Yitzi
2011-05-25, 02:45 PM
I'm writing a campaign, and since D&D 3.5 is generally considered to be broken, I've come up with a plan for a fix. (I'm also including some other stuff, such as fixes to obvious absurdities like Pit Fiends being invulnerable in the Blood War, as well as some homebrew, most notably a different flavor for psionics.) So here's the stuff, pretty much as I plan to post it in the campaign. Comments are welcome (in particular, do the fixes close all the holes, and does the homebrew add any new ones), and anyone who wants to use ideas from it is welcome to do so (homebrew races are really meant to be campaign-specific, though).
General plan is: Nerf overpowered spells, boost fighters (but keep the vulnerability to magic) and monks (but keep the vulnerability to fighters and the like). Add homebrew races and psionics.
It's long enough that it causes problems to do it in one post, so I'll be doing it in two (one for everything other than psionics, and one for psionics).
Allowed Material:
Races
All core (PHB and MM) races, with the exception of evil outsiders, as well as desert elves, desert dwarves, and desert gnomes from UA/SRD, but some of the more powerful non-PHB races with 0 LA will take minor penalties (usually -2 to one of their less important ability scores) when used as PC races; send a PM if you want to play such a race. There are also homebrew races available; see below.
Classes
All PHB classes are allowed; of the prestige classes, Hierophant and Archmage can be taken by anyone who has fulfilled the requirements, while Arcane Archer, Arcane Trickster, and Dwarven Defender will be available through a quest. Blackguards exist but are not playable for this campaign, and other prestige classes do not exist (although Mystic Theurge can be imitated by use of the Merge Magics homebrew feat.) In addition, many classes can become psionic for additional options; this does not work quite like the system in the Psionics Handbook etc., see below.
Skills
All Core skills, plus autohypnosis (a class skill for rogues, monks, rangers, and arcane tricksters), Knowledge: Psionics (a class skill for bards, wizards, arcane tricksters, archmagi, psionic sorcerers, and psionic monks), and Psicraft (a class skill for psionic wizards, psionic sorcerers, psionic arcane tricksters, and psionic archmagi).
Feats (non-epic)
All core feats are allowed (with the exception of Tattoo focus, as Thay does not exist in this setting); in addition, the following non-psionic feats from the SRD are allowed: Knock-down, Subdual Substitution, Mind over Body, Reckless Offense, Sidestep Charge. Psionic feats are available to psionic characters depending on their class; see below for more information. There are also some homebrew feats (mostly designed for fighters); see below.
Epic Feats (if that level is reached)
Starting at level 21, a character may take all epic feats found in the DMG. That’s Familiar Spell, Great Smiting, Improved Elemental Wild Shape, Improved Favored Enemy, Improved Metamagic, Improved Sneak Attack, Improved Spell Capacity, Improved Stunning Fist, Lasting Inspiration, Overwhelming Critical, Planar Turning, Spell Knowledge, and Terrifying Rage. Psionic characters that qualify may also take Improved Metapsionics, which reduces the cost of each metapsionic feat applied to a power by 2 pp (to a minimum of 2 added pp per feat).
At level 25, the character gets access to nearly all epic feats listed in the SRD; the only exceptions are Improved Combat Casting, Epic Spellcasting, Improved Whirlwind Attack, and those that reference features not available in this game (Improved Aura of Despair, Widen Aura of Despair, and Improved Death Attack).
Houserules and Rulings:
Wizard Spells
-Protection from Evil only prevents evil summoned creatures from touching the target, not those that are neither good nor evil.
-When moving through a Web spell, one can never exceed half normal speed no matter how high their check is.
-Any polymorph effect that does not affect mental ability scores also does not grant or remove extraordinary mental special qualities (such as a human’s bonus feat or skills, or a dwarf’s stonecunning.)
-A character may move up to half their speed in a straight line through a Solid Fog or Acid Fog with a DC 25 strength check. They may do so multiple times with a single move action, so long as the total distance moved is no more than half their speed. If they fail a check, they may move 5 more feet in any direction, ending that move action.
-Wind Wall creates a 100% miss chance for arrows and bolts, rather than an automatic miss, so if miss chance is ignored (such as from a seeking weapon) the attack can still hit.
-If a character polymorphs into a creature with extra limbs, they have full use of those limbs, unlike the rule for Alter Self.
-When an item shrunk by Shrink Item is tossed on a surface to restore it to normal size, it does not attain its normal size until after it lands. Similarly, use of a command word to restore its size can only be done when it is resting firmly on a surface capable of holding its restored weight.
-The effects of Cloudkill are treated as poison for all purposes (so antitoxin gives a saving throw bonus, dwarves get a total racial bonus of +4, neutralize poison and delay poison help against it, etc.)
-A wall of force (and therefore forcecage as well) works somewhat differently: it does not block passage like a normal wall, but rather pushes back anything that tries to pass it. It is therefore possible to pass it with a strength check (with DC equal to the save DC it would have if it allowed a save); charging or running for at least 10 feet before trying to pass gives a +2 bonus to the check.
It is also possible to pass the wall of force with a jump check (which has triple the DC without a running start, rather than the normal doubling), but the DC (even with a running start) is 10 higher than for a strength check, and the attempt, whether successful or not, deals 1d6 damage.
It is also possible to attack with melee attacks through the wall, but all effects that let the attacker substitute dexterity for strength are unusable (a character with no strength score cannot attack through the wall), natural 20s are not an automatic hit, and attack and damage rolls take a penalty equal to 10 less than the spell’s check DC.
It is possible to “fortify” the wall to increase its DC by 10, as well as do an additional 1d6 damage to anyone trying to jump through, but this takes 10 minutes (after which the wall may be fortified again for another increase to the DC and damage). If more than 1 minute has passed since the wall was last created or fortified, this requires expenditure of a Wall of Force spell slot.
-Waves of Fatigue and Waves of Exhaustion allow fortitude saves just as Touch of Fatigue and Ray of Exhaustion do.
-A creature large enough to wade through mud (such as from Transmute Rock to Mud) can make a strength check. If its check result is 20 or more, it can move 5’ for every 5 points by which the result exceeds 10, to a maximum of half its normal speed. Otherwise, it can only move 5’.
-All effects listed in the Guards and Wards spells are optional; each can be present, absent, or present over only part of the warded area, as the caster chooses when casting the spell.
-An antimagic field suppresses the effects of a magical weapon only if the target is inside the field; if the target is outside the field but the weapon’s user is inside, the weapon hits as a magical weapon. Conversely, any weapon that is ineffective inside an antimagic field (such as the natural weapons of summoned creatures or incorporeal undead) is likewise ineffective against a target in an antimagic field, even if the weapon’s wielder is outside the field.
-Legend Lore and Vision, while able to bring to mind information that has never been generally known, cannot bring to mind information that has only been known by a very small number of people throughout history (the location of a secret treasure that was known only by the person who buried it, for instance).
-Transformation cannot increase the caster’s BAB above 20, but the increased BAB stacks with epic attack bonuses.
-Clenched fist, crushing hand, and grasping hand do not add the caster’s key ability modifier to their attack roll or grapple check (so Grasping Hand has an attack roll of 1d20+9+caster level, and a grapple check of 1d20+14+caster level, and similarly for the other two), but if the caster’s key ability score exceeds the hand’s normal strength, the hand has strength equal to the caster’s key ability score.
-Mass invisibility is broken for any individual who moves more than 180 feet from the farthest member of the group, not the nearest.
-A simulacrum lasts 2 days per caster level, minus one day for each level or hit die it has. After this period is over, the simulacrum loses one hit die or level each day until it hits 0 hit dice and reverts to snow.
-If Scintillating Pattern ends, so do all resulting effects, even if their time was not up.
-Polymorph any object has a number of new limitations: It cannot affect gases, nor can it affect terrain or parts of objects except by duplicating one of the listed spells. Any object that it creates with a volume of more than 1 cubic foot per caster level has a duration no more than 1 week, and in such case the spell takes 1 minute to cast. Whenever creating the resulting object via minor/major creation would require a skill check, so does Polymorph any object. Objects created via Polymorph any object cannot be used as material components. If polymorph any object is used on a party member, and in such a way that it lasts at least 12 hours, the ECL and experience gained are adjusted accordingly. Regardless of duration, the available forms when turning something into a creature are limited in the same way as Polymorph (with the exception of that the new form may have more HD than the old one), as are the abilities gained (except for the changes to mental ability scores listed in the spell description, and the resulting change to mental special qualities).
-Some particularly powerful major artifacts are not subject to Mage’s Disjunction.
-Gate (when cast as an arcane spell) works differently than described when used to call creatures. It takes 10 minutes to cast, the target creature gets a saving through to avoid coming through if it is unwilling, and unless a Magic Circle is prepared (as for the Lesser Planar Binding spell) the called creature cannot be controlled. If contractual service is desired, rather than an immediate task, the spell also requires negotiations (as with Lesser Planar Binding); this replaces the promised favor or reward described in the Gate spell. Unlike with lower-level spells, offers can be made once per round rather than once per day, but offer gives the creature another chance to escape.
Candles of invocation cannot be created with an arcane Gate, nor can they produce one, but it is possible to cast any Planar Binding spell while burning a candle of invocation in order to produce the effect of an arcane Gate.
- Shapechange does not allow you to assume an incorporeal or gaseous form. You also do not gain any special qualities (even extraordinary ones) or supernatural abilities, but you also do not lose your own supernatural abilities. When cast by a druid, it may only be used to take animal, fey, ooze, plant, and vermin forms, and when cast by a cleric it may only be used for animal forms. (Much of the lost functionality is available through the homebrew spell Greater Polymorph, below.)
