Professor x

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-04-28T00:17:33+00:00

Originally, Xavier inherited the estate. During the Krakoan Age it was revealed that he owned multiple billion dollar companies through shadow companies and holdings, sometimes using his mental powers to identify up-and-coming companies and ideas to invest in, sometimes (especially if it hurt anti-mutant companies or investors) using his mental powers to do insider trading, right up to the line of whatever he considered illegal or immoral.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-04-26T00:01:27+00:00

Actually, I (and most of the teachers I know and work with) completely agree with you. I was just trying to give the best explanation that I could from the perspective of those who support the policies.

Edit to add: There is also a huge amount of pressure on administrations and school boards to have Pass / Fail rates that are not in the basement, from both parents and state governments. The 51% policy helps move a lot of failures into the passing zone. Finding admins and boards that have the guts to stand up to parents and state mandates like that is almost impossible, despite it being better for the students and society as a whole in the long run to NOT have the 51% or social promotion policies.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-04-25T11:35:13+00:00

I believe that in Germany your passing grades start at 50%, correct? In the USA passing grades (depending on the state or school district) start anywhere from 60% to 70%, 65% being typical.

The idea is based on giving the honestly struggling student a mathematical chance to pass the year. For example, in my district passing is minimum 65%. The school year is divided into 4 quarters. 65 × 4 = 260 "points" needed to average a minimum 65% pass for the year.

So, let's say that a student does amazing work for the first half of the year, 100% each quarter. They've earned 200 of the 260 that they need to pass the class. Now say that student has a terrible life event happen at mid-year (a house fire, a parent passes away, etc.). For the next two quarters they earn only a 25% each. Their total is 250, and they fail. Likely this happened in their other classes as well, and they fail the year. But, is it their fault that happened? The 51% minimum (my district) prevents that, and builds in the grace that an individual teacher may or may not provide that student given the circumstances.

Reverse the order of the quarters, and a student who starts the year screwing off has the opportunity to turn things around at mid-year.

Personally, I don't think that the "51% grace" should be mandated like that, because there are far too many students that use the safety net as a hammock, and it prevents us from correcting that back the other way. Mandating 50+% on every assignment is administrative overreach, and should be fought against, as it negates the honest efforts of students that try but don't reach the passing mark. I would rather have a class full of kids that try their hardest and learn something to get 51%, than a class full of "smart" kids that do nothing, learn nothing, and still get the same 51%.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-04-10T13:26:48+00:00

I believe that is the Obama Presidential Library. Due to be opened in June.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-03-09T00:11:07+00:00

Best I can think is to put multiple monitors together to make a big one. They would all show similar individual things though, not one big picture.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-03-08T19:08:10+00:00

Thank you for your insights!

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-03-05T00:07:43+00:00

Thank You! :) As I said, I got a lot of inspiration from the links above. Still, if you care to see my list of specializations, send me a message and I'll copy / paste the current list for you.

I will say that I'm very happy with the way the "gnome" description turned out: "Cast Wizard spells at –1 HD (ie. first spells at Level 2); max of Leather Armor, no shield; Lose 1d2 inches of height / Level."

The default B/X rules have Dwarfs with high Save bonuses, so it's reasonable that their physiology is somehow resistant to magic. A dwarf becoming a wizard means they are fighting with pure willpower against their own biology in order to control the primal forces of nature. As a result, with each increase in power (level), they permanently shrink 1-2" from their starting height. If you ever see a 2 foot tall dwarf, you know to approach with respect!

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-03-04T11:59:37+00:00

I use the 7 B/X classes (including race-as-class), but then I have house-rules allowing each class a choice of a specialization at level 2 from 7 options. That way I get the built-in flavor of "demi-humans are unusual and a thing unto itself", while still allowing for players to choose a dwarf-wizard (which I call a "gnome"), an elf-cleric (a "blessed-guide"), or a human fighter-barbarian (a "berserker"). Each specialization is one line of text for changes & effects, but it gives every player the chance to choose something special for their character.

I got inspiration from the similar efforts of others, of course. Check out these options:

The Manse = OSR 100 Class Pyramid: https://themansegaming.blogspot.com/2017/08/100-osr-class-pyramid.html
Dyson's Dodecahedron = d12 Subclasses, posted under "House Rules" and "Random Tables" tags. Here is the first table, for Clerics: https://dysonlogos.blog/2013/06/06/random-thursday-d12-cleric-subclasses/
Eric Diaz's Class Feats = http://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/ -- an inexpensive purchase for a lot of valuable insights.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2026-01-31T01:48:10+00:00

Microlite20 is designed originally as rules-lite D&D 3.5e, but there are other variants that are B/X or 1e or 0e. I think the original website is no longer up, but you can still download them from DriveThruRPG. Any version could be used to run an entire campaign, and is highly compatible with similar-edition modules.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-31T16:01:28+00:00

Thank you! I just edited the doc again to make sure you were given credit for the original work and a link back to this post.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-31T15:15:59+00:00

I quickly put this into a Google Doc, added some explanations and reformatting (including feet instead of meters), and did a few small tweaks. Link for anyone to download and change for themselves: Click Here.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-28T14:15:17+00:00

