KnaveX

by maddogandnoriko

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KnaveX
KnaveX Core v1.1
Old school rules-lite rpg with new school feel
Potion Maker

Introduction

This book is a rules toolkit for running old school fantasy RPGs without classes. Adding, subtracting and modifying rules is both expected and encouraged. KnaveX’s features include:

High compatibility with OSR games. If you have a library of OSR bestiaries, adventure and spell books, little or no conversion is needed to use them with KnaveX.

Fast to teach, easy to run. If you are introducing a group of new players to OSR games, KnaveX allows them to make characters and understand all the rules in minutes.

No classes. Every PC is a KnaveX, a tomb-raiding, adventure-seeking ne’er-do-well who wields a spell book just as easily as a blade. This is an ideal system for players who like to switch up their character’s focus from time to time and don’t like being pigeonholed. A PC’s role in the party is determined largely by the equipment they carry.

Abilities are king. All d20 rolls use the six standard abilities. The way that ability scores and bonuses work has also been cleaned up, rationalized, and made consistent with how other systems like armor work.

Optional player-facing rolls. KnaveX easily accommodates GMs who want the players to do all the rolling. Switching between the traditional shared-rolling model and players-only rolling can be done effortlessly on the fly.

Gold standard. KnaveX assumes that the common unit of currency is the gold piece or coin. This is compatible with most OSR games.

A list of 100 level-less spells

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: You are free to share and adapt this material for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you give attribution.

Introduction
Girl &Deer
Cottage & Lighthouse

PART I

Character Creation

Character Creation

1. Determine Abilities

PCs have six abilities: Strength(STR), Dexterity(DEX), Constitution(CON), Intelligence(INT), Wisdom(WIS), and Charisma(CHA). Each ability has two related values: a defense and a bonus.

When creating a PC, roll 3d6 for each of their abilities, in order. The lowest of the three dice on each roll is that ability’s bonus. Add 10 to find its defense.

After you’ve finished rolling, you may optionally swap the scores of two abilities.

2. Choose a Race

Choose a race for your character. You may choose to reroll one of the indicated abilities for your race and choose the highest roll. Write the race’s special abilities on your character sheet.

Dragonborn

Dragonborn look very much like dragons standing erect in humanoid form, though they lack wings or a tail.

Reroll STR or CHA

Breath Weapon: Each creature within 15' must make a Save vs DEX. Damage is 1d6 on a failed Save, and half damage on a successful Save. To use it again you must complete a long rest.

Dwarf

Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal.

Reroll CON or STR.

Hearty: Advantage on resisting poisoning and illness.

River Tree House

Elf

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it.

Reroll WIS or INT.

Elven Wisdom: Advantage on detecting lies.

Goblin

Clever and destructive, that is the way of the goblin.

Reroll DEX.

Nimble Escape: Impose disadvantage on incoming attacks when ambushed.

Character Creation

Gnome

A gnome’s energy and enthusiasm for living shines through every inch of their tiny body.

Reroll CHA or INT.

Tinkerer: Advantage on rolls for creating or modifying, or repairing devices.

Halfling

The diminutive halflings survive in a world full of larger creatures by avoiding notice or, barring that, avoiding offense.

Reroll CHA or DEX.

Merry Soul: Advantage on rolls to charm when using humor.

Half-Orc

Half-orcs’ grayish pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, and towering builds make their orcish heritage plain for all to see.

Reroll STR.

Orcish Frenzy: Once per session, count a successful Attack Roll as a critical hit.

Human

Humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the common races. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds.

Reroll ability of your choice.

Human Cunning: May reroll the initiative die once per battle.

Tabaxi

Tabaxi are catlike humanoids driven by curiosity to collect interesting artifacts, gather tales and stories, and lay eyes on all the world's wonders. Ultimate travelers, the inquisitive tabaxi rarely stay in one place for long. Their innate nature pushes them to leave no secrets uncovered, no treasures or legends lost.

Reroll DEX.

Darkvision: See in dim light for 60' like it is bright light, and in darkness like it is dim light. Only see shades of gray in darkness

Cat's Claws: Use your claws to make unarmed attacks to deal damage equal to 1d4 + your STR bonus.

3. Determine Starting Gear

Three Items Corner

PCs start with 2 days of rations and one weapon of their choice. Roll on the Starting Gear tables to determine starting armor and equipment.

PCs have a number of item slots equal to their CON defense, and items they carry must fit into available slots. Most items take up one slot, but some take up more. Some small items can be bundled together into a single slot. Ask the GM if you are unsure.

Armor comes with an armor defense value. Note that value on your character sheet with its corresponding Armor bonus (always 10 less than the defense). If the PC is not wearing any armor, their armor defense is 11 and their armor bonus is +1.

4. Hit Points

Roll 1d8 to determine your PC’s starting and maximum hit points(HP). Their exploration speed is 120ft per exploration turn, and their combat speed is 40ft per round.

5. Describe your Character

Choose or roll the rest of your PC’s traits, such as their physique, face, skin, hair, clothing, virtue, vice, speech, background, and alignment, using the random tables on the following page. Choose a gender and a name for your PC, but don’t get too attached. It’s a dangerous world out there.

You will automatically succeed, or at least gain advantage, on any saves that are related to your background.

Character Creation

6. Traits

Physique
1. Athletic
2. Brawny
3. Corpulent
4. Delicate
5. Gaunt
6. Hulking
7. Lanky
8. Ripped
9. Rugged
10. Scrawny
11. Short
12. Sinewy
13. Slender
14. Flabby
15. Statuesque
16. Stout
17. Tiny
18. Towering
19. Willowy
20. Wiry

Face
1. Bloated
2. Blunt
3. Bony
4. Chiseled
5. Delicate
6. Elongated
7. Patrician
8. Pinched
9. Hawkish
10. Broken
11. Impish
12. Narrow
13. Ratlike
14. Round
15. Sunken
16. Sharp
17. Soft
18. Square
19. Wide
20. Wolfish
Blue Dragon Fight

Skin
1. Battle Scar
2. Birthmark
3. Burn Scar
4. Dark
5. Makeup
6. Oily
7. Pale
8. Perfect
9. Pierced
10. Pockmarked
11. Reeking
12. Tattooed
13. Rosy
14. Rough
15. Sallow
16. Sunburned
17. Tanned
18. War Paint
19. Weathered
20. Whip Scar

