Current Ruelset - Subject to Changes as I Make Shit Up
The Gods are DeadAs a direct result, Magic has become dangerous. Divine Magic has simply ceased to function, while the other forms of Magic have lost their source of power. As such, most working Magic requires the caster to invest a portion of his life-force into the spell. Casting a spell causes an amount of Constitution damage equal to the spell's level, this damage is permanent and can never be restored; once your life-force is converted into magical energy, that's it, it's gone forever.
The exception to this is Warlocks, who draw their power from Daemons and other dark sources. Other classes may also be exempt, depending on the exact circumstances.
NOTE: Half-caster classes, such as Rangers and Paladins, can choose to sacrifice their spellcasting abilities to gain a variant class feature. See the DM if you wish to do this.
Ability DefensesFortitude, Reflex and Will saves are replaced with defenses. The defense equals 10 + the base save and relevant stats. Anything that previously forced a Save to a certain DC instead makes an attack on the relevant defense with an attack bonus equal to the DC -10.
Abilities have also expanded somewhat; Fortitude is now based on the higher of your Str or Con modifier, Reflex the higher of your Dex or Int modifier and Will the higher of your Wis or Cha modifier. You may add the higher of your Dex or Int modifier to Initiative and as a Dodge bonus to AC.
Scaling BonusesScaling bonuses to 'pass or fail' mechanics are removed. These mechanics include Attacks, Defenses and other such things. Base Attack Bonus is gone, as are scaling F/R/W saves. Classes that previously had Full BAB (Fighter) now instead provide a +2 class bonus to nonmagical attacks, classes with three-quarters BAB (Cleric) provde a +1 class bonus to nonmagical attacks, and classes that provided Half BAB( Wizard) provide no bonus to nonmagical attacks.
Classes keep their first level F/R/W saves to be added onto the new F/R/W defenses. These, along with the attack bonuses, do not scale.
BAB is still tracked; when a character reaches sufficient BAB where he would normally gain an extra attack (+6, +11, +16 etc) the character instead gains an extra damage die to each of his nonmagical attacks. This damage dice is, by default, a D6.
Armor ChangesAs a result of the nonscaling attack bonuses, Armor has changed significantly.
The default types of armor available to starting characters are as follows:
Cloth Armor (
Light)
Leather Armor (
Light)
Hide Armor (
Light)
Chainmail (
Heavy)
Scalemail (
Heavy)
Platemail (
Heavy)
Light ShieldHeavy ShieldNotes: Shields provide Shield Bonuses to AC and Reflex defenses.
Check is short for Armor Check. You take this penalty to physical skills and actions, such as climbing.
Speed is a penalty to your speed in feet. This penalty is applied first, before speed multipliers from bonuses and soforth.
Proficiency in each type of armor is gained seperately, each time requriing proficiency in the previous type of armor. Such proficiency is gained via feats.
Classes that previously started with no armor profieciency start with proficiency in Cloth armor.
Classes that started with Light armor proficiency start with proficiency in Leather armor.
Classes that started with Medium armor proficiency start with proficiency in Chainmail.
Classes that started with Heavy armor proficiency start with proficiency in Platemail.
Classes that started with proficiency in shields retain that proficiency.
Armor also no longer provides a bonus to AC, instead it provides DR; armor doesn't make you harder to
hit, it makes you harder to
hurt. Shields still provide AC bonuses in the form of Shield Bonuses, which are also applied to Reflex.
SkillzThe following skills have been squished together into a new skill which covers all the applications for the previous skills:
Athletics - Climb, Jump, Swim. Climbing a rope is an Athletics check, not a Use Rope check.
Arcana - Knowledge Arcana and Spellcraft.
Acrobatics - Tumble, Escape Artist, Balance.
Stealth - Hide, Move Silently.
Thievery - Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, Disable Device, Disguise, Forgery
Perception - Spot, Listen, Search
Note: Specific bonuses, such as +2 to Spot Checks, are applied to the relevant combi-skill only when used for that purpose. (A character with +2 to Spot Checks does not get a +2 to Perception when trying to Listen or Search for something, only when trying to Spot something).
Minor ActionsNew action type, Minor, considered below Move. Minor Actions are little things that before used to be sort of horribly composited into Move Actions. These include things like Drawing or Sheathing a weapon, Opening a Door or Chest and so on. Move and Standard actions can be traded for Minor Actions in the same way that Standard actions can be traded for Move actions.
Action Points and the Death FlagEach Character has 6 Action Points. After a night's rest, the Character's action points are reset to 6, regardless of what they were beforehand.
