Author Topic: Rules and game world information  (Read 6316 times)

Offline phaedrusxy

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Rules and game world information
« on: November 09, 2011, 04:41:48 PM »
Original thread

Changelog:
(click to show/hide)

"Wild" magic rules: 1-25 fails entirely, 26-75 means it works normally, 76-95 doubles in strength, and 96-100 something weird happens.


For saving throws:
Levels with a "good" save add +0.5 for every level, with a +2 for the first time you add a class with that good save (but not if you add a level of another class with that good save). For the levels with "bad" saves, you add +1/3.

For BAB: Just take the fractions for each level and add them up. So a wizard gets +0.5 BAB per level, a cleric gets +0.75, and a fighter gets +1, etc.

You always round these down, but you have to keep track of the fraction left over for when you next level up.

To determine saving throw DCs for all abilities, use 10+1/2 hit dice + relevant ability modifier (Cha for sorcerers, etc).

Magic items that provide a bonus scale with your levels according to the chart found here. They "cost" the amount of whatever the least magic item of that type costs (So "magic armor" costs 1000 gp, plus the mundane item's cost). Items that provide a bonus to an ability score start at +2 (and 4000 gp), but do scale through odd numbers as you level (so at level 9 they'd give you a +3). Items that provide a competence bonus to a skill start at +5 (and 2500 gp) and provide a bonus equal to your character level (or 5, whichever his higher).

Bonus type consolidation:
1) bonuses from classes will stay as-is, as will bonuses from feats and other character building resources (such as race).
2) for items and spells, there will only be the following bonus types:
-enhancement
-circumstance (roll competence into this)
-insight
-racial (will replace any existing racial bonus)
-dodge
-resistance
-inherent (only on bonuses to ability scores from Wish/Miracle)
-deflection
3) No custom magic items with the type of bonus changed to something else
4) If a spell or item gives some other bonus type not listed, or is "untyped", change it to be one of the above.

Time Sphere
(click to show/hide)

Just so I don't have to look this up again...

Natural Empath [Skill]
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Warmage spell list (modifed by Koumei, and then me):

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Altered Spells:
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« Last Edit: February 08, 2013, 12:35:14 PM by phaedrusxy »
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Offline phaedrusxy

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Re: Rules and game world information
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2012, 10:38:22 PM »
Basics

Half racial hit dice count towards base class progressions, for all purposes.

Likewise, half the levels in non-manifesting/casting classes will add to your caster/manifester progression for base classes, for all purposes including powers known, power points, ML, etc. So a psion 2/fighter 2 would manifest powers as a psion 3. This will work for most other abilities too, like Binding (ToM Binder), sneak attack progression, etc. We'll look at each on a case-by-case basis.


For saving throws:
Levels with a "good" save add +0.5 for every level, with a +2 for the first time you add a class with that good save (but not if you add a level of another class with that good save). For the levels with "bad" saves, you add +1/3.

For BAB: Just take the fractions for each level and add them up. So a wizard gets +0.5 BAB per level, a cleric gets +0.75, and a fighter gets +1, etc.

You always round these down, but you have to keep track of the fraction left over for when you next level up.

Classes
    Martial Adepts may retrain any and all of their maneuvers known at each level. Also, all prereqs are removed from maneuvers except initiator level (in a class which has access to that discipline).

