OSE House Rules

Modifications and extensions to the OSE rules. The categories below mimic those found in the OSE SRD

What are the Rules?
In general, the base game is described in the Old School Essentials rules linked above. However, I am modifying many of the rules in one way or another, especially as it relates to Classes and Playing the game. The best thing to do is to read the relevant sections of the OSE rules and then use this wiki to see how those rules may be different than those described in the official rules.

The rules here are not complete. I have done my best to explain the changes but small things might have slipped through. More importantly, it is very difficult to make these rules into an errata of the OSE rules as that would take a great deal of time for little gain. Instead, if something isn't covered in these house rules, it means one of a few things:

  • The rule(s) as expressed in OSE are used as-is (e.g. the price of stronghold buildings)
  • The omission is intentional and what is actually intended is to remove the OSE rule completely as it does not apply (e.g. there is no Thief class, which is why it is not mentioned in these rules)
  • The omission is unintentional and I either intended to leave the rule as-is or I probably should have called something out in the house rules but just forgot.

Fortunately, the solution for these issues is all the same and available to anyone: just ask me. I will clarify where I can and update this document if warranted.

Important Principles of OSR

  • Rulings not rules: rules are kept light to keep the game running fast, so the Referee will need to make many rulings on the fly
  • The answer is not on your character sheet: closely related to Rulings not rules above. If something seems logical to happen, it will happen and no dice are needed. Skill checks, combat tricks and the like are available to anyone at any time and will be ruled on the fly. Dice will be used when it is unclear what the outcome will be or if the Referee wants to leave something to chance
  • Leaving it up to the dice is Bad: don't roll dice unless you have to, engage with the story and use common sense to affect change. Dice are not the default mechanism to resolve things
  • Your character is not a hero: but may become one
  • Race is class: the world is human-centered. Other races are in decline as they cannot compete with humanity's benefits of rapid reproduction, flexibility and rapid power growth. Non-humans are the exception, not the rule
  • Combat is war, not sport: if you are in a fair fight, you have already lost. Fight unfairly and only when you have to. Run away or force your foes to flee.
  • There is no concept of balance: encounters are not built to be "barely winnable". Running away or avoiding fights is a really good idea. Characters progress differently and overshadow each other at different points in the game
  • Death is always lurking: expect low-level characters to die. There is safety in numbers
  • Time and weight are against you: you need light and food to survive and you can only carry so much and light lasts only so long. Resting in the dungeon or another dangerous place is virtually impossible. Wandering monsters are prevalent and carry little treasure
  • Healing is slow: recovering damage takes days in a safe environment. Healing magic is constrained, especially at lower levels
  • The Mythic Underworld hates you: dungeons and other places of Chaos actively work against you to hinder your progress and send foes to slay you
  • Gold is XP: the bulk of XP comes from gold recovered from monsters, not monster kills or story awards. If you can rob a tomb and escape without a fight, you have done well
  • Play to find out what happens: the purpose of playing is to find out what happens when these mundane risk-taking characters decide to risk their lives for wealth and glory. The story emerges based on their decisions. There is no overarching plot

Miscellaneous Important Things

  • Wherever possible, please first review the relevant section of the OSE SRD linked above. This will set a baseline for any changes
  • Note that this game uses the Silver Standard. That is, the most common coin is the silver piece (sp) not the gold piece (gp). Wherever gp is mentioned in the OSE SRD, use sp instead.

Rules Categories
Characters
Classes
Equipment and Services
Magic
Playing the Game