GLOG: Redwall Classes v1

Here's the first draft of my Redwall classes for the GLOG (for the Arnold K GLOG, not any other hack, but it'll probably work fine in pretty much any of them). It's races-as-class for all of the major non-vermin species (except for voles, you can probably just multiclass mouse and shrew or something). I might add vermin, birds, cats, reptiles, and amphibians in at some point, but maybe not because most of those will be better off as NPCs. We'll see.

Link

Quick Edit: I've moved squirrels to medium size. Thanks to deus ex parabola from the OSR Discord for pointing this out.

GLOG: The Mouse (Redwall class)

Recently deus ex parabola (from the OSR discord) and I have been talking a lot about a Redwall hack of the GLOG. If you don't know what Redwall is, it's a series of children's books about talking rodents and mustelids having adventures and it's fantastic. Here's my take on what a Mouse class would look like (I don't have my own GLOG hack, so it's written for the Arnold K. GLOG. Hopefully it should work for most hacks). Most of it is stolen from the Goblin Guts Fighter and Knight, because those represent a lot of what the Mouse is about.

Size

Redwall involves a lot of various creatures of different sizes. There are 4 different size categories: Small, Medium, Large, and Huge. Small creatures get -1 Str, -1 Con, and can reroll Dex. Medium creatures get no bonuses or penalties. Large creatures can reroll Str and get -1 Dex. Huge creatures get +2 Str, can reroll Con, and get -2 Dex. The minimum and maximum ability scores are still 4 and 16.

The Mouse

Size: Small

You gain +1 HP and +1 Save vs Fear for every Mouse template you possess.

Starting Equipment: Any two-handed weapon or any one-handed weapon and a shield (with 20 ammo if ranged), light armor

Starting Skill (1d3): 1. Wanderer, 2. Farmer, 3. Teenager

A     Parry, +1 Attack
B     Fury of the Small
C     Tricky, +1 Attack
D     Indomitable, Cleave


Parry: Once per day you can reduce incoming damage by 1d12 points. If you also choose to sunder your shield, you can reduce the incoming damage by 12 points instead of 1d12.

Fury of the Small: You have +1 Defense vs enemies larger than you. Once per day, you can gain +1 Attack and +1 Damage vs enemies larger than you for the rest of the combat.

Tricky: You get +2 to Combat Maneuver rolls. Additionally, whenever you attack and get exactly the number you needed, you may make a Dex check opposed by the target's Str or Dex (whichever is higher). If you win, you successfully execute a free Combat Maneuver.

Indomitable: When you are reduced to zero hitpoints, make a Save vs Death. On a success, you are instead reduced to 1 hitpoint. Once per day when you fail a save, you can reroll it.

Cleave: Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 HP with an attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon.

The Fighter and The Cavalier

I'm going to start my overview of my (still very much in development) system with the classes, and the classes with the Fighter and the Cavalier (which are pretty similar classes).

How Do Classes Work In This System Anyways?

I don't think I've ever actually put this into writing anywhere, so here goes.

Classes are definitely very derivative of the GLOG. You get 5 templates at most, one per level. You can still level up beyond that, but you only get the "+1" benefits from the class you have the most templates from. Classes do not have different XP requirements. Skills are a d8 system that I'll make a post about at some point. 1 p. (1 pence/denier) is 1 XP.

What is a Fighter?

A Fighter is not your normal run-of-the-mill person waving around a weapon and hitting things while wearing tons of armor. A Fighter is a leader of men, a beacon of hope and glory, a standard of blood and steel. Importantly, Fighters fight on foot. They may ride horses to get to their destinations, but they do not do battle from the backs of other creatures (this isn't a moral prescription, it's just how they fight). The Fighter's damage die is a d10.

The Fighter

Template	XP	HP	Abilities	Skill Points
1	0	1d8	Weapon Specialization, +1 AB*	+2
2	600	+1d8	Inspiring Leader	+1
3	1800	+1d8	Weapon Specialization, +1 AB	+1
4	3500	+1d8	Intimidating Foe	+1
5	7500	+1d8	Extra Attack, +1 AB	+1
+1	+5000	+2**	+1/2 AB (round down, max +6)	+1/2 (round down)

*AB is your attack bonus.
**You do not add your Constitution modifier for levels above 5th.

Equipment: Mail shirt; any two weapons and a shield or small shield, or any three weapons (three javelins count as 1 weapon, ranged weapons come with 20 ammunition); an adventurer's pack; 20p.

