Dorks & Dungeons 3rd Edition
Dorks and Dungeons Third Edition
Dorks & Dungeons 3rd Edition (Or D&D3E) is a supremely condensed, and bare bones RPG loosely based on a similarly named Role Playing Game. It's stripped of most features like progression, character development, and other types of encounters than the main to ensure that NT employees can pick up and play this game during a productive shift. Advanced Dorks & Dungeons will restore these features and more, but that is still in development.
Remember, this is a game to pass the time and have fun while the station deteriorates around you, so remember that the further you go, the more likely your character is going to die. Thank your GM, bring snacks, and just have fun! Oh, and this is a fun thing to try and run as a Librarian
| Image | Object | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Pen | ... to write with! |
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Paper | ... to write on! |
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Dice | ... to roll with! |
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Players | ... to play with! |
Concepts to Know
Buff - To get a buff to a stat is to get a +5 to your stat. Classes get a Buff or two, and Buffs can be temporarily given in play.
Debuff - Like a buff, except it's a -5. Usually given by enemies, or if you've been annoying.
Advantage - If you had an advantage, instead of rolling a d20 once and taking the result, you'll roll two d20s, and then use the higher result.
Action - Each player gets an action during their turn. Actions are explained in the next section.
Success - Each Action usually requires a d20 roll of an 11 to pass. There will usually be Buffs that affect this.
Characteristics
There are 6 Characteristics, or Stats, to track in D&D3E. Thankfully, they're usually clear in purpose, some of which aren't really used in D&D3E, and instead are used in AD&D
STRength - Usually used for Attack Rolls
DEXterity - Usually a modifier, making it harder to hit you.
CONstitution - Not really used in this version. Adjusts HP in other versions.
INTelligence - Usually used for Spell Rolls.
WISdom - Usually used for Healing Rolls.
CHArisma - Usually used for Buff Rolls.
How to Play
The rules are simple. After picking a class, your GM will start your group's adventure! The game will go by Player Turn, then Monster Turn, until the room is either cleared of Monsters, or the party has been slain! If there are living party members after a room, they decide if they want to keep going or retire from this adventure, keeping all their loot in the process, or if they want to press their luck and go to the next encounter! Each consecutive encounter is harder than the last, but the valuables are increased also, which is good since the players may go to the Shop in between encounters.
During a player's turn they may:
-Attack!(Roll a d20, and add Buff[STR] to try to hit the target. If successful, roll damage die to deal damage. Careful, a target with a Buff[DEX] is harder to hit!)
-Gain Advantage!(Give Advantage to any player's next roll, including themselves. This is done by letting them roll 2d20s on their next check instead of one, and letting them use the better result.)
-Taunt!(Roll a CHA check, if successful you will be the bad guy's prioritized target.)
-Loot!(Roll a d6, and gain that much gold from this room during your turn.)
-Class Action!(Some Classes come with actions only they can do.)
The Enemies act similarly, usually getting one action each. They are controlled by the GM.
Starting
If you're a player, good news is you only need to make one or two choices before you're ready to get rolling! Your choice is picking a Character Class. There are a lot, but don't be intimidated, each class comes with set Hitpoints(How much damage you can take before your character is slain, also known as HP.), Damage Die(The die you use when you hit something.), Buffs(Explained above.), and a special ability for each class, usually an additional action, but some are minor tweaks.
In D&D3E, your class choices are: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard.
The rules for each are listed below, and when making a character, it's best to Copy and Paste this to your paper in game.
Classes
You are the Barbarian!
HP(12) ; Damage Die(d12) ; Buff(STR)
RAGE: After your first attack during your turn, you may attack a second time. Be careful though, if you miss on the second swing, you'll hit another player instead.
You are the Bard!
HP(8) ; Damage Die(d8) ; Buff(CHA)
Song: You may Buff/Debuff a target, or attempt to Buff/Debuff your party on a successful CHA check.
You are the Cleric!