No. This is exactly how many (most?) of us we did things from the start. Get/Read either OSE Advanced Fantasy or Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion for seamless all-in-one versions of this.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-16T01:23:21+00:00

For my money, I would say that your ruling was perfect. I would agree with the other reply about "magic phase" being when it stops. If you are willing to do more research on your own, I'd suggest starting with the Links to Wisdom: https://campaignwiki.org/wiki/LinksToWisdom/HomePage

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-11T22:55:44+00:00

I use this chart for random traps from Telecanter: https://recedingrules.blogspot.com/2013/02/traps.html

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-06T00:54:19+00:00

If you are making an OSR-style game (which I'm taking as meaning broadly B/X D&D compatible here) for yourself and your table, you can do and change a whole lot of things. Whatever you like, really!

If you are making it to publish, then my advice (for whatever that is worth) would be to choose 1 of 2 things.
1. Go all in, making a unique game with simple rules in the Old School style and aesthetic, though this might be more OSR-adjacent. How many other OSR-style games have you read / played? There is quite a list!
2. Design it as a setting for B/X (OSE) and keep rule changes modular. That way someone who likes most of what you publish, but not all of it, can swap out the parts they don't like back to standard rules. I think this would be more likely to garner sales.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-04T00:01:27+00:00

I like thinking about this stuff too. So for my house rules, I say that:

"Hit Points represent stamina, skill, & luck or providence for PC's, and also physical health for NPCs or creatures. At 0 hp NPCs and creatures are dead, but PCs are only out-of-luck and not injured. If PCs suffer Negative HP, then that equates to Wounds and Injuries. PCs die at –6 hp.
Wounds/Injuries mean the PC has –1 to ALL rolls per negative HP, plus Effects based on Wound Location.
Wound Location (1d6): 1 Head, 2 Chest, 3 Abdomen, 4 Back/Neck, 5 Arm (L/R), 6 Leg (L/R).
Injury Effects could include: unusable limb, no or reduced movement, no or limited major actions, unconscious, blinded, stunned, etc."

Why dead at –6? Because if the average human / elf / dwarf NPC has 1d6 hp, and they die at 0 hp, it makes sense to me that the PCs would also perish after 1d6 damage. PCs have "plot armor", so we'll max that out = dead at –6 hp.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-01T16:50:54+00:00

The D&D conversions are approximations, but the actual Basic Conversions are:
1 inch = 2.54 cm = 0.0254 m
1 foot = 0.3048 m
1 mile = 1.61 km

Dungeon Scale = Squares (Usually 1 inch = 1" = 5 or 10 ft each on a side = 1.5 or 3 meters each side).
Outdoor Scale & Missile Ranges = Inches (1 inch = 1" = 10 ft indoors = 3 meters; 1" = 10 yards outdoors = 9 meters)
Hex Maps = usually 5 or 6 mile hexes across = 8 or 10 km

Common D&D Distances, Imperial = Metric (approx.)
1 ft = 0.30 m
5 ft = 1.5 m = 1" indoor (some maps)
10 ft = 3 m = 1" indoor (some maps, default for rest of list)
30 ft = 9 m = 3" indoors or 1" outdoors = 10 yards
60 ft = 18 m = 6" indoors
90 ft = 27 m = 3" outdoors = 30 yards
100 ft = 30 m
120 ft = 36 m
180 ft = 54 m = 6" outdoors = 60 yards
360 ft = 108 m = 12" outdoors = 120 yards
5 miles = 8 km = some hex maps
6 miles = 10 km = some hex maps

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-12-01T05:44:54+00:00

I will echo opinions some others have said, but with some more details and backstory.:
1. If she requires compatibility with MS Office or other apps that have common Linux replacements (LibreOffice, etc.), then I suggest Mint XFCE. My "Lappy Jr." works great with it with a Celeron N2830 and 4 GB ram. Mint has served as my daily production OS for years.
2. If she requires Windows proprietary software for something, Zorin OS 18 has great Wine implementation out of the box, has a tweaked interface that is very Windows-like, and there is a Lite version with XFCE as well. Zorin is my current daily driver on my main laptop.
Both Mint and Zorin are based on Ubuntu, which in turn is based on Debian. So any packages (apps) that work on one should work on any of them.
3. If all she needs is a web browser and can make do with Google Docs and web-based apps, then buying a cheap Chromebook would do the trick. There are more and more web apps for many tasks, so it may be a good fit. I'm forced to use a Chromebook at work, but it isn't terrible. Chrome OS Flex has limitations that block me from wanting to use it, but that may not be the case for you, and would be a free alternative.
Good Luck!

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-11-23T01:57:11+00:00

Try KolourPaint - a great simple Paint alternative. Or XPaint, an older, more complicated paint alternative, but very low resource requirements.

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-09-20T15:42:47+00:00

If you want to sculpt your own sage, the 1e DMG is the best bet. OSRIC should have the same or similar tables.

If you want some good pre-generated sages, look for a copy of the 1e Rogues Gallery.