Weapon Specialization 

You get Weapon Specialization once at Fighter 1 and once at Fighter 3. You can either specialize in two weapon types, or specialize doubly in one.

Javelin 1: You get +1 to hit versus enemies with at least 15 AC when throwing this weapon.
Javelin 2: If you've moved at least 5 feet towards your target this round, you deal an additional 1d4 damage to them when throwing this weapon.
Sword 1: You get +1 to hit versus enemies with less than 16 unshielded AC.
Sword 2: If you hit with a modified roll of 20 or greater, you cut off one of the enemy's body parts (if applicable), 1d10: 1-2 left hand, 3-4 right hand, 5 left arm, 6 right arm, 7 left leg, 8 right leg,  9 head, 10 reroll.
Spear 1: You can attack an enemy entering your range once per round.
Spear 2: You deal 1d4 additional damage when you hit an enemy who you attack with your Spear 1 feature.
Axe 1: You get +2 to hit versus enemies using shields.
Axe 2: You deal x3 instead of x2 damage on a critical hit.
Club 1: If you miss an enemy with unshielded AC greater than 10 by less than 2, you still deal 1d4 damage to them.
Club 2: If you hit with a modified roll of 20 or greater, your target must Save vs Paralysis (No, I haven't decided how I'm doing saves yet. This might be a Con save.) or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Hewing Spear 1: Once per round, when you attack, you can make an additional attack with the butt of your spear, dealing 1d4 damage on a hit.
Hewing Spear 2: Once per round, if you miss an attack, you can instead attack another target within range.
Sling 1: If you miss an enemy with unshielded AC greater than 10 by less than 2, you still deal 1d4 damage to them.
Sling 2: If you hit with a modified roll of 20 or greater, your target must Save vs Paralysis (or a Con save.) or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Bow 1: If an enemy has approached you by at least 20 feet this round, you deal an additional 1d4 damage on a hit.
Bow 2: You deal x3 instead of x2 damage on a critical hit.

Inspiring Leader

 Your hirelings get +1 + your Charisma modifier to morale checks and your allies get +2 to Saves vs Fear (or Wis saves vs being frightened) when within 20 feet of you. You can add your level to your hireling limit.

Intimidating Foe

 Any enemy within 5 feet of you has disadvantage on Saves vs Fear (or Wis saves vs being frightened). When you attack an enemy, you can force them to make a Morale check. You cannot use this ability twice against the same enemy.

Extra Attack 

When you make a weapon attack, you can instead attack twice with the same weapon.

What is a Cavalier?

Cavaliers, like Fighters, are leaders as well as warriors. They survey the battlefield from their commanding position atop their mount, then deliver a resounding charge, the thunder of hooves echoing into the histories and myths. Cavaliers aren't incompetent on foot - in fact, they're still better than anyone who isn't a Fighter - but they still aren't necessarily the best for a campaign focused on dungeon delving. Cavaliers are also not horse archers. Horse archers are from Far Away in the areas I'm focusing on currently, but I'll make a separate class for them at some point. The Cavalier's damage die is a d10.

The Cavalier

Template	XP	HP	Abilities	Skill Points
1	0	1d8	Charge 1d4, +1 AB*	+2, Horsemanship 4
2	500	+1d8	Inspiring Leader	+1
3	1500	+1d8	Charge 1d8, +1 AB	+1
4	3500	+1d8	Terrifying Onslaught	+1
5	7500	+1d8	Charge 1d12 +1 AB	+1
+1	+5000	+2**	+1/2 AB (round down, max +6)	+1/2 (round down)

*AB is your attack bonus.
**You do not add your Constitution modifier for levels above 5th.

Equipment: A horse (specifically a rouncey, a fast general-purpose horse often used as a relatively cheap warhorse); a mail shirt; any weapon and a shield or buckler, or any two weapons (three javelins count as 1 weapon, ranged weapons come with 20 ammunition); 2 lances; an adventurer's pack; 10p. 

Charge

When you are mounted on a horse or similar mount and have moved at least 20 feet this round, you deal an additional 1d4 damage to your target with a melee weapon attack (instead of the +1 damage a mounted charge already gives for all characters). This damage increases to 1d8 at Cavalier 3 and 1d12 at Cavalier 5.

Inspiring Leader

 Your hirelings get +1 + your Charisma modifier to morale checks and your allies get +2 to Saves vs Fear (or Wis saves vs being frightened) when within 20 feet of you. You can add your level to your hireling limit.

