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SR3 Knightly Tournaments by Louis “sirlou” Kahn A Guide to Jousting & Tournament Combat for OSR Games plus Three Combat Scenarios Starry Knight Press 1 Knightly Tournaments by Louis “sirlou” Kahn A Guide to Jousting & Tournament Combat for OSR Games plus Three Combat Scenarios CREDITS OSRIC™ Open License: This product uses the OSRIC™ System (Oldschool System Reference and Index Compilation™). The OSRIC™ system text may be Author: Louis “sirlou” Kahn found at http://www.knights-n-knaves.com/osric. The OSRIC™ text is Artwork: Brian Joseph Baker, Blackie Carbon, Jeshields, copyright of Stuart Marshall. "OSRIC™" and "Oldschool System Reference Indi Martin, Lawrence van der Merwe, Daniel F. Walthall, and Index Compilation™" are trademarks of Stuart Marshall and Matthew and Louis “sirlou” Kahn Finch and may be used only in accordance with the OSRIC™ license. Cartographer: Louis “sirlou” Kahn Editing: Kerri Tarvin Play testers: Robert Greigo, Troy Herrera and Manny Rosales Thanks: Many thanks to my wife for supporting my writing and to Starry Knight Press the dearly departed Nigel Terry, who portrayed my ©2018 Louis Kahn favourite knight of all, Arthur Pendragon, so eloquently in starryknightpress.com the classic film of knights and chivalry “Excalibur”. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. FOREWORD FOREWORD 1 II. TOURNAMENT RULES A. INTRODUCTION 1 B. JOUSTING TERMINOLOGY 1 C. TOURNAMENT RULES 3 D. EQUIPMENT AND MOUNTS 3 1. BARDING 5 E. COMBAT RULES 6 1. MOUNTED COMBAT 6 a. JOUSTING INITIATIVE 6 b. ATTACK / “TO HIT” ROLLS 7 c. JOUSTING DAMAGE 7 i. DAMAGE FROM CRASHES 9 2. COMBAT ON FOOT 9 F. TOURNAMENT REWARDS 10 1. EXPERIENCE POINTS 10 2. MONETARY REWARDS 10 3. OTHER REWARDS (OPTIONAL) 10 III. COMBAT SCENARIOS A. INTRODUCTION 11 B. TESTING ONE’S METTLE: CHALLENGE À PLAISANCE 12 C. A TEST OF HONOUR: CHALLENGE À LA GUERRE 13 D. TO SAVE ESKARTORP: CHALLENGE À LA MÊLÉE 14 IV. NEW MAGIC ITEMS NEW MAGIC ITEMS 16 V. LEGAL LICENSES 17 ARTWORK ATTRIBUTION 17 i I. Foreword II. Tournament Rules “I love the swelling of pride I feel at the A. Introduction: While there have been references Invocation! The rush of excitement when I’m and game statistics given for lances, warhorses, barding, hitting a shield on the Tree of Shields. and other jousting-related items in various OSR rulebooks The pounding of my blood as my mount and over the years, most original Old School and modern OSR I rush forward, the tilt blurring in my vision. game handbooks do not provide rules on how to actually It’s all so grand! Well, all apart from the cry of conduct a knightly tournament. I found this oversight “Atteint!” and the landing hard on your arse surprising as depictions of medieval jousting and hand-to- on the hard packed earth of the list.” hand combat have always captured my imagination, - Sir Jeffries, Knight Errant and appear widely in modern theatrical visions of the medieval world. Thus, I set about to create a set of simple This guide focuses on setting forth rules for simulating rules to incorporate this exciting style of combat into my medieval tournament style mounted and mêlée combat campaign world, and I hope you enjoy them. for use with OSRIC and 1E compatible retro-clones. The pageantry and show of jousting and tournament combat B. Jousting Terminology: The world of jousting was is a grand spectacle GM’s may wish to add to their quite complex and involved many intricate and varying fantasy campaigns based on our historical past, and this rules, based on the locale of the tournament. I have guide aims to help you and your players integrate that attempted to provide a streamlined form for roleplaying style of combat into your game. Whether it is chivalrous purposes, but there are several jousting specific terms combat for sport or combat to the death, our goal is to that the GM and their players may wish to familiarize have you (the GM) and the brave knightS of your themselves with in order to run a knightly tournament in campaign straight into the action with a rules light their campaign, which are listed below. approach to this style of combat. GM’s note: Like many terms in role-playing games, this I also include three different tournament scenarios, so glossary uses many words from the Earth’s own French your players will be strapped to a warhorse and language, as this was the predominant courtly language hammering down a list at their opponent or charging into during medieval times in Europe. The author a tournament mêlée in little to no time! acknowledges this may be inappropriate and/or anachronistic for your campaign, in which case the GM is Once you’ve completed reading and enjoying this encouraged to freely modify and replace these terms as supplement, the fun doesn’t stop there! Peruse my store needed for their own campaign. (starryknightpress.com) to find other exciting offerings I have for you and your players! I look forward to providing Atteint: this was a term used to designate a hit had been you further adventures in the days to come, and thank scored in a joust. you for your custom on behalf of Starry Knight Press. Berfrois, scaffold or escafaut: a grandstand which was Louis “sirlou” Kahn built above the level of the lists, which was generally April 2018 reserved for noble spectators of the tournament. Challenge: when a combatant calls another out to combat. A challenge could be “à plaisance”, meaning a friendly sporting match; or it could be “à la guerre”, meaning it was a warlike match, which may be fought to first blood, to an honourable yielding, or to the death. However, in most good-aligned nations, challenges “to the death” are not allowed in tournaments and intentionally slaying an opponent will subject the perpetrator to the full force of the nation’s justice system, with honour demanding their immediate capture. 1 V. Legal A. Licenses Artwork Attribution OPEN GAME LICENSE version 1.0a 1. Definitions: Brian Joseph Baker: p. 10 (the swordswoman 1) (Credited (a) "Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) "Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into as “Brian Joseph Baker and Stardust Publications”). other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; Blackie Carbon: p. i (banner). (d) "Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but Jeshields: p. 13 (sketchy paladin without helmet). specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, Indi Martin: p. 5 [bishop (horse #2), war charger photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, (horse #4)] (Indi Martin © 2015). environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify Lawrence van der Merwe: p. 4 (knight reflecting). itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor; (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content; (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 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