Golden Ladybug
2013-03-28, 09:30 PM
I'm sure you've all experienced this phenomenon while building mid-to-high level characters before; you've put together your class levels, chosen your feats and you look at the gold you have available? A pretty hefty sum, and you could definitely get some really cool stuff with it.
But, you probably should buy a Stat Boosting Item before you do anything else. You don't want your Spell DCs to be too low, and you really need your To-Hit score as high as you can get it. And you should definitely buy a Cloak of Resistance too. Saving throws are important, and they're not something you can really afford to neglect.
...but your AC is pretty low. Suppose you should Enchant your Armor, and maybe buy a Ring of Protection as well. Since you're dealing with AC, you should probably game your To-Hit mod as well; time to enchant your Weapon of choice as well.
Suddenly, you're out of gold and you've bought the same things you buy every time you build a character. I've had about enough of that.
Removing Common Magical Effects
Ability Scores and Saving Throws
{table=head]ECL|Saving Throws|Abilities
1st|
-|
-
2nd|
-|
-
3rd|
Resistance +1|
-
4th|
-|
Ability Scores +2
5th|
-|
-
6th|
Resistance +2|
Ability Scores +2/+2
7th|
-|
-
8th|
-|
Ability Scores +4/+2
9th|
Resistance +3|
-
10th|
-|
Ability Scores +4/+2/+2
11th|
-|
-
12th|
Resistance +4|
Ability Scores +6/+4/+2
13th|
-|
-
14th|
-|
Ability Scores +6/+4/+2/+2
15th|
Resistance +5|
-
16th|
-|
Ability Scores +8/+6/+4/+2
17th|
-|
-
18th|
Resistance +6|
Ability Scores +8/+6/+4/+2/+2
19th|
-|
-
20th|
-|
Ability Scores +10/+8/+6/+4/+2[/table]
Resistance: At Equivalent Character Level 3, characters gain a +1 Resistance Bonus to all Saving Throws. This bonus increases by +1 every 3 levels thereafter.
Ability Scores: At Equivalent Character Level 4, characters gain a +2 Bonus to an Ability Score of their choice. At every even level thereafter, characters gain an additional +2 Bonus to an ability score or increase all bonuses to Ability Scores by +2, except for the most recent bonus. Characters cannot apply multiple bonuses to the same Ability Score through this feature.
The Progression of Saving Throws and Ability Scores is important to every character, and I aimed to provide a logical, effective increase to both as a function of levelling up. I tried to stagger the progression so that, at any point, you would actually be able to buy the bonuses this system is giving you within the constraints of your Wealth by Level. This obviously changes when we get to the top end, when the bonuses start going into Epic Magic Items. I don't think there's any problem with that, though.
Magical Equipment and Armor Class
{table=head]Base Attack Bonus|Magic Weapons|Magic Armor|Deflection|Natural Armor
+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0
+2|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0
+3|
+0|
+1|
+0|
+0
+4|
+1|
+1|
+0|
+0
+5|
+1|
+1|
+0|
+1
+6|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+1
+7|
+1|
+2|
+1|
+1
+8|
+2|
+2|
+1|
+2
+9|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+2
+10|
+2|
+3|
+2|
+2
+11|
+2|
+3|
+2|
+3
+12|
+3|
+4|
+2|
+3
+13|
+3|
+4|
+3|
+3
+14|
+3|
+4|
+3|
+4
+15|
+3|
+5|
+3|
+4
+16|
+4|
+5|
+4|
+4
+17|
+4|
+5|
+4|
+5
+18|
+4|
+6|
+4|
+5
+19|
+4|
+6|
+5|
+5
+20|
+5|
+6|
+5|
+6[/table]
Magic Weapons: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 4, that character's skill and prowess makes any weapon they wield noticeably more effective. Any Weapon they wield is treated as a +1 Weapon, granting them a +1 bonus to both attack and damage rolls, overcoming DR/Magic and allowing a character to strike Incorporeal Creatures 50% of the time. Every 4 points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, Weapons wielded by a character are treated as if they were of a higher enhancement bonus.
Magic Armor: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 3, their skill in combat allows them to better avoid harm. Any Armor or shield they use is treated as a +1 Armor or Shield, granting them a +1 Bonus to AC (bonuses from Armor and Shields stack). Every 3 points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, Armor and Shields used by a character are treated as if they were of a higher enhancement bonus.
Natural Armor: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 5, their experience in combat has caused their skin to harden, to better protect them from harm. Character's gain a +1 Bonus to their Natural Armor. Every 3 points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, their Natural Armor Bonus to AC increases.
Deflection: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 7, blows are deflected away from them before they even have the chance to connect, as if a thin layer of energy protected them from harm. Character's gain a +1 Deflection Bonus to their AC. Every 3 Points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, this Deflection Bonus increases.
