Major Revision--Low Magic House Rules 1.5 (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Major Revision--Low Magic House Rules 1.5 (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DreadArchon
05-07-07, 01:39 PM I'm working on house rules for a low-magic campaign. I want the PC's to be a little stronger than normal PC's, despite not having access to much magic, but I don't want to use Gestalt rules (excluding for the Bard, as listed, obviously).

How well does this balance? Thoughts, comments, concerns?

GENERAL

Action Points
Action points are used, as given in Unearthed Arcana.

Character Magic Rating
This variant on Caster Level is used, as given in Unearthed Arcana.

ITEMS

Magic Item Scarcity
All magic items and magic item properties, excluding potions, cost triple what they would normally due to being rare. For “+X Bonus” costs, use the difference in cost between a +1 item with and without that bonus to determine the increase. (Example: A +1 Flaming longsword would cost 12,000 gp more than a +1 longsword, as the difference between +1 and +2 is 6000 gp. A +1 Flaming, Shocking longsword would cost 24,000 gp more than a +1 longsword, 12,000 for the Flaming and 12,000 for the Shocking, as the cost of the Flaming does not effect the cost increase for the shocking, despite that +2 to +3 costs more than +1 to +2.)

CHARACTER PROGRESSION

Alignment
Alignment restrictions are, in general, eliminated. Alignment-based effects still exist, however.

Skill Points
All classes gain +2 skill points per level (x4 at first level as normal). These skill points may only be spent on Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge, Perform, Profession, Ride, Speak Language, Swim, or Use Rope skills. These skills are always class skills. (These skills are either common to average individuals, a facet of the adventurer's background, or both.)

Primary Caster Class Restrictions
The following classes are banned: Archivist, Beguiler, Duskblade, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard. (Any other classes granting spells above fourth level are also banned, excluding Adepts.) Bards are modified so as to lack their spells: The Bard class loses its spell progression and is dropped to the second column in regards to Magic Rating, but it is gestalted to the Marshal class.

Level-Based Feats, Abilities
Characters receive feats every even level rather than every third level. (New feats are available, see below.) Characters' abilities improve every third level rather than every fourth level.

Warlocks and Prestige Classes
The equivalent spell levels of a Warlock's invocations count as spells of those levels for purposes of prestige classes. Additionally, Mage Hand is not required for Arcane Tricksters.

“Able to Cast X-Level Spells” and Magic Rating
For purposes of prerequisites, a character is considered “able to cast” spells of a level equal to half (rounded down) of his Magic Rating, whether or not he actually has any spells or spell-like abilities and regardless of the Arcane/Divine split. For example, a level 6 Ranger would qualify for the Eldritch Knight prestige class (unlikely though it may be that he would take it).

Fighter “Dead Levels”
At level 3 and every odd level thereafter, the Fighter class grants +1 to each listed roll in one of the following sets: Str checks, Str-based skill checks, Con checks, and Con-based skill checks (all one choice), or Dex checks, Dex-based skill checks, and Initiative rolls (all one choice). The player chooses which set at each eligible level (i.e. one need not take the same set every time).

Hit Points Per Level
When rolling hit dice, a character may re-roll until getting at least half of the maximum hit points for that level (2 for a Sorcerer, 3 for a Rogue, etc.). This applies before bonuses (such as Constitution score).

CHARACTER CREATION

Ability Scores
32-point point buy, minimum 8 in any stat (after racial modifiers) and maximum 18 in any stat (before racial modifiers).

"Level 0"
A character's first level must be taken in an NPC class (player's choice). This functions as normal for a character's first level, but it does not add to a player's total level (i.e. the hit die, while providing hit points, does not factor into future hit die or ECL calculations, nor does the class level). NPC classes are always favored classes for any character. As this level does not count towards a character's total level, each character also immediately receives a player class level, gained exactly as though multiclassing, except that a character's initial level in her NPC class does not count towards maximum skill ranks, feat progression, or ability increases, all of which remain based on class levels. (A character's initial NPC class level DOES NOT grant a first-level feat, but it DOES grant skill points as if it were the character's first class level, despite not raising a character's maximum ranks per level.) If the Commoner class is chosen, it grants a bonus feat at first level. All NPC classes gain +2 base skill points per level (so +8 at first level).

