New PC Playable Races: The Driadica

 

Fifth edition never quite knew what to do with Genasi. They arrived as a lightweight footnote in the Elemental Evil Player's Companion—bolted onto the rules because a hardcover adventure needed elemental window-dressing—and spent the rest of their lifespan being steadily sanded down into flavorless, interchangeable skin-swaps. By the time Monsters of the Multiverse finished stripping away their legacy traits, they were reduced to a generic template where you pick an element like a paint swatch. No mechanical weight, no cultural anchor, and no real grit.

If you are stripping away tired fantasy tropes and moving away from standard Tolkien demi-humans, you need an ancestry that carries physical consequence. You need something born from tectonic strain, thermal volatility, and the deep, raw pressure of a scarred world.

Enter the Driadica.

The Driadica are a complete structural replacement for the stale, throwaway elemental options of the past. They are mortals carrying a volatile primordial core, rendering them living pressure vessels whose biology operates under fundamentally different rules than standard flesh and bone.

World Integration: Walking Scars and Living Cauldrons

The Driadica do not simply walk out of a pastoral woods or wander into a standard tavern taproom looking for casual work. They are physical manifestations of the world's deep wounds—living reminders of tectonic rifts, ancient impact scars, and places where the elemental boundaries breached during the old cataclysms.

For ordinary humans and other settlement-dwellers, interacting with a Driadica is rarely casual. They are treated with a heavy mix of superstition, economic pragmatism, and unease:

• The Tectonic-Driadica are often found near quarry towns, mining operations, or deep-earth redoubts. To a frontier foreman, a Tectonic laborer is worth three draft horses for their sheer carrying capacity and unyielding stance, but they are kept at arm's length. People whisper that where a Tectonic walks, the local bedrock remembers the old tremors, and their presence makes livestock nervous.

• The Pyre-Driadica live with a constant, dangerous visibility. In cold northern holds or damp river settlements, a Pyre is a walking hearth—valuable for running forges without coal or keeping camp safe in freezing wastes. But they are also viewed as walking fire hazards. A Pyre who loses control of their internal pressure can torch a dry timber warehouse just by resting against a wall too long.

• The Glacies-Driadica bring an unsettling, absolute stillness to any room they enter. Townsfolk near coastal fisheries or deep-aquifer wells view them as keepers of cold storage and deep secrets, but their chilling presence and unnatural density make them social outsiders. They don't sweat, they don't shiver, and they look at warm-blooded squabbles with flat, geologic patience.

• The Gale-Driadica are the most restless—born from high-altitude atmospheric shears and violent storm tracks. They drift through caravan stops and courier guilds, valued for their speed and resistance to exhaustion, but distrusted by sailors and pilots who know that a Gale’s erratic emotional spikes can kick up sudden static storms or foul the local barometer.

To play a Driadica is to play someone who does not quite fit the organic rhythm of the world. You aren't just a person with blue hair; you are a pressure vessel walking among clay.

The Driadica Core

Every Driadica shares a foundational physiological baseline that marks them as something apart from ordinary humanoids:

• Creature Type: Humanoid (Elemental).

• Size: Medium.

• Speed: 30 feet.

• Stasis-Binding: Driadica do not sleep or dream in the traditional sense. Instead, they enter a state of deep, semiconscious stasis for 4 hours a day to vent or stabilize their internal core. During this time, they absorb ambient environmental properties—heat, moisture, pressure, or kinetic resonance—to sustain themselves, requiring no food or water.

• Elemental Resilience: They possess innate biological fortitude, gaining advantage on saving throws against poison and absolute immunity to disease.

The Four Manifestations

Rather than relying on unscaling spells or broken damage resistances that invite multiclass cheese, each Driadica manifestation utilizes tactical, action-economy-driven traits that define how they move through the world.

1. Pyre-Driadica (Fire & Thermal Energy)

Born from volcanic faults and lightning-scorched wastes, Pyre-Driadica constantly struggle to keep their internal pressure from scorching their own skin.

• Ability Score Increase: +2 Constitution, +1 Intelligence or Charisma.

• Venting Heat: As a bonus action, they can superheat their strikes for 1 minute, causing melee attacks to deal an extra 1d4 Fire damage while shedding bright light in a 10-foot radius. (Usable once per short or long rest).

• Thermal Glow: Can cast Control Flames or Produce Flame natively using Constitution as the spellcasting ability.

