Pain, Exhaustion, and Morale in D&D BECMI

There isn’t an explicit set of mechanics handling pain and exhaustion for PCs, but there are decent mechanics for Morale that could be useful. Morale Checks could form the basis of a system for PCs, especially relevant during combat encounters. When a check fails, instead of retreating or fleeing like an NPC or a monster, the PC incurs a temporary penalty to applicable stats. Here is a copy of the original Morale Check list from the Rules Cyclopedia, p. 103. I’ve numbered the entries for convenience:

1.    At the Start of an Evasion: When a group tries to evade encounters, the DM rolls to see if the creatures give chase.

2.    During a Chase: Every five combat rounds; success means that the creatures continue to give chase, and failure means they break off the chase.

3.    In Combat: When the creature is first hit, taking 1 or more hit points of damage.

4.    In Combat: When the creature is reduced to one-quarter (or less) of its starting hit points.

5.    In Combat: When the first death (on either side, PC or NPC/monster) takes place, the DM makes one morale roll for the remaining creatures to see if they wish to continue.

6.    In Combat: When half of the creatures are not free to act (because they are dead, asleep, controlled, etc.).

7.    In Combat: When the creature or NPC is subjected to a weapon master's Despair effect (as described in Chapter 5).

8.    At Any Time: When the creature or NPC is subjected to a magical item or spell that calls for a morale check. (Example: drums of panic, reverse gravity spell.)

Matching Effects on PCs

1.    Does not concern the PCs.

2.    Exhaustion: Make a Morale Check. If it fails, −1 to Con; Duration 5 Rounds.

3.    Pain: Make a Morale Check. If it fails, −1 to Str, Dex, and the next ML check; Duration 5 Rounds.

4.    Pain: Make a Morale Check. If it fails, −1 to all stats and ML checks. Duration: the encounter’s end.

5.    Psyche: Make a Morale Check: If it fails, −1 to Wis, Int, and Cha; Duration 5 Rounds.

6.    Psyche: As above. Duration: Until the situation no longer applies.

7.    Psyche: As above. Duration: Until the Despair effect no longer applies.

8.    DM’s call (magical effect may be related to Exhaustion, Pain, or Psyche).

 Bonuses: The Con bonus applies to Morale Checks related to Exhaustion (situation 2). The best bonus from Str or Dex applies to Moral Checks related to Pain (situations 3 and 4). The best bonus from Int, Wis, or Cha applies to Morale Checks related to Psyche (situations 5, 6, and 7).

Base Scores: This assumes the DM has allocated ML scores to the PCs’ character classes. ML scores increase with the PCs’ experience levels. It would be truly cruel to give 1st-level PCs ML scores of 3. It’s bad enough being a 1st-level vict… uh, hero. So, let’s start with a base score of 6. Adjust +/−1 for minor personality traits. A Paladin-like hero gets a +2; a berserker-like character enjoys a solid 12 and never cares about any of this nonsense (no modifiers for berserkers, of course).

  Level   Base Scores

    1-3             6

    5-6             7

    7-9             8

  10-14           9

  15-20          10

  21-27          11

  28-36     12 (max.)

Certain spells and intense emotions (hatred, anger, a sworn enemy, exalted faith, etc.) may provide bonuses during encounters. A Bless spell, for example, ought to give a +1 bonus to ML Checks. Other adjustments are possible, like −1 for being sick, starving, cold, parched in a hot desert, lost in a jungle, etc. Give it a try. See how that works.

Damaging Calidar Demons

Immunity to non-magical attacks is an old D&D BECMI rule designed to make high-level monsters tough to defeat. With equally high-level opponents, the issue isn’t much of a problem, especially in a magic-rich campaign world. However, this stumbling block can defy logic when a magical being faces an army of non-magical opponents, artillery, and possibly explosives. I’m not interested in throwing out the old rules altogether, but I did explore a caveat in CA4 The Iron Queen, for the sake of plotting adventures.

About Calidar Demons

The World of Calidar features three main categories of demons: wretches, rascals, and archfiends. The first includes low-level critters, the rank-and-file of demonic armies. They are vulnerable to +1 weapons and spells of any level. The middle group ranges from 10 to 15 Hit Dice, more like commanders and petty rulers in the lower planes. They require +2 or better weapons. At the higher end stand level-30+ beings that should tangle with demigods. Ruling Calidar’s dark underworld, they demand +3 weapons. In addition to this, mortals cannot harm an archfiend, regardless of spells and magical gear (see CC1, p. 217), unless a deity or divine artifact empowered them to do so.

The Loop-Hole

What if “empowered” mortals do not possess adequate magic to face a high-level fiend? The rule that makes the demons immune to non-magical weapons or to low-level spells still holds (i.e., they cannot suffer non-magical damage). However, I had a situation where mortals wielded artillery of great power but completely non-magical. I still wanted to feature a confrontation to resolve an adventure plot.

A solution arose from the old idea that “cold steel” harms demons. Taken literally, this would defeat the established immunity rule. On the other hand, it should affect demons in some way nonetheless. The workaround is that non-magical iron still cannot kill a demon, but it can cause discomfort: pain, much like holy water enraging demons. The greater the number of such attacks and the larger the iron weapon or projectile, the more they will hurt—without ever causing actual damage.

So, given the case in point, a dwarven space dreadnought armed with two heavy guns can certainly give trouble to an archfiend, without possibly killing it. Adding a good number of Space Marines and a party of fearless PCs will help stop the archfiend from boarding the offending warship and ripping apart its cannons or its bridge. Imagine a dozen or so bullet ants attacking a human intruder: they can’t kill, but they can inflict enough pain for their foe to recoil and flee the scene. Using this analogy, I used modified subdual mechanics. Naturally, a demon cannot be subdued like a dragon, but a successful outcome can cause it to flee. The opposing side can thus claim victory… however short-lived, perhaps, but a victory nonetheless. This is relevant to an archfiend’s status in the World of Calidar. Fleeing a battle will cause lesser demons to break free of their dark liege’s power, and other rulers to turn on their weakened rival.

These subdual mechanics rely on whether a demon fails a Morale Check. Use the mechanics listed in the Rules Cyclopedia, page 103. The inflicted damage is non-lethal but causes Morale Checks, as described in subdual mechanics. At the beginning of the battle, the archfiend starts with ML 12. A judicious DM plots a series of achievable goals or events before the encounter that reflect the actions of the PCs or their nemesis during the fight. As a result, the demon incurs cumulative ML bonuses and penalties. Eventually, if the archfiend fails a Morale Check, it flees, and the battle ends.

Preview: The Iron Queen

I have the pleasure of announcing the upcoming release of my latest project: The Iron Queen. Designed for Old Style Essentials (classic version), it offers a detailed description of a spacefaring dwarven ironclad and an adventure module: Raid on Teros. The release includes a map pack with six full-size poster deck plans and a collection of maps for use with the adventure, all rendered at full resolution. The Iron Queen will become available on DriveThru as a digital release fairly soon. The manuscript and all graphicsare now in the hands of proofreaders. Keep your ears to the ground. Click here for the latest updates.

All deck plans and outside views of the Iron Queen will include 3 posters labeled and 3 more unlabeled. The present png files are 86 megs and 10800 x 7760 pixels (or 36"x 26"). See the views below for an idea of the contents. Click on the images below for full-res views. Some images may take a minute or longer to load, given their sizes.

                            

The author warrants that no AI was used or harmed during the development of this project.