Chrono22
2010-06-08, 05:50 AM
Well, I've been using some of these rules for a short time, and most for a very long time. I intend to implement them in an upcoming PbP game I'm planning, so I consolidated them for efficiency. I'm posting them to share, and I'm asking for advice/additions to these. There are bound to be some pretty nasty spells I haven't considered, and please point out any logic errors or holes in these houserules if you find them.
Changes to Core Mechanic:
No automatic failures/successes; in place of that, we have an exploding d20. When there is a 20 result on a d20 roll, you roll again and apply the result of both the previous and current roll to your total. Conversely, when you roll a 1, you roll again and apply the result of the second roll as a penalty to your result. d20 critical successes and failures stack, and the bonuses and penalties accumulate.
Changes to Character Creation
Initiator Levels: Player characters have initiator levels. Your initiator level for the purposes of acquiring, learning, and preparing new maneuvers and stances is determined according to how you allocate your base attack bonus. When your base attack bonus would increase, you must designate a path to advance (your crusader, swordsage or warblade initiator level then advances by 1). This choice cannot be taken back later.
Example: A level 3 fighter has a base attack bonus of three: he may have an initiator level of 2 for the swordsage list and an initiator level of 1 for the warblade list, or an initiator level of 3 as a crusader, or some other combination so that his total initiator levels equal his base attack bonus.
Saves: Saves are proportional; you only gain the +2 bonus to a save once.
Consolidated Skills: The standard 3.5 skill list has been consolidated and heavily cut. The skill list is as follows -
Acrobatics (balance/jump/tumble)
Athletics (climb/jump/swim)
Artisan (craft, disguise, forgery, perform, profession, handle animal, other (specify))
Concentration
Interaction (bluff/diplomacy/intimidate/sense motive)
Knowledge (arcana/spellcraft, architecure/engineering, dungeoneering, geography, history, nature/survival, nobility/royalty, religion, the planes, other (specify))
Sense (listen/search/spot)
Sneak (hide/move silently/sleight of hand)
Ride
Track
If a skill could be modified by more than one ability score, the player may choose to apply the highest of the applicable ability scores unless the DM explicitly says otherwise. Skills in parenthesis that are connected by a forward slash are the same skill. Skills in parenthesis that are separated by a comma are individual skills. Example: Knowledge Arcana/Spellcraft is one skill. Knowledge Nature and Knowledge Dungeoneering are separate skills.
Removed Skills: appraise, decipher script, escape artist, gather information, knowledge (local), speak language, use magic device, use rope.
Cross Class Skills: You don't need to invest twice as many points in one to gain a rank. Instead, you may only invest half as many ranks as normal in it (rounded down, as normal), but gain ranks in accordance with the number of skill points you place.
Synergy Bonuses: Do not apply.
Feat/Prestige Class Requirements: Gateway feats no longer count as prerequisites for feats or prestige classes that would normally require them. A gateway feat is a feat with negligible mechanical benefit. Example: Sacred Vow. If you are unsure whether a feat is a gateway feat or not, ask me.
Banned Feats: Nymph's Kiss, Natural Spell
Modified Feats:
Extend Spell instead increases a spell slot by 2.
Combat Expertise does not require a full round action. You instead must designate the amount of penalty you would take at the start of your turn, before you would take any other actions. The total amount of attack penalty/dodge bonus you can gain in this fashion is limited only by your base attack bonus.
Weapon Finesse allows you to replace your strength bonus with your dexterity bonus when wielding a non-light weapon. Example: if you selected greatswords with this feat, you could apply your dexterity modifier on attack rolls committed with a greatsword.
Experience Points: I don't track it. You gain a level when you accomplish something (this could range from accomplishing something important with your character, such as killing a nemesis, completing a vow, or saving a loved one. You can also gain levels by overcoming challenges, such as defeating enemies, bypassing obstacles, or solving puzzles).
Cross Class Experience Penalties: Do not apply, obviously.
Experience Point Costs: Spells with experience point costs instead have a material cost. The material cost is 2.5*(what the experience cost would have been) in gold pieces. The experience costs incurred by crafting magical items does not apply.
Class Changes:
Barbarians: The barbarian class feature Uncanny Dodge is modified - replace “invisible” with “unseen”.
Clerics: Any cleric may expend a turn undead attempt to utilize a domain power they know. The travel domain is banned.