2. Glacies-Driadica (Water & Absolute Cold)

Carrying the crushing density of deep aquifers and abyssal trenches, Glacies-Driadica are unyielding and chillingly composed.

• Ability Score Increase: +2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom or Strength.

• Fluid Density: Grants advantage on saving throws against being pushed, knocked prone, or moved against their will.

• Crushing Current: When hitting a creature with a weapon attack, a bonus action forces the target to make a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away (Usable a number of times equal to proficiency bonus per long rest).

3. Tectonic-Driadica (Earth & Seismic Mass)

Anchored to shifting bedrock and mineral veins, Tectonic-Driadica are built to endure absolute physical pressure.

• Ability Score Increase: +2 Constitution, +1 Strength.

• Living Stone: When not wearing heavy armor, their AC equals 13 + their Constitution modifier (shields can be used without forfeiting this benefit).

• Seismic Stride: A bonus-action ground stomp sends out a minor shockwave; unarmed creatures on the ground within 10 feet must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or have their speed halved until the end of their next turn (Usable once per short or long rest).

4. Gale-Driadica (Air & Atmospheric Pressure)

Shaped by high-altitude jet streams and violent storm fronts, Gale-Driadica are light-footed, static-charged, and notoriously difficult to pin down.

• Ability Score Increase: +2 Constitution, +1 Dexterity.

• Low-Pressure Step: Subtracts up to 50 feet from fall calculations when conscious, and nonmagical difficult terrain costs no extra movement.

• Static Discharge: When hit by a melee attack within 5 feet, a reaction forces the attacker to make a Dexterity saving throw or drop a held item (Usable a number of times equal to proficiency bonus per long rest).

The Law of the Cold: Thermodynamic Magic Without Bookkeeping

 

Magic shouldn't feel like an abstract balance sheet. In too many systems, slinging a spell is mechanically identical to deducting five gold pieces from an inventory ledger: you pay the cost, the effect fires off, and the surrounding dungeon remains completely oblivious.

If we treat ambient mana not as a currency, but as an atmospheric fluid governed by basic thermodynamic pressure, everything changes. High mana naturally rushes to fill low-mana voids, seeking equilibrium. When a caster rips raw arcane force out of the air to manifest a spell, they create a sudden metaphysical vacuum. The energy leaves the room, the pressure plummets, and the environment instantly grows bone-chillingly cold.

The trap with concepts like this is over-engineering. The moment you introduce cubic-foot pressure gradients, thermodynamic decay rates, or ambient mana trackers, you kill table momentum dead in its tracks. Nobody wants to pause combat to consult a barometric chart.

The solution is simple: track nothing. Treat the phenomenon as an observable, binary room condition triggered entirely by the dice you are already rolling.

The Rule: Stable vs. Cold

Every dungeon room, corridor, or clearing exists in one of two states: Stable or Cold.

A space is Stable by default. It becomes Cold the moment an arcane spell violently scavenges the local environment.

The Triggers

Rather than counting spells, let critical rolls and peak efforts dictate when the threshold breaks:

• The Stutter (Natural 1 or Target's Natural 20): If an arcane caster rolls a Natural 1 on an attack roll, or a target rolls a Natural 20 against an arcane saving throw, the spell fails to resolve cleanly. The magic stutters, over-draws on the local medium, and instantly plunges the area into the Cold.

• Peak Output: Whenever a caster expends their highest available spell level (or pushes their casting limits beyond safe thresholds), the sheer volume of drained mana creates an immediate thermodynamic sink.

The Consequences

When a space goes Cold, two immediate effects take hold:

1. Arcane Starvation: The ambient pressure is dead. Any further arcane spells cast within the Cold zone suffer Disadvantage on attack rolls, or give targets Advantage on saves. The caster is forced to drag energy out of a localized vacuum.

2. Thermal Drop: Torches gutter down to sullen blue nubs. Water skins freeze solid. Fine motor tasks—picking a lock, reloading a heavy crossbow mechanism, or steadying a bowstring—suffer a minor penalty as joints stiffen in the sudden frost.

The Reset

The Cold clears naturally using standard dungeon time that you already track:

• In Combat: The room remains Cold for the rest of the encounter, unless an immense thermal source (like a high-tier fire spell or an active forge) dumps massive raw heat back into the space.

• In Exploration: The Cold equalizes over a single standard 10-minute exploration turn, or immediately as soon as the party abandons the chamber and moves to another area.

