Students of Rekkenmark campaign, incl. (lots of) minor fixes.

[RedWarlock]

Going to be running a half-time Eberron campaign in another week (alternating sundays between this game and playtests of my homebrew system).

Tweaking a few basic things to taste in the basic game. If anyone has any suggestions or critique, any issues I can correct for, please let me know. (Trying to shore up some of the tier-outliers, plus hopefully my tight story-style will prevent some of the worse tier 0/1 problems that might pop up.)

Setting: Eberron
Starting Level: 1* (freshmen), 3 (sophomore), 6 (junior), 9 (senior).

You are all students are Rekkenmark Academy, in the city of Rekkenmark, Karrnath. While its students can come from anywhere on the continent, most students are from Karrnath, and so share a certain mindset.

* - LA/ECL >1 races are allowed, up to ECL 4, but suffer a -1 per adjustment to all checks until their XP matches their race's level modifier.

Each gaming session will consist of one mission, win or lose, succeed or fail, by the end of the night. This way, intermittent players are not stigmatized for being unable to complete an overarching story-plot.

Character Mortality: As students of an elite institution of grey moral qualities, as part of your admission package, a sample of your flesh/material was taken for preservation. Should you suffer an ignoble death or capture in the field, and your classmates are unable to secure your return, the mission will be graded as a failure for all students (normal XP, but reduced treasure), and you will be brought back via resurrection effect by the next week's class. (If captured and still alive, know that we have.. ways.. of securing your release. Remote death effect and level loss may be involved.)

Class Grades: Whenever your character reaches one of the above breakpoints (sophomore, junior, senior), have a backup character of the lower grades available. When possible, new players will be brought up from 1st level, and missions will likely take on a variety of power levels.

Classes
All classes allowed from 3.5 primary sources (PHB, PHB2, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Complete series, Tome of Battle, Tome of Magic, Magic of Incarnum, Miniatures Handbook, Dragon Magic, Dungeonscape, etc). If you’re not sure, ask. Some classes have been modified as below:

Cleric
Spell DC is based on Charisma.

Nightsticks (and any other items that grant extra turn attempts) recharge turn attempts rather than add to them. See short rests for other stipulations.

Dread Necromancer
Casting chart shifts one level earlier for 2nd level and higher spells. Repeat 19th level numbers for 20th level.

Druid
Shapechange variant (PH2) is default for Druid, with an animal companion of ½ Druid level at 4th level (as book Ranger).

Wild Shape is a valid variant, however Animal Companion is lost entirely. Druid must select specific, limited forms, 1 per Druid level, for use with Wild Shape. Whenever a new size or creature type is made accessible, one previously-selected option can be retrained to anything appropriate, in addition to the new option for that level. These forms must be selected ahead of an adventure, not chosen on the fly. (player must have the stats prepared ahead of time, written or printed, not referenced from a book.)

Factotum
Inspiration pool only refreshes during actual, threatening combat. Outside of combat, you can only use it once per social encounter/challenge.

Fighter
Base skills per class level are 6+int. Skill list expanded as follows: As PHB fighter, plus Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Kn (History, Local, Nob&Roy), Listen, Spot.
At 3rd, 5th, and every odd level after, gain a +1 martial bonus to all saves.

Healer
Casts spontaneously (full-list known, as warmage/dread necromancer), using chart as printed. Gain advanced learning (conjuration (healing)/necromancy) at 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th levels.

Marshal
BAB is equal to class level.

Monk
Unarmed Swordsage variant is an encouraged alternative, but changes as follows:

Speed bonus is untyped, as barbarian. AC bonus improves every 4th level (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th). When gaining a monk HD, you can add your Wisdom modifier in place of your Constitution modifier for that level.

Attacks made with unarmed strikes and monk weapons gain a +1 at 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. (Effectively, your bonus to attack from class is equal to your level with these attacks, though iterative attacks are gained at ¾ level, as normal.) Natural weapons do not count as unarmed strikes.

