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View Full Version : Variants, Houserules and Homebrews for Low-to-No magic item setting.



StickMan
2007-11-26, 11:46 PM
So for an up coming game/setting I'm working on magic items are going to be rare, very very rare the Player may not see one let alone hold one (With exception to low level potions). Well there are going to be large magic items flying ships, magic walls of force ect. But that is not overly relative to the players or this thread.

So to make up for the power lose I'm planing to use the following Variant rules and homebrew things and would like to know what level of power it will put me in. For the sake of argument will make a scale 1 being the PC's can hardly function, 3 is a gritty game, 5-6 how the game was meant to be played, 8 is power gamers, 10 is pun pun.

Keep in mind as well I plan to go over the normal 4-5 encounters a day 10-12 may not be uncommon, but not all will be at the players ECL. The game will make use of the Players handbook, Psionics, Tome of Battle and Players handbook two, and a screening of other books.

So here goes the list:
Gestalt (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm)
Reserve Points (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/reservePoints.htm)
Action Points: (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/actionPoints.htm) same as rules as listed except players get 1+1/2 character level action points per day.
Defense Bonus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/defenseBonus.htm): You take a penalty to your touch AC equal to your Armor Check penalty. (In place to not weaken touch attacks).
Armor As Damage Reduction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/armorAsDamageReduction.htm): One mod is Breast Plate has DR 3/-.
Weapon Group Feats: (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/weaponGroupFeats.htm)
Mmundane Item Enhancement System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64755)
Character Traits:
(http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm)

Golem Armor:
{table=head]Heavy Exotic Armor| Cost | Armor Bonus| Damage Reduction| Max Dex| Armor Penalty| Arcane spell failure|Speed 30/20| Weight

Golem Armor|
3000 GP |
+5|
DR 5/-|
+2|
-8|50%|25/15*|300lb.
[/table]*When running in heavy armor, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple.

Golem Armor: This large suit of armor, increases the hight of toughs who were it by 4-6 inches. It is a true testament to what can happen when people come together. Only Dwarfs could make the plate that cover the suit, only the Gnomes is mechanics could move such a large suit, with out the natural power generation of the thunderstone there would not be a practical way to power the thing, and even then they needed a boost from Elven magic, to run long term.
Golem Armor gives the ultimate protection with out reducing speed significantly while boosting the wears strength.
-Strength Boost: Golem Armor boosts the wears strength by +2, but does not stack with other bonuses once the wears strength score reaches 20. After that point the Hydraulics can not boost the wears strength any further.
-Dexterity Penalty: Golem Armor moves quite well but it still restricts the movement of all but the most graceful charters. While wearing Golem Armor your effective Dexterity score is reduced by -4, this penalty can not reduce the wears Dexterity to less than 10.
-Air filter: As long as the helmet is on and the visor closed, the wearer receives a +4 bonus to saves against any kind of gas or airborne poison.
-Visor shades: The visor darkens rapidly in response to bright light. While the visor is down, the wearer receives a +4 bonus to saves against blindness. The Wearer also gains a +2 on saves against gaze attacks.
-Slam attack. The heavy fists of the armor can be used to make slam attacks. The wearer is never considered unarmed. He can make a slam attack at his usual base attack bonus, damage 1d6 plus this strength modifier.
-Stability: The heavy, Grounded nature of Golem Armor grants the Wearer a +4 bonus to defending against bull rushes (as if he were unusually stable).
-Jumping: The Armors Hydraulics help the wearer Jump, off setting its penalty to jump.
-Master Work: All Golem armors are considered to have a base masterwork level of 1. No Golem Armors are made that do not have at least one level of masterwork better versions how ever can be made through standard methods. Both the Price increases of being masterwork and its bonuses are included in the above stats.

I'm also going to add the following as Armor craftsmanship bonuses:
Power enhancement | Level 1 | The strength bonus granted by the armor is increased by +2 the armor upper strength limit is increased to 22.
Graceful I |Level 1| The Armors Dexterity penalty is reduced by 2 and its max Dexterity Bonus increases by 1.
Graceful II| Level 2| The Armors Dexterity Penalty is reduced by 4 and its max dexterity Bonus is increased by 2.
Speed|Level 1| The Armors speed increases to 30/20 and the wearer can now run at four times his normal speed.