    • An Alternate Fighter class is being used (see 3rd post). It is a significant power up from the core fighter, especially at the upper levels. It is an amalgamation of things I saw and compiled from various places and reworked, with one ability ripped from the Races of War fighter (Foil Action, but with a limit on daily uses).
    • An alternate Sorcerer class is being used. It is not that different from the PHB sorcerer, so I will just list the  changes here. There may be slight modifications made to this in the future.
      -class Skills: Add Intimidate and Diplomacy to the list. A sorcerer has a much stronger force of personality than most  other characters, and can learn to use this to get others to do what he wants.
      -Spell progression: Same as the wizard
      -Leveling Benefits: As the sorcerer gains levels, he learns to cast his spells in new and strange ways. Sorcerers gain all  the benefits listed under the "Special" column in the Wu Jen class chart in the Oriental Adventures book.
      -The Battle Sorcerer will also have its spell progression modified as above, and have Intimidate added to its class skills list (instead of replacing bluff).
    • Rangers and other characters with species enemies may choose organizations as their hated foes, with DM approval. (For  example, the Red Wizards of Thay would include any red wizard or solider or minion of the Red Wizards. Favored Enemy:  Shadowlands creatures would also be acceptable, if the character knew of the Shadowlands and had trained to fight creatures  from there.)
    • The caster level for all base spellcasting classes will be equal to the class level, including "hybrid" casters like  paladins and rangers.
    • Similarly, if you get an animal companion from any source, then your effective druid level is always your character level. The same holds for psicrystals, familiars, etc.
    • We're dumping the stupid penalties for losing familiars. From now on, all pets (including psicrystals) work like an animal companion. If they die, you can get another one after a day of "meditation".
    • There are no multiclassing restrictions. Also, Monks and Paladins may freely multiclass, and Druid weapon and armor restrictions are being dropped. Consider the druid weapons and armor listed to be the only ones the druid is proficient with, unless she acquires the proficiencies  elsewhere. Most druid NPCs will probably still use only these weapons and armors though, and those who use other weapons,  especially those radically different from the druid list, may be shunned or looked down upon by other, more formal druids.
    • Dropping alignment restrictions for all core classes but the Paladin. The standard Paladin is still restricted to Lawful Good, but I also allow the optional Paladins from Unearthed Arcana for other alignments. PrC alignment restrictions will still be used in most cases.
    • The Arcane Archer Prestige Class gains caster levels at every level (WTF were they thinking?). Other spectacularly crappy PrCs will probably receive the same treatment on an individual basis, like Fiendblooded (full casting progression). If you have one in mind, ask.
    • The Forsaker requirement to destroy magic items to recieve his powers does not fit the PrC and I am dropping it. Also,  the bonuses he gets each level to add to his ability scores will be considered "unnamed" bonuses and as such are no longer  subject to the +5 maximum of inherent bonuses. I still doubt anyone will want to play one.
    • All prereqs for knowing maneuvers to take a particular maneuver for Martial Adept classes are dropped. So you no longer are required to take Wolf Fang Strike before taking any other Tiger Claw maneuvers, for example... You still have to meet all other prereqs like initiator level, etc, and this is for choosing maneuvers only. It has no impact on prestige class prereqs or anything else.

    Feats and skills
    • I have written an expanded subsystem for the Lucid Dreaming skill which can be found here.
    • Everyone gets the benefits of the Able Learner feat for free. Cross-class ranks only cost 1 point, but your maximum ranks in a skill is still determined normally (character level +3 for any skill that's a class skill for any of your classes, half that for skills that are not a class skill for any of your classes).
    • A monk's flurry of blows ability can be combined with the Two Weapon Fighting feats. All benefits, penalties, and restrictions stack (not really a house rule).
    • Tumble checks can be opposed. The DC will be the highest opposed Tumble check of all the opponents who could make  Attacks of Opportunity on the tumbling character.
    • The rules on Sorcerers and other spontaneous casters using metamagic feats is the same as in the Players Handbook, except for spells cast using the Quicken Spell feat. These classes can spontaneously cast spells as a swift action using the Quicken Spell feat.  Spells cast in such a manner use a spell slot four levels higher than the normal spell. No other metamagic feats may be applied to Quickened spells cast by sorcerers, unless they have some other feat or class feature which lets them apply metamagic without increasing the casting time.
    • I am using Rich Burlew's modified system for Diplomacy skill, which can be found here.
    • Mindsight is countered by anything that blocks or makes you immune to [Mind Affecting] effects. Also, the Slippery Mind ability allows someone to attempt to hide from a creature with Mindsight. In order to "see" them using Mindsight, the telepathic creature must make a Spot check which only includes their ranks in Spot, Wisdom modifier, and magical enhancement bonuses to Spot. This will be opposed by a Hide check that is charisma based, and only includes magical enhancement bonuses to Hide. Distance does not play a part in this, however.
    • The Mage Slayer feat ([Combat] and the original from CArc) are replaced by the Spellcasting Harrier feat below.
    • The knowledge skill works as described in the PHB, except when identifying creatures we're going to use the following modifications:

      (click to show/hide)