Druids: Druids may wear any type of armor without suffering loss of druid class features or abilities. Druids don't gain wildshape at 5th level. They instead gain the Shapeshift druid alternate class feature described on page 39 of the Player's Handbook 2. You retain your animal companion, with a slight change- see below.
Paladins, Rangers, and Druids: The total HD of your animal companions or paladin's mount cannot exceed your own HD. If it would, it instead remains equal to your HD.
Monks: Monks have a 1/1 base attack bonus progression
Sorcerers: Sorcerers start with Eschew Materials as a bonus feat for free at 1st level.
Rogues: Sneak attack may apply against creatures with concealment (normally it doesn't). It can also apply against corporeal undead if those undead have discernable anatomies (zombies, wights, vampires, etc). Rogues may sneak attack an enemy at a range beyond 30 feet, but to do so requires a sense check set at the DC of the target's armor class.
Wizards: The material costs of adding spells to your spellbook are doubled (this increase doesn't apply to spells learned via level advancement).
Alignment Restrictions: Do not apply. Any class can be of any alignment, provided there is a reasonable explanation or story behind it, and it doesn't have a negative impact on play or the enjoyment of other participants.
Magic
Effect & Duration: If a spell with a duration longer than 1 round (but not permanent) would affect an unwilling target, the target is entitled to a new saving throw to resist the effect at the start of the caster's next turn. Spell resistance still only applies once.
Resisting Spells: A spell that affects unwilling targets must have at least two of these three functions as part of its resolution: a saving throw, an attack roll, and/or spell resistance. If a spell you are going to learn does not follow this rule, you must tell me in advance so that I may houserule the change. If you fail to do so, I will houserule it on the spot in-thread.
Spontaneous Metamagic: Applying metamagic effects to spontaneously cast spells does not increase their casting time.
Banned Spells: As a generality, banned spells include any spell that has effects which: provide gross typed or untyped bonuses. Spells which replicate primary class features or abilities of other classes, or spells that render them mechanically inferior by deign of 'it's magic'. Spells that are overpowered beyond reason. Spells that ruin the atmosphere. Spells that exploit the action economy.
This is not a complete list: tracking all spells that break these tenets from every splatbook would be a difficult task. Use the guideline above to approximate if a spell would be allowed: if you are unsure, ask me (provide a name, reference, and page number).
Banned Spell List:
Alter Self
Antimagic Field
Baleful Polymorph
Clone
Celerity
Detect Secret Doors
Detect Snares and Pits
Detect Thoughts
Divine Power
Find Traps
Freezing Ray
Fabricate
Fire Seeds
Glibness
Gate
Jump
Knock
Legend Lore
Mind Fog
Miracle
Modify Memory
Passwall
Polymorph
Polymorph any Object
Rage
Ray of Stupidity
Simulacrum
Wind Wall
Limited Wish
Wish
Time Stop
True Strike
Modified Spells: These spells are broken, but salvageable. This list will expand as time goes on, perhaps including spells that were previously on the Banned Spell List. If you have any suggestions for additions to this list, please say so (provide a name, source, and page number).
Modified Spell List:
Entangle: Entangle is now a 2nd level spell with a duration of 1 round/level.
Freedom of Movement: Choose two types of restraint or impediment (such as difficult terrain, grappling, paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web). The subject is immune to the restraints or impediments so chosen.
Mirror Image: Mirror image only creates one mirror image per three caster levels. A character that interacts with a mirror image (attacks it, touches it) is entitled to a will save to disbelieve the effect. Mirror image can be ignored by spell resistance.
Mage Armor: Mage armor provides a +1 armor bonus to armor class, +1/3 caster levels (maximum +6 at 18th level).
Shield: Shield provides a +1 shield bonus to armor class, +1/3 caster levels (to a maximum of +3 at 9th level).
Teleport: Teleport can only teleport you a distance of 10 miles per caster level. Teleport’s casting time is now a full round action. The teleportation itself is not instantaneous, though you do vanish at the end of casting the spell. It takes 1 round per 10 miles travelled to arrive at the destination. The space around the entry and exit points of the teleport bend and warp while this is happening- a dc 20 spot check can notice these changes. During the transit time, if a creature casts dimensional anchor or successfully dispels the teleport, the caster is shunted back out of the entry point and suffers 1d6 damage per round he has been in transit.
