D&D without damage dice (my own take)

 AKA current houserules, july'23

 Since I read this and this at the Homebrew Homunculus blog, I have been playing that way, barring ocassional spin-offs. It works. I think it also suits my GMing style (if there is such a thing) and combines perfectly with other personal houserules. But as I use the concept, I don't use it exactly as he devised it, nor as I did at first. It is thus necessary that I codify my own formulas and tables in this traveler log for the next pilgrim in need.

First: there are no hit points, only hit dice. 

Magic Users and Hobbits start with one hit die
Fighters and Elves start with two. This makes them relativelly tougher than their original counterparts, which seems very welcome to me.

I don't use more classes (I might cover this decision on another entry in the future)
Constitution bonuses add or take HD from this amount by their modifier (you cannot have less than 1 HD)

Everybody gets 1 HD every level. 

If you're reduced to 0 HD, you get a special save vs death. See below.

Second: 

Saves are more or less unified, and rolled with d6. In order of descending hardness, they are Spells (6+), Death Ray (5+) and Death at 0 HD, which works like this: 

On a 6 you are as fresh as ever, you regain your last HD.
On a 5 you are wounded and might suffer penalties to actions, and cannot roll this save until you recover.
On a 4 you are unconscious and will probably die if abandoned
On a 3 or less, you're dead or as bad as the situation demands.

This last save emulates the uncertainity of the last hit points and your opponent having to hit you, then rolling enough damage to take you down. Though the HD progression by level might be just a little under the BX one, the fact that the "save vs death at 0" increases with levels, just as any other save, makes more than enough for it. 

You might have noticed that Magic Users are just 1 HD behind Fighters during all their career. I don't think it's too bad, either. MUs also need much more XP to raise levels, so this will keep them another HD under them most of the time, and cannot use armor.

Table of save comparison (hasn't changed since the last time I wrote my houserules there)

Third: All weapons take 1 hit on a hit. They have different critical ranges and do different damages on critical hits. But in HHs calculations, he doesn't take into account the fact that monsters were effectivelly using d6 hp per hit dice, so when he compared his damage outputs vs the BX ones, the damage output is below the relative actual damage vs those monsters. I reworked the table taking this into account, using an AC of plate (16) for calibration. Better criticals equal greater damage dice the better AC the opponent has, and I love how organically this system gives so much variables with so little machinery.

"Roll to attack: If you hit, deal 1 hit. If you roll in your weapon's critical range, add your critical damage"

WEAPON CLASSIFICATION

A critical hit normally does an extra hit of damage. Excess damage is transferable to an enemy of equal or worst AC, so if you deal 2 hits to a goblin (with a single hit) you can deal that damage to a nearby goblin, representing how you managed to slay both of them in a single turn.

Daggers and other similar tier weapons crit on a 20 (1/20 of the time). When compared to B/X raw, they actually deal d7 damage. This dagger improvement is one of the greatest changes of the system. In a single attack, it will still kill easily a Magic User, but more rarely a Fighter. 

Swords and other similar one handed weapons crit on a 19+ (this is 1/10 of the times) and they are almost an equivalent to a d9 (a little improvement from the BX d8 longsword)

Greatswords and other similar greatweapons crit on a 18+ (1/7 of the time), which in damage output it means its equivalent to a d10

Unarmed attacks are at -2 to hit and do not normally crit (unless the STR bonuses are applied, see below). For an average STR character, it does an equivalent to a d4. A -4 to hit would put it on par with the 1d2 unarmed damage of the original, but I actually like to improve the output a little.

Edit: Spears work as daggers when using one-handed, and as swords when using two-handed. In both cases they give you +1 AC due to their reach. But once you are hit in melee, your opponents will close range, negating this bonus. When this happens, you also lose all crit possibilities until the distance is kept again. To do so, you must spend one turn to regain the original position. 