    General
    • I am using most of the rules from Frank and K's Tome series. The main exception to this is their fighter, which I am not using. See the later post with more details on this.
    • Abilities similar to Rage (such as Ki Frenzy from OA) may be used as prerequisites instead of Rage for PrC's. Similarly,  spell-like abilities may be used to meet spellcasting requirements.
    • One-handed weapons made of Mithril count as both light weapons and one-handed weapons, whichever is most beneficial. Two-handed weapons made of Mithril may be wielded with one hand. (No, this doesn't include bows... so please don't ask.  :p )
    • The Bastard Sword is considered a Two-Handed weapon and gains a few benefits as such, even when wielded in one hand. They are as follows: +4 on disarm checks, same hit points and hardness as a greatsword.
    • Bloodlines only add to any one class ability once. So if you're a Binder/Ardent/Anima Mage/KotSS, for example, a major bloodline would only add a total of +3 to your binder level and ardent manifester level.
    • Any other feats, spells, or Prestige Classes not mentioned above, but published in any WotC publication will probably be allowed, pending DM approval. A few items that I will not allow in their published form are: The Thought Bottle, and the Mage Slayer feat. I have a custom feat (Spellcasting Harrier) that replaces Mage Slayer below.
    • If there is some character concept, class, spell, or other idea that you have that you'd like to try out in the game that isn't covered by the rules I've laid out, or that you found on a website somewhere, etc, please tell me and we'll see what we can come up with. I've seen tons of very neat prestige classes, spells, magic items and feats online that I would be happy to allow in my game, including the Divine Trickster by Rich Burlew. I just don't have time to include them all in this material.


    Spells, Magic, and Items
    • Spells and other effects with emanations centered on a creature are calculated starting at the edge of the creature, not the center of its space. Their effect still encompass the spaces the creature occupies, however.
    • You incur no penalties for using Legacy Weapons/items. Ignore the penalty tables.
    • You can't cast spells from scrolls. They are only used to transfer spell knowledge.
    • If a spell appears on the spell list of a core caster, then all magic items crafted which duplicate the effects of that spell must use it at the level it appears on the core list. So no trapsmith wands for ju!
    • All spells with the (Healing) descriptor, including Heal, all Cure spells, Raise Dead, etc, are now back in the Necromancy School, as they were in earlier editions. Why WotC saw the need to move them to Conjuration, I'll never know...
    • Astral Projection: Items duplicated via this spell still drain charges from the original item. Likewise, spell slots used, XP used, etc, all transfer back to the orginal body and its items.
    • Planar Binding: See the Wish rules in the Tome section. Otherwise, works as written.
    • For the Candle of Invocation , I'm going to say that each individual can only use the Gate function of such an item once in their entire existence. It's basically a boon from "the gods" or whatever powers that favor you, and you only get one.
    • Synchronicity: This needs a fix, but I'm not sure how to do it. Let's just ban it, unless someone proposes a good fix and wants to use it.
    • Mind Blank vs. True Seeing: Mind Blank will block True Seeing from detecing the true form of a polymorphed creature, but it will not keep True Seeing from piercing an Illusion such as Change Self or Invisibility. Mind Blank will also keep True Seeing from revealing the aura of a creature, if True Seeing is cast as a Divine Spell.
    • Mind Blank vs. True Strike: Mind Blank has no effect.
    • Mind Blank + Invisibility vs. See Invisibility: Mind Blank has no effect.
    • Mind Blank + Displacement vs. True Seeing: Mind Blank has no effect.
    • Mind Blank vs. Detect X: Mind Blank prevents the spell from divining information about the subject. Mind Blank is also effective against Detect Magic, even though strictly speaking Detect Magic is a Universal spell, not in the Divination school.

    My reasoning on the interaction of Mind Blank with True Seeing and the other spells above is as follows:
    (click to show/hide)

    • Polymorph, Alter Self, Polymorph Any Object, and Shapechange have been altered significantly. (See inside the spoiler below for details.) I have tried to simplify the shapechanging spells by dropping all the extraordinary and supernatural stuff from them. If you want access to some outsider's magical abilities, then call it using Planar Binding, or write your own entirely different spell for that.

      Also, I limit the modifications to ability scores and natural armor by caster level, and make all of them castable on other people. These two things combined will make them better to cast on the party "warriors" than on the casters themselves. The spells should still maintain alot of their usefulness, but not be too powerful (I think).
    (click to show/hide)

    • For the Wish spell, see the section below on Frank and K's tomes.

    Clarifications on Frank and K's Tome rules as I'm using them.

    I am using most of the rules from Frank and K's "Tome series". This includes the Book of Gears, Dungeonomicon, Races of War, Tome of Necromancy, and Tome of Fiends, but NOT the Tome of Prowess, as I'm not familiar with it. There is also a huge list of unsorted material, mostly feats, here. This might be allowed, but I'd want to review it on a case by cast basis. The things listed specifically in this post are not an exhaustive list of what I'll be using. I am only highlighting a few points in this post that everyone should definitely be aware of.

