Into the Gungeon: a Run n' Gun/Bullet Hell Hack for Into the Odd


Into the Gungeon is a weird little Into the Odd hack that I've been tinkering with for some time (helped a great deal by Bull Lee from the OSR Discord), inspired by my deep affection for Run n' Gun/Bullet Hell twin stick shooters like Nuclear Throne and Enter the Gungeon, though it could be used to model something like Borderlands, Destiny, or any other Looter Shooter as well, with a bit of tweaking. 

There's always been something deeply satisfying to me about ridiculous, over the top gunplay, from John Woo's The Killer, to John Wick or The Matrix, to the aforementioned games that have each sucked up hundreds of hours of my time. 
Something about the clear dramatic force and attention that a gunfight commands captures my imagination and demands my love - a proper gunfight, that is, not the sort with brooding soldiers crouching behind chest high walls, but the sort where a mutated fish dodgerolls a mile a minute while firing a plasma cannon whose shots envelop the entire battlefield in exploding green fireworks, or a woman in a flowing white trenchcoat racks up headshots with a set of golden pistols while running on the ceiling, or the sort where a sentient bullet fires a bullet that shoots guns that shoot other, smaller, bullets at a foe who is, in fact, the Bullet King. 
The following set of of rules is a weird little ode to that love. It requires knowledge/a copy of Into the Odd to be fully functional, but even without that I think you could probably roll with it as is. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, any feedback, critiques, etc. are welcome. The system has gone through a lot of iterations, so if you spot contradictions or inconsistencies, let me know. 


Into the Gungeon

Character Creation
Stats
Roll 3d6 for your Stats in order. You may swap any two stats.
Run
Run covers defense, mobility, reaction, and finesse. It encompasses both your characters physical body and their control over it. Taking damage to Run means you have been put in compromised defensive positions, suffered a loss of mobility or motor control, or have been physically injured. If you ever have 0 Run, you have died. Run can be restored with rest and medical attention, the intensity of which depends of the severity of the wound(s) (GM’s discretion).  When converting stats from Into the Odd, Run maps to Dexterity.
Gun
Gun covers gunfighting and action during combat. It represents the  mastery, ammunition, focus, positioning, and muscle memory it takes to effectively use your guns in combat. Taking damage to Gun means you have been put in a bad tactical position, are distracted, or are running low on ammo. If you ever have 0 Gun, you are unable to engage in combat. Gun can be restored with a minute or two of calm and focus or with a significant change in positioning (GM’s discretion). When converting stats from Into the Odd, Gun maps to Strength. 
Cool
Cool covers how clever, savvy, and self assured your character is. It represents your ability to keep cool and avoid persuasion, charm, intimidation, and any other attempts to influence you. Taking damage to Cool means you are swayed, seduced, frightened, or otherwise not in control of your thoughts and emotions. If you ever have 0 Cool, you are panicked, insane, or brain dead. Cool can be restored with rest, relaxation, carousing, meditation, or another equivalent action appropriate to your character (GM’s discretion). When converting stats from Into the Odd, Cool maps to Willpower.

Other Things to Keep Track Of
Guns Equipped
Gun determines how many guns you can have equipped at a time: 1 for every 5 points of Gun, rounded down, minimum 1. (Equipped Guns still take up Equipment Slots as normal.)
Equipment Slots
Run determines how many Equipment Slots you have: 1 for every point of Run, minimum 5. 
Spells and Artifacts
Cool determines the number of Spells and Artifacts you can carry without mutation or curses: 1 for every 5 points of Cool, rounded down, minimum 1.  (Spells and Artifacts still take up Equipment Slots as normal)
Stockpile
your group has a communal Stockpile of ammunition. After a gunfight that lasts more than 1 round or whenever the GM demands it, roll 1d6. On a 5-6 your Stockpile does not decrease, on anything else and it decreases by 1 Step. 
Your Groups Stockpile determines how many reloads each character has per fight, like so:
A Lot of Ammo: 3 Reloads
Enough Ammo: 2 Reloads
A Little Ammo: 1 Reload
Equipment
Determine starting equipment however you'd like. Each character starts with 1 Gun, generated from the Gun Tables. 
Combat Training
Starting Combat Training
Roll for whatever starting Combat Training your character has. More advanced Combat Training is available, but only from Masters, who must be found in game.

d10
Starting Combat Training
1
The One
You may dodge twice without suffering disadvantage before moving
2
Quick Reload
Reloading takes 1 action
3
Dodge Roll
When dodging a shot, you can choose to take take a move action for free at the same time
4
Two Fisted
As 1 action, you may fire 2 guns, as per Two Weapon Fighting
5
Way of the Blade
When you use melee weapons, treat them as though they have 3 Ammo. In melee, Returning Fire prevents your attack, but does no damage.
6
Quick Switch
Switching Weapons takes 1 action
7
Gun-Fu
As 1 action, you may put a target at Point Blank range without letting them save.
8
Dodge Reload
You may Reload a gun while dodging: this still costs one of your Reloads
9
Sniper
Increase the range of all your guns by 1 step
10
Trick Shot
Roll for a gun ability: you may attempt to give any gun this ability for 1 turn. Doing so costs 2 actions. Roll 1d6: on a 5-6 the gun gets the ability.



