Weapon              H*   Dmg (Hit Roll)  Other
Battle Axe          2    1d10
Hand Axe            1    1d6
War Axe             1    1d8

Short Bow           2    1d6
Long Bow            2    1d8
Light Crossbow      2    1d6
Heavy Crossbow      2    3d4             fire once every 2 rounds
                                         unless 18 STR
Composite Short Bow 2    1d8             STR modifies dmg
Composite Long Bow  2    1d10            STR modifies dmg
Sling               1    1d4

Blackjack           1    1d2             aimed attack, knockout
Club                1    1d4
Throwing Hammer     1    1d4
War Hammer          1/2  1d6/1d8
Mace                1    1d6
Staff               2    1d6
Torch               1    1d2             1d4 dmg when lit
Flail               1    1d6
Morning Star        1    1d6+1

Dagger              1    1d4
Katar               1    1d4+1           cannot be thrown
Butterfly Knife     1    1d4             throw: +2 to hit

Polearm             2    2d6             -3 to hit for dwarves
Javelin             1    1d6             sm creatures can use
Lance               2    2d6             double damage for mounted charge
Pike                2    2d6             -3 to hit for dwarves
Spear               1/2  1d6/1d8
Trident             1/2  1d6/1d8
Tlacochtli          1/2  1d6/1d8         pull out: extra 1d6
Naginata            2    2d6

Sword               1    1d8
Short Sword         1    1d6
Bastard Sword       1/2  1d6+1/1d8+1
2H Sword            2    1d10
Rapier              1    2d4-1           -2 hit vs plate armor
Broadsword          1    2d4
Katana              1/2  1d8/2d4+1

Cestus              1    1d4
Whip                1    1d2             entangle
Barbed Whip         1    1d4
Hooked Net          1    1d4             entangle, save -2
Chain Net           1    nil             entangle, save -6

Blowgun             1/2  1               poison 1d4 dmg/rnd
Bola                1    1d2             entangle, critical: save vs
                                         death or be paralyzed and die
                                         in 1d6+2 rounds
Shurikin            1    1d3
Chakram             1    1d4

* Number of hands to use.

You can download the rulebooks in PDF format for free below.

Other Heroes Only authors and I have contributed to Basic Fantasy, and have found the policies surrounding the production of the game to be the most favorable. (Chris Gonnerman, the creator and editor of the game materials, chooses not to attempt to make a profit on it despite all of his hard work.)

Download Basic Fantasy

Basic Fantasy

If you want to get a hard copy, you can buy the current edition of the game at lulu (provided at-cost), or you can buy a previous edition from amazon.

Labyrinth Lord is another good choice.  It  is probably more true and compatible with the original D&D game.  However, it is harder to find a free download of the rulebook.  Luckily the license on the rulebook allows me to provide a download here.

Download Labyrinth Lord

Labyrinth Lord

You can also get a hard copy from lulu.

Tetsubo – 1d8 – (F,C,E,D,My,Dr) – Large, 2-handed weapon that loses initiative; pole arm rules.

Sode Garami – 1d4 – (F,E,My,Dr) Large, 2-handed weapon that loses initiative. Can be used to catch the sleeves of the opponent; opponent gets save vs. paraysis.

Katana – 1d10 – (F,T,E,D,H,My) Medium sword of exceptional craftmanship.

Wakizashi – 1d8 – (F,T,E,D,H,My) – Small sword of exceptional craftsmanship, often accompanying the katana.

Sai – 1d4 – (F,T,M,E,D,H,My) Small, dagger with twin guards. Can be thrown with -4 penalty or Parry blades with a +2 bonus.

Sang Kuaw – 1d8 – (F,E,D,My) Large, two-handed weapon that loses initiative. Suffers a -4 to hit roll but gains +4 to Parry (or gives parry ability to those who can’t parry).

