Whitehack Magic 201: Miracle Working and You

Merlin by Iwo Widuliński

This is a sort of secondary post to my previous Whitehack Magic 101 post a while back. Check it.

As noted previously, the Wise and the rules for Miracles remain common subjects for discussion. Rather than focusing on how the rules themselves work, this post will assume you've got the basics from 101 down and focus more on what you can do to make miracles work for your campaign.

That said, I'll post the core flow here for ease of reference.

All miracles always work like this:

1. PC says what they want to do.
2. Referee triangulates and negotiates a cost.
3. Is the cost/could the cost be above HP = no go, stop here.
4. Perform the miracle effect.
5. Look at cost (roll dice if needed).
6. If below/equal to level, pay it and jump to 8.
7. Else: save or double it, and pay.
8. Follow rules for Damage, HP & Death.

Memorize it. Live by it. This is your Wise Mantra.

How do I make a martial-caster spell-sword type Wise character?

It's a classic type of character and is pretty simple in my experience. Compare to the traditional B/X elf who is defined by having: 

• Less HP than the Fighter.
• Less spells than the Magic-User.
• Slower experience advancement than any class (aka comparably weaker than their peers).
• Can use any arms and armor.
• Can cast magic-user spells.

I think that's doable! Such a character will probably not be the best at fighting nor at spells, but would be flexible which tracks with the above assumptions. A Wise spell-sword is going to need to have very precise and deliberate wordings for low costs if they want to rock medium or heavier armor with the penalty. A light-armor clad Wise spell-sword would have no such limitations, perhaps relying on miracles to make up for it with wordings like "Shield" or "Mana Armor", etc.

Here's a sample character! A Wise Elf Sword-Mage:

Deedlit, Level 1 Wise Sword-Mage

Str 10, Agi 16 (Elf), Tgh 12, Int 15, Wil 13 (Sword-Mage), Cha 13 (Elf); HP 6, DF 3, MV 30, AV 10; Miracles: "Enchanted Sword", "Fire Bolt", "Floating Lights"; Common, Elvish; Elegant Long Sword, Elvish Leather Armor, Dagger, Ingredient Pouch, 11CR.

Deedlit got a good roll for her HP, so her player opts to pick very simple and precise miracle wordings. They won't be flexible but they will be cheap. She's not as good a warrior as the party's Strong Knight, but her magics will give her an edge, especially against foes immune to mundane weapons or damage. Grabbing some scrolls and keeping ingredients on hand to keep magic cheap will be good too. Slotting a magical item, hopefully some sort of weapon, would give her a good boost of HP at 3rd level and the Referee has informed her player that the blacksmiths of Elfland to the east make Mithril Chainmail that protects as normal chainmail armor but is as light as a feather... and wouldn't penalize her magics! Sounds like the next adventure!

I'm running a traditional D&D adventure. How do I match the power-level of spells?

Whether you're running T1 The Village of Hommlet or some new OSE module you probably want your Wise character's to be able to interface with the assumption of 6 (maybe 9 if you're really advanced) levels of spell power. Or maybe you just want to stick with what you know for magic, that's fine too.

The first way of doing this is looking at the magnitudes and how they can map to your assumptions. Whitehack specifies four broad Magnitudes that can be further modified by a referee determined amount of cost*. For example, a powerful magnitude miracle would cost 2d6 HP but a notably boosted powerful miracle could cost 2d6+1, 2d6+2, or even more.

Secondly, the "Traditional Magic Effects" table in Whitehack can help your adjudication as it just shows the level of character usually assumed for that type of effect, e.g. in classic games, you aren't stopping time or reincarnating someone unless you're level 9 or higher.

Putting these together, an enterprising referee should be able to roughly sketch out their scale of power. Here's how I could roughly gauge classic D&D effect analogs for an OSE adventure: 

• Your absolute weakest spell effects in the setting should be either zero or simple magnitude. E.g. a 1st-level cure light wounds effect falls squarely in simple base cost. 
• Your most potent spell effects in the setting should be powerful magnitude and likely several cost modifiers. E.g. consider the 6th level death spell. Checking out traditional magic chart, instant killing is 10th level magic-user territory (powerful). It's got a notably long range (+ cost) and can instantly kill multiple creatures (+ cost) in an area. 2d6+2 is not an unreasonable cost!
• With the edges of the scales considered, every other spell effect falls somewhere in between. E.g. the 3rd level lightning bolt can looks like "substantial elemental attacks" on our chart (major) and has a good range (+ cost), and can affect multiple targets (+ cost), but can bounce back at us (-cost). d6+1 is a reasonable cost.
• This is even before PC specific considerations that my drastically alter these costs. Your necromancer might get a discount on a death spell like effect, but will probably not be throwing lightning bolts anytime soon!
• If you're working with material that goes to 9th level-spell like effects, you could stretch this scale as needed. Your time stop that affects everyone around you in a wide area with no saves is probably stupid expensive even if you're a Wise Time Wizard. I imagine this would be relevant for a small minority of games, so don't sweat the hypotheticals.

*Note that the lack of limits on the cheaper or costly modifiers is explicitly intentional. Your Wise character looking to Summon Elder Deity should probably not just be paying 2d6 HP! And recall that your character can't even attempt miracles with an initial max cost above their current HP and anything over your level is a save or doubled cost! Consider the peak of magical power someone could have in your campaign and look at the average HP of a 10th level Wise (about ~~25 HP barring shenanigans). If the power should still be risky and dangerous it could cost 2d6+6 or more!

My setting has multiple, distinct magic systems. How do they co-exist here?

No real reason to handle things outside of the usual procedure. Recite your mantra!

However, your rulings on what is possible, weak, or strong now need to separately consider each type. For each type of magic, briefly sketch out what it is good at, what it struggles with, and write down any notable requirements or characteristics e.g. needs lots of time, not meant for combat, only affects believers, its wholly item based, is invisible to non-wizards, etc. These can be your natural language guidelines for interpreting effects, without needing to create additional subsystems. 

Consider a setting with arcane magic, divine magic, and psychic magic like Dark Sun. This is a setting where arcane magic drains surrounding life, divine magic focuses on the elements of the world or worshiping evil sorcerer-kings, and nearly everyone has psychic abilities that come from an internal power. Even these simple descriptions would all impact wordings, possible effects, and costs when used on a case-by-case basis. An arcane-styled Wise character could simply not use any miracle wordings without draining the life from their surroundings in this case to power their use of "Arcane Fire", whereas a divine-styled Wise would have no such worry using "Summon Elemental Flame". Even though its an entirely fictional setup, you can use some common sense and logic here.

My setting has little to no magic. Do Miracles still have a place?

Potentially! Whitehack 2e used to mentioned that “Wise characters can do things that are (or others perceive to be) magic.” and “Magic does not have to be actual magic. An apothecary’s or scientist's mad experiments may seem magic to ordinary folk.”. This assumption lets the core assumption of the Wise to function in a way though conceptually it might be challenging. Spend some HP as your alchemist spends all night concocting new poisons. You're tired and not able to mitigate harm as well? Ymmv!

In these circumstances I personally swap out the Wise to no longer be a basic class and don't often sweat it. Miracles might not have a place and that's ok. For example, a Whitehack campaign à la Conan might have such impossible magic be entirely the realm of antagonists and monsters rather than PCs if so desired. My sci-fi campaign that might not have any room for people wielding impossible forces.

Hell Yeah, Whitehack 2e!

