Post/Author/DateTime	Post
shades of eternity 05-26-06, 12:10 PM	A buddy of mine put up the following house rules, for he believes much of the rules of 3.5 are broken. I would like ot put these up for discussion, and to see if they are good, broken, or show a particular bias. ******************************** House Rules Books Cleared for Broken Bits: --In a specific game book list may be restricted by setting. SRD 3.5 Players, DMG, DMG 2, Spell Compendium and MM1 FRCS FRPG FR Underdark FR Shining Sounth FR Lost Empires FR Silver Marches FR Waterdeep Heroes of Horror FR Unapproachable East Complete Warrior Complete Arcane Complete Divine Libris Mortis BOVD Eberron Camp Setting Bonuses to skill checks from magic items top out at your attribute or your character level(Whichever is best) regarless of the type of bonus. Cohorts advance in step with the max level of cohort you can have at your level. Cohorts no longer gain exp. Banned Spells Avasculate Avascular Mass Blasphemy Holy Word Similacrum Shadow Evocations and Conjurations Fleshiver Find the path Spells with the name of Elminister or any of the 7 Sisters in them. All forms of astral projection. True strike and all variants. Spells that allow you to recharge magic items or use items without expending a charge. Banned Books Complete Adventurer Epic Level Handbook Dieties and Demigods Book Of Exalted Deeds Planar Handbook Frostburn Sandstorm Dragon Magazines Banned Feats Craft ROD Craft Ring, Create Portal, Craft Magic Tatoo, Craft Contingent Spell are replaced by Craft Wondrus Item Persistant Spell --> See variant extens spell. Epic Leadership --> Replaced by a progression of regular leqadership. Epic Hieghten Spell --> Repleaced by a progression of heighten spell. Feats that allow you to recharge magic items. Altered Feats Mage Slayer prohibits defensive casting only if you win an opposed spellcraft check against your opponent. Pierce Magical Concelment works only if you succeed at a spelcraft check DC equal to 10+ the caster level of the effect. Pierce Magical Protection does nto dispel efects automatially but allows you to make a dispel attempt at your highest caster level as it you had cast dispel majic against each effect that provides a bonus to armor class. Deflect Arrows requires a reflex save DC equal to the attack roll of the deflected object and a strength check DC equal to what is required to lift the object being deflected. Evasion grants a +10 evaision bonus to a reflex save in cases where it would normally apply. Also if you make a save where this feat would apply by 20 more than required you take no damage. Improved Evasion adds a +20 evasion bonus to a reflex save in cases where it would normally apply. Also if you make a save where this feat would apply by 20 more than required you take no damage. Toughness Adds 2 HP and lvl 1 and +1HP at every even numbered level. Extend Spell may be applied to a spell multiple times and it's effects do not stack but are cumulative. For example for +2 levels a spells duration is multiplied by 4, +3 by 8 and 4 by 16 etc. This replaces the persistant spell metamagic feat. Banned PRC's PRC's with a specific diety in thier name or description. Hathran Shadow Dancer House Rules: General --Open ended d20 rolls apply if you roll a 20 add 20 to the total result and re-roll. If you roll a 1 subtract 20 from the total result and re roll. --Natural 20 does not allways hit. --A natural 1 does not allways result in a failure. --Aquired energy immunities provide resistance 10 per caster level if by spell or character level if by template or 200 whichever is greater. --Aquired immuinties to poison, pertrification, polymorph and sleep provide a +20 to saves vs those effects instead and allow a save to negate if the target is not allowed one. --All types of energy damage now have a damage type. Energy resistance spells and magic items may be created to mitigate these damage types if the creator/caster has been exposed to the damage type at least once. Such items will be very rare and difficult to purchase so market prices will be 2x normal but creation costs will remain the same. --SR does not protect against spells not cast directly on the target nor does it protect from energy damage. Basically if a spell creates something and then that something encounters a target with SR the SR has no effect. --Damage Reduction Epic is replaced with damage reduction Magic and they stack to determine the final damage reduction. --Massive damage saves are DC 5 plus 1 per 5 points of damage you took in the attack. --Massive damage threshold is 50 for medium creatures and 60 for large and 40 for small and so on. --Stabalization is now a simple DC 15 fort save instead of a random 10% chance no matter what your level or con score is. --Abillity drain and damage now have fortitude saves to reduce the abillity damage by 1/2 with a DC equal to 1/2HD + 10 + CHA or CON modifyer of the attacker. --Characters may roll saves to negate daze, stun and nuaseate conditions applied to them by spells and effects that would not normally allow a save to negate such effects. The DM will determine the type of save and the DC where appropriate. --Any bonus(Named or otherwise) that would add to HP, skill checks or abillity scores cannot exceed the base unmodifed total. So if you have 10 HP you may only benefit from 10 temporary HP. If you have a base con of 8 you may not have an enh bonus to con exceeding 8. Character Creation and Development --Temporary bonuses to stats or enh bonuses do not add to skill points. --Fractional BAB and Saves are to be used. --Bonus languages gained from high intelligence may be taken from any source and not just racial and class backgounds. --If playing Gestalt characters LA fills both sides of your class progression. --All aspects of char gen are treated as if your final stats were your stats all along this makes generating advance characters much simpler. --If a skill is a class skill for any of your classes it is considered a class skill for all of your classes. --You can buy an extra feat with 10K exp. You may not have more feats purchased this way than your character level. --You can buy +1 inherent bonus to an abillity score at a cost of 1K exp per point of the current score. Racial --Sentient undead use thier CHA modifyer for fort saves. --Creatures with regeneration may go to negative subdual HP. That way you can really mince them up and it will take them a while to regenerate. Rather than popping up 1 round later automatically. --Su and SP abillities cost exp when used if the base spell they are derived from requires exp. If they previously required a material component with a cost > 100 GP they new have an exp cost of 1 per 100 gp value of the component requirement. --You can buy off an ECL with 10K exp. You can only do this once per 5 levels but you can do it at any level. --Races that can cast spells or spell like abillities as a sorceror may apply any caster levels granted by advancement in the sorceror class to the caster level of those abillities. --Races that have full spellcasting abillites as a particualr class which them take levels in that particular class add the two together to determine spellcasting abillity in that class up to a caster level no greater than the ECL of character. --If the ECL of a generated character exceeds the CR-4 of a base NPC with he same levels and HD lower the LA until the ECL is less than CR-5. Spells --The spell compendium versions of spells supercede all other versions. --Any spells that duplicate a costly material or exp component must supply it or 1/25th the value in exp at the time of the casting.(Shadow spells typically do this.) --All items created or summoned by spells(Rather than item creation feats) radiate magic. If they do not noramlly dissapear at the end of the spells duration they fade away if the origonal caster has been dead for 1 full lunar cycle or 1 day per caster level whichever is longer. --Spells which have a secondary effect that take effect even on a successful save may be negated at the target's option if they made the spells save by 20 or more. --Spells that cause a condition of stun, sleep, polymorph, death, daze, nausea, paralysis or petrification with no saving throw to negate the effects now have the effects negated if the target makes the saving throw by 20 or more. --Non area efect spells with no saving throw now have a save to negate at the spells normal DC +20. If something modifies the base spell so it's effect now has an area the save to negate still applies. --Spells that grant an automatic hit, save etc now only grant +20 to that roll and such spells may not effect a target more than once per 10 minutes. --You gain the same number of bonus 0 level spells as 1st level spells from high abillity scores. --Geas and Quest spells have a 10 minutes added to thier casting times. --Undead created by any means start under the control of thier creator. (The dead necromancers were starting to pile up. :-) ) --There is no limit on the spell level that can be researched but there are limits on where they can be cast, on some woulds and please spells higher than 9th level cannmot be cast. Skills --Intimidate checks are made with the either ST or CHA depending on the apporach taken. Characters choice at the time. --Spellcraft checks are made with the characters choice of INT, WIS or CHA once such a choice is made it is permanent. This represnts thier approach to understanding majic, intution(CHA), study(INT) or trust(WIS). --Jump, Swim and Climb checks may be made with the better of a creatures ST or DX modifyer. --If an opponent makes a tumble check to avoid your AOO due to it's movement you may make an opposed tumble check and if successful you may take your AOO normally. --Synergy