Tui-fa – 1d8 – (F,C,T,E,D,H,My,Dr) – Small, two-handed weapon. Gives +4 to Parry (or ability to parry). If an edged weapon misses because of parry, the weapon become stuck

Shuriken – 1d3 – (F,T,M,E,D,H,My) – For every shuriken thrown in the same round, the attacks suffer a -4 to the hit roll.

Metsubishi (All) – Black powder that explodes in a bright flash; anyone unwarned of it must save vs. paralysis or be blinded for 1d6 rounds.

Tetsu-bishi – 1d4 – (F,T,M,E,D,H,My) – small, boot-penetrating ground tacks that are thrown on the ground. Opponent must save vs. paralyzation or spend a round pulling it out and make another save vs. paralyzation or move at one-third their normal speed.

Chu-ka-nu – 1d6 – (F,T,E,D,H,My) – Medium-sized automatic crossbow that can reload so fast it can shoot 2 quarrels per round for 5 rounds; takes 5 rounds to reload

Ninja-to – 1d8 – (F,T,E,D,H,My) Medium-sized ninja sword with a hidden throwing dagger (1d4) in the handle.
Chain and Sickle – 1d4 – (F,E,D,H,My) – Two handed, medium sized weapon that loses initiative and can entangle like a whip.

Mancatcher – 1d2 – (F,E,D,My) – Large, two-handed pole arm that loses initiative. Anyone hit must save vs. paralysis or be caught in the pole arm’s teeth and continue to take 1d2 damage. Victim loses dexterity and save bonuses and must make a strength check to get out, taking 1d4 damage to their hands (unless they wear gauntlets or magic gloves) in the process whether they succeed or not.

Today is a day to think about how D&D has affected our lives: not just the game itself, but also the multitude of other RPGs that were inspired by the creation of the game. And we should also take a moment to remember the Father of Roleplaying, Gary Gygax.

Tributes to E. Gary Gygax

• http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html
• http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04
• http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp03042008.shtml
• http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2008-03-04
• http://www.duelinganalogs.com/comic/2008/03/05/so-long-gary/
• http://www.gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20080305
• http://www.weregeek.com/2008/03/05/
• http://xkcd.com/393/

Good Ideas

The d20 system has several good ideas that make it easier to understand and more easy to play.

• Positive AC. A larger AC is better than a smaller one makes more sense.
• Magic. I like the idea of the effectiveness of saving throws being based on spell level. This makes more powerful magic inherently harder to avoid than less powerful magic, and it makes a lot of sense. I never liked the way a sixth level spell like Death could be simply shrugged off by a Save vs Death Ray, the easiest saving throw to make.
• Saving Throws. Having saving throws based on “reflex” or other descriptions of how a character may actually avoid a situation is clearer.

Bad Ideas

Unfortunately, the d20 system sometimes made things “too logical” and went a little overboard on the complexity of certain areas.

• Every class can be mixed with every race. I don’t like this idea, however it is easy enough for a DM to decide in his game world to restrict certain race/class combinations.
• Sorcerors. It’s not a bad idea as far as game mechanics go (which is why I think they used it) but a “sorceror” isn’t conceptually different enough from a “wizard” which I think makes it confusing. I think they should have come up with a more unique name/panache for this class. Kind of reminds me of how they used to make a big deal out of “Illusionists” in AD&D 1st edition.
• Combat. Where should I start? Combat in the d20 system is basically a mess. It’s overly complicated, and appeals to the “high role-player,” as I would like to call those who are mostly into game mechanics. Complicated combat rules are good for video games sometimes, but they aren’t good for tabletop games. I have this opinion because I think combat should be fun but quick.
• Spell Feats. I think this just makes the game more complex. I asked a friend if you could just rule out spell feats as a DM, but he said that it would unbalance the classes.

Hand Drawn Mystara Map

Hand Drawn Mystara Map

Simple Character Sheet made with Scribus

If you’re interested in taking a look or modifying it for your own use, here is the Scribus source file.

My other Character Record Sheets were done using an editor like OpenOffice.org.