E6 and Unearthed Arcana

[tedcahill2]

Are there any variants that work better, or particularly well, with an E6 campaign.

Spell points, for example, the higher the level, the more broken it seems like it would be. If spell points were used in an E6 campaign it doesn't seem like it would be that bad, the relatively low level of power would be harder to abuse with spell points. Right?

[ATHATH]

Are you talking about variant rules or variant classes?

[Grod_The_Giant]

Are there any variants that work better, or particularly well, with an E6 campaign.

Spell points, for example, the higher the level, the more broken it seems like it would be. If spell points were used in an E6 campaign it doesn't seem like it would be that bad, the relatively low level of power would be harder to abuse with spell points. Right?
Spell Points are sort of broken in the wrong direction-- they make it harder to cast evocations (weak spells where caster level really matters) than BFC or debuffs (where CL tends to be much less important), and have no effect at all on the really broken noncombat divination and minionmancy type things.

[Crake]

I'm actually using a fair few variant rules from unearthed arcana in my current e6 game. I've made a couple of changes to them here and there, i'll put the full list in a spoiler, but the ones I'm using are Vitality/wound points, with a change that includes an unconscious/dying system instead of simply 'dead at 0', as well as the inclusion of nonlethal damage as applied to wound points only. I also apply lethal falling damage directly to wounds to make falling damage seem a little more scary.

I'm also using both the class defense bonus and mix between the armor damage conversion rule and the armor as damage reduction rule, giving the full armor bonus, but half of the armor bonus is treated as damage reduction vs vitality damage and nonlethal damage, or converting half it's armor bonus from wound damage to nonlethal damage, depending on what damage the attack does.

I also stole the inherent magical item bonuses from pathfinder unchained, using the no magic items variant, which gives players, by level 6, a total of +1 to two sets or armor, or armor and a shield, as well as +1 to two different weapons, +2 resistance bonus to saves, +1 deflection and natural armor to AC, and +2 to one mental and one physical ability score over the course of 6 levels.

Finally, I also stole the staggered leveling rules from pathfinder unchained, so what was once 6 levels, in essence becomes 18 levels, giving players more granularity in their characters from 1-6, giving them more of a sense of achievement over time, rather than sudden jumps in ability.

Custom Rules

Due to the no magic, low level nature of this game, I will be using some optional rules from Unearthed Arcana, with some personal modifications added on. It will be an E6 game, thus using the character generation rules found here.
Vitality/Wound points

The vitality/wound points system changes the way hit points and damage is handled.

In place of hit points, players recieve an equal number of vitality points, which measure a character/s ability to turn a direct hit into a graze or glancing bow with no serious consequences. For most intents and purposes, vitality points act as hit points normally do in a standard dungeons and dragons game, with the exception that they recover at a rate of 1 per character level per hour, instead of per day. A character has a number of wound points equal to their constitution score.

When a character's vitality points are reduced to 0, they instead begin to take wound damage. Unlike vitality damage, taking wound damage represents a major blow dealt to a character. After taking wound damage, even a single point, a character becomes fatigued, taking a -2 penalty to strength and dexterity, and can no longer run or charge, until he rests for 8 hours, or until the wound damage is recovered, whichever comes first. Additional damage does not stack to make a character exhausted. Additionally, each time a character takes wound damage, he must make a fortitude save (DC equal to 5 + the number of wound damage taken) or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. A friendly character may take a standard action to help a character recover, ending the stunned condition.

When a character's wound points reach 0, treat the character as disabled as if reaching 0 hit points. A character reduced below 0 wound points falls unconscious and begins dying as normal. Characters reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to their constitution modifier die.

Nonlethal damage applied to a character with vitality points still remaining deals reduces vitality damage as normal, however, any time nonlethal damage would be dealt to a character's wound points (such as when a character has no remaining vitality points, or in the event a nonlethal critical hit is scored) they must make a fortitude save (DC 5 + the amount of nonlethal damage dealt in excess of their vitality points) or become staggered for 1d4 rounds. This condition can be removed by a friendly character in the same way a character stunned from taking wound damage can be assisted. Track lethal and nonlethal wound damage separately, when a character's nonlethal wound damage equals their current wound points, they become staggered, only able to take a partial action each round, and if the nonlethal wound damage exceeds their current wound points, they immediately fall unconscious. Nonlethal damage dealt in excess of a character's maximum wound points plus their constitution score is converted into lethal damage, applying directly to the target's wound points.
Falling Damage

Falling damage, unlike most other forms of damage, is applied directly to wound points, making falling long distances particularly more deadly. Methods used to convert fall damage to nonlethal damage, such as using a jump check to deliberately jump down, instead convert the appropriate amount of fall damage to vitality damage. This means that being kicked out of a second floor window (a 20 ft. fall) could very potentially be lethal, and an awkward, if still deliberate jump down from a third floor window (a 30 ft. fall) may be equally as dangerous to all but the most skilled of atheletes.
Critical hits

Critical hits in this system are decidedly more deadly than critical hits in normal games. Instead of dealing additional damage as they do normally, critical hits instead deal damage directly to wound points, meaning that even a high level character may be disabled from a single, lucky blow. Any additional damage that would normally not be multiplied on a critical hit are rolled normally, dealing their extra damage to vitality points, with 1 damage from each extra damage dice rolled being instead dealt to wound points. For example a rogue dealing an extra 3d6 sneak attack damage would, on a critial, roll his sneak attack dice subtract 3 (one for each damage dice), dealing the resulting damage to vitality points, with the subtracted 3 damage being dealt to wound points instead. Additional flat damage that is not normally multiplied by a critical hit (such as the additional damage added by martial maneuvers) is instead simply dealt to vitality points.