Flurry of Blows can be used as a standard action (or as part of a charge), granting a single extra attack when attacking with only an unarmed strike or monk weapon, at the cost of a -2 penalty to these and all other attacks made until the start of your next turn. The penalty drops to -1 and 5th and 0 at 9th, and a second bonus attack at 11th level. Add only your Strength bonus (not Str bonus × 1½ or ×½) to your damage rolls for these attacks.

Paladin
The paladin’s spells are charisma-based, for highest spell level, bonus spells and spell DC. Additionally, the paladin is a spontaneous caster (use the Hexblade spells-known progression), but can re-select spells every day, much like a Spirit Shaman.

Psion
Power DC is based on Wisdom.

Ranger
Animal Companion is gained at 1st level, and is equal to class level (as book Druid). Animal Companion can be traded for bonus Fighter feats at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level. (1st, 4th, 8th…?)

Samurai
Not recommended.

Sorcerer
Free intermediate bloodline as class features aside from spells. (minor bloodline can be chosen, but tops out at 10th level, good for prestige classing) Optionally, can take casting progression as bard to take major bloodline instead.

Bonus spells based on Intelligence.

Soulknife
BAB is equal to class level. Psychic Strike is a Swift action to use.

Warlock
Gains 1 invocation per level.

Hideous Blow - Swift action, next non-invocation melee attack roll before end of turn adds EB damage/effect.

Warmage
Base skills per class level are 4+int. Skill list expanded as follows: As CArc warmage, plus Diplomacy, Kn (Local, Nob&Roy)

Casting chart shifts one level earlier for 2nd level and higher spells. Repeat 19th level numbers for 20th level.

Wizard
Spell DC based on Wisdom.

Skills
Cross-class ranks cost 1 skill point per rank, but the cap for a cross-class skill is ½ that of a class skill. (class skill = class level + 3, cross-class = half of class-level + 3, so at level 6, cap is 9 for class skills, or 4 for cross-class skills.)

Iajutsu Focus is not a valid skill. (Sorry Factotums)

Summoner’s Command
Skill trick, useable 1/encounter, can command non-mindless summoned creatures as a swift action rather than move action.

Spells
Any spells which obviate skills (such as knock, charm person, etc) have an obvious audio or visual display (knock makes a loud knocking noise, charm effects creates a visible glow in the eyes), which may alert enemies aside from the direct target. Additionally, social-influence spells like charm and dominate effects leave a residual memory of the magical influence, which they may resent. This display or residual memory can be suppressed with a Spellcraft check equal to 10 + the original DC, or 15 + (the spell’s level × 2), whichever is higher.

Polymorph and other open-selection shapeshifting spells
When you learn/prepare this spell, select creature options equal to your caster level. Whenever a new spell level is gained, one previously-selected option can be retrained to anything appropriate, in addition to the new option for that level. These forms must be selected ahead of an adventure, not chosen on the fly. (player must have the stats prepared ahead of time, written or printed, not referenced from a book.)

Summon Monster/Nature’s Ally/Undead/etc
When you learn/prepare this spell, select creature options equal to your caster level. This includes a selection of multiple lower-level creatures as an option. When you gain a caster level, select one additional option for each summon spell known. Prepared casters can prepare this spell multiple times with separate creature selections.

Casting this spell includes one initial target that the summoned creature will attack, however a Move action is (explicitly) required to direct additional commands/change targets, assuming you share a language. This can be reduced to a Swift action once an encounter with the Summoner’s Command skill trick.

Shivering Touch (including lesser variety) - The effect is instead a dexterity penalty (does not stack with itself), with a Fortitude Negates save allowed each round of the duration.

Feats
Combat Casting
Casting defensively is only *enabled* by taking this feat, with no bonus. The DC is 15 + (the spell’s level × 2).

Skill feats (+2 to two skills, Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, etc..)
The bonus improves by +1 every 4 character levels (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th).

Other Rules
Short Rest
When taking a short rest (5 minutes to 1 hour), regain your Con score in hit points, plus 1 charge of a main per-day ability (rage, turn/rebuke, bardic music, wild shape, etc), and 1 slot of highest spell level (or two of 2nd highest, 4 of 3rd highest, etc, mix&match of lower levels as desired). Prepared casters can re-memorize spell with regained slot (only) by spending 1min/spell level.