-No spell can give epic-level features (including DR/epic or regeneration/epic) unless the caster has at least 25 levels in classes that increase the spell’s caster level. (Caster level increases from other sources, such as items or the Spell Power class feature, don’t count.)
-It is not possible to apply the Maximize Spell feat to Time Stop, even with a rod or epic spell slots.
-Wish cannot create a magic item of value greater than 200,000 gp (or an epic item even if it is worth less than 200,000 gp) unless heightened, in which case it can create up to a value of 25,000 gp times the spell level.
Other Spells
-If multiple individuals casts Shield Other on the same target, the target and all casters evenly split damage taken by the target; uneven points of damage go first to the target and then to the casters in the order in which they cast the spell.
-Spike Growth and Spike Stones have a 1 minute casting time.
-The table for Reincarnate assumes a humanoid target; other types will have other tables. Furthermore, subraces (except those given explicitly) are a possibility within the given options.
-When an area is affected by both the Hallow spell and the Unhallow spell, the earlier effect suppresses the later one over the joint area.
-A heightened Hallow spell can dispel any Unhallow effect at least 5 spell levels lower than it, and similarly a heightened Unhallow spell can dispel a Hallow effect of at least 5 spell levels lower. Note that since Hallow and Unhallow are 5th level spells, this generally requires epic-level magic.
-Winds created by Control Winds have a Fortitude DC either equal to 10+spell level+caster’s key ability score (like a spell) or the DC to resist such a wind if it occurs naturally (as by the table on page 95 of the DMG), whichever is less.
-When Control Winds creates a tornado, its size is limited to a size of 50’ radius for every 3 levels.
-If the damage rolled for the Harm spell is at least 50, it requires a save for massive damage even if the target has less than 51 hit points (and thus it does less than 50 damage).
-When Fire Seeds is used to create bombs, each casting of the spell has a different command word (not under your control). It is therefore impossible to set off more than 8 bombs at once.
-Control Plants does allow spell resistance.
-Gate (when cast as an divine spell) works differently than described when used to call creatures. It takes 10 minutes to cast, and the called creature must have a subtype matching the caster’s alignment or one of the caster’s domains. If payment is necessary, the bargaining and payment work as in the Lesser Planar Ally spell. The called creature cannot be compelled to accept a deal.
Classes
-All bonuses a barbarian gets from raging (STR, CON, Will saves) are morale bonuses.
-The natural spell feat only affects druid spells, unless the Merge Magics feat (below) is taken as well.
-A monk’s Flurry of Blows ability cannot be used in conjunction with 2-weapon fighting.
-Monks get several new class features, listed below under homebrew material.
-An arcane trickster’s bonus spells per day must be applied to an arcane casting class in which he is already able to cast 3rd level spells.
-If an arcane trickster or dwarven defender no longer fulfills their alignment requirement, they may not gain any more levels in the class, and (in the case of the dwarven defender) may not adopt a defensive stance, but all other class features remain. If they regain their former alignment, no Atonement spell is needed to gain more levels or adopt a defensive stance.
Combat Actions
-Readying an action to move out of range of an attack does not work; the attack occurs before the readied action in that case.
-Switching an item from both hands to one hand is a free action; switching it from one hand to both hands, or from one hand to the other, is a move action.
-Improved Trip does not allow you to follow up with any attack that you could not have made instead of the trip (so if, for instance, the trip attack was due to a feat like knockdown, you cannot follow up with a non-trip attack.)
-When using the Ride skill for cover, it is then a move action to stop using the mount for cover and get back into position in order to attack or cast a spell.
-Groping to find an invisible creature can be done as one attack in a full attack rather than a standard action.
Items
-In order to gain an AC bonus from a defending weapon, its wielder must attack with it on his previous turn. If a character has multiple defending weapons, their bonuses do not stack with each other.
-Cold iron items cost an extra 2000 gold to enchant the first time, but once they are enchanted it is not necessary to pay that price again for each additional enchantment.
-Not every item can have its cost reduced by requiring certain features in order to use. If there’s a case you want to know about, ask.
-It is possible to damage an item enough to affect its use without destroying it. If a masterwork item takes damage equal to its bonus hit points from enchantments (if any) plus half its normal hit points, it loses the masterwork quality (and with it any enchantments that require the masterwork quality) until repaired. A character with Improved Sunder can choose to only do this much damage to the item.
In order to repair an enchanted item that has been damaged in this way, there are two options. One option is to repair it as a normal item, which merely requires the appropriate craft check and expenditure of materials equal to one-fifth the item’s price excluding the price of any enchantments.
Alternatively, the item can be repaired to restore its magical properties. Doing so requires that the nature of the enchantment be known (whether from an Identify spell or some other means) as well as additional expenditure equal to one-twentieth of the price of any enchantments being restored and a successful spellcraft check. The DC of the spellcraft check is equal to 5 more than the caster level of the item if made by the character repairing the item (in other words, the one making the craft check), or 10 more than the item’s caster level if made by another character (who must still be present and able to communicate with the repairer for the whole process.) If the repairer and the person making the spellcraft check have a Telepathic Bond or Mindlink over the course of the repairs, however, the DC is only 6 more than the item’s caster level. Having an Arcane Sight spell active over the course of the process gives +2 to the check, and a character with the necessary item creation feats who has all necessary spells on their class list gets +10 to the check. If the spellcraft check fails, the item is repaired as a nonmagical item. It is possible to hire someone to make the spellcraft check; this usually costs 20 gp times the square of the individual’s level, not counting spells requested (although arcane sight with permanency costs only 1/10 normal due to the hireling being able to keep it).
If an item is repaired as a nonmagical item, the enchantment can be restored by repairing it again as a magical item. It registers to detect magic or arcane sight as magical, but an identify spell will indicate that the enchantment is present but nonfunctional.
Miscellaneous Features
-Whenever good and evil outsiders are referred to, that means outsiders of the good and evil subtypes, not all outsiders of good and evil alignment.
-Celestial and Half-celestial creatures have the good subtype, while fiendish and half-fiendish creatures have the evil subtype.
-Whenever a creature has a spell-like ability that imitates a spell with variable experience cost, the spell-like ability can only imitate the usage with minimal cost unless the description explicitly indicates otherwise.
-Called (but not summoned) creatures take a share of the XP and treasure for any fight in which they participate. If the called creatures are substantially less powerful than the party members, this will be negligible, while if they are substantially more powerful the party’s share will be negligible. Party members created by Polymorph any Object in a manner that lasts at least 12 hours take a share of the XP, but not of the treasure.
-The list limiting what a summoned creature can do also limits what a creature can be forced to do by any means of commanding or controlling it. The only exception is a noble djinni granting wishes to its captor; even in such case, however, this can only be done when the capture was by natural means rather than a spell such as Planar Binding.
-Forest gnomes get no dodge bonus against giants and no bonus to listen or craft(alchemy).
-If something has both hardness and damage reduction, they overlap.
-When using the feat Ride-by Attack, you need not move to the closest space that threatens the opponent, merely any space that threatens the opponent. You must still move in a straight line both before and after the attack.
-The epic feat Planar Turning affects only Good outsiders and Evil outsiders.
-The epic feat Enhance Spell can only be taken once; the Repeat Metamagic homebrew feat (below) can be used to apply it multiple times, however.
-A character with BAB of at least 20 does not require any ranks in Escape Artist to take the Legendary Wrestler epic feat.
-The Improved Manyshot feat cannot give more attacks than are available from a full attack.
-Temporary bonuses to an ability score work just like temporary hit points: They do not stack, and are the first lost to drain or damage.
-Regeneration/alignment does not prevent death from instant-death effects, including Coup de Grace and massive damage.
-Falling object rules are changed for extremely light and extremely heavy items. Anything weighing less than 1 ounce has both falling damage taken and falling damage done reduced by the factor by which it is less than one ounce, rounded down, to a minimum of 0 damage. (so a 1 ounce item would do and take 1 less damage, a half-ounce item would do and take 2 less damage, a 1/3-ounce item would do and take 3 less damage, and so on.) An item weighing more than 2000 pounds does not do 1d6 damage per 200 pounds, but rather does 10d6 damage for the first 2000 pounds, then both does and takes 1d6 additional damage for every 2000 pounds after the first 2000, up to 20,000, then 1d6 for every 20,000 pounds after the first 20,000, up to 200,000, and so on.
-Parts of the fluff in the MM, as well as a few rulings in the FAQ that I strongly disagree with, do not apply for this game. So ask before relying on either (the MM material might require a knowledge check, though).
Homebrew Material:
Races (and one new weapon)
Jungle halflings (not the same as the UA version)
These evil halflings serve the spider goddess Lolth. They differ from the standard halfling in the following ways:
- Treat blowguns (below) as a martial weapon. Jungle halflings are feared for their proficient use of this weapon.
-+2 to craft(poisons) when crafting contact or injury poisons, with the exception of dragon bile, shadow essence, wyvern poison, or purple worm poison. Jungle halflings are skilled in the creation of natural poisons.
-No attack roll bonus with thrown weapons or slings.
-No bonus on jump and listen checks.
+2 INT, -2 CON. This is in addition to the halfling’s normal ability score adjustments.
-Favored class: Ranger.
