the technique so that the Bard can concentrate on more than one spell at a time when changing its duration to indefinite:
Choose an art: singing, dancing, or playing. You may choose to make the duration of any spell you cast indefinite, as long as you are performing your art (the duration of your spell is 0 as opposed to a number of rounds equal to your level plus the MP you spend). You may concentrate on a number of spells in this way equal to your level, but you may not attack while performing your art. Your art must make noise audible to all in the encounter to work. You may use Performance in lieu of any Arcana skill with your maleficence or spell checks.
For example, the Bard might cast Haste/Slow on their first round in an encounter, and maintain the effects as a concentration spell with indefinite duration. On the second round, the Bard might decide to cast Circle of Protection, which is ordinarily a concentration spell, but maintain that spell and Haste/Slow (which is now effectively a concentration spell) indefinitely. So long as the Bard doesn't attack or lose concentration (by being distracted or damaged), the Bard can continue to cast a new spell with indefinite duration in this way for each level of experience.
On the flip side, if the Bard loses concentration, all their spells in effect immediately end.
3 months ago
Adjustments to HP Recovery for Wardens, Barbarians, and the Survival Skill
Posted January 30, 2024
The Warden, Barbarian, and Survival skill all impart abilities that impact HP and/or wound recovery. Specifically, Survival previously allowed PCs to recover 2 HP in a single rest period instead of 1, and the Barbarian allowed the same (or 2 wounds in a rest period). The Warden doubles the recovery in a rest period, but only when resting in the Warden’s expert domain setting (an urban environment, a jungle, the mountains, etc).
To make these kits and the skill modular while keeping system balance (given that the game generally affords few HP per PC), the Barbarian now adds an additional HP or wound in a rest period and the Survival skill allows an additional HP on rest. The Warden remains the same with respect to doubling the rest period, given its restrictions.
4 months ago
Introducing Heroic Deeds of Valor
Posted December 24, 2023
Just in time for Christmas, this update to OSR+ is all about martial heroes!
Heroic deeds of valor are cinematic actions non-spellcasting heroes can take to bolster their efforts in encounter and exploration modes. Whenever you can act (as an action, bonus action, or reaction), you may spend one or more deed dice to take cinematic action.
- Deft Deed. You use your action to steal the artifact, and now a giant boulder is hurtling your way. You can't double your movement to run away (since that takes an action), so you spend a deed die to fling a grappling hook, making it possible to use your regular movement to climb to safety.
- Mighty Deed. You're surrounded by enemies and need to break free. You use your action to parry their attacks, but spend a Mighty deed die to shove them out of the way, creating a clear path for your escape.
- Smart Deed. You quickly assess the battlefield, identifying a key point of distraction amidst the chaos. After using your action to fire an arrow into the fray, you spend a Smart deed die to toss a smoke bomb, diverting the attention of your foes.
Deeds of valor can be anything you can imagine, but they do come with some restrictions, as outlined in the core rules.
You'll also find that the Character Creator supports earning and tracking deed dice in your character sheet.
Huzzah!
5 months ago
200+ Treasures Added to OSR+ Fantasy Core Rules
Posted November 21, 2023
One missing piece has been to make sure the OSR+ Fantasy Core Rules has a more complete treasure list that includes all the iconic magic items you'd expect in your stock fantasy game.
Welp, we've added 200+ more items to round it out! Enjoy.
5 months ago
Summons, Stances in the Overworld, and Specialized Skills in Scene Checks
Posted November 14, 2023
Below are some clarifications and errata on three different areas of the core rules.
Summons
A summoned creature is something brought into being from outside the material realm under your control (as opposed to a familiar that already resides on the material realm). You can summon creatures via spells or kits. Generally, you fall back to spell logic (and GM fiat) when it comes to handling the stats of a summon when such stats are not specified by the ability in question. However, we've added a limitation called "Astral Parity" to that default spell logic that describes a summon's freedom of movement, in order to balance against the utility of spells like Magic Monitor and the abilities of other familiars.