Hair
1. Bald
2. Braided
3. Bristly
4. Cropped
5. Curly
6. Disheveled
7. Dreadlocks
8. Filthy
9. Frizzy
10. Greased
11. Limp
12. Long
13. Luxurious
14. Mohawk
15. Oily
16. Ponytail
17. Silky
18. Topknot
19. Wavy
20. Wispy

Clothing
1. Antique
2. Bloody
3. Ceremonial
4. Decorated
5. Eccentric
6. Elegant
7. Fashionable
8. Filthy
9. Flamboyant
10. Stained
11. Foreign
12. Frayed
13. Frumpy
14. Livery
15. Oversized
16. Patched
17. Perfumed
18. Rancid
19. Torn
20. Undersized

Virtue
1. Ambitious
2. Cautious
3. Courageous
4. Courteous
5. Curious
6. Disciplined
7. Focused
8. Generous
9. Gregarious
10. Honest
11. Honorable
12. Humble
13. Idealistic
14. Just
15. Loyal
16. Merciful
17. Righteous
18. Serene
19. Stoic
20. Tolerant

Vice
1. Aggressive
2. Arrogant
3. Bitter
4. Cowardly
5. Cruel
6. Deceitful
7. Flippant
8. Gluttonous
9. Greedy
10. Irascible
11. Lazy
12. Nervous
13. Prejudiced
14. Reckless
15. Rude
16. Suspicious
17. Vain
18. Vengeful
19. Wasteful
20. Whiny

Speech
1. Blunt
2. Booming
3. Breathy
4. Cryptic
5. Drawling
6. Droning
7. Flowery
8. Formal
9. Gravelly
10. Hoarse
11. Mumbling
12. Precise
13. Quaint
14. Rambling
15. Rapid-fire
16. Dialect
17. Slow
18. Squeaky
19. Stuttering
20. Whispery
Character Creation

Background
1. Alchemist
2. Beggar
3. Butcher
4. Burglar
5. Charlatan
6. Cleric
7. Cook
8. Cultist
9. Gambler
10. Herbalist
11. Magician
12. Mariner
13. Mercenary
14. Merchant
15. Outlaw
16. Performer
17. Pickpocket
18. Smuggler
19. Student
20. Tracker

Misfortunes
1. Abandoned
2. Addicted
3. Blackmailed
4. Condemned
5. Cursed
6. Defrauded
7. Demoted
8. Discredited
9. Disowned
10. Exiled
11. Framed
12. Haunted
13. Kidnapped
14. Mutilated
15. Poor
16. Pursued
17. Rejected
18. Replaced
19. Robbed
20. Suspected

Alignment
1-5:
Law
6-15:
Neutrality
16-20:
Chaos

Starting Gear

Armor
1-3:
No armor
4-14:
Leather
15-19:
Scale
20:
Chain

Helmets and Shields
1-13:
None
14-16:
Helmet
17-19:
Shield
20:
Helmet and Shield

Dungeoneering Gear

Roll twice on this table, and once on the following two.
1. Rope, 50ft
2. Block&Tackle
3. Candles, 5
4. Chain, 10ft
5. Chalk, 10
6. Crowbar
7. Tinderbox
8. Grap. hook
9. Hammer
10. Waterskin
11. Lantern
12. Oil, flask
13. Lock
14. Manacles
15. Mirror
16. Pole, 10ft
17. Sack
18. Tent
19. Spikes, 5
20. Torches, 5

General Gear 1
1. Bottle
2. Bear Trap
3. Shovel
4. Backpack
5. Ram
6. Saw
7. Bucket
8. Caltrops
9. Chisel
10. Pliers
11. Fish Rod
12. Ball Bearings
13. Sealing Wax
14. Pick
15. Hourglass
16. Net
17. Tongs
18. Lockpicks
19. Metal File
20. Nails

General Gear 2
1. Incense
2. Sponge
3. Magnifying Glass
4. Perfume
5. Horn
6. Bottle
7. Soap
8. Spyglass
9. Tar Pot
10. Twine
11. Fake Jewels
12. Blank Book
13. Card Deck
14. Dice Set
15. Cook Pot
16. Face Paint
17. Whistle
18. Instrument
19. Quill & Ink
20. Bell

Item Costs

Tools & Gear
Backpack (adds 2 slots) 30 gp
Ball Bearings 2 gp
Bear Trap 5 gp
Bell 1 gp
Block & Tackle 1 gp
Book 25 gp
Bottle 2 gp
Box, iron, large 28 gp
Box, iron, small 9 gp
Bucket 5 gp
Caltrops, 20 1 gp
Candle 1 cp
Card Deck 5 sp
Case, bone, map or scroll 5 gp
Case, leather, map or scroll 15 sp
Chain, 10’ 5 gp
Chalk 1 cp
Chest, wooden, large 17 sp
Chest, wooden, small 8 sp
Chisel 5 gp
Cook Pot 2 gp
Coin Purse(holds 200 coins) 15 gp
Character Creation
Crowbar 5 gp
Dice 1 sp
Face Paint/Makeup 4 sp
Fake Jewels 1 gp
Fishing Rod 1 gp
Grappling Hook 2 gp
Hammer 1 gp
Horn 3 gp
Hourglass 25 gp
Incense 1 gp
Ink, 1 oz 10 gp
Lantern 8 gp
Lock 10 gp
Lockpicks 30 gp
Magnifying Glass 100 gp
Manacles 2 gp
Medicine Case (holds 5 medicines) 100 gp
Metal File 2 gp
Mirror, steel 10 gp
Musical Instrument 30 gp
Nails, 10 5 sp
Net 5 gp
Oil, flask 1 gp
Pliers 2 gp
Pick 2 gp
Perfume 5 gp
Pole, 10’ 3 cp
Potion Case (holds 5 potions) 100 gp
Pouch, belt 2 gp
Quill 2 cp
Quiver, 1 doz. arrows cap. 8 sp
Quiver, 1 score arrows cap. 12 sp
Quiver, 1 score bolts cap. 15 sp
Quiver, 2 score bolts cap. 1 gp
Ram, portable 4 gp
Rope, 50’ 4 sp
Sack 5 cp
Saw 10 gp
Scroll Case, Watertight (holds 5 scrolls) 100 gp
Sealing wax 5 sp
Shovel 2 gp
Soap 2 cp
Spike, iron 1 sp
Sponge 2 sp
Spyglass 1000 gp
Tar Pot 5 sp
Tent 2 gp
Throwing Dagger Case (holds 5 daggers) 50 gp
Tinder Box, with flint & steel 1 gp
Tongs 4 sp
Torch 1 cp
Twine, 300’ 5 sp
Waterskin 1 gp
Whistle 5 sp