Yeah, it whips ass

Whitehack is probably my favorite of the new old school and 2e was the edition that drew me in. To put it simply, it was an evocative and surprisingly dense book. Some things I particularly liked:

• It's a  ~60 page book with a complete and flexible game system, example setting, example adventures, GM advice, and suggested house rules. 
• It's terse as hell but with plenty of room for interpretation. Fitting all that into this format (Christian has mentioned what a nightmare it was) means that lots of text pulls double duty, giving examples and concrete rulings at the same time. While later editions may have cleared up some things for folks, I'm an OD&D guy so I rather enjoy taking a book that's open to interpretation and making it my own.
• For example, the magic items here basically layout the rules you could use for robots, modern or futuristic firearms, and more while also being neat fantasy items. 
• The sample setting is cool, but really shines best imo as a template for your own. It's easy as hell to cook up a setting and model it in a similar presentation. I have several on this blog.
• No art, no muss, no fuss. There's something about a simple booklet of text that is appealing to me. In my opinion it makes it all the easier to swap set dressings and not assume any tone or style to the worlds I play in.

I've played and enjoyed 2e, 3e, and 4e for many years now but the loss of the sample The White Curse setting in the jump to 3e did sadden me. So I wanted to share some of the interesting areas where this setting and its adventures did "double duty" in my opinion and present them here as simple setting-agnostic rule commentary for use in your own Whitehack games!

Defining Your Settings Groups

When you go to setup your Whitehack setting (either your own or adapting an existing one), groups are a powerful tool. They make a nice "menu" of items for your players to pick from and lets everyone get an immediate idea of the factions at play.

For species groups, simply list out the options the players have available for the setting or potentially hint at any rare species-as-class options that might come into play later.

Affiliation groups are where you can really get into laying out the setting . Consider categories such as "Economic Groups", "Political Groups", "Religious Groups", and a then an "Other" for anything else. If there's lots of overlap, such as a setting where religious groups hold political power, you can merge these categories. For each category, list out ~6 or so evocative faction names. ~18 to ~30 group names gives the players a lot of things to potentially find interesting and latch onto.

You don't need to flesh out all the details for each at this point, but you should be able to answer general questions during character creation or be ready to flip the question to the player if they are up for it, e.g. "How rough was my initiation into the Cult of the Redeemed?" "You tell me!" In call cases, let any willing players give you suggestions.

Draining Attributes

Some enemies, magics, or items might drain or damage attributes rather than merely reducing hit points. When an attribute is reduced to 0, the character suffers some horrible fate. Drained attributes heal in the same manner as hit points and may require.

The allip is the spectral remains of one driven to destruction by their own madness. It's touch rends the sense of self, draining 1d6-2 wisdom with each successful attack. At 0 wisdom, a character becomes catatonic in a mindless slumber.

Sample NPCs

Whitehack has several examples of monsters and NPCs already, but I've extrapolated some interesting trends for more general NPCs from the samples in The White Curse.

• Common townsfolk have but 1 HP. Dedicated soldiers or hardy militia have 2 Hit Dice. Along with the understanding that hirelings are usually 1 HD, this gives us a comfortable range of 1 HP to 2 HD for most mundane humans. Here's a basic stat block:
• Basic Human: HD <1, MV 30, AC 0, No special abilities of note. 
• Exceptional NPCs could be anything from 4 HD or even higher.
• NPCs can have class abilities as a shorthand. This allows them to emulate the PC classes without necessarily being created like a PC.
• Guilder Thief: HD 1, AC 1, MV 30; Deft, attuned to throwing knives.
• Fire Cult Leader: HD 4, AC 0, MV 3; Wise, miracle "Control Flames". 
• Sir Gord: HD 8, AC 3 (plate mail), MV 25, Strong Abilities 1, 2, and 5. 

Some Classic Traps

Here are some classic traps to use as a benchmark when creating or adapting traps to Whitehack.

• Pit Traps: 2d6 damage, save negates, ~10'-15' deep.
• Falling Stone Trap: d6+2 damage, save negates.
• Poison Dart Trap: 1d6 poison on a failed save.
• Rolling Boulder Trap: 3d6 crushing damage, save negates. 

How to Award Quest XP

Quest XP gets some very open guidelines in Whitehack, but we can make it more precise. When rewarding quest XP, consider the nature of the adventure and the goal being pursed by a party. 

 For a typical low level adventure: 

• For major quest goals, everyone gets ~1,500 XP. 
• For minor quest goals, everyone gets ~1,000 XP.
• The typical adventure likely has 1 major quest and can often have 1-2 minor quests.

As characters advance and undertake greater tasks, over half of their advancement XP could be from quests. We can reasonably extrapolate this. Multiply their the above amounts by their level to get a suitable amount of quest XP.

Level	Minor	Major
1	1,000	1,500
2	2,000	3,000
3	3,000	4,500
4	4,000	6,000
5	5,000	7,500
6	6,000	9,000
7	7,000	10,500
8	8,000	12,000
9	9,000	13,500
10	10,000	15,000

Using Auctions for a Competing Search

Auctions are a pretty neat mechanic. It could be used to model two parties searching for something in an environment. For example, consider two groups combing a marshy area for the entrance to the Lost Barrow. Depending on how the competing parties are getting around, you could base the auction on strength (for trudging through the swamp), dexterity (for those boating), or perhaps charisma (for those driving an large swamp gator). Every player should get an opportunity to bid for the whole group, discussing the bids amongst the players if needed. Role-play out the bids as well. The winning party perhaps gets their choice of potential routes and of course arrives first. The losing party gets no such choice and arrives sometime later. 

Seasoning to Taste: Tweak The Strong & The Wise Classes

Aurore Folny, Boromir

An important part of running Whitehack is making it your own. The game offers lots of dials and levers to tune for your campaign setting and to support a variety of character types. Even so, certain mechanics might spark confusion or distaste. And if referees or players are going to take issue with anything in the Whitehack, it’s usually one of two things in my experience: the Strong's looting ability and Miracles costing HP.

I'm no stranger to house rules and I prefer to be accommodating to the tastes of my players rather than all by-the-book all the time, so here are some tweaks and musings when these points have come up over the years.

The Strong

On Conflict Looting

As the mechanical interface players look towards for a classic warrior or fighting experience, the Strong's ability to "loot" conflicts for spendable bonuses or uses of substances/supernatural abilities can easily be seen as out of place. And if it doesn't click, it sparks the same questions too. Is every martial type character in Whitehack a blue mage? How am I supposed to explain this in my setting? Is my warrior magical or something? Why is my fighter weird?

As a short explainer, Strong characters can hold powers, tactics, tricks, substances, etc. from conflicts. You can hold a number equal to your level and defeating foes yields them. This rule has evolved quite a bit over the editions and the 4e implementation is probably the most open it's been.

In defense of the ability, it's pretty simple to just talk it through. The trivial example of this is to lean into the mundane or supernatural bit as much or as little as you desire. It's easy for the Strong Mercenary to never go full blue-mage, primarily preferring to stack his loot pool with special conflict as tactics learned while "on the job" or substance loot. It's also easy for the Strong Death Knight to corrupt the abilities of the holy crusaders they slay and use them for dark purposes, as well as representing the special conflict loot as boons from their dark masters. In a similar vein, perhaps the Strong Occultist makes a fitting host for the spirits of certain enemies when they are slain by their hand. You get the idea here, I hope. It's completely in the table's control how mundane or fantastical this ability is and how it can work in the setting.

