Narrative Over Numbers; Ability Scores

 

Still aglow from my 1,000th blog post, I had an idea about ability scores.  As always, narrative > numbers.

Inspired by this here video by Lord Matteus, a breakthrough occurred.  For a little while, I've wanted to give myself a reason for rolling those six ability scores again.  In case anyone doesn't know, when it comes to the OSR, I've been pretty much running my Crimson Dragon Slayer or Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer for the past 8 years or so.  And going without ability scores, altogether.

But I grew up with them, and always liked the idea of random chance helping to create the concept of player-characters.  I wanted a reason to roll one time (and one time only, not doing ability score checks or ability-specific saving throws), at the beginning, and to never have to consult them again.  But I was like the writer constantly balling-up paper full of bad ideas and tossing them into the black wire trashcan.

However, I came up with something that I really want to try (always a good sign in game design).

Each PC gets a roll of 3d6 in order for the usual (Strength, Intelligence, etc.), and consult the following table...

Ability Score Results

You rolled a 3: This means whenever you're trying to do something that would involve that ability, you roll at Disadvantage, as well as, taking a flaw, weakness, fault, failing, or defect.  

You rolled a 4-7: You take a flaw, weakness, fault, failing, or defect for that particular ability.  For instance, if you rolled a 5 for Charisma, maybe you're excessively argumentative.

If you rolled an 8-13: That's average enough not to bother with.

You rolled a 14-17: You take a talent, skill, proficiency, benefit, or merit for that particular ability.  For instance, if you rolled a 16 for Wisdom, maybe you have a way of looking at the universe that makes people feel at ease.  

You rolled an 18: Whenever you're trying to do something that would involve that ability, you roll with Advantage, as well as, taking a talent, skill, proficiency, benefit, or merit.

Flaws, weaknesses, faults, failings, and defects are something the player and GM work on together.  Once chosen, the player should use that to inform his roleplaying.  If the PC leans into their flaw, etc., and it has a significant impact on the session, that player gets a point of Divine Favor.

Talents, skills, proficiencies, benefits, and merits are something the player and GM work on together.  Once chosen, the PC has the idiosyncratic gift that will impress his companions, confound his adversaries, or fall back on when things get tough.  

What does that look like in game terms?  If there's no pressure, the PC can just do that thing (no roll necessary).  If the heat is on, something hangs in the balance, and there are real stakes, the PC should get a standard skill-check roll for activities few are able to perform (like translating a scroll written in A'armaic).  If the PC is attempting something that's fairly routine (such as avoid a tripwire while keeping an eye out for traps), they get to roll with Advantage.

How do you know if a particular ability is relevant?  If it's obvious, such as strength determining his ability to lift a portcullis, just go with it.  If it's less obvious, like strength determining how well he can fish in an underground lake, the player must justify it to himself, the GM, and the entire table.  As always, Game Masters have the last word. 

______

To reiterate, the beauty is that the rolling happens, and it means something for the campaign (or one-shot) without ever having to resort to remembering the number or using a little bonus as a modifier for certain rolls.  Especially as I run virtual games without character sheets, I never want ability scores to be necessary.  

While a small part of me is prepared to nerd-out with little ability score cheat-sheets that I have near me every time we sit down to play, the practical side of me realizes that's not simply superfluous GMing hassle... it's a liability to my fast, loose, and minimalist way of running the game.

The good stuff and bad stuff become memorable as it's immediately woven into the character's background at character creation.  Players are forced to remember because either way, they get a potential benefit - with the flaws, there's a chance of garnering Divine Favor, and with the talents, well... you get a talent.  The only one the GM might have to do the lion's share of recall is an ability score of 3.  But that's so comically bad (comedy gold) that it should be something to celebrate, roleplaying-wise.  Stretch those acting muscles.  ;)

Anyhow, let me know what you think.  As we've already had our 8th session of this leg of the campaign, it might (yes, I said might) be too late for these PCs.  That means the earliest playtest will be VENGER CON V: The Will To Power happening in just a couple months in Madison, WI.  Get your weekend badge, now!

Enjoy,

VS

p.s.  Yes, weekend badges are now available for July 2026's VENGER CON V: The Will To Power.  Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  Here's how (and they're currently on sale!)!!  

The Mission

 

Holy crap-balls!  This is blog post one-thousand, hoss!!!  Thanks to everyone who's been reading, commenting, and supporting me over these last 13+ years.

I've got a lot of things going on right now... end of school for kids, my upcoming book is going through last minute revision, I'm running my face-to-face, 4-year long, every other week (with 6 weeks off around the holidays) Cha'alt campaign; a monthly Cha'alt PG-rated half-session that includes my one kid who still loves playing; and an even more truncated weekly Roll20 Cha'alt campaign that's only 90-minutes. Plus, you know, life.  