Armor
Shield 10 gp
   (Defense +1, 1 slot, 1 quality)
Helmet 15 gp
   (Defense +1, 1 slot, 1 quality)
Leather 20 gp
   (Defense 12, 1 slot, 3 quality)
Scale Mail 30 gp
   (Defense 13, 2 slots, 4 quality)
Half Plate 40 gp
   (Defense 14, 3 slots, 5 quality)
Chain Mail 60 gp
   (Defense 15, 4 slots, 6 quality)
Full Plate 250 gp
   (Defense 16, 5 slots, 7 quality)

Weapons
Dagger, Cudgel, Sickle, Staff, etc. 5 gp
   (d6 damage, 1 slot, 1 hand, 3 quality)
Spear, Sword, Mace, Axe, Flail, etc. 10 gp
   (d8 damage, 2 slots, 1 hand, 3 quality)
Halberd, War Hammer, Long Sword, Battle Axe, etc. 20 gp
   (d10 damage, 3 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality)
Sling 3 gp
   (d4 damage, 1 slot, 1 hand, 3 quality)
Bow 20 gp
   (d6 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality)
Crossbow 50 gp
   (d8 damage, 3 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality)
Arrows (20) 5 gp
Quiver(capacity 20) 10 gp
Character Creation

Clothing
Belt 3 sp
Boots, high, hard 2 gp
Boots, high, soft 1 gp
Boots, low, hard 1 gp
Boots, low, soft 8 sp
Cap 1 sp
Cloak 5 sp
Girdle, broad 2 gp
Girdle, normal 10 sp
Hat 7 sp
Robe 6 sp

Herbs
Belladona, sprig 4 sp
Garlic, bud 5 cp
Wolvesbane, sprig 10 sp

Livestock
Chicken 3 cp
Cow 10 gp
Dog, guard 25 gp
Dog, hunting 17 gp
Donkey 8 gp
Goat 1 gp
Hawk, large 40 gp
Hawk, small 18 gp
Horse, draft 30 gp
Horse, heavy war 300 gp
Horse, light war 150 gp
Horse, medium war 225 gp
Horse, riding (light) 25 gp
Mule 20 gp
Ox 15 gp
Pigeon 2 cp
Piglet 1 gp
Pig 3 gp
Pony 15 gp
Sheep 2 gp
Songbird 4 cp

Provisions
Ale, pint 1 sp
Beer, small, pint 5 cp
Food, merchant’s meal 1 sp
Food, rich meal 1 gp
Grain, horse meal, 1 day 1 sp
Mead, pint 5 sp
Rations, iron, 1 week 5 gp
Rations, standard, 1 week 3 gp
Wine, pint, good 10 sp
Wine, pint, watered 5 sp

Religious Items
Beads, Prayer 1 gp
Incense, stick 1 gp
Symbol, Holy*, iron 2 gp
Symbol, Holy*, silver 50 gp
Symbol, Holy*, wooden 7 sp
Water, Holy*, vial 25 gp
or Unholy

Tack and Harness
Barding, chain 250 gp
Barding, leather 100 gp
Barding, plate 500 gp
Bit and Bridle 15 sp
Harness 12 sp
Saddle 10 gp
Saddle Bags, large 4 gp
Saddle Bags, small 3 gp
Saddle Blanket 3 sp

Transport
Barge (or Raft), small 50 gp
Boat, small 75 gp
Boat, long 150 gp
Cart 50 gp
Galley, large 25,000 gp
Galley, small 10,000 gp
Ship, merchant, large 15,000 gp
Ship, merchant, small 5,000 gp
Ship, war 20,000 gp
Wagon 150 gp
Character Creation
Treasure Header

PART II

Playing The Game

Playing the Game

Abilities

Each of the six abilities is used in different circumstances.

STRENGTH: Used for melee attacks and saves requiring physical power, like lifting gates, bending bars, etc.
DEXTERITY: Used for saves requiring poise, speed, and reflexes, like dodging, climbing, sneaking, balancing, etc.
CONSTITUTION: Used for saves to resist poison, sickness, cold, etc. The CON bonus is added to healing rolls. A PC’s number of item slots is always equal to their CON defense.
INTELLIGENCE: Used for saves requiring concentration and precision, such as wielding magic, resisting magical effects, recalling lore, crafting objects, tinkering with machinery, picking pockets, etc.
WISDOM: Used for ranged attacks, saves of willpower and saves requiring perception and intuition, such as tracking, navigating, listening, searching for secret doors, detecting illusions, resisting fear, etc.
CHARISMA: Used for saves to persuade, deceive, interrogate, intimidate, charm, provoke, etc. PCs may employ a number of henchmen equal to their CHA bonus.

Item Slots

PCs have a number of item slots equal to their CON defense. Most items, including spellbooks, potions, a day’s rations, light weapons, tools and so on take up 1 slot, but particularly heavy or bulky items like armor or medium to heavy weapons may take up more slots. Groups of small items may be bundled into the same slot, at the GMs discretion. 100 coins can fit in a slot. As a general guideline, a slot holds around 5 pounds of weight.

Containers

Containers take 1 slot. Containers can then hold more than 1 item of a kind in that slot, like a coin purse. Most containers cannot hold another container, a backpack is an obvious exception. You may only have 1 container of a kind.

Ammo

Do not track mundane non-magical ammo such as crossbow bolts, arrows, pebbles and bearings.

Time and Movement

Situations of intense action such as combat or when a character trips a trap are measured in rounds, each round lasts 6 seconds. On their turn, a character may move their encounter speed (usually 40') and make one combat action. This action may be cast a spell, another move, an attack, attempt a stunt, or any other action approved by the GM.