Procedures of Play


Core Mechanic

Mechanics and tenants of play are essentially identical to Into the Odd with a few variations.

When you want to do something, describe how you are attempting to do it, and the GM will tell you how much time it takes you, or if it is impossible. The longer it takes you to accomplish a task, the more times the GM will roll the Hazard Die or whatever encounter die they use, and the more danger you risk. Being good or trained at something means you can do it faster, and thus risk less rolls of the Hazard die. So if you were trained as a thief, picking a simple lock might not take enough time to call for a Hazard Roll at all, and if you're very strong, lifting a boulder might not take long enough to call for a roll.(Note, this game requires that you make use of a hazard/encounter die, which you ought to be anyway. There’s a lot of good ones out there to steal if you’d like. I use Meandering Banter's)

When you want to avoid something bad happening to you, explain how you’re resisting, then roll a d20, add whichever stat is most relevant to your effort, and try to beat 20 (so roll 21+). If you do, you avoid whatever bad thing would have otherwise happened to you. Doing this is called making a save.



Combat

Initiative
When it’s not immediately obvious which side should go first in combat, have the leader of each group roll a Gun save, higher roll means that that leader’s side goes first. If a player wants to try to act before someone else, they may make a Gun save. On a failure, they act after everyone else in play has acted, on a success, they act first. 
Actions
At the start of your turn, roll a Gun save. If you succeed, you may take 2 actions. If you fail, you are rattled, and make only take 1.  You may take the same action more than once. 
Gunfighting
Firing 
Firing takes 1 action. When you fire your gun, subtract 1 from your Ammo. Your target Returns Fire, rolling a Gun save. 
If they fail, you roll your gun’s damage. 
If they succeed, you roll damage with disadvantage.
Two Weapon Fighting
Firing a gun in each hand takes 2 actions, and subtracts 1 from the Ammo of each gun you’re using. Roll damage for both weapons, but only use the highest roll. 
Range
Range is broken down into Close, Short, Medium, and Long. For every 1 range increment over or under your weapon’s range your opponent is, your weapon’s damage die decreases by 1. 
Point Blank
If your opponent is within Close Range, you may attempt to put them at Point Blank Range. If you do, they have to roll a Gun save. If they succeed, they remain at Close Range. If they fail, they are now at Point Blank Range. At Point Blank Range, you can only Dodge, never Return Fire, and regardless of your weapon’s range, your damage die is normal. 
Returning Fire, and Damage
When you are shot at, you may choose to Return Fire, rolling a Gun save.
If you fail, your opponent rolls damage and deals it to your Ammo. This represents your uncontrolled firing, preventing your opponent from hitting you, but wasting your ammo in the process. 
If you succeed, your opponent rolls damage with Disadvantage, as you Return Fire more calmly, your shots more on target, wasting less ammo while preventing your opponent from hitting you. 
If you have no Ammo left, the damage is dealt to your Gun stat, as your confidence is shaken, you get forced into bad tactical positions, etc.. At 0 Gun you are incapable of attacking, as your confidence is shaken, your positioning too bad, etc. If you are shot at and have 0 Gun, you can only attempt to Dodge. 
Ammo
Every gun has an Ammo value. This is an abstraction of that weapons ammo capacity, not a direct tracking of each and every bullet. Each point of Ammo represents 1 possible shot with that gun, regardless of whether that shot is a spray of machine gun fire, the sweep of a long range laser beam, or a single bullet from a revolver. Ammo is analogous to HP in Into the Odd, but when converting enemies from Into the Odd, determine their Ammo based on their weaponry, not their HP stat. Ammo is not restored in between fights. 
Dodging
When you are shot at, instead of Returning Fire, you may choose to Dodge. To do so, you roll a Run save. 
If you fail, your opponent rolls damage and deals it to your Run, hitting you directly. Whenever you take Run damage, you must make a Run save vs Mortal Wounds. 
If you succeed, you take no damage. 
Once you have Dodged, until you Move, all subsequent Dodges are rolled at Disadvantage 
Armor
Armor reduces damage taken to Run, 1 point of damage per 1 point of Armor. Heavy Armor gives you Disadvantage on all Run saves.
Reloads
Reloading takes 2 actions. You have a number of Reloads equal to your group’s current Stockpile. When you Reload, restore the Ammo of the gun you are using to max. 
Switching Guns
Switching Guns takes 2 actions. You may switch from one to another of any of your currently equipped Guns. Switching guns resets your Ammo to the Ammo of the new gun, provided the guns use different Ammo types, but does not reset reloads. 
Movement 
Movement in this game is primarily abstract: Tell the GM where you want to move, and they will tell you if it will take you 1 or 2 actions to get there. Movement in this game is also highly dramatic and unrealistic: run on tables
Bob ‘n Weave
If you spend 2 actions doing nothing but moving evasively (wallrunning, sliding under tables, etc) without changing your Range, until the start of your next turn, you Dodge with Advantage 
Melee Combat
Melee combat is handled in the same way as Gunfighting, with a few exceptions:
All melee combatants have 0 Ammo
All melee weapons cannot be used outside of Close Range
If someone Returns Fire in response to a melee attacker, the attacker must Dodge or take the defender's weapon damage to Run.
Optional Combat Maneuvers 
Whether these options are in the game or not is up to the GM and the complexity of the combats they want to run. I personally would recommend them, as they aren’t in themselves very complicated and can mostly be remembered with common sense.
Overwatch
Going on Overwatch takes 1 action. When you are on Overwatch, until the start of your next turn, you may fire a shot at the first enemy to move, attack, or take other significant actions within your line of sight (GM’s discretion). 
Focus
Focusing takes 1 action. Until the start of your next turn, all your Gun saves are made with Advantage
Suppress
Suppressing takes 1 action and costs 1 Ammo. Choose the target you are Suppressing. Until the start of your next turn, that target makes all Gun saves with Disadvantage. 