(I consider this ability to parallel the original tradition Fighter's ability to exclusively use magical swords, which often had a grab bag of magical quirks, senses, and abilities) 

Alternate Option: True Grit

If the cognitive dissonance is too much and simply downplaying it isn't satisfactory, I present this alternative. The idea is to appeal to the hardy and redoubtable martial archetype characters across fiction and their ability to just get back up (think Boromir at his last stand).

Replace the looting ability of the Strong entirely with the following (or allow as an alternative option on per character basis, either works): 

Strong characters stand fast, taking what harm comes their way. If a Strong character has zero or negative HP, but is not dying and wants to stay in action, the player may opt to make a true grit save (or toughness task roll).

• A successful save means that the Strong is only knocked down. They may get up and continue the battle at their current HP (if they had negative HP they are still injured).
• A critical success means that the Strong is still standing, continuing the battle at their current HP (and possibly injured). 
• A failed save means that the Strong is dying (d6 minutes).
• A fumble means the Strong dies on the spot from the effort to ignore their condition. Sometimes you need to known when to stay down!

Strong characters ignore the encumbrance penalty for being injured. On top of this, they die in d6 minutes instead of d6 rounds if they fail a death save from having negative HP.

Regardless of milieu, you can now focus on your Strong characters being the toughest bastards in the party. This is adapted from a general PC ability and the martial Prime class from Whitehack's cousin game, Suldokar's Wake. I often find it a good mine of semi-compatible ideas, if they don't exist in form in 4e already.

On Strong Abilities #1-8

The Strong class eight abilities that can be assigned to slots as the character advances. Understand that these are not exhaustive and that you are encouraged to add to this list. For example, 4e introduces an alternative ability better suited to modern firearms in it's optional rules. Perhaps there is a far more potent ability that can be only discovered, passed on to the character via training, or some other fantastical method. This list is a powerful tool to customize for your campaign and cooking up some interesting fighting styles or options to add here can only help.

On Combat Advantage

DCC RPG is often regarded as having an excellent implementation of the fighter archetype. I think a big reason for this is two-fold:

1. The Mighty Deeds mechanize and present an approachable menu of the tactical infinity to players, allowing awareness of more options beyond "idk I attack them".
2. The way Deed dice work don't punish you for trying said stunts. You are not sacrificing damage or actions or anything to try something. It's basically always in your benefit to be doing wild shit.

These get at some core issues. Some players might only look to roll dice for normal attacks when its not clear how other actions could benefit them. Some Referees might be shaky when faced with players who are very inventive and want to stick to codified things. Not ideal conditions!.

Consider the following: 

"Magick, abilities or situational circumstances can daze, stun, blind, hold, deafen, confuse etc. a character or monster. Positive effects can be cover, invisibility, blurring, increased speed etc. The Referee interprets unregulated cases using combat advantage, free attacks and penalties or bonuses to df, damage, move, initiative or av." -- Whitehack 4e, p. 59

Short of trying somehow to inject Deeds into the Strong (which can yield results in a wholly new class), I find the DCC Deeds ethos easy to embody with the above. Don't disallow swashbuckling deeds not codified in rules text out of hand, but instead grant a bonus when a player thinks of something clever in their fighting. Create interesting areas, foes, and conflicts that encourage this thinking and interaction. The formalized options in the text should be a starting point, not an exhaustive list of what's possible. You want players who know that trying thinks will be rewarded and you want referees who have a simple framework to adjudicate such things.

David Gallagher, Pyromancer

The Wise

Miracles Cost HP

I think it goes without saying that for some folks, it can be easy to have the perception of "HP go down" as always feeling bad, even if that HP going down results in good things (like miracles) happening. Meanwhile, I think folks see "managing bad number go up" as feeling good, e.g. any number of ttrpg corruption or sanity mechanics ever. 

While all the characters sharing common resources to deal with conflict and exploration (slots, items, and HP) is elegant design imo, I want to accommodate the scenario where paying HP just feels off for folks at the table without introducing some new resource or meta thing to track for Wise characters only. The lack of a "mana" pool or other makes the magic (or perceived magic in some cases) of miracles easy to flex across settings.

Alternate Option: Drain

The idea is that it is largely functionally identical to vanilla system, doesn't change how miracles work at their core, and (perhaps most importantly in some cases) isn't as easy to see as punitive.  

Instead of paying HP costs to perform Miracles, use scrolls, or any other item that draws HP, characters instead accumulate Drain. Drain represents the accumulated fatigue, strain, and internal diminishment from manipulating magical forces. If a character’s Drain is ever equal to or greater than their current HP, either because their Drain increased or because they lost HP, they must Save vs Death or take their current Drain total as damage (which can be lethal!).

Wise characters remove half of their Drain with a night’s rest, removing it fully if they succeed at a constitution task roll. They now also recover HP in the same manner as other characters. The “magickal interference” rules now refer to magical ways of removing Drain instead of magical healing of HP.

This option also brings the Wise into line with the rest of the characters regarding healing, eliminating their special exceptions while also keeping their HP as a central resource to manage for the class.

The Original Tradition: Trusting Your Imagination

Whitehack, p. 14

Volume 3 The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, p. 36

I've often introduce or explain both Whitehack and OD&D to players as "high-trust" games as I firmly believe that trust itself is core for these original tradition games. You have trust from the game's designers that things are better off in your capable hands, and that you will make the experience of the game your own. There's trust in your own imagination, and in the idea that nearly anything you or your fellow players can come up with is valid because you've all been playing make-believe with friends in form or another your whole life. 

While it may seem rote to point out house rulings are part and parcel of these style of games, written permission being emphasized is a powerful thing indeed. I think what I am really getting at is reinforcing that Whitehack and it's great ancestor OD&D's biggest strength is less about their elegant mechanical minimalism (something oft touted in old school adventure gaming and certainly at play here) and rather more about their own creative confidence in the people reading them. The base assumption of the texts, holding true even after people start questioning where the hell the initiative rules are in OD&D or how figuring miracle costs work in Whitehack, is that all the ad-hoc rulings, chatter, and explorations into these open spaces between the lines of rules text that you and your fellow players will run into are not misfires or signs of some deficit in systemic rigor, but rather the actual point of the damn game! These small books are screaming at you to make them your own. To boldly lay claim and form the table's ideal experience with the rich foundations so given in the texts. Write in pen! Fill the margins!

Getting back to this base foundation of understanding, something that seems like it comes so easily and naturally when we are first able to conceive of play, is a major boon for games in this original tradition and any branching from it and I am always pleased to see it emphasized in game text. Forget figuring out wrong way or right way! There should only ever be figuring out the way that does right by your table!

And therein lies the beautiful challenge of wrestling with these beasts of the original tradition. It requires a touch of vulnerability and humility. It requires a willingness to adapt. That the folks at the table release their hold and come to terms that the real driving force of such a game is not sitting within the pages of a book waiting to be discovered, but trust that it's been sitting around the table itself from the start.

Eberron in Whitehack

Wayne Reynolds

I’ve recently come into possession to a variety of D&D 3rd Edition books detailing Keith Baker’s setting of Eberron. My table and I used it for a brief foray into using the 3.5e rules, but I immediately thought of how much I could adapt for use with Whitehack. Surprise surprise! It was amusing to try but the rules of 3.5e were just too oppressive, especially for a group that didn't really care for tactics grid minutia.

The setting has a nice focus on adventures in the true sense of the word and fits the lower level expectations you see in WH. The flexibility suits WH as well, whereas other old school systems might not work out as well. Let’s see what we can work with here in case I ever get around to something in Eberron again.