Less intense situations, such as exploring and mapping an area equal to his/her movement speed(usually 120'), searching a 10'x10' area, checking an item for traps, resting, sneaking up on an enemy encampment, are measured in turns, each of which represents 10 minutes.

When outdoors, a character may move his/her movement speed read as yards per turn instead of feet..

To calculate how far a character may move in the wilderness in one day, convert the number of feet he or she may move in a turn to miles by dividing by 5. The result is read as miles.

Characters' lives are not all action scenes. Some things take a lot of time, such as journey 1,000 miles, library research, create a golem, or waiting around a city. The GM passes this time in hours, days, weeks or sometimes years, describing a few things the characters might learn or do.

At anytime needed the GM can always shift between time measurements.

Saving Throws

If a character attempts something where the outcome is uncertain and failure has consequences, they make a Saving Throw, or “Save”. To make a Save, add the bonus of the relevant ability to a d20 roll. If the total is greater than 15, the character succeeds. If not, they fail.

If the Save is opposed by another character, then instead of aiming to exceed 15, the side doing the rolling must get a total greater than the opposing character’s relevant defense score in order to succeed. If they fail, the opposing side succeeds. This type of Save is called a Contest. Note that it doesn’t matter which side does the rolling, since the odds of success remain the same.

Playing the Game
Example

A wizard casts a fireball spell at a goblin, who gets an Save to avoid. This is resolved as an Contest using the wizard’s INT versus the goblin’s DEX. The goblin may roll plus their DEX bonus, hoping to exceed the wizard’s INT defense or the wizard may roll plus their INT bonus, hoping to exceed the goblin’s DEX defense.

If there are situational factors that make a Save significantly easier or harder, the GM may grant the roll advantage or disadvantage. If a roll has advantage, roll 2d20 and use the better of the two dice. If it has disadvantage, roll 2d20 and use the worse of the two dice.

Reactions

When the PCs encounter an NPC whose reaction to the party is not obvious, the GM may roll 2d6 and consult the following table.
2 3-5 6-8 9-11 12
Hostile Unfriendly Unsure Talkative Helpful

Combat

At the start of each combat round, determine initiative by rolling a d6. On a 1-3, all of the enemies will act first. On a 4-6 all of the PCs will act first. Reroll initiative each round.

On their turn, a character may move their speed (usually 40 ft) and take up to one combat action. This action may be casting a spell, making a second move, making an attack, attempting a stunt, or any other action deemed reasonable by the GM.

Melee weapons can strike adjacent foes, but ranged weapons cannot be used if the shooting character is engaged in melee combat. To make an attack, roll a d20 and add the character’s STR or WIS bonus, depending on whether they are using a melee or ranged weapon, respectively. If the Attack Roll total is greater than the defender’s armor defense, the attack hits. If not, the attack misses.

Alternatively, an Attack Roll can also be resolved by the defender rolling a d20 and adding their armor bonus, hoping to roll a total greater than the defense of the ability the attacker is using. If they succeed, the attack misses. If they fail, the attack hits.

On a hit, the attacker rolls their weapon’s damage die to determine how many Hit Points (HP) the defender loses. A bonus damage die of the weapon’s type may be added to the roll if the ideal weapon was used against an enemy type (for example, using a blunt weapon vs. a skeleton).

Unconsciousness and Death

When a character reaches 0 HP, they are unconscious. When they reach -1 HP or less, they roll a Death Save, which is d20+LVL, if the total is greater than 15, the character succeeds. If not, they fail.

If they fail, they are dead. Players should roll up a new level 1 PC when their old one dies, and should rejoin the party as soon as possible.

If they succeed, their character is unconscious and suffers a permanent loss of 1 point of attribute, rolled randomly (d6) or overruled by most appropriate result of the wound that almost killed them. Depending on a type of wound they might well still bleed out in an hour or less if no one provides them medical attention.

Stunts

Stunts are combat maneuvers such as stunning, shoving, disarming, tripping, sundering armor, and so on. They are resolved with a Contest. They may not cause damage directly, but may do so indirectly (for example, pushing an enemy off of a ledge). The GM is the final arbiter as to what stunts can be attempted in a given situation.

Advantage in Combat

Characters can gain advantage in combat by attacking a target that is unaware, on lower ground, off balance, disarmed, distracted, or tactically disadvantaged in any significant way. The GM, as usual, has the final say.

When a character has advantage against an opponent on their combat turn, they may either A.) Apply advantage to their Attack Roll or stunt against that opponent or B.) Make an attack and a stunt attempt in the same round against that opponent, without advantage.

Critical Hits and Quality

During an Attack Roll, if the attacker rolls a natural 20 or the defender rolls a natural 1, the defender’s armor loses 1 point of quality and they take an additional die of damage (of the weapon’s type). If the attacker rolls a natural 1 or the defender rolls a natural 20, the attacker’s weapon loses 1 point of quality. At 0 quality, the item is destroyed. Each point of quality costs 10% of the item’s cost to repair.

Morale

Monsters and NPCs all have a morale rating, usually between 5 and 9. When they face more danger than they were expecting, the GM will make a morale roll by rolling 2d6 and comparing the result to the NPC’s morale rating. If the roll is higher than the rating, the NPC will attempt to flee, retreat, or parley. Morale rolls can be triggered by defeating half of an enemy group, defeating a group’s leader, or reducing a lone enemy to half HP. Other effects may trigger a morale roll at the GM's discretion.

Playing the Game

Hirelings also make morale rolls when they aren’t paid, their employer dies, or they face extraordinary danger. Morale may also be improved by paying hirelings more and treating them well.

Healing

Healing can happen in different ways, typically by resting or magical means, such as magical potions or oils.

Resting

Short Rest: When spending an hour to eat one full ration, uninterupted (once per day), PC's recover d6+CON bonus HP.

Long Rest: After a meal and a full night’s rest, PCs regain lost HP equal to a d8+CON bonus.

Safe Haven: Resting at a safe haven (a place with a low risk of danger) restores all lost HP.

Monsters

All monsters from OSR bestiaries should work as-is in KnaveX with no major conversion needed. Here are some guidelines.

