What about Invokers, Samurai and Illusionists?

We're into the bottom of the class-barrel now! But who am I to tell fans of these classes they aren't welcome. Bring them on!

The Ancient Word

- Do not suffer disrespect of any Gods, alive or dead.

- Attempt to bring subjects of all Gods together as equals.

- Smite those that wish to make Gods of themselves.

Symbol – Marble Staff: Striking an object with this staff while unleashing an ancient word of power causes 1d6 damage and ignores armour.

Terrible Ritual: You are able to below a word of power that causes anything below human intelligence to flee immediately.

Wrathful Ritual: With a power word you are able to command, but not create, lightning, water and fire as you wish. If thrown at an enemy these will cause 1d6+WIL Bonus damage.

The Swordmasters

- Obey the instructions of senior Swordmasters.

- Keep your sword and armour clean of blood after battle.

- Do not use ranged weapons or magic of any sort.

Symbol – Master Sword and Armour: This two-handed sword (1d6+2) and ornate, masked armour (Armour 2) are both required to benefit from Rituals.

Duellist Ritual: As long as you are engaging a single opponent with no help from your allies you may add your STR Score to Damage.

War Ritual: When you kill an opponent in melee your allies add your WIL Bonus to all Damage rolls until your next turn.

The Dreampainter

- Never refuse to paint out a story.

- Do not use your illusions to harm the innocent.

- If confronted directly, give the truth.

Symbol – Brush Pendent: You can conjure impressive illusions that last until touched. 

Artist's Ritual: Your illusions include sound, smell and thermal effects.

Veiling Ritual: You make objects invisible until they are touched. 

You want a Psion in Into the Dungeon?

Fine! Here's your Psion!

Roll a Disciple character and choose the following Creed.

The Third Eye
- Spend an hour each morning in meditation.
- Do not allow your Crystal to come to harm.
- Do not knowingly allow your mind to be tainted by magic or false gods.
Symbol - Mind Crystal: This shard of crystal floats at your will and can be used to make ranged attacks for 1d6 + WIL Bonus damage. Doing so causes you 1 point of damage.
Projection Ritual: You may cause yourself 1 point of damage to do any of the following for a single turn: Move an object remotely, project a message to another, share senses with another or read another's surface thoughts.
Autohypnosis Ritual: Whenever you take Critical Damage or Ability Score Loss you may ignore it with a WIL Save vs the amount of damage caused.

Classes and Ability Scores

Into the Dungeon is built on the base system of Into the Odd. As such it has just three Ability Scores.

Strength as physical prowess and fighting ability.
Dexterity as skill with ranged weapons, sneakiness and reflexes.
Willpower as mental prowess and inner strength, particularly when dealing with magic.

So Warrior puts his high score in STR, Rogue in DEX and Mystic and Disciple in WIL, right?

I'm pleased to say it isn't that restrictive.

Warriors get most of their combat prowess and toughness from being a Warrior. Of course, when it comes to dishing out the killing blows and avoiding them in term you're going to want good STR and DEX scores. Which one you go for will depend on if you want me mostly dealing with ranged or melee combat. Both are equally viable for a Warrior. With the open nature of how combat Techniques work I can even see a high WIL Warrior acting somewhat like a 4e Warlord if the player was creative enough.

Rogues are probably the most versatile in terms of Ability Scores. As they dabble in the classes of their allies they can put all their scores to good use. Similarly, their Second Chance ability applies to all types of Save and actually promotes having good scores across the board rather than one super score. When you're playing a Rogue just put your scores wherever you like and you'll be fine.

Mystics benefit from a high WIL score, but might not need one as often as you think. Saves are made against your WIL when you target someone else with a spell and when trying to dispell another Mystic's magic. A low WIL Mystic isn't completely out of luck. Just look at how many spells don't target others. Even the likes of Acid Arrow and Fireball will be useful for wearing down opponents, even if you're not getting the killing blow in as often. If you want a Mystic that can handle a sword or dodge danger quickly a high STR or DEX might not be such a bad idea.

Disciples would seem to point towards WIL again. Sure, most Deities grant an ability that draws on the Disciple's WIL score, but not all of them. Even those that do tend to have at least one Prayer that doesn't use WIL at all. It's also easy to see how Disciples of the Silver Avenger and Masked Trickster would benefit from high STR and DEX respectively.

Want a Simplified D&D Spell List?