As a Free Action, Characters may spend a certain number of Action Points to get one of the following effects:
1 Roll a D20 twice, choose the roll to keep. This must be declared
before the roll in question.
2 Re-roll a D20. This can be declared after the dice is rolled and the result is announced, it can also be used to force an enemy who has rolled a D20 against you to reroll. The second result of the dice is always taken, regardless of the first result.
2 Take an extra move-equivalent action. Can only be declared on your turn.
3 Take an extra standard action. Can only be declared on your turn.
There are no limits to the action points, so somone can spend all 6 of his AP's to get 2 extra Standard Actions, or to reroll a dice 3 times.
In addition, all players have a death flag. The Death Flag begins lowered, and while the Death Flag is lowered anything which reduces a character to -10 or whatever hitpoint value would kill them instead sets them to -1 and stable and their Death Flag is now raised.. While the Death Flag is raised if a character dies they are dead as normal. It costs 6 action points to lower the Death Flag.
A player may volentarily raise his Death Flag to immediately gain 6 Action Points. This is a Free Action.
Raising the StakesBefore an action that may succeed or fail (attacks for example), a Player may make a bet with the DM, choosing to raise an extra bonus on success against an extra penalty on failure. This can only be done once per turn, and the DM says yes or no once the raise is made.
Examples:
Player: “I walk up to the sorcerer and hit him with my dagger. I raise grappling him against getting knocked back 10 feet and taking 2d6 damage from cracking my head on the pillar.”
GM: “Roll.”
Player: “I leap over the banister, raise you knocking out the kidnapper and the princess falling in love with me against accidentally landing on the princess.”
GM: “Roll”
Player: "I attack the Orc, raise you instant decapitation and death against 2d6 damage as the Orc punches me in the face."
GM: "No bet"
I will be fair with these assessments; if the Raise is ovbiously skewed in the player's favour (the Orc example above) or if the Raise would result in events that would cause issues, then i'll not let it through. Otherwise i'm looking forward to some of the crazy raises you guys come up with.
EquipmentMasterwork now comes in 3 levels, rather than as a binary state.
Superior (+300 GP) - Weapons gain a +1 Enhancement Bonus to damage, Armor loses increases it's DR by 1.
Exceptional (+1000 GP) - Weapons gain a +2 Enhancement Bonus to damage, Armor loses it's Check penalty and increases it's DR by 1.
Masterwork (+3000 GP) - Weapons gain a +3 Enhancement Bonus to damage, Armor loses it's Check and Speed penalties and increases it's DR by 2.
Items must be crafted as Masterwork; a non-masterwork item cannot become masterwork.
Note: Items other than Weapons and Armor can also be crafted at differing levels of Masterwork. These bonuses will vary depending on the item.
FeatsesArmor Proficiency feats are removed. Instead they are replaced by the following:
Leather Armor ProficiencyBenefit: You gain the full benefits of Leather Armor when wearing it.
Hide Armor ProficiencyPrerequisite: Leather Armor Proficiency
Benefit: You gain the full benefits of Hide Armor when wearing it.
Chainmail ProficiencyPrerequisite: Leather Armor Proficiency
Benefit: You gain the full benefits of Chainmail when wearing it.
Scalemail ProficiencyPrerequisite: Chainmail Proficiency
Benefit: You gain the full benefits of Scalemail when wearing it.
Platemail ProficiencyPrerequisite: Scalemail Proficiency
Benefit: You gain the full benefits of Platemail when wearing it.
Light Shield ProficiencyBenefit: You gain the full benefits of a Light Shield when wielding it.
Heavy Shield ProficiencyPrerequisite: Light Shield Proficiency
Benefit: You gain the full benefits of a Heavy Shield when wielding it.
Note: It is not a typo that Chainmail only requires Leather proficiency. This is because the disadvantages that come with Chainmail and Heavy Armor are considered to balance out the bonuses, rendering it approximately equal to Hide Armor.
Note: While wearing armor or wielding a shield you are not proficient in, you gain no benefits, but take all penalties.
Communal MagicPrerequisite: Ability to cast 1st level or higher spells.
Benefit: The caster may convert any spell he knows into a Communal Spell. Communal Spells take a minimum of 10 minutes per level of the spell to cast (if the original spell took longer, use that value) and require the willing participation of at least 3 times the spell's level worth of sentient creatures in addition to the caster. The creatures must gather together within 5 feet of at least two other creatures and focus upon the spell for the duration of it's casting. If the spell is uninterrupted, the Life Force requirements are spread out across the participants, instead of the caster taking permanent Con damage, all participating creatures take Hitpoint damage equal to the spell's level. This damage can be healed as normal.