Oh yeah, and my TTRPG convention VENGER CON V: The Will To Power happening in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge now, and JOIN US!!!!!

So yeah, lots of stuff.  However, I wanted to wrap-up the soul-searching and deep-dive social media discussions about what's become most important to me in the roleplaying game hobby.  That thing which I consider both foundational and transformative when it comes to my subjective understanding of what we do.  

What's my personal philosophy?  What is... the mission?

In a word: PSYCHOCOSM.

Without using fancy jargon and extensive argumentation, let me break it down.  We participate in RPGs because it allows us an immersive experience.  But now that you're immersed, what then?  

What comes next is PSYCHOCOSM.  You identify, you believe, you create, you search for meaning, self-actualization; you do things that make you happy, that make your character's life (played by you) worth living, memorable, larger than life, fascinating, epic, awesome, or special in some way.

As the players' experience heightens, the campaign deepens, widens... until the created world improves the Game Mastering, which then increases player satisfaction, leading to renewed immersion as the continuous improvement circle turns.

As a GM, one of the myriad ways I connect with the campaign setting is to not only pay attention to the Living World, but also the Living Story (if you're interested in reading more about this, I have an article about story emulation right over here).  It's not scripted, there's no predetermined ending, and the GM is not writing a novel.  

It is the decisions of the players' characters, living in that world, which allow narratives to unfold.  The story part of TTRPGs is not anathema to the game part.  Occasionally congruent, at other times opposed, these two concepts, story and game, are complimentary, and worth more together than separate.

One of the best things about TTRPGs is that they're both game and story, combined!  Story-creation is the game; the game is story-creation.  The point of playing is to create a story with moment-to-moment input from all participants, players and GM alike, and immerse ourselves in it.  Fiddling with numbers and rolling dice are merely procedures for adjudicating unknowns, managing risk vs reward, and testing the law of averages.  

So, the mission is PSYCHOCOSM.  And how we get there is by opening ourselves up to immersion and beyond... submerging ourselves in the characters, world and story; actively moving towards them, seizing opportunities, going after moments that transcend the make-believe, as we pretend to be wizards and fighters, clerics and rogues, skulking around in the darkness, slaying monsters and seeking treasure. 

My good friend and colleague, Roger, suggested that I include a link to my very first blog post.  He's right, of course.  That's where it all began, and while short, I think it points in the very direction I went.  Read with caution, hoss ... prophecies can be dangerous things. 

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment below with whatever you want to say!

VS

p.s.  Yes, weekend badges are now available for July 2026's VENGER CON V: The Will To Power.  Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  Here's how (and they're currently on sale!)!!  

"The Ruin of A'agrybah" - CHA'ALT Campaign 4.8

 

4 players - the party's sorcerer couldn't make it, so "Communist Revolution Tinker" from a dimension where he became a sorcerer instead of a thief entered the chat.  The rest were Bishop Elijah Crane the priest, Ug the warrior, and Naza'akhul the thief.

After his morning self-flagellation and healing, Elijah Crane opened with a monologue he prepared for one of the tower-watchers recently employed by the PCs.  He wanted the demon maid sent away in order to evade temptation that she should fall under the demon-slaying blade known as Kaltha'alax. This tied-in to his newly found purpose - the destruction of demons and the infernal influence on Cha'alt.  

The priest also prepared the tower-watchers to allow the poor and needy to find shelter and sustenance in the tower, so this place could be a beacon for truth, justice, goodness, etc.

As Somax, the head tower-watcher, left to implement Crane's wishes, he noticed a small infernal glyph seemingly tattooed upon the priest's arm.  Kaltha'alax manifested a glyph upon his wielder's flesh so they could communicate, even when he and the sword were separated.  

Heading out to Ja'alette on their small sail barge, the desert was quiet for the first hour or two, until they noticed three destroyer-class sail barges belonging to the Federation.  A smaller skiff tried to make a break for it, coming from Kra'adumek (which they'd have to go around to reach Ja'alette) across the Federation blockade.  The destroyers fired and soon blew the skiff to Kingdom Come.

The destroyers asked the PCs' sail barge to approach.  They boarded a destroyer and met with Colonel Zerg who had a mission for them, once he realized they weren't officially affiliated with any major faction and were basically mercenary-adventurers.  