Mongrels
All player characters have a single Major Bloodline (player's choice). They need not take Bloodline Levels to benefit from it. (Alternatively, they may take three Minor Bloodlines or one Minor Bloodline and one Intermediate Bloodline).

Racial Changes
Goblins: No Str penalty; Goblins are unusually strong for their size.

Half-Elves: +2 Cha, but no additional bonus to Diplomacy or Gather Information; Half-Elves end up with the best parts of the personalities of their parent races.

Kobolds: Str penalty reduced to -2, no Con penalty, no Light sensitivity; Kobolds aren't physically useless, nor are they unfamiliar with bright light.

Orcs, Half-Orcs: No Cha penalty, no Int penalty; Orcs do not have especially weak personalities, nor are they particularly stupid (though true Orcs are still rather dense and careless).

New Feats

All feats listed here may be taken more than once (and stack) unless otherwise specified. Players may choose their casting stat for feats granting spell-like abilities.

General Feats
Cantrips: The character may use any three 0-Level spells per day (as spell-like abilities). They may be chosen from any list and they need not be prepared in advance. Prerequisite: Magic Rating of at least 2.

Fleetness: +5 feet to all of this character's movement speeds. Prerequisite: Run

Magical Flair: +1 to Magic Rating. Prestige classes normally granting “+1 level of [any spellcasting class, specific or general]” instead grant this as a bonus feat (ignoring the prerequisite) at those times if the character has no actual casting class to improve. Prerequisite: 2 ranks in Spellcraft, +1 per time this feat has already been taken.

Spell-Like Abilities – Each of these spells may be taken as a spell-like ability for the cost of one feat. They vary in prerequisites (Magic Rating needed) and frequency (per day) of use, as listed. (The DM may consider other spells, at request.)

Magic Rating 2, Usable At Will: Feather Fall, Status
Magic Rating 3, Usable 2/day: Alter Self, Cure Moderate Wounds, Enlarge Person, Minor Image, Sound Burst
Magic Rating 3, Usable At Will: Call Lightning, Disguise Self, Flame Arrow, Gust of Wind, Water Breathing
Magic Rating 4, Usable 1/day: Inflict Moderate Wounds, True Strike, Unseen Servant, Zone of Silence
Magic Rating 4, Usable 3/day: Create Food and Water, Dimension Door, Dispel Magic, Fly, Invisibility
Magic Rating 4, Usable At Will: Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Spider Climb
Magic Rating 6, Usable 2/day: Searing Light, Vampiric Touch
Magic Rating 8, Usable 2/day: Greater Dispel Magic, Produce Flame, Shadow Walk
The_Ditto
05-07-07, 01:53 PM Hit Points Per Level
When rolling hit dice, a character may re-roll until getting at least half of the maximum hit points for that level (2 for a Sorcerer, 3 for a Rogue, etc.). This applies before bonuses (such as Constitution score).

Easier method:

Roll a die equal to half the die size of the classes hit dice. Add half the size of the hit die of the class.

For example: Barbarian has d12.

Roll d6 + 6

Rogue has d6.
Roll d3 + 3

Fighter has d10.
Roll d5 + 5 (use a d10 but half the result: 1-2 = 1, 3-4 = 2, 5-6= 3, 7-8 = 4, 9-10 =5)

Saves all the re-rolling business ... :tiphat:

Ability Scores
Starting characters allot their stats so as to have a total of +7 bonuses (i.e. a total of 74 if all ability scores are added together, 14 points worth of abilities above the tenth point), with a maximum of +4 (18 points) in any stat and a minimum of -1 (8 points) in any stat. Only one stat may be +4 (18 points). This applies before racial modifiers, but a player may not choose to have 7 or fewer points in any stat after modifiers.

