Elfmaids & Octopi - Attributes

This is section 3 from my DnD home clone rules this site named after. As I'm running several gammaworld games and DnD is in hiatus I'll go back to refining my EMO rules set. Some people are curious about such things. It will let me have some more content here for a bit too. I should be writing invoices.

3.Attributes
Roll 4d6 to generate 6 numbers – any below 9 raised to 9
you can subtract points from some stats and add to your class prime stat
9 lowest you can reduce to and 18 max you can raise a stat to this way
(my d6 dice could possibly be bad – only 1  newbie got a gross character this way)

Strength       
bonus damage all weapons
Warriors Prime
breaking or lifting things, a measure of physical muscle power and carrying capacity
Take Str if you want to pack a mean punch in hand to hand and carry more loot

Dexterity       
bonus to hit all weapons, initiative  and AC
Rogue or Halfling or Tako prime
reflex or evasion saves, a measure of accuracy, stealth, grace, reflexes and fine manipulation
Take Dex for greater offensive and defensive abilities

Constitution   
bonus to hp every lv and daily healing, survivable negative HP score
Dwarf Prime
poison or disease or fatigue saves, a measure of health, durability and powers of recovery
Take Con to be resilient to physical harm and bodily threats

Intelligence   
bonus proficiencies and languages from any list
Wizard or Elf prime
searching and detecting saves, a measure of learning ability, memory, perception, education
Take Int if you want additional starting abilities normally outside your Class and alertness

Wisdom       
bonus number of second chances
Priest or Monk or Monk prime
resist psychological or magical effect, measure of faith, persistence, bravery, sanity and will
Take Wis if you want to be mentally resilient and have more second chances (see below)

Charisma       
bonus loyal companions and number of personal retinue
Bard or Sorcerer prime
aid morale and diplomacy,  a measure of ability to charm, leadership and appeal                        
Take Cha if you want to be a leader or communicator or just get positive reactions

Bonus
3-5        -2
6-8        -1
9-12       +0
13-15     +1
16-17     +2
18-19      +3
20-22      +4
23-25      +5

Prime
Str    Warriors Prime
Dex    Rogue or Halfling or Tako Prime
Con    Dwarf Prime
Wis     Priests or Druids or Monk Prime
Int      Wizard or Elf Prime
Cha    Bard or Sorcerer Prime
Prime stats – you need a 12 in stat to choose this class
Gives you xp bonus in your class

Other Benefits
Attributes are used as basis for saving throws with a d20
Dex vs blasts, traps, breath weapons
Con vs poison, death, fatigue, disease
Wis vs spells, mental or psychological effects
Situational, class, NWP and WP mods can all apply

Attributes are used as basis for NWP rolls with a d20
Add +1/3lv to rolls to reflect improvement
Roll made by +1-2 required number  = made it but close call
Roll made by +5 required number  = quality success
Roll made by +10 required number = master success
Some proficiencies like sneak and hide or craft skills can be rolled together for ease or enhanced affects.
Some proficiencies can give a +1-4 bonus to another like Tumble or Acrobatics could give +4 Jump. These are decided on a case by case basis with the player or DM able to make suggestions. Be generous if lots of skills overlap.
A common NWP like spot or climb has a base of 1/2 the normal stat if anyone could do it
Often a skilled person does not have to roll in a non stressful situation
Extra time (+2-4), quality tools (+1-2), spells may all help

Strength and encumbrance
You can carry up to Str x 2 pounds and have no penalties
You can carry up to Str x5 pounds  light encumbrance 2/3 run speed
You can carry up to Str x 10 pounds  heavy encumbrance and still march ½ run speed
If you exceed this you move 1/3 normal speed, -1 all rolls, you will sink like a stone and be fatigued if act at peak ability more than one round per Con
You can lift Str x20 pounds with a Str roll per round
(10kg=22lb for young who only read metric) as your max pack load
NWPs may be used to effect this too

Dexterity and initiative
Initiatives are 1d10 per side + individual Dx bonus and weapon modifiers for length and speed may be used if   a close call between sides. Usually roll per fight but a skirmish in a scrub may dictate radical changes in battlefield superiority.  Fast  draw  weapons are always ready. -4 on d10 if weapons not ready or may miss action if surprised. If a side is surprised or  ambushed one side may get a free action before initiative rolls.

Constitution and negative HP
When your HPs are reduced to zero or negative you fall unconscious
At 0 you remain unconscious till you recover at least one HP
At negative numbers you continue to lose 1 more HP per round until…
At an amount equal to Con as a negative number you die – eg 12 Con means your death score is -12
Magic and healer NWP critical may possibly return someone from beyond if DM kindly

Intelligence and creative character creating
Bonus proficiencies and languages gained can be exotic and from any type you can make normal class characters more interesting.  A wizard could take long sword and light armour. A Warrior might want wall-running and sense-magic. A rogue could get Use Arcane Item and have a familiar pact. A priest might just take lots of combat skills for his mace and shield. Languages give you cultural knowledge also and having a language of some exotic type can be handy for meeting strangers or reading messages in ruin pictograms.