The purple priests of Kra'adumek took 6 Federation soldiers hostage and were going to sacrifice them in order to restore their purple alien demon-worm back to his original size.  If you remember, a couple sessions ago, the PCs encountered 111 cultists, each with a page of some demon resurrection book who were heading to Kra'adumek in order to revive their god.  The PCs altered one of the pages in order to make Kra'adumek (that's the name of the city-state and entity) teeny-tiny.

Well, it worked.  And now the PCs were being hired by Colonel Zerg to rescue the hostages... dangling gold-star citizen status (unlimited trips to the buffet and other benefits), along with 10,000 credits in front of them as reward.  The adventurers took the job and headed to where the prisoners were being held - the priest temple beneath the city.

Picking up a fate-elf hitch-hiker with a third eye in the middle of his forehead, this temporary guest sensed a disquieting destiny for the PCs, telling them it was likely that one or more of them might die if holding to their present course.  Then, just as they reached the temple entrance, the hitch-hiker jumped off to walk the rest of the way barefoot.

Sure enough, there was something foreboding at the stone double-door entrance of the temple - a metal titan, one of the few remaining from before the apocalypse.  This was a flying death-machine that spits cosmic rays of deadly fire (borrowed from the 1983 Hercules movie starring Lou Ferrigno) - Bishop Crane had studied such metal titans before coming to Cha'alt, and knew of its power.  The PCs wisely workshopped alternative methods of gaining entry.

In the end, they decided to fly their sail barge to the city-state's main entrance, looking for a marketplace of some kind to ask around.  Sure enough, they found a purveyor of worm-wine straight from Kra'adumek himself (the vintage was older, before the demon-worm was slain and resurrected as a little guy).  Ug tried a free sample; the sour green apple taste was crisp and delicate (rolling the d8 vibe check from THRUM) - it was the best god damn worm-wine he'd ever tasted, and bought an entire gallon.

Also, the PCs learned that the main temple, open to the public, had a stairway that descended into the priests' private sanctuary.  But first, Tinker wanted to fight a half-orc in the arena.  Ug bet money on him.  Not realizing his magic wouldn't work, the two combatants used melee weapons.  I forgot that Tinker switching from a thief to a sorcerer (and being a pixie-fairy on top of that) would have reduced his damage to the point where the half-orc would have undoubtedly won (although, this Tinker was interested in multi-classing as a sorcerer and thief; I just hadn't given it proper thought... perhaps some sort of worm-trial, quest, or chance of level failure?), but we'll just say the Gods favored him that day.

Back at the temple, Bishop Crane was called-out with the word "puchatta" by a demon in a loincloth - bumblebee tuna! - sitting on the temple steps.  That's a racial slur for non-demons that basically means the opposite of unclean.  The Bishop was going to let that go, more or less, but the demon continued to be surly with the rest of the party, so Crane used his ivory scepter to teleport the demon inside the temple, in a more secluded area.  Tinker cast mesmerizing magenta mist to obscure what was going on.  Crane attacked and missed, the demon wrestled the sword away from the priest but it was so cold that it burned the demon's hand and he dropped the blade.  Then, Crane picked it back up and beheaded the demon right then and there... earning a 4th notch to his magic demon-slaying sword.

Ug and Tinker by this time convinced themselves that they were "certified cave inspectors" as Neza'akhul snuck into a storage closet and got himself purple robes.  After bullshitting the guards and taking the priesthood's "purple acid" (just Ug and Tinker), they all descended a spiral staircase into the subterranean temple beneath Kra'adumek.

I used the Cha'alt scenario, Beneath Kra'adumek, as the basis for that layout, but with several notable changes.  Immediately, they overheard factions of the purple priests talking about a contingency plan if sacrificing the 6 hostages didn't work.  One group wanted to transfer the soul-essence of a recently captured Great Old One spawn, known as Ya'ash-Venktul, into Kra'adumek to restore his size.  The opposing faction wanted to feed the tiny purple worm to Ya'ash-Venktul in hopes of either making Kra'adumek whole or at least transferring the memories and willpower of Kra'adumek to this Old One spawn.

A lot transpired, so I'll just go with the highlights...

The PCs found the area where Ya'ash-Venktul was being restrained by priests using psionics (focused by a massive lavender crystal).  The PCs did their thing and destabilized the place so that Ya'ash-Venktul went on a murderous rampage after taking the crystal for itself... as well as, signing the cave inspection certification document.

5 of the 7 purple alien demon-worm eggs were destroyed.  Tinker kept 2 to keep as pets - using his magic to shrink them down so he could easily carry them.

They found a small "library" of sorts that contained several issues of a children's magazine with fun activities called Purple Highlights... crossword puzzle, word search, identify the differences between two nearly identical images, Cha'altian ha'aiku, etc.