At the Table: Three Examples

1. The Catacomb Sconce

The party is pinned down in a narrow burial vault by wights. The wizard reaches for a top-tier Lightning Bolt to clear the hallway. The arc of electricity blasts through the undead, but because it burns the caster's highest-tier slot, the room instantly pays the metaphysical debt.

The referee doesn't touch an eraser or scribble a note. Instead, the narration handles the physics: the torchflames contract into tiny blue specks, everyone’s breath billows out in thick white clouds, and rime creeps instantly across the fighter's shield.

Two rounds later, the wizard tries to cast a quick Melf's Acid Arrow to finish off a surviving straggler. Because the wizard is standing in the Cold, the acid forms sluggishly and spatters off-mark—rolled with Disadvantage because the local mana has already been stripped bare. To get a clean shot, the wizard has to physically retreat ten feet backward through the stone archway into the untreated, Stable hallway.

2. The Vault Heist Lockout

A thief and an illusionist infiltrate a noble’s private scriptorium to crack a heavy dwarven strongbox. An alert guard patrols outside, so the illusionist casts a complex phantasm to mask the sound of their tools. The caster rolls a Natural 1 on their check.

The spell collapses, and the vacuum bites immediately. Ink inside the desk wells freezes solid and cracks the glass. The air drops thirty degrees in an eyeblink. Not only is any follow-up illusion starved of ambient mana, but the thief's fingers go numb inside their leather gloves, imposing an immediate penalty on the lockpicking attempt while shivering in the sudden frost. The players are forced to make a tactical choice: burn a torch to warm the thief’s hands and risk the guard spotting the light, or abandon the chest before the freezing air alerts the household.

3. The Ambush in the Snow

During a midnight ambush on a frozen mountain pass, an enemy sorcerer unleashes a massive kinetic blast against the party. The party’s cleric easily shakes off the effect, but the sheer drain of the sorcerer's peak casting leaves the clearing in a dead mana sink.

The party’s frontline notices the shift immediately: the enemy caster's follow-up spells fizzle and drag, visibly weakened by the vacuum they created. Recognizing the tactical advantage, the fighter grapples the sorcerer and pins them firmly in the center of their own Cold zone, refusing to let them step into the Stable mountain air where their magic can draw a full breath.

Why It Works

By tying the mechanic to existing rolls and binary room states, you introduce tactical positioning without adding clerical baggage. Casters can no longer anchor themselves in one corner of a dungeon room and turret high-level spells round after round without consequence.

The environment becomes a participant in the fight. When the frost begins to bite and the torches die down to blue beads, the players know exactly what happened—not because they checked their character sheets, but because the world just lost its heat.

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Optional Rules: Backstabbing Sonsabitches (Revisited)

 

Optional Rules: Backstabbing Sonsabitches (Revisited)

Backstabbing. Just the word itself makes most players cringe. It sounds greasy, dishonorable, and downright dirty—the hallmark of cutpurses, scoundrels, and assassins who prefer the dark to an honest fight. But when you are staring down an alert castle sentry or slipping through an enemy encampment in the dead of night, slipping cold iron into an oblivious kidney is often the difference between a clean infiltration and a full-blown bloodbath.

For decades, tabletop rules have treated this dirty art as the exclusive birthright of the Thief. That has always struck me as artificial nonsense. While thieves and assassins are certainly the undisputed masters of the trade, the instinct to exploit an open blind spot belongs to every seasoned fighter who has ever survived a brawl. If a veteran warrior crawls through fifty feet of mud and puts a dagger to the base of an unsuspecting sentry's neck, they do not square their shoulders and wait for a fair initiative roll. They strike to end the fight.

These optional rules replace standard backstab mechanics with a universal Sneak Attack, opening the tactic to any character while still giving dedicated cutthroats the bloody edge they have earned.

The Ground Rules

A Sneak Attack requires genuine surprise. The target must be completely unaware of the attacker's presence. If a guard is on high alert, scanning the shadows, or reasonably suspicious that trouble is brewing, the moment is gone. You cannot "sneak attack" someone who is actively keeping an eye on you.

Precision and speed are everything. The attacker must use a small or medium weapon that lends itself to close, quiet work—daggers, shortswords, clubs, or maces. Large, cumbersome weapons requiring wide swings are right out, though sensible exceptions like a clean spear thrust from concealment are fair game. Ranged weapons may also be used for a sniper strike, provided the attacker is completely concealed and firing from short range.

Staging a clean kill requires total commitment. The attacker spends their entire focus on the stroke, allowing only one single attack for the entire round, regardless of any standard multiple-attack abilities.

