Sola Scriptura XI: DF 3, Chapter 3

Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level

Chapter 3: Power-Ups

This is a short chapter that eventually became its own book. Obviously, when I get around to reviewing that book in detail, I’ll talk about it more, but some notes about this, rather than rehashing what Kromm already wrote:

• This has a write-up for Energy Reserve on its second page, or that FP-like advantage that recharges alongside FP at the same rate and costs just as much. That it recharges separately is the biggest takeaway, or recharges separately as the text has it. A mighty caster will have reserves of both FP and ER. After needed spells, lots of ER is the first power-up a caster should take.
• As DF11 tells in detail, many templates can exceed normal attribute limits. This gets at something that isn’t explicit in Dungeon Fantasy: unless stated otherwise, attributes and attribute-like secondary characteristics (Will and Per) have a limit of 20. Hit Points are limited to being 30% above ST; Fatigue Points are limited to being 30% above HT (casters take heed); Basic Speed is limited to being 2.00 above (DX+HT)/4; Basic Move is limited to being Basic Speed+3. So, adventurers are not normally “godlike beings” as p. B14 calls folks with attributes above 20. If someone wants to make the Epic Level Handbook* for Dungeon Fantasy, the shooting will start at ignoring the original limits.
• Going through the lists, what strikes me is how often Wild Talent shows up: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Holy Warrior, Martial Artist, Wizard. It’s like saying, “These guys can do anything, so screw trying to write it out!"
• Most of the non-casters can buy some Extra Attack, and some level of Enhanced Defenses. Yes, Enhanced Defenses come in levels. Sorry, Enhanced Parry for one weapon and Enhanced Block are still overpriced by a few points.
• Bards have no limit on Charisma. A Bard who splurged on this would almost never have to fight intelligent foes.

* I played in an epic-level campaign of D&D about 10 years ago. It was like playing superheroes in the skins of D&D characters. My druid/ranger (something like Druid 30/Ranger 9) could wild shape into a gold dragon and track so well that Count Humperdinck would give up, like tracking a gnat on the surface of water on an overcast night, while moving at full speed. It was fun but weird; I think folks who like supers would like it more.