If you're looking for a nice, simple Spell List for your D&D game of choice I might just be able to help you. I wanted simple descriptions that assume a degree of common sense and discussion between the Referee and players, rather than something resembling a legal document. 

The following are written with Into the Odd in mind, but work for any D&D game with some tweaking. 

Enjoy!

Cantrips

Resistance: Subject ignores normally annoying affects such as sweltering heat, itchy skin diseases, or a sandstorm.

Acid Splash: Orb deals d6 acid damage.

Detect Poison: Detects poison in one creature or small object.

Detect Magic: Detects spells and magic items within 60 ft.

Daze: A non-hostile humanoid is dazed for a short moment, lost in a daydream.

Dancing Lights: Creates torches or other lights.

Flare: Sends up a flare that can be seen for some distance.

Light: Object shines like a torch.

Ray of Frost: Ray deals d6 cold damage.

Ghost Sound: Figment sounds.

Disrupt Undead: Deals d6 damage to one undead, ignoring armour and resistances.

Touch of Fatigue: Target loses 1 STR.

Mage Hand: 5-pound telekinesis.

Mending: Makes minor repairs on an object.

Message: Whispered conversation at distance.

Open/Close: Opens or closes small or light things.

Arcane Mark: Inscribes a personal rune (visible or invisible).

Prestidigitation: Performs minor tricks.

1^st Circle

Alarm: Intruders set of an alarm audible only to you.

Endure Elements: Exist comfortably in hot or cold environments.

Hold Portal: Holds door shut.

Protection: Ignore the next instance of harm from a specific source.

Shield: Invisible disc grants Armour 1.

Grease: Makes 10-ft. square or one object slippery. DEX Save to avoid slipping.

Mount: Summons riding horse.

Obscuring Mist: Fog surrounds you. Ranged attacks are Impaired.

Summon Creature: Calls an unintelligent extraplanar creature up to the size of a small dog. It holds no loyalty to you.

Unseen Servant: Invisible force obeys your commands.

Comprehend Languages: You understand all spoken and written languages.

Detect Secret Doors: Reveals hidden doors within 60 ft.

Detect Undead: Reveals undead within 60 ft.

Identify: Determines properties of magic item.

True Strike: Your next attack automatically provokes a Save to avoid Critical Damage.

Charm Person: Makes one person your friend until they next rest.

Hypnotism: Fascinate 1d6 creatures.

Sleep: Puts relaxed targets into a slumber and others feel lethargic, causing -1 to damage.

Burning Hands: d8 fire damage.

Floating Disk: Creates 3-ft.-diameter horizontal disk that holds 100 lb.

Magic Missile: d6 damage, goes around corners, ignores Armour.

Shocking Grasp: d8 electricity damage.

Color Spray: WIL Save or all actions are Impaired until Short Rest.

Disguise Self: Changes your appearance.

Magic Aura: Alters object’s magic aura.

Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.

Ventriloquism: Throws voice.

Cause Fear: WIL Save or target flees.

Chill Touch: Lose d4 STR.

Ray of Enfeeblement: DEX Save or all attacks Impaired until Long Rest.

Animate Rope: Makes a rope move at your command.

Enlarge Person: Humanoid creature doubles in size.

Erase: Mundane or magical writing vanishes.

Expeditious Retreat: Run twice as fast.

Feather Fall: Objects or creatures fall slowly.

Jump: Subject can jump twice as far and high.

Magic Weapon: Make a weapon that ignores all supernatural resistances.

Reduce Person: Humanoid creature halves in size.

2^nd Circle

Arcane Lock: Magically locks a portal or chest.

Obscure Object: Masks object against scrying.

Protection from Arrows: Subject immune to mundane ranged attacks.

Resist Energy: Immunity to a specific type of energy attack until your next Short Rest.

Acid Arrow: 1d6 damage now and d6 STR loss next round unless washed. 

Fog Cloud: Fog obscures vision over a large area.

Glitterdust: WIL Save or Impair all attacks. Reveals invisible things.

Swarm: Summons swarm of bats, rats, or spiders. Harmless but distracting.

Summon Beast: Calls an intelligent extraplanar beast. It holds no loyalty to you.

Web: Fills 20-ft.-radius spread with sticky spiderwebs.

Detect Thoughts: WIL Save or else allows “listening” to surface thoughts.

Locate Object: Senses direction toward object.

See Invisibility: Reveals invisible creatures or objects.