Guns 
Whenever the characters find a gun, roll on the following tables to generate it. Make sure you name your gun after it has been generated. 

EDIT: I've automated the generators, just a few clicks and you'll have 1 of a few million unique possible guns!



d3
Grip
1
1 Handed
2
2 Handed
3
Has to be mounted on a stand or tripod

d6
Ammo types
1
Bullets
Bullets are easy to come by: while using a bullet weapon you have 2 reloads on scarce ammo rather than 1
2
Energy
+1 to damage dice -1 to Reloads
3
Shells
Damage dice do not decrease if your opponent is under your weapon’s range. For every 1 range increment over your weapon’s range your opponent is, your weapon’s damage dice decrease by 2.
4
Explosives
+1 damage dice when affecting inanimate objects and structures
5
Bolts
+1 to range. If your opponent chooses to Return Fire, your damage dice are decreased by 1, minimum d6.
6
Spells
A target hit by your gun does not take damage but instead is affected by whatever spell the gun carries. If a save applies, they may still save. The “caster” of the spell can either be the gun itself, or the wielder of the gun, decided by the GM when the gun is first picked up. The spell the gun carries is determined by rolling on a table of Random Spells (I use Wonder and Wickedness, but you can use whatever you'd like) If the spell is a ritual, the gun is a core component of the ritual and must be used throughout in addition to any other components.





d6
Ammo: Each gun can hold a certain amount of Ammo. Ammo both allows you to attack and to protect yourself. To be caught without Ammo is to risk mortal injury or death.
1
3 Ammo
2
6 Ammo
3-4
8 Ammo
5
10 Ammo
6
12 Ammo



d6
Damage
1
d6
2
d8
3
d10
4
d12
5
2d6
6
None



d4
Range: for every 1 range increment over or under your weapon’s range your opponent is, your weapon’s damage die decreases by 1.
1
Close
2
Short
3
Medium
4
Long



d20
What’s it Made Of?
1-2
Metal
3-4
Precious Metal
5
Gemstone
6
Stone
7
Ceramic
8
Wood
9
Folded Paper
10
Crystal
11
Flesh
12
Bone/Horn/Teeth
13
It’s An Animal!
14
Plastic
15
Ice
16
Solid Light
17
Glass
18
Living Plant(s)
19-20
Roll twice and combine



Appearance (Roll Twice)
1
Antique
2
Dirty
3
Delicate
4
Brutal
5
Primitive
6
Futuristic
7
Obnoxious
8
Flamboyant
9
Sleek
10
Confusing
11
Disgusting
12
Beautiful