Combat
Actions: You may 'downgrade' a standard action to a move action, or a move action to a swift action during your turn.
Tactics: You may combine a special action, such as bull rushing, sundering, disarming, tripping, and charging, with a maneuver if the maneuver takes a standard action or less to commit. Some maneuvers may not be compatible with certain attack actions.
Fighting Defensively: You may subtract an amount up to your base attack bonus on all attack rolls you make for the round and apply half of that amount as a dodge bonus to armor class. These bonuses and penalties last until the start of your next turn. For an improved version of this combat tactic, see Combat Expertise.
Power Attacking: You may subtract an amount up to your base attack bonus on all attack rolls you make for the round and apply half of that amount as a bonus to damage rolls. If you are wielding a two handed weapon, you instead apply 3/4ths of the amount, rounded down. For an improved version of this combat tactic, see the Power Attack feat.
Finesse: A character wielding a light weapon may substitute their dexterity bonus in place of their strength bonus on attack rolls. A character with the Weapon Finesse feat can substitute their dexterity modifier with a weapon that isn’t a light weapon.
Grapple: Characters with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat do not provoke attacks of opportunity when initiating a grapple. If the attack of opportunity incurred by initiating a grapple damages the attacker, the grapple attempt does not automatically fail.
Sunder: You may perform sunder attempts with any type of damage. It is possible to sunder the natural weapons of monsters, or to sunder worn or natural armor. For natural weapons, you follow the normal rules for sundering. If you successfully damage the natural weapon of a monster, it does not suffer hitpoint damage. It instead suffers a penalty on attack rolls with the sundered natural weapon equal to the amount of damage your sunder did. In the case of natural armor, the monster does not suffer hitpoint damage. The monster’s natural armor bonus is reduced by an amount equal to the damage you dealt to its natural armor (to a minimum of 0). Natural healing, heal checks, or supernatural healing can restore the functionality of sundered natural weapons or natural armor. You may make ranged sunder attempts: to do so, you must succeed a sense check with a DC equal to the target’s armor class.
Armor Class: In cases where an attack roll equals the armor class it opposes, the defender wins the outcome.
Critical Hit Confirmation: Does not apply. See Changes to the Core Mechanic. If the total attack roll result of a critical success would overcome the armor class of an opponent, the attack is a critical hit. If it does not, the attack misses.
Changes to Core Mechanic:
No automatic failures/successes; in place of that, we have an exploding d20. When there is a 20 result on a d20 roll, you roll again and apply the result of both the previous and current roll to your total. Conversely, when you roll a 1, you roll again and apply the result of the second roll as a penalty to your result. d20 critical successes and failures stack, and the bonuses and penalties accumulate.
Changes to Character Creation
Initiator Levels: Player characters have initiator levels. Your initiator level for the purposes of acquiring, learning, and preparing new maneuvers and stances is determined according to how you allocate your base attack bonus. When your base attack bonus would increase, you must designate a path to advance (your crusader, swordsage or warblade initiator level then advances by 1). This choice cannot be taken back later.
Example: A level 3 fighter has a base attack bonus of three: he may have an initiator level of 2 for the swordsage list and an initiator level of 1 for the warblade list, or an initiator level of 3 as a crusader, or some other combination so that his total initiator levels equal his base attack bonus.
Saves: Saves are proportional; you only gain the +2 bonus to a save once.
Consolidated Skills: The standard 3.5 skill list has been consolidated and heavily cut. The skill list is as follows -
Acrobatics (balance/jump/tumble)
Athletics (climb/jump/swim)
Artisan (craft, disguise, forgery, perform, profession, handle animal, other (specify))
Concentration
Interaction (bluff/diplomacy/intimidate/sense motive)
Knowledge (arcana/spellcraft, architecure/engineering, dungeoneering, geography, history, nature/survival, nobility/royalty, religion, the planes, other (specify))
Sense (listen/search/spot)
Sneak (hide/move silently/sleight of hand)
Ride
Track
If a skill could be modified by more than one ability score, the player may choose to apply the highest of the applicable ability scores unless the DM explicitly says otherwise. Skills in parenthesis that are connected by a forward slash are the same skill. Skills in parenthesis that are separated by a comma are individual skills. Example: Knowledge Arcana/Spellcraft is one skill. Knowledge Nature and Knowledge Dungeoneering are separate skills.