Terrifying Onslaught

 Any enemy you have attacked in within the round has disadvantage on Saves vs Fear (or Wis saves vs being frightened). When you attack an enemy, you can force them to make a Morale check. You cannot use this ability twice against the same enemy.

General Setting Outline and Classes

What do I want the setting to be like?

First things first, it should probably have a name. I'm very bad at thinking of names for things, but let's call it Carolingia, after the time period and places it emulates, for now. Hopefully I'll come up with a better name at some point. Anyways, Carolingia is based on Europe, mostly Northern and Western, in 840 CE. It's a fascinating period. Emperor Louis the Pious, son of the legendary Charlemagne, has just died, and his sons tear the empire apart in civil war. The Carolingians and the Byzantines dispute the title of Roman Emperor. There's fighting on all the borders of the empire, with the Umayyads in Iberia, the Byzantines and Lombards in Italy, the Slavs and Avars in Slovenia, Bavaria, Bohemia, and Germany, the Danes and Norse in Frisia, Francia, and Aquitaine. Outside the empire, the British Isles are also heavily raided by the Vikings, with both Scotland and Ireland being settled invaded in force. The Vikings, of course, are not entirely destructive. In Central and Eastern Europe, they establish trading posts, and begin to exert control over the river networks of what would later be Russia and the Ukraine.

Now, of course, I don't want to just directly mimic real life but with magic thrown in. That would be boring, and wouldn't make any sense. My goal is to capture the feeling of all these fascinating events and put that feeling into a weird, magical setting. Fantasy with longships and chain hauberks, with shield walls and bearded axes, with hewing spears and reasonable early feudalism, not your generic plate armor and monarchical capitalism thinly disguised as feudalism.

What elements of Early Medieval history create this feeling?

Of course, the technology level and political organizations of the period certainly help, but there's definitely more to it. A big part of the vibe is the plethora of competing tribes and cultures, as well as religions. There's the outwards pressure of Christianity against the various pagan religions, balanced with the inwards pressure of Christianity against itself (the pressures that would later lead to the Great Schism and far later the Protestant Reformation). No, I'm not going to put Christianity into the setting, but religion is going to be a huge part of it, one that will certainly have many other posts. Culturally, you have the Franks, the Lombards, the Visigoths, the Moors, the Burgundians, the Bavarians, the Avars, the myriad Slavs (Obotritites, Bohemians, Moravians, Poles, and on ad nauseum), the Saxons, the Frisians, the Danes, the Norse, the Swedes, the Geats, the Angles, the Jutes, the Saxons, the Cornish and Welsh, the Cumbrians, the Picts and Scots, the Irish, the Bretons, and I'm likely missing a few, all jostling and mixing and fighting. All of this is underlain by a backdrop of deeply felt history. There's only one empire, and that is the Roman Empire. If you call yourself an emperor, you are claiming to be *the* Roman Emperor. This is why Charlemagne (Charles the Great, if you prefer) was such a big fucking deal - the pope, the ultimate Christian authority, crowned him, thereby delegitimizing Empress Irene of Athens, which the Byzantines were not happy about in the slightest.

Religion

Religion is a huge part of what made the Early Middle Ages like what they were like. I'm not going to just make generic fantasy Catholicism but polytheistic #27, nor am I just going to port Christianity over. Instead, I realized that while a lot of medieval ideals are based in Christianity, a lot of them are also holdovers from pre-Christianity Rome. So the main religion is going to be similar to Roman polytheism, and I'm going to do my best to make it feel like genuine polytheism, not like what fantasy seems to think polytheism should be like. As far as other religions, I have a fond spot in my heart for D&D druids, despite them not really making sense as a religion, so there will be something sorta like that, either as the religion of the Slav-like people, or as a hidden cult in the main religion's area. I think the Viking-like people may be more monotheistic, or maybe something like Zoroastrianism (bi-theism, I guess).

Classes

With more general setting stuff out of the way, what classes are there going to be? This is going to largely leave mechanics out of the way and just talk about flavor and such. There are 8 classes I'm thinking of, four non-magical and four magical: the fighter, the cavalier, the scout, the specialist, the wizard, the witch, the chanter, and the priest.

The Fighter (d8 Hit Dice, d10 Damage Dice)

The fighter is pretty standard. They are the best class at using weapons on foot, and tend to be good leaders of men. Historical examples would be Alfred the Great, Brian Boru, Cnut the Great, Hastein of Nantes, Harold Godwineson, Harald Hardrada, Hrolfr/Rollo, Ragnar Loðbrok, Richard the Lionheart, Rorik of Dorestad, Sigurd Ring, Stephen of Blois, basically any great warrior and leader of a people who fought primarily on foot (there's a lot).