The target must have a sensible anatomy that can actually be damaged by the weapon at hand. Sneaking up on an iron golem with a bodkin dagger is an exercise in futility, and trying to get the drop on a Black Pudding is just plain silly. However, reasonable common sense applies: crushing a skeleton's skull with a heavy mace from behind or hammering an oak stake into a resting vampire's ribcage are both perfectly valid.

Landing the Blow

Catching an enemy completely flat-footed grants a +4 bonus to the attack roll.

If the attack connects, determine damage based on who is holding the weapon:

• Non-Thieves: The attack deals full normal weapon damage (including Strength or magical bonuses) plus 1 additional point of damage per character level. A 4th-level fighter swinging a shortsword deals normal damage plus 4.

• Thieves and Assassins: The true artists of betrayal deal full normal weapon damage (including bonuses) plus 2 additional points of damage per character level. That same 4th-level thief lands their strike for normal damage plus 8.

The Trauma Check: Scaling the Shock

In real combat, massive trauma delivered in a single split second is catastrophic. If a Sneak Attack inflicts damage equal to 50 percent or more of the target's maximum hit points, the victim suffers severe physical shock and must immediately make a saving throw versus Death (or a Constitution save in newer editions).

The target number to resist is 10, or half the total damage dealt by the strike, whichever is higher.

The consequences depend entirely on what kind of meat you are cutting into:

1. Mortal and Mundane Targets

(Rank-and-file guards, ordinary humanoids, and natural beasts)

• Failed Save: The victim drops immediately to 0 hit points. They collapse silently and begin bleeding to death at the rate of 1 hit point per round, or die outright if the attacker made a clean, deliberate killing stroke like slitting the throat.

• Successful Save: Sheer luck or armor deflection keeps them alive, but the impact knocks the wind clean out of them. The target is incapacitated and unable to move until the end of their next turn.

2. Monsters and Legendary Terrors

(Dragons, giants, powerful undead, and supernatural horrors)

• Failed Save: A creature of massive bulk or supernatural vitality will not drop dead from a single knife prick, but the trauma violently shatters its composure. The creature is stunned until the end of its next turn, its movement drops to zero, and it loses all reactions.

• Successful Save: The beast absorbs the agony without collapsing, but reels from the impact. It suffers a penalty (or Disadvantage) on its next attack or ability check made before the end of its next turn.

An added note for the wilderness travelers: this rule applies equally well to hunting game. A quiet hunter stalking a deer from the brush gets the exact same benefit as a rogue stalking a sentry along the ramparts.

Optional Rules: Jousting

This article only covers tournament jousting, not combat jousting. General tournament rules will follow in a later article. These optional rules were written for Swords & Wizardry, using the single saving throw rules.

In a tournament joust, the normal rules for initiative are not used. Instead, both parties are considered attacking at the same time. One normal attack roll is made by each rider during a pass. These attack rolls may be modified by any Strength modifier "to-hit" bonuses. Armor class is NOT modified by Dexterity.

Any modified roll of 11 or better counts as a touch, for 1 Point. The lance does not shatter.

Any modified roll that hits the opponent proper (die roll hits AC 2 [17]), the lance does 2d6 (plus Strength modifier) non-lethal damage, and shatters, counting as 2 Points. Any attack roll that unhorses an opponent shatters the lance, but only counts as 4 Points, not 6.

Any roll of natural 1 unintentionally hits the opponent's horse, usually resulting in paying a monetary penalty to the opponent, and possible disqualification if deemed intentional.

Any roll of natural 20 automatically unhorses the target, no Saving Throw is used.

Riders that are properly hit must roll a Saving Throw, with failure resulting in being unhorsed. Falling from a mount does 1d6 non-lethal damage.

This Saving Throw is modified (up or down) by any difference between the rider's and the opponent's Strength "damage" modifiers, plus any difference between their mounts.

Mount Modifier:
+2   Heavy Warhorse - Destrier
+1   Medium Warhorse - Courser
+0   Light Warhorse - Hobby
-1    Poor Warhorse - Rouncey

Four passes (tilts) will be made, or until one or both riders are unhorsed, whichever is first. It is possible to tie during advancement, but the final challenge to determine champion must be settled.