    As suggested in one of the Tomes, clerics and druids only automatically know the spells in the PHB plus 1 for each spell level from splat books. For more spells outside the PHB, they have to learn them from scrolls like a wizard.

    We'll be using the consolidation of material damage reduction types from the Tomes, also (Book of Gears, I think), except I want to keep Cold Iron instead of having it be beaten by normal iron. It will still also be beaten by all the other things they list, though.

    See here and here for the economics, and here for changes to how the Wish spell works. You can't Wish for partially charged items, nor can you craft partially charged items.

    I'll be using the weapon and armor rules in that book also, except that I don't like having both an armor check penalty and a "armor stealth penalty". So we're going to just use Armor Check Penalties as they are in normal 3.5, or the ones listed in Races of War, whichever is better. I'd like to simplify things, not make them more complicated. Also, there is no max dex on freakin' clothing. That's just dumb. If you're planning on using something you're not actually proficient in, you should look over those rules as they are a lot more harsh for doing so. On the bright side, I think I'll allow the "exploits". So you can train to become proficient in something without burning feats or class levels on it.

    The Mage Slayer [Combat] feat (and the original from CArc) is being replaced by the Spellcasting Harrier feat below.[/list]
    « Last Edit: March 06, 2014, 06:29:58 PM by phaedrusxy »
    I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

    Offline phaedrusxy

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    Re: Rules and game world information
    « Reply #2 on: April 30, 2012, 10:38:49 PM »
    The Fighter Class

    (click to show/hide)


    I use the Warmage redesign by Koumei, which can be found here, with the following tweaks to the spell list.

    Warmage spell list (modifed by Koumei, and then me):

    (click to show/hide)

    Altered Spells:
    (click to show/hide)


    Here is a tome-styled evil version of the Rainbow Servant that I made.

    Naga Apostle
    The coatl are not the only serpents to tutor mortals in their ways. The Naga Lords, fiendish ha-naga that aspire to divine ascension, also grant mortals a touch of their power. In return, they ask that these mortals spread word of the power of their masters, and encourage others to worship them and make dark sacrifices to them. The mortals are rewarded with many of the abilities of their masters, including immortality for as long as they remain loyal subjects.

    (click to show/hide)
    « Last Edit: January 12, 2014, 07:03:50 PM by phaedrusxy »
    I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

    Offline phaedrusxy

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    Re: Rules and game world information
    « Reply #3 on: April 30, 2012, 10:39:07 PM »
      Modifications to existing feats:

      (click to show/hide)

      Additional Feats: (compiled from various places. mainly from the WotC boards, again. I've reworked most of them extensively to try and bring their power level up somewhere near the Combat feats from the Tomes, though.)

      (click to show/hide)

      Fighter Only Feats: (these can only be taken by someone with levels in the fighter class. They are all considered fighter bonus feats.)
      (click to show/hide)

      NEW USES FOR OLD SKILLS
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      [/list]
      « Last Edit: August 01, 2012, 10:53:53 AM by phaedrusxy »
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #4 on: April 30, 2012, 10:39:27 PM »
      Even More Feats

      (click to show/hide)
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #5 on: April 30, 2012, 10:40:00 PM »
      Specifics for THIS campaign (other than the stuff listed in the other posts in this thread):

      • Starting level 7
      • 36 Point Buy
      • Max hit points at first level, average after that (3.5 on a d6, for example). Or you can roll after first, if you'd prefer that.
      • Wealth by level is basically thrown out the window. You get to start with 8 level-appropriate magic items. You can only use 8 magic items at a time, anyway. See below for details.
      • No flaws. 1 Trait
      • Partial BAB and saves (Unearthed Arcana)

      • No item crafting feats. Everyone can craft one item of their level at every character level. No XP cost for item crafting. If you get an item crafting feat as a bonus from a class, pick another feat that is appropriate for that class instead.
      • Guidance of the Avatar is banned, because it makes most skill checks meaningless. The Dark Chaos feat shuffle, and buying magical location feats and retraining them are both right out also. Other similarly broken things will be banned too. I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
      • Traditional spellcasting has become unreliable in the present. See below for details.*
      • Set in the Forgotten Realms, but most materials available. (All official D&D, and homebrew on a case by case basis)

      It will be set in FR, but it won't look much like the "normal" FR. It will be right in the middle of basically the Apocalypse. I'll explain more in the game thread. But, Mystra has been killed (along with a lot of the other gods), and no one has taken her place. "Standard" magic has become wholly unpredictable*. Many of the most powerful spellcasters in the world just outright died when she did, including all of her chosen. The world is in absolute chaos, with wars everywhere, kingdoms destroyed, powerful monsters running wholly unchecked, etc. You can imagine...