HOW STRENGTH FITS IN ALL THIS

HH made criticals deal more damage depending on class (fighters deal x3 damage and other classes x2) but didn't factor strength into the equation. Strength is incredibly powerful in BX, as each modifier increases both the to-hit and damage by one. Normally each extra point of damage is worth about a +2 to hit bonus in power, so each point of strength actually raises the to hit bonus by three. This is also roughly equivalent of increasing the size of a damage die by 1'5 (so a d4 would become a d7, for example) 

I did apply strength like this: For each bonus modifier, you take an extra HD on a critical hit, with the modifier capped at +2 for this reasons. 
I like a lot of things about this rule, the first is that it rewards the strongest guys in the party to use 2-handed weapons, but the benefit is greatly reduced for fighters with average strength, or below average, which makes "gamist" sense and feels genre-appropiate. I also like that the damage output comparison with BX looks very good to me. Even the parts where it departs a little, I like how it does. AC 16 is the point of reference, with extra critical damage mattering more the highest the armor is and viceversa (references provided for 14 and 18)

Enter table:

The three or four numbers in a row mean: damage at str+0 / at str +1 / at str +2 / at str+3 when applicable. Damage is measured in damage dice, converting to hit bonuses into damage equivalents.

Due to strength being so important, I have ruled that PCs can attempt to raise one of their scores by +1 every level up, if they roll over their actual score on 1d20. More on this here.

Fourth: Monster conversion is done by converting all their HD into their number of Hits. Monsters with HP added to their HD just take an extra hit. Their damage dice is converted to a similar weapon if possible (dealing 1d4/1d6 is equal to dagger, for example) or with some creative solutions: A T-Rex dealing 6d6 damage now deals 6 HD damage on a hit, and 7 on a critical hit (as they are d6s, they work as dagger so he crits on a 20 only). 

Monsters may not be able to spread their extra damage amongst the party if they are not martially trained or their type of attack is not suited to. 

Monsters that attack in group do not get a save vs death at 0 if you don't want to, but their leaders or named NPCs might.

The original table from which the above's was calculated. Here for posterity:

fuck, man, I'm so sleepy. I am going to publish this, I am forgetting some small things but this is the core of it

Current Houserules (november 2021)

This is the current ruleset I am using. The arguments for some of these points are already listed somewhere on the blog, others are mostly consequences of applying them. For monsters, equipment, procedures not listed, etc I use BX. The rest is heavily modified:

* Hit die are hits. Damage rolls and hit points do not exist. Instead, a succesful hit takes away one hit dice, which are the equivalent of health points. This would effectivelly equate wizard's and fighter's health as there are no different HD sizes, but fighter types tend to have more HD (see next point)

* Classless. Roll 3d6 in order, then what normally would be your class feats are instead derived from attributes in this basis:

STRENGTH

9 or less: -1 HD (you have always a minimum of 1)

12-13: +1 HD, you can wear plate

14: +1 melee attack bonus, +1 open doors

15: +1 HD, +1 critical range in blunt or 2 handed weapons

16: +2 melee attack bonus, +1 open doors

17: +1 HD

18: +2 melee attack bonus, +1 open doors

strength is also equal to the inventory slots you have before you go encumbered, then you can carry +3 more.

DEXTERITY

9 or less: -1 to thief skills

12-13: +1 to thief skills (1+X chance in 6 to perform Move silently, hide in shadows, pickpocket, etc. Also against saves requiring reflexes you can roll this if its higher than your chance per level)

14: +1 AC

15: +1 HD, +1 critical range with swords or ranged weapons

16: +1 to thief skills

17: +1 to thief skills, you are peak thief by then

18: +1 AC

dexterity measures how much a thief you are. That is why it doesnt get much into missile fire, just a little.

INTELLIGENCE

9 or less: as in 10, but without any bonus. Might be useful for narrative purposes somehow.

10: You have a starting background skill, choose that skill during the game at any moment. It cannot be stealth or combat related. You have a +1 when using that skill or knowledge in any way)

12-13: +2 to any background skill

14: You have an X in 6 chance to produce an item related to your background. On a fail, exhaust this gift until downtime.

15: +2 to a skill

16: +2 to a skill

17: +1  to a skill. You have a second quantum item, see above

18: +2 to a skill

intelligence represents the "technical" part of thieves, more in the specialists LOTFP version. There are some setting established background skills already, like healing, alchemy, bushcraft or trap/lockpicks

WISDOM

9 or less: haven't thought of an appropiate penalty. Maybe there is none.