Number of Issues
1-2
0
3-4
1
5
2
6
3



d10
Issues
1
Special Ammo
This gun requires unique ammunition. It cannot be reloaded unless you specifically have whatever unique ammo it requires
2
Blinding Fire
When you fire this gun you must save or be blinded, taking disadvantage on all relevant rolls for the next two turns
3
Deafening Fire
When you fire this gun you must save or be deafened, taking disadvantage on all relevant rolls for the next two turns
4
Clunky
Swapping to this gun takes 3 actions. 
5
Slow Reload
Reloading this gun takes 3 actions
6
Heavy
This gun requires a Run score of 15 or higher to use
7
Fragile
This gun breaks if you take Run damage while using it
8
Slow Firing
This gun requires 2 actions to fire
9
Ammo Hungry
Firing this gun costs 2 Ammo, and when you Return Fire, your opponent rolls damage to your Ammo with Advantage.
10
Finicky
When reloading this gun, roll a d6. On a 1-3, the gun jams and you must spend an action unjamming it before you can fire.



Number of Curses
Roll 1d10: on a 1, the gun has a curse, and you roll again.





Curses
1
Demanding
This gun must be fired every turn, and if it has any optional abilities, those abilities must always be selected.
2
Devouring
This gun devours one of your other guns (determined randomly) when you first pick it up.
3
Sadistic
All enemies damage dice are increased against you while you have this gun Equipped
4
Withering
All plant life within a large zone around the gun (20-30 ft) dies when this gun is fired
5
Aging
Firing this gun ages you a year
6
Plagued
When you first pick up this gun, save or contract whatever disease it carries
7
Punishing
Whenever you fire this gun and do no damage, you must save or take damage according to this gun’s damage die
8
Bloodthirsty
Whenever you kill someone with this gun, you must save or on your next turn immediately try to kill the closest target, friend or foe. You may save every round against this affect.
9
Insane
When you pick this gun up, you gain a random insanity
10
Apocalyptic
When you fire this gun, the local weather immediately changes, becoming bizarre and terrifying. Raining blood, frogs, clouds of mercury, etc. This weather lasts until the following day.
11
Binding
Once you pick this gun up it cannot leave your grasp
12
Possession
When you pick this gun up, and as long as you have it equipped, you become possessed by the spirit of the gun. The GM will tell you what your gun in particular wants/needs.