bonuses change from a flat +2 at 5 ranks to a +1 per 5 ranks in the bonus granting skill. Magic Items --Any magic item that grants a feat even temporarily is banned nor do they exist in the game. This includes items which grant a metamagic feat to a spell even temporarily. --Magic items may not be improved via the wish or miracle spells. --Spell trigger items may recahrge at a rate of 1 charge per week if 2x cost is paid during thier creation. --Items that have 1 change per week have thier cost divided by 10 during creation. --Item affinity slots no longer exist. (The universe does not care if you are humanoid.) --Similarily magic item limitations(Elves only, LG only etc.) do not exist and they cannot be used to reduce creation costs. --Scrolls, Potions and single use magic items may be created with no exp cost if 70% more is spent on the creation process and 300% more time is taken. Class Alterations Sorcerors -- Can only use spell trigger items for spells that they personally know. -- May give up access to a familliar for an extra metamagic feat. -- At 10th level can choose spells from one of these additional spell lists, Druid, Bard or Cleric. At 15th and 20th they may choose an additional list. -- Gain use magic device, bluff, diplomacy and intimidate as class skills. -- Gain the eschew materials feat for free at 1st level. Wizards --Can drop scribe scroll and or summon familliar at 1st level for bonus metamagic feats at 2nd and 4th level repectively. --Do not know all cantrips when they are created they only know a number equal to thier int score. --For characters created after 1st level they know a number of spells equal to twice thier int bonus of every spell level except half that at the highest spell level. Extra spells may be added to thier spellbook at the cost of purchasing a scroll of that level. Fighters --May give up heavy and medium armor proficiency at 1st level to gain fighter bonus feats at 3rd and 5th. --May give up tower shield proficiency at 1st to gain a fighter bonus feat at 7th. Spellbooks --Any medium may be used to store the formulas for casting spells. --Typically the area required is 1 square foot per spell level or 1 page for a typical spellbook per spell level. --A craft check DC 10+ SL is required and the craft skill must be one relevant to the medium being used. If paper is being used a simple spellcraft check of the same DC is required. --Cost to scribe a spell varies with the medium used. --Time to scribe a spell varies with the medium used. --For a standard well preserved water resitant spellbook costs are 100 GP per page. --Drawing the spell in the sand would be free and take little time but carving it in stone could take a while about 16 hours per page.
Witch 05-26-06, 12:41 PM	Banned Spells Blasphemy Holy Word Why not dictum and the other one as well? Anyway, good call. True strike and all variants. True Strike is a standard action. It's not overpowered and should not be removed. Spells that allow you to recharge magic items or use items without expending a charge. Why? Banned Books Complete Adventurer Why? Epic Level Handbook Understandable if you're not playing epic. And yes, Epic is unbalanced. By a lot. Still fun to play, though. Book Of Exalted Deeds This might be disruptive of your game if the DM doesn't appreciate it or your players can't handle it. Not that bad a call. Craft Ring, Create Portal, Craft Magic Tatoo, Craft Contingent Spell are replaced by Craft Wondrus Item Seriously, give your cohort this feat.. Epic Leadership --> Replaced by a progression of regular leqadership. Good call. Epic Hieghten Spell --> Repleaced by a progression of heighten spell. Good call. Feats that allow you to recharge magic items. Again, why? Altered Feats Mage Slayer prohibits defensive casting only if you win an opposed spellcraft check against your opponent. I don't think that should be necessary. That's a huge nerf for fighter types who take it. If a spellcaster doesn't want an AoO on him, let him take a five foot step back and cast. Pierce Magical Concelment works only if you succeed at a spelcraft check DC equal to 10+ the caster level of the effect. Pierce Magical Protection does nto dispel efects automatially but allows you to make a dispel attempt at your highest caster level as it you had cast dispel majic against each effect that provides a bonus to armor class. I seriously doubt these are necessary. Deflect Arrows requires a reflex save DC equal to the attack roll of the deflected object and a strength check DC equal to what is required to lift the object being deflected. ... an arrow. Everyone of medium size can lift an arrow. Evasion grants a +10 evaision bonus to a reflex save in cases where it would normally apply. Also if you make a save where this feat would apply by 20 more than required you take no damage. Improved Evasion adds a +20 evasion bonus to a reflex save in cases