A strange metal bowl of greenish-blue mutated zoth was poured into the nearly empty gallon jug of worm-wine for later use, and Ug took the bowl of alien metal for himself.

They talked to a bunch of priests (some had "I voted today" stickers on their purple priest robes) as Tinker and Ug began to trip-out, believing that they were actually certified cave inspectors for reality itself... if that reality was nothing but purpleness.  

Eventually, the PCs went to the gallery where argumentation over the two factions' plans were being discussed and voted on.  Kra'adumek was also there, in a small glass terrarium.  With the chaos caused by the Old One spawn being loosed, Tinker scored a critical-success in grabbing Kra'adumek from his glass enclosure and Ug popped him into the mutant zoth jug.

I rolled on the d30 mutation table in the Cha'alt book twice and got extremely interesting and prophetic results.  First, I rolled that Kra'adumek was actually returned to his original size - plus, half again as much.  And also, that his bones were now glass.  Being trapped in an underground dungeon, how would this all look as he expanded into a gargantuan size?  Well, the adventurers didn't stick around to find out.  They went to the other side of the underground temple where there was a well going 50-feet down into a system of tunnels and caves.  This area also contained the 6 prisoners.  

Freeing them, the PCs were so wrapped-up in exploring that well and what it could lead to that they didn't realize the Federation soldiers had used a mechanical platform to raise themselves up to the city's surface.  On the way up they waved goodbye and thanked the PCs again.  The platform didn't go back down, and they checked the corridors outside that area.  Sure enough, several cave-ins had them blocked-in.  

So, they looked for the best way down the well and into the unknown.  I had completely forgotten about the Black Skull of Secrets, and promptly chose randomly to discover that this well was home to a purple flying squirrel.  Anyone who cradled his large, purple, fuzzy testicles was granted a ride on his back as he floated safely down the well.  I believe only the priest availed himself of that opportunity, which was fitting since it was his player who provided the suggestion for our table's Black Skull. 

That's where we ended it.  We handed out XP - basically, every player got 4 (Crane had 3 due to a lack of treasure, but made up for it with the 5th quadrant due to above and beyond roleplaying).  Overall, it was a good session and Saturday, May 30th will be our next.

This is the 999th blog post here at Venger's old-school gaming blog.  Hmm... I wonder what the next one will be?  Anyway, thanks for reading - and hopefully I'll see some of you at VENGER CON V: The Will To Power!!!!!

Enjoy,

VS

p.s.  Yes, weekend badges are now available for July 2026's VENGER CON V: The Will To Power.  Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  Here's how (and they're currently on sale!)!!  

"The Ruin of A'agrybah" - CHA'ALT Campaign 4.7

 

FYI, this is the 998th blog post.  

It's May, hoss.  That means summer is just about here... and VENGER CON V: The Will To Power won't be far behind!  

I've already submitted the 7 sessions I'm Game Mastering between Friday, July 17th and Sunday, July 19th.  If you plan on GMing, as well, get your session into us by filling out the form on the convention landing page here.

Ok, we were short-tentacled with this session, the 7th in the 4th year of our face-to-face Cha'alt campaign. There was Strum the human sorcerer, Deacon Elijah Crane the human priest, and Tinker McStabby (the communist version) joined us, as well.

A portal opened, Ug and Neza'akul went in, and Tinker came out - determined not to be sent back to Hell.

Unlike most session reports, this one is going to be in broad-strokes.  The Crimson Bastards (my default name for the PCs) were looking around the central room of the sorcerer's tower when a hologram of Vromka'ad explained that just on the off-chance that foul play was involved in his death, the murderer should be brought to the periwinkle room for destruction.  In return, the sorcerer would bequeath them his 2nd most prized possession from beyond the grave - an ivory scepter.  

Now, the PCs had options in front of them.  They could have ignored the hologram and either leave the tower (since they already had Kaltha'alax the demon-slaying sword) or continue exploring without worrying about the periwinkle room - especially since there was no periwinkle orb present allowing them access.  They also could have snatched some random humanoid, framing him for Vromka'ad's murder.  It's possible that going to the periwinkle room (once they found the orb, that is) and explaining that La'ala, the confessed murderess, was already dead might have done the trick.

Being practical and hopeful and not in any kind of hurry, the adventurers decided to schlep back to the fuchsia flesh-pit for her body.  Now, I've relayed what happened there in a brand-new, albeit extremely short, PDF, Ya'ada Ya'ada Ya'ada, that will come out soon.  It's a game mechanic that I'd been thinking about for several days prior to this session, and retrieving La'ala's corpse (who revealed herself to be Taylor Swift just before her untimely demise) was the perfect opportunity.  So, I won't go into detail here.