HP(8) ; Damage Die(d8) ; Buff(WIS)
Heal: You may heal an Ally for d4 HP, or you may attempt to Heal the Party for d4 HP, or one other player for d8 on a successful WIS check.
You are the Druid!
HP(8) ; Damage Die(d8) ; Buff(WIS)
Transform: You may turn into an animal to receive a fitting Buff. (Like, Bear for a Buff(STR))
Reincarnate: Whenever a player dies, you may revive them with their Damage Die worth of health, on a successful WIS check
You are the Fighter!
HP(10) ; Damage Die(d10) ; Buff(DEX) OR Buff(STR)
Training: You may attack once with an added Buff(STR), or attack twice using d6 Damage Die, or attack three times with no buffs (Not counting those given by other players) using d4 Damage Die.
You are the Monk!
HP(8) ; Damage Die(d8) ; Buff(DEX) & Buff(WIS)
Meditate: You may take a turn to center yourself so your next attack will use your DEX and WIS modifiers. You may also remove Debuffs on a successful WIS check.
You are the Paladin!
HP(10) ; Damage Die(d10) ; Buff(CHA) & Buff(STR)
Divine Protection: Whenever a party member is about to take damage. You may take the damage instead. During the encounter, you may Protect yourself on a successful CHA check, making the next hit you take nullified.
You are the Ranger!
HP(10) ; Damage Die(d10) ; Buff(DEX) & Buff(WIS)
Companion: When you start the game, choose an animal companion with your GM. You'll control the animal, and during their turn, use your WIS for all of their actions.
You are the Rogue!
HP(8) ; Damage Die(d8) ; Buff(DEX)
Shadow: You may become hidden on a successful DEX check. When hidden, you roll 2d6 when looting. You may attack when hidden, and when you do you are no longer hidden but if you hit, you will do double the rolled damage.
You are the Sorcerer!
HP(6) ; Damage Die(d6) ; Buff(CHA)
Gift: You may Cast Spells!* Spell Points equal how many Syllables are in the spell. (FireBall = 2SP) You Generate SP each cast, rolling a d6 after declaring what spell you're casting to see if you generate enough. *Some Spells may require an INT check.
You are the Warlock!
HP(8) ; Damage Die(d8) ; Buff(CHA)
Pact: You may Cast Spells!* Spell Points equal how many Syllables are in the spell. (FireBall = 2SP) You Generate SP by sacrificing HP. *Some Spells may require an INT check.
You are the Wizard!
HP(6) ; Damage Die(d6) ; Buff(INT)
Study: You may Cast Spells!* Spell Points equal how many Syllables are in the spell. (FireBall = 2SP) You start at max with 6SP. You may take a turn to replenish d6 SP. *Some Spells may require an INT check.
Spell Casting Guide
Casting Spells is a fun and easy process! You simply name the spell you're casting, and its Spell Point(SP) value is the number of syllables it took to pronounce it. (GMs, it's wise to have a syllable counter ready.) Most spells are easy to gauge, but for anything that's tricky, or not strictly covered, will need an [INT] to cast.
The reason you usually want to cast spells instead of doing a normal attack is because a lot of these are instantaneous and automatically successful. Aside from a Sorcerer rolling to generate SP, the only time a Spell Caster needs to roll is for spells that might miss the target(s).
A good way to visualize this is that for every SP spent on a spell, you're getting an effect. A basic list of effects can be seen here:
-Damage: Dealing a d4 worth of damage to a target. This will likely be used more than once during a spell, and can be allocated from 1 to as many targets as there are dice.
-Healing: Dealing a d4 worth of healing. Can be taken as well as damage (Siphon, is a good 2SP spell for 1 damage, 1 healing die)
-Buff/Debuff: You may give a 1 turn buff to as many targets as you have spent SP.
Keep in mind, this is not a full list, as most spells can be determined between GM and player. Things like Teleport, Shrink, Mind Control, or even using other Class Abilities!
One last thing, most 1SP spells should not require a roll.