Healing Domain: Granted power is changed to-all allies with in 30 feet gain fast healing one as long as there HP is below 50% max. At 5 level and every 5 levels there after the fast healing increases by 1 to a max of fast healing 5 at level 20.



To make up for the lack of magic weapons I plan to introduce the following feats:

Chanel Ki [Feat]
You Chanel you Ki energy in to your weapon.
Prerequisite: Character level 3, Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma Score of 15.
Benefit: Any weapon that you hold and you are proficient with acts as if it were a magic weapon. When you take this feat you may deiced to this makes your Ki an alignment. You chose Good, Evil, Law or chaos you must remain with in one step of this alignment at all times. Your weapon acts as if it is that alignment.
Special: To apply this feat to an unarmed strike the user must have the Improved unarmed Strike feat.

Ki Unlocked [Feat]
Your Ki has become stronger and taken on more traits.
Prerequisite: Chanel Ki, Character level 6th.
Benefit: Any weapon that you use and meets the requirements of Chanel Ki gains a +1 special quality. Once selected this quality can not be changed.
Special: To apply this feat to an unarmed strike the user must have the Improved unarmed Strike feat.

Ki Unleashed [Feat]
Your Ki now fully flows through you and in to you attacks
Benefit: Any weapon that you use and meets the requirements of Chanel Ki gains a +2 special quality or two more +1 special qualities. Once selected this quality can not be changed.
Special: To apply this feat to an unarmed strike the user must have the Improved unarmed Strike feat.


I'm also going to roll the TWF feat chain and Duel Strike in to one feat.


I was thinking I could have a bonus with shield use if I introduced facing but only with shields. So basically you get a bonus from attacks come from 3 squares in a row. I'm thinking that in these squares the base Armor bonus of the shield would be doubled.

Feed back, questions, comments, ect....

StickMan
2007-11-27, 12:05 PM
I think I'm going to use both the Defense Bonus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/defenseBonus.htm) and the Armor As Damage Reduction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/armorAsDamageReduction.htm) variants to keep armor useful. I think I am going to dumb the DR given by Breastplate to 3/- as 2/- makes chain shirt far more useful, in my opinion.

CthulhuM
2007-11-27, 12:21 PM
You might want to look up variants to use on the core fighting classes. Even with the changes you've made, a no-magic-item game is going to give a severe handicap to (non-ToB) fighter types, relative to casters. The Arts of War (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30692) fix is a good one for fighters, that can fairly easily be expanded to other fighting classes as well.

StickMan
2007-11-27, 05:01 PM
I've got good fixes for most of the classes the only thing I don't have a real fix for is the Barbarian.

Fuzzy_Juan
2007-11-27, 06:01 PM
Hmm...interesting feats there...A paladin will really get ALOT of mialage out of that cha bonus...hmm...

With such rules, I might have to do Paladin/thief. The sneak attacking and the reflex boost with evasion would be awesome with the paladin bonuses. only will would lag behind a bit. The skills of the thief would be best served in listen, spot, search and in the diplomatic skills and such. The sneak attacking would aid in geenral combat against the evil ones...

That Cha bonus would be best served healing, smiting, bonus saves, and of course...as a magic weapon bonus...

You're setting will likely wind up around '8' on your scale...maybe 7 if your players control themselves and don't do the sort of things I just mentioned above.

Just curious...obviously magic is a part of the game...are wizards going to be allowed...and if so...will you bar players from taking craft magic item feats?

StickMan
2007-11-27, 06:25 PM
You're setting will likely wind up around '8' on your scale...maybe 7 if your players control themselves and don't do the sort of things I just mentioned above.

Just curious...obviously magic is a part of the game...are wizards going to be allowed...and if so...will you bar players from taking craft magic item feats?

Well its a gestalt game so what can I expect after all.

Yes wizards exist, no they can't take the craft magic items feats other than brew potion. Which means I'm going to have to do something about scribe scroll at first level... did not think about that up till now thanks.