Uh ... ok ... How's:
17 +3
17 +3
9 -1
9 -1
17 +3
11 +0

(Seriously - what's wrong with point buy? just use 32 pt for a higher powered game ... be done with it ... ;) )

Fleetness: +5 feet to all of this character's movement speeds. Prerequisite: Run

I can see this being abused ... I can't think of how myself .. but I can see it being abused ... (you did say it stacks with itself, right??) :D

Magic Rating 4, Usable At Will: Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Produce Flame, Searing Light, Spider Climb, Vampiric Touch
Magic Rating 6, Usable At Will: Sound Burst

Sweet .. sign me up!! (be careful of "at will" ... that's a heck of a set of abilities you're allowing ... especially Sound Burst .... DC based on Cha I assume? (since it's a spell like) ... that stun - "at will" is gonna really get annoying ... :D
DreadArchon
05-07-07, 02:58 PM Uh ... ok ... How's:
...
(Seriously - what's wrong with point buy? just use 32 pt for a higher powered game ... be done with it ... ;) )
I wasn't allowing odd numbers, but point taken. Perhaps I will, at that.

(you did say it stacks with itself, right??) :D
Sure. "Hey guys, I can Spider Climb at 70 feet per round at level 20, and all I had to do was spend all my feats on it!" I don't mind highly mobile PC's, even in low magic, and I don't see how this could become abusive.

that stun - "at will" is gonna really get annoying ... :D
Meh. They'll need to be at least level 4 to have it, and even then it'll take effort, and even then it'll do suboptimal damage. I think I'll up the prerequisites (4 does seem a tad early), but for the most part it doesn't bother me that they'll have some control available, especially if they have to spend a bunch of feats on it.

Still, I suppose I should drop it to two per day. If they want to stun a lot, they can take the feat repeatedly, after all. The same applies for Vampiric Touch--that's a lot of HP to give yourself every round. I'll knock it down too. In fact, I'm just going to re-work that whole list...

