Shifty Louts Change Log

30 Dec, 2025

The ongoing change log of my heartbreaker, Shifty Louts, as it's developed over the course of 2025 and into 2026 in the Purple OSR Discord Server.

Note: A quick character generator can be found here: https://perchance.org/shifty-louts

CHANGE LOG

3.??.25 - Casting Space/Distance: d6 + caster level + total words in feet

3.??.25 - AOE / Blasting-type Spells: Spell dmg attacks (d6 + caster level) with a blast quality affect all targets in the noted area, rolling separately for each affected character. Blast refers to anything from explosions to huge cleaving onslaughts to the impact of a meteorite. If unsure how many targets can be affected, roll the related damage die for a result.

5.12.25 - In Instances of an ADV of Successful to Hit Roles with 1 Roll Resulting in Broken AC: The Player can choose which roll to take

5.19.25 - Items & Prices: Harnplayer Guide Book

5.19.25 - Got rid of copper, silver, and gold pieces. Moved strictly to silver pieces and still have 1:1 as XP

5.19.25 - Added carousing procedures.

5.26.25 - Spell Concentration beyond 10 minutes: d6 + casting level in rounds to make rounds = spell slots expended. If hit, concentration is broken.

5.26.26 - Spells by default last 10 minutes or until another spell is cast

5.26.25 - Clarified “with your last breath” rule.

5.27.25 - Added “Magic” and “Combat” h1s. Magic deals with magic specifics, while Combat further details the combat turn system.

5.27.25 - Added list of Item prices from Harnplayer Book

5.27.25 - Added “Gambits”

6.5.25 - Added “Other Ideas” section for moments of inspiration and other various gaming bric-a-brac

6.16.25 - Added “Other Forms to Experience” to make xp gain not strictly tied to treasure, and where more narrative elements are given xp values.

7.1.25 - Clarified Magical Misfire entries “Curse of the Grizzlystrix”, “Touch of Darkness”, and “Spell-Stricken” for clarity.

7.1.25 - Clarified language around the exact meaning of ADV on healing rolls.

7.3.25 - Added Surprise, Reaction, Distance to Other Thoughts

7.5.25 - Added Monster stats to Other Thoughts on how to convert other OSR stat blocks to Shifty Louts

7.5.25 - Added morale procedure rolls to the Combat section for clarity.

7.5.25 - Added example of Your Last Breath to better illustrate and clarify.

7.5.25 - Added more examples to the Magic section to better illustrate spell construction and implemented more terminology to better classify magic effects that players have wanted to do during play (Sculpt Energy, Tricks, Practical Magic). That verbiage comes from Dodge, Perry, Blocks’ breakdown of magic.

7.6.25 - Added increased Magikal Misfire chance and HP usage for more than 2-Word Sculpt Energy spells given to offset damage output.

7.6.25 - Added + caster level to damage for Magikal Misfire entries, Touched with Darknes,s and + 1 per Word damage + caster level to Eye of the Blast

7.8.25 - Added Fatigue / Sleep rules based upon Cairn and Dolmenwood camping procedures, given my instance on using Weather during game play.

8.8.25: Updated Weapons and Armor for 1HD Groups to include more traditional OSR/DnD AC and weapons models

8.11.25: Updated Wizard starting talent to read “3 languages” instead of all languages. These 3 languages can be decided upon during gameplay

8.11.25: Renamed the Diviner as Zealot. In my mind, this better represents the truer nature of the Cleric as presented in ODnD. Luke Gearing writes this “They are unsupported by their ‘home’ religion - consider that the OD&D cleric cannot call upon support from their religion, despite nominally being its representative. Rather than adventuring for the glory of the Church, they instead gather power to build a new temple - the centre of their new sect. They gather the “faithful” (converts) and build strength, independent and answerable to only their God. . .this also retains the different relationship to magic they have as compared to Magic-User: the MU uses Magic to achieve something. The [Zealot] [sic] remains devotional.”

8.11.25: Updated the Zealot starting talent by getting rid of cards/bones and 1 Spell, pointing the stated destination to “ADV to hit all undead creatures” and 1 Miracle. Found that these types of characters led to PCs overusing/abusing the class ability

8.11.25: Added Miracles section to differentiate between Zealot and Wizard more.

