Custom rules
From Enlil
This is a living document, and as we make or change rules, we'll keep it up to date.
Contents |
[edit] General
[edit] Action Points
We'll be using the Action Point variant rules found in Unearthed Arcana, with some modifications.
| Action points give character the means to affect game play in significant ways, by improving important rolls or unlocking special abilities. Each character has a limited number of action points, and once an action point is spent, it is gone for good.
Metagame Analysis: Action Points Action points give players some control over poor die rolls. Although this has little effect in an average encounter, it makes it a little more likely that characters will survive extremely challenging encounters and less likely that a single character will fall to what would otherwise be a balanced foe because of bad luck. A reserve of action points lets even careful players expose their characters to more risks, heightening the game’s tension and opening the door to even more heroic action. This variant also makes it less likely that an entire adventuring group will fall victim to one powerful effect, such as circle of death or cloudkill. Action points also make it more likely that the use of a character’s most potent abilities will be successful. For example, although its overall effect on an encounter might be minimal, few things frustrate a paladin more than missing with a smite attack—an event that becomes less likely when using action points... |
You can read the details on d20srd, as linked above. Watch this space for differences in our campaign from what's written.
[edit] Feats
The Toughness feat grants +1 hitpoints per level rather than +3 hitpoints total, but can only be taken once.
The Dodge feat grants +2 AC against the attacker of your choice, rather than the +1 in the SRD.
[edit] Skills
We use a general Knowledge (monsters) skill for determining different types of monsters that they party hasn't yet run into. Other skills will grant circumstance bonuses to the role, depending on monster type, and can sometimes be substituted entirely for the check. For example, a Knowledge (nature) check can be used to identify animals and beasts.
The Knowledge (monsters) check has a DC of 8 plus the challenge rating of the monster. The greater the roll exceeds the DC, the more the character knows about the habitat, society, nature of, and weaknesses of the monster in question. A roll of 10 more than the DC will give the character almost all relevent information.
[edit] Magic
[edit] Ritual magic
In addition to the magic normally found in D&D, this campaign also makes use of ritual magic, which is cast by one or more people over a longer period of time, and often making use of specific locations or objects. Laucian has taken part in a very small ritual with Fonkin Giltthumbs in Darklingscourse, and Solomon has used small-scale ritual during academic persuits.
Rituals are ususally used to achieve effects which cannot be achieved via normal means. In some specific cases, rituals can be used to duplicate the effect of a normal spell, with some aspect of it significantly altered, such is duration or range. Players who're interested in constructing a ritual are encouraged to come talk to the DM.
Spells which have been removed or significantly altered are:
Spells which have been reclassified as rituals, but which can be assumed to function in essentially the same manner as in the player's handbook are:
- Antipathy
- Astral projection
- Commune
- Guards and wards
- Identify
- Legend lore
- Scrying (Greater Scrying remains a normal spell)
- Sympathy
[edit] Spontaneous metamagic
This rule was selected from The D20 SRD, under "Extra Spell Slots."
| With this variant, a caster must expend extra spell slots in order to apply the effects of a metamagic feat. These spell slots must be of a level equal to or higher than that of the spell being modified by the metamagic feat. In essence, the character pays for the metamagic effect by “using up” other spells of the same or higher level. The caster need not prepare the metamagic version of the spell ahead of time, and the spell’s actual level and casting time are unchanged from normal.
The number of extra spell slots required is equal to the spell level adjustment of the feat. For example, a wizard who wants to cast a quickened magic missile would expend the magic missile spell, plus four additional spells of 1st level or higher. If the caster has more than one spellcasting class, all extra spell slots expended must come from the same spellcasting class as the spell to be modified. A 7th-level cleric/4th-level wizard who wants to cast a maximized cure moderate wounds can’t spend any of her wizard spell slots—they all must be from her cleric spellcasting ability. A character may only expend bonus spells from school specialization on spells of that school (so an evoker could spend her bonus 3rd-level evocation spell to pay for a metamagic feat applied to another evocation spell, but not to a spell of any other school). She can’t expend domain spells to pay for a metamagic feat’s added spell slot cost, even if the spell is a domain spell. In the case of the Heighten Spell feat, a caster expends one additional spell slot for each effective level she wishes to add to the spell. To heighten a fireball to the equivalent of a 5th-level spell, a caster must expend two extra spell slots of 3rd level or higher. A caster can apply more than one metamagic feat to a spell, or even the same metamagic effect more than once (if allowed by the feat’s description). She must simply pay the additional cost in spell slots. For instance, a wizard casting a stilled and silent invisibility spell would spend two spell slots in addition to the invisibility spell: one for Still Spell and a second for Silent Spell. If a caster doesn’t have enough remaining spell slots to cast the metamagic spell, she can’t apply that metamagic effect to the spell. |