Hit Dice/Hit Points: All monster HD can be assumed to be d8s unless otherwise specified. To get the monster’s HP, just multiply the number of HD they have by 4 (or 5 if you’re feeling mean.)

Armor: Monster AC (if ascending) is identical to Armor defense. If the AC is descending, subtract it from 19 (if it is from OD&D or B/X D&D) or from 20 (if it is from AD&D) to find its ascending equivalent.

Attack Bonus: Any attack bonus given is unchanged, and can be added to both melee and ranged attacks. If an attack bonus is not given, assume that it is the same as the monster’s number of hit dice.

Damage: Damage remains the same.

Morale: Morale rating remains the same.

Saves: Since OSR monsters usually don’t come with ability scores, assume that monsters have ability bonuses equal to their level, with the corresponding ability defenses.

Example

A typical 4 HD monster would have a bonus of +4 and a defense of 14 in all of its abilities by default, unless modified by the GM.

Designer's Note

Due to the unified 1-to-10 scale of KnaveX, monsters and NPCs essentially add their HD or level to any attacks or Saves they make. Obviously this should be adjusted by the GM when it doesn’t make sense.

Advancement

Whenever a PC accumulates enough XP, they gain a level. It requires 2000 XP to reach level 2, 3000 to reach level 3, etc.

The GM should freely notify the PCs of how much XP different objectives are worth when asked.

When a PC gains a level, they roll a number of d8s equal to their new level to find their new HP maximum. If the result is less than their previous maximum, their maximum HP increases by 1. They also raise the defense and bonus scores of 3 different abilities of their choice by 1 point. Abilities may never be raised higher than 20/+10.

XP for Treasure

For each 1 gp value of non-magical treasure the characters recover, the DM should give 1 XP to the party. XP are not given for magic items.

XP for Achieving Goals

When the characters achieve a major goal, award them XP. As a guideline, PCs receive 50 XP for low-risk accomplishments, 100 XP for moderate-risk accomplishments, and 200 XP for high-risk accomplishments.

XP for Defeating Monsters or Opponents

XP are also given for monsters killed or overcome by magic, fighting, capturing or wits.

Experience Points For Monsters

If a monster does not have an XP listed use the following method to determine XP.

Add one Special Abilities Bonus for each of a monster's special abilities. Generally, a special ability is a power that can be used in melee, but which is not characteristic of basic survival skills.

Playing the Game
Monster HD Base Value Special Ability Bonus
Under 1 5 1
1 10 3
1+ 15 4
2 20 5
2+ 25 10
3 35 15
3+ 50 25
4 75 50
4+ 125 75
5 175 125
5+ 225 175
6 275 225
6+ 350 300
7 450 400
7+ 550 475
8 650 550
8+ 775 625
9 900 700
9+ to 10 1000 750
10+ to 11 1100 800
11+ to 12 1250 875
12+ to 13 1350 950
13+ to 14 1500 1000
14+ to 15 1650 1050
15+ to 16 1850 1100
16+ to 17 2000 1150
17+ to 18 2125 1350
18+ to 19 2250 1550
19+ to 20 2375 1800
20+ to 21 2500 2000

For every Hit Die over 21, add 250 points to both the base value and the bonus. Any Hit Die with a plus (+) is counted as the next higher category (thus 23 + 1 HD = 24 HD).

Credit: D&D Rules Cyclopedia

XP for Exceptional Role-Playing

When a player performs an exceptional piece of role-playing, they get XP equal to 1/20 the base number of points he needs to get to the next level.

Knacks

Knacks represent skills, perks, feats, proficiencies, talents, advantages and traits that allow characters to perform specialized tasks.

At levels 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 PC's can choose a knack, but only raise 2 abilities, instead of 3.

Acrobat: Gain advantage on attempts to jump, tumble, balance, etc.

Alert: You cannot be taken by surprise while you are awake.

Animal Lover: You know the language of birds and beasts and never risk a hostile reaction from them.

Animal Friend: If you spend 1 minute observing or interacting with an animal, you may communicate simple ideas, and understand its responses.

Armorer: Choose to spend your rest either repairing a weapon or armor one quality point OR regaining HP.

Assassin: When you have advantage in combat, you may use it to automatically score a critical hit.

Battle Rage: When reduced to 0 or less HP, you continue fighting for 1 turn per level but you always attack the nearest creature whether friend or foe.

Berserk: Once per long rest, you can berserk. Berserking gives you advantage on all STR saves and +2 to damage. You cannot cast spells while berserking. Berserk ends when combat is over.

Bodyguard: Once per combat session you can take the damage that would hit an adjacent ally(must be announced before the damage roll is made).

Burglar: You gain advantage on attempts to move silently, hide in shadows, climb sheer walls, pick pockets, open locks, and find & disable small mechanisms.

Butcher: In melee, when you kill a lesser foe you may immediately attack again.

Cavalier: You gain advantage on trick riding attempts and attacks while mounted.

Charlatan: You gain advantage on attempts to deceive and disguise.

Combat Master: If you roll a 1 on an Attack Roll, you can re-roll.

Disarming: You're good at aiming for the fingers. On a hit, you do your damage plus disarm an opponent if they fail a STR save.

Haggler: You know just where to look, who to ask, and what to say to get the best prices. Advantage on all CHA and INT saves, when looking for a store/shop. You also have advantage on CHA save when haggling the price of an item.

Heal: With 10 minutes of undivided attention and the proper tools, you can heal a creature for a number of hit points equal to your level plus their CON bonus.

Inspire: Give any character within 30 ft who can hear you advantage on their next save. This can only be done once every short rest.

Nimble Attack: Perform a stunt AND attack on your combat turn.

Medic: Medicines and medical supplies don't take any inventory slots. You can diagnose illnesses and treat injuries.

Oriented: You are skilled in orienteering and never risk becoming lost in the wilderness.

Paranormal: If you eat something, you can cause someone else to vomit it up. This is very straining, and can only be done once every long rest.

Parrot: After spending 1 minute listening to another character/creature you have advantage when attempting to mimic their voice.

Playing the Game

Performance: Instead of attack, you beguile an audience with a performance. Lesser foes will stop and observe for as long you continue or until attacked. Worthy foes require a CHA save to be affected.