Burning Hands and Magic Missile I don't see as potential problems due to their low damage potentials, but Produce Flame and Searing Light I'm going to knock down due to the horrible things that Rogues could do with them. Spider Climb stays, though--it's easy to get "at will" anyway, and even with my new movement feat, it just isn't game-breaking.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DreadArchon 05-07-07, 01:39 PM	I'm working on house rules for a low-magic campaign. I want the PC's to be a little stronger than normal PC's, despite not having access to much magic, but I don't want to use Gestalt rules (excluding for the Bard, as listed, obviously). How well does this balance? Thoughts, comments, concerns? GENERAL Action Points Action points are used, as given in Unearthed Arcana. Character Magic Rating This variant on Caster Level is used, as given in Unearthed Arcana. ITEMS Magic Item Scarcity All magic items and magic item properties, excluding potions, cost triple what they would normally due to being rare. For “+X Bonus” costs, use the difference in cost between a +1 item with and without that bonus to determine the increase. (Example: A +1 Flaming longsword would cost 12,000 gp more than a +1 longsword, as the difference between +1 and +2 is 6000 gp. A +1 Flaming, Shocking longsword would cost 24,000 gp more than a +1 longsword, 12,000 for the Flaming and 12,000 for the Shocking, as the cost of the Flaming does not effect the cost increase for the shocking, despite that +2 to +3 costs more than +1 to +2.) CHARACTER PROGRESSION Alignment Alignment restrictions are, in general, eliminated. Alignment-based effects still exist, however. Skill Points All classes gain +2 skill points per level (x4 at first level as normal). These skill points may only be spent on Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge, Perform, Profession, Ride, Speak Language, Swim, or Use Rope skills. These skills are always class skills. (These skills are either common to average individuals, a facet of the adventurer's background, or both.) Primary Caster Class Restrictions The following classes are banned: Archivist, Beguiler, Duskblade, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard. (Any other classes granting spells above fourth level are also banned, excluding Adepts.) Bards are modified so as to lack their spells: The Bard class loses its spell progression and is dropped to the second column in regards to Magic Rating, but it is gestalted to the Marshal class. Level-Based Feats, Abilities Characters receive feats every even level rather than every third level. (New feats are available, see below.) Characters' abilities improve every third level rather than every fourth level. Warlocks and Prestige Classes The equivalent spell levels of a Warlock's invocations count as spells of those levels for purposes of prestige classes. Additionally, Mage Hand is not required for Arcane Tricksters. “Able to Cast X-Level Spells” and Magic Rating For purposes of prerequisites, a character is considered “able to cast” spells of a level equal to half (rounded down) of his Magic Rating, whether or not he actually has any spells or spell-like abilities and regardless of the Arcane/Divine split. For example, a level 6 Ranger would qualify for the Eldritch Knight prestige class (unlikely though it may be that he would take it). Fighter “Dead Levels” At level 3 and every odd level thereafter, the Fighter class grants +1 to each listed roll in one of the following sets: Str checks, Str-based skill checks, Con checks, and Con-based skill checks (all one choice), or Dex checks, Dex-based skill checks, and Initiative rolls (all one choice). The player chooses which set at each eligible level (i.e. one need not take the same set every time). Hit Points Per Level When rolling hit dice, a character may re-roll until getting at least half of the maximum hit points for that level (2 for a Sorcerer, 3 for a Rogue, etc.). This applies before bonuses (such as Constitution score). CHARACTER CREATION Ability Scores 32-point point buy, minimum 8 in any stat (after racial modifiers) and maximum 18 in any stat (before racial modifiers). "Level 0" A character's first level must be taken in an NPC class (player's choice). This functions as normal for a character's first level, but it does not add to a player's total level (i.e. the hit die, while providing hit points, does not factor into future hit die or ECL calculations, nor does the class level). NPC classes are always favored classes for any character. As this level does not count towards a character's total level, each character also immediately receives a player class level, gained exactly as though multiclassing, except that a character's initial level in her NPC class does not count towards maximum skill ranks, feat progression, or ability increases, all of which remain based on class levels. (A character's initial NPC class level DOES NOT grant a first-level feat, but it DOES grant skill points as if it were the character's first class level, despite not raising a character's maximum ranks per level.) If the Commoner class is chosen, it grants a bonus feat at first level. All NPC classes gain +2 base skill points per level (so +8 at first level). Mongrels All player characters have a single Major Bloodline (player's choice). They need not take Bloodline Levels to benefit from it. (Alternatively, they may take three Minor Bloodlines or one Minor Bloodline and one Intermediate Bloodline). Racial Changes Goblins: No Str penalty; Goblins are unusually strong for their size. Half-Elves: +2 Cha, but no additional bonus to