where it would normally apply. Also if you make a save where this feat would apply by 20 more than required you take no damage. Overpowered if you give the standard effects as well. Toughness Adds 2 HP and lvl 1 and +1HP at every even numbered level. This is similar to Improved Toughness. Nevertheless, this makes the feat actually worth something. Extend Spell may be applied to a spell multiple times and it's effects do not stack but are cumulative. For example for +2 levels a spells duration is multiplied by 4, +3 by 8 and 4 by 16 etc. This replaces the persistant spell metamagic feat. Not that bad. Banned PRC's PRC's with a specific diety in thier name or description. ...why? That's just flavor text. House Rules: General --Open ended d20 rolls apply if you roll a 20 add 20 to the total result and re-roll. If you roll a 1 subtract 20 from the total result and re roll. --Natural 20 does not allways hit. --A natural 1 does not allways result in a failure. Not that bad. --Aquired energy immunities provide resistance 10 per caster level if by spell or character level if by template or 200 whichever is greater. --Aquired immuinties to poison, pertrification, polymorph and sleep provide a +20 to saves vs those effects instead and allow a save to negate if the target is not allowed one. Immunity means immunity, not resistance. --SR does not protect against spells not cast directly on the target nor does it protect from energy damage. Basically if a spell creates something and then that something encounters a target with SR the SR has no effect. This is already the case for some things, the Conjuration (Creation) spells that do not allow SR. --Damage Reduction Epic is replaced with damage reduction Magic and they stack to determine the final damage reduction. I doubt this is a good rule. --Massive damage saves are DC 5 plus 1 per 5 points of damage you took in the attack. --Massive damage threshold is 50 for medium creatures and 60 for large and 40 for small and so on. You'll die at epic. --Stabalization is now a simple DC 15 fort save instead of a random 10% chance no matter what your level or con score is. Will strengthen the melee types and hurt casters. --Abillity drain and damage now have fortitude saves to reduce the abillity damage by 1/2 with a DC equal to 1/2HD + 10 + CHA or CON modifyer of the attacker. Will weaken those monsters severely. --Characters may roll saves to negate daze, stun and nuaseate conditions applied to them by spells and effects that would not normally allow a save to negate such effects. The DM will determine the type of save and the DC where appropriate. Underpowering those effects. --Any bonus(Named or otherwise) that would add to HP, skill checks or abillity scores cannot exceed the base unmodifed total. So if you have 10 HP you may only benefit from 10 temporary HP. If you have a base con of 8 you may not have an enh bonus to con exceeding 8. Why? It's magic. Character Creation and Development --Temporary bonuses to stats or enh bonuses do not add to skill points. This is not a houserule. --Fractional BAB and Saves are to be used. Good call. --Bonus languages gained from high intelligence may be taken from any source and not just racial and class backgounds. Probably good call. --If playing Gestalt characters LA fills both sides of your class progression. Bad call. --If a skill is a class skill for any of your classes it is considered a class skill for all of your classes. Not that bad. --You can buy an extra feat with 10K exp. You may not have more feats purchased this way than your character level. Bad call. Especially at Epic levels. --You can buy +1 inherent bonus to an abillity score at a cost of 1K exp per point of the current score. Can't foresee the consequences of this. Let Character Optimisation take a look. --Su and SP abillities cost exp when used if the base spell they are derived from requires exp. If they previously required a material component with a cost > 100 GP they new have an exp cost of 1 per 100 gp value of the component requirement. This is stupid. Those creatures don't have an XP total. --Races that can cast spells or spell like abillities as a sorceror may apply any caster levels granted by advancement in the sorceror class to the caster level of those abillities. I thought this was standard, not sure though. Further responses later, when I have more time.