      Your characters should all either be very old (several hundred years at least), or from the past (at least several hundred years in the past).** In earlier times, you guys would be kind of low on the totem pole as far as FR power goes, but... things have changed. All the really powerful people are either dead, overwhelmed with trying to preserve a bit of sanity in the world, or sowing their own brand of chaos, depending on their predilection. You'll be questing to find a way to go back in time and prevent the cause of this cataclysm. And that cause is... the ascension of Pun Pun.   :smirk  (You're almost certainly not the only people trying to "undo" things, but being relatively low-level nobodies might actually be to your advantage starting out... letting you stay "beneath the radar"...)

      You're welcome to play traditional spellcasters. Just know that your spells will be unpredictable. Magic items that do not reproduce spell effects seem to function fine, as do powers not dependent on "the weave" (psionics, incarnum, warlocks, spell-like abilities, and... I'll decide the rest later). Also, if/when you make it to the past, things won't be messed up there for traditional spellcasters.

      If you're interested in playing some kind of "monster race", make sure you check out the Races of War rules for that. I'll be using some variations of that on a case by case basis, and NOT using the standard LA system at all when it is avoidable. Seriously... if you like playing monsters (and who doesn't?) look into the Tomes. The Tome of Fiends has rules for playing a True Fiend, for example. This is a "base class" that is solely for advancement as a demon/devil/etc.

      For magic items and wealth, we're going to go with the 8 item limit that they talk about in the Book of Gears. You basically can only have 8 "constant effect" magic items at a time. Single use items like potions don't count against this, and neither do "use activated" items (like magic weapons that only do damage, for example). Wands don't count as "attuned" items, but staves (staffs) do. We'll use the rules on page 225 of the Magic Item Compendium to estimate what levels are appropriate for magic items with the modifications found here. We're dumping the "body slot" system entirely. You can totally wear 8 magic rings if you want to, but that will be all the magic items you can benefit from at once. You can own more than that, but swapping them out will usually take 15 minutes of "attunement".

      Ammunition is not magical. I might allow individual magical ammunition that works basically like a potion in arrow form.

      We're going to hand waive magic item creation stuff. Don't bother taking feats. If you want to say you crafted your stuff, you can. It will take time is all, and it won't give you any economic advantage over someone who buys theirs. It won't cost any XP, either. XP also won't be given out for killing things. You'll be rewarded for completing storyline objectives, regardless of how you do it.

      Only "lesser" magic items will be for sale with gold, and they will be the basic items like weapons with only an enhancement bonus, and maybe something like the flaming property. (Basically anything that costs less than 15,000 gp.) However, enhancement bonuses will scale with levels, as outlined in the Book of Gears. We can RP this as you upgrading the items somehow, or it can just represent your growing skill at using the item, however you would prefer. So you don't have to replace your magic sword every 3 levels. Changing bonuses around to other types will not be allowed, either.

      It might be possible to trade for more powerful magic items (worth more than 15,000 gp and/or listed on the Medium or Major tables in the DMG), but you'll have to offer something of relatively equal value. This might not always be an object. Of course you can always kill people and take their stuff, too. ;) I'll try to make sure and keep everyone outfitted appropriately, and try and fit acquisition of items into the game in ways that are fun and appropriate. It would be helpful if you all made "wish lists" of things you'd like to get.

      Combining magic items is totally fine, as long as they are appropriate for your level in the end. There is no charge at all for combining items. You just add the price of the items together to get the final item value.

      "Minor" magic items will be fairly common, but medium and major ones (costing more than 15,000 gp) will not. It is entirely possible for someone to use a magic item that is above their level if they somehow obtain one. However, medium and major items (that cost more than 15,000 gp) are highly coveted by powerful creatures and individuals. So if you get your hands on something wildly more powerful than you should probably have, expect and be prepared for them to try and take your stuff, if they know about it. See the Wish Economy rules for more details on this.

      And on that note, here is something on style: There are certainly more powerful things than your character in the game, and the world is quite lawless. I won't go out of my way to kill you, but if you blunder into the cave of an ancient dragon and piss it off, I won't pull any punches because you're in over your heads. I will try to provide "in game" warnings if you're headed for something that is almost certain death for you, but please try to play intelligently. Not everything that you might encounter in the game is something I specifically placed there for you to kill.