Diplomacy or Gather Information; Half-Elves end up with the best parts of the personalities of their parent races. Kobolds: Str penalty reduced to -2, no Con penalty, no Light sensitivity; Kobolds aren't physically useless, nor are they unfamiliar with bright light. Orcs, Half-Orcs: No Cha penalty, no Int penalty; Orcs do not have especially weak personalities, nor are they particularly stupid (though true Orcs are still rather dense and careless). New Feats All feats listed here may be taken more than once (and stack) unless otherwise specified. Players may choose their casting stat for feats granting spell-like abilities. General Feats Cantrips: The character may use any three 0-Level spells per day (as spell-like abilities). They may be chosen from any list and they need not be prepared in advance. Prerequisite: Magic Rating of at least 2. Fleetness: +5 feet to all of this character's movement speeds. Prerequisite: Run Magical Flair: +1 to Magic Rating. Prestige classes normally granting “+1 level of [any spellcasting class, specific or general]” instead grant this as a bonus feat (ignoring the prerequisite) at those times if the character has no actual casting class to improve. Prerequisite: 2 ranks in Spellcraft, +1 per time this feat has already been taken. Spell-Like Abilities – Each of these spells may be taken as a spell-like ability for the cost of one feat. They vary in prerequisites (Magic Rating needed) and frequency (per day) of use, as listed. (The DM may consider other spells, at request.) Magic Rating 2, Usable At Will: Feather Fall, Status Magic Rating 3, Usable 2/day: Alter Self, Cure Moderate Wounds, Enlarge Person, Minor Image, Sound Burst Magic Rating 3, Usable At Will: Call Lightning, Disguise Self, Flame Arrow, Gust of Wind, Water Breathing Magic Rating 4, Usable 1/day: Inflict Moderate Wounds, True Strike, Unseen Servant, Zone of Silence Magic Rating 4, Usable 3/day: Create Food and Water, Dimension Door, Dispel Magic, Fly, Invisibility Magic Rating 4, Usable At Will: Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Spider Climb Magic Rating 6, Usable 2/day: Searing Light, Vampiric Touch Magic Rating 8, Usable 2/day: Greater Dispel Magic, Produce Flame, Shadow Walk
The_Ditto 05-07-07, 01:53 PM	Hit Points Per Level When rolling hit dice, a character may re-roll until getting at least half of the maximum hit points for that level (2 for a Sorcerer, 3 for a Rogue, etc.). This applies before bonuses (such as Constitution score). Easier method: Roll a die equal to half the die size of the classes hit dice. Add half the size of the hit die of the class. For example: Barbarian has d12. Roll d6 + 6 Rogue has d6. Roll d3 + 3 Fighter has d10. Roll d5 + 5 (use a d10 but half the result: 1-2 = 1, 3-4 = 2, 5-6= 3, 7-8 = 4, 9-10 =5) Saves all the re-rolling business ... :tiphat: Ability Scores Starting characters allot their stats so as to have a total of +7 bonuses (i.e. a total of 74 if all ability scores are added together, 14 points worth of abilities above the tenth point), with a maximum of +4 (18 points) in any stat and a minimum of -1 (8 points) in any stat. Only one stat may be +4 (18 points). This applies before racial modifiers, but a player may not choose to have 7 or fewer points in any stat after modifiers. Uh ... ok ... How's: 17 +3 17 +3 9 -1 9 -1 17 +3 11 +0 (Seriously - what's wrong with point buy? just use 32 pt for a higher powered game ... be done with it ... ;) ) Fleetness: +5 feet to all of this character's movement speeds. Prerequisite: Run I can see this being abused ... I can't think of how myself .. but I can see it being abused ... (you did say it stacks with itself, right??) :D Magic Rating 4, Usable At Will: Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Produce Flame, Searing Light, Spider Climb, Vampiric Touch Magic Rating 6, Usable At Will: Sound Burst Sweet .. sign me up!! (be careful of "at will" ... that's a heck of a set of abilities you're allowing ... especially Sound Burst .... DC based on Cha I assume? (since it's a spell like) ... that stun - "at will" is gonna really get annoying ... :D
DreadArchon 05-07-07, 02:58 PM	Uh ... ok ... How's: ... (Seriously - what's wrong with point buy? just use 32 pt for a higher powered game ... be done with it ... ;) ) I wasn't allowing odd numbers, but point taken. Perhaps I will, at that. (you did say it stacks with itself, right??) :D Sure. "Hey guys, I can Spider Climb at 70 feet per round at level 20, and all I had to do was spend all my feats on it!" I don't mind highly mobile PC's, even in low magic, and I don't see how this could become abusive. that stun - "at will" is gonna really get annoying ... :D Meh. They'll need to be at least level 4 to have it, and even then it'll take effort, and even then it'll do suboptimal damage. I think I'll up the prerequisites (4 does seem a tad early), but for the most part it doesn't bother me that they'll have some control available, especially if they have to spend a bunch of feats on it. Still, I suppose I should drop it to two per day. If they want to stun a lot, they can take the feat repeatedly, after all. The same applies for Vampiric Touch--that's a lot of HP to give yourself every round. I'll knock it down too. In fact, I'm just going to re-work that whole list... Burning Hands and Magic Missile I don't see as potential problems due to their low damage potentials, but Produce Flame and Searing Light I'm going to knock down due to the horrible things that Rogues could do with them. Spider Climb stays, though--it's easy to get "at will" anyway, and even with my new movement feat, it just isn't game-breaking.