Effects which use daily charge abilities (rage, turn/rebuke, bardic music, wild shape, etc) for any non-instantaneous purpose are deducted from your maximum while the effect is active, and cannot be regained if the effect is still in place. This includes divine metamagic’d extend/persist spell effects.

[ZamielVanWeber]

I just want to note, that there will come a time that the level 1 character will never catch up and, eventually, stop even gaining experience. Also being level 1 in a party of level 5's in incredibly unfun as you are nothing but a liability. I would highly consider revising that rule.

[Afgncaap5]

I love the sound of a Rekkenmark Academy game. The Rekkenmark Academy is, I think, one of my favorite underused bits of info about Karrnath (it tends to overshadowed by the horribly kept secret about the nation's king.)

I don't have many suggestions off the top of my head apart from, well... will you be using the Order of Rekkenmark? They're closely associated with the Academy, and I've always loved the idea of an "old generals club" acting in a game, either as a friend of the PCs or as a meddling enemy (or with members of the Order being either/or, respectively.) I could see an Academy of Rekkenmark game not involving the Order at all, but it also feels like a natural fit.

[RedWarlock]

I just want to note, that there will come a time that the level 1 character will never catch up and, eventually, stop even gaining experience. Also being level 1 in a party of level 5's in incredibly unfun as you are nothing but a liability. I would highly consider revising that rule.
It won't get that bad, I think. The liability is actually the point, survival of all party members will be a key mission goal. "Allied losses will be deducted from your graded final score." Challenges will be scaled to the average party level, not the highest level, and my short-rest rule favor low-level characters over high-level ones.

I may tweak a few other things to allow high-level resources to be shared to lower ones. For instance, I'm thinking a common item might be a pair of linked rings of Share Pain (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/sharePain.htm).

Might also tweak HP accumulation to be a little more even high-to-low, either boosting initial gain (like gaining con score HP at 0-level) or scaling down high-end HP (like switching to a wound/vitality variant).


I love the sound of a Rekkenmark Academy game. The Rekkenmark Academy is, I think, one of my favorite underused bits of info about Karrnath (it tends to overshadowed by the horribly kept secret about the nation's king.)

I don't have many suggestions off the top of my head apart from, well... will you be using the Order of Rekkenmark? They're closely associated with the Academy, and I've always loved the idea of an "old generals club" acting in a game, either as a friend of the PCs or as a meddling enemy (or with members of the Order being either/or, respectively.) I could see an Academy of Rekkenmark game not involving the Order at all, but it also feels like a natural fit.

I was definitely thinking of having them involved, with the usual dubious relationship of any Eberron organization. Still needs a bit of research, haven't read up on them specifically. High honors at graduation might include cadet-membership in the Order, even.

I figured the school context was unique enough, I've ran the last campaign or two as mercenaries, but the merc'ing itself usually runs out by level 8 or so.

[Coidzor]

All characters start at level 1, even replacements. (Experience is a river, so you will catch up.)

If you intend to kill PCs regularly, then, no, they will not catch up, they will just die. In which case, this is probably the single most damning decision you can make as a DM.

[ZamielVanWeber]

It won't get that bad, I think. The liability is actually the point, survival of all party members will be a key mission goal. "Allied losses will be deducted from your graded final score." Challenges will be scaled to the average party level, not the highest level, and my short-rest rule favor low-level characters over high-level ones.
As someone who played 2nd ed, yes it will get that bad and quickly. Even the difference between 1 st and a party of 3rds is huge. Also your downtime rule favors casters at all levels; if someone dies and rolls a low level barbarian every time they rest to get rage back the caster gets their highest level spell back and thus will always be more relevant. And, as I said, this really breaks down hard once the party is ECL five.