The Cavalier (d8 Hit Dice, d10 Damage Dice)

The cavalier is basically equivalent to the fighter, but focusing on horseback combat. The utility of this class is of course going to vary depending on what the campaign is about and how much time you spend underground, but they're still pretty good at fighting at foot. They're also just as good as fighters at leadership. Again, pretty basic. Historical examples are Charles Martel, Charlemagne, the 12 Paladins/Peers, William the Conqueror, Odo of Bayeux, and any other great warrior and leader of a people who fought primarily on horseback (there's also a lot). Horse archers probably won't be included in this class, because they are quite different from other cavalry, and will get their own class if I ever have to use this setting in a more easterly part of the world. Also, as an interesting side note, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are primarily based on Charlemagne and the 12 Paladins.

The Scout (d8 Hit Dice, d8 Damage Dice)

The scout has somewhat less basis in reality than the previous classes, but I feel it fills an important RPG role. It's a lot like a ranger or a hunter, with a little rogue/specialist thrown in. They're good in the wilderness in general, in their favored area/terrain in specific, and good at tracking and scouting. They're pretty good at fighting, and don't have spells. The only historical example I can think of is Hereward the Wake, with a favored area of the marshes of Ely, but this type of person probably existed and were just a lot less renowned than the fighters and cavaliers. Robin Hood (himself inspired by Hereward the Wake) is a fictional example of the kind of person I'm thinking of, with his favored area being Sherwood Forest.

The Specialist (d6 Hit Dice, d8 Damage Dice)

The specialist is definitely the non-magical class with the least basis in reality - it's mostly inspired by the LotFP Specialist. Basically, they have a lot of skills they can pick from and be really good at, including stabbing people in the back.

The Wizard (d4 Hit Dice, d6 Damage Dice)

Wizards are inspired by both the classic D&D wizard and medieval wizards/witches/sorcerers who gained powers from dealing with spirits and ungodly powers. They summon spirits and bind them into spells to be cast when they wish, as well as binding spirits into scrolls, wands, and other items to produce magical effects. Their casting ability is based in their Intelligence, their ability to create the complex rituals needed to summon and bind spells, and in their Charisma, their ability to impose their will upon the world. There are general wizard spells which are from more general easily-summoned spirits, but most wizards will also specialize in a specific kind of spirit (devils, fey, star-spawn, human souls, etc).

The Witch (d4 Hit Dice, d6 Damage Dice)

Witches are not just female wizards. They are people who empathize so strongly with the world that they can change it with focus and thought. They also tend to be skilled herbalists and potion-brewers. Since their magic doesn't involve spirits or summoning, it is less taboo than wizardry - but they have no less potential for dark and evil magic. Their casting ability is based in their Wisdom, their ability to empathize and connect with the world, and their Charisma, their ability to change the shape of the world to fit their vision.

The Chanter (d4 Hit Dice, d6 Damage Dice)

Chanters are the collective memory of a society. They know the myths, the legends, the epics, and they share them where a book could not, for both books and reading are expensive. The tales they tell are vested with power, and they know arcane words and chants of magic. Their casting ability is based in their Intelligence - remembering so many long poems and mystic chants is no easy feat - and their Charisma, their ability to lie to the world and have it believe them. Chanters are mostly inspired by A Wizard of Earthsea and its epic poems, as well as various other epic poems (Beowulf, the Icelandic sagas, Tolkien's lays, and of course the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid).

The Priest (d6 Hit Dice, d6 Damage Dice)

The priest is not your standard cleric with their daily prepared spells and turn undead. In fact, they can't even cast spells in the usual sense. They don't even have a monopoly on divine miracles. Anybody can sacrifice to any god and hope that god helps them out. Priests are special in two ways: Firstly, while they still worship all gods of their pantheon (Atalanta found out the hard way that you can't neglect the gods, or they will fuck you over), they are specifically devoted to one. Their miracles from this god are more potent, the aid more likely to come. They are initiated into the mysteries and cult of that god. Secondly, they are diviners. A haruspice, an augur, an oracle, anything of that sort. The gods do upon occasion give omens to normal folk, but you are blessed with many and trained in their interpretation. Your most relevant ability is Wisdom, your ability to connect to the gods and truly interpret their omens.