Master of CantripsPrerequisite: Ability to cast level 0 spells.
Benefit: The character has learned to channel the natural life-force around him into his cantrips. The character may cast level 0 spells at-will with no restrictions or cost.
SpiritwalkerPrerequisite: Caster level 7th, Master of Cantrips.
Benefit: The character has mastered the art of drawing upon the natural spirit of the world to power his magic. The character may cast any spells he knows as a Spirit Spell. In order to cast a Spirit Spell, the character must meditate uninterrupted for a number of hours equal to the spell's level. At the conclusion of the meditation the spell must be cast immediately or else it is lost. The caster suffers no permanent Constitution damage from casting a Spirit Spell.
Adept CrafterPrerequisite: 5 ranks in a Craft skill.
Benefit: The character may craft items to a Superior quality.
Expert CrafterPrerequisite: 10 ranks in a Craft skill, Adept Crafter.
Benefit: The character may craft items to an Exceptional quality.
Artesian CrafterPrerequisite: 15 ranks in a Craft skill, Expert Crafter.
Benefit: The character may craft items to a Masterwork quality.
Magic Item Crafting feats are not available; such knowledge is lost from the world.
The OvermapThe Overmap represents the Overland of the world and is how the Party moves from one place to another. The Overmap is made up of hexes, each hex is approximately 3 miles across and thus takes 1 hour for an average human to cross, assuming unobstructed travel.
On the Overmap, the Party has Resolve Tokens. Travelling through the Wilderness is dangerous and Resolve Tokens respresent the Party's resolve to move forward and their endurance.
The Party has a total number of Resolve Tokens equal to 10 + the lowest member's Constitution Modifier; the Party moves at the speed of it's slowest member.
Crossing a standard hex requires 1 Resolve Token, specific terrain may have different effects, some of which are listed here:
Road: Roads are easier to travel on, two Road hexes may be traversed for every Resolve Token expended.
Undergrowth: Shrubs and bushes, undergrowth is difficult to navigate, costing the party 3 Resolve Tokens for every 2 hexes.
Light Forest: Trees are even harder to navigate, requiring 2 Resolve Tokens per hex crossed.
Heavy Forest: Almost impassible, Heavy Forest requires 3 Resolve Tokens per hex crossed.
River: Crossing a large River is difficult, requiring 5 Resolve Tokens to cross a River hex.
Low Hills: Like undergrowth, Low Hills cost 3 Resolve Tokens for every 2 hexes crossed.
Foothills: Foothills are only slightly harder to navigate than Low Hills, requiring 5 Resolve Tokens for every 3 hexes crossed.
Mountains: Mountains are effectively impassible, requring 8 Resolve Tokens to cross a single hex.
Resolve Tokens can be gained and lost by other means as well: a charismatic leader may push his followers onward, gaining extra Resolve Tokens, a wounded character may also use 1 Resolve Token while resting to restore himself to full strength.
Character CreationCharacters are created using a 28 Point Buy.
Characters start with a number of hitpoints equal to their Constitution
Score plus the maximum hitpoints for their hit dice. Constitution modifier is
not added to first level hitpoints.
Hitpoints are maximised; you gain your full hit dice worth of hit points, plus your con modifier, per level.
All characters start with 100 GP.
Traits and Flaws are acceptible.
Characters may start with 'free' equipment if they can justify it's ownership.
Other Notes:The Tome of Battle is highly reccomended. I won't force you to use it, but i will be using it, so i suggest you do as well.
Time for Neruz to take everyone here through the process of
Changing Shit in DnD - How to Du EetSo, let's take a look at TWF.
To start with, we need to compare fighting with two weapons to the other things you could do with that free hand; namely hold a shield or wield a two-handed weapon. We shall use the Fighter for our comparisons, as he is Captain Generic.
So we shall take Bob. Bob is a 1st level Human Fighter with 16 Strength, at the moment his other stats are meaningless.
Bob has a choice to make, he needs to pick his weapons, we shall assume Bob optimises a bit to pick the better weapons.
This means Bob will be using one of the following combinations:
Greatsword
Bastard Sword and Heavy Shield
Longsword and Shortsword
These are basically Bob's best choices at level 1, so let's see how they compare:
Greatsword - 2d6+4 damage. 6 - 16 damage, average damage of 11.