Blowgun
: Exotic projectile weapon. Cost: 1 gp (1 gp for 20 needles), but see below. Dmg: For large and larger, as a shuriken of 2 sizes smaller. For small and medium, 1. For tiny and smaller, 0, but see special. Critical: X1 (there is no bonus for critical hits). Range Increment: 10’. Weight: 2 lbs (0 for needles). Type: Piercing. Special: Tiny and smaller blowguns do no damage, but any secondary effects that require damage to function (such as poison or bonus damage) still work if the target has no damage reduction. Most forms of damage increase do not apply to a blowgun; blowguns cannot deal precision damage, do not get a damage increase from magical enhancement bonuses, and cannot have the merciful or wounding properties. If a blowgun has a magical property dealing bonus damage to targets of a certain alignment, the bonus damage only applies when the target has that alignment as a descriptor rather than just their alignment.
While inexpensive in their native area, blowguns are extremely rare elsewhere. A character crafting a blowgun or needles for himself may use the above price. A character may likewise start with a blowgun and needles at character creation using the above , provided he is of a race that treats blowguns as a martial weapon. Otherwise, the weapon must be crafted by commission, and costs 5 times normal (including masterwork costs, but excluding enchantment costs.)
While weak and uncommon, blowguns are extremely quick: It is a free action (requiring 2 hands) to reload a blowgun, and a move action (requiring 1 hand) to fire it. A character making a full attack with a blowgun is entitled to one extra attack at full BAB.
Jungle kobolds
These kobolds, living in the high mountains of the jungles, are sworn foes of the jungle halflings, but are only slightly less evil. They differ from standard kobolds in the following ways:
-Always considered acclimated to high altitudes
-Jungle kobolds get a +2 racial bonus to climb checks, and use dexterity rather than strength as their key ability for the climb skill. This replaces the normal kobold’s bonus to profession(miner) and craft(trapmaking)
-Jungle kobolds do not live underground, and so do not have darkvision or light sensitivity.
-Jungle kobolds treat blowguns as a martial weapon.
-Jungle kobolds get +1 to craft(poisons) checks for natural contact or injury poisons (the same list as for jungle halflings).
-Jungle kobolds get +1 on attack rolls against halflings.
Jungle gnomes
Unlike the jungle kobolds and halflings, jungle gnomes are a thoughtful and benevolent group renowned for their wisdom. They differ from the jungle gnomes found in the SRD in the following ways:
- 2 STR, +2 WIS, -2 CHA. This replaces the gnome’s normal ability modifiers.
-30’ base movement speed.
-Jungle gnomes do not have low-light vision, and get no bonus to illusion spell DCs. They also do not get any spell-like abilities except Speak with Animals.
-Jungle gnomes get no bonus on climb checks.
-Jungle gnomes get no racial bonus on attacks against goblinoids.
-When attacking with monk weapons, jungle gnomes may use the weapon finesse feat even if it normally would not apply to that weapon and even if they do not have the feat.
-Jungle gnomes get +6 to disarm checks. Jungle gnomes are known for their skill at depriving others of their weapons.
-Favored class: Monk.
Lorgs
Lorgs are an uncommon race, related to orcs but more piglike:
- +4 STR, -2 DEX, +4 CON, -4 INT, -2 CHA. Lorgs are strong and tough, but stupid, clumsy, and often disliked.
-+2 natural armor bonus
-Favored class: Barbarian
-Level adjustment: +1
Feats
Improved Mounted Archery
Prerequisites: Ride 10 ranks, Improved Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, base attack bonus +14.
Benefit: There is no penalty for using a ranged weapon while mounted.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Mounted Archery as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Mounted Combat
Prerequisites: Ride 10 ranks, Mounted Combat, base attack bonus +7.
Benefit: You may make 1 ride check per round to negate hits on your mount with the Mounted Combat feat, but each check takes -5 more penalty than the preceding one. You may still only make one check per attack.
Normal: You may only use the Mounted Combat feat once per round.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Mounted Combat as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Rapid Shot
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Rapid Shot, base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: When you use the Rapid Shot feat, you get a second additional attack at a -10 penalty (in addition to the normal penalty for using Rapid Shot.)
Special: A fighter may select Improved Rapid Shot as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Whirlwind Attack (not to be confused with the excluded epic feat)
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, base attack bonus +14.
Benefit: When you make a whirlwind attack, you may make one additional attack against each opponent, at a -10 penalty.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Whirlwind Attack as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Merge Magics
Prerequisites: Caster level 3 in 2 different spellcasting classes
Benefit: Your spellcasting ability (caster level and spells/day, including new spell levels and scroll use) for each class is increased by 3 less than your class level in the other class. For instance, a Wizard 4/Cleric 5 with this feat would cast both wizard and cleric spells as if they were level 6.
Furthermore, certain benefits from one class apply to the other. Natural spell may be used for spells of any class linked to druid via this feat, and if sorcerer or wizard is linked to bard via this feat then spells of the linked class ignore arcane failure chance from light armor (but not from shields).
If a spell is available due to this feat, it must fulfill all alignment-based and school-based restrictions of both classes. Thus, a Wizard 3/Cleric of Pelor 5 would be able to cast 3rd level wizard spells, but could not cast Magic Circle against Evil. Likewise, a Necromancer 5/Cleric 3 with conjuration as a banned school could not cast Cure Serious Wounds.
Even if such a spell would be available without this feat, it cannot use the caster level increase from the class whose restriction it violates.
Special: This feat may be taken more than once. Each time it applies to a different pair of classes. If it is taken twice with one class in both pairs, it is gained a third time as a bonus feat applied to the other two classes.
If this feat is taken to link a magic domain cleric and a wizard, the magic domain power cannot increase the effective wizard level by more than 3 (to a total equal to the sum of the two classes’ class levels.)
Superior Armor Proficiency
Prerequisites: Endurance, Armor Proficiency (Medium), Base Attack Bonus +16.
Benefit: You may move at full speed in any armor you are proficient in. If you are proficient in heavy armor, you may treat it as medium armor whenever such is more advantageous to you (including being able to run at 4 times your normal speed, or 5 times your normal speed with the Run feat).
Normal: Medium and heavy armor decreases your speed, unless you are a dwarf.
Special: A fighter may select Superior Armor Proficiency as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Weapon Expertise
Prerequisites: Weapon focus with a weapon of the selected category, fighter level 4th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +1 to all attacks with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats.
Special: A fighter may select Weapon Expertise as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Weapon Superiority
Prerequisites: Weapon expertise with selected category, fighter level 8th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +2 to all damage rolls with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats.
Special: A fighter may select Weapon Superiority as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Greater Weapon Expertise
Prerequisites: Weapon Superiority with selected category, fighter level 12th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +1 to all attacks with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats, including Weapon Expertise.
Special: A fighter may select Greater Weapon Expertise as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Greater Weapon Superiority
Prerequisites: Greater weapon expertise with selected category, fighter level 15th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +2 to all damage rolls with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats, including Weapon Superiority.
Special: A fighter may select Greater Weapon Superiority as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Combat Mastery Feats
High-level fighters have access to a special kind of homebrew feat, known as combat mastery feats. These powerful feats are halfway in between feats and class features, and as such have some special rules: They may only be taken as fighter bonus feats or epic fighter bonus feats, not as the normal feats available to a character every 3 levels. Furthermore, only 3 may be taken by a character, no matter how high a level he attains.
Defensive Mastery
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, fighter level 16th.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you may create a defensive shield with one or more manufactured melee weapons you wield until the beginning of your next turn. In addition to the benefits of the Total Defense action, you gain a shield bonus to AC against melee attacks equal to the attack bonus with whichever one of the weapons has the lowest bonus, plus 5 for each weapon used after the first. You may treat a shield as a weapon for this purpose, but if so you lose the normal AC bonus from it, even against ranged attacks. Light weapons, with the exception of shields and a monk’s unarmed strike, cannot be used to create a defensive shield.
If you have Combat Reflexes, anyone attacking you in melee provokes an Attack of Opportunity from you (even if they are not in your threatened area), which must be made with one of the weapons creating the defensive shield; if the attack hits, it does a maximum of 5 damage, but blocks the provoking attack.
Special: Your Dwarven Defender levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Greater Defensive Mastery
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Defensive Mastery, fighter level 20th.
Benefit: When you create a defensive shield, all allies whose space you threaten (with all weapons used to create the defensive shield) gain half the shield bonus you do. Furthermore, if you have the Combat Reflexes feat anyone attacking such allies in melee provokes an Attack of Opportunity as if they had attacked you, but with a -4 penalty on the Attack of Opportunity.
Special: Your Dwarven Defender levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Maneuver Mastery
Prerequisites: At least 3 combat maneuver feats (the combat maneuver feats are Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Grapple, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, and Improved Bull Rush), fighter level 16th.
Benefit: When making an opposed roll to disarm, trip, grapple, overrun, sunder, or bull rush an opponent, you gain a +4 bonus.
Greater Maneuver Mastery
Prerequisites: Maneuver Mastery, fighter level 20th.
Benefit: When making an opposed roll to disarm, trip, grapple, overrun, sunder, or bull rush an opponent, halve all bonuses and penalties from size and strength or ability scores (but not from base attack bonus or feats) for both yourself and your opponent if such is advantageous for you.
Archery Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Dex, Point-Blank Shot, Far Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: Halve all penalties to attack rolls that apply specifically to ranged attacks (including penalties due to feat use and distance).