Thelon Fairblade 05-26-06, 01:24 PM	A buddy of mine put up the following house rules, for he believes much of the rules of 3.5 are broken. I would like ot put these up for discussion, and to see if they are good, broken, or show a particular bias. ******************************** House Rules Books Cleared for Broken Bits: --In a specific game book list may be restricted by setting. SRD 3.5 Players, DMG, DMG 2, Spell Compendium and MM1 FRCS FRPG FR Underdark FR Shining Sounth FR Lost Empires FR Silver Marches FR Waterdeep Heroes of Horror FR Unapproachable East Complete Warrior Complete Arcane Complete Divine Libris Mortis BOVD Eberron Camp Setting Nothing to say about these. Bonuses to skill checks from magic items top out at your attribute or your character level(Whichever is best) regarless of the type of bonus. This is okay, I guess. No 1st level characters getting +5 to their skill checks. However, I question the value of having the rule since it is pretty much meaningless after 5th level. Cohorts advance in step with the max level of cohort you can have at your level. Cohorts no longer gain exp. Reduces bookkeeping, I guess it's fine. Banned Spells Avasculate Avascular Mass Blasphemy Holy Word Similacrum Shadow Evocations and Conjurations Fleshiver Find the path Spells with the name of Elminister or any of the 7 Sisters in them. All forms of astral projection. True strike and all variants. Spells that allow you to recharge magic items or use items without expending a charge. Why ban the Shadow Spells? These are of help to the knowledge-limited sorcerer, or the budding illusionist. They aren't overpowered. Find the Path -- What the heck? Is the GM trying to prevent a specific mystery from being avoided by this spell, or is there some "valid" reason he is thinking of, because this spell has never been on a "banned" list before. Astral projection makes sense, depending on your cosmology. For example, these spells don't exist in Eberron. True Strike is actually a reasonable spell, provided you don't make a rookie-DM mistake and allow a "always-on" magic item. Remember it is a standard action to cast the spell, and it applies only to 1 roll, and that roll must come no later than the next round. You could have simply attacked twice! Banned Books Complete Adventurer Epic Level Handbook Dieties and Demigods Book Of Exalted Deeds Planar Handbook Frostburn Sandstorm Dragon Magazines He allows The Book of Vile Darkness, but not Exalted Deeds? Seems like he could simply veto a couple feats (like Touch of Golden Ice), and strongly enforce the required "Exalted" status, rather than nix the entire book. The Sacrifical Spells are quite fun (-2 STR for Mage Armor +1 and blur, for example). what is wrong with Complete Adventurer? I didn't see anything too broken in there, and the Scout is a good class. Frostburn and Sandstorm - these are heavily slanted toward a specific environment, tru, but most of the PC options are still reasonable. Dragon Magazines -- this is a grab bag, usually tending towards broken/overpowered. Hard to argue against this rule. Banned Feats Craft ROD Craft Ring, Create Portal, Craft Magic Tatoo, Craft Contingent Spell are replaced by Craft Wondrus Item Persistant Spell --> See variant extens spell. Epic Leadership --> Replaced by a progression of regular leqadership. Epic Hieghten Spell --> Repleaced by a progression of heighten spell. Feats that allow you to recharge magic items. Why Craft Rod? I can't remember the last time I saw someone take it in teh first place. Altered Feats Mage Slayer prohibits defensive casting only if you win an opposed spellcraft check against your opponent. We said "if the caster has Combat Casting feat, Mage Slayer is negated." Otherwise, all the casters took Skill Focus Concentration instead of Combat Casting. Pierce Magical Concelment works only if you succeed at a spelcraft check DC equal to 10+ the caster level of the effect. Pierce Magical Protection does not dispel efects automatially but allows you to make a dispel attempt at your highest caster level as it you had cast dispel majic against each effect that provides a bonus to armor class. Weakens these feats, right? I guess... I've never seen them in action. Deflect Arrows requires a reflex save DC equal to the attack roll of the deflected object and a strength check DC equal to what is required to lift the object being deflected. Only if you now allow the person to try to deflect more than 1 item each turn. Either autosuccess against 1, or chance-of-success against all. chance-of-success against 1 is too much of a nerf for a rarely used ability. Evasion grants a +10 evaision bonus to a reflex save in cases where it would normally apply. Also if you make a save where this feat would apply by 20 more than required you take no damage. Improved Evasion adds a +20 evasion bonus to a reflex save in cases where it would normally apply. Also if you make a save where this feat would apply by 20 more than required you take no damage. Why add more math and complicate a simple and straightforward ability? And nerf it heavily, I might add. A low-level monk or rogue is not going to beat *any* roll by 20, even with a +10 to the check. And a high level PC with Improved Evasion (a 10th level ability, IIRC) is supposed to take half-damage on a failure, something he isn't ever likely to do with +20 to the check. If you want to kill an Evader, use Hold