EBERRON IN SHORT

The general gist of Eberron is a post-war setting where magic has developed the world, rather than science, and the general ideas of D&D magic were taken to some logical conclusions. A common refrain is “everything D&D has a place in Eberron but it might not be what you expected.”

And so, the great 100 year magical war called the Last War is over. It’s devastation was notable to say the least and we are left with world of reeling nation-states and the economic powerhouses of the Dragonmarked Houses. Part of the reason the Last War was so devastating was due to Eberron not being “high magic” but rather “wide magic”, with lots of people knowing how to use a little magic. This meant magical war on a near industrial scale.

In addition to the usual suspects (dwarves, elves, etc. albeit remixed), we have minor shapeshifters called changelings, planar entities merged with human hosts called kalashtar, lycanthropic ancestors called shifters, and the sentient battle constructs called warforged who seek their place in a post-war world.

It labels a lot of its intended flavors as “noir” and “hard-boiled” especially within the more modern cities of the world. The stories don’t always end well and regrets are abound. Greed, fear, pride, and ambition drive conflict. Separating the heroes from the villains isn’t easy and everyone has something lose beyond their life. The general vibes I get are one well suited swashbuckling with mysteries and political thrillers, but that is due more to Baker’s writings than any actual game flow in 3rd Ed.

EBERRON VIA WHITEHACK

What follows is a basic structure of an Eberron campaign, presented in a manner similar to The White Curse in WH2e. Aside from the below, I'd say Eberron works out of the box!

Once, the nations of the continent called Khorvaire were party of the legendary kingdom of Galifar. When the last great king of that mighty realm died, his five heirs of the Five Nations pit themselves against one another in a bid for crown and kingdom. As the decades passed, this all-encompassing conflict became known as the Last War, for surely no taste for battle and blood would remain in this world when it finally ended.

Now, the world of Eberron is emerging from the ashes of this Last War. The nations seeks to rebuild, but still struggle for economic and political dominance on the world stage. Cloak and dagger in the shadows behind the front of international trade and dealings, anything short of all-out-war.

TEMPERED BY MAGIC

Eberron is a world of magic and industry. Although medieval in some ways, the advances of magic allow Victorian-esque wonders to exist. The greatest cities have sky-scraping castles, elemental-powered transportation, and a rigorous arcane economy. Arcane railways, magical telegraphs, and more. But it is magic, not mundane science, that is the engine of this progress.

FORGED IN WAR

In an Eberron campaign, you’re near guaranteed to play a character impacted by the War. Whether they fought in the war or just tried to survive it, it has left its mark. Everyone has lost something whether it be family, loved ones, community, or some part of themselves.

STARTING SITUATION

As the campaign begins, two years have passed since the treaty was signed that ended over a hundred years of war… sort of. While there is still overt peace, the pain and rage of the Long War are both alive and well. The nations and other powers seek every advantage. You play adventurers, connected via patrons and old friends to one of the many organizations looking to make their claim on this changing world.

EXAMPLE GROUPS

• Dragonmarked Houses
• House Canith
• House Deneith
• House Ghallanda
• House Jorasco
• House Kundarak
• House Lyrandar
• House Medani
• House Orien
• House Phiarlan
• House Tarkanan
• House Tharashk
• House Thuranni
• House Vadalis
• Khorvaire Nations
• Aundair
• Breland
• Cyre
• Karrnath
• Thrane
• Religious Organizations
• Church of the Silver Flame
• The Blood of Vol
• The Gatekeepers
• Cults of the Dragon Below
• Academic and Political Groups
• The Library of Korranberg
• Morgrave University
• The Royal Families
• The Twelve
• The Wayfinder Foundation
• Other Groups
• The Aurum
• The Dreaming Dark
• The Lords of Dust
• Order of the Emerald Claw

DRAGONMARKS

“A healer touches the dying; the mark on their forehead blazes with arcane flame as the wounds close and vanish.”

Dragonmarked is a Template that can be added to any creature of a species able to manifest a dragonmark. These are symbols etched on the skin in colors more vivid than any tattoo, magical power made flesh. They enhance the user’s ability to perform certain tasks. For example, the Mark of Shadows helps its bearer avoid enemies, the Mark of Making guides the hands of the smith, etc. They may also manifest in more dramatic ways akin to potent spells and magics.

Dragonmarked characters mark their symbol as a group, modifying their Species group. For example, a human with this template could note “Mark of Finding” next to two attributes. A half-elf would note their mark next to an additional attribute. An elf would replace one of their attributes that has “Elf” with their mark. The mark can be called upon as a wording for an appropriate simple magic once a day. At 4th level, it can also be called upon for standard magic once a day. At 8th level, it can be called upon for major magic once a day.

The specific mark of a Wise character should factor into cost triangulation for miracle effects. 

N.b. this calls back to the differing levels of Dragonmarks. Could use some more tinkering.

ARTIFICE AND PSIONICS

Artifice is the channeling of magic through objects. To observers, these don’t look like conventional spells; rather they appear as wonders produced from conventional items or outlandish inventions. They can also commonly create infused items, effectively prototypes of permanent magical items. Artifice is one of the arcane forces that the Wise is able to negotiate with.

Psionics tap the mind’s potential to grant access to personal power beyond the mundane, or even the magical. They are one of the arcane forces that the Wise are able to negotiate with.

SPECIES CLASSES

CHANGELINGS
Changelings are subtle shapeshifters capable of changing their appearance with a thought. In their true form, changelings give only a passing nod to their human heritage. They are pale, with colorless eyes and silver-white hair. Their facial features don’t look quite finished, with only a hint of a nose and lips.

Changelings have slippery minds granting resistance to mental effects. As a standard action, changelings can alter their voice and appearance including coloration, hair length, and gender. Their weight and height can adjust but not enough to change size. They may appear as another species, but are limited to creatures they've seen and that have the same basic arrangement of limbs. Clothing and appearance doesn't change. Being natural linguists, they begin with a bonus language and halve the time required to learn a new language. Few trust changelings and treat them with extreme suspicion which is a problem when trying to join non-criminal affiliation groups. Their XP penalty is ×1.3 (30% more XP).

They are skilled in deception and intimidation, and can intuitively ready body language and attitude with surprising accuracy. It’s suggested to place Species groups next to Dexterity and Charisma. Referees should consider negative invocations when interacting with the overly wary.

KALASHTAR
The kalashtar are a compound race: incorporeal entities from the alien plane of Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams, merged with human bodies and spirits to form a distinct species. They appear very similar to humans, but are slightly taller than average and they have a grace and elegance that makes them seem almost too beautiful.

The dual spirit of kalashtar grants them resistance to effects that target their minds. Kalashtar sleep but they do not dream, granting immunity to any effect that relies on dreams. Kalashtar are naturally psionic. Once a day they can forge a telepathic bond with another (at least semi-intelligent) willing creature within 30 ft. The bond allows telepathic communication, regardless of language barriers, over any distance in the same plane, lasting 1 round per character level. Their combination of life in exile and a dreamless existence makes kalashtar slightly inclined towards madness. Their XP penalty is ×1.2 (20% more XP).

They are masters of social interaction with their commanding presence and subtle psychic powers. It’s suggested to place Species groups next to Wisdom and Charisma. Referees should consider negative invocations when their alien dispositions can put others off.

SHIFTERS
Shifters, sometimes called “the weretouched,” are descended from humans and natural lycanthropes, now nearly extinct on Khorvaire. Shifters cannot fully change shape but can take on animalistic features—a state they call shifting. Shifters can see twice as far in low light compared to a human.