The Shop
So you found some gold and you're looking for things to spend it on? Well you're in luck, because this shop has what you need! Items bought here are listed on player's character sheets, meaning if they survive to the next shift, they may want to save this somewhere for copy/pasting later. The Items are:
-Health Potion(Heal d6 wounds, can be used before death): 3GP
-Buff Potion(Give yourself a Buff for an encounter, pick type on purchase): 10GP
-Ian's Squeaky Toy(Immediately revive yourself to full HP on death): 20GP
-Shield(Use your STR instead of DEX when enemies attack you. Breaks on enemy Crit): 10GP
-Escape Rope(Use to let the player immediately escape the encounter.): 10GP
-Weapon(Add +X to your Attack rolls, with X being equal to level of weapon)
-Level 1: 5GP
-Level 2: 10GP
-Level 3: 15GP
-Level 4: 20GP
-Level 5: 25GP
-Armor(Reduce incoming damage by Armor Level)
-Level 1: 5GP
-Level 2: 10GP
-Level 3: 15GP
-Level 4: 20GP
-Level 5: 25GP
-Level 6: 30GP
-Magic Staff(Has SP stored in it per level, for each encounter)
-Level 1: 10GP
-Level 2: 20GP
-Level 3: 30GP
GM Section
Alright, let's get down to business. There were plenty of attempts to simplify and make this part easier as well, but at the end of the day, you're still the GM, and you've got some responsibilities!
You will be the one that spawns and controls the encounters, keeps track of the shop, and likely be the one giving out character sheets, or gathering materials and snacks. However, this can be good as in my experience, the Librarian is usually protected by his Player Characters if something nefarious happens on the station.
One last warning. It is likely you will NOT get to finish a game of D&D. It's why there isn't an 'end' to this until the party asks for it. Antagonists like Syndies, Nukies, or Zombies will be a massive threat to your gaming party, so be prepared to weld doors shut if players would rather play this than deal with the active threat.
Creating Encounters
With that out of the way, Creating encounters is a straightforward process. You will be using the following types of enemies to fill your encounter, and imagine each level a tier of enemies, with level 1 being like a little goblin, and level 6 being like a massive Dragon:
Level 1(HP[4], Damage Die[d4], Debuff[DEX] & Debuff[STR])
Level 2(HP[6], Damage Die[d6], Debuff[DEX])
Level 3(HP[8], Damage Die[d8])
Level 4(HP[10], Damage Die[d10], Buff of GMs choice, or may cast spells up to 2SP.)
Level 5(HP[12], Damage Die[d12], 2 Buffs of GMs choice, may replace a buff with spells up to 4SP.)
Level 6(Dragon)(HP[20], Damage Die[d20], 2 Buffs of GMs Choice, Can Cast Spells up to 4SP)
Running Encounters
When plotting encounters, your first encounters Level should be equal to the number of players in the party. So, if you have a party of 3, the first encounter should have 3 levels of difficulty. (So 3 Goblins, 1 Orc and 1 Goblin, or 1 Troll for instance).
Each encounter afterwards should have +1 level added. (Or more if you're evil/your party is overconfident) In the rare event that you start a session with someone who actually has a previous sheet, bump up the initial level by 1 per player like this.
Last thing to remember with encounters. This game is brutal, and deadly. Players will die, just be sure that people know not to get too attached to their characters.
Ending Encounters
If players survived, each living player will get loot! Gold Pieces will be given out to each player by rolling each defeated enemies Damage Die, and then adding that result. So if there were three Level 1 Goblins, roll 3d4, and then give that amount to each player.
Then ask the players if they want to go shopping, end their adventure, or press on to the next encounter! If you wanted to be cruel, you can increase the Encounter Level if they go to the shop as well.
If your players have all died, or escaped. You thank them for playing, and let them know they can save their surviving sheets. Otherwise, it's best to go to the bar and reminisce, talk about it.
Thanks!
Dirk Durra has played with MANY players in the playtesting of this game! Starting from version 1, then to Edition 2, 2.5, 2.5B, and now finally, Edition 3! There's way to many of you to name, but just know all the playtesting was thoroughly appreciated, and I hope that expansions will be added soon.
