Being in the Main the Mouth of Olde House Rules

Thursday, October 22, 2015

What's Your Sign?

Astrology was an important part of the medieval worldview, but is underrepresented in many (if not most) RPGs.  So here's a little bit that adds this important element to your old-school games, with an emphasis on common ground between different systems:

First, players must roll 1d12 to determine their SIGN, noting that the actual dates associated with each may vary by campaign and should be left to the individual DM/GM/referee...

                      1 Aquarius       7 Leo
                      2 Pisces         8 Virgo 
                      3 Aries          9 Libra
                      4 Taurus         10 Scorpio       
                      5 Gemini         11 Sagittarius
                      6 Cancer         12 Capricorn

Alternately, players may be allowed to CHOOSE, but then, who really gets to decide their birthday?  We suggest rolling instead...

Astrology was fundamental to the
medieval mindset and can
be explored within RPG campaigns... 

Astrological signs grant abilities as follows, noting that players can decide when to invoke these:

AQUARIUS: Luck; add +1d6 GP to spoils at division of treasure
PISCES: Mysticism; roll saving dice versus magic at +1  
ARIES: Travel; add +10' to movement per melee round 
TAURUS: Well-being; add +1 to healing dice from potions and spells 
GEMINI: Lore; identify any potion/scroll (never magic items)  
CANCER: Reasoning; receive one clue from DM/GM/referee as requested 
LEO: Justice; add +1 to dice for a single non-combat action
VIRGO: Attraction; improved dealing with opposite sex 
LIBRA: Peace; secure favorable response in non-combat situation 
SCORPIO: Vengeance; deal an automatic 1 HP damage if injured in the preceding combat round (must be armed and within range)
SAGITTARIUS: Teaching; add +1 to party actions when the character is in a position to instruct their friends (spy reports, etc.)  
CAPRICORN: Death; re-roll saving dice at +1 in fatal situations  

Note: Powers derived from the above may only be attempted once per game day and never last more than 1 turn, where applicable.

Individual DMs/GMs/referees can add to this and/or develop entirely original systems as their campaigns require.  The stars know all!

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