Person, not Fireball! Or any of the Cold Fort-based damage spells. Toughness Adds 2 HP and lvl 1 and +1HP at every even numbered level. Toughness had 2 reasons for existence. the Elf wizard or Sorc who wanted to double his HP (from 3 to 6) at 1st level. Or, as a crappy prereq for a cool PrC (like Dwarven Defender, or Undying Way monk style). If you jst want more Hp, you take Improved Toughness for +1 per level. This house rule reduces the benefit of Reason #1, and provides only half of the benefit of the other feat (but without the +2 Fort prereq). At level 1 and 2, it is better than ImpTough, at level 4 it = ImpTough, and after that it sucks. Extend Spell may be applied to a spell multiple times and it's effects do not stack but are cumulative. For example for +2 levels a spells duration is multiplied by 4, +3 by 8 and 4 by 16 etc. This replaces the persistant spell metamagic feat. No objection. Banned PRC's PRC's with a specific diety in thier name or description. Hathran Shadow Dancer I can understand the first two, if he has a custom world. I, as a DM, might customize these for my setting -- the Radiant Servant of Rao, for example, instead of Pelor. Shadow Dancer, though? There are other PrCs that provide Hide in Plain Sight. What is it about this PrC that offends him? House Rules: General --Open ended d20 rolls apply if you roll a 20 add 20 to the total result and re-roll. If you roll a 1 subtract 20 from the total result and re roll. --Natural 20 does not allways hit. --A natural 1 does not allways result in a failure. Okay, a changed mechanic. Fine. I use something simliar. --Aquired energy immunities provide resistance 10 per caster level if by spell or character level if by template or 200 whichever is greater. --Aquired immuinties to poison, pertrification, polymorph and sleep provide a +20 to saves vs those effects instead and allow a save to negate if the target is not allowed one. Um, what? Why? Are you saying a Red Dragon (Immune to Fire) or a Fire Elemental can be harmed by a sufficiently hot fire? OR elves and undead (immune to sleep) can be put to sleep by sleep-breath (DC 40) from some critter? Why bother? --All types of energy damage now have a damage type. Energy resistance spells and magic items may be created to mitigate these damage types if the creator/caster has been exposed to the damage type at least once. Such items will be very rare and difficult to purchase so market prices will be 2x normal but creation costs will remain the same. What does this mean? Brilliant Energy has a "Brilliant" type? "Vicious" weapon enhancement has a "vicious" type? Because pretty much every energy damage already is typed. --SR does not protect against spells not cast directly on the target nor does it protect from energy damage. Basically if a spell creates something and then that something encounters a target with SR the SR has no effect. This is already taken into account with the "SR" rating of the spell. Most Conjuration spells are "SR: no" while Evocation are "SR: Yes". I won't argue the "should SR apply to the flames of a fireball?" issue. I guess this one's just a GM call either way. --Damage Reduction Epic is replaced with damage reduction Magic and they stack to determine the final damage reduction. IMC, we don't use Epic, so I don't have experience to base this comment on. However, IMC we use grades of "magic": each "plus" of a magic weapon only bypasses 5 points of "DR/magic". So a +1 mace strikes a gargoyle for full damage (DR 5/magic), injures (-5 damage) a celestial giant bison (DR 10/magic), and barely scratches (-10 damage) a lich (DR 15/magic and bludgeon). --Massive damage saves are DC 5 plus 1 per 5 points of damage you took in the attack. --Massive damage threshold is 50 for medium creatures and 60 for large and 40 for small and so on. Seems fine. Seen this one in UA, I think. --Stabalization is now a simple DC 15 fort save instead of a random 10% chance no matter what your level or con score is. IMC, we use "1% per CON point". I.e. 16 CON = 16% chance. DC 15 Fort save means a 1st level fighter with 14 CON will have a 50% chance to stablize, while the 8 CON elf wizard has a 25% chance. Much much better than the original 10%! Sign me up! --Abillity drain and damage now have fortitude saves to reduce the abillity damage by 1/2 with a DC equal to 1/2HD + 10 + CHA or CON modifyer of the attacker. Many of these attacks already provided the character with a save. The spell, or the undead's initial touch, or the poison's save, etc. This rule is unnecessary. --Characters may roll saves to negate daze, stun and nuaseate conditions applied to them by spells and effects that would not normally allow a save to negate such effects. The DM will determine the type of save and the DC where appropriate. This is a powerup for characters, and/or a nerf to spells. Many of these effects are the minor side effects