Hideous Laughter: WIL Save or target laughs and Impairs actions until passing the Save.

Touch of Idiocy: Lose d4 WIL.

Continual Flame: Makes a permanent, heatless torch.

Darkness: 20-ft. radius of supernatural shadow.

Deafness: All in the blast are deafened.

Flaming Sphere: Creates rolling ball of fire, d10 damage.

Gust of Wind: Blows away or knocks down objects. Opponents get STR Save.

Scorching Ray: Deals d10 fire damage.

Shatter: Sonic vibration causes 1d6 STR loss to objects or crystalline creatures, ignoring armour.

Blur: Your details cannot be seen.

Invisibility: Subject is invisible until it attacks.

Magic Mouth: Speaks once when triggered.

Minor Illusion: Conjure an image with sound.

Mirror Image: Creates 1d6 decoy duplicates of you.

Misdirection: Misleads divinations on one creature or object.

Phantom Trap: Makes item seem trapped.

Blindness: WIL Save or blinded. 

Command Undead: Undead creature must pass WIL Save or obeys your command.

False Life: Regain any lost HP, but they vanish again after a minute.

Ghoul Touch: DEX Save or Paralyzed, exuding stench that makes those nearby sickened.

Spectral Hand: Creates disembodied glowing hand to deliver your next touch spell.

Alter Self: Assume form of a similar creature.

Bear’s Endurance: Subject has Armour 2.

Bull’s Strength: Unarmed melee attacks cause d10 damage.

Cat’s Grace: Automatically pass the next DEX Save.

Darkvision: See 60 ft. in total darkness.

Knock: Opens locked or magically sealed door.

Levitate: Subject moves up and down at your direction.

Owl’s Wisdom: Perceive the world with heightened senses for the next hour.

Pyrotechnics: Turns fire into blinding light or choking smoke.

Rope Trick: As many as eight creatures hide in extradimensional space.

Spider Climb: Walk on walls and ceilings.

Whispering Wind: Sends a short message 1 mile.

3^rd Circle

Explosive Runes: Deals d12 damage when read.

Magic Circle: Prevents an extraplanar being from entering or leaving unless they pass a WIL Save.

Summon Gate: Calls out to any extraplanar being that wishes to enter our plane. You have no choice which being answers and it holds no loyalty to you.

Nondetection: Hides subject from divination, scrying.

Sepia Snake Sigil: Creates text symbol that immobilizes reader until WIL Save.

Sleet Storm: Hampers vision and movement.

Stinking Cloud: Nauseating vapors, WIL Save or vomit.

Arcane Sight: Magical auras become visible to you.

Clairaudience/Clairvoyance: Hear or see at a distance.

Tongues: Speak any language.

Deep Slumber: WIL Save or sleep until the spell is broken.

Heroism: Gives Reroll any one die.

Hold Person: Paralyzes one humanoid until WIL Save.

Rage: Subject's attacks are Enhanced, but so are attacks against them.

Suggestion: Compels subject to follow stated course of action.

Daylight: 60-ft. radius of bright light.

Fireball: d10 damage, 20-ft. radius.

Lightning Bolt: d12 Damage to all in a line.

Tiny Hut: Creates shelter for ten creatures.

Wind Wall: Deflects arrows, smaller creatures, and gases.

Displacement: Ignore any one attack.

Illusory Script: Only intended reader can decipher.

Invisibility Sphere: Makes everyone within 10 ft. invisible.

Major Illusion: Conjure an image with sound, smell and thermal effects.

Gentle Repose: Preserves one corpse.

Halt Undead: Immobilizes all nearby undead until WIL Sav.

Vampiric Touch: Target loses d6 STR, you restore all lost hp.

Blink: You randomly vanish and reappear, avoiding the next attack against you.

Flame Arrows: Ally's missiles deal d6 extra fire damage.

Fly: Subject flies.

Gaseous Form: Subject becomes insubstantial and can fly slowly.

Haste: One creature moves at double speed.

Keen Edge: Next attack with this weapon causes direct STR loss instead of damage.

Secret Page: Changes one page to hide its real content.

Shrink Item: Object shrinks to one-sixteenth size.

Slow: One target moves at half speed.

Water Breathing: Subjects can breathe underwater.

4^th Circle

Dimensional Anchor: Bars extradimensional movement.

Fire Trap: Opened object deals d12 damage.