Photographic Memory: You can recall anything you have seen or heard in the past month, and relay that info onto others.

Pick Pocket: Advantage when attempting to steal an item off the body of another character.

Poison Sniffer: Advantage on all saves to tell if an object is poisoned, and what poison it is.

Pugilist: Your bare hands count as both a d6 weapon and a shield.

Rampage: When you kill an opponent in melee combat you can immediately attack the closest foe within 5 ft as a bonus action.

Repel Unholy: Instead of attack, you can immediately force the unholy to make a morale roll with a penalty equal to your level, even if they are incapable of fear.

Specialized: Pick an ability score. Whenever you make a save using that ability, add a bonus of your HD to the roll.

Swashbuckling: You are skilled with a style of fighting known as swashbuckling. When dual wielding and wearing no armor, add your DEX bonus to your Armor Defense.

Throwing: Any thrown weapon has a +1 to Attack Rolls if the target is within 30 feet.

Tracking: Advantage on all saves when tracking and when attempting to identify a creature by it's tracks.

Weaponmaster: You always gain advantage in combat with a designated weapon.

Magic

Magic Weapons

When a magic weapon is used, the user adds the magical adjustment to both Attack Rolls and damage rolls.

Potions

Potions are found in small 1 ounce vials. Unless stated otherwise, any potion lasts 1d6+6 turns. Only the DM should know the exact duration. The entire potion must be drunk, taking one round. A potion may be sipped to discover its type and then used later.

If a character drinks a potion while another potion is still in effect, that character will become sick and will be unable to do anything (no save) for 3 turns and neither potion will have any further effect.

Healing Potion: Drinking this potion will restore 1d6+1 lost hit points or will cure paralysis.

Magic Oils

Magic oils are similar to potions, except that oils are applied externally rather than drunk.

Spells

The spell lists from any old-school RPG will work perfectly well in KnaveX, provided that they go up to 9th level. There are many free lists of classic spells available online.

In KnaveX, PCs may only cast spells of their level or less, so a level 3 PC could only cast spells of level 0 to 3. Spells are cast out of spell books, which must be held in both hands and read aloud. Each spell book can only be used once per day.

Importantly, each spell book only holds a single spell, and each spell book takes up an item slot, so if a PC wants to be able to cast a wide variety of spells, they’ll have to fill most of their inventory with spell books.

PCs are unable to create, copy or transcribe spell books. In order to gain new spell books, PCs must adventure for them, by either recovering them from dungeons or looting them from other magicians. The higher the level of the spell book, the rarer and more valuable it is. PCs openly carrying high level spell books are likely to be hounded by bandits and wizards looking to “acquire” them.

When a spell allows for a save, make an INT contest against the defender’s relevant ability, usually DEX for ranged attack spells, CON for life-draining spells, INT for mind-altering spells, or WIS for Illusion

100 Level-less Spells

If you prefer spells that are level-less and scale up as the caster becomes more powerful, use the list below. In the following spells, “L” is a number equal to the caster’s level, an item is an object able to be lifted with one hand, and an object is anything up to human size. Unless otherwise noted, all spells with ongoing effects last up to L×10 minutes, have a range of up to 40', and take 1 round to cast. If a spell directly affects another creature, the creature may make a contest to avoid it (as described previously). Success reduces or negates the spell’s effects.