Special: Your Arcane Archer levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Greater Archery Mastery
Prerequisites: 21 Dex, Point-Blank Shot, Far Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Archery Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: Negate all distance penalties for your attacks, as well as the penalty for using rapid shot. You are still limited to 10 ranged increments with a projectile weapon, or 5 with a thrown weapon. Also, halve all miss chances that apply specifically to ranged attacks. Furthermore, Deflect Arrows and similar abilities no longer allow the user to simply deflect your attacks. Instead, they must make an opposed attack roll at a +10 bonus in order to deflect your attack.
Special: Your Arcane Archer levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Power Attack Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Str, Power Attack, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: When using Power Attack, you may apply penalties and bonuses for each attack individually.
Normal: The bonuses and penalties from Power Attack apply to all attacks in a round.
Greater Power Attack Mastery
Prerequisites: 21 Str, Power Attack, Power Attack Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: When using Power Attack, add twice as much to your damage roll as is subtracted from the attack roll, or four times as much if wielding a weapon in two hands. The total bonus to damage still cannot exceed your base attack bonus, or twice your base attack bonus if wielding a weapon in two hands. This still does not allow you to use Power Attack with a weapon that would normally be ineligible.
Normal: The number added to the damage roll is equal to the number subtracted from the attack roll, or twice as much if wielding a weapon in two hands.
Two-Weapon Fighting Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Dex, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: There is no weapon for fighting with two weapons.
Normal: There is a penalty of at least -2 to attacks when fighting with two weapons.
Greater Two-Weapon Fighting Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Dex, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: You may add your full strength bonus to damage rolls for off-hand attacks.
Normal: You only add half your strength bonus to damage rolls for off-hand attacks.
Weapon Mastery (not to be confused with the PHB2 feat)
Prerequisites: Greater Weapon Superiority or Greater Weapon Specialization, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: The Weapon Superiority, Greater Weapon Superiority, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization feats each give +10% to damage rather than +2 damage whenever such would be more advantageous to you. Any source of damage not multiplied by a critical hit is not increased in this manner, and the bonus is rounded down after the effects of all applicable feats have been calculated and added together.
Greater Weapon Mastery
Prerequisites: Weapon Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: The effects of Greater Weapon Expertise, Greater Weapon Superiority, Greater Weapon Focus, and Greater Weapon Specialization are doubled.
Repeat Metamagic (epic feat)
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 10th level spells, two metamagic feats from the following list: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Widen Spell, Enhance Spell, Intensify Spell
Benefit: You may apply any of the listed feats multiple times to a single spell (so long as you can cast spells of a high enough level.) As usual, two doublings is a tripling and so on.
Normal: Most metamagic feats can only be applied once to a given spell.
Monks
Monks gain a collection of homebrew class features, designed to further increase their effectiveness against casters.
-Inviolate Soul (Ex): At 8th level, a monk gains immunity to possession or mental control, as though protected by a Protection from Evil spell. This effect does not grant any of the other benefits of the spell, such as a bonus to AC or saves or protection from summoned creatures.
-Purity of Form (Su): At 10th level, a monk gains the ability to recover from inimical effects that change her form, such as a Flesh to Stone or Baleful Polymorph spell. Whenever affected by such an effect, she may make one Fortitude save per round as a free action to remove it. If the effect reduces her Fortitude save bonus or would prevent her from making the save, she may roll the save as though not affected by it.
-Diamond Spirit (Ex): At 14th level, a monk gains added resistance to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and negative energy effects (including the saving throw necessary 24 hours after gaining a negative level). Whenever targeted by such an effect, the monk is entitled to a Fortitude save to negate it (even if she normally would not be), and may add her Wisdom bonus to the saving throw.
-Superior Reflexes (Ex): At 16th level, a monk using a delay action may choose to interrupt another character’s action with her turn (as though she had readied the interruption, although she may use a full round’s worth of actions rather than just a single standard or shorter action.) After the interruption is finished, the interrupted character finishes his action if still able to do so. The monk’s new initiative count becomes that of the interrupted character, and she acts immediately ahead of the interrupted character.
-Diamond Soul is improved: At 18th level, the monk’s Spell Resistance increases by 5, to 15+class level.
-Empty Body is improved: While ethereal, the monk may use Abundant Step at will, but each usage counts as an extra round spent ethereal. The ethereal state may be entered or exited as a free action.
New Spell: Greater Polymorph
Transmutation
Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Willing creature touched
Duration: 1 min/level (D)
Saving throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell functions like polymorph, except that any form, even incorporeal and gaseous ones, may be taken. The assumed form can’t have more Hit Dice than your caster level (or the subject’s HD, whichever is lower), to a maximum of 25 HD at 25th level. The target loses all supernatural abilities not derived from class levels, but gains all supernatural and extraordinary (but not spell-like) abilities of the new form.
New Spell: Divert Teleport (not to be confused with the psionic power of the same name)
Abjuration
Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, M
Casting time: 1 minute; see text
Range: Same plane; see text
Area: 60-ft. square per level (S), to a height and depth of 10 ft./level
Duration: 1 month/level
Saving throw: None or Will negates; see text
Spell Resistance: No or Yes; see text
Divert Teleport wards an area against teleportation, redirecting any teleports into the area to another designated location. Normally, it does not allow a save, but if the new location is directly hazardous (e.g. into lava or a potentially deadly trap or into a solid object, but simply sending the teleporters into enemy forces does not qualify), the teleporters are entitled to saves and spell resistance to negate the entire teleport (returning to where they started.)
Material component: 25 gp worth (5 pounds) of powdered silver. Half the powdered silver must be sprinkled around the border of the affected area, and the other half must then be placed at the desired new target for the teleportation. The spell is not completed until this is done, which can increase the casting time beyond one minute, depending on the size of the area, the distance to the new target, and the caster’s speed. During the process, any planar travel (including Conjuration (teleport) spells) ruins the spell.
Epic Magic
The basic engine used for epic magic in this campaign (available only at level 30 and later) will be the one found at http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37410, but with a number of changes listed below:
Amplify Spell
-The first listed use of Amplify Spell (boost Spell level cap) boosts the maximum Spell level by one for every level of Spell level increase from Amplify Spell; the only exceptions are universal-school spells imitating spells of a prohibited school, which boost it by one for every 2 levels of Spell level increase.
- If used to increase an enhancement bonus to an ability score, it increases the bonus by 2 for every 3 levels increase, rather than 1 for every 2 levels increase. Any increase above 6 must use spell levels of 10 or higher (i.e. the increase to 8 must increase the spell level to at least 12, the increase to 10 must increase the spell level to at least 15, and so on).
- Amplify Spell cannot give a boost against Spell resistance or dispel checks.
-When used to increase caps, maximum CR should not be relevant, as no spells work on that mechanic.
-The listed character-level-based caps to various effects do not apply (they are not needed, as Divine Spellcasting and similar ways to get high-level metamagic do not exist.)
-Epic Summoning/Animation does not exist as metamagic, but is rather a single feat (Epic Minions) allowing one to develop (for free) new spells that continue the progression of summoning and animation spells to epic levels. It does not require Epic Spell Research (below), but in order to extend a progression the most powerful existing spell of that type must be known. There is no CR cap per se, but progressions will continue in such a way that minions will always be weaker than their summoner.
-With a Spellstorm, two spells may be cast on the same area, but only one occurs (chosen by the caster; the order of precedence must be constant for the whole Spellstorm). A spellstorm always requires at least Spell Level 10, as does a Combined Spell.
-Lasting Spell does not exist.
-Universal Energy Substitution does not exist.
Overchannel
This feat works somewhat differently than described:
An arcane caster with the feat may overchannel as described in the link, but each spell level above normal burns either 300 times his character level in experience (with cap of his total experience; if he spends enough to reduce his level, he loses a level) or taking a permanent penalty of one hit point per hit die (to a maximum of all his hit points; this is not damage and cannot cause death through massive damage), or one point of constitution (with cap equal to his total.) If he pays experience or constitution it cannot be regained by any means, but if he pays by taking a penalty to hit points he can use a Wish or Miracle spell (or similar effect) to choose a different type of payment instead (and then pay that in order to remove the penalty). Overchannel also cannot be used to improve a spell via Amplify Spell or Quicken Spell to a spell level higher than the caster could normally cast.
A divine caster may only overchannel the Miracle spell, and must pay the maximum of each form of payment (killing him twice over beyond hope of resurrection.) If he does so, he gains a plethora of benefits: He may use the extra levels to apply any metamagic effects (even ones he does not know), the 5000 XP cost for powerful Miracle effects is included in the payment, he may change any energy type in the spell to Divine, and each extra spell level also gives +5 to overcome spell resistance.
With either arcane or divine casters, if the spell is self-targeted and of noninstantaneous duration no more than 1 day/level, the payment is not paid until the spell ends.
-Spell sculptor is not available; use Repeat Metamagic (above) instead.
-A spellforge always requires DM approval (the “resurrect a character against his will” example actually wouldn’t work, as willingness conditions can never be forced.)
-Raise Ward can be extended in duration by increasing the casting time: It can be cast over the course of 1 hour/spell level, in which case it lasts 1 day/caster level or the duration of the base spell, whichever is less, or it can be cast over the course of 1 day/spell level, in which case it lasts for the duration of the base spell; regardless of duration, the ward can be dispelled even if the base spell cannot be dispelled, and is treated as a nonepic spell for the purposes of being dispelled.
-Epic Circle Magic is not available, although there are legends of powerful magics capable of it (without the limitations listed in the link)…
-In addition to epic metamagic, there is a new epic magic feat: Epic Spell Research. This feat allows the character to use the normal spell research mechanic to research new spells of 10th level and above.