Wisdom Bonus and second chances
You can pull feats of persistence by sheer will or is it the grace of the gods after all?
Can have one plus WIS bonus number of second chances per session
you can spend these chances on:
1) heal 1d4 damage or can stop bleeding with this
2) re roll any dice again then pick best result
3) change one spell in your memory to another through great foresight
4) have one piece of common equipment you ‘almost’  forgot to bring

another option is to adopt my card system (appendix) and everyone gets a draw or redraw card per game and Wis bonus provide more. Wis useless for non Priests in most games.

Charisma Bonus and followers
You can keep a band of hireling personal retinue up to your Cha score. Everyone gets one and your bonus in loyal follower companions who will go with you to hell. They are guaranteed fanatic in devotion to you. Classes grant special followers too but they may not be replaced as charisma derived followers.

You can try to befriend any encounter you meet or re-discover a lost companion. Some people you meet will volunteer to be your companion or apprentice. Make a Cha roll on a suitable target and use gifts to get a bonus to recruit followers to try to persuade a potential available follower. Some persons may already have family or cultural commitments and be unavailable. Young bastards for example are easier to recruit than a prince or a married shop keeper. Many player groups play mostly spell casters and hire muscle or use followers. Followers Lv or HD usually two ranks lower than yours but natural unintelligent animals can have equal HD.

When followers die you can recruit new ones unless you have a rep as a companion killer. Some followers may adopt a character class and become 1st when you reach 3rd Lv. A player can start with one follower but might want to wait until they are higher lv to recruit all he can. If a follower dies or is dismissed the slot can be refilled. Some followers support you but dont come along - a wife who stays home, a steward who runs your castle, a lord who aids you dealing with law, kin with financial support.

Common types
Familiar – use the familiar table without a pact or magic benefits
Canine Pet – Hunting Dog, War-Hound or Wolf or Dire Wolf
Intelligent talking animals - equal to your lv-2
Mount – Pony 2HD, Riding Horse 3HD, War Horse 4HD, Mammoth 12HD, Ostrich 2HD, River Dolphin 2HD
Lover – your beloved accompanies you everywhere you could even be married
Servant – your servant carries, cleans, treats wounds, shaves, massages, makes tea, carries messages, repairs armour, sharpens blades, shaves you, etc
Flying Pet  – Falcon, parrot, minor bird, duck, goose, eagle, vulture,
Other Beast – badger, lynx, lion, bear
Monster – Humanoids  and monsters equal to your lv-2
Patron – Gain powerful connection to crown or church or even divine being
Warrior companion – Warrior guardians are the most common
Expert – like a sage, scribe, musician, portrait painter, healer, lamp bearer

1st lv Followers include:
-d4 HP pet or roll on familiar table but no magical link or evolution without proficiencies
-1d4 HP servant or trades person
-1HD dog, 1d6 bite, track (knock over on critical)
-1HD pack goat, 1d6 butt+1 if charge 8 Str 50% provide milk
-1HD pit pony (tunnel trained) 10 Str (knock over on critical)
-human skeleton or zombie pony or zombie goat or zombie dog
2nd  lv Followers include:
-1d6 HP man at arms
-Riding pony
-Wolf, Lynx, Eagle,
-Python (1d6 crush auto hit after first and 1d6 bite) or poison asp (1d4 bite 2d6 venom)
-Zombie or zombie horse
3rd Lv Followers include:
-1st lv Adventurer,
-Riding horse
4th Lv Follower’s include
-black bear, heavy war horse, lion, dire wolf, giant eagle or owl
5th Lv followers include
-holy steed, winged steed
-Wight

Morale for Followers
Roll for followers when any of this stuff
-average HP halved
-first member is KO
-half group is KO
-any spectacular kill or critical damage or horrendous death scene
-witness blasphemous horror or amazing magic or divine miracle at work
-witness vastly superior force or supernatural monster or reputed weapon

Party leader or personal employers charisma is base score
+1 every 4 levels (1-4lv = +1, 5-8lv + 2, etc)
-4 Green or civilians
+2 Veterans if last battle was victory
+4 Elite if last battle was victory
+3 For personal followers
x1/2 if no leader not in sight

A panicked follower will break formation, and will move only backwards, if pursued by disciplined troops or fail a second morale test they will full speed flee until danger is out of sight. They will get one more test to hang around or will scatter for days if they fail.
Panicked  personal followers will withdraw but will seek to help with missile or other support if possible.
A hero may pursue panicked persons and make a Cha roll to reassert control of a group

Bonus Spells
Priest or Druid Wis
Wizard or Elf use Int
Sorcerer or Bard uses Cha
Tako use Dex
13 +1 1st lv spell at first
14 +1 1st lv spell at second
15 +1 2ndlv spell at third
16 +1 2nd lv spell at fourth
17 +1 3rd lv spell at fifth
18 +1 3rd lv spell at sixth
19 +1 4th lv spell at 7th etc