of already resisting the spell, and are negated by abilities like Mettle already! --Any bonus(Named or otherwise) that would add to HP, skill checks or abillity scores cannot exceed the base unmodifed total. So if you have 10 HP you may only benefit from 10 temporary HP. If you have a base con of 8 you may not have an enh bonus to con exceeding 8. This is fine. usually will never be an issue. However, it means a Psychic Warrior or Psion can't dump 15 pts into Vigor to get +75 hp if he doens't already have 75 hp. Character Creation and Development --Temporary bonuses to stats or enh bonuses do not add to skill points. --Fractional BAB and Saves are to be used. No issues. --Bonus languages gained from high intelligence may be taken from any source and not just racial and class backgounds. Very little reason for this rule. --If playing Gestalt characters LA fills both sides of your class progression. Agreed. --All aspects of char gen are treated as if your final stats were your stats all along this makes generating advance characters much simpler. Disagree! If you started at 12 STR, and you advance to 13 STR at 4th level, you may *not* have Power Attack and Cleave for your first level feats, even if you *are* starting at 20th level! --If a skill is a class skill for any of your classes it is considered a class skill for all of your classes. This is already the rule, regarding max ranks. The only difference is the skill costs 2 points if it is not normally a class skill for the current class. I don't object to your rule, but it will make certain PrCs easier to get into. --You can buy an extra feat with 10K exp. You may not have more feats purchased this way than your character level. This is a superior power-gamer rule! I would totally abuse this - more XP can always be had, but feats are limited. Also, this rule nerfs the fighter, since his only benefit is having lots of feats. Sre, he can have more too, but 18 vs 7 is better than 38 vs 27. --You can buy +1 inherent bonus to an abillity score at a cost of 1K exp per point of the current score. Bad rule, again leading to PC power inflation. Racial --Sentient undead use thier CHA modifyer for fort saves. --Creatures with regeneration may go to negative subdual HP. That way you can really mince them up and it will take them a while to regenerate. Rather than popping up 1 round later automatically. --Su and SP abillities cost exp when used if the base spell they are derived from requires exp. If they previously required a material component with a cost > 100 GP they new have an exp cost of 1 per 100 gp value of the component requirement. All these are fine. --You can buy off an ECL with 10K exp. You can only do this once per 5 levels but you can do it at any level. There are already ECL buy-off rules in UA. --Races that can cast spells or spell like abillities as a sorceror may apply any caster levels granted by advancement in the sorceror class to the caster level of those abillities. --Races that have full spellcasting abillites as a particualr class which them take levels in that particular class add the two together to determine spellcasting abillity in that class up to a caster level no greater than the ECL of character. This is fine. --If the ECL of a generated character exceeds the CR-4 of a base NPC with he same levels and HD lower the LA until the ECL is less than CR-5. This rule is grammar-challenged. I don't understand it. Spells --The spell compendium versions of spells supercede all other versions. --Any spells that duplicate a costly material or exp component must supply it or 1/25th the value in exp at the time of the casting.(Shadow spells typically do this.) Fine. --All items created or summoned by spells(Rather than item creation feats) radiate magic. If they do not noramlly dissapear at the end of the spells duration they fade away if the origonal caster has been dead for 1 full lunar cycle or 1 day per caster level whichever is longer. So no permanent items, like walls of stone or Fabricate? --Spells which have a secondary effect that take effect even on a successful save may be negated at the target's option if they made the spells save by 20 or more. --Spells that cause a condition of stun, sleep, polymorph, death, daze, nausea, paralysis or petrification with no saving throw to negate the effects now have the effects negated if the target makes the saving throw by 20 or more. --Non area efect spells with no saving throw now have a save to negate at the spells normal DC +20. If something modifies the base spell so it's effect now has an area the save to negate still applies. --Spells that grant an automatic hit, save etc now only grant +20 to that roll and such spells may not effect a target more than once per 10 minutes. These are all fine, I guess. I don't understand the need for the last rule, especially with spells like True Strike banned in the first