General plan is: Nerf overpowered spells, boost fighters (but keep the vulnerability to magic) and monks (but keep the vulnerability to fighters and the like). Add homebrew races and psionics.
It's long enough that it causes problems to do it in one post, so I'll be doing it in two (one for everything other than psionics, and one for psionics).
Allowed Material:
Races
All core (PHB and MM) races, with the exception of evil outsiders, as well as desert elves, desert dwarves, and desert gnomes from UA/SRD, but some of the more powerful non-PHB races with 0 LA will take minor penalties (usually -2 to one of their less important ability scores) when used as PC races; send a PM if you want to play such a race. There are also homebrew races available; see below.
Classes
All PHB classes are allowed; of the prestige classes, Hierophant and Archmage can be taken by anyone who has fulfilled the requirements, while Arcane Archer, Arcane Trickster, and Dwarven Defender will be available through a quest. Blackguards exist but are not playable for this campaign, and other prestige classes do not exist (although Mystic Theurge can be imitated by use of the Merge Magics homebrew feat.) In addition, many classes can become psionic for additional options; this does not work quite like the system in the Psionics Handbook etc., see below.
Skills
All Core skills, plus autohypnosis (a class skill for rogues, monks, rangers, and arcane tricksters), Knowledge: Psionics (a class skill for bards, wizards, arcane tricksters, archmagi, psionic sorcerers, and psionic monks), and Psicraft (a class skill for psionic wizards, psionic sorcerers, psionic arcane tricksters, and psionic archmagi).
Feats (non-epic)
All core feats are allowed (with the exception of Tattoo focus, as Thay does not exist in this setting); in addition, the following non-psionic feats from the SRD are allowed: Knock-down, Subdual Substitution, Mind over Body, Reckless Offense, Sidestep Charge. Psionic feats are available to psionic characters depending on their class; see below for more information. There are also some homebrew feats (mostly designed for fighters); see below.
Epic Feats (if that level is reached)
Starting at level 21, a character may take all epic feats found in the DMG. That’s Familiar Spell, Great Smiting, Improved Elemental Wild Shape, Improved Favored Enemy, Improved Metamagic, Improved Sneak Attack, Improved Spell Capacity, Improved Stunning Fist, Lasting Inspiration, Overwhelming Critical, Planar Turning, Spell Knowledge, and Terrifying Rage. Psionic characters that qualify may also take Improved Metapsionics, which reduces the cost of each metapsionic feat applied to a power by 2 pp (to a minimum of 2 added pp per feat).
At level 25, the character gets access to nearly all epic feats listed in the SRD; the only exceptions are Improved Combat Casting, Epic Spellcasting, Improved Whirlwind Attack, and those that reference features not available in this game (Improved Aura of Despair, Widen Aura of Despair, and Improved Death Attack).
Houserules and Rulings:
Wizard Spells
-Protection from Evil only prevents evil summoned creatures from touching the target, not those that are neither good nor evil.
-When moving through a Web spell, one can never exceed half normal speed no matter how high their check is.
-Any polymorph effect that does not affect mental ability scores also does not grant or remove extraordinary mental special qualities (such as a human’s bonus feat or skills, or a dwarf’s stonecunning.)
-A character may move up to half their speed in a straight line through a Solid Fog or Acid Fog with a DC 25 strength check. They may do so multiple times with a single move action, so long as the total distance moved is no more than half their speed. If they fail a check, they may move 5 more feet in any direction, ending that move action.
-Wind Wall creates a 100% miss chance for arrows and bolts, rather than an automatic miss, so if miss chance is ignored (such as from a seeking weapon) the attack can still hit.
-If a character polymorphs into a creature with extra limbs, they have full use of those limbs, unlike the rule for Alter Self.
-When an item shrunk by Shrink Item is tossed on a surface to restore it to normal size, it does not attain its normal size until after it lands. Similarly, use of a command word to restore its size can only be done when it is resting firmly on a surface capable of holding its restored weight.
-The effects of Cloudkill are treated as poison for all purposes (so antitoxin gives a saving throw bonus, dwarves get a total racial bonus of +4, neutralize poison and delay poison help against it, etc.)
-A wall of force (and therefore forcecage as well) works somewhat differently: it does not block passage like a normal wall, but rather pushes back anything that tries to pass it. It is therefore possible to pass it with a strength check (with DC equal to the save DC it would have if it allowed a save); charging or running for at least 10 feet before trying to pass gives a +2 bonus to the check.
It is also possible to pass the wall of force with a jump check (which has triple the DC without a running start, rather than the normal doubling), but the DC (even with a running start) is 10 higher than for a strength check, and the attempt, whether successful or not, deals 1d6 damage.
It is also possible to attack with melee attacks through the wall, but all effects that let the attacker substitute dexterity for strength are unusable (a character with no strength score cannot attack through the wall), natural 20s are not an automatic hit, and attack and damage rolls take a penalty equal to 10 less than the spell’s check DC.
It is possible to “fortify” the wall to increase its DC by 10, as well as do an additional 1d6 damage to anyone trying to jump through, but this takes 10 minutes (after which the wall may be fortified again for another increase to the DC and damage). If more than 1 minute has passed since the wall was last created or fortified, this requires expenditure of a Wall of Force spell slot.
-Waves of Fatigue and Waves of Exhaustion allow fortitude saves just as Touch of Fatigue and Ray of Exhaustion do.
-A creature large enough to wade through mud (such as from Transmute Rock to Mud) can make a strength check. If its check result is 20 or more, it can move 5’ for every 5 points by which the result exceeds 10, to a maximum of half its normal speed. Otherwise, it can only move 5’.
-All effects listed in the Guards and Wards spells are optional; each can be present, absent, or present over only part of the warded area, as the caster chooses when casting the spell.
-An antimagic field suppresses the effects of a magical weapon only if the target is inside the field; if the target is outside the field but the weapon’s user is inside, the weapon hits as a magical weapon. Conversely, any weapon that is ineffective inside an antimagic field (such as the natural weapons of summoned creatures or incorporeal undead) is likewise ineffective against a target in an antimagic field, even if the weapon’s wielder is outside the field.
-Legend Lore and Vision, while able to bring to mind information that has never been generally known, cannot bring to mind information that has only been known by a very small number of people throughout history (the location of a secret treasure that was known only by the person who buried it, for instance).
-Transformation cannot increase the caster’s BAB above 20, but the increased BAB stacks with epic attack bonuses.
-Clenched fist, crushing hand, and grasping hand do not add the caster’s key ability modifier to their attack roll or grapple check (so Grasping Hand has an attack roll of 1d20+9+caster level, and a grapple check of 1d20+14+caster level, and similarly for the other two), but if the caster’s key ability score exceeds the hand’s normal strength, the hand has strength equal to the caster’s key ability score.
-Mass invisibility is broken for any individual who moves more than 180 feet from the farthest member of the group, not the nearest.
-A simulacrum lasts 2 days per caster level, minus one day for each level or hit die it has. After this period is over, the simulacrum loses one hit die or level each day until it hits 0 hit dice and reverts to snow.
-If Scintillating Pattern ends, so do all resulting effects, even if their time was not up.
-Polymorph any object has a number of new limitations: It cannot affect gases, nor can it affect terrain or parts of objects except by duplicating one of the listed spells. Any object that it creates with a volume of more than 1 cubic foot per caster level has a duration no more than 1 week, and in such case the spell takes 1 minute to cast. Whenever creating the resulting object via minor/major creation would require a skill check, so does Polymorph any object. Objects created via Polymorph any object cannot be used as material components. If polymorph any object is used on a party member, and in such a way that it lasts at least 12 hours, the ECL and experience gained are adjusted accordingly. Regardless of duration, the available forms when turning something into a creature are limited in the same way as Polymorph (with the exception of that the new form may have more HD than the old one), as are the abilities gained (except for the changes to mental ability scores listed in the spell description, and the resulting change to mental special qualities).
-Some particularly powerful major artifacts are not subject to Mage’s Disjunction.
-Gate (when cast as an arcane spell) works differently than described when used to call creatures. It takes 10 minutes to cast, the target creature gets a saving through to avoid coming through if it is unwilling, and unless a Magic Circle is prepared (as for the Lesser Planar Binding spell) the called creature cannot be controlled. If contractual service is desired, rather than an immediate task, the spell also requires negotiations (as with Lesser Planar Binding); this replaces the promised favor or reward described in the Gate spell. Unlike with lower-level spells, offers can be made once per round rather than once per day, but offer gives the creature another chance to escape.
Candles of invocation cannot be created with an arcane Gate, nor can they produce one, but it is possible to cast any Planar Binding spell while burning a candle of invocation in order to produce the effect of an arcane Gate.
- Shapechange does not allow you to assume an incorporeal or gaseous form. You also do not gain any special qualities (even extraordinary ones) or supernatural abilities, but you also do not lose your own supernatural abilities. When cast by a druid, it may only be used to take animal, fey, ooze, plant, and vermin forms, and when cast by a cleric it may only be used for animal forms. (Much of the lost functionality is available through the homebrew spell Greater Polymorph, below.)
-No spell can give epic-level features (including DR/epic or regeneration/epic) unless the caster has at least 25 levels in classes that increase the spell’s caster level. (Caster level increases from other sources, such as items or the Spell Power class feature, don’t count.)
-It is not possible to apply the Maximize Spell feat to Time Stop, even with a rod or epic spell slots.