Back at the tower, the PCs laid her body down near the black gateway as they realized now was the time to explore 15+ rooms in this weird wizard's tower.  And explore they did.  They found useful rooms (such as the library), strange rooms (such as the yellow-ochre one that deactivated machines and contained a mysterious gateway to a dimension from whence no magic can escape), and mundane rooms - like ones containing NPCs who used to serve or amuse the sorcerer when he was alive. 

It took a lot of looking, but eventually they managed to locate the periwinkle orb - and kill a guy who had the wand of disintegration.  Just as exciting, the party's priest was able to convince a trio of homicidal maniacs recently back from a crusade to kill in the name of The Righteous Redeemer of the Lords of Light.  Not only that, but he talked several people into both following his new religion and serving the PCs as the new Lords of the Tower. 

[Regrettably forgot these important details] Strum's fireball almost killed Tinker, and in another room, Tinker acquired a magical gold trident.  Since magic items in Cha'alt conform to their owner, once attuned, I gave Tinker a 2-in-6 chance of being able to turn his gold trident into a flying surfboard.  Sure enough, he managed to do it.

Here's a list of NPCs who decided to stay-on after they went through all the rooms - including the chocolate-brown room with the Oompa-Loompas and Tinker's voluptuous blonde who has a taste for chocolate and depravity.  BTW, the new treat the little orange-dwarves were working on is a chewable chocolate bubble-gum.

Soomdok, Vusela'age, Hasa'ana (demon whore maid), Vrooz (sky-elf sorcerer who agreed to mentor Strum), Somax, Issa, and Lyssa (both blonde women who are always DTF).

Oh, and with Ug missing, and Strum taking the disintegration wand, Crane took both Kaltha'alax and the ivory scepter.  Oh yeah, the murderess corpse of La'ala was blasted to bits in the periwinkle room - Strum's player stimulated the gonzo Cha'alt X-Card to make it rain a ridiculous amount of Taylor Swift's flesh.

Crane continued to spare the hot demon maid, Ha'asana, but slew a couple of other demons, which thrilled Kaltha'alax to bits.  Just finishing up at the tower, Crane heard a knock at the door - it was a probe droid with a message for him.  

A holographic image of Prelate Task of the core worlds who confessed to Deacon Elijah Crane that a mysterious and powerful green orb was stolen from Cha'alt long ago, back during the great war against the planet.  The stolen alien artifact was none other than the Loc-Na'ar... kept in the Federation Vatican for 80-some years, and about to be sold off by bureaucrats now that the Federation officially disbanded the one true church.

Prelate Task stole the Loc-Na'ar back from the Federation and sent it on an escape pod for Cha'alt, along with the droid currently talking to the priest.  Task also warned of impending assassin droids coming their way. 

The bus was no longer there, so they walked until... I pulled out a couple player suggestions from the Black Skull of Secrets.  Hank Solo was driving cab, and already had a couple of old curmudgeon ride-shares in the back - the two Muppet guys who mock everyone.  

Speeding to the escape pod, the PCs saw a small sand barge and a dozen skeevers surrounding the pod, looking at the black box which contained the Loc-Na'ar (worth $437 million credits today, and the combination to the black box was 437).

Strum, who also had a nifty magic staff looted from an NPC who looted it from the tower, could cast spells without it draining his lifeforce.  So, he whipped-up a fireball that ended their existence.  Only the black box remained.  Tinker, who had unplugged a component underneath the sand barge and took out one of the remaining skeever guards, replugged it in once they were ready to head back to the tower, thanking Hank Solo for his cab.

Taking the sand barge back to their new tower (before I forget, Tinker mentioned something about mixing colored orbs to get new rooms, which is an idea I like), Bishop Crane (promoted via hologram transmission) decided to take another demon life.  Now, Kaltha'alax was a +3 weapon... gaining +1 for every demon slain by the sword.

"See that dead demon lying on the sand?"  Tinker asked Strum.  "That could be us one day."

Before ending the session, Tinker pulled Strum aside, asking how much longer Crane would be able to resist succumbing to the dark side we all know is in there somewhere.  Strum brushed it off, but you never know what's going to happen.

Next session is planned for 2 weeks from now.  Thanks for reading (and commenting), hoss!  

VS

p.s.  Yes, weekend badges are now available for July 2026's VENGER CON V: The Will To Power.  Want a great new TTRPG community where you can hang out with other gamers, get ideas, advice, and training in order to improve?  Look no further than the fastest-growing group on X - it's the Kult of Kort'thalis.  Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  Here's how (and they're currently on sale!)!!