I'm doing normal D&D where you go into the hole and die, but I've seen lots of OSR blogs pushing "death and dismemberment" tables that disfigure you, while at the same time indirectly giving you extra chances to live because you don't die immediately because you lose an arm instead.

Another question about spending gold to gain XP:

Are there limits for how much you can spend? For instance, let's say you somehow luck into 10,000 gp while you are level 1 and return to town to spend it on carousing. Can you just spend all 10,000 gp and get 10,000 experience? Or does it cap out? If it caps out, can you spend that money later to gain the experience?

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146082I'm doing normal D&D where you go into the hole and die, but I've seen lots of OSR blogs pushing "death and dismemberment" tables that disfigure you, while at the same time indirectly giving you extra chances to live because you don't die immediately because you lose an arm instead.

Did you know about the "Lingering Injuries" optional rule in the DMG 5e, p.259?  There are a bunch of optional rules prese ted in chapter 9, including: slow healing, level trainers, no skills, and a whole bunch of other things you can incorporate i to your game to make it more "Old School".  

Also, you described running a campaign where players come in and out of each session.  A game that is player driven where they would tell you what they want to do based on what their characters need (if I understand correctly).  You might want to consoder a "West Marches" style of game.  Matt Coleville explains exactly what that is in this video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-BZAjzUBYmU

Yup, I love West Marches. This one is more in the megadungeon vein.

Another question:

In Old School Essentials, it lists that traps only go off 2 out of 6 times if they get triggered. If someone is tapping it with a ten foot pole or something to trigger it, do you TELL the player they found a trap if they trigger it but it doesn't go off? I am wondering what happens when they find out there's a trap that didn't go off with their 10 foot pole and just keep tapping it until it goes off.

mAcular, it's funny you mention 'open table' D&D, because that's kind of how the few D&D/Pathfinder MUX games are set up. People roll up PCs, login and catch scenes/plots/dungeons as they can, with GMs handling experience, treasure rolls, etc.

As far as character death goes: while I don't see myself as being outright inclined to kill PCs, I don't see any reason to step on Darwin's toes. I also am VERY willing to punish a party that goes out of their way to do something stupid (especially if they foul it up).

If the thief wants to pocket a spoon from the royal dinner as a memento, I personally wouldn't care. If the thief attempts to engineer a heist of the royal treasury during said dinner, and blows it? Oh, my sweet summer child, I hope you weren't too attached to that character...

There was a rather entertaining tale I recall from the /tg/ archives about a player who foolishly arranged for the kidnapping of a paladin's infant child and the murder of said paladin's wife -- except one of his assassins got caught. My reaction would've been, 'So, uh... guess this is gonna be your blaze of glory, huh? That paladin's like 8 levels higher than you and has five times more friends...'

MUX? Like those old text based rpg games?

Haha, I love situations like that Paladin one. Would you make the player play out them getting caught and killed or just say it happens?

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146086Are there limits for how much you can spend? For instance, let's say you somehow luck into 10,000 gp while you are level 1 and return to town to spend it on carousing. Can you just spend all 10,000 gp and get 10,000 experience? Or does it cap out? If it caps out, can you spend that money later to gain the experience?

I'm sure that the rulebook specifies only one level maximum gained per adventure, but that's something that you could house rule if it bothers you. I guess a good DM would be careful not to leave 10,000 GP around unless he had a plan for how it would impact the players. (Maybe you want your players to level up in a hurry to prep them for a particular module, but you don't want to just start them there because it would kill their "grown through adventure" backstory.)

One more question! (Man I am burying this thread in them.)

Magic Users could research their own spells. Was there a level requirement to this or could you start making your own spells all the way back at level 1? Is it only stuff you get on level up?

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146189One more question! (Man I am burying this thread in them.)

Magic Users could research their own spells. Was there a level requirement to this or could you start making your own spells all the way back at level 1? Is it only stuff you get on level up?

No level restriction in the 1e DMG AIR but it costs thousands of gold to even attempt.

What do you need to do? Just tell the DM "hey I want to make a spell, here's some gold," and you're off to the races?

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146203What do you need to do? Just tell the DM "hey I want to make a spell, here's some gold," and you're off to the races?

QuoteThe cost of research: The basic cost for spell research is only 200 gold pieces per spell level per week. Note, however, that this assumes that the researcher has a laboratory (or shrine in the case of a cleric) and library at hand (built up in gaining levels of experience and whatever other reasons are applicable). To the base cost must be added a weekly variable of 100 to 400 gold pieces per level of the spell, the variable accounting for additional materials needed. If no library of materials is owned by the researcher, the base cost increases by a factor of 10 (2,000 gold pieces per spell level per week), the researcher being assumed to be acquiring arcane texts and scrolls, thus creating a library. The player must establish the amount to be spent, based on his or her appraisal of the level, without assistance from the DM!...

Research Materials: Acquisition of materials includes not only texts and scrolls, but also various components for the material needs of the spell. Written works cover the whole spectrum of knowledge, as the researcher must be aware of any and all aspects of the magic he or she wishes to use. Thus, works on history, geography, astrology, alchemy, etc. must be obtained. [DMG 1e, pp. 115-116]

Adventuring is not possible during research. The player must present a typed copy of the proposed spell to the DM. Impossibility of success is not communicated to the player. Note that clerics can also research their own spells, and this is a useful way to differentiate one cleric from another. New spells are confidential and belong to that character only.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146160MUX? Like those old text based rpg games?

Yup. It does lend itself well to 'stunting' and describing awesomeness.

QuoteHaha, I love situations like that Paladin one. Would you make the player play out them getting caught and killed or just say it happens?

I'd make that dumb SOB suffer. This guy was supposed to be a cleric of Asmodeus and while the Lord of Darkness likes ambition, he hates failure and stupidity.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146189One more question! (Man I am burying this thread in them.)

Magic Users could research their own spells. Was there a level requirement to this or could you start making your own spells all the way back at level 1? Is it only stuff you get on level up?

Cloyer Bulse has it pretty much on target, although I'd be willing to cut some deals if it's a modification of an existing (and known) spell.

For example, let's say your magic-user knows fireball, and wants to develop a better effect (something like Fallion's fabulous fireball, from Dragon #123). I could be convinced to reduce the costs in that case since you're only adding some options to the spell (for this example, allowing the launched fireball to turn corners and being able to modify the area of effect).

It seems strange that Clerics can also research. The Wizards can't choose their spells that they gain, right? But Clerics can. They already have an advantage. But they can research their own spells too? On top of that lore-wise they're getting the spells granted as miracles from gods so it's strange to just make their own...

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146203What do you need to do? Just tell the DM "hey I want to make a spell, here's some gold," and you're off to the races?

The player has to come up with the first draft of the spell they want to create, and submit it to the DM for discussion, revision, and approval. Only then does the research time for the character start.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1146228It seems strange that Clerics can also research. The Wizards can't choose their spells that they gain, right? But Clerics can. They already have an advantage. But they can research their own spells too? On top of that lore-wise they're getting the spells granted as miracles from gods so it's strange to just make their own...

Clerics don't "make" spells so much as beseech their patrons for a particular ability to do something new. As for Clerics having the advantages you mention in general -- yes, Clerics are a very powerful class. Part of the "balance" between classes takes into account the relative popularity of the classes among players, in order to achieve a better party mix. Since fewer people chose to play Clerics based on archetype alone, a bit of power-imbalance helped to create party-balance.

If you can research your own spells... can't you just research the spell you want to find instead of actually finding it? Or is that the point?