      Here is a new fiendish sphere (as in the Tome of Fiends): the Time Sphere
      (click to show/hide)

      * I'm thinking I'll have you roll on a Wild Surge table every time you cast a "traditional" spell. I'm not sure exactly how it will work, but I'd say you'll probably only have a 50% chance of them working correctly, but I'm open to discussing this. Maybe 50% chance to work normally, 25% chance to just fail outright, 20% chance of doubling their power, and 5% chance of something else entirely happening. At this point, Shar is still alive (so shadow weave users don't suffer these rules), but who knows how long she'll last. :D

      **If you join later in the game, this requirement might be lifted, as you could play someone who is actually living in the past when the rest of the PCs show up there.
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #6 on: April 30, 2012, 10:40:27 PM »

      For saving throws:
      Levels with a "good" save add +0.5 for every level, with a +2 for the first time you add a class with that good save (but not if you add a level of another class with that good save). For the levels with "bad" saves, you add +1/3.

      For BAB: Just take the fractions for each level and add them up. So a wizard gets +0.5 BAB per level, a cleric gets +0.75, and a fighter gets +1, etc.

      You always round these down, but you have to keep track of the fraction left over for when you next level up.

      As per the Book of Gears, you can only wear 8 "constant effect" magic items at a time. Single use items like potions don't count against this, and neither do "use activated" items (like magic weapons that only do damage, for example). Wands don't count as "attuned" items, but staves (staffs) do. We'll use the rules on page 225 of the Magic Item Compendium to estimate what levels are appropriate for magic items with the modifications found below (Item Levels section). We're dumping the "body slot" system entirely. You can totally wear 8 magic rings if you want to, but that will be all the magic items you can benefit from at once. You can own more than that, but swapping them out will usually take 15 minutes of "attunement".

      Magic items that just provide a bonus scale with your levels according to the chart found here. They "cost" the amount of whatever the least magic item of that type costs (So "magic armor" costs 1000 gp, plus the mundane item's cost). Items that provide a bonus to an ability score start at +2 (and 4000 gp), but do scale through odd numbers as you level (so at level 9 they'd give you a +3 Actually, you round up on these. So at level 7, they'd give you a +3, and at level 10 this would increase to +4). Items that provide a competence bonus to a skill start at +5 (and 2500 gp).

      The rationale for both the 8-item attunement limit and the scaling bonuses is that most magic items are powered by your own chakras/lifeforce/soul, and each soul can only power eight at once. Very minor items, such as potions and wands, do not draw enough of this power to matter, but more powerful ones do. Likewise, more powerful souls can boost the magic items attuned to them more than weaker souls can.

      A consequence of this is that creatures without souls cannot normally use magic items. So no equipping your mindless undead army with all of your extra bling. For our purposes, we'll say that anything that Mindless is also considered Soul-less.

      Item Levels
      Ok... I was just looking over the table on magic item levels in the MiC on page 225... and I'm realizing that it isn't actually all that great for what I'm trying to use it for. It's really for equipping NPCs. They list a +5 vorpal sword as being a 25th level item. WTF? And a +2 stat boosting item is listed as 8th level, and so technically a bit out of your guys' reach, which is not something I want.

      So... I'm going to revise this a bit. Sorry for changing things on you, but since you're getting better swag, I doubt you're going to complain much. ;) We'll still use the chart, but for PCs we're going to do a little calculation to determine what item levels are appropriate. We're going to divide your level by 2, round down, and add that to the item level that is appropriate to you on the chart. So for you guys, that would be 7/2 + 7, or 10th level items.

      We'll say that you can have only one item of each level above your actual character level (so one 10th, one 9th, and one 8th), but basically as many as you want of lower level items. So in simple terms, if you want to upgrade or swap out three of your items for one 10th, one 9th, and one 8th level item, you can.

      (Added 12/9/09) We'll say that you can add non-magical things to your equipment without increasing the effective item level. So you can have mithril or adamantine armor for free, basically. You can also add mundane items to your magic ones for free, like adding the function of a masterwork tool to a magic cloak. I think some of you have already been doing this, anyway.


      Here are some charts if you'd rather just look at them instead of doing the calculation yourself.

