User:Aarnott/Lego Bin 17

Andrew's Campaign Rules

First off, these rules were calculated with an E8 system in mind. That is to say, they don't work well outside this system.

Attack rolls and AC

Attack rolls and AC are greatly simplified in this system. There are no qualifiers to types of bonuses/penalties to attack rolls and AC because, for the most part, they are being removed.

An attack roll is as follows: 1d20 + BAB + Str or Dex modifier + size bonuses + situational modifiers. Situational modifiers are things like flanking (+2) or high ground (+1).

This basic rule does away with morale bonuses, enhancement bonuses, luck bonuses, etc. If a character would gain one of these bonuses, their damage increases by 1 per 2 points of bonuses instead (round up, combining all bonuses together first).

Light weapons and ranged weapons can only have Dex added. Two-handed weapons can only have Str added.

Attack roll penalties of any sort can reduce attack rolls by a maximum of 2 points, after which they instead decrease the damage dealt by the creature by 1 per 2 points of penalties. For example, if John the 3rd level fighter has a curse on him that gives him a -6 to attack rolls and he is poisoned by a spider bite that decreased his Strength by 4 (-2 to attack rolls and damage), he instead takes -2 to attack rolls and -5 to damage (-2 from the curse and -3 from the poison).

Attacks against flat-footed opponents gain a flat +2 bonus to hit (instead of removing their dex bonus to AC).

Touch attacks work differently than standard 3.5e. They let you hit more easily as before, but instead of removing different portions of AC (now that AC is simplified), they instead just let you treat your BAB as your character level + 4. They are also light weapons (so you use Dex for your ability score bonus to the attack roll).

There are no extra attacks from having a high BAB.

For every 2 points you exceed a target's AC, you deal an extra point of damage.

AC no longer represents your ability to withstand blows, it instead represents your ability to dodge blows. A character has an AC score of 10 + BAB + size bonuses + Dex or Int modifier.

There is no longer a flat-footed AC or touch AC.

This rule does away with morale bonuses, natural armor bonuses, armor bonuses, shield bonuses, etc. Instead, these bonuses grant you damage reduction that stacks with any other form of damage reduction. To calculate the amount of damage reduction you gain, first take your armor bonus to AC or natural armor bonus to AC. You gain DR up to that value or 2 per character level (whichever is lower). Any leftover bonuses to AC (including leftover amounts from armor or natural armor) gives you an additional point of DR per two points of AC bonus you would have gained.

AC penalties can reduce your AC by a maximum of 2 points, after which they instead increase any damage dealt to you by a single attack by 1 per 2 points of penalties (multiple rays from a single spell is considered a single attack, but two hits from a flurry of blows is considered two attacks).

For example: a level 1 rogue with +1 natural armor, a buckler, and a chain shirt would have DR 3/— (2 armor, +1/2 natural, +1/2 buckler). If that same rogue wore a breastplate and used a large shield, he would have DR 4/— (2 armor, +1/2 armor, +1 shield, +1/2 natural). A level 1 fighter in full plate would have DR 5/— (2 armor, +3 armor). Clear as mud?

How's that for staying on the RNG? Basically, I can set the RNG around a 3/4 BAB. This means at 8th level the casters have a 40% chance to hit, the rogues have a 50% chance to hit, and the fighters have a 60% chance to hit.

Note to self: this means I need casters to deal 5/4x the damage of rogues and have fighters deal 5/6x the damage of rogues to have damage all on the same playing field.

Ability modifiers

In any situation where you can add an ability modifier to something, you can add 1/2 a different ability modifier to that thing instead if it would benefit you. Strength can be used in place of Constitution (or vice-versa), Dexterity in place of Intelligence (or vice-versa), and Wisdom in place of Charisma (or vice-versa).

Level Up Changes

You gain a feat at every odd level.

You gain +1 to two different ability scores at every even level (2, 4, 6, and 8).

At level 4 and 8, you gain a +1 bonus to every ability score.

Two weapon fighting

Fighting with two weapons is a very strong option since this system is trying to have each attack deal lots of damage (rather than several lower damage attacks).

So instead of the usual -2 penalty with the feat, it is -4 with the feat (-5 if the off-hand is one-handed). Gaining the feat also allows you to attack with both weapons as part of a standard action/full round action that would normally use a single attack (which is better than the original TWF rules).

At 4th level, TWF penalties reduce by 1.

At 8th level, TWF penalties reduce by 1.

Saving Throws

Saving throws do not progress like standard 3.5e and are not used like normal. Instead they are a defense (like 4e).

They are 10 + 1/2 your character level + ability modifier. Fortitude saves allow you to add Str or Con, Reflex saves add Dex or Int, and Will saves add Wis or Cha.