I may tweak a few other things to allow high-level resources to be shared to lower ones. For instance, I'm thinking a common item might be a pair of linked rings of Share Pain (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/sharePain.htm).
That may not go over well with your players. Remember, that extra person is less than useless when they come back at one. People may get frustrated because suddenly their EXP is being drained (and their challenges are being less relevant) because someone came back at one. Consider party average -2 instead. They will never catch up (if they die soon enough they will in the mid-late teens) but they will also be able to contribute.


Might also tweak HP accumulation to be a little more even high-to-low, either boosting initial gain (like gaining con score HP at 0-level) or scaling down high-end HP (like switching to a wound/vitality variant)..
Same problem: if you die you become useless for literal out of game months and having to spend entire combats just hiding is not fun. It may seem cool, but ultimately can cause serious issues unless your players have been there before and understand. No one likes being useless.

Edit: I forgot to mention two things: one your die and come back at 1 houserule really discourages heroic sacrifice and other cool things like that since the penalty will eventually get outrageously huge. Two, I would recommend a custom ACF for druids to trade out shapeshift for a full progression animal companion. As it sits animal companion is so weak that anyone who does not trade it + shapeshift for wild shape is making the wrong choice, almost objectively. Nerfing both and letting them pick one or the other at its old power makes a lot more sense.

[Elkad]

Edit: I forgot to mention two things: one your die and come back at 1 houserule really discourages heroic sacrifice and other cool things like that since the penalty will eventually get outrageously huge. Two, I would recommend a custom ACF for druids to trade out shapeshift for a full progression animal companion. As it sits animal companion is so weak that anyone who does not trade it + shapeshift for wild shape is making the wrong choice, almost objectively. Nerfing both and letting them pick one or the other at its old power makes a lot more sense.

My houserule just splits druids into 2 types.

You are either a wildshape druid, or a companion druid. Wildshape druids get no companion at all, and are otherwise unchanged. Animal Companion druids get no wildshape, but they gain bonus feats as they level up. Animal Affinity, Companion Spellbond (modified to be short range instead of a static 30'), Natural Bond, and then a choice of various other companion feats (Vermin, Wild Cohort, etc), more Natural Bond, or range extensions on Spellbond (to medium, then long, then 1mile/level, then unlimited (same plane)

[ZamielVanWeber]

At 50% level it will scale disastrously and just be a waste of everyone's time past level 6. This means wildshape is always the correct choice because, of druid's three major class features, animal companion is the least relevant. Your choice is: awful wildshape and awful animal companion or true wildshape.

Put another way your choice is: more power, flexibility, and being helpful, vs less power, less flexibility, and being more disruptive.

[RedWarlock]

This game is not getting beyond mid-teens, in fact I'm somewhat doubting it'll make it beyond level 10. I'm okay with this, and I'll be up-front about it.

The problem I'm trying to address is too many times, I have non-committal players who do that 'noble sacrifice' every time they get bored and want to try something else. (Plus, too much abuse of WBL as a result. "Oh, this guy is boring, let me kill him and give you guys all his stuff!" Too much of that, even with what I felt were 'reasonable' agreements in place to try and control it, especially in-story where they don't have good rationale for sending dead characters' wealth home to the family, because the world is at stake, by god! Or even just holding off treasure split until an outgoing character has departed.)

On the other hand, I've played in campaigns where because everyone started low and worked their way up, they felt more bonded to their characters, because it was a challenge to get there over time, because everyone had done it. Especially when the campaign itself doesn't rely on constant linkage from one week to the next (see, the mission-style week-by-week play) players feel more agreeable with keeping secondary characters to help the new guy level up, or shielding a rough patch on a new guy who'll gain a level every encounter or so until he hits a more manageable midrange.

Edit:


At 50% level it will scale disastrously and just be a waste of everyone's time past level 6. This means wildshape is always the correct choice because, of druid's three major class features, animal companion is the least relevant. Your choice is: awful wildshape and awful animal companion or true wildshape.

Put another way your choice is: more power, flexibility, and being helpful, vs less power, less flexibility, and being more disruptive.

Ah, that reminds me. Wild Shape and Polymorph and all other open-selection abilities get the same kind of limit as the summons, fixed-list of selections per class/caster level. Will edit house rule list to match once I find the right wording.

