I enjoy D&D 5e, but my heart belongs to games like Maze Rats and Sword & Backpack—games where you can keep all the rules in your head, and make up the rest. So I've been keenly following the Landshut posts over on Darkworm Colt.
5e has a pretty decent skill list, a standard equipment list, and plenty of examples for character powers to draw on. So, I threw together a quick-and-dirty pdf of 5e-inspired Landshut hack.
Sample Character 1
1. Adjective: 1d6=2
Dexterous (+3)
2. Hits=4
3. Proficiencies (+2)
I’m imaging a ranger-ish character, so I pick:
Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival
Light Armor, Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons, Herbalism Kit, Land Vehicles
4. Equipment: 2d6=6
Longbow
Short Sword
Leather Armor
Herbalism Kit
Explorer’s Pack
Dog
5. Lose equipment: 1d6=5. Roll to see which item is kept: 1d6=4. Herbalism Kit.
That is not a lot. This character is going to be on the lookout for dropped weapons!
6. Powers
I’d like to make this character an onocentaur. I can see this providing three special abilities:
• Mobile: runs as fast as a donkey.
• Donkey Kick: can deliver a powerful blow (bludgeoning damage) to a target behind him.
• Powerful Build: Can carry much more than other characters
Having to pick only two, I choose Fast and Donkey Kick
And so, our first 5e Landshut character looks like this:
Maple
An onocentaur woods-keeper and scout with rustic charm.
Dexterous +3
Hits=4
Proficiencies (+2): Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival
Light Armor, Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons, Herbalism Kit, Land Vehicles
Equipment: Herbalism Kit
Mobile: runs as fast as a donkey.
Donkey Kick: can deliver a powerful blow (bludgeoning damage) to a target behind him.
Sample Character Generation 2
1. Adjective: Pick one
Charismatic (+3)
2. Hits=4
3. Proficiencies (+2)
Deception, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Tailor’s Kit, Thieves’ Tools (x2)
4. Equipment: 2d6=7
Thieves’ Tools
Dagger
Tailor’s Kit
Leather Armor
Burglar’s Kit
Short Bow
Gaming Set (Cards)
5. Lose equipment: 1d6=5. To lose first item: 1d6=2, Dagger. 1d6=1, Thieves’ Tools. 1d6=1, Tailor’s Kit. 1d4=3, Short Bow. 1d4=1, Leather Armor.
Equipment Left: Burglar’s Kit, Deck of Playing Cards
Well, at least with that Burglar’s Kit, he should be able to re-acquire the rest.
6. Powers
I’m trying to create a fairly classic thief, so I’ll go with:
• Sneak Attack: When attacking with Advantage, you strike two hits
• Climb Like a Monkey
Aldus
Apprentice tailor, journeyman thief. Specializes in second-story work.
Charismatic +3
Hits: 4
Proficiencies (+2): Deception, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Tailor’s Kit, Thieves’ Tools (x2)
Equipment: Burglar’s Kit, Deck of Playing Cards
Sneak Attack: When attacking with Advantage, you strike two hits
Climb Like a Monkey
Although I'm not sure how my players would feel about it, I really enjoy the way equipment works in Landshut generation. It's a micro-minigame to see what you end up with, and it makes the characters feel like they've just fallen on hard times and might be desperate enough to go on a dangerous adventure. And I like the challenge of a party where potentially no one starts out with anything useful. The poor schlubs above have a deck of cards, an herbalism kit, and some burglary gear between them. That feels like an instant adventure hook. You've heard there's treasure in the old ruin—where are you going to steal some proper gear?
5e has a pretty decent skill list, a standard equipment list, and plenty of examples for character powers to draw on. So, I threw together a quick-and-dirty pdf of 5e-inspired Landshut hack.
Following Mr. Matausch's example, let's make a couple characters to see how it works!
1. Adjective: 1d6=2
Dexterous (+3)
2. Hits=4
3. Proficiencies (+2)
I’m imaging a ranger-ish character, so I pick:
Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival
Light Armor, Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons, Herbalism Kit, Land Vehicles
4. Equipment: 2d6=6
Longbow
Short Sword
Leather Armor
Herbalism Kit
Explorer’s Pack
Dog
5. Lose equipment: 1d6=5. Roll to see which item is kept: 1d6=4. Herbalism Kit.
That is not a lot. This character is going to be on the lookout for dropped weapons!
6. Powers
I’d like to make this character an onocentaur. I can see this providing three special abilities:
• Mobile: runs as fast as a donkey.
• Donkey Kick: can deliver a powerful blow (bludgeoning damage) to a target behind him.
• Powerful Build: Can carry much more than other characters
Having to pick only two, I choose Fast and Donkey Kick
And so, our first 5e Landshut character looks like this:
Maple
An onocentaur woods-keeper and scout with rustic charm.
Dexterous +3
Hits=4
Proficiencies (+2): Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival
Light Armor, Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons, Herbalism Kit, Land Vehicles
Equipment: Herbalism Kit
Mobile: runs as fast as a donkey.
Donkey Kick: can deliver a powerful blow (bludgeoning damage) to a target behind him.
Sample Character Generation 2
1. Adjective: Pick one
Charismatic (+3)
2. Hits=4
3. Proficiencies (+2)
Deception, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Tailor’s Kit, Thieves’ Tools (x2)
4. Equipment: 2d6=7
Thieves’ Tools
Dagger
Tailor’s Kit
Leather Armor
Burglar’s Kit
Short Bow
Gaming Set (Cards)
5. Lose equipment: 1d6=5. To lose first item: 1d6=2, Dagger. 1d6=1, Thieves’ Tools. 1d6=1, Tailor’s Kit. 1d4=3, Short Bow. 1d4=1, Leather Armor.
Equipment Left: Burglar’s Kit, Deck of Playing Cards
Well, at least with that Burglar’s Kit, he should be able to re-acquire the rest.
6. Powers
I’m trying to create a fairly classic thief, so I’ll go with:
• Sneak Attack: When attacking with Advantage, you strike two hits
• Climb Like a Monkey
Aldus
Apprentice tailor, journeyman thief. Specializes in second-story work.
Charismatic +3
Hits: 4
Proficiencies (+2): Deception, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Tailor’s Kit, Thieves’ Tools (x2)
Equipment: Burglar’s Kit, Deck of Playing Cards
Sneak Attack: When attacking with Advantage, you strike two hits
Climb Like a Monkey
Although I'm not sure how my players would feel about it, I really enjoy the way equipment works in Landshut generation. It's a micro-minigame to see what you end up with, and it makes the characters feel like they've just fallen on hard times and might be desperate enough to go on a dangerous adventure. And I like the challenge of a party where potentially no one starts out with anything useful. The poor schlubs above have a deck of cards, an herbalism kit, and some burglary gear between them. That feels like an instant adventure hook. You've heard there's treasure in the old ruin—where are you going to steal some proper gear?
Yeah, I might have to add those equipment rules to my game as well.
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