If you have at least 1 level in a class that has a "good" saving throw, you gain a +1 bonus to the appropriate defense. For every 4 levels you have that improves that saving throw at a good rate, you gain an additional +1 bonus to that defense.

For example: John has 3 levels in rogue, and 2 levels in monk. Monk progresses all saving throws as good, so he gains at least a +1 bonus to his Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses. Rogue progresses reflex as good, so he has at least 4 levels progressing his Reflex defense, which gives him an additional +1 bonus to it.

Feats are small and specific

Feats in this system are meant to be small and specific. They basically are supposed to give a small vertical increase of +1 or +2 or open up a new situational option.

Here are some examples:

• Dodge: You gain +1 AC.
  • Greater Dodge: You gain an additional +1 AC.
• Weapon Focus: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with a chosen weapon group.
• Tough: You can use your full Con modifier for attack rolls (in place of Str).
• Clever: You can use your full Int modifier for attack rolls (in place of Dex).
• Intuition: You can use your full Wis modifier for attack rolls or AC. You can take this feat twice to gain the other option.
• Passion: You can use your full Cha modifier for attack rolls or AC. You can take this feat twice to gain the other option.

Skills

No more cross class skills. A class skill gives a +1 bonus at 1st level plus an additional +1 bonus per 4 levels in a class with that skill. A skill can only have 1 rank per HD of the character.

Synergy bonuses are +1 per 2 ranks. They can only be applied once and the player must give a brief explanation of how the two skills are working together (but otherwise can come up with any combinations they can think of).

Skills kinda represent a creative side to D&D and I want that to be made all the more accessible. If some task seems related to a skill you have and I give a "Disable Device" DC, you might be able to convince me that your "Profession: Taxidermist" skill would have given you enough knowledge of this task that you could attempt it using that skill. For this reason, I have also tried to group similar skills together because you'd probably be suggesting to use them in that way anyhow.

I'm doing away with any miscellaneous bonuses to skills (I might allow the odd magic item that gives a +1), so I can set some standard DCs for each level and skill rolls will remain relevant (with a chance of failure always being possible).

List of Skills

Acrobatics

(Balance, Tumble)

Athletics

(Climb, Jump, Swim)

Diplomacy

Diplomacy covers a bit more than standard 3.5e diplomacy in that it now also functions for bluffing. A smooth talker is a smooth talker and that's what diplomacy is all about. On the other hand, it doesn't work like regular 3.5e rules in that there are no "levels of hostility" or opposed rolls when you make a check.

Generally, for social encounters, I am going to be free-forming things. So every player can participate and they don't need to worry about me calling on them to make a bluff/diplomacy check. Instead, when a player wants to retry an argument on an NPC that didn't work or maybe mislead a suspicious NPC when the player is not doing a very good job at hiding intentions, they can elect to make a diplomacy check against a DC set by the DM (this will be a fairly generic DC so focused diplomats can make use of their better odds of success). If they succeed at the check, the NPC will have their attitude changed for that single point (but that may not be enough to necessarily change their attitude for everything).

And, since a chance of failure is always possible, even a diplomancer can't go around completely controlling every social interaction. A diplomancer can certainly improve things in their favor, but they cannot always have things their way. Which is the way it should be.

Disable Device

(Open Lock + Disable Device)

Escape Artist

As the base rules. Escape artist will also apply to tripping, bull rushes, and disarming (it is a skill to counter the basic special attacks). That way, it remains relevant against a variety of tactics.

Intimidate

Somewhat like the base rules, intimidate is a less used tactic in social situations I find, so demoralize is made a little better and kept as an added perk for investing in this skill.

Demoralizing in combat becomes a move action 1/encounter (standard otherwise) and it lasts 1 round + 1 round per 2 ranks in intimidate. At 4 ranks it can be used 2/encounter as a move action or 1/encounter as a swift action. At 8 ranks it can be used 3/encounter as a move action or 1/encounter as a swift action and 1/encounter as a move action. Demoralize can be used even against opponents immune to mind-affecting abilities (however, with a -4 penalty) because the whole point is that you are making yourself seem like a big threat and the monster will react according to how it views you as a threat (ie. treated as shaken even if it isn't actually "scared").

Intrigue

(Disguise, Gather Information)

Knowledge: Arcana

This skill gives you information about everything magical (including what spellcraft used to do).

Either this skill or Knowledge: Religion can be used for what 3.5e had as concentration checks. Basically you learn techniques for inner focus from an arcane or divine source.

This skill allows you to identify constructs, dragons, and magical beasts.

Knowledge: Dungeoneering

This skill gives you information about underground environments (including geography), but not specific survival skills like tracking and hunting (although knowing that a certain moss is edible can be useful to survival).