      Original chart, as in MiC:
      Item Level Market Price  Range (gp)   
      1/2      1 - 50      
      1st      51-150      
      2nd      151-400      
      3rd      401-800      
      4th      801-1,300   
      5th      1,301-1,800   
      6th      1,801-2,300   
      7th      2,301-3,000   
      8th      3,001-4,000   
      9th      4,001-5,000   
      10th      5,001-6,500   
      11th      6,501-8,000   
      12th      8,001-10,000   
      13th      10,001-13,000   
      14th      13,001-18,000   
      15th      18,001-25,000   
      16th      25,001-35,000   
      17th      35,001-48,000   
      18th      48,001-64,000   
      19th      64,001-80,000   
      20th      80,001-100,000   
      21th      100,001-120,000
      22th      120,001-140,000
      23th      140,001-160,000
      24th      160,001-180,000
      25th      180,001-200,000
      26th      200,001-220,000
      27th      220,001-240,000
      28th      240,001-260,000
      29th      260,001-280,000
      30th      280,001-300,000

      New chart

      Your level    Items you should have
      1st&2nd     I doubt I'll ever run a game at these levels...
      3      One each from 3rd to 4th on the chart above
      4      One each from 4th to 5th on the chart above
      5      One each from 5th to 6th on the chart above
      6      One each from 6th to 9th on the chart above
      7      One each from 8th to 10th on the chart above
      8      One each from 9th to 12th on the chart above
      9      One each from 10th to 13th on the chart above
      10      One each from 11th to 15th on the chart above
      11      One each from 12th to 16th on the chart above
      12      One each from 13th to 18th on the chart above
      13      One each from 14th to 19th on the chart above
      14      One each from 15th to 21st on the chart above
      15      One each from 16th to 22nd on the chart above
      16      One each from 17th to 24th on the chart above
      17      One each from 18th to 25th on the chart above
      18      One each from 19th to 27th on the chart above
      19      One each from 20th to 28th on the chart above
      20      One each from 21st to 30th on the chart above


      You can still only have 8 items "attuned" at once, regardless of how many you have.
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #7 on: April 30, 2012, 10:45:28 PM »
      Background of the Story

      The current year is 1377 Dale Reckoning (DR). You can find a ridiculously detailed chronology of the realms here. I'll try to stick to that mostly.

      I don't know how long ago the Temple of the Nine from the Tome of Battle were supposed to have fallen. I'll estimate that it was like 800 years ago, and that those of you who were petrified have been so since a bit after that (~5 years). So... you've been petrified for like 800 years. Myth Drannor was still in the height of its power when you disappeared from the world (it fell in 714, so like 650 years ago). I don't know where we should put the temple in the FR worldmap. I'll say probably somewhere in the Unapproachable East or Kara Tur.

      Marlowe is freakin' old just because he was serving a deity, and she made him not age while he worked for her. Part of the reason he's so pissed is because now he'll get old and die like every other mortal. Although, odds are he wouldn't live long enough to die of old age anyway, given how things are looking in the world.

      The rest of you are weird creatures that don't age like everyone else for the most part, and/or you've been statues for hundreds of years. All of you were born before the fall of Myth Drannor, at least. You can be as old as you like, though, and I encourage you to be really old and decide what you were doing during important times in history.

      I said something about Ris-Janna knowing Sejanus before he became an Elan, but you can just drop that if you want. I said that before I decided to just have him petrified along with her. He could have had a whole other history as a human archmage or something before becoming an Elan, though. AFAIK, it basically rewrites your entire "stat block", but you keep some of the memories of your former life.

      Continued...

      You started out in what is now modern Thesk. When those of you who were petrified came here, Thesk didn't exist, but the Golden Way trade route did. There was an earlier city here, which is now the ruins you're currently in. The gorgons had a thieves/assassin's guild in it, that was mostly hidden in underground caverns with an inn on the surface acting as a front. It wasn't all that uncommon for women of some groups to wear veils, and so that is how the medusas made their way on the surface without drawing suspicion.

      The predecessor of the current Teflemmar Shadowlords guild was also here, and the gorgon guild was seen as an intruding rival by them. They didn't know the nature of the gorgons when they sent you in to infiltrate it, though... We'll say that the "monestary" that you all belonged to was also the guildhouse of the Shadowlords, and that they were originally led by a group of ronin, monks, and ninja from Kara-Tur that set up business here along the trade route. Many of them were students of the sublime way as well.

      Now the building is gone except for the foundation, along with most of the others in the town, and little is left but the caverns, which are open to the surface. Here is a map of Faerun. Just ignore the stuff drawn on it. I just found it via google. Those of you who were "stoned" for the last 800 years could have been members of the pre-Shadowlords guild, or contracted by them.

