TooManySecrets
2011-08-27, 02:11 PM
Apparently, a bunch of people are trying out tristalt so I thought to myself "Why stop there?". Introducing....
EXSTALT
INTRO
Exstalt is a homebrew modification to D&D 3.5, in the vein of gestalt (http://dndsrd.net/unearthedGestalt.html). The rules replace the normal 3.5 multiclass rules in such a way to allow nearly limitless variation. It is compatible with 3.5 with very little modification and GM oversight.
THE RULES
Page 22 of the Player's Handbook describes the XP required for each level. In this variant, however, the player "spends" XP to gain a level. So far, this is no different than normal D&D, though presented in a different format. However, they could also buy a level in a new class. (To prevent the obvious abuse, subsequent levels in a class always cost at least 1,000 XP.) Each individual class levels gestalt with all class levels at the same level.
Concrete example:
Mark is playing a Fighter 1. He just gained 1,000 XP, so he decides to buy a second level of Fighter and become a Fighter 2. Later, he gains another 1,000 XP and decides to buy a level in Sorcerer. He is now a Fighter 2//Sorcerer 1. His BAB is +2, Base Fortitude is +3, Base Reflex is +0, and Base Will is +2.
There are some important subtleties to note. First, you only gain feats gained from level advancement once. Similarly, while each level advancement gets you skill points, every subsequent level in the same level only gets you half skill points (round down, minimum of 1).
Continuing example:
Mark's Fighter/Sorcerer has an intelligence of 12 and is human. He gains 1,000 XP and buys a second level of Sorcerer. Since he already has Fighter 2, he only gains half the normal number of skill points. In this case, that would be 2 - (2 base + 1 Int mod + 1 )/2. Mark gains 3,000 XP and decides to continue advancing Sorcerer. He gains the full number of skill points - 4 - and gains a new feat. If he later increases his Fighter level to 3, he would get half skill points and no new feat.
Prestige classes are no exception to the rules. The 1st level of a PrC is treated the same as the 1st level in a base class. While this does produce some oddities, it makes other things (such as keeping track of when exactly a PrC was gained) simpler.
Prestige classes that advance features are a weird bunch. Your GM might just disallow them. One option is to not let them advance the feature higher than the highest class level. Another option is to not let a single level advance a feature more than one level e.g. 1st level might advance Wizard spellcasting by 1 level, but never by 2 levels.
It is highly suggested that HP is non-random. Each level uses the best HP.
VARIANT VARIANTS
E6-Exstalt: For those who love high-powered low-powered games. E6, for those who don't know, is a variant where you don't level past 6th level. There are options for buying additional feats and the like. This variant variant is like E6, except that you can also buy levels in other classes, like Exstalt, at any point.
What do you guys think? I hope that it's clear enough. I think the biggest problem is that the CR system is completely and hopelessly messed-up. Not that I wouldn't mind losing CR (it's pretty clunky), but some people like it.
EXSTALT
INTRO
Exstalt is a homebrew modification to D&D 3.5, in the vein of gestalt (http://dndsrd.net/unearthedGestalt.html). The rules replace the normal 3.5 multiclass rules in such a way to allow nearly limitless variation. It is compatible with 3.5 with very little modification and GM oversight.
THE RULES
Page 22 of the Player's Handbook describes the XP required for each level. In this variant, however, the player "spends" XP to gain a level. So far, this is no different than normal D&D, though presented in a different format. However, they could also buy a level in a new class. (To prevent the obvious abuse, subsequent levels in a class always cost at least 1,000 XP.) Each individual class levels gestalt with all class levels at the same level.
Concrete example:
Mark is playing a Fighter 1. He just gained 1,000 XP, so he decides to buy a second level of Fighter and become a Fighter 2. Later, he gains another 1,000 XP and decides to buy a level in Sorcerer. He is now a Fighter 2//Sorcerer 1. His BAB is +2, Base Fortitude is +3, Base Reflex is +0, and Base Will is +2.
There are some important subtleties to note. First, you only gain feats gained from level advancement once. Similarly, while each level advancement gets you skill points, every subsequent level in the same level only gets you half skill points (round down, minimum of 1).
Continuing example:
Mark's Fighter/Sorcerer has an intelligence of 12 and is human. He gains 1,000 XP and buys a second level of Sorcerer. Since he already has Fighter 2, he only gains half the normal number of skill points. In this case, that would be 2 - (2 base + 1 Int mod + 1 )/2. Mark gains 3,000 XP and decides to continue advancing Sorcerer. He gains the full number of skill points - 4 - and gains a new feat. If he later increases his Fighter level to 3, he would get half skill points and no new feat.
Prestige classes are no exception to the rules. The 1st level of a PrC is treated the same as the 1st level in a base class. While this does produce some oddities, it makes other things (such as keeping track of when exactly a PrC was gained) simpler.
Prestige classes that advance features are a weird bunch. Your GM might just disallow them. One option is to not let them advance the feature higher than the highest class level. Another option is to not let a single level advance a feature more than one level e.g. 1st level might advance Wizard spellcasting by 1 level, but never by 2 levels.
It is highly suggested that HP is non-random. Each level uses the best HP.
VARIANT VARIANTS
E6-Exstalt: For those who love high-powered low-powered games. E6, for those who don't know, is a variant where you don't level past 6th level. There are options for buying additional feats and the like. This variant variant is like E6, except that you can also buy levels in other classes, like Exstalt, at any point.
What do you guys think? I hope that it's clear enough. I think the biggest problem is that the CR system is completely and hopelessly messed-up. Not that I wouldn't mind losing CR (it's pretty clunky), but some people like it.