12-13: +1 to magic skill. It is used to perceive magical auras around, using magical items and casting spells. To do so, fire the spell and roll your skill or under: a success fires the spell instantly (even prior to an incoming attack) and the spell is not lost. On a failure the spell is lost after casting, and it comes off at the end of the round. Being attacked or disturbed impedes you from casting this turn.

14: +1 magic skill, +1 spell. Your first spell! it takes a big roll here to have a character start with spells (16'20% of the characters will)

15: +2 spells

16: +1 magic skill, +1 spell 

17: +1 magic skill, +2 spells

18: +2 spells

the spell list is also condensed so there are fewer spells, with some of them being merged into one, and many of them scaling with charisma. For now I am making it on the fly, but will edit to post the final list. As many other things on my houserules, you can start with a non-specified spell and say which one it is during the mid game, but you keep them once you choose them. Personally I think it its fairer for players to choose spells once they are immersed on the context of the game, even if it can be seen as "cheating". It also makes char gen much faster.

CHARISMA

9 or less: -1 reaction

12-13: +1 HD

14: +1 reaction

15: You or your party can re-roll one save per day

16: +1 reaction

17: +1 HD

18: +1 reaction

Charismatic characters with no other abilities have some HD and survival resources on their own to represent their "chosen one" aura. For now I am winging it with the number of hirelings, they never reach high numbers anyways. Some spells increase in effect (duration, effect, etc) based on the reaction bonus, so its a good choice for wizards to have as a secondary attribute.

CONSTITUTION COMBAT

9 or less: You are a non-combatant. -2 to attack

12-13: +1 HD, +1 to attack with your favored weapon (choose a type at anytime, but stick with it afterwards)

14: +1HD, +1 to attack (all weapons). Your critical hits deal triple damage instead of double.

15: +1HD, +1 to attack (all weapons)

16: +1HD, +1 to attack (all weapons)

17: +1HD, +1 to attack (all weapons)

18: +1HD, +1 to attack (all weapons)

Basically your fighter level. At 18 you stack a +6 combat bonus, which is one less than what a level 10 fighter has. For now this is fine for me.

* Weapon differentiation:

Martial weapons deal a critical on a 20 (x2 hits). 

2 handed weapons deal it on a 19-20. 

Swords/bows and blunt/2handed weapons increase this range by one based on dexterity/strenght respectivelly.

Daggers have -2 to hit. It is widelly accepted that a range of +2 to hit equates to +1 damage in the common rules, so having one die step less in damage can be translated in the big picture by reducing their to-hit.

Bows have also -2 to hit, to separate them from crossbows which need to be reloaded every other turn. Also crossbows only receive half of your attack bonus.

Hand to hand combat is also at -2, and only deals damage on a succesful "open doors" check

Combat stunts like disarming, etc can be attempted by taking a -2 to the roll. Target might get a save or an "open doors" check to prevent it (whichever is higher)

Armor uses the rules already explained on a recent post (leather +2 mail +3 plate +4, shield +1, helmet +1, being a hero level warrior [combat 14 or over] +1 )

Dual wielding: One re-roll per combat, using the off hand weapon numbers. If the secondary weapon can be used to parry, you can choose an enemy roll landed against you to be re-rolled, keep the best result in both cases.

Using a katana/bastard sword with 2 hands instead of one grants you an extra attack per combat. Once is expended, its out until the "combat music" ends. This is a weird rule I introduced because the main fighter race in the setting is modelled after korean samurais which usually used a single katana and I didn't want them to be mechanically gimped in game for no reason.

* Initiative: 

The side with the single combatant of highest HD goes first, they chose which character starts. After every combatant, a member of the opposing side that hasn't acted yet takes its turn, until everyone has done their actions.

Ranged weapons that are readied can be shot reactivelly. Spells can also be cast reactivelly if a roll is passed (see wisdom, above)

* No clerics. Anyone can learn all spells. Turning undead works by forcing a reaction roll, when prompted by any display of holiness (holy symbols, bless/light spells)

* Leveling up looks like table below for everyone, with numbers based on the fighter chart. Im considering lowering them 5% for everyone, as if every character was a fighter with some strength as prime requisite. Saving throws are unified, with situational penalties as I see fit, and they are all done with a d6. I have grown fond of this method and bonuses-penalities feel significantly stronger. In addition save + hd, PCs who level up roll 2d20 and choose two attributes: if they roll over, that attributes increase by +1