8.11.25 - Added Updated Reaction Roll Table

8.12.25 - Updated Carousing dice levels and added verbiage to indicate how LUCK may improve during Stat increases during Advancement.

8.12.25 - Got rid of “This multiple dice chain may continue for each maximum result die rolled.” from Variable Exploding Damage.

8.12.25 Added “Class Aspects”. The Thief’s jetons are borrowed from Errant, the Zealot borrows from Miracles and Table of Woe from both Errant and DPB, the Fighter’s Combat Feats from Errant Martial Prowess comes from DBP, the Barbarian from Luke Gearing’s Grand Unified Theory of Magic and Tales From Elsewhere’s 5.5e Barbarian Rage rework, and the Wizard’s Thaumaturgical Magik borrowed from Micah Anderson’s Bastards, Ben Milton’s Maze Rats, and Thriftomancer’s Incantations booklet. The Acrobat’s class aspect was something of my own creation.

8.13.25 Added more info regarding the Acrobat’s Masks, excised “Variable Weapon Damage” as functionally in play we never incorporated it, and with now more developed class talent’s the need isn’t as required.

8.16.25 - Added Radiation Table, Man-to-Man Combat table, and Races Table in the Other Rules

8.17.25 - Added Mutations Table in the Other Rules

8.31.25 - Added 3 NPC Stat Lines in the Other Rules

9.1.25 - Added Piecemeal Armor Values for more Armor granularity given the Harn Price List

9.12.25 - Added Casting Miracle rules as well as the Prayer mechanic to the Zealot class

9.14.25 - Updated Exertion to have an optional rule variant as “If you fail, you can pay X stat points to succeed. X = margin of failure” and Violence rules for hitting exactly enemy AC exactly from simply reducing AC by 1 to “automatic glancing blow: deal half damage”

10.8.25 - Added a Whitehack-inspired AC variant. Still not happy with how armor works in Shifty Louts. I like the idea of Piecemeal Armor, but it's tough to implement quickly and smoothly at the table. Hopefully, the Whitehack-inspired table makes things conversion easier.

10.8.25 - Nixed starting weapon abilities and changed “piece of armor to “shield”

10.8.25 - Updated Armor in Equipment section.

10.8.25 - Update general layout. Trimming Ideas Borrowed and putting them into its own dedicated page

10.8.25 - Changed Zealot’s starting ability from ADV to hit / dmg undead to “ADV on dmg against enemies of your faith”

10.8.25 - Cleaned up the starting intro section.

10.9.25 - Added additional Rage feats to the Barbarian

10.9.25 - Changed the spell slot number to half WIS instead of full WIS for Wizards after playtesting and to bring it in alignment with most of the class abilities.

10.10.25 - Added more Primal Fury moves for the Barbarian

10.10.25 - Added foraging, hunting, and fishing rules

10.15.25 - Updated Morale Rules to use d20 under AV (10+HD) instead of a 2d6 roll.

10.15.25 - Flattened Word Scaling for Wizard Spells. Instead of +1d6 per level per extra word, made it just +1d6 per extra word, period.

10.15.25 - Added hireling stat / templates for quicker generator

10.16.25 - Added back in Black Power & Laser Guns rules

10.16.25 - Streamlined the advancement tables for classes

10.17.25 - Added v2 Barbarian skills - not happy with Barbarian as current

10.18.25 - Clarified Gun rules to be in line with melee weapons and introduced usage die for them instead of ammo tracking

10.18.25 - Added Boat & Ship Rules

10.19.25 - Added spot rules or adjusted difficulty of stat rolls

10.22.25 - Created a Hireling generator for QoL and ease of play

10.28.25 - Removed “If you roll your stat exactly, your enemy is temporarily stunned, and you get to make another attack immediately.” rule as it became needlessly fiddly and slowed down combat

12.6.25 - Added a critical fumble table for melee.

12.6.25 - Added “Opposition” section to clarify what I was implementing game

12.14.25 - Added “Restless Dead fear” to Barbarian class inspired by Hargrave’s take on the Barbarian