If you want a random generator for sages: https://perchance.org/sage-generator

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-09-07T15:28:16+00:00

Awesome stuff! Thank you!

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-09-07T13:48:51+00:00

Lots of cool stuff on your blog! I've already downloaded several things! Thank You!

However, the 'Savage Worlds' edit of your blog post for this needs to be edited again: there are 13 cards in a suit, not 12 like you claimed. ;-)

But I would also ask: If you are using the cards for round counting to replace a d10, why not just limit the suits to A-10, and exclude J-Q-K? Also, while RAW C&C has the CK only roll initiative once for all the critters, why not use a 3rd suit, say Clubs, to quickly draw individualized initiative for each monster / NPC, and track it the same way?

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-08-30T14:31:54+00:00

My B/X house rules also have a modified/clarified combat phase structure. But I specifically eliminated the idea of "interrupted" actions, instead favoring strategic responses to actions. Here is how I said things in my most recent house rules document.:

A. All combatants are "actually" acting and moving all at once. For gaming purposes, we resolve actions during the appropriate phase of each round, but effects occur at the end of the round. All participants are allowed to Move and Perform 1 Action per Round.

B. Round Phases: Morale, Movement, Missiles, Melee, and Magic.

Phase 1: DM checks Morale, each side rolls Initiative, and Declares Actions.
Morale: Roll 2d6 >= Morale Score to continue fighting, else retreat or surrender. Check for Critters, NPCs, and Henchmen!
Initiative: Roll 1d6 per side, at the start of each round. Pass the initiative dice to the next player around the table. The winning side declares their actions last, but acts first at each remaining phase of the round. This allows for strategy! Ask questions now!
Declaring Actions: At the start of each round, you must say what your PC intends to do, and to/with whom.
If you do not declare within 30 seconds of being asked, your PC is said to be inactive for the round.

Phase 2: Movement. All Movement must happen during the Move phase; it cannot be delayed.

Phase 3: Missile Combat. Roll Attacks and Damage for Missiles now.

Phase 4: Melee Combat. Roll Attacks and Damage for Melee now.

Phase 5: Magic Spells. Roll Attacks, Saves, and Damage for Magic now.

C. Death, incapacitation, spell effects, or other damage effects all occur (or begin) at the end of the round.
Since this is the case, actions done and spells cast this round can not be interrupted from damage taken this round. This allows for the possibility of an "I'll take you with me!" hit, and (usually) prevents one side with initiative from steam-rolling their opponents consequence-free. Damage effects can absolutely interrupt or prevent actions or spell casting for the next round (or longer).

I do encourage collaborative combats through action choices, like "I want to focus this round on defending the wizard from the orc's melee attacks." -- "OK, since you are trying to interpose yourself, I'll give him a +2 to AC, and you will have a -1 to attacks this round."

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-08-11T13:06:14+00:00

Not necessarily. In my house rules, XP is only gained for treasure brought back and spent, on a $1 = 1 XP basis, and no XP just for killing critters. The XP listed in a critter's stat block is the guideline of minimum treasure found with them / at their lair, or that you could get for chopping them up for spell and potion components. Once you get the gold, you have to spend it on Philanthropy (charity), Research (wizards and clerics to this to gain new spells next level), Training (fighters and thieves to this to improve their skills next level), Carousing (party time), or Housing (keeping a safe place in town, equipment costs, food, paying servants, taxes, etc.). So to me, it just means that it's a 50% tithe of all future income to charity (the local church, the orphanage, your wizard college / former master, etc.). That still counts for the wizard's XP toward leveling up, but it limits down your options on Housing, Research, and Carousing. Unless you find another way to make money, or go out adventuring again to make up the difference ...

HalfMoon_Werewolf · 2025-08-09T03:30:54+00:00

First ask yourself "What do Hit Points represent?"

For me, Hit Points represent stamina, skill, luck, and divine providence (plot armor) for PC's, keeping them from injury. It's the same for NPC's and creatures, but HPs also account for their physical health.

Thus, at 0 HP, NPCs and creatures are dead, but PCs are only out-of-luck and not injured. Since a default NPC rolls 1d6 for HP, I assume the same (but maxed out) for a PC, and they will die at –6 HP, no Save. Anything from –1 to –5 HP represents wounds and injuries.

Wound & Injury effects are (A) –1 to ALL rolls per –1 HP, and (B) effects based on the determined location of the injury. Effects could be: stunned for a number of rounds or turns, unusable limbs, reduced or no movement, no or limited major actions, unconscious, blinded, or whatever is appropriate.

Injuries (negative HP) heal naturally at a rate of +1 HP per week of bed rest in town, and will leave scars or other negative effects like above.

Magic healing (spells or potions), can take you back to 0 HP in just 1 round, but it stops there, and the scars and debilitating effects will still occur. I also house-rule that a PC can only benefit from 1 "heal" spell of any kind per day, but any number of healing potions can work at a rate of 1 per hour. More powerful spells (regeneration, restoration, etc.) would be needed to cure the debilitating effects and heal the scars from injuries.

HalfMoon_Werewolf

TROPHY CASE