Shifters can tap into their lycanthropic heritage to gain short bursts of physical power. Once per day, they may manifest their trait, gaining a boost to a physical ability and some other advantage according to their type. Their trait is selected at character creation and cannot be changed.

• Beasthide: +2 Con, +2 AC.
• Longtooth: +2 Str, grow fangs for d6 damage.
• Cliffwalk: +2 Dex, gain climbing MV of 20.
• Razorclaw: +2 Str, grow claws on both hands for d6-2 damage.
• Longstride: +2 Dex, +10 feet to Movement.
• Wildhunt: +2 Con, gain Keyword: “Keen Sense of Smell”.

Shifting is a small action that lasts three rounds. A constitution score of 13 or more lasts four rounds. A score of 16 or more gives five rounds. An additional shift per day is gained at 3rd, 6th, and 9th level.

Shifters are lithe and agile with keen senses, but their bestial aspect colors their reasoning and their social interactions. It’s suggested to place Species groups next to Dexterity and Wisdom. Referees should consider negative invocations involving keeping their instincts in check.

WARFORGED
The warforged were built as mindless machines to fight in the Last War, but developed sentience and evolved into a new species of living constructs. They are formed from a blend of organic and inorganic materials, wrapped in a framework of steel, darkwood, or stone then covered in a shell of armored plates. They share a common facial design with a hinged jaw and crystal eyes embedded beneath a brow ridge. Beyond these elements, the precise material and build vary based on the purpose for which it was designed.

Warforged don’t require food, sleep, or air and are immune to poison and disease. While they can benefit from magical healing, their bodies must also be mended to function properly. Their armored nature counts as AC 2, though they may not wear other armor. Some warforged were either made with or choose to be refitted with heavier plating at the cost of mobility: they may have mithril (AC 4, ENC 4) or adamantine (AC 6, ENC 6). Regardless, their fists count as clubs.

Not all of Eberron is accepting of warforged and prejudice against them is a huge problem when trying to join some affiliation groups. Despite being made to fight, they seek to adapt to life in this era and are not restricted in their choice of Class or Vocation. The XP penalty is ×1.5.

Warforged combine the best of constructs and living creatures, but being created and trained for war , many have only had a few years to live beyond a battlefield. It’s suggested to place their Species groups next to Strength and Constitution. Referees should consider negative invocations in task rolls where a lack of worldly experience or knowledge.

NOTES ON SWASHBUCKLING ACTION

Some of Keith Baker’s earlier editorials on the setting did some aspects of it far more justice than the WotC materials and still align quite nicely with WH.

Aside from the obvious flavor that descriptions for combat can add, combat advantage and other modifiers a great way to boost colorful and clever actions when the swords and wands come out. As well as not penalizing such actions to the point where they become worse than just trying to swing. Tossing over tables, yanking carpets, and more. Minor adjustments to initiative, AC, and such can also help keep such flair meaningful.

Fights in Eberron don’t seem like they should be grim, muddy, and bloody but something out of an Errol Flynn film or Indiana Jones. Something to keep in mind when discussing the tone of things.

ACTION POINTS?

One of the ways Eberron tweaked the nature of 3.5e was the addition of action points. Kinda like WFRP Fate points or Savage World Bennies. I would probably use my tried and true Tokens rule here. In short, characters begin an adventure (not session!) with Tokens equal to their level and can spend these for minor bonuses/earn them through daring-do.

The Mundane: Level 0 Funnels in Whitehack

Angus McBride

So you want a funnel? For those who don't know, a "funnel" is a style of adventure where you take a ton of no-level nobodies (maybe 3-4 or more per player) and just run them through a gauntlet... and if there are any survivors they become the actual campaign party becoming level 1. Simple as.

DCC is an obvious source for this but it definitely has its origins in the Original tradition (e.g., a focus on relatively weak characters, large parties, not attachment, simple setup, etc.) and even with the explicit introduction of 0-level stuff in AD&D 1e and its kin.

Whitehack is a bit of a different beast in this regard. It allows (but doesn't necessarily require since you don't have to pick right away) plenty of thought to go into how to create and define your character right out of the gates. What's more, these characters are very flexible as well. So how can we mix the two?

Whitehack Magic 101: How do Miracles work???

This is a slightly related follow-up to my previous Whitehack 101 post on monsters.

Easily the most common subject of discussions and questions on Whitehack are miracles, the game's take on characters' "arcane negotiations with powerful forces in their environment" (aka just about any magic/science/psychic nonsense you can think of in an adventure game!).

This isn't surprising as it's a sort of open system, especially compared to having a set spell list which is the baseline for most old-school adventure games. To quickly summarize how it works:

1. Characters in the Wise class can note down wordings.
2. To use them, the player says what their desired effect is and the referee suggests the cost.
3. The cost is the HP that must be paid to enact the effect.
4. This cost can potentially be lowered.
5. There are a few limitations making high HP costs dangerous or even impossible if your HP is too low.

And that's pretty much it! But it's easy to see where questions can arise with this. Common points are usually:

• Are the miracle effects determined ahead of time?
• Is each wording a set effect? Can it be used for something else after we've set a cost?
• How much should a miracle cost? What's too low or too high?
  
• How much cost debate is too much?
• What kind of damage should combat miracles do?
• What the hell is the "traditional magic" table even about?

And much much more! I can share how I've been handling them and perhaps that can make others more comfortable engaging with miracles without bringing the game to a full stop to talk about HP costs.

N.B.: A lot of this isn't prescriptive and no advice will top what you and your table decide feels right, but hopefully these examples and such help clear up some things and provide guidance!

Whitehack Monsters 101: Converting a Chimera

I often see folks looking for some guidelines on converting classic dragon game monsters to Whitehack. Common points are:

• Multiple attacks? Do I leave them as is?
• Abilities? Do I make them keywords? Or do I treat them as described?
• Spells? Do I make each a miracle? Do they use HP to cast them?

What do?

Well, what better way to try things out than a Chimera? The Monster Manual of old gives us this:

Chimera from the 1e Monser Manual

Whitehack 3e House Rules

Jun Suemi

Here's a collection of some current house rules and bits that have come up in Whitehack so far this year. Some are pilfered from various sources but none are set in stone. Anything can change during play. 

Maybe I will keep this updated! In the meantime, I've also made a 3e Rule Summary, a Community Compendium, and Character Record sheets.

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Saiki and Surrounds

Takato Yamamoto

Saiki

Saiki, a soon-to-be castle town on the coastal delta of the Banjo River in southern Bungo. It is the seat of a fief of 20,000 koku. The great forested hill is crested by a fort and the beginnings of castle foundations and constructions. Its trails overlook a small but growing town, crossed by a minor canal and outlined by broad flooded fields.

Governed by the Gohda clan, senior retainers of the Otomo clan, from their manor and fort. The late Elder Lord Gohda has recently passed, leaving the clan and the fief of Saiki to his son, the Young Lord Matsunoshin.

The Saiki domain is rich in undulations, has little cultivated land, and has little income from agriculture. Since the coast is a rias coast there are many uras, and it is used as a port for fishing and marine transportation bases. Forestry is also one of the sources of income that supports the clan's finances. The weather is humid with hot summers and cold winters. It often rains throughout the year.

20 horsemen, 40 musket men, 20 archers, and 100 spearmen.

