Laughing Leviathan

Here's the first draft of the first phase of D&D backgrounds I'm making for a home Troika game. I've had players mention wanting to try something a little more vanilla and more in line with what they were used to after trying out Troika for the first time, so here's my attempt to bridge the gap. Some things I wanted to keep in mind when making these conversions: Making the items as flavorful and evocative as Troika backgrounds Blending skills from both games Only use Spells from Troika Taking a page from GLOG, and giving a template choice for Special Abilities to the player, with carry over from 5e abilities but translated into Troika rules Let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions or recommendations, and how you feel I should continue on. First Draft of D&D x Troika! Backgrounds   Preview:  Note: Art and flavor text is directly from the D&D PHB. I plan on replacing both in the future, this is just for my reference.

The Mighty Level XP HD AV* ST Slots Groups Raises 1 0 1+2 11 5 1 2 - 2 2,000 2 11 6 1 2 1 3 4,000 3 12 7 1 2 1 4 8,000 4 13 8 2 3 2 5 16,000 5 13 9 2 3 2 6 32,000 6 14 10 2 3 3 7 64,000 7 15 11 3 4 3 8 128,000 8 15 12 3 4 4 9 256,000 9 16 13 3 4 4 10   512,000 10 17 14 4 5 5  Might characters rely on their melee combat skills and heroic strength. They can for example be warriors, guards, brigands, knights, bounty hunters, or barbarians. Whenever their attack puts an enemy at zero or negative hit points, they may use the momentum of that action to attack another, adjacent enemy. This requires a separate roll.     Mighty characters may use the same combat options as everyone else, but they also have slots for unique and powerful combat techniques or fighting styles called Deeds which give t

Living Armor Level XP HD AV* ST Slots Groups Raises 1 0 1+2 11 5 1 2 - 2 2,000 2 11 6 1 2 1 3 4,000 3 12 7 1 2 1 4 8,000 4 13 8 2 3 2 5 16,000 5 13 9 2 3 2 6 32,000 6 14 10 2 3 3 7 64,000 7 15 11 3 4 3 8 128,000 8 15 12 3 4 4 9 256,000 9 16 13 3 4 4 10   512,000 10 17 14 4 5 5 A Living Armor is a full set of plate armor that has had a human spirit magically bound to it through powerful eldritch means, leaving the lifeless flesh behind. The Living Armor is held together through magical tethers that blend both arcane magicks and the lifeforce of its host. Although empty, their helmets emit a light where eyes would b

The Marked Level XP HD AV* ST Slots Groups Raises 1 0 1+1 10 6 1 2 - 2 2,000 2 10 7 1 2 1 3 4,000 2+1 11 8 2 2 1 4 8,000 3 11 9 2 3 2 5 16,000 4 11 10 2 3 2 6 32,000 4+1 12 11 3 3 3 7 64,000 5 12 12 3 4 3 8 128,000 6 13 13 3 4 4 9 256,000 6+1 13 14 4 4 4 10   512,000 7 13 15 4 5 5 Marked characters share a special relationship or bond with either a Patron : a higher power, deity ,  or mysterious supernatural force far beyond their grasp. Sometimes they undertake these bonds willingly, while others fall into these connections through less than blessed means. They have received some type of gift or curse from a being many magnitudes more powerful than themselves. In addition to choosing a vocation, the Marked chooses what higher power they have a relationship with, and each day writes th

This is part 4 of my series where I explore magic in Dungeons & Dragons 5e that manages to be everything but magical. You can read the other posts here: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 .  This might be my preachiest, nitpickiest, crotchetiest post in this series. It's also probably the last one in this series, so strap in. As I type this up I'm reminded of a quote from a wise and fictional warlord, "Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence." This is more or less applicable here, too, except we scratch out the word water, and we replace it with another equally important and massively essential factor in survival: shelter .  Immortan Joe by Christopher Flork That's right, I am now picking on those pesky magic spells that provide shelter and safety with no repercussions to millions of adventuring parties around the world. Specifically, the spells  Rope Trick,  Leomund's Tiny Hut, and Morden