Rather than following the same progression by ECL for Ability Scores and Saving Throws, I decided to tie the increase in Weapon and Armor Potency, and Deflection and Armor Bonuses, to a Character's Base Attack Bonus. The scaling is once again quite linear, and can easily be projected for Epic Level play if you so wish. Deflection is a better bonus than NA, so it comes later. Likewise, since it is cheaper to enchant Armor than it is to Enchant Weapons, Armor begins scaling earlier and quicker.
Full BAB types gain the most from this, obviously, and since they are the ones in the front lines, they are definitely in need of decent AC. Medium BAB characters don't get the same protection and accuracy, but they don't need it quite as much. Poor BAB characters are rarely in direct combat, so the lower bonuses to AC and their Weapons are less important. In any case, since most Poor BAB characters are Spellcasters, I don't think its unreasonable to think they can handle themselves.
Using These Rules
This is by no means a revolutionary, never before seen idea that will shake the very foundations of the world, but nonetheless there are going to be a certain number of changes that you would need to implement to use this fix.
The purpose of this Homebrew is to seperate the Paradigm of Personal Power equating to Wealth. This fix provides character's increased power and ability from their own merits. As such, this system does not take into account the "increase" in wealth provided by these bonuses. It may be appropriate to reduce Wealth by Level, or require that not all of a character's wealth is invested in physical assets
Due to the seperation of Numeric Enhancement Bonuses and Magic Weapons, it may be appropriate to change the way Magic Items are made; Rather than requiring a numeric +1 before any enchantments can be added to a weapon, I would suggest allowing Masterwork Weapons to be immediately enchanted with special properties. So, there would be no +1 Flaming Swords, simply Flaming Swords
As a caveat to the above, consider making Magic Armor and Weapons rarer and more potent. Since any weapon, from a simple Club to a convuluted Double Spiked Chain, acts as a Magic Weapon in the hands of a powerful character, weapons that are independent of a character would do well to be a bit more special and important
This system provides inherent, non-magical bonuses to a character's vital statistics, and as such would be well-suited to low magic or low wealth games; it allows you and your players to keep within those boundaries, while also remaining able to effectively combat higher level threats
Hopefully this would be obvious, but when using this fix, I would caution against using magic items that emulate Common Magical Effects. This system is designed to replace them, not supplement them
Advice on refining this fix, clarifying the rules text or comments on how I could improve it are all very appreciated.
But, you probably should buy a Stat Boosting Item before you do anything else. You don't want your Spell DCs to be too low, and you really need your To-Hit score as high as you can get it. And you should definitely buy a Cloak of Resistance too. Saving throws are important, and they're not something you can really afford to neglect.
...but your AC is pretty low. Suppose you should Enchant your Armor, and maybe buy a Ring of Protection as well. Since you're dealing with AC, you should probably game your To-Hit mod as well; time to enchant your Weapon of choice as well.
Suddenly, you're out of gold and you've bought the same things you buy every time you build a character. I've had about enough of that.
Removing Common Magical Effects
Ability Scores and Saving Throws
{table=head]ECL|Saving Throws|Abilities
1st|
-|
-
2nd|
-|
-
3rd|
Resistance +1|
-
4th|
-|
Ability Scores +2
5th|
-|
-
6th|
Resistance +2|
Ability Scores +2/+2
7th|
-|
-
8th|
-|
Ability Scores +4/+2
9th|
Resistance +3|
-
10th|
-|
Ability Scores +4/+2/+2
11th|
-|
-
12th|
Resistance +4|
Ability Scores +6/+4/+2
13th|
-|
-
14th|
-|
Ability Scores +6/+4/+2/+2
15th|
Resistance +5|
-
16th|
-|
Ability Scores +8/+6/+4/+2
17th|
-|
-
18th|
Resistance +6|
Ability Scores +8/+6/+4/+2/+2
19th|
-|
-
20th|
-|
Ability Scores +10/+8/+6/+4/+2[/table]
Resistance: At Equivalent Character Level 3, characters gain a +1 Resistance Bonus to all Saving Throws. This bonus increases by +1 every 3 levels thereafter.
Ability Scores: At Equivalent Character Level 4, characters gain a +2 Bonus to an Ability Score of their choice. At every even level thereafter, characters gain an additional +2 Bonus to an ability score or increase all bonuses to Ability Scores by +2, except for the most recent bonus. Characters cannot apply multiple bonuses to the same Ability Score through this feature.
The Progression of Saving Throws and Ability Scores is important to every character, and I aimed to provide a logical, effective increase to both as a function of levelling up. I tried to stagger the progression so that, at any point, you would actually be able to buy the bonuses this system is giving you within the constraints of your Wealth by Level. This obviously changes when we get to the top end, when the bonuses start going into Epic Magic Items. I don't think there's any problem with that, though.