1 Point - A hit upon the opponent's shield (touch)
2 Point - A proper hit upon an opponent, lance shatters
4 Point - Unhorsing  an opponent, lance shatters but still only counts as 4 Points

Disqualifications occur for the following:

• Intentionally striking an opponent's mount
• Intentionally using a non-blunted lance
• Not bringing one's mount up to speed (moving too slow) during the pass
• Not presenting a proper target (funny business in the saddle like "trick riding")
• Striking an opponent that has dropped their lance
• Intentionally striking an opponent to kill/harm
• The use of magic at any time
• Healing while on the field

Tournament rules are in place for the safety of participants. The games are a matter of honor and skill, with the risk of severe injury and death reduced when possible. Participants that intentionally cheat, reduce the status of the tournament and cheapen the affair.

The use of magic is prohibited. The use of unusual or enhanced mounts is prohibited, including a paladin's special warhorse. Magical healing during the tournament is prohibited.

Participants must wear plate mail, helmet, and shield. They must also use a warhorse. These rules ensure that only properly trained mounts are used, and the participants are protected.. with the unspoken understanding that the cost of such equipment also keeps "the rabble" out of competing.

The DM may create additional rules or change rules as they wish, but MUST announce the rules at the start of the tournament.

Optional Rules: Magnificient Mounts

OR, What Color Is My Horse?

"Young Wyatt's eyes were glued to the riders on either side of the jousting list. He couldn't believe how fast their mounts moved as they barreled towards each other, hooves thundering, their rider's armor flashing in the bright sunlight as their lances locked into place. It only took seconds for the horses to reach each other and the impact the lances made upon the opposing shields was tremendous, but the horses kept stride as if nothing had happened.

The 12 year old couldn't help but be fascinated by the horses. He started working with them at the age of 6 when he entered the service of Sir Aston Wyndham, a local knight. Because of his lowly birth, Sir Wyndham could not take Wyatt on as either paige nor squire. However, he did allow Wyatt to serve as a stable hand for Wyatt loved being around all the horses. He had a knack for getting them to behave. Especially Sir Wyndham's spirited Hobby, Shadow.

The cheers from the jousting field brought the boy's attention back to the riders. One of them had just been unhorsed and his squire was chasing after the knight's loose Courser. As the squire worked to get the wayward mount under control, the crowd started to murmur. Wyatt looked to the end of the field. He had only heard tales of how large and powerful a Destrier was, but he never imagined that he would see one. The horse was so big, the boy could have walked right under its belly without having to duck. His eyes were glued to the field as the riders lined up, the Destrier pawing at the ground, ready to charge. And then the thunder began. The rider urged the Destrier forward and Wyatt could feel the ground shake every time a hoof struck the dirt. He had to duck for cover as the rider's lances hit each other's shields. There was so much power behind the Destrier, that both lances exploded into splinters as the other rider was knocked off his horse, slamming into the dirt some feet away. Wyatt couldn't believe it! He had never seen anything like this before.

"Wyatt!" A voice called out. "Wyatt! Where are you? There is still work to be done!" Wyatt jumped. He was in for it now. He was supposed to be out getting water for Sir Wyndhams Courser. He had stopped to watch the joust instead. He climbed off of the fence that he had been using for a seat, dropped onto the bucket he had used as a step stool, then ran towards the trough as fast as his scrawny legs could carry him."

Horse breeding in medieval times was very different from modern horse breeding. Unlike modern times, where breeders keep track of breeds and bloodlines, medieval horse breeders did not. The animals were seen as transportation and tools for farming. But eventually, horses made their way on to the battlefield and people began to realize how essential a good horse was. They began to breed horses for selective traits. Most medieval horses were bred for a purpose and were classified into several categories. A break down of the various categories follows.

Destriers: Destriers were highly prized and admired for their war capabilities. They were well trained and required to be strong, fast, and agile. They were not very common and were well suited for jousting. While they were big, they weren't always as big as modern draft horses (ex. a Clydesdale). They were also encourage to be spirited and aggressive. These are the equivalent of a heavy war horse

Coursers: Coursers were light, fast, and strong. They were a cheaper version of a destrier and more common among poorer knights. While they were commonly used for battle, they were also used for hunting. They are classified as medium war horses.

Hobby: A hobby is a light weight war horse that is known for being quick and agile. It was commonly used by light cavalry for skirmishing or hit and run tactics.

Rouncey: A Rouncey was a general all-purpose horse. It could be used for riding or war. Commonly used by poor knights or squires. They can sometimes be used as pack horses, but never cart horses.

Palfrey: A Palfrey could be just as expensive as a Destrier. It was popular among Nobles and highly ranked knights for riding, hunting, and ceremonial use.