Saiki Surrounds

To the northeast, the island of Onyujima sits right off the coast. Its thickly forested hills are home to Ishima Village and several remote shrines.

Directly to the north is the village of Usutsubo. Beyond it lie great hills, covered by woods. In these mountainous forest hills, the Azuma clan ninja train their art.

Folks trade with the large village of Yayoi, east upriver along the Banjo. Regular river traffic makes its way back and forth, a common stopping point for traveling further inland.

Across the Banjo Delta to the south lies the Kitachi River Valley. Along it lies some minor villages and the fallen Shojuji Temple. This is considered a destitute place that never really recovered from the Kyushu Campaign 13 years ago.

South of these lands lies the province of Hyuga. The northern fief of this province is ruled by Takahashi Mototane, a Shimazu clan retainer appointed by Hideyoshi himself. Within the last two years, he has completed his ruin of the Mitai clan and has gained control of the 48 Forts of Takachiho, various fortifications in the steep mountains, valleys, rivers, and plateaus of the region.

A Fistful of Mechs

Armored Core V by yutori-custom

Wanzers (derived from German wanderpanzer; wander for "walking", and panzer for "armor") are weapons from an older age, discovered buried in the ground. They are refurbished and crudely rebuilt to be used as military weapons. While nowhere near as powerful as their past iterations due to their poor reconstruction, they retain strong offensive and defensive capabilities, making them powerful war machines and highly sought after.

Most stand 5-7 meters tall and are designed for urban combat situations. They are primarily focused on ground-based operations and have limited aerial capabilities, being unable to fly for or maintain height for an extended period of time. They do have heightened mobility on the ground, boosting and gliding along the ground at high speeds.

n.b. The rules already have some opinions on how vehicles work. Per the rules on p.88:

• "... allow each vehicle to have hit points, movement, AC, ST, and weaponry just like a character, and maybe also special attack or repair options."

• "The characters engaged in the battle are allowed control over one or several of these things each."

• "For some things, the characters' stats can be used."

See my post on modern violence for how to handle movement, equipment burden, and weapons. Mechanically speaking, these are piloted dragon stat blocks using modern weapons and the normal combat rules with some added bits and a coat of sci-fi paint.

Adjudicating Wanzers

In addition to the general vehicle rules, keep the following in mind:

Mods. These act like the implants on p. 89. Minor mods can grant the listed bonuses, mod keywords act like very limited groups (i.e. can grant double rolls), and major mods replace an attribute altogether.

Mods complicate the piloting process. Only the most experienced pilots can wield such machines to their full potential. Pilots can only utilize one mod but can accommodate one more at levels 3, 6, and 9. 

Weapons. Equipped on each arm, with two more stored on bay units on the shoulders. Swapping a current weapon with one stored in a shoulder hanger counts as a small action. Some mechs may have heavier or experimental weapons equipped on their back as well. These have their own restrictions.

Keeping in mind that I treat these like dragons, HD 5+ mechs can attack twice, HD 10+ three times, and HD 15+ get four. The last attack must be AV 10 and they have to forsake their move. 

Weight. As mentioned above, wanzer's use the rules for equipment burden and act as if they have a backpack (i.e. 14 slots). They count AC, weapon size, and spare ammo towards their total. 

While they can use two-handed weapons with one arm, they still count as two slots!

Damage Types. All weapons and armor come in three damage type categories: Kinetic (KE), Chemical (CE), and Thermal (TE). 

Bullet-based projectiles deal KE damage, Chemical/Explosive type projectiles deal CE damage, and energy weapons deal TE damage. 

If the damage type is an armor weakness (W), it's treated as AC -1. If the damage type is an armor strength (S), it's treated as AC +1.

These can cancel out! If you have TE weakness, but get TE strength from some source, you'd treat it as normal. Neither a strength nor a weakness. 

Critical Damage*. When a Wanzer is reduced to 25% HP, they must make a critical damage roll (d6):

1. Loss of Footing: pilot must save or the wanzer staggers, giving foes Combat Advantage.
2. Knocked Unconcious: pilot must save or skip 1d3 rounds.
3. Weapons Down: the wanzer's weapons are down for 1d3 rounds.
4. Comms Down: audio/video feed down for 1d3 rounds.
5. Cockpit Fires: 1d3 rounds of 1d6-1 damage to the pilot.
6. Malfunction Explosions: 1d6 damage to mech and pilot.

*Stolen from Ternwillow

Making Wanzers

I generally handwave the process but these random tables could help streamline things.

The main parts of a wanzer are as follows:

• Head: visual sensors, scanners, CPU equipment, etc.
• Core: pilot controls, grants HP and ST.
• Arms: weapons are fixed here.
• Legs: govern movement type.
• Generator: powers all other components of the wanzer.
• Boosters: the thrust system that lets a wanzer boost along the ground or jump in the air.
• Arm Hangars: store weapons and allow swaps mid-engagement. 
• Shoulder Unit: an optional utility hard-point.

Being refurbished and scavenged war machines from a bygones era, you don't exactly get to go shopping for the perfect configuration. You make do with what you have. 

Roll 1d6 to determine the wanzer type:

    1-2: Light. HD 4-10. AC 4-6. Strengths: KE. Weaknesses: CE & TE.

    3-4: Medium. HD 6-12. AC 5-6. Strengths: KE. Weaknesses: CE & TE. 

    5: Sniper. HD 4-10. AC 4-5. Strengths: CE. Weaknesses: KE & TE.

    6: Heavy. 8-14 HD. AC 7-9. Strengths: TE. Weaknesses: CE.

Randomly determine Hit Dice and use that to get Hit Points. 

The Saving Throw is equal to HD+5. Randomly determine AC as well.

Determine its leg-type (d6):

    1-3: Biped. Standard. Legs are good for walking when you aren't gliding along.

    4: Reverse Joint. Great jumping ability. Grants CE Strength and TE & KE weakness to Heavy types.

    5: Tetrapod. Can take a turn deploy, gaining Combat Advantage on ranged attacks but can't move.

    6: Tank. +4 HP and +1 AC but twice as slow (i.e. two move actions to travel a short distance).

Weapons follow the linked rules above for simple weapons. They could be handguns, shotguns, gatling guns, machine guns, howitzers, battle rifles, sniper rifles, laser rifles, laser blades, physical blades, cannons, etc.

Take four weapons, give them fittingly military tech-sounding names, and work out what they are.

You may take RLDs (spare ammo) for any weapon, counting each RLD as a minor item.

Give it a cool call-sign (or steal one from your favorite mecha anime or vidya).

Roll (d6) for what kind of mod you start with and work with your Ref and fellow players to figure out what it is.

1-3: Minor Mod; 4-5: Keyword Mod; 6: Major Mod.

Sample Wanzer - THE HANGED MAN

From Armored Core V

CALLSIGN: HANGED MAN | PILOT LVL: 6

HP: 35 (HD: 10) | AC: 8 (Strength: TE, Weakness: CE) | ST: 15

WT: 16 used / 16 total

WPN SYSTEMS: 

• R ARM: UBR-05/R (medium CE rifle, long-range). 1x RLD.
• L ARM: Tansy RF12 (medium KE rifle, long-range). 1x RLD.
• R BAY: ULB-13/H (medium TE laser blade, melee).
• L BAY: USG-11/H (large KE shotgun, short-range).
• SHLDR: UMM-20/H Surat (medium CE missile, long-range).

MODS:

• KT-2R3/Dafeng. Minor. High-powered booster. +2 inventory spaces.
• Verseau RG-04zz. Minor. Advanced CPU fire-control system. +1 Initiative.
• Analytical AR enhancements. Keyword for sensory task rolls and other relevant tasks.