Number of Abilities
1
0
2-3
1
4-5
2
6
3



d50
Abilities: these are just 50 that I could think of off the top of my head: add, modify, or subtract from these in any way you'd like.
1
Automatic
Each turn that you fire this weapon consecutively its damage die increases by 1
2
Semi-Automatic
As Automatic, but can only increase once.
3
Area
A shot from this gun affects the target and anyone adjacent. Dodging a shot from this gun only reduces the damage by ½ on a success.
4
Homing
If a shot from this gun does not hit a target on the turn it is fired, on the next turn the shot must be dodged or it will hit its target
5
Conductive
If a shot from this gun hits a target, the closest creature to them must make a Run save or be hit by the shot as well. The closest creature to that target must make a Run save as well or be hit, etc until someone makes their save.
6
Delayed
If a shot from this gun hits a target, it does no damage, but does double damage on the next turn unless it can be somehow removed or neutralized
7
Nonlethal
If a creature hit by a shot from this gun would die they are instead knocked unconscious
8
Spread
Dodging a shot from this gun only reduces the damage by ½ on a success.
9
Concealable
Until you draw this gun, it is invisible to everything but an extremely thorough search.
10
Independent
This gun can function without you firing it, though it listens to your orders; treat it as a separate character with its own stats and turn. It can take 1 hit before breaking.
11
Mobile
This gun can move on its own. If you are wielding the gun, you get one free move per turn.
12
Cannibal
You may deal damage to yourself equal to this gun’s damage die in order to reload it without spending an action. You may do this even if you are out of reloads.
13
Vampire
Killing someone with this gun heals you for as much damage as the killing shot dealt.
14
Voracious
When you kill someone with this gun you may choose to reload. This reload does not cost an action but does use one of your reloads.
15
Frenzied
When you kill someone with this gun you may immediately take a free move action
16
Brutal
Killing someone with this gun increases the guns damage die by 1
17
Grasping
When you kill someone with this gun, its range increased by 1 until the end of your next turn.
18
Piercing
On a hit, this gun deals half damage to a target standing behind the original target. On a kill, it deals full damage
19
Ricochet
If a shot from this gun does not hit a target, on the turn after it was fired, a random target within range must dodge or be hit by the shot
20
Lingering
On a miss, this gun creates a small zone centered on where the bullet hit. Anyone in that zone at the end of their turn takes the gun’s damage.
21
Snatching
Anyone hit by this gun must make a save or have you steal one of their items
22
Push
Anyone hit by this gun must save or be pushed back
23
Pull
As an action, you can designate a specific point on the ground within this gun’s range.  Anyone hit by this gun must save or be pulled to that point
24
Knockdown
Anyone hit by this gun must save or be knocked prone
25
Insubstantial
This gun ignores cover and armor but also cannot damage cover or armor
26
Terrifying
Anyone hit by this gun must save or spend their first action next round fleeing from you
27
Lock-on
As your turn, you may apply a lock-on to one target. The next shot fired against this target must be dodged, and the target dodges at disadvantage
28
Swap
This gun has two or more traits that it can swap between. You can swap between one trait and another as an action
29
Consuming
This gun consumes one of your other guns (determined randomly) when you first pick it up. It gains the traits of the devoured gun and takes the stats of the devoured gun if they are better than its own.
30
Charged Range
As an action you can charge this gun, increasing the range of its next shot by 1 step
31
Charged Damage
As an action you can charge this gun, increasing its damage die on its next shot by 1
32
Charged Trait
Roll for an additional trait. As an action, you can charge this gun, allowing it to use that trait on its next shot.
33
Freezing
A target hit by this gun must save or be frozen: a frozen target is unable to do anything but free itself, which takes its entire turn.
34
Snare
A target hit by this gun must save or be snared to the ground where it is standing: it cannot move from that location until it frees itself, which requires a full turn.
35
Corpse Explosion
Anyone killed by this gun explodes, forcing anyone near the explosion to make a save or take damage according to the gun’s damage die
36
EMP
Any electronics hit by this gun must save or be disabled for their next turn
37
Blinding
Anyone hit by this gun must save or be blinded, taking disadvantage on all relevant rolls for the next two turns
38
Deafening
Anyone hit by this gun must save or be deafened, taking disadvantage on all relevant rolls for the next two turns
39
Flame
Anyone hit by this gun must save or catch on fire
40
Corrosive
Anyone hit by this gun must save or have one of their items destroyed
41
Poisoned
Anyone hit by this gun must save or be poisoned by whatever poison the gun carries
42
Diseased
Anyone hit by this gun must save or contract whatever disease the gun carries
43
Multifunction
This gun can also function as a random tool or melee weapon, decided when you roll this trait
44
Expanding
This guns shot’s expand the further they travel, increasing their damage die by 1 for every range increment they travel
45
Deceptive
This gun fires two shots, 1 real, 1 illusory. You must select 2 different targets for the 2 shots.
46
Quantum
When firing this gun, do not expend ammo until it has been determined whether your target is taking damage or not. If they are, expend ammo, if not, do not.
47
Stunning
A target hit by this gun must save or take 1 less action on their next turn
48
Tracking
When you hit a target with this gun, so long as they still have the wound from the hit and you have this gun equiped, you are aware of their location
49
Silent
Shots from this gun cannot be detected by any but the most powerful hearing
50
Ego Killer
This gun damages Cool instead of Run 



Sample Gun

Grip: 1 handed

Ammo Type: Explosives

Ammo: 8

Damage: d12

Range: Close
What's It Made Of?: Crystal
Appearance: Antique and Beautiful 
Issues: Blinding Fire, Slow Reload, Fragile
Curses: None
Abilities: Charged Range, Poisoned

Based on this, I'm imagining a shard of crystalline radiation, beautiful in the way impossible things are beautiful, a relic from a time of horrifically dazzling wars, its light creeping across your body, burning cold, a sickening turn in your stomach as you unleash it, a detonation of poisoned radiance. 
Let's call it the Nuclear Prism. 




Comments

  1. HELL YEAH. I'll give this a closer read at some point, but it's looking very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just got addicted to enter the gungeon this weekend and googled to see if anyone had made an enter the gungeon OSR hack, to find that this was just posted yesterday haha. This is very cool!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice. Very nice. I rather like Into the Odd, though I’ve also become enamoured of systems with 4 stats rather than 3 so have been contemplating running a 4 stat version of ItO. Since you mention ‘The Matrix’, it occurred to me while reading that a 4th stat, if desired, could be ‘Trix’. Your connection to the matrix, if that is your setting (which I’d use) and/or the universe in general. Your ability to suss out tricks by others: traps, deception, anything that isn’t quite what it seems. A bit of an Intelligence/Perception stat, though I prefer the name ‘Wit’ which I got from playing too many years of Flashing Blades. But I think I’d go with it as is, because it looks pretty damn cool all by itself.

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