Jennet: A Jennet is a smaller horse or pony, favored by the ladies. They are easier to care for than a Palfrey and many ladies would use them for pilgrimages or traveling long distances. 

Cart Horse: These are horses that are not trained to handle a rider. They are only used for pulling carts.

Donkey : Mostly used as pack animals or work animals. They can be ridden, but only by light weight riders.

Mule: Mostly used as a pack animal. They are generally more docile and easier to handle than a horse, but it cannot be used to breed. They are bigger than donkeys.


Suggested pricing for horses:

• Destrier 400g
• Courser 200g
• Hobby 100g
• Rouncey 50g
• Palfrey 150g
• Jennet 40g
• Cart Horse 20g
• Mule 20g
• Donkey 8g

A horse's coloring can be extremely varied. There are so many possible combinations of base colors, patterns, and markings that it became next to impossible to draw up a random horse table without it being 2 pages long. So after many failed attempts, and several moments where I ALMOST threw my computer out the window, I stripped it down to the most common markings and colorings. In order to use the table, first roll to determine your horse's color. Then roll to determine if the horse has any markings. Some results may increase the value of the horse. A lack of markings, or a pure white color, was really desirable. 

Colors: Roll 1d6 to determine the base color

1: Bay: Body color ranges from a light redish brown to a dark brown with black manes, tail, and lower legs. Can have Markings

2: Black: Solid black coat. Can have Markings.

3: Buckskin: The body coloring is similar to a tanned deer skin with a black mane and tail. No markings

4: Chestnut: Reddish body color with no black. The mane and tail are the same color. Can have Markings

5: Grey: Solid Grey coloring. Can have markings

6: White: Solid White Coloring. No Markings. Increase the horses value by 50% due to a rare coloring.

Type of Markings: Roll 1d6

1-2: No markings. Increase horses value by 10% 

3-4: Facial Marking

5-6: Leg Markings

Facial Markings: Roll 1d12

1: Blaze: Wide strip of white on the face that stops around the nostrils.

2: Stripe: A thinner version of the Blaze.

3: Stripe and Nose: Stripe that runs past the nose and across the lips.

4: Irregular Blaze: An oddly shaped stripe running across the face.

5: Interrupted Stripe: The stripe is broken on the horses face.

6: Bald Face: A wide Blaze that covers most of the horses face. The horse might have blue eyes because of this.

7: Faint Star: Horse have a very small white spot (usually shaped like a diamond) on its forehead.

8: Star: White spot on the forehead, usually shaped like a diamond.

9: Irregular Star: Oddly shaped white spot on the forehead.

10: Star and Stripe: Stripe on the face that blends into a star. The star must be wide than the stripe in order for this marking to be called a Star and Stripe.

11: Snip: Just a little white spot on the nose of the horse.

12: Lip Masking: White marking on one or both lips.

Leg Markings: How many legs are marked? Roll 1d8

1: Front Right

2: Front Left

3: Back Right

4: Back left

5: Front legs, both with the same marking

6: Back legs, both with the same markings

7: Front legs, both have different markings

8: Back legs, both have different markings

Type of Leg Markings: Roll 1d10

1-2 Stocking: white marking that extends at least to the bottom of the knee or hock, sometimes higher.

3-4 Sock: white marking that extends higher than the fetlock (ankle joint) but not as high as the knee or hock. This marking is sometimes called a "boot."

5-6 Fetlock: white marking that extends just over the fetlock(ankle joint), occasionally called a "boot."

7-8 Pastern: white marking that extends above the top of the hoof, but stops below the fetlock.

9-10 Coronet: white band just above the hoof , usually no more than 1 inch high

Age of Horse: Roll 1d6

1 Foal: A young horse that is under one year of age. It can be either male or female. Subtract 25% from the base price of the horse since it cannot be ridden until it becomes a yearling. Roll 1d6. 1-3 is Male. 4-6 is female

2 Yearling: A horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Roll 1d6. 1-3 is Male. 4-6 is female

3 Colt: A male horse between the age of two and four.

4 Filly: A female horse between the age of two and four.

5 Mare: A female horse four years old and older.

6 Stallion: A non-castrated male horse four years old and older.

--------------------------------

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_coat_color

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_in_the_Middle_Ages#Breeding

http://stores.renstore.com/history-and-biography/horses-in-the-middle-ages#.WojFB_nwbIU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_markings

About the Author

Today's article is by our special guest contributor, Rachel Williams. Rachel is a manager at a popular national food franchise, and long-time gamer in both video and table-top media. She is an avid history buff and can often be found glued to the PBS channel and streaming documentaries.. usually far later into the night than she should.