Additionally if the critical hit confirms and also rolled in the weapon's critical threat range, the critical damage (excluding damage from extra damage dice) is doubled.

For example, a warrior with 18 strength is wielding a +1 flaming longsword rolls a 19 on his attack roll, a potential critical hit. If he confirms the critical hit, he deals 1d8+5 wound damage to his target, along with 1d6 fire vitality damage, the first point of damage being instead applied as wound damage. If his confirm roll also rolled a 19 or a 20, he would have a second confirmation roll, and if he confirmed the third attack roll, he would instead deal 2d8+10 wound damage to his target, along with 1d6 fire vitality damage, with the first point being, as normal, applied to wound damage.


Class Defense Bonus
Armor Proficiency
Level None Light Medium Heavy
1 +2 +3 +4 +6
2 +2 +3 +4 +6
3 +3 +4 +5 +7
4 +3 +4 +5 +7
5 +3 +4 +5 +7
6 +4 +5 +6 +8

Since I don't expect people to be walking around in armor at all times, I will be using a class defense bonus. The bonus does not stack with any armor bonus you have. It also applies to touch AC, unlike an armor bonus, but does not apply any time your character would be denied dexterity to AC. Unlike a dodge bonus, this bonus represents experience in battle and predicting strikes, and as such, characters with uncanny dodge do not retain this bonus while flat footed or against invisible (or hidden) opponents.

When multiclassing/gestalting, use the highest bonus based on your class armor proficiency, for example a 2nd level barbarian would have a +4 bonus. If that barbarian then gained a level in fighter, his bonus would become +7, as a third level character with heavy armor proficiency.

Gaining armor proficiency using a feat does not change your class derived defense bonus, only proficiencies gained from classes work to determine your defense bonus.
Armor Damage Conversion

To supplement the above rule, and to make armor still a worthy option when necessary or expecting combat, armor will reduce any vitality damage by an amount equal to half it's armor bonus, as long as the attack was not against the victim's touch AC. Attacks that deal wound damage instead have their damage reduced to nonlethal damage; against sources of nonlethal damage, the armor instead negates an amount of nonlethal damage equal to it's armor bonus. Any damage that is not normally affected by damage reduction (such as attacks involving energy damage, like fire and cold) is not reduced in this way.


No Magic Items
Level Bonus
1 +1 resistance bonus to saves
2 +1 to one attuned weapon and armor
3 +1 deflection bonus to AC
4 +2 to a single mental ability score
5 +2 to a single physical ability score
6 +1 natural armor, +2 resistance bonus to saves, +1 to a second weapon and to a shield or second set of armor

Since magical items will be practically nonexistant in this game, players will instead gain some inherent bonuses to make up for this. NPCs with levels in NPC classes will gain bonuses one level later.

Armor and weapon attunement: Beginning at second level players may attune to a single masterwork weapon and piece of masterwork armor (or shield), which can be changed once per day, in a process taking 8 hours of practise and use with the item. Attuning grants a weapon a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls, and grants armor/shields a +1 enhancement bonus to AC. At 6th level, players may attune to a second weapon and a second piece of armor/shield. This allows players with two weapon fighting to attune to both of their weapons, or for characters to attune to their secondary weapons, like a bow or crossbow for melee characters, or a sword for ranged characters, and also allows a character to attune to a lighter set of armor or a shield in addition to their main set of armor.


Staggered Leveling

Due to the nature of e6 only spanning 6 levels this game will add granularity to the leveling system by using a staggered leveling system, leveling up over 4 stages. At 25%, 50% and 75% players may choose to increase their base attack bonus, saves, or gain half of their hit points for their next level. If their bab or saves (or both) do not increase for their next level, they gain no bonus at 25% (and 50% in the case that neither increase in the coming level). Additionally, at 50% they gain half of their skill points for the coming level. Upon gaining their full level, they gain class features, the remaining half of their hit points and skill points, and any other benefits of leveling up (such as ability score increases or feats as applicable).


Edit: It is worth noting that for this game I was running a "no magic" game, in that players would be restricted to non-magical classes, and that no magical items would be allowed, though I was allowing almost every kind of mundane item available, so adjust to taste I guess.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Wildshape Ranger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger) is superb in E6, especially if you combine it with the Mystic Ranger variant from Dragon 336. It's actually one of the most powerful characters you can make in E6, considering Magical Training + Sword of the Arcane Order + Natural Spell + Extra Wild Shape to spend up to 24 hours per day in the form of a Fleshraker dinosaur and cast 0-3rd level Wizard spells.