  1. Adhere: Object is covered in extremely sticky slime.
  2. Animate Object: Object obeys your commands as best it can. It can walk 15' per round.
  3. Anthropomorphize: A touched animal either gains human intelligence or human appearance for L days.
  4. Arcane Eye: You can see through a magical floating eyeball that flies around at your command.
  5. Astral Prison: An object is frozen in time and space within an invulnerable crystal shell.
  6. Attract: L+1 objects are strongly magnetically attracted to each other if they come within 10'.
  7. Auditory Illusion: You create illusory sounds that seem to come from a direction of your choice.
  8. Babble: A creature must loudly and clearly repeat everything you think. It is otherwise mute.
  9. Beast Form: You and your possessions transform into a mundane animal.
  10. Befuddle: L creatures of your choice are unable to form new short-term memories for the duration of the spell.
  11. Bend Fate: Roll L+1 d20s. Whenever you must roll a d20 after casting the spell, you must choose and then discard one of the rolled results until they are all gone.
  12. Bird Person: Your arms turn into huge bird wings.
  13. Body Swap: You switch bodies with a creature you touch. If one body dies, the other dies as well.
  14. Catherine: A woman wearing a blue dress appears until end of spell. She will obey polite, safe requests.
  15. Charm: L creatures treat you like a friend.
  16. Command: A creature obeys a single, three-word command that does not harm it.
Playing the Game
  1. Comprehend: You become fluent in all languages.
  2. Control Plants: Nearby plants and trees obey you and gain the ability to move at 5' per round.
  3. Control Weather: You may alter the type of weather at will, but you do not otherwise control it.
  4. Counterspell: Make an INT contest against the INT of the caster of a nearby spell. You may do this out of turn as a reaction, or against an ongoing magical effect. On a success, you may cancel the spell.
  5. Deafen: All nearby creatures are deafened.
  6. Detect Magic: You hear nearby magical auras singing. Volume and harmony signify the aura’s power and refinement.
  7. Disassemble: Any of your body parts may be detached and reattached at will, without causing pain or damage. You can still control them.
  8. Disguise: You may alter the appearance of L characters at will as long as they remain humanoid. Attempts to duplicate other characters will seem uncanny.
  9. Displace: An object appears to be up to L×10' from its actual position.
  10. Earthquake: The ground begins shaking violently. Structures may be damaged or collapse.
  11. Elasticity: Your body can stretch up to L×10'.
  12. Filch: L visible items teleport to your hands.
  13. Fire Wall: A straight wall of ice or fire L×40' long and 10' high rises from the ground. Creatures of less than 4 HD cannot break through. Creatures of 4 HD or more can break through, but take 1d6 points of damage. Undead and cold-using creatures take double damage while breaking through.
  14. Fog Sphere Creates a 20' radius Sphere of fog on a point within 60'. The Spheres area is heavily obscured. A wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 mph) can disperse it.
  15. Frenzy: L creatures erupt in a frenzy of violence.
  16. Gate: A portal to a random place opens.
  17. Gravity Shift: You can change the direction of gravity (for yourself only) up to once per round.
  18. Greed: L creatures develop an overwhelming urge to possess a visible item of your choice.
  19. Haste: Your movement speed is tripled.
  20. Hatred: L creatures develop a deep hatred of another creature or group of creatures and wish to destroy it.
  21. Heal: Heals 1d6+1 HP to any living creature. Can cure paralysis, but will not then cure any HP. May be cast on the caster's own body. The spell will never increase HP to more than the normal amount.
  22. Hear Whispers: You can hear faint sounds clearly.
  23. Hover: An object hovers, frictionless, 2' above the ground. It can hold up to L*200 lbs.
  24. Hypnotize: A creature enters a trance and will truthfully answer L yes or no questions you ask it.
  25. Icy Touch: A thick ice layer spreads across a touched surface, up to L×10' in radius.
  26. Illuminate: A floating light moves as you command.
  27. Invisible Tether: Two objects within 10' of each other cannot be moved more than 10' apart.
  28. Knock: L nearby mundane or magical locks unlock.
  29. Leap: You can jump up to L×10' in the air.
  30. Liquid Air: The air around you becomes swimmable.
  31. Magic Dampener: All nearby magical effects have their effectiveness halved.
  32. Manse: A sturdy, furnished cottage appears for L×12 hours. You can permit and forbid entry to it at will.
  33. Marble Madness: Your pockets are full of marbles, and will refill every round.
  34. Masquerade: L characters’ appearances and voices become identical to a touched character.
  35. Miniaturize: You and L other touched creatures are reduced to the size of a mouse.
  36. Mirror Image: L illusory duplicates of yourself appear under your control.
  37. Mirrorwalk: A mirror becomes a gateway to another mirror that you looked into today.
  38. Multiarm: You gain L extra arms.
  39. Night Sphere: An L×40' wide sphere of darkness displaying the night sky appears.
  40. Objectify: You become any inanimate object between the size of a grand piano and an apple.
  41. Ooze Form: You become a living jelly.
  42. Pacify: L creatures have an aversion to violence.
  43. Phantom Coach: A ghostly coach appears until end of spell. It moves unnaturally fast over any terrain, including water.
  44. Phobia: L creatures become terrified of an object of your choice.
  45. Pit: A pit 10' wide and L×5' deep opens in the ground.
  46. Primeval Surge: An object grows to the size of an elephant. If it is an animal, it is enraged.
  47. Psychometry: The GM answers L yes or no questions about a touched object.
  48. Pull: An object of any size is pulled directly towards you with the strength of L men for one round.
  49. Push: An object of any size is pushed directly away from you with the strength of L men for one round.
  50. Raise Dead: L skeletons rise from the ground to serve you. They are incredibly stupid and can only obey simple orders. Skeletons have 1 HD, unless otherwise appropriate, then a skeleton has the same HD as the original creature.
  51. Raise Spirit: The spirit of a dead body manifests and will answer L questions.
  52. Read Mind: You can hear the surface thoughts of nearby creatures.
  53. Repel: L+1 objects are strongly magnetically repelled from each other if they come within 10'.
  54. Scry: You can see through the eyes of a creature you touched earlier today.
  55. Sculpt Elements: All inanimate material behaves like clay in your hands.
  56. Shroud: L creatures are invisible until they move.
  57. Shuffle: L creatures instantly switch places. Determine where they end up randomly.
  58. Sleep: L creatures with 4+1 HD or less fall into a light sleep for 4d4 turns. It only affects creatures within a 40' square area chosen by the caster. Sleep will not work on undead or very large creatures. Any sleeping creature will awaken if slapped, kicked, or shaken. A sleeping victim can be killed a with a single blow of any edged weapon, regardless of hit points. Victims get no saving throw.
  59. Smoke Form: Your body becomes living smoke.
  60. Snail Knight: 10 minutes after casting, a knight sitting astride a giant snail rides into view. He is able to answer most questions related to quests and chivalry, and may aid you if he finds you worthy.
  61. Sniff: You can smell even the faintest traces of scents.
Playing the Game
  1. Sort: Inanimate items sort themselves according to categories you set. The categories must be visually verifiable.
  2. Spectacle: A clearly unreal but impressive illusion of your choice appears, under your control. It may be up to the size of a palace and has full motion and sound.
  3. Spellseize: Cast this as a reaction to another spell going off to make a temporary copy of it that you can cast at any time before this spell ends.
  4. Spider Climb: You can climb surfaces like a spider.
  5. Summon Cube: Once per second, (6 times per round) you may summon or banish a 3'-wide cube of earth. New cubes must be affixed to the earth or to other cubes.
  6. Swarm: You become a swarm of crows, rats, or piranhas. You only take damage from area effects.
  7. Telekinesis: You may mentally move L items.
  8. Telepathy: L+1 creatures can hear each other’s thoughts, no matter how far apart they move.
  9. Teleport: An object disappears and reappears on the ground in a visible, clear area up to L×40' away.
  10. Thaumaturgic Anchor: Object becomes the target of every spell cast near it.
  11. Thicket: A thicket of trees and dense brush up to L×40' wide suddenly sprouts up.
  12. Time Jump: An object disappears as it jumps L×10 minutes into the future. When it returns, it appears in the unoccupied area nearest to where it left.
  13. Summon Idol: A carved stone statue the size of a four poster bed rises from the ground.
  14. Time Rush: Time in a 40' bubble starts moving 10 times faster.
  15. Time Slow: Time in a 40' bubble slows to 10%.
  16. True Sight: You see through all nearby illusions.
  17. Upwell: A spring of seawater appears.
  18. Vision: You completely control what a creature sees.
  19. Visual Illusion: A silent, immobile, illusion of your choice appears, up to the size of a bedroom.
  20. Ward: A silver circle 40' across appears on the ground. Choose one thing that cannot cross it: Living creatures, dead creatures, projectiles or metal.
  21. Web: Your wrists can shoot thick webbing.
  22. Wizard Mark: Your finger can shoot a stream of ulfire-colored paint. This paint is only visible to you, and can be seen at any distance, even through solid objects.
  23. X-Ray Vision: You gain X-Ray vision.
Playing the Game

Duet Play

You can play KnaveX with just 2 people, a GM and a PC, with just a few minor changes.

