Here’s all of the tables in the Basic Rules displayed in a few different ways.
I imagine this might be helpful in case you change a table’s results or name.
Putting this together made me really appreciate just how much work you put into these tables!
Also, the Discovery > Structure > Ruin table references a “Steading” table that I’m confused about: should I roll up a Settlement or should I roll up a Dungeon with an Ruined Settlement origin?
Seriously. @sdonjr, I can’t get over how awesome this is going to be. Just for fun, I rolled up a couple NPCs. Landed on this guy. I am saving him. This is GM Gold!
Gosil is a male dwarf beggar/urchin, considered by most to be evil and motivated by hatred. In addition to being a hedonist, selfish, and snobbish, they also have sharp cheekbones, look dignified, are known to be temperamental, and are a cultist.
If they’re recruited as a follower, they are competent (quality +0, +1 tag), have led an unremarkable life, and are resigned to their lot (loyalty 0).
Unless you have something better in mind, they’re found while belligerent and looking for a fight because they’re bored/vengeful/frustrated/drunk, etc.
Has anyone created or adapted custom races for Freebooters? My boys and I started with the typical 4 fantasy races but as they discover new lands inhabited by other species and civilizations, I may offer them a chance at rolling up a replacement character (in the event of character death) from one of those newly discovered places. It looks like the races just get 2 bonus stat points chosen from 2 options or 1 in any 2 different stats plus a move that is something innate to the race/species.
Here is one I have come up with for our campaign:
Chameleonid: 5 foot tall bipedal lizardfolk with horns and skin that changes color with emotions
+1 to dexterity and +1 to wisdom
Prehensile tongue: reach
When creating beast races like this, should things like claws, horns, teeth and tails be treated as weapons? Obviously there is a tradeoff to using your body-parts in combat in that becoming separated from them is a much more painful consequence.
Looks like I neglected to change “steading” to “settlement” when I was converting from The Perilous Wilds. At the moment I think it would work best to go with the “ruined settlement” dungeon type.
Love it!
I think you can treat natural weapons any way you see fit, setting damage by using the gear list as a reference point.
I will often let basic details of a new species get defined during play. For instance, it doesn’t say anywhere whether or not dwarves have dark vision, so the first time it comes up in play I might ask the dwarf player to Get Lucky to find out.
A chameleonid definitely needs to have a color-changing heritage move. Maybe something like…
When you spend a few minutes observing your surroundings while motionless, take +1 ongoing to attempts at stealth while in that area.
Perhaps some chameleonids can’t change colors as well but have more pronounced horns that could be useful in melee combat.
When you charge horn-first and attempt to gore something, deal 1d6 damage that ignores armor when you Fight.
It’s probably tougher to get a broken horn repaired than a sword, though. Maybe your horn becomes fragile if you use it too often.
Chameleonids with vestigial horns that are unable to change colors could have a more dexterous prehensile tongue…
When you use your prehensile tongue, you can interact with anything within reach as if it was at hand.
Bulging eyes that move independently would sure be handy.
When you have an unobstructed line of sight in all directions, take +1 ongoing to Perceive and Stay Sharp.
Also, I imagine chameleonids would be wary of any bird- or snake-people they come across.
OMG guys. Can we please get rules to make custom heritages please?!?!!! @jasonlutes that hopefully includes a table or three 
What are folks’ thoughts on maybe not having statistical bonuses like plusses to ability scores assigned to race?
I’m a big proponent of doing away with racial stat bonuses in any game, to be honest. I know it’s tradition and all, but the implications of race determining what your inherent qualities and limitations are are not great…
I tend to feel better about optional special abilities that highlight unique things about your race, if you’re going to do anything. Scum & Villainy is the first game I can think of that’s done that, I think. You could also give anyone a free +2/+1 or whatever to put where they want, or maybe do background/career packages, like “because you spent your early life training in X, you have bonuses in Y stats.”
I do that in D and D. Haven’t yet applied the rule to DW or FotF.
Also, changing the word from race to just about anything else is a good step forward.
Re: custom heritage stuff, I have been torn between including it in the basic rules as part of setting generation or having it be part of the the “Advanced” Freebooters book. Right now there’s some design tension between creating a world from scratch and reliance on the classic four PC fantasy species, but at the same time I don’t want to bog down the basic rules.
Dang! Very cool! Does this use the exit direction table?
It doesn’t currently. It would be easy to add.
Holy cats! Will wonders never cease? That is so cool, @foondar – is it something we layfolk might be able to use one day?
Yeah, I’m thinking about setting something up for public use. Since it’s a web app there’s the issue of hosting and account management and whatnot.
DIY it! OSR games are all about getting inspired and filling in the gaps as you see fit. Want a Dragonic race? Great! Give it a simple ability like claws and favored stats. Want an insectoid as a custom species? Give it the ability to glow in the dark. No rules needed.
@DeusExBrockina In freebooters its just stat bonuses and a simple move though. The randomness of rolling up stats means that you can still end up with a strength 15 halfling or a constitution 3 dwarf. Really the bonus acts more as a band aid to mediate the randomness a little and the moves are mainly flavor. In d&d 5e there are obviously races that excel as certain classes like a Tiefling warlock. Here, though, you are supposed to embrace the randomness anyways. You may end up with a strength 3 elven fighter or a hulking halfling magic user.
@Tacoforce, thats what I was going for with my chameleon example. I figured the horns, color changing and weird eyes were all just things that a chameleon would “have” i specifically called out the tongue in the move since reach is an actual mechanic in the game. I am really enjoying the “open space” that osr style games provide.
What do you mean a simple move? Usually moves in PbtA games are the main powers of NPCs and what makes them really unique, much more then stats. In Freebooters step 7 of Create a Creature they are suggested to incorporate every other stuff from table rolls but we don’t have to stop there. Moves are not flavour in that regard, they are the meat of the narrative fiction since combat is resolved through it.
I think tables or digital tools can be great and useful but somehow just a base to build upon.