-Wish cannot create a magic item of value greater than 200,000 gp (or an epic item even if it is worth less than 200,000 gp) unless heightened, in which case it can create up to a value of 25,000 gp times the spell level.
Other Spells
-If multiple individuals casts Shield Other on the same target, the target and all casters evenly split damage taken by the target; uneven points of damage go first to the target and then to the casters in the order in which they cast the spell.
-Spike Growth and Spike Stones have a 1 minute casting time.
-The table for Reincarnate assumes a humanoid target; other types will have other tables. Furthermore, subraces (except those given explicitly) are a possibility within the given options.
-When an area is affected by both the Hallow spell and the Unhallow spell, the earlier effect suppresses the later one over the joint area.
-A heightened Hallow spell can dispel any Unhallow effect at least 5 spell levels lower than it, and similarly a heightened Unhallow spell can dispel a Hallow effect of at least 5 spell levels lower. Note that since Hallow and Unhallow are 5th level spells, this generally requires epic-level magic.
-Winds created by Control Winds have a Fortitude DC either equal to 10+spell level+caster’s key ability score (like a spell) or the DC to resist such a wind if it occurs naturally (as by the table on page 95 of the DMG), whichever is less.
-When Control Winds creates a tornado, its size is limited to a size of 50’ radius for every 3 levels.
-If the damage rolled for the Harm spell is at least 50, it requires a save for massive damage even if the target has less than 51 hit points (and thus it does less than 50 damage).
-When Fire Seeds is used to create bombs, each casting of the spell has a different command word (not under your control). It is therefore impossible to set off more than 8 bombs at once.
-Control Plants does allow spell resistance.
-Gate (when cast as an divine spell) works differently than described when used to call creatures. It takes 10 minutes to cast, and the called creature must have a subtype matching the caster’s alignment or one of the caster’s domains. If payment is necessary, the bargaining and payment work as in the Lesser Planar Ally spell. The called creature cannot be compelled to accept a deal.
Classes
-All bonuses a barbarian gets from raging (STR, CON, Will saves) are morale bonuses.
-The natural spell feat only affects druid spells, unless the Merge Magics feat (below) is taken as well.
-A monk’s Flurry of Blows ability cannot be used in conjunction with 2-weapon fighting.
-Monks get several new class features, listed below under homebrew material.
-An arcane trickster’s bonus spells per day must be applied to an arcane casting class in which he is already able to cast 3rd level spells.
-If an arcane trickster or dwarven defender no longer fulfills their alignment requirement, they may not gain any more levels in the class, and (in the case of the dwarven defender) may not adopt a defensive stance, but all other class features remain. If they regain their former alignment, no Atonement spell is needed to gain more levels or adopt a defensive stance.
Combat Actions
-Readying an action to move out of range of an attack does not work; the attack occurs before the readied action in that case.
-Switching an item from both hands to one hand is a free action; switching it from one hand to both hands, or from one hand to the other, is a move action.
-Improved Trip does not allow you to follow up with any attack that you could not have made instead of the trip (so if, for instance, the trip attack was due to a feat like knockdown, you cannot follow up with a non-trip attack.)
-When using the Ride skill for cover, it is then a move action to stop using the mount for cover and get back into position in order to attack or cast a spell.
-Groping to find an invisible creature can be done as one attack in a full attack rather than a standard action.
Items
-In order to gain an AC bonus from a defending weapon, its wielder must attack with it on his previous turn. If a character has multiple defending weapons, their bonuses do not stack with each other.
-Cold iron items cost an extra 2000 gold to enchant the first time, but once they are enchanted it is not necessary to pay that price again for each additional enchantment.
-Not every item can have its cost reduced by requiring certain features in order to use. If there’s a case you want to know about, ask.
-It is possible to damage an item enough to affect its use without destroying it. If a masterwork item takes damage equal to its bonus hit points from enchantments (if any) plus half its normal hit points, it loses the masterwork quality (and with it any enchantments that require the masterwork quality) until repaired. A character with Improved Sunder can choose to only do this much damage to the item.
In order to repair an enchanted item that has been damaged in this way, there are two options. One option is to repair it as a normal item, which merely requires the appropriate craft check and expenditure of materials equal to one-fifth the item’s price excluding the price of any enchantments.
Alternatively, the item can be repaired to restore its magical properties. Doing so requires that the nature of the enchantment be known (whether from an Identify spell or some other means) as well as additional expenditure equal to one-twentieth of the price of any enchantments being restored and a successful spellcraft check. The DC of the spellcraft check is equal to 5 more than the caster level of the item if made by the character repairing the item (in other words, the one making the craft check), or 10 more than the item’s caster level if made by another character (who must still be present and able to communicate with the repairer for the whole process.) If the repairer and the person making the spellcraft check have a Telepathic Bond or Mindlink over the course of the repairs, however, the DC is only 6 more than the item’s caster level. Having an Arcane Sight spell active over the course of the process gives +2 to the check, and a character with the necessary item creation feats who has all necessary spells on their class list gets +10 to the check. If the spellcraft check fails, the item is repaired as a nonmagical item. It is possible to hire someone to make the spellcraft check; this usually costs 20 gp times the square of the individual’s level, not counting spells requested (although arcane sight with permanency costs only 1/10 normal due to the hireling being able to keep it).
If an item is repaired as a nonmagical item, the enchantment can be restored by repairing it again as a magical item. It registers to detect magic or arcane sight as magical, but an identify spell will indicate that the enchantment is present but nonfunctional.
Miscellaneous Features
-Whenever good and evil outsiders are referred to, that means outsiders of the good and evil subtypes, not all outsiders of good and evil alignment.
-Celestial and Half-celestial creatures have the good subtype, while fiendish and half-fiendish creatures have the evil subtype.
-Whenever a creature has a spell-like ability that imitates a spell with variable experience cost, the spell-like ability can only imitate the usage with minimal cost unless the description explicitly indicates otherwise.
-Called (but not summoned) creatures take a share of the XP and treasure for any fight in which they participate. If the called creatures are substantially less powerful than the party members, this will be negligible, while if they are substantially more powerful the party’s share will be negligible. Party members created by Polymorph any Object in a manner that lasts at least 12 hours take a share of the XP, but not of the treasure.
-The list limiting what a summoned creature can do also limits what a creature can be forced to do by any means of commanding or controlling it. The only exception is a noble djinni granting wishes to its captor; even in such case, however, this can only be done when the capture was by natural means rather than a spell such as Planar Binding.
-Forest gnomes get no dodge bonus against giants and no bonus to listen or craft(alchemy).
-If something has both hardness and damage reduction, they overlap.
-When using the feat Ride-by Attack, you need not move to the closest space that threatens the opponent, merely any space that threatens the opponent. You must still move in a straight line both before and after the attack.
-The epic feat Planar Turning affects only Good outsiders and Evil outsiders.
-The epic feat Enhance Spell can only be taken once; the Repeat Metamagic homebrew feat (below) can be used to apply it multiple times, however.
-A character with BAB of at least 20 does not require any ranks in Escape Artist to take the Legendary Wrestler epic feat.
-The Improved Manyshot feat cannot give more attacks than are available from a full attack.
-Temporary bonuses to an ability score work just like temporary hit points: They do not stack, and are the first lost to drain or damage.
-Regeneration/alignment does not prevent death from instant-death effects, including Coup de Grace and massive damage.
-Falling object rules are changed for extremely light and extremely heavy items. Anything weighing less than 1 ounce has both falling damage taken and falling damage done reduced by the factor by which it is less than one ounce, rounded down, to a minimum of 0 damage. (so a 1 ounce item would do and take 1 less damage, a half-ounce item would do and take 2 less damage, a 1/3-ounce item would do and take 3 less damage, and so on.) An item weighing more than 2000 pounds does not do 1d6 damage per 200 pounds, but rather does 10d6 damage for the first 2000 pounds, then both does and takes 1d6 additional damage for every 2000 pounds after the first 2000, up to 20,000, then 1d6 for every 20,000 pounds after the first 20,000, up to 200,000, and so on.
-Parts of the fluff in the MM, as well as a few rulings in the FAQ that I strongly disagree with, do not apply for this game. So ask before relying on either (the MM material might require a knowledge check, though).
Homebrew Material:
Races (and one new weapon)
Jungle halflings (not the same as the UA version)
These evil halflings serve the spider goddess Lolth. They differ from the standard halfling in the following ways:
- Treat blowguns (below) as a martial weapon. Jungle halflings are feared for their proficient use of this weapon.
-+2 to craft(poisons) when crafting contact or injury poisons, with the exception of dragon bile, shadow essence, wyvern poison, or purple worm poison. Jungle halflings are skilled in the creation of natural poisons.
-No attack roll bonus with thrown weapons or slings.
-No bonus on jump and listen checks.
+2 INT, -2 CON. This is in addition to the halfling’s normal ability score adjustments.
-Favored class: Ranger.
Blowgun
: Exotic projectile weapon. Cost: 1 gp (1 gp for 20 needles), but see below. Dmg: For large and larger, as a shuriken of 2 sizes smaller. For small and medium, 1. For tiny and smaller, 0, but see special. Critical: X1 (there is no bonus for critical hits). Range Increment: 10’. Weight: 2 lbs (0 for needles). Type: Piercing. Special: Tiny and smaller blowguns do no damage, but any secondary effects that require damage to function (such as poison or bonus damage) still work if the target has no damage reduction. Most forms of damage increase do not apply to a blowgun; blowguns cannot deal precision damage, do not get a damage increase from magical enhancement bonuses, and cannot have the merciful or wounding properties. If a blowgun has a magical property dealing bonus damage to targets of a certain alignment, the bonus damage only applies when the target has that alignment as a descriptor rather than just their alignment.