She lives in Upstate New York, with her adorable cat and equally adorable husband (the Editior). 

Optional Rules: Situational Bonus

Image courtesy of https://www.goodfreephotos.com

Situational Bonus - Sometimes, if a player fails a die roll by 1 point, I'll watch to see if the player (not character) stuck their tongue out during the attempt. If they did, I give it to them.

And if they catch on, I roll a d6 to see if it counts depending on where the tongue was sticking out.

1-2   player's left side of mouth

3-4   player's mouth, center

5-6   player's right side of mouth

Why? Because it's a game, and we play to have fun.

P.S. Funny faces, vocal sound effects, and appropriate movie quotes have been known to invoke bonuses now and then.

Optional Rules: Holding Your Breath

There are several occasions that can occur during a game when a character may wish to hold their breath. Unfortunately, not all systems provide rules for this. Of course, you as DM, can create your own rules for these circumstances, but then I wouldn't have anything to write about today.

In our home campaign, we use the following rule. A character can hold their breath for one (1) round (minute), plus one (+1) round per point of Constitution over 10. Thus, a character with a Constitution of 15, could hold their breath for six (1 + 5) rounds (minutes). Characters are not penalized for having lower Constitution scores. Characters with a Constitution of 10 or less can still hold their breaths for at least one round.

A character holding their breath, may do so and still perform non-strenuous tasks, such as walking (or swimming slowly), carrying light loads, picking locks, etc.

Character that are running, carrying heavy loads, fighting, etc., can only hold their breath for half the time (divide by 2 and round up), with a minimum of one round.

Characters that attempt to hold their breaths longer, must roll a Save or they become unconscious that round and will then die the following round. Each consecutive round beyond accumulates a -2 penalty to this Save. Forcing yourself to hold your breath can be fatal. Of course, a healer can attempt to revive a "mostly dead" character, if the DM agrees.

Characters that are doing nothing at all, but holding their breath, may do so for twice as long.

As DM, you may rule that some characters, such as those that are excellent swimmers, clean outhouses for a living, etc., may hold their breaths twice as long because of practice. Yes, this means an excellent swimmer, doing nothing but holding their breath, can hold their breath four times longer overall.

Optional Rules: Torches and Dark Lanthorns

The fighting combination of weapon and fire has been around since prehistoric times. Fire being the only form of light available to early mankind, it only makes sense that it would be used in conjunction with some means of attack during nighttime conditions. However, self defense against predators isn't the only time the combination has been of use. Not only can torches and lanterns provide light for an attacker to see by, they also provide a means to temporarily blind one's opponents. This is a fact often unrealized or ignored in game rules.

Some undead and other creatures are not effected by normal weapons, but are not immune to fire damage. Not every campaign is the same, so do not make assumptions. Always consult with your DM first.

Torches do 1d4 fire damage. While they may be used as a club, they are not as weighty as a proper cudgel. Each time a torch is used to beat something, it has a 1 in 6 chance of accidentally going out. If dropped, a torch will go out in 3-6 (1d4+2) rounds.

Lanterns are neither heavy, nor hardy, so using them as a bludgeon isn't an option. Yes, they may be used to strike a target, but usually only once, doing 1d4 damage. Intentionally breaking a  lighted lantern upon a target will do 1d4 fire damage, and 1 more point of damage per round for the next 2 rounds, and will also destroy the lantern.

Lanterns and torches may be used in combat to defend against small light weight melee (hand-to-hand) weapons. When used as such, improve the defender's armor class by one better. When used for defense, a lantern or torch can not be used to temporarily blind opponents, or as a bashing weapon.

Care must be taken, for if used in hand-to-hand combat, a lantern can be targeted by an opponent. On a successful attack against leather (plus any dexterity modifiers), a lantern can be broken, causing flaming oil to splash on the carrier (see above).

When in darkness conditions, lanterns and torches may be used to temporarily blind opponents in hand-to-hand combat. The attacker must call out their intention before making the attempt. Making the attempt does not count against the number of attacks the attacker may make that round, but does disallow the light source from being used offensively or defensively, that round. An opponent must make a Save, or suffer -1 on all to-hit rolls that round. Defenders actively using shields or cloaks to help block the light need not make Saves.