Globe of Invulnerability: Stops Spells up 3rd Circle.

Remove Curse: Frees object or person from curse.

Stoneskin: Subject gains Armour 3 but running and swimming are impossible. 

Black Tentacles: Tentacles grapple all within 20 ft.

Summon Being: Calls any extraplanar being to our plane. It holds no loyalty to you.

Dimension Door: Teleports you short distance.

Minor Creation: Creates one cloth or wood object.

Secure Shelter: Creates sturdy cottage.

Solid Fog: Blocks vision and slows movement.

Arcane Eye: Invisible floating eye you can see through and control.

Detect Scrying: Alerts you of magical eavesdropping.

Locate Creature: Indicates direction to familiar creature.

Scrying: Spies on subject from a distance.

Charm Monster: WIL Save or monster treats you as an ally.

Confusion: WIL Save or subjects behave oddly.

Crushing Despair: 20ft Area. WIL Save or attacks are Impaired.

Fire Shield: Creatures attacking you take d6 fire damage; you’re protected from heat and cold.

Ice Storm: Hail deals d12 damage in cylinder 40 ft. across.

Resilient Sphere: Force globe protects but traps one subject. DEX Save to avoid.

Shout: All within cone deafened for one round and take d12 sonic damage.

Wall of Fire: Passing through wall causes d12 damage.

Wall of Ice: Creates ice wall 15hp, Armour 3, or hemisphere can trap creatures inside unless they pass DEX Save.

Hallucinatory Terrain: Makes one type of terrain appear like another.

Illusory Wall: Wall, floor, or ceiling looks real, but anything can pass through.

True Invisibility: Subject can attack and stay invisible.

Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome, invincible illusion only the target can see. Attacks for d12 damage, on Critical Damage pass a WIL Save or Die from terror.

Rainbow Pattern: Lights fascinate creatures that fail WIL Save.

Animate Dead: Creates undead skeletons and zombies from corpses.

Bestow Curse: Target automatically fails next Save.

Contagion: Infects subject with horrible disease.

Fear: Subjects within cone must pass a WIL Save or flee.

Polymorph: Gives one willing subject a new form.

Stone Shape: Sculpts stone into any shape.

5^th Circle

Break Enchantment: Frees subjects from enchantments, alterations, curses, and petrification.

Dismissal: WIL Save or creature to returns to native plane.

Mage’s Private Sanctum: Prevents anyone from viewing or scrying an area.

Cloudkill: You can move the cloud, causing d6 STR loss to any within.

Mage’s Faithful Hound: Phantom dog can guard, attack.

Major Creation: Create an item of stone and metal.

Planar Binding: Traps extraplanar creatures that fail a WIL Save until they perform a task.

Secret Chest: Hides expensive chest on Ethereal Plane; you retrieve it at will.

Teleport: Instantly transports you to a known location up to 100 miles away.

Wall of Stone: Creates a stone wall that can be shaped.

Contact Other Plane: Lets you ask question of extraplanar entity.

Prying Eyes: 1d6 floating eyes scout for you.

Telepathic Bond: Link lets allies communicate.

Dominate Person: WIL Save or humanoid is controlled telepathically.

Feeblemind: WIL Save or drop to WIL 0.

Symbol of Sleep: Reading the rune puts reader into magical sleep that lasts as long as the spell.

Cone of Cold: d12 cold damage.

Interposing Hand: Hand blocks 30hp of damage from one opponent.

Sending: Delivers short message anywhere, instantly.

Wall of Force: Wall is immune to damage.

Dream: Sends message to anyone sleeping.

False Vision: Fools scrying with an illusion.

Nightmare: WIL Save or Target wakes with no HP and will not recover them until they have a full rest without Nightmares.

Blight: Withers plants.

Possession: WIL Save or target has soul pushed out and caster possesses their body. Their soul returns when the caster leaves the body, but if the body is slain the soul departs and the caster's soul returns to their body.

Symbol of Pain: Reading the rune causes pain. WIL Save or be unable to do anything but scream until Save is passed.

Baleful Polymorph: WIL Save or Transforms subject into harmless animal.

Fabricate: Transforms raw materials into finished items.

Passwall: Creates passage through wood or stone wall.

Telekinesis: Moves object, attacks creature, or hurls object or creature.

Transmute Earth: Transforms mud to rock or rock to mud.

Petrify: WIL Save or target is transformed into a statue. This effect lasts as long as the Caster wishes.