While inexpensive in their native area, blowguns are extremely rare elsewhere. A character crafting a blowgun or needles for himself may use the above price. A character may likewise start with a blowgun and needles at character creation using the above , provided he is of a race that treats blowguns as a martial weapon. Otherwise, the weapon must be crafted by commission, and costs 5 times normal (including masterwork costs, but excluding enchantment costs.)
While weak and uncommon, blowguns are extremely quick: It is a free action (requiring 2 hands) to reload a blowgun, and a move action (requiring 1 hand) to fire it. A character making a full attack with a blowgun is entitled to one extra attack at full BAB.
Jungle kobolds
These kobolds, living in the high mountains of the jungles, are sworn foes of the jungle halflings, but are only slightly less evil. They differ from standard kobolds in the following ways:
-Always considered acclimated to high altitudes
-Jungle kobolds get a +2 racial bonus to climb checks, and use dexterity rather than strength as their key ability for the climb skill. This replaces the normal kobold’s bonus to profession(miner) and craft(trapmaking)
-Jungle kobolds do not live underground, and so do not have darkvision or light sensitivity.
-Jungle kobolds treat blowguns as a martial weapon.
-Jungle kobolds get +1 to craft(poisons) checks for natural contact or injury poisons (the same list as for jungle halflings).
-Jungle kobolds get +1 on attack rolls against halflings.
Jungle gnomes
Unlike the jungle kobolds and halflings, jungle gnomes are a thoughtful and benevolent group renowned for their wisdom. They differ from the jungle gnomes found in the SRD in the following ways:
- 2 STR, +2 WIS, -2 CHA. This replaces the gnome’s normal ability modifiers.
-30’ base movement speed.
-Jungle gnomes do not have low-light vision, and get no bonus to illusion spell DCs. They also do not get any spell-like abilities except Speak with Animals.
-Jungle gnomes get no bonus on climb checks.
-Jungle gnomes get no racial bonus on attacks against goblinoids.
-When attacking with monk weapons, jungle gnomes may use the weapon finesse feat even if it normally would not apply to that weapon and even if they do not have the feat.
-Jungle gnomes get +6 to disarm checks. Jungle gnomes are known for their skill at depriving others of their weapons.
-Favored class: Monk.
Lorgs
Lorgs are an uncommon race, related to orcs but more piglike:
- +4 STR, -2 DEX, +4 CON, -4 INT, -2 CHA. Lorgs are strong and tough, but stupid, clumsy, and often disliked.
-+2 natural armor bonus
-Favored class: Barbarian
-Level adjustment: +1
Feats
Improved Mounted Archery
Prerequisites: Ride 10 ranks, Improved Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, base attack bonus +14.
Benefit: There is no penalty for using a ranged weapon while mounted.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Mounted Archery as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Mounted Combat
Prerequisites: Ride 10 ranks, Mounted Combat, base attack bonus +7.
Benefit: You may make 1 ride check per round to negate hits on your mount with the Mounted Combat feat, but each check takes -5 more penalty than the preceding one. You may still only make one check per attack.
Normal: You may only use the Mounted Combat feat once per round.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Mounted Combat as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Rapid Shot
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Rapid Shot, base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: When you use the Rapid Shot feat, you get a second additional attack at a -10 penalty (in addition to the normal penalty for using Rapid Shot.)
Special: A fighter may select Improved Rapid Shot as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Improved Whirlwind Attack (not to be confused with the excluded epic feat)
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, base attack bonus +14.
Benefit: When you make a whirlwind attack, you may make one additional attack against each opponent, at a -10 penalty.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Whirlwind Attack as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Merge Magics
Prerequisites: Caster level 3 in 2 different spellcasting classes
Benefit: Your spellcasting ability (caster level and spells/day, including new spell levels and scroll use) for each class is increased by 3 less than your class level in the other class. For instance, a Wizard 4/Cleric 5 with this feat would cast both wizard and cleric spells as if they were level 6.
Furthermore, certain benefits from one class apply to the other. Natural spell may be used for spells of any class linked to druid via this feat, and if sorcerer or wizard is linked to bard via this feat then spells of the linked class ignore arcane failure chance from light armor (but not from shields).
If a spell is available due to this feat, it must fulfill all alignment-based and school-based restrictions of both classes. Thus, a Wizard 3/Cleric of Pelor 5 would be able to cast 3rd level wizard spells, but could not cast Magic Circle against Evil. Likewise, a Necromancer 5/Cleric 3 with conjuration as a banned school could not cast Cure Serious Wounds.
Even if such a spell would be available without this feat, it cannot use the caster level increase from the class whose restriction it violates.
Special: This feat may be taken more than once. Each time it applies to a different pair of classes. If it is taken twice with one class in both pairs, it is gained a third time as a bonus feat applied to the other two classes.
If this feat is taken to link a magic domain cleric and a wizard, the magic domain power cannot increase the effective wizard level by more than 3 (to a total equal to the sum of the two classes’ class levels.)
Superior Armor Proficiency
Prerequisites: Endurance, Armor Proficiency (Medium), Base Attack Bonus +16.
Benefit: You may move at full speed in any armor you are proficient in. If you are proficient in heavy armor, you may treat it as medium armor whenever such is more advantageous to you (including being able to run at 4 times your normal speed, or 5 times your normal speed with the Run feat).
Normal: Medium and heavy armor decreases your speed, unless you are a dwarf.
Special: A fighter may select Superior Armor Proficiency as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Weapon Expertise
Prerequisites: Weapon focus with a weapon of the selected category, fighter level 4th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +1 to all attacks with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats.
Special: A fighter may select Weapon Expertise as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Weapon Superiority
Prerequisites: Weapon expertise with selected category, fighter level 8th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +2 to all damage rolls with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats.
Special: A fighter may select Weapon Superiority as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Greater Weapon Expertise
Prerequisites: Weapon Superiority with selected category, fighter level 12th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +1 to all attacks with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats, including Weapon Expertise.
Special: A fighter may select Greater Weapon Expertise as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Greater Weapon Superiority
Prerequisites: Greater weapon expertise with selected category, fighter level 15th.
Benefit: Choose a category of weapon: Melee, projectile, or thrown. You gain +2 to all damage rolls with weapons of that category. This stacks with bonuses from all other feats, including Weapon Superiority.
Special: A fighter may select Greater Weapon Superiority as one of his fighter bonus feats.
This feat may be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack; each time, it applies to a different category.
Combat Mastery Feats
High-level fighters have access to a special kind of homebrew feat, known as combat mastery feats. These powerful feats are halfway in between feats and class features, and as such have some special rules: They may only be taken as fighter bonus feats or epic fighter bonus feats, not as the normal feats available to a character every 3 levels. Furthermore, only 3 may be taken by a character, no matter how high a level he attains.
Defensive Mastery
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, fighter level 16th.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you may create a defensive shield with one or more manufactured melee weapons you wield until the beginning of your next turn. In addition to the benefits of the Total Defense action, you gain a shield bonus to AC against melee attacks equal to the attack bonus with whichever one of the weapons has the lowest bonus, plus 5 for each weapon used after the first. You may treat a shield as a weapon for this purpose, but if so you lose the normal AC bonus from it, even against ranged attacks. Light weapons, with the exception of shields and a monk’s unarmed strike, cannot be used to create a defensive shield.
If you have Combat Reflexes, anyone attacking you in melee provokes an Attack of Opportunity from you (even if they are not in your threatened area), which must be made with one of the weapons creating the defensive shield; if the attack hits, it does a maximum of 5 damage, but blocks the provoking attack.
Special: Your Dwarven Defender levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Greater Defensive Mastery
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Defensive Mastery, fighter level 20th.
Benefit: When you create a defensive shield, all allies whose space you threaten (with all weapons used to create the defensive shield) gain half the shield bonus you do. Furthermore, if you have the Combat Reflexes feat anyone attacking such allies in melee provokes an Attack of Opportunity as if they had attacked you, but with a -4 penalty on the Attack of Opportunity.
Special: Your Dwarven Defender levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Maneuver Mastery
Prerequisites: At least 3 combat maneuver feats (the combat maneuver feats are Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Grapple, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, and Improved Bull Rush), fighter level 16th.
Benefit: When making an opposed roll to disarm, trip, grapple, overrun, sunder, or bull rush an opponent, you gain a +4 bonus.
Greater Maneuver Mastery
Prerequisites: Maneuver Mastery, fighter level 20th.
Benefit: When making an opposed roll to disarm, trip, grapple, overrun, sunder, or bull rush an opponent, halve all bonuses and penalties from size and strength or ability scores (but not from base attack bonus or feats) for both yourself and your opponent if such is advantageous for you.
Archery Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Dex, Point-Blank Shot, Far Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: Halve all penalties to attack rolls that apply specifically to ranged attacks (including penalties due to feat use and distance).
Special: Your Arcane Archer levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Greater Archery Mastery
Prerequisites: 21 Dex, Point-Blank Shot, Far Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Archery Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: Negate all distance penalties for your attacks, as well as the penalty for using rapid shot. You are still limited to 10 ranged increments with a projectile weapon, or 5 with a thrown weapon. Also, halve all miss chances that apply specifically to ranged attacks. Furthermore, Deflect Arrows and similar abilities no longer allow the user to simply deflect your attacks. Instead, they must make an opposed attack roll at a +10 bonus in order to deflect your attack.