Stances in the Overworld
Stances reset when you rest, but it becomes unclear when stances reset in game modes (or checks) that use abstract time. If a stance is invoked in abstract time (during an overworld check, or in a scene check for example), then it doesn't reset until you're able to rest outside of that game mode or check. For example, if you use a stance in an act on a scene check, you can't use that stance again until you're able to rest after the scene check is complete. In the same way, if you use a stance on an overworld check while in the overworld game mode, you can't use that stance again until the GM switches to another game mode, and you're able to rest.
Specialized Skills in Scene Checks
Because a scene check represents an abstraction of all the actions the party are collectively taking together, the individual mechanics of each hero can't be applied to the mechanics of the scene check. This extends to the use of specialized skills. So for example, if another party member is conferring a specialized skill as part of the scene check, this doesn’t impact the d6 roll, as the only thing that can impact the roll are class abilities or origin abilities originating from the hero that leads the action (and thus rolls the d6).
6 months ago
Necromancer Kit Receives an Additional Active Ability
Posted October 19, 2023
The Necromancer kit, as compared to kits like Medium or Alienist (who receive two spells and have a passive ability as well as their exploding-dice in a school), lacked options. Therefore, the Necromancer can now attempt to command Undead as well as animate them, in addition to her other abilities:
If you spend MP to command Undead targets, you may force them to make an opposed spell check using Smart, or else they must obey your every command for a number of rounds per MP spent. Undead subject to your command receive a bonus to their check equal to the difference in level between yours and theirs...
6 months ago
Fixing Stealth Checks & Abolishing "Rolling Under"
Posted October 17, 2023
Stealth checks have been simplified and there's no longer a need to "roll under" when you take risky action (which leads to all sorts of wonky math).
Instead, you establish a stealth score as expected (d6 + Deft + Skill), and that TN travels with you as long as you don't do anything risky. Sneaking across the library while moving silently in this way leaves patrons unawares, but maybe when you get to the stacks where the magic tome is located, you discover it's really heavy. So you need to silently slide it off the bookshelf. In this case, you would make a separate check to deal with that challenge (for example, a Mighty check vs. a TN unopposed). If you fail, you're "detected," which means others in the library are alerted to your presence, and you lose your stealth score. Now you'll need to switch strategies to sneak out of the library. Maybe you decide to impersonate the librarian?
Another way to look at this: suppose you've found the book, but the librarian is standing nearby with his back turned to you. In this case, when you try to pilfer the book, the GM might call for the librarian to make a Perception check vs. the TN of your stealth score (as the librarian has stats of his own). If he succeeds, maybe you dropped the book with a loud thud, and all he has to do is turn around to discover you, in which case you're immediately "revealed." If you succeed, it might mean he looks in the wrong direction for the noise. Nevertheless, Perception checks to detect you for the rest of the scene are made with advantage, since the librarian knows something is up, even if he doesn't know it's you.
(Special thanks to Jon, Courtney, and David for some late night brainstorming on this one...)
7 months ago
Daredevils and Stances
Posted October 7, 2023
With the introduction of stances to the system, the Daredevil class now gains a stance at first level, and can switch their focus without spending 1 MP.
This should make the Daredevil's Defy Danger technique more attractive when compared to that of other classes.
7 months ago
Introducing Doubled Advantage
Posted October 4, 2023
When you have a net advantage from two different sources on a roll (after calculating out any disadvantage), you roll 3d6 instead of 2d6. This is more or less the equivalent of getting a +2 on the roll.
For example, if you're a Nim, you get advantage on Deft from that origin. But if you're a Rogue, you also get advantage on certain actions (such as tinkering or stealth). With doubled advantage, you would now roll 3d6 when taking those actions and take the best result. This means all dice have to be 1 to trigger a roll to confirm a critical.
The reverse is also true for disadvantage. If you have a net disadvantage on a roll, you roll 3d6 and take the worst result. This then triggers a roll to confirm a critical, which is always a 2d6.
See also Collaborating on Rolls for advantage/disadvantage in group action.
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