GMs should be careful about having more than one PC in an adventure when using these rules, they will probably be far too powerful for the adventure.

Damage Dice

ALL damage rolls are modified, traps monsters, falling debris, random injuries, etc. If a Damage Roll includes more than one die, do not add them together, modify each die face, then add them.
Roll Damage
1 0 HP
2-5 1 HP
6-9 2 HP
10+ 4 HP

Any modifiers to damage are all applied to any one die in the Damage Roll.

Example

A PC wielding a Sword of Cleaving +1 and uses the Berserker Knack (+2 damage) would roll the sword's d8 Damage Dice and add 3 to the die of his choice.

If the Damage Roll was 5, the hit would do 2 HP of damage, 5+3=8, 8=2 HP.

If a flat amount of damage is given, then 1 HP of damage is done for each full four points. Caltrops that inflict 1 HP of damage round down to 0 HP, being too trivial to threaten a lone hero.

Damage

Damage received by PCs is taken off their HP as normal.

Damage received by NPCs is taken off their Hit Dice instead of HP. If a 1 HD creature takes 1 point of damage, it is killed by its foe.

Round monster hit dice to the nearest whole number. ½ hit dice, 1-1 hit dice, and 1+2 hit dice creatures all count as 1 hit die. High-level NPCs are assumed to have HD equal to their level.

If a monster is killed, the PC can spend the remaining damage injuring another foe, within range, of equal or less Armor Defense than the creature killed.

Healing

Healing dice and effects are treated just if they were damage dice, but adding to, not subtracting from HP, healing as many HP as they would have inflicted points of damage.

Example

A potion that the module says will heal d6+1 damage would be rolled as a “reversed” damage die, curing from 1 to 2 hit points for a hero.

After every fight or occasion of injury, the hero can take 5 minutes to bandage themselves and rest. This first aid will cure up to 2 HP, but not above the total before the combat or injury, nor will it repair damage suffered from Defying Death.

Defying Death

When the hero is confronted by a failed save against a hopeless situation or an impassable barrier, they may choose to Defy Death. This lets them escape their situation or bypass an unavoidable condition though it dangerously taxes their reserves of luck.

When a PC Defies Death, they suffer 1 damage die for every level they possess. The first time they dodge doom, they roll d4 for each level. The next time, they roll d6, then d8, and then d10 for each further attempt. If the damage inflicted by this reduces them to 0 HP, they are instead left at 1 HP and whatever they were trying to avoid affects them normally.

Experience

A lone hero earns only a quarter of the normal XP for their deeds, reflecting the fact that they have fewer hands to divide the treasure.

Henchmen

Henchmen and retainers can be employed as normal, but they are treated as monsters for purposes of combat damage. A minion with 1 hit die is slain by one point of damage.

Playing the Game

Solo Play

I chose and modified these simple solo play rules to be played using Knave RPG ruleset.

Overview

Create your Hero

This can be done as simply or as complex as you like. The more complex it is, the more detail you will have to work with and some answers may come easier to you. The more simple it is the more surprises will be in store. You can't lose.

Declare the setting

Describe your game world. Again, you can do this as complex or basic as you like.

Set your first Scene

This is a short description of where the Hero is and what's happening. ####Come up with a Scene Goal for the Hero This will determine when the scene is over, whether he achieved the goal or not.

Begin asking questions!

A question can be either an Inquiry or an Action outcome. Questions must be in a yes/no answerable format.

Rules

For Each Question

Roll a d6 (Apply advantage and disadvantage to the roll as needed, choosing the most appropriate roll.):
1 No And
2 No
3 No But (something Yes-like)
4 Yes But (something No-like)
5 Yes
6 Yes And

"And" means even better/worse than you expected. "But" means there is a limited effect or a drawback.

Roll a d6. This is the Twist Die. If it comes up a 1, there is a twist to the scene.

Roll a d6 to get the Twist Noun:
1 NPC
2 PC
3 Organization
4 Physical event
5 Emotional event
6 Item

Roll another d6 to get the Twist Action:
1 Appears
2 Alters the location
3 Helps the hero
4 Hinders the hero
5 Changes the goal
6 Ends the scene

Put the Twist Noun and Twist Action together to get a two-word sentence. What this means is up to you based on the goings on.

Once the scene ends in some way (the Hero's goal is met or failed), take a breath.

Roll a d6 to get the next scene
1-3 Dramatic scene
4-5 Quiet Scene
6 Meanwhile…

A dramatic scene means the action doesn't let up! A quiet scene means there is no immediate danger, probably a good chance to gather intel or discover more about the characters or situation. A Meanwhile scene is a remote location, and does not involve the Hero! This should be treated as a twist by rolling dice and kept quite short.

Some random generators and lists may be helpful, such as the ones in Mythic or other solo engines.

Credits:

Adapted from Tiny Solitaire Soldiers

Playing the Game

Thanks

Almost none of this publication is original. Bits and pieces have been scrounged from here and there and everywhere. Most of it I don't know who to credit, but I would like to. If you see something here you want to be credited for, please contact me so I can thank you.

First and foremost thanks to Ben Milton of Questing Beast Games for making Knave.

GMBinder for the nice interface to create such a document.

Knave community on Google+.

Bitly for the short URLs used to create this document.

Knave and OSR RPG community on Discord.

Playing the Game

Changes

• Changed to a gold monetary standard.

• Added Races.

• Abbreviated Abilities.

• Changed "Saving Throws" to "Ability Checks".

• Added artwork

• Added a Death and Unconsciousness Rule.

• Added Knacks.

• "Ability Checks" back to to "Saving Throws". Saving throws is a more common term.

• Added Time & Movement rules.

• Container Rule

• Ammo rule

• Advancement & XP clarification

• Removed Designer Notes, added Duet Rule

• Added healing rules & medicines

Playing the Game
Dead Guy
KnaveX
KnaveX is a free, easy to play, rules lite rpg. Knave is reminiscent of Old School games, but also had a 5e feel. It's the best of both worlds in one.

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