Modding Barebones Fantasy

This is kind of against what BBF is all about, but I want more. I want the OSR monsters and magic items, more classes, more choices, and the skill specializations out of Frontier Space.

And I know the answer to all this.

Do it yourself!

Nothing is really that hard to port in, and most magic items are fine with how they are. For weapons, give them a +10% chance to hit bonus and a +2 damage per "plus one" out of an OSR game, and for armor, raise the DR by +2 per "plus one" of OSR protection, and you are likely all set. All of the miscellaneous magic items convert in as-is. Items that give ability score bonuses should give a +10 bonus per item level, and remember to give all items drawbacks like in the BBF item design guidelines.

Some people hate these "ad hoc" conversions, but honestly this is likely how D&D (and most roleplaying games) are and were designed. Also, not every orc in every world is the same - you will have weak ones and others who work out, or maybe those who have seen a few hundred battles and are tougher than most.

You don't need a "hole in one" for every design, nor do you want them since you will discover exciting things through mistakes that will change your mind.

This is my quandary. I want a game with huge lists. But games with huge lists ultimately limit your imagination and never last. What you gain from having it all means you will use none of it, or very little.

Monsters are different, and you could go by the guidelines in BBF. I'd give them a "skill" based on 50%, add 5% per hit die, and modify up or down based on aggressiveness. The body score would be 5, 10, or 20 per hit die, depending on the minion, warrior, or boss creature. Special attacks and defenses would be on the creature's skill. Rate armor off of similar armor values in the game.

Spellcasting classes could be unique "caster" skills and use the same spell list but flavor them. Pick four special abilities the caster skill can do off of class abilities. A warlock may be able to create magic circles, commune with demons, shadow step, and read infernal runes. Just pick the best four you can think of, and remember, only some bards or warlocks are trained the same. If your next one is designed slightly differently, so what? Your second and third designs will be better anyway.

Ultimate Barebones Fantasy is what you want it to be, honestly. Whatever OSR books you pull from, and however you convert, will be your "ultimate" game.

BBF: The Bard, Ranger, and Druid

AI Art by @nightcafestudio

How would I create three iconic classes in Barebones Fantasy, the bard, ranger, and the druid? Since it is so easy to create skills and mirror spellcasting abilities, it is simple to mod the rules to support new classes. Others can be done through combinations of existing skills.

The Bard

• Primary Skill: Thief
• Secondary Skill: Bard, level 1

I would only do a primary spellcasting skill for "full casters," such as a wizard since this gives two spells per level. For half-casters, I would always do spellcaster as a secondary and have them be the one spell per level type of class.

Bards are strange, and this is the case where you would want to base them off a spellcasting scholar class but tweak the abilities a little to match the flavor:

• Diplomat (as a scholar)
• Performer (as a scholar but for a musical career path)
• Musical History (as a scholar, but for music and knowing songs)
• Entertain: Like the scout's animal handling, but for people (befriend, calm, agitate, or implant suggestion). That implant suggestion replaces train animals, which helps make a crowd believe a mayor is corrupt and all sorts of tomfoolery.

My first spell pick is obvious, charm. My second and third-level picks would be the aid spell and heal. Buying a level of warrior skill after the first adventure would be recommended. The big thing here is they are close to being a scholar, but with spells. But scholars still have their "historian" and "ask the referee" powers, and bards do not. This feels balanced since scholars are still the primary information source in the game, whereas bards are spellcasters with a social skill set.

Once you create an entire class, yes, you could pick bard as a primary if you wanted to, if singing was your primary thing. You become more like a caster, but that is your choice. My interpretation here is more the traditional B/X bard with fewer spells than a wizard and still specializing as a thief.

If you picked scholar skill and bard, no problem, only diplomat stacks and make that a +10 per level. You are now a professor of music, maestro.

The Ranger

• Primary Skill: Scout
• Secondary Skill: Spellcaster, level 1

This is a spellcasting ranger, so again, one spell per level. I would probably do a summon spell at level one for an animal companion, followed by an entangle spell and offensive strike for a powered bow shot. Buying a level of warrior skill after the first adventure would be recommended.

This is nothing more than a spellcasting scout, so the game already does spell-rangers well.

The Druid

• Primary Skill: Cleric, level 1
• Secondary Skill: Scout

I would make the druid a full caster for 2 spells a level and put scout in the secondary slot. Most games treat druids as full casters. I would flavor the cleric abilities to be more nature-based. I would not make a dedicated Druid skill unless I had to, and it feels like worshipping nature is the same as worshipping a god or divine power. It is just nature, so a cleric is the best choice. Animal handling, navigation, survival, and tracking ability come from the scout skill.

Again, the game covers you well here, and I feel the bard skill is the only missing skill in the rules. Bard could technically be considered a variant of the scholar skill, with less information and more entertaining - plus spells.

Barebones Fantasy

Finally, a game that puts player skill first and removes AC as being the sole deciding factor of how difficult something is to hit. Finally, plate mail is not the ultimate 85% AC 18 armor solution. I know other games do this, which is basically a skill roll plus damage resistance mechanic. Still, the d00 System mixes this in with a multi-action economy which allows you to "bet" on your success, utilize high ability scores better, and ties defenses into how many actions you choose to take during a turn.

This is a genius design, and it borrows some from actual gambling mechanics.

It isn't a gambling game at all, but the concept of taking your first action at 80%, a second action at 60% (20% less each extra action), and holding at 40% and using that as your defensive roll is pure inspired genius. The more actions you take, the worse chance your next one has, and the worse your defenses become. Still, that 40% is pretty good; a 40% chance to block an attack that could have hit you is way better than the d20 systems' "just take it."

Do you think you can alpha-attack a foe and overwhelm them in the first turn? Push your luck and try! Do you want to hold back and play a more defensive game? Do less, and save yourself for defense.

Genius.

It puts player choice into the action economy while rewarding high skill levels.

The system also offers success chances greater than 100% for even more fun. Got a 140% chance to hit with your sword and an 80% acrobatics? Well, in single-attack games, you are hitting all the time and are bored. Here, you could make your first action two acrobatics rolls at 80% and 60%, and when your modifier is at -40%, make that first melee attack at 100% and save 80% for defense (holding at -60% for whatever comes up).

Yes, the modifier is on one track, while your skills are as they are on the character sheet. I burn off the first -40% because I know those attacks would have hit anyways and use the lower-level skills. When I am in the 100% zone, I attack and save a hefty chunk for defense.

A dynamic action economy with action planning?

Even better.

Honestly, I feel Pathfinder 2 borrowed some of these ideas for their 3-action system and tightened it up to fit within a wargame model. This is a pure expression of a multi-action system in a fantasy game, with fewer rules and structure, but also open-ended. This is a rules-light game with much room to add your creations and content, so I am immediately attracted to such a model.

Hello!

 Welcome!