Character creation
1) Stats: roll 3d6 and place in order. Create 2 characters to start.
2) Hopeless characters: if character is less than 9 in all ability scores, or two or more scores of 3-6, a new character can be rolled to replace it.
3) All demihuman races are outcasts of their people – and are unable to return to their ancestral lands.
4) Languages: Players must have common. For additional languages you must first choose Black Tongue (the lingua franca amongst evil beings) before learning other languages. Draconic is the language of high/ancient magic and may be learnt by wizards and elves only.
5) Magic-users aka wizards are very rare. Require min INT of 12, and are treated with great respect and fear by most people. Elves also require min INT of 12.
6) Hit points: at start and level-up:
d4 characters, reroll 1s.
d6 characters, reroll 1&2s.
d8 characters, reroll 1,2,3s.
7) Initial first level spells for wizards and elves will be rolled randomly from tables below (read magic is free):
Int 12-15: 1 spell from offensive list
Int 16-17: 2 spells (one each from offensive, defensive)
Int 18: 3 spells (one each from offensive, defensive and utility)
All wizards and elves also get one random second level spell, which they are "practicing" for when they are able to cast it.
Offensive Spells
1: Charm Person
2: Light
3: Magic Missile
4: Sleep
5: Sleep
6: Wizard's Choice
Defensive Spells
1: Hold Portal
2: Protection from Evil
3: Protection from Evil
4: Shield
5: Shield
6: Wizard's Choice
Utility Spells
1: Detect Magic
2: Floating Disc
3: Read Languages
4: Ventriloquism
Second level Spell
1: ESP
2: Invisibility
3: Knock
4: Phantasmal Force
5: Web
6: Wizard Lock
8) new wizards (not elves) start with gift scrolls from their former master: 2 scrolls consisting of one spell each, of their choice, from the spells they already know.
9) starting at level 3, wizards and clerics (not elves) can write scrolls. This requires 100gp of ingredients per spell level and the ink takes 1 week to "set" [modified from Holmes D&D -ed].
Experience points
10) XP bonus is subtracted from the XP needed for next level to save time.
11) XP is provided only for treasure (3 XP per 1 gp value) and for defeating monsters. Magic items also earn XP, as per the gold sale value in AD&D 1st Edition DMG. By treasure I mean coins, art, finery, gems, etc…not a barbarian's chipped stone axe. Gold spent on "meaningful activities" will earn 1 XP per gp spent. By meaningful I mean things that expand the game world and/or fit with the party or character, eg: cleric spends money to build a shrine to his god, purchasing a building to house the adventuring company, etc. An iron item's XP value is quintuple the cost of the equivalent item in bronze.
General rules
12) Mapper: No detailed player mapping allowed - it is too time consuming. No worries - I won't be hiding secret doors that can only be found by mapping. Mapper earns 200 XP per session.
13) Chronicler: one player per session will be asked to keep track of the goings-on of the session, including any additions to the Book of Honored Dead. Earn either 100 XP/lvl or 400 XP per session (whichever is less). Will have it put up on our page.
14) Dice rolling: I will be rolling openly. I want everyone to roll their To-hit and damage dice simultaneously to speed up play.
15) I will be using a critical hit and fumble table.
16) Encumbrance is important, but I will eyeball it.
17) To facilitate different players at each session, the party is expected to end sessions somewhere safe. If they don't then bad things are gonna happen.
18) Raise dead: requires finding someone able to cast it – and is expensive. Costs one level of experience – if recipient decides not to lose a level, then a volunteer must offer a level of experience, otherwise the spell fails.
19) Charter: the party must form an adventuring company and obtain a charter from the city, which has an initial cost and a regular upkeep fee. This will establish them as part of the city and allow them to hire hirelings.
20) Hirelings: in any boom town, there is an underclass of men down on their luck who will do high risk jobs. However, they won't sign on with just any group of murder-hobos. You need a charter for the adventuring party to prove you're respectable – this also allows people to keep track of how well you treat your hirelings. If none of your hirelings return, people will notice and you'll have a harder time hiring more. All hirelings come without equipment and must be adequately equipped before they will risk their lives. They also don't take on any more risk than the PCs. The going rate is a 1/2 share of treasure per man, or 5 gp per day, whichever is more (the party still gains full XP for all treasure recovered).
21) Death's door: Characters are knocked unconscious at 0 hp, and are stable. They may be at negative hit points equal to their level (-1hp/lvl), losing 1hp per round (at the end of the round) until stabilized by the casting of any cure wounds spell or dying.
22) All shields shall be splintered: Any time you take damage in combat, you may elect to destroy your shield to negate the damage.
23) Mithral! That rarest of metals. Lighter than iron, yet stronger. As beautiful as silver, but never tarnishing. It is said that mithral cannot be marred by any substance. Only the dwarfs know how to mine and smelt it.
Update Aug 30, 2019: Removed caller rule, updated experience for chronicler and mapper, clarified death's door. Added second level spell for character creation.
Update Apr 2, 2019: Magic item XP is now as per AD&D 1e DMG, chronicling earns 100XP per level. An iron item's XP value is quintuple the cost of the equivalent item in bronze.
Update Dec 16, 2018: (11) now earn 3XP per gp of treasure found (was 1XP per gp); XP is also gained for gp value of magical items (5) changed starting magic user and elf spells (22) death's door rule added (23) shields shall be splintered added
Update Dec 1, 2018: Changed numbering, added (4) Languages Black Tongue, Draconic. (8) only wizards get scrolls to start (clerics can't even cast spells at 1st so doesn't make sense).
Update Nov 26, 2018: (1) only make 2 PCs to start, instead of 3 (2) hopeless characters added (5) elves also require INT of 12 (7) initial spells (8) initial gift scrolls (9) wizard and cleric writing scrolls (11) XP for treasure changed (14) added caller