place. --You gain the same number of bonus 0 level spells as 1st level spells from high abillity scores. Actually, following the table progression, it should be per 4th level spell. The bonus at "stat = 10" is included in the base amount, and at "bonus 5th level spell" you also get a bonus first level spell, so the chart should include the bonus 0th level 1 step earlier, or "4th level bonus + 0th level bonus". --Geas and Quest spells have a 10 minutes added to thier casting times. --Undead created by any means start under the control of thier creator. (The dead necromancers were starting to pile up. :-) ) --There is no limit on the spell level that can be researched but there are limits on where they can be cast, on some woulds and please spells higher than 9th level cannmot be cast. Woulds and please? Worlds and planes perhaps? No issues with these 3 rules. Skills --Intimidate checks are made with the either ST or CHA depending on the apporach taken. Characters choice at the time. --Spellcraft checks are made with the characters choice of INT, WIS or CHA once such a choice is made it is permanent. This represnts thier approach to understanding majic, intution(CHA), study(INT) or trust(WIS). --Jump, Swim and Climb checks may be made with the better of a creatures ST or DX modifyer. --If an opponent makes a tumble check to avoid your AOO due to it's movement you may make an opposed tumble check and if successful you may take your AOO normally. --Synergy bonuses change from a flat +2 at 5 ranks to a +1 per 5 ranks in the bonus granting skill. These are fine. Magic Items --Any magic item that grants a feat even temporarily is banned nor do they exist in the game. This includes items which grant a metamagic feat to a spell even temporarily. --Magic items may not be improved via the wish or miracle spells. --Spell trigger items may recahrge at a rate of 1 charge per week if 2x cost is paid during thier creation. --Items that have 1 change per week have thier cost divided by 10 during creation. --Item affinity slots no longer exist. (The universe does not care if you are humanoid.) --Similarily magic item limitations(Elves only, LG only etc.) do not exist and they cannot be used to reduce creation costs. --Scrolls, Potions and single use magic items may be created with no exp cost if 70% more is spent on the creation process and 300% more time is taken. These are fine. Class Alterations Sorcerors -- Can only use spell trigger items for spells that they personally know. -- May give up access to a familliar for an extra metamagic feat. -- At 10th level can choose spells from one of these additional spell lists, Druid, Bard or Cleric. At 15th and 20th they may choose an additional list. -- Gain use magic device, bluff, diplomacy and intimidate as class skills. -- Gain the eschew materials feat for free at 1st level. The spell trigger rule is a nerf. Why do you think this is a necessary nerf? The other rules are good. Wizards --Can drop scribe scroll and or summon familliar at 1st level for bonus metamagic feats at 2nd and 4th level repectively. --Do not know all cantrips when they are created they only know a number equal to thier int score. --For characters created after 1st level they know a number of spells equal to twice thier int bonus of every spell level except half that at the highest spell level. Extra spells may be added to thier spellbook at the cost of purchasing a scroll of that level. The last rule should be "4 + twice their int bonus", since they get 2 per level for free anyway. Fighters --May give up heavy and medium armor proficiency at 1st level to gain fighter bonus feats at 3rd and 5th. --May give up tower shield proficiency at 1st to gain a fighter bonus feat at 7th. I like these rules! Spellbooks --Any medium may be used to store the formulas for casting spells. --Typically the area required is 1 square foot per spell level or 1 page for a typical spellbook per spell level. --A craft check DC 10+ SL is required and the craft skill must be one relevant to the medium being used. If paper is being used a simple spellcraft check of the same DC is required. --Cost to scribe a spell varies with the medium used. --Time to scribe a spell varies with the medium used. --For a standard well preserved water resitant spellbook costs are 100 GP per page. --Drawing the spell in the sand would be free and take little time but carving it in stone could take a while about 16 hours per page. Spell book rules are okay, but it would depend on the supporting rules. For example, what about tatoos? Can you have a gymansium in your home bas efilled with sand-drawn spells for free? Whew, can't believe I went through all that! Hope the boards accept this reply!
Rhomphaia 05-26-06, 02:04 PM	Tell your DM to put down the D&D books and pick up a pencil and paper and write his own game...he's already halfway there with all those houserules.