Even with all this I plan to push things, classes like wizard and cleric will not be able to just expend all of there spells quickly, as like I said there may be many encounters a day as players fight in a war. Also even with reserve points there may not be time to wait 10 mins to get 10 hp back. So clerics with out cheap wands and such may actually have to heal people verses buffing them selves to hell. But then its a gestalt game so people have more resources, hopefully builds will be done smartly but not to the power gaming point.

If you see a flaw to my logic please point it out.

Fuzzy_Juan
2007-11-27, 08:03 PM
Well its a gestalt game so what can I expect after all.

Yes wizards exist, no they can't take the craft magic items feats other than brew potion. Which means I'm going to have to do something about scribe scroll at first level... did not think about that up till now thanks.

Even with all this I plan to push things, classes like wizard and cleric will not be able to just expend all of there spells quickly, as like I said there may be many encounters a day as players fight in a war. Also even with reserve points there may not be time to wait 10 mins to get 10 hp back. So clerics with out cheap wands and such may actually have to heal people verses buffing them selves to hell. But then its a gestalt game so people have more resources, hopefully builds will be done smartly but not to the power gaming point.

If you see a flaw to my logic please point it out.


All I can say is that the pace of battle and availability of magical healing and support will dictate tactics. If they can expect to be in an ongoing struggle against lots and lots of enemies, mostly low level ones, with limited healing available, then they will do what they can to not get hit. It will all be about bows, crossbows, thrown weapons, reach weapons...combat reflexes and inproved trip used with abandon. Players will shoot the enemy with a volly or two, then drop ranged and pick up polearms with a readied action vs. approach...then trip any people that come in range, get a free hit, and then everyone hits them when they try and get up.

They will try to ensure that only one or two of them are in melee combat at any one time to conserve healing spells. (one tank with high AC and combat reflexes to hold their attention and ensure anyone running by gets wacked.)

Do note that players in any gestalt game can decide to get 'silly' with you and try their best to circumvent the 'low magic' nature of the game and limited healing...a player conspiracy could easily have all the players be devoted converts of the same temple such that you have everyone of them as a gestalt priest/whatever...with maybe the mage deciding to go full arcane and be sorcerer/wizard...an odd but powerful combination.

Team cleric is a very powerful adventuring party since they damn near never run out of healing.

do know that if anyone has awesome rolls...you will be witnessing the cheese that is the Wizard or Sorceror/monk...a class that requires just about every single stat to be important...but if pulled off gets enormous potential with magically augmented kung-fu.

Gestalt characters take you back to the golden days of DnD when there were multi-classed demihumans...but this time, you aren't dividing the XP between the classes so the advancement is more rapid.

Lord Tataraus
2007-11-27, 08:18 PM
Well, not much to add, but why don't you take a look at my Mundane Item Enhancement System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64755) designed for low- to no-magic games with the Armor as DR variant. Of course, if you don't want players to have slightly more powerful weapons and armors, then its not a good idea for your game. It is meant to allow for higher level games in low-magic without the underpowered equipment.

StickMan
2007-11-28, 08:39 AM
Juan: I'm not to worried about players going crazy as my real life group is not that smart (DND wise) and if I do an online group with this I get to select who is in and out so there will be no more that two cleric (Unless I'm freakishly impressed with entries).

Tataraus: You know Tataraus you suck you know that. Here I am not wanting to introduce any kind of special weaponry system and you come out with a bloody system so fracking well done I just want to stick it in to the game. I hope your happy with your self for building something so Mundane and totally cool. :belkar:: Jerk

Lord Tataraus
2007-11-28, 09:47 AM
Tataraus: You know Tataraus you suck you know that. Here I am not wanting to introduce any kind of special weaponry system and you come out with a bloody system so fracking well done I just want to stick it in to the game. I hope your happy with your self for building something so Mundane and totally cool. :belkar:: Jerk

:smallbiggrin: Thanks! Its actually been mostly playtested along with the Avatar Project, except for the materials bit so most of the kinks are worked out. I'm glad you like it.

StickMan
2007-11-30, 08:42 AM
Updated list of house rules and Variants.

This is the heaviest use of Unearth I've ever made and I think I quite happy with it, but could still use feed back.

I removed the damage bonus as the weapons enhancement system allows for that.

Removed powerful build from Golem Armor, deiced I did not like that idea.

Also changed first Ki feat so that your weapon gains an alignment.