[ZamielVanWeber]

That is why I recommended level -2. At minimum you are down an entire spell level (ouch) may lose an iterative off a full attack (ouch), and the WBL will just be lower, so fewer cool shines for you. If the party is at 9 and someone dies that good will may vanish since the party now cannot face even CR 6 encounters without them being in serious danger. (Granted if he survives a CR 9 he will instantly level, but surviving that is almost strictly DM fiat).

As for WBL sharing off of dead characters I would recommend you just straight up forbid it. No kooky work arounds: just say no. This has been the rule of campaigns amongst my friends for some time and when the new guy tried to break it he got shut down, hard, because that just screws up treasure for everyone else.

Edit: Just saw your edit. That helps, but do consider that the animal companion is weaker than wild shape (unless you manage to massacre wild shape) and can be gotten by anyone for a feat (not 100% sure if Wild Cohort is legal in your game, but it exists otherwise). Personally I prefer the companion to wild shape, so I admit I may be a bit biased here.

[Coidzor]

On the other hand, I've played in campaigns where because everyone started low and worked their way up, they felt more bonded to their characters, because it was a challenge to get there over time, because everyone had done it. Especially when the campaign itself doesn't rely on constant linkage from one week to the next (see, the mission-style week-by-week play) players feel more agreeable with keeping secondary characters to help the new guy level up, or shielding a rough patch on a new guy who'll gain a level every encounter or so until he hits a more manageable midrange.

Bit of a non sequitur to go from that to thinking that making them restart from level 1 each time they suffer character death will do anything to bond them with their characters. Especially when starting as a level 1 character with higher level companions will mean either boredom or multiple character deaths until luck allows them to survive long enough to become relevant again, if that ever happens.

[RedWarlock]

Let me take another angle: Operating with mixed-level parties is a design goal of my other system I'll be playtesting on the alternating weeks, as is the idea of starting from low level and working your way up alongside higher allies. Many of the support systems operate more beneficially on allies (and minions) of lower level than on ones of same-level (or at least more efficiently). (For instance, my system uses generally fixed HP and MP totals, but high-level characters get a lot better at using those numbers more efficiently.)

In effect, I want to do the same in this 3.5 game, as a counterpoint.

And to be clear, I mean PCs in all cases.

What can I do to help a 3.5 base operate better with that goal in mind?

What are the main challenges a mixed-level party faces? How do high-level and low-level characters interact in such a way that they are a 'drain'?

[The Glyphstone]

I'd suggest giving them either underlings or mentors, NPCs whose specific job is to fulfill that slot of either being the more advanced students showing them the ropes or the newer ones they are in turn mentoring. It's better than using PCs as both the higher and lower-level characters, because that requires you to structure your game such that PCs must die off to maintain a supply of low-level characters (though more likely, it means the first few people to die will end up on a treadmill of corpses, since the additional XP won't make up for the disproportionate lethality of a 3-4 level gap in CRs/ECLs).

[RedWarlock]

Okay, so, you guys have won me over on the level part. I'll keep level-splitting to a minimum, though I do prefer to allow characters to grow organically rather than be introduced at high-level from scratch. (Especially in Eberron! That was the other thing I forgot to mention, where are these high-level replacements coming from?)


Starting Level: 1* (freshmen), 3 (sophomore), 6 (junior), 9 (senior).

Character Mortality: As students of an elite institution of grey moral qualities, as part of your admission package, a sample of your flesh/material was taken for preservation. Should you suffer an ignoble death or capture in the field, and your classmates are unable to secure your return, the mission will be graded as a failure for all students (normal XP, but reduced treasure), and you will be brought back via resurrection effect by the next week's class. (If captured and still alive, know that we have.. ways.. of securing your release. Remote death effect and level loss may be involved.)

Class Grades: Whenever your character reaches one of the above breakpoints (sophomore, junior, senior), have a backup character of the lower grades available. When possible, new players will be brought up from 1st level, and missions will likely take on a variety of power levels.

Now, anything else worth commenting over? The class and rules tweaks aside from this?