"Dark Lanthorns" (dark lanterns), or bullseye lanterns, carried by armed individuals with weapon in hand, is considered a crime in most cities, and brings stiff penalties. Thieves and ne'er-do-wells, use covered lanterns to carry out their crimes in secret, or to blind good people when setting upon them with nefarious intent.

New Magic Spells: Zero Level Spells I

The following are some zero level spells (Cantrips) for magic-users. This article does not include rules for zero level spells, just a list of such spells.

Ignore

Sometimes called, the "Jedi Mind Trick", by players. The caster creates an aura of disinterest around themselves and those standing close to them. Individuals and ceatures of up to three hit dice, that fail their Save, will lose interest in speaking to the caster and ignore them. This spell lasts for one round (Minute) per level of the caster.

Note: This spell will automatically fail against targets that are trying to activavely kill or capture the caster. Nor will a target ignore the caster if the caster is doing something they shouldn't be doing, like trying to pick a lock or take something that the target is guarding.

Perfect Fit

When cast upon non-magical clothing, footwear, and accessories, the items will permanently alter themselves in shape and size (up to plus or minus 50%) to fit the caster perfectly, or person the caster designates the clothing to fit. Once altered, the items stay that way, unless altered again with another spell.

Unless the DM specifies otherwise, this spell does not affect non-magical armor or weapons.

Fisherman's Friend

When cast on a fishhook or lure, it will attract the attention of any "good-size" fish is in the area. Note that this could in turn then unintentionally attract the attention of any "good-size" predators in the area as well. This spell lasts for 10 rounds (minutes).

Stay Fresh

When cast upon a container, sack, backpack, etc., anything placed within will be kept fresh, and free of pests. Any aromas and whatnot will not escape the container, thus keeping it from attracting critters looking for food. Note that this spell does nothing to keep containers waterproof, or protected from the elements. This spell lasts for one day, per casting.

Hold Water / Waterproof

This spell will make one item waterproof, thus allowing it to hold water, or keep water out. This spell is often cast on clothing and footwear to keep the wearer dry, or cast upon sacks and similar items so they may carry water.  The spell does nothing to make the item stronger, so a cloth sack could still rip if you filled it with too much water. This spell lasts for one day, per casting.

False Purse

When cast, if anyone attempts to pickpocket the caster, they must make a Save of else they will inadvertently filtch the prepared false bait purse/item over any other valuables. Of course, this spell requires a false purse or other target item upon which to cast the spell. This spell lasts for one hour per caster level.

Caught Red Handed

When this spell is cast upon an item, or object, the next living thing to touch it without first speaking the pre-set password, will end up with a completely red hand. This spell lasts for up to one full day, or until it is triggered. The red stain lasts for a full 24 hours after touching the guarded item, and can not be removed without magic or dismissed by the caster. The stain works through gloves. There is no Save.

Water Wings

This spell causes the target to float in water (or other liquids), even if wearing armor. The character effectively floats enough to keep their head above the surface comfortably. This spell lasts one hour per level of the caster. This spell can be cast underwater.

Jam the Door/Lid

A weaker form of Wizard Lock. This spell makes a door or container harder to open. Opening something "jammed" will take effort and time, most likely being a little noisey too.

Optional Rules: Potions, Edibles, and Other Consumable Magic Items

When we think of "potions", we usually think of one-shot items that we ingest, to manifest the stored power within. Unlike scrolls, the user need not be able to read the esoteric inscriptions, inscribed upon the specially prepared parchments, to activate the item's magic. "Potions" also tend to be less powerful than scrolls. In later editions of D&D, potions are equivalent to spells of the 1st to 3rd Spell Level (not the level of the caster). This is a good rule of thumb when deciding how powerful to make new "potion" equivalent items in your campaign.

In our home campaign, we've expanded "potions" into a category of one-shot magic items that are consumed (not necessarily ingested), to take effect. These items can be created by either traditional spell-casters, or alchemists (a semi-NPC-only class). Like traditional potions, they are consumed, applied, crushed, whatever, and expended in one use. All rules that apply to typical potions (duration, etc.) are generally the same for these new items.

You may choose the form of any "potion" found in your game, or roll 1d8 and consult the table below.

1. Potion - Typically imbibed
2. Ointment/Salve - Usually applied externally
3. Drops - Dropped into eyes
4. Essence - A "magic cloud" that infuses the user upon release from whatever item it was contained in.
5. Biscuit/Cookie/Candy - Any form of edible can be used
6. Herbs - Usually eaten, or worn as a charm
7. Fumes/Gas - Inhaled
8. Powder/Dust - Sprinkled over the user