Removed Skills: appraise, decipher script, escape artist, gather information, knowledge (local), speak language, use magic device, use rope.
Cross Class Skills: You don't need to invest twice as many points in one to gain a rank. Instead, you may only invest half as many ranks as normal in it (rounded down, as normal), but gain ranks in accordance with the number of skill points you place.
Synergy Bonuses: Do not apply.
Feat/Prestige Class Requirements: Gateway feats no longer count as prerequisites for feats or prestige classes that would normally require them. A gateway feat is a feat with negligible mechanical benefit. Example: Sacred Vow. If you are unsure whether a feat is a gateway feat or not, ask me.
Banned Feats: Nymph's Kiss, Natural Spell
Modified Feats:
Extend Spell instead increases a spell slot by 2.
Combat Expertise does not require a full round action. You instead must designate the amount of penalty you would take at the start of your turn, before you would take any other actions. The total amount of attack penalty/dodge bonus you can gain in this fashion is limited only by your base attack bonus.
Weapon Finesse allows you to replace your strength bonus with your dexterity bonus when wielding a non-light weapon. Example: if you selected greatswords with this feat, you could apply your dexterity modifier on attack rolls committed with a greatsword.
Experience Points: I don't track it. You gain a level when you accomplish something (this could range from accomplishing something important with your character, such as killing a nemesis, completing a vow, or saving a loved one. You can also gain levels by overcoming challenges, such as defeating enemies, bypassing obstacles, or solving puzzles).
Cross Class Experience Penalties: Do not apply, obviously.
Experience Point Costs: Spells with experience point costs instead have a material cost. The material cost is 2.5*(what the experience cost would have been) in gold pieces. The experience costs incurred by crafting magical items does not apply.
Class Changes:
Barbarians: The barbarian class feature Uncanny Dodge is modified - replace “invisible” with “unseen”.
Clerics: Any cleric may expend a turn undead attempt to utilize a domain power they know. The travel domain is banned.
Druids: Druids may wear any type of armor without suffering loss of druid class features or abilities. Druids don't gain wildshape at 5th level. They instead gain the Shapeshift druid alternate class feature described on page 39 of the Player's Handbook 2. You retain your animal companion, with a slight change- see below.
Paladins, Rangers, and Druids: The total HD of your animal companions or paladin's mount cannot exceed your own HD. If it would, it instead remains equal to your HD.
Monks: Monks have a 1/1 base attack bonus progression
Sorcerers: Sorcerers start with Eschew Materials as a bonus feat for free at 1st level.
Rogues: Sneak attack may apply against creatures with concealment (normally it doesn't). It can also apply against corporeal undead if those undead have discernable anatomies (zombies, wights, vampires, etc). Rogues may sneak attack an enemy at a range beyond 30 feet, but to do so requires a sense check set at the DC of the target's armor class.
Wizards: The material costs of adding spells to your spellbook are doubled (this increase doesn't apply to spells learned via level advancement).
Alignment Restrictions: Do not apply. Any class can be of any alignment, provided there is a reasonable explanation or story behind it, and it doesn't have a negative impact on play or the enjoyment of other participants.
Magic
Effect & Duration: If a spell with a duration longer than 1 round (but not permanent) would affect an unwilling target, the target is entitled to a new saving throw to resist the effect at the start of the caster's next turn. Spell resistance still only applies once.
Resisting Spells: A spell that affects unwilling targets must have at least two of these three functions as part of its resolution: a saving throw, an attack roll, and/or spell resistance. If a spell you are going to learn does not follow this rule, you must tell me in advance so that I may houserule the change. If you fail to do so, I will houserule it on the spot in-thread.
Spontaneous Metamagic: Applying metamagic effects to spontaneously cast spells does not increase their casting time.
Banned Spells: As a generality, banned spells include any spell that has effects which: provide gross typed or untyped bonuses. Spells which replicate primary class features or abilities of other classes, or spells that render them mechanically inferior by deign of 'it's magic'. Spells that are overpowered beyond reason. Spells that ruin the atmosphere. Spells that exploit the action economy.
This is not a complete list: tracking all spells that break these tenets from every splatbook would be a difficult task. Use the guideline above to approximate if a spell would be allowed: if you are unsure, ask me (provide a name, reference, and page number).