Magical Equipment and Armor Class
{table=head]Base Attack Bonus|Magic Weapons|Magic Armor|Deflection|Natural Armor
+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0
+2|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0
+3|
+0|
+1|
+0|
+0
+4|
+1|
+1|
+0|
+0
+5|
+1|
+1|
+0|
+1
+6|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+1
+7|
+1|
+2|
+1|
+1
+8|
+2|
+2|
+1|
+2
+9|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+2
+10|
+2|
+3|
+2|
+2
+11|
+2|
+3|
+2|
+3
+12|
+3|
+4|
+2|
+3
+13|
+3|
+4|
+3|
+3
+14|
+3|
+4|
+3|
+4
+15|
+3|
+5|
+3|
+4
+16|
+4|
+5|
+4|
+4
+17|
+4|
+5|
+4|
+5
+18|
+4|
+6|
+4|
+5
+19|
+4|
+6|
+5|
+5
+20|
+5|
+6|
+5|
+6[/table]
Magic Weapons: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 4, that character's skill and prowess makes any weapon they wield noticeably more effective. Any Weapon they wield is treated as a +1 Weapon, granting them a +1 bonus to both attack and damage rolls, overcoming DR/Magic and allowing a character to strike Incorporeal Creatures 50% of the time. Every 4 points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, Weapons wielded by a character are treated as if they were of a higher enhancement bonus.
Magic Armor: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 3, their skill in combat allows them to better avoid harm. Any Armor or shield they use is treated as a +1 Armor or Shield, granting them a +1 Bonus to AC (bonuses from Armor and Shields stack). Every 3 points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, Armor and Shields used by a character are treated as if they were of a higher enhancement bonus.
Natural Armor: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 5, their experience in combat has caused their skin to harden, to better protect them from harm. Character's gain a +1 Bonus to their Natural Armor. Every 3 points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, their Natural Armor Bonus to AC increases.
Deflection: When a Character's Base Attack Bonus reaches 7, blows are deflected away from them before they even have the chance to connect, as if a thin layer of energy protected them from harm. Character's gain a +1 Deflection Bonus to their AC. Every 3 Points of Base Attack Bonus thereafter, this Deflection Bonus increases.
Rather than following the same progression by ECL for Ability Scores and Saving Throws, I decided to tie the increase in Weapon and Armor Potency, and Deflection and Armor Bonuses, to a Character's Base Attack Bonus. The scaling is once again quite linear, and can easily be projected for Epic Level play if you so wish. Deflection is a better bonus than NA, so it comes later. Likewise, since it is cheaper to enchant Armor than it is to Enchant Weapons, Armor begins scaling earlier and quicker.
Full BAB types gain the most from this, obviously, and since they are the ones in the front lines, they are definitely in need of decent AC. Medium BAB characters don't get the same protection and accuracy, but they don't need it quite as much. Poor BAB characters are rarely in direct combat, so the lower bonuses to AC and their Weapons are less important. In any case, since most Poor BAB characters are Spellcasters, I don't think its unreasonable to think they can handle themselves.
Using These Rules
This is by no means a revolutionary, never before seen idea that will shake the very foundations of the world, but nonetheless there are going to be a certain number of changes that you would need to implement to use this fix.
The purpose of this Homebrew is to seperate the Paradigm of Personal Power equating to Wealth. This fix provides character's increased power and ability from their own merits. As such, this system does not take into account the "increase" in wealth provided by these bonuses. It may be appropriate to reduce Wealth by Level, or require that not all of a character's wealth is invested in physical assets
Due to the seperation of Numeric Enhancement Bonuses and Magic Weapons, it may be appropriate to change the way Magic Items are made; Rather than requiring a numeric +1 before any enchantments can be added to a weapon, I would suggest allowing Masterwork Weapons to be immediately enchanted with special properties. So, there would be no +1 Flaming Swords, simply Flaming Swords
As a caveat to the above, consider making Magic Armor and Weapons rarer and more potent. Since any weapon, from a simple Club to a convuluted Double Spiked Chain, acts as a Magic Weapon in the hands of a powerful character, weapons that are independent of a character would do well to be a bit more special and important
This system provides inherent, non-magical bonuses to a character's vital statistics, and as such would be well-suited to low magic or low wealth games; it allows you and your players to keep within those boundaries, while also remaining able to effectively combat higher level threats
Hopefully this would be obvious, but when using this fix, I would caution against using magic items that emulate Common Magical Effects. This system is designed to replace them, not supplement them
Advice on refining this fix, clarifying the rules text or comments on how I could improve it are all very appreciated.