Control Water: Raise, lower or part water.

Planar Gate: Open a gate to another reality that works in both directions. 

Other Classes in Into the Dungeon

Well, I guess this is a thing now.

But what if you want to play one of the classes outside of the core four? Let's see who we have here.

Paladin: Discipleof the Silver Avenger with Order Background.
Ranger: Rogue or Warrior with Wilderness Background.
Barbarian: Warrior with Savage Background.
Druid: Disciple of the Spirit Mother.
Assassin: High DEX Warrior or Disciple of a (yet unwritten) murder deity with Order (Assassin's Guild) Background.
Bard: Disciple of The Masked Trickster or Rogue with Musician Profession and Academic (Folklore) Background.
Monk: Disciple of The Closed Circle.
Illusionist: Mystic with an Illusion-themed Tome.
Warlock: Disciple of The Forgotten Watcher.
Warlord: I'm stumped on this one. A Disciple of a (yet unwritten) war deity might fill this role but it isn't quite the same as the 4e Warlord.
Shaman: The way I see this class and the Druid they're somewhat interchangeable, so Disciple of the Spirit Mother. 
Psion: Psssh.

As you can see, I'm banking on Deities and Spellbooks providing a lot of variety. I can see another page in the doc being dedicated to Deities very soon.

Special mention:
Elf: Class of choice with Magical Background.
Dwarf: Warrior, Rogue or Disciple with Subterranean Background.
Halfling: Rogue with Humble Background.

Play Into the OD&D on Hangouts Tomorrow

INTO THE OD&D HANGOUTS GAME
FRIDAY 24th MIDDAY BST (GMT+1)

Finally have an internet connection back, so I can use Hangouts again!

I should be playtesting Arkbound, but my fickle brain is stuck on this project so who am I to argue with myself?

I'll be running a one-shot dungeon crawl using Into the Odd with classic D&D classes as detailed in the last few posts here.

Character Creation uses Into the Odd as normal with the following twists:
- Roll your Ability Scores and HP as normal. Ignore anything mentioning Arcana.
- Choose a class: Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue. 
- Choose two Backgrounds: Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Noble, Underground, Wilderness Urban, Soldier, Criminal, Charming, Explorer, Loremaster. 


Casters will need to consider the following:
- Clerics can choose one of the measly two deities listed in my post or can pick their own god if they give me the gist of it and trust me to write up the mechanics. If you don't like what you see I'm sure we can reach a consensus. 
- Wizards take their spells from the Wizard list here and accept that I tend to grossly simplify spells. I don't want formulas for calculating precise ranges and limits based on caster level and similar stuff so I just wing the details and lean in your favour. Trust me!

As heretical as it might seem I'm going NO FLAILSNAILS on this one, as I specifically want to see how these new takes on classes work in the game. If you want to roll up a parallel version of your existing character as one of these classes then go ahead. We can say it's a coma-dream or lotus trip or something. 

Go here to sign up. If you can't see the post I don't have you in my RPG Circle so give me details to add you. 

The Rest of Into the OD&D

And finally the rest of the Miscellany that has flowed out of my head for Into the OD&D.


Backgrounds
A starting character takes two Backgrounds alongside their Class of choice. Yes this means you can be an Elf-Dwarf.

Elf: Choose three Cantrips you can cast instantly at Will.
Dwarf: You are immune to poison and choose a craft to know everything about.
Halfling: You automatically pass WIL Saves against magical effects.
Noble: Your title carries serious weight.
Underground: You can sense how deep you are at all times, see in the dark and sense the shorted route to the surface.
Wilderness: You can identify all plants and animals and track perfectly.
Urban: City folk don't see you as an easy target and you always know a nearby place to hide.
Soldier: Start with any weapons and armour you like free of charge. This excludes Superior Weapons.  You are a hero to some and a villain to others.
Criminal: You have contacts in the criminal underground and knowledge of how to pull off criminal behaviour.
Charming: People tend to like you.
Explorer: You speak a bit of every language and know a bit about every culture.
Loremaster: You know a little about everything within a subject such as History, Alchemy or Art. Choose a specialism within this area that you know in great detail such as History (Military), Alchemy (Explosives) or Art (Music).

Magic Items
Not all magical items are are complex as the Arcana used by Wizards. Magic weapons, potions, rings and other such items can be used by anyone, though only a Wizard can identify their function without using them.