Banned Spell List:
Alter Self
Antimagic Field
Baleful Polymorph
Clone
Celerity
Detect Secret Doors
Detect Snares and Pits
Detect Thoughts
Divine Power
Find Traps
Freezing Ray
Fabricate
Fire Seeds
Glibness
Gate
Jump
Knock
Legend Lore
Mind Fog
Miracle
Modify Memory
Passwall
Polymorph
Polymorph any Object
Rage
Ray of Stupidity
Simulacrum
Wind Wall
Limited Wish
Wish
Time Stop
True Strike
Modified Spells: These spells are broken, but salvageable. This list will expand as time goes on, perhaps including spells that were previously on the Banned Spell List. If you have any suggestions for additions to this list, please say so (provide a name, source, and page number).
Modified Spell List:
Entangle: Entangle is now a 2nd level spell with a duration of 1 round/level.
Freedom of Movement: Choose two types of restraint or impediment (such as difficult terrain, grappling, paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web). The subject is immune to the restraints or impediments so chosen.
Mirror Image: Mirror image only creates one mirror image per three caster levels. A character that interacts with a mirror image (attacks it, touches it) is entitled to a will save to disbelieve the effect. Mirror image can be ignored by spell resistance.
Mage Armor: Mage armor provides a +1 armor bonus to armor class, +1/3 caster levels (maximum +6 at 18th level).
Shield: Shield provides a +1 shield bonus to armor class, +1/3 caster levels (to a maximum of +3 at 9th level).
Teleport: Teleport can only teleport you a distance of 10 miles per caster level. Teleport’s casting time is now a full round action. The teleportation itself is not instantaneous, though you do vanish at the end of casting the spell. It takes 1 round per 10 miles travelled to arrive at the destination. The space around the entry and exit points of the teleport bend and warp while this is happening- a dc 20 spot check can notice these changes. During the transit time, if a creature casts dimensional anchor or successfully dispels the teleport, the caster is shunted back out of the entry point and suffers 1d6 damage per round he has been in transit.
Combat
Actions: You may 'downgrade' a standard action to a move action, or a move action to a swift action during your turn.
Tactics: You may combine a special action, such as bull rushing, sundering, disarming, tripping, and charging, with a maneuver if the maneuver takes a standard action or less to commit. Some maneuvers may not be compatible with certain attack actions.
Fighting Defensively: You may subtract an amount up to your base attack bonus on all attack rolls you make for the round and apply half of that amount as a dodge bonus to armor class. These bonuses and penalties last until the start of your next turn. For an improved version of this combat tactic, see Combat Expertise.
Power Attacking: You may subtract an amount up to your base attack bonus on all attack rolls you make for the round and apply half of that amount as a bonus to damage rolls. If you are wielding a two handed weapon, you instead apply 3/4ths of the amount, rounded down. For an improved version of this combat tactic, see the Power Attack feat.
Finesse: A character wielding a light weapon may substitute their dexterity bonus in place of their strength bonus on attack rolls. A character with the Weapon Finesse feat can substitute their dexterity modifier with a weapon that isn’t a light weapon.
Grapple: Characters with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat do not provoke attacks of opportunity when initiating a grapple. If the attack of opportunity incurred by initiating a grapple damages the attacker, the grapple attempt does not automatically fail.
Sunder: You may perform sunder attempts with any type of damage. It is possible to sunder the natural weapons of monsters, or to sunder worn or natural armor. For natural weapons, you follow the normal rules for sundering. If you successfully damage the natural weapon of a monster, it does not suffer hitpoint damage. It instead suffers a penalty on attack rolls with the sundered natural weapon equal to the amount of damage your sunder did. In the case of natural armor, the monster does not suffer hitpoint damage. The monster’s natural armor bonus is reduced by an amount equal to the damage you dealt to its natural armor (to a minimum of 0). Natural healing, heal checks, or supernatural healing can restore the functionality of sundered natural weapons or natural armor. You may make ranged sunder attempts: to do so, you must succeed a sense check with a DC equal to the target’s armor class.
Armor Class: In cases where an attack roll equals the armor class it opposes, the defender wins the outcome.
Critical Hit Confirmation: Does not apply. See Changes to the Core Mechanic. If the total attack roll result of a critical success would overcome the armor class of an opponent, the attack is a critical hit. If it does not, the attack misses.