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If you can't tell, I've been on a bit of an Armored Core and Front Mission kick over the past few months. I suppose this is just how they finally bleed over into my hobby time.

Modern Day Violence in Whitehack

Hard Boiled (1992) dir. John Woo

I've been running a table through a Whitehack spycraft game set in an unclear time in the late 20th century. This is a far cry from the typical faux-medieval milieu, but only a couple of adjustments have been needed to transition from swords and spears to the semi-automatics and machine guns. Remember, keep it fast and nasty.

n.b Whitehack 3e has an optional rule section for "modern and futuristic weapons" already. I used this as a base and combined it with some additional considerations, but it works well enough on its own!

Hard Boiled (1992) dir. John Woo

ABSTRACT DISTANCE & MOVEMENT

During a frantic firefight, the last thing I want is to count the exact distance when the guns come out.

MV is removed. There are now five broad distance categories: close, short, medium, long, and distant.

• Close is everything within a couple steps.

• Short is how far a person can walk in ~10 seconds.

• Medium is how far a person can run in that ~10 seconds.

• Long is how far a person can run in a minute.

• Distant is the distance a person could run in 10 minutes.

These are relative to people. Just replace "person" with "car" or "speedboat" if you need to scale up.

In combat, characters can move up to a short distance with a movement action. Two movement actions let characters move up to a medium distance. Moving within a close distance only needs a small action.

Stolen from Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells

Hard Boiled (1992) dir. John Woo

EQUIPMENT BURDEN

In the vanilla game, equipment burden affects your Movement (MV). We don't have MV so the MV penalties for carrying a ton of junk need adapting. Now, equipment burden affects your ability to act effectively. Strength can still be used to overcome this, however.

Each character has 10 slots for equipment, but the tenth slot may be occupied by a 5-slot backpack or another suitable container, for a total of 14 usable slots. Having high Strength affects your ability to handle equipment beyond your number of slots. 

At the end of each time unit* when you are over-encumbered, you need to pass a Strength task roll or rest for one time unit before doing anything else. If you exceed your maximum load by more than one, you need to pass a Strength task roll to start moving at all, and then again every time unit. 

The amount you are allowed to exceed your limit by is increased by +1 at Strength 13 and another +1 at Strength 16.

Stolen from Suldokar's Wake.

*Here "time unit" simply refers to whether we're dealing with rounds, turns, days, etc.

Hard Boiled (1992) dir. John Woo

WEAPON ADJUSTMENTS

These John Woo gifs are no coincidence. Be sure to stretch the phrasing of the Strong's cleave ability to include ranged weapons and enemies adjacent to one another!

Weapons are grouped in large categories for ease of play.

• Unarmed. 1d3 damage. Punching, kicking, etc.

• Small. 1d6-1. Brass knuckles, knives, etc.

• Medium. 1d6. Axes, bats, swords, etc.

• Large. 1d6+1. Claymores, spears, halberds, etc.

Ranged weapons are grouped similarly.

• Small. 1d6-1. Medium range. Revolvers, pistols, etc.

• Medium. 1d6. Long range. Heavy pistols, semi-auto weapons, crossbows, etc.

• Large. 1d6+1. Distant range. Rifles, shotguns, machine guns, longbows, etc.

For ranged weapons, the given range is its standard range. Weapons can be fired one distance category further away at a -4 AV penalty. Longer shots are nigh impossible.

Small weapons are easy to hide. Large weapons need two hands to wield and are extremely conspicuous. Medium ranged weapons can be used with one hand in a pinch (-2 AV), but often work much better with two.

n. b. Remember that weapons will have other benefits and drawbacks in different circumstances as well. The Referee should consider these and apply Combat Advantage, penalties, and other adjustments as appropriate (e.g. usable in a grapple, reach, armor-piercing, concealable, loud, etc.). Use common sense and discussion.

These make most weapons quite easy, but may not properly portray everything!

E.g. a shotgun could do 1d6+1, but would have a short range. A flamethrower could hit everyone in a cone up to short range for 1d6 if they fail a save. Crossbows can fire every other round. Black powder muskets may fire once every three rounds. Modify to fit whatever you're thinking of.

Stolen from Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells

Hard Boiled (1992) dir. John Woo

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Don't stand out in the open in a firefight. Take cover.

• Cover stops bullets. Characters hiding behind cover cannot be hit by direct fire.

• Partial Cover is when characters attack from behind cover. -4 AV to hit a target behind partial cover.

• Concealment hides you from attackers. -2 AV to hit a target behind concealment.

Armor grants AC as normal, but we're not dealing with chainmail or plate suits.

• Light. AC 2. Civilian-grade protective armor such as that provided by leathers or layers of heavy cloth.

• Medium. AC 4. The more obvious type of body armor, like a security-grade tactical outfit or bulletproof vest.

• Heavy. AC 6. Heavy-duty military-grade tactical body armor; impossible to hide and extremely protective.

Armor and cover may not always apply during all types of attacks. Use common sense and discussion.

Some other quick additions that have come up:

• Explosives deal full damage to everyone in close range and half as much within short range. Those who can dive for cover can save to avoid damage.

• Incendiaries catch a target on fire unless a save is made; 1d6 damage per round until put out.

• Let the Strong's cleave ability include ranged weapons and enemies adjacent to one another.

• Use the 3e rules for Burst and Full Auto for automatic weapons (pp.84-85).

• Ammo isn't tracked exactly. Use the 3e rules for abstract ammo (pp.84-85).

• Add the Suppressive Fire special combat option from 3e (pp.84-85).

• Add the Spray Ability for the Strong to choose from in 3e (pp.84-85).

OD&D/WHITEHACK

Katsuya Terada

Running Whitehack like OD&D

OD&D has been one of my inspirations with how I've been running Whitehack as of late. Being written in the "original tradition", playing 3e like this has been quite fun and easy. Since the game is so open as well, I just use a couple of the tweaks and Referee guidelines below to help get across the feel I'm going for.

This is a living home for all my tweaks, guidelines, and rules. It will change over time.

Determination of Abilities

Generate two stat arrays, rolling 3d6 six times for each.

Choose one array for the character to use and assign in order. Give the other to Referee to use as they see fit.

Schrodinger's Character

The first session for a character is character creation; this session starts with everyone naming their character, assigning a species, and rolling their attributes. Play then proceeds with players filling out aspects of their character when required and after any rolls are made. 

As they need them, players can select:

• a basic class and a slot ability
• an inventory of items equal to 3d6x10sp (see below)
• 2 groups (+bonus groups for low stats)

Stolen from NGR

Starting Gear

All characters begin with 3d6x10sp worth of "Schrodinger's inventory". This "inventory" can be decided during the first game session as needed. Should a character need a rope to cross a chasm, as long as they have the "inventory" sp left to cover it, then they have luckily happened to have brought along. 

These items should be mundane and common items, except one special item such as military-grade equipment, luxury items, specialist tools, or highly illegal items.

Any unused 'equipment' sp just counts as extra coin the character has back home. If a character with 120sp of "inventory" only used 90sp of "Schrodinger's inventory" during the first game session and picked up 20sp of loot, they would have an additional 50sp.

Stolen from NGR. I'm also assuming a silver standard here with XP-for-silver.