      Myth Drannor is in Cormanthor forest, a bit to the west and on the other side of Impiltur from where you are. There are entrances to the underdark dotted across the land. You just have to find a hole that goes deep enough. The most infamous one is in Waterdeep, with the whole "city under a city" thing, way over on the western coast of the map (marked with a 4). The nearest major city is Teflamm, capitol of Thesk and home of the guild headquarters for the Teflemmar Shadowlords.

      Here is a bigger map.
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #8 on: April 30, 2012, 10:46:11 PM »
      The Gates of Hell material can be found on the Dicefreaks message board here. If you want to read tons of fluff about Merorem, Dispater, or anyone else of importance in Hell, you can find it there.

      The stats listed shouldn't ever come into play... but that's basically how I envision deities and cosmic beings to be statted, not the pathetic things like those listed in the offical books like the BoVD and D&DG.

      The Lochnar

      Xuuvosic knows it is an artifact that is both powerful and incredibly ancient. His Mom told him it was "the afterbirth of creation", whatever the fuck that means. His Mom always tries to make things sound as confusing and obscure as possible, because she thinks it adds to her mysteriousness. Really it just fucking confuses people, as far as he sees. He really doesn't know much about it, except that it can be used to travel through time, and rewrite history. The problem with that (if you view it as such) is that no one would really remembes how the original history was after you did something like that, including the people who rewrote it, as far as he knows. So it would be nearly impossible to even know what the Lochnar has been used for, unless you'd went to great lengths to protect the information beforehand somehow. Luckily for him, he knows just how to seal things away from Time... when he wants to. (Quintessence)

      Raoul didn't know what the thing was, but after hearing Xuuvosic talking about it, he was sure that must have been what General Chokes-On-Jello used to send him and the rest of his futuristic army back into the past to kick the crap out of a bunch of pansy elves and their tree-humping friends. He knows it is an orb about the size of a basketball that seems to vary in color from jet black to dull green. It was only used on him once, but it gave him a terrible fucking migraine, and left him feeling like he'd crawled out the ass of some giant, stinking, undead beast. It was not a pleasant feeling. Then there is that whole bit about randomly jumping in time since then... but he's not 100% sure the two things are related. Either way, he's had to relive the same damned 1000 years, or at least parts of it, since being thrown through time by the thing.

      None of the rest of you had heard of it before meeting those two. Marlowe was a bit disappointed by what he saw when he found Xuuvosic, though. From what he'd read in the file on Xuuvosic, he'd expected some major badassed demon jumping around in time and assassinating people before they were born or something. He sometimes wonders if he got the file mixed up with some other Paradox Demon's...

      Xuuvosic suspects that the file Marlowe read had been preserved in Quintessence, and related stories of things he did in a timeline that no longer exists now... and that he thought only he knew about.


      Info about the portal through time (known to Raoul) can be found here.

      Info about General Chokes-on-dicks Fruuzberglag can be found here.

      Edit: The "old" side of the Time Portal is at 714 DR, the year Myth Drannor fell to the "Army of Darkness".

      The current year is 402 DR, 312 years before that.
      « Last Edit: September 27, 2012, 09:21:46 AM by phaedrusxy »
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #9 on: August 27, 2012, 12:10:17 PM »
      A couple of homebrewed Fiendish Spheres I'm using in a game elsewhere:

      Force
      (click to show/hide)

      Dominion
      (click to show/hide)
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #10 on: October 01, 2012, 09:22:58 PM »
      The "HARDIS" is an extra-dimensional cottage which can be accessed (swift action to open or close) via a small metallic pyramid given to the party by Sammael. One door inside is a portal leading into some part of Merorem's (Sammael's master) Castle, but this portal is not passable by any members of the party. The other door acts as a portal to the last place where the pyramid was used to access it.

      (click to show/hide)

      The door always reopens to the last place it was opened, unless the pyramid is moved and then reactivated from outside the extradimensional space. The portal into the Hardis is visible from the outside, but opaque. So while you can tell it is a portal, you cannot see into the inside. You can however see out from inside the structure just fine while the portal to the outside is open. When the person bearing the pyramid steps into the portal from the outside, the portal automatically closes behind them, but it does not close automatically when the bearer steps out.
      « Last Edit: October 03, 2012, 10:58:21 PM by phaedrusxy »
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

      Offline phaedrusxy

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      Re: Rules and game world information
      « Reply #11 on: November 12, 2012, 09:07:30 PM »
      Holy crap I am in love with these two classes, and they are very appropriate for this game (especially the first one, sorry SirP :P ). :D
      I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.