Special: Your Arcane Archer levels, if any, stack with your fighter levels for qualification for this feat.
Power Attack Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Str, Power Attack, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: When using Power Attack, you may apply penalties and bonuses for each attack individually.
Normal: The bonuses and penalties from Power Attack apply to all attacks in a round.
Greater Power Attack Mastery
Prerequisites: 21 Str, Power Attack, Power Attack Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: When using Power Attack, add twice as much to your damage roll as is subtracted from the attack roll, or four times as much if wielding a weapon in two hands. The total bonus to damage still cannot exceed your base attack bonus, or twice your base attack bonus if wielding a weapon in two hands. This still does not allow you to use Power Attack with a weapon that would normally be ineligible.
Normal: The number added to the damage roll is equal to the number subtracted from the attack roll, or twice as much if wielding a weapon in two hands.
Two-Weapon Fighting Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Dex, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: There is no weapon for fighting with two weapons.
Normal: There is a penalty of at least -2 to attacks when fighting with two weapons.
Greater Two-Weapon Fighting Mastery
Prerequisites: 19 Dex, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: You may add your full strength bonus to damage rolls for off-hand attacks.
Normal: You only add half your strength bonus to damage rolls for off-hand attacks.
Weapon Mastery (not to be confused with the PHB2 feat)
Prerequisites: Greater Weapon Superiority or Greater Weapon Specialization, Fighter level 16th.
Benefit: The Weapon Superiority, Greater Weapon Superiority, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization feats each give +10% to damage rather than +2 damage whenever such would be more advantageous to you. Any source of damage not multiplied by a critical hit is not increased in this manner, and the bonus is rounded down after the effects of all applicable feats have been calculated and added together.
Greater Weapon Mastery
Prerequisites: Weapon Mastery, Fighter level 20th.
Benefit: The effects of Greater Weapon Expertise, Greater Weapon Superiority, Greater Weapon Focus, and Greater Weapon Specialization are doubled.
Repeat Metamagic (epic feat)
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 10th level spells, two metamagic feats from the following list: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Widen Spell, Enhance Spell, Intensify Spell
Benefit: You may apply any of the listed feats multiple times to a single spell (so long as you can cast spells of a high enough level.) As usual, two doublings is a tripling and so on.
Normal: Most metamagic feats can only be applied once to a given spell.
Monks
Monks gain a collection of homebrew class features, designed to further increase their effectiveness against casters.
-Inviolate Soul (Ex): At 8th level, a monk gains immunity to possession or mental control, as though protected by a Protection from Evil spell. This effect does not grant any of the other benefits of the spell, such as a bonus to AC or saves or protection from summoned creatures.
-Purity of Form (Su): At 10th level, a monk gains the ability to recover from inimical effects that change her form, such as a Flesh to Stone or Baleful Polymorph spell. Whenever affected by such an effect, she may make one Fortitude save per round as a free action to remove it. If the effect reduces her Fortitude save bonus or would prevent her from making the save, she may roll the save as though not affected by it.
-Diamond Spirit (Ex): At 14th level, a monk gains added resistance to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and negative energy effects (including the saving throw necessary 24 hours after gaining a negative level). Whenever targeted by such an effect, the monk is entitled to a Fortitude save to negate it (even if she normally would not be), and may add her Wisdom bonus to the saving throw.
-Superior Reflexes (Ex): At 16th level, a monk using a delay action may choose to interrupt another character’s action with her turn (as though she had readied the interruption, although she may use a full round’s worth of actions rather than just a single standard or shorter action.) After the interruption is finished, the interrupted character finishes his action if still able to do so. The monk’s new initiative count becomes that of the interrupted character, and she acts immediately ahead of the interrupted character.
-Diamond Soul is improved: At 18th level, the monk’s Spell Resistance increases by 5, to 15+class level.
-Empty Body is improved: While ethereal, the monk may use Abundant Step at will, but each usage counts as an extra round spent ethereal. The ethereal state may be entered or exited as a free action.
New Spell: Greater Polymorph
Transmutation
Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Willing creature touched
Duration: 1 min/level (D)
Saving throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell functions like polymorph, except that any form, even incorporeal and gaseous ones, may be taken. The assumed form can’t have more Hit Dice than your caster level (or the subject’s HD, whichever is lower), to a maximum of 25 HD at 25th level. The target loses all supernatural abilities not derived from class levels, but gains all supernatural and extraordinary (but not spell-like) abilities of the new form.
New Spell: Divert Teleport (not to be confused with the psionic power of the same name)
Abjuration
Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, M
Casting time: 1 minute; see text
Range: Same plane; see text
Area: 60-ft. square per level (S), to a height and depth of 10 ft./level
Duration: 1 month/level
Saving throw: None or Will negates; see text
Spell Resistance: No or Yes; see text
Divert Teleport wards an area against teleportation, redirecting any teleports into the area to another designated location. Normally, it does not allow a save, but if the new location is directly hazardous (e.g. into lava or a potentially deadly trap or into a solid object, but simply sending the teleporters into enemy forces does not qualify), the teleporters are entitled to saves and spell resistance to negate the entire teleport (returning to where they started.)
Material component: 25 gp worth (5 pounds) of powdered silver. Half the powdered silver must be sprinkled around the border of the affected area, and the other half must then be placed at the desired new target for the teleportation. The spell is not completed until this is done, which can increase the casting time beyond one minute, depending on the size of the area, the distance to the new target, and the caster’s speed. During the process, any planar travel (including Conjuration (teleport) spells) ruins the spell.
Epic Magic
The basic engine used for epic magic in this campaign (available only at level 30 and later) will be the one found at http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37410, but with a number of changes listed below:
Amplify Spell
-The first listed use of Amplify Spell (boost Spell level cap) boosts the maximum Spell level by one for every level of Spell level increase from Amplify Spell; the only exceptions are universal-school spells imitating spells of a prohibited school, which boost it by one for every 2 levels of Spell level increase.
- If used to increase an enhancement bonus to an ability score, it increases the bonus by 2 for every 3 levels increase, rather than 1 for every 2 levels increase. Any increase above 6 must use spell levels of 10 or higher (i.e. the increase to 8 must increase the spell level to at least 12, the increase to 10 must increase the spell level to at least 15, and so on).
- Amplify Spell cannot give a boost against Spell resistance or dispel checks.
-When used to increase caps, maximum CR should not be relevant, as no spells work on that mechanic.
-The listed character-level-based caps to various effects do not apply (they are not needed, as Divine Spellcasting and similar ways to get high-level metamagic do not exist.)
-Epic Summoning/Animation does not exist as metamagic, but is rather a single feat (Epic Minions) allowing one to develop (for free) new spells that continue the progression of summoning and animation spells to epic levels. It does not require Epic Spell Research (below), but in order to extend a progression the most powerful existing spell of that type must be known. There is no CR cap per se, but progressions will continue in such a way that minions will always be weaker than their summoner.
-With a Spellstorm, two spells may be cast on the same area, but only one occurs (chosen by the caster; the order of precedence must be constant for the whole Spellstorm). A spellstorm always requires at least Spell Level 10, as does a Combined Spell.
-Lasting Spell does not exist.
-Universal Energy Substitution does not exist.
Overchannel
This feat works somewhat differently than described:
An arcane caster with the feat may overchannel as described in the link, but each spell level above normal burns either 300 times his character level in experience (with cap of his total experience; if he spends enough to reduce his level, he loses a level) or taking a permanent penalty of one hit point per hit die (to a maximum of all his hit points; this is not damage and cannot cause death through massive damage), or one point of constitution (with cap equal to his total.) If he pays experience or constitution it cannot be regained by any means, but if he pays by taking a penalty to hit points he can use a Wish or Miracle spell (or similar effect) to choose a different type of payment instead (and then pay that in order to remove the penalty). Overchannel also cannot be used to improve a spell via Amplify Spell or Quicken Spell to a spell level higher than the caster could normally cast.
A divine caster may only overchannel the Miracle spell, and must pay the maximum of each form of payment (killing him twice over beyond hope of resurrection.) If he does so, he gains a plethora of benefits: He may use the extra levels to apply any metamagic effects (even ones he does not know), the 5000 XP cost for powerful Miracle effects is included in the payment, he may change any energy type in the spell to Divine, and each extra spell level also gives +5 to overcome spell resistance.
With either arcane or divine casters, if the spell is self-targeted and of noninstantaneous duration no more than 1 day/level, the payment is not paid until the spell ends.
-Spell sculptor is not available; use Repeat Metamagic (above) instead.
-A spellforge always requires DM approval (the “resurrect a character against his will” example actually wouldn’t work, as willingness conditions can never be forced.)
-Raise Ward can be extended in duration by increasing the casting time: It can be cast over the course of 1 hour/spell level, in which case it lasts 1 day/caster level or the duration of the base spell, whichever is less, or it can be cast over the course of 1 day/spell level, in which case it lasts for the duration of the base spell; regardless of duration, the ward can be dispelled even if the base spell cannot be dispelled, and is treated as a nonepic spell for the purposes of being dispelled.
-Epic Circle Magic is not available, although there are legends of powerful magics capable of it (without the limitations listed in the link)…
-In addition to epic metamagic, there is a new epic magic feat: Epic Spell Research. This feat allows the character to use the normal spell research mechanic to research new spells of 10th level and above.