Affiliation Groups as Alignment

Alignment is a bigger deal. In Whitehack, Affiliation groups like "Lawful" or "Chaotic" represent allegiance to the warring cosmic powers. Characters without such groups (i.e. most people; these groups are for zealots and champions) simply have no stake in this grand contest.

Law is order and (at least the pretense of) civility. Chaos is disorder and (at least the pretense of) brutality. They have nothing to do with morality, as "good" and "evil" can be found on all sides of this struggle.

Just like normal Affiliations, these provide friends, knowledge, language, and enemies. The limited languages from these groups are Lawful and Chaotic. Feel free to come up with more exciting names.

Species

The classic HALFLING, DWARF, and ELF are present as Species groups.

There is no reason that players cannot be allowed to play as virtually anything, provided they begin relatively weak and work up to the top, i.e., a player wishing to be a Dragon would have to begin as, let us say, a “young” one and progress upwards in the usual manner, steps being predetermined by the campaign referee. 

- Gygax & Arneson, OD&D Book I: Men & Magic, 1974

In keeping with the original tradition, the table is encouraged to work together when Rare Classes become available to determine what fantastical Species-as-Class options are available. Almost nothing should be off-limits with the caveat that this type of character is uncommon in the game world.

Avoid making these mono-cultures. These classes only imply that a certain type of individual is a character in the game world, not that all the members of a species are the same.

Initiative & the Order of Battle

In the baseline game, initiative is rolled and combatants take action in descending order. Here we drop it completely.

Surprise. Allows one round of unanswered actions. If these include attacks they are made with Combat Advantage.

Intent. Each player describes their intent for the upcoming turn stating whether their character will attack, utter a magick spell, overturn a boiling cauldron, or whatever.

Initiative. The Referee resolves all actions for the turn in the order they judge to be fair. 

Initiative may be granted to those firing missiles into advancing foes, those with the advantage of reach (in the first turn), or lighter weapons (in subsequent turns). Magick can be cast successfully in the turn that melee is joined if the caster has initiative; otherwise, the miracle is likely to be interrupted!

Otherwise, initiative is determined by throwing a d6 per group each round, adjusting for Dexterity.

Weapons

Weapons deal d6 damage. They will have other benefits and drawbacks in different circumstances as well (e.g. weapon reach, range, rate of fire, armor-piercing, concealable, loud, etc.). The Referee should consider these and apply Combat Advantage, penalties, and other adjustments as appropriate.

If you desire more mechanical diversification, allow small and large weapons to re-roll their damage, taking the worst or best result respectively.

Shields & Other Protection

Heavy Shields (+2 AC, cost 15) are available to represent tower shields and other similarly bulky shields. 

Great Helmets (+1 AC, -4 on task rolls to spot things, cost 25) are over-the-top pieces of protection compared to normal helmets. They still allow a re-roll on the crit table.

Vancian Magic (Optional)

The optional rules for Traditional Magick and True Miracles* are used (p. 83). A true Vancian air is intended with petty wizards, coveted spells, and an increased focus on scrolls (or an appropriate analog).

*A small tweak to True Miracles is in play, however. Miracles are rare and coveted ancient spells; the last remnants that haven't been lost to time. There is no limit on how many Wise can know such a miracle at any one time, but they are more akin to "items" looted, stolen, or passed down. The creation of new miracles is a rarity in these times.

Most Wise characters will start with one of the more commonly known wordings (still a comparative rarity) and acquire more as they adventure.

These spells are appropriate fodder for Miracle wordings and set scroll effects. When making your own, grandiose and fantastic names are a requirement!

For those with the appropriate group, a limited ritual language is granted: The Arcane Cypher. A small spell-infused language that allows one the understanding of magical inscriptions, spell formulae, etc.

Is an evil sorcerer a cleric of a dark god or a magic-user? Such things make little difference here. Whether their miraculous incantations are whispered into their ear by otherworldly beings or gleaned from decades of study, all wrestle with the laws of the universe with their miracles.

Classic Hirelings, Mercs, and Retainers

Hirelings and retainers can be brought along to hold torches, carry gear, or fight. You usually get this kind of help through Affiliation Groups. The Referee decides--based on a CHA roll--how many will come, if they require some kind of compensation, and how loyal they are in the face of danger. All such hirelings and retainers are HD 1 Referee characters. 

Aside from these "normal" types, unusual help can be sought in the form of PLAYER TYPES or MONSTER TYPES. These retainers are charmed, hired, dueled, or otherwise enlisted into service and the number allowed at any one time is limited by Charisma (CHA/3).

Player Types are retainers who are Strong, Deft, or Wise. They can advance in level and receive XP gained from acquired gold only. Their loyalty isn't a guarantee and should be determined by the Referee based on pay, treatment, and inclination. Only the lowest level player types will seek to become a retainer.

Monster Types often require some type of incentive. Hostile monsters may need to be pressed into service by coercion with magic or physical subdual.

n.b. The slotted retainers of the Fortunate aren't subject to the above limitations. The only limit to their number is the number of open slots the Fortunate possesses. They loyally serve and are controlled by the same player, not the Referee. The Fortunate can choose to make one of their retainers suffer a grisly death on behalf of her or anyone else (perhaps shoving the Fortunate out of the way of an attack).*

*Stolen from NGR

Katsuya Terada

Other Miscellaney

Magic Swords

All magical blades are intelligent and have an alignment group. Many can communicate, some possess powers they can share with a worthy wielder. They have goals and motivations. They are dangerous and fickling items that can overwhelm a lesser wielder and harm those who are enemies in the great cosmic struggle.

Magical blades have two stats: Ego and Intelligence with their alignment affiliation as a group next to one of them. In certain situations, the Ego of the blade can be used in a contest to overwhelm and possess a wielder.

Monsters

At the Referee's discretion, monsters may be subject to bonus damage if they are notably large, strong, deadly, or some combination of the three.

1. Most monsters deal 1-6 damage.
2. Notably strong monsters deal 2-7 damage.
3. Inhumanly strong or large monsters, such as ogres, deal 3-8 damage.
4. Supernaturally strong or giant monsters, such as balrogs or giants, deal 2-12 damage.
5. Impossibly strong or massive monsters, such as titans or leviathans, deal 3-18 damage.

n.b. High HD monsters get additional attacks. If a monster is using multiple attacks, it should do 1d6 damage for each. The danger is represented by the additional attacks. If it uses a single attack, use the above scale. So for example, a HD 10 cyclops could smash someone for 2d6 or swipe and make its three attacks for 1d6.

Some entities can have Supernatural HP. They are only affected by attacks that deal 6 or more damage. A successful attack that beats this threshold removes a single HD for every 6 damage dealt. A simple implementation for such foes is that Supernatural HP = HD.

Dragons' breath attack can be used 3/day for most dragons. The most common effect is dealing damage equal to their current HP in an area attack with a Save allowed for half damage.

Poison

Poison has a potency rating the same as the HD of the creature that it came from. If the poison is rated higher than your level, then you save vs. poison or die. If it is equal to or lower than your level, save or take damage for a number of rounds equal to its rating (unless an antidote or cureall gets to you first).

If the poison has some effect other than or instead of damage (like makes you hallucinate, or vomit, or fall unconscious) then that last for a number of rounds/turns equal to the HD if it’s greater than your level, or half HD if it’s under your level.

Suitable groups could allow for resistance for these saving throws (i.e. assassin vocation).

Stolen from Sean McCoy. Check it out for more ideas on poison.

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Big influences from Luke Gearing, Simon Bull's Delving Deeper, Philotomy's Musings, and Zzarchov Kowolski's NGR.