This skill allows you to identify aberrations, oozes, and underground animals, plants, vermin, and fey.

Knowledge: History

This skill gives you information about the history of civilized creatures. This includes humanoids, giants, and monstrous humanoids and it covers everything from local legends (previously Knowledge: Local) to the social structure of a given state (previously Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty).

This skill allows you to identify humanoids, giants, and monstrous humanoids.

Knowledge: Nature

This skill gives you information about above ground environments (including geography), but not specific survival skills like tracking and hunting (although knowing that a certain berry is edible can be useful to survival).

This skill allows you to identify above ground animals, plants, vermin, and fey.

Knowledge: Religion

This skill covers everything related to religion.

Either this skill or Knowledge: Arcana can be used for what 3.5e had as concentration checks. Basically you learn techniques for inner focus from an arcane or divine source.

This skill allows you to identify undead, although a character familiar with specific deities could certainly use it to identify outsiders like Archons, Angels, Demons, and Devils.

Knowledge: The Planes

This skill covers everything related to planar cosmology. This campaign setting allows planar travel from level 1, so it could be useful even at low levels (depending on what you want your group to do).

This skill allows you to identify outsiders and elementals.

Linguistics

(Forgery, Decipher Script)

Perception

(Listen, Search, Spot)

Profession

This skill replaces a bunch of other skills from standard 3.5e and allows a lot of creativity. Here is a quick list of skills it replaces, with an appropriate profession:

• Craft (blacksmith, alchemist, etc.)
• Perform (musician, actor, storyteller)
• Handle Animal (animal tamer)
• Sleight of Hand (thief)
• Heal (doctor/apothecary)

One advantage to doing this is that I can say that all professions make the same amount of money for PCs based on the number of ranks they have. NPCs don't use the PC system for character creation, so this is a moot point for them.

Also, for each profession skill you invest ranks into, you can choose two related fields that are treated as having half the ranks. So if you choose profession: doctor and have 4 ranks, you can also be treated as having 2 ranks in profession: alchemist (because you are working with healing potions and different salves), and 2 ranks in profession: seamstress (because your surgery skills help you know how to sew stuff together). As long as you can give a good logical reason, you can improve your abilities in extra professions in this way.

Profession lumps most things that would actually be a profession together and they allow a PC to do the normal (or exceptional) things that people of that profession do.

Profession: cook might allow you to detect if certain foods are poisonous (in place of survival) or even extract safe things to eat from an otherwise poisonous creature.

In general, if you can justify it, you can use your profession ranks to get synergy bonuses to skills or use them in place of skills you don't have ranks in! If you do use it in place of what another skill should do, you take a -3 penalty to the skill check (so having ranks in other skills is still better than having the broad strokes of the profession skill).

Ride

As the base rules (with adjusted DCs).

Sense Motive

Besides opposing feints (which are now more useful), sense motive can be used in social situations to be very useful. In general, a successful check will tell a PC how the NPC feels about a particular topic. The better the success, the more information will be given about that feeling.

I won't seed false information on a failure, so PCs don't need to worry about metagaming a poor roll or mistrusting their skill check results (otherwise, what's the point in using it!).

Stealth

(hide and move silently)

Survival

(Use Rope, Survival)

Trading

Formerly Profession: Trader and Appraise, this skill represents your ability to trade stuff for other stuff. Opposed trade checks will net you better or worse deals and at certain ranks, you are just assumed to buy stuff below a certain gp value without a price adjustment (the standard cost of items is what the item is worth if you get a good deal).

As much as diplomacy would make sense for this skill, your ranks in trading are about negotiating exchange of goods, which is significant enough to warrant its own skill.

You also learn the values of objects with this skill (because you need to know that to trade). In that respect, this skill works just like the 3.5e Appraise skill.

Here is a list of the items you can buy at standard cost without having to negotiate with an appropriate number of ranks in trading:

• 1 rank: Buy items 100 gp and below at standard cost.
• 2 ranks: Buy items 500 gp and below at standard cost.
• 3 ranks: Buy items 1,000 gp and below at standard cost.
• 4 ranks: Buy items 2,000 gp and below at standard cost.
• 5 ranks: Buy items 3,000 gp and below at standard cost.
• 6 ranks: Buy items 4,000 gp and below at standard cost.
• 7 ranks: Buy items 6,000 gp and below at standard cost.
• 8 ranks: Buy items 8,000 gp and below at standard cost.

Some consequences

An character will have a 22 or 24 for their high ability score. This means the max bonus they can have against an equal BAB character is +6/+7. But that character will also have a 22/24, which they can apply half of the score to it making the difference +3/+4.

3/4 BAB characters only lag behind the martial characters by 2 points, which is fine because they will have some new tricks instead.