Simple and straightforward. Next:
Bastard Sword and Heavy Shield - Little more complex; Bastard Sword gives Bob 1d10+3 damage, or 4 - 13 damage, average damage of 8.5. So we can see that Bob has sacrificed 2.5 damage per attack to get a +2 to AC and Reflex, Bob has also had to sacrifice a feat to get the Bastard Sword (he'd be using a Longsword without it, giving him an average damage of 7.5). What does the Shield bonus do? Well, in an ideal environment everyone hits everyone else on an 11, so Bob is now hit on a 13, instead of an 11, which means he gets hit approximately 10% less often than his friend, Roger, who doesn't have shield. This means he takes around about 10% less damage.
If we assume Bob's enemy is Roger and using a Greatsword, we can see that Roger is going to do around 1.1 less damage to Bob per round. So Roger is doing 9.9 damage per round, while Bob is doing 8.5 damage per round. Bob had to sacrifice a Feat too, so it looks like Roger is winning, but Bob also has a +2 bonus to Reflex, which is an extra bonus, and Bob survives longer than Roger in encounters, which means although he's doing less damage per round, he does it for longer.
Now lets see what happens if Bob grabs the Longsword-Shortsword combo with the TWF Feat.
Bob is now at a -2 for his attacks, so he's doing 10% less damage. However he gets 2 attacks, and statistically 2 attacks at -2 are actually better than 1 attack at no penalty; each individual attack has less chance of hitting, but there is a greater chance that one of those attacks will hit.
With his two attacks, Bob is now doing 1d8+3 and 1d6+1, giving him 7.5 + 4.5 = 12 average damage per attack.
So far seems good, Bob is slightly up on the Greatsword-wielding Roger by 1 damage point and some accuracy, but unlike Roger he
did have to sacrifice a feat to get it.
The problem, of course, arises when damage bonuses get into play: Bob gets
twice as much benefit from damage bonuses if he's dual wielding than if he's not, and that rapidly outscales any potential defense benefit Shields may have. Two-handed weapons retain their charm due to the Spiked Chain and it's reach, but the poor Sword and Board fighter is suffering badly in comparison.
The solution to this is actually quite simple: most damage bonuses do not apply to off-hand attacks.
Bam, problem solved. Wielding two weapons, Bob only gets his extra D6's on his main-hand attack, as with any other bonuses. But dammit, there's those masterwork damage bonuses, and magic weapon damage bonuses, and Bob can just increase his strength. How do we balance this?
Well, through a whole bunch of complicated maths and a bit of educated guessing, if we chop off Bob's Str modifier to damage on his off-hand attacks as well, it actually balances out rather well. TWF becomes the mid-ground between Sword and Board and Two Handed Weapons; SnB has the lowest damage, but highest defense, THW has the highest damage but lowest defense, and TWF ends up in the middle, but costs more feats than both.
So there we go; when fighting with two weapons, you do not gain your stat modifier or Base Damage Bonus (the extra D6's that replace extra attacks) to damage rolls with your off-hand weapon.
Also, couple more feets:
Intelligent CombatPrerequisites: Int 13
Benefit: The character may use his Intelligence modifier in place of his Strength or Dexterity modifier when making attacks with melee or ranged weapons.
Tactical StrikePrerequisites: Int 15, Intelligent Combat
Benefit: The character may use his Intelligence modifier in place of his Strength modifer when rolling damage with melee weapons. The character also gains his Intelligence modifier to damage rolls with ranged weapons.
Modified Feats:
Power AttackDamage bonus is double what is subtracted from attacks, or triple when wielding a weapon in two hands.
Combat ExpertiseCombat Expertise is now capped a -2 penalty, +2 dodge bonus.
MobilityDodge Bonus is now +2, not +4
QuickdrawYou may draw hidden light weapons as free actions, not move actions.
Metamagic FeatsAre GORN.
LeadershipLeadership no longer functions to grant the players FREE DUDES, as that is horribly, horribly overpowered for a Feat.
Instead, if there is a character with Leadership in the party, the party gains a number of Resolve Tokens equal to his Charisma modifier. A character with Leadership may also spend action points but give the benefit of the action points to another party member (so the Leader spends 3 points and Bob gets a new standard action, taken immediately.)
Everything has Weak PointsWhether you are plant or golem, construct or undead, you have weak points. They might be different weak points from other creatures, but they're still there.
As such, Sneak Attack and Critical Hits are no longer resisted by entire types of creatures. Certain specific creatures may have Critical Hit\Sneak Attack immunity, but you don't gain immunity by virtue of just being a Zombie.
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Topic: Moar DnDs on the Interwebs (Back to Fridays\Sundays) (Read 88383 times)