Plot Independence
The plot progresses, whether you take action or not. There is an overarching storyline, but there are also side quests and side-tracks, helpers and hinderers, opportunities for fame, glory, & fortune, and the risk of failure, obscurity and poverty. The choices you make are your own, and you may not know until it's too late whether they are correct or disastrously wrong. Dun dun DUUUUUUNNNNNNN.
Character Biographies
Since my campaign will have an in-depth storyline, I ask that each player provide me with your character’s (and any subsequent character’s) background. It can be as elaborate or simple as you wish, however I do ask that you keep it "realistic" for a level 1 adventurer - no soap opera plot twists, evil twins, or fearsome heroics. Those things are all my job.
Biography Points
Add one knowledge skill and one regular skill appropriate to the character's background and previous adventures. The modifier for these skills will be the corresponding ability modifier + your level - don't spend skill points to put ranks in them. These skills are restricted to the following: craft, knowledge, perform, profession, and speak language as related to biography.
(NB: When you submit your biography, include which skills you are choosing and why)
These do not count as rank points for purposes of figuring whether or not you're eligible to take a feat or prestige class. They do count as training for using trained-only skills.
Knowledge Skills
Knowledge skill checks may be made untrained, though characters doing so may not succeed against a DC higher than 15 (if not a bard) or 25 (if the character has prereqs for Bardic Knowledge checks) as they would not have understood such information even had they heard it somewhere.
Action Points
We will be using action points (as described in the ECS) with the following changes:
-You can spend 4 action points to receive a mystical vision (read: GM hint about plot, etc.)
Casters
All casters, at first level, get the Eschew Materials feat (from the PHB) as a bonus. For purposes of this feat, druid & ranger focii, holy/unholy symbols, etc. are considered materials.
Power Components
Power Components can be used in spells in place of the XP cost. These arcane components are harvested from magical creatures and alchemically transformed into spell components. The formula is CR^2x100 = XP-equivalent. These components can be sold, for XP-equivalent x 2gp, or bought for XP-equivalent x 5gp. A Craft (Alchemist) or Knowledge (Arcane) check is required to glean components from magical creatures, at DC 10+CR. You may attempt to harvest components once per kill.
Animal Companion, Familiars, and Special Mounts
These creatures are pretty much useless in higher level campaigns. Upon reaching Character Level 8, you may consider these creatures to be Cohorts - as if you had the Leadership feat. You are still restricted on how many animal companions and/or familiars you have based on class and level, and you will need to keep track of stats for these creatures.
Races Allowed
All races from PHB and ECS. If you want to play a non-core race, let me know and we'll discuss.
Use Magic Device and Cure Wands/scrolls
All characters regardless of class, may use Cure items (or Repair items, for warforged) without having to make a skill check. Much like soldiers are taught how to dress/bandage a wound, adventurers that don't want to be dead adventurers learn how to use Cure/repair items - when they can find them. (Note: healing spells don't work at all on warforged, nor do repair spells work on non-warforged.)
Clerics
A cleric with the Death or Healing domain may cast the following spells with these results:
Heal: 100% of normal HP
Harm: reduces HP by (normal HP - 1d4)
Alignments
A player may build characters with nonstandard alignments for their class if the player can come up with a sound, playable and interesting concept for such an exception. These include any class or Prestige Class requiring a set alignment. Before choosing the alignment, you must discuss with me a sound, logical reasoning behind the alignment change.
If you wish to play an evil alignment, you must talk with me first.
Bonus Regional Feat
You may select one regional feat (as per the Eberron Campaign Setting) as a 1st level bonus feat.
Feats
-Dodge: If your base attack bonus is +3 or higher, you no longer need to pick a target for this feat. You gain a flat +1 dodge bonus to AC. For the effects of feats and abilities based on dodge, such as Elusive Target, you still need to pick a target. If your base attack bonus is +6 or higher, the dodge bonus is increased to +2.
-Skill Focus makes the chosen skill a class skill for all the levels the character gains, or acts as in the PHB, at the player's discretion
-If you have selected a feat and later gain that feat as a multi- or prestige-class feature, you may replace the feat with no XP cost
Weapon Finesse: change prerequisite to 'Base Attack Bonus +1 or Sneak Attack 1d6'
Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will grant a +3 bonus to each respective Save.
Starting gear/gold
Everyone starts with 1000gp. At character creation you get an additional 1000gp allowance for gear. You don't get to keep the leftovers from the allowance, so make sure you spend it all!
XP and character advancement
XP is awarded for good role playing, creative solutions, staying in character (as best possible), etc. XP is awarded based on degree of difficulty as judged by the DM. This typically takes into account the CR of the encounter, and whether the party had an inventive/creative way of dealing with it.
There are no XP penalties for multiclassing, but multiclassing is discouraged. See multiclassing rules below.
Death of a PC/intro of new PC
All players will begin at 1st level. (It is a wise idea to have a back up character in case your character dies and the party is not able to raise the dead character.) If your character dies, and you chose to create a new character, your new character’s level will be the party average minus one (minimum level 1).
If a new person joins the group, their beginning character will be the party level average.
Raising and Resurrection
Will be ... difficult. Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead, has waned and will be remote for the next year. This means that, according to the ECS, "spells that bring back the dead do not function, and it is impossible to reach DOlurrh by means of a plane shift. Only by journeying to Dolurrh (using astral projection, gate, or a permanent portal to the plane), finding the soul of the deceased, and bringing it back to the Material Plane can a deceased character be returned to life during this period... Both nalfeshnees [demons] and maruts [inevitables] frown on having souls retrieved in this manner, however." So, as you can see, returning a dead character to life will necessitate a (probably lengthy) trip to Dolurrh - and you just don't have the time to waste (see first note, about plot independence).
Upon being returned from Dolurrh instead of losing a level you gain 1 negative level until you earn 100XP per character level. A negative level gained this way cannot be removed with a restoration spell. The effects of a negative level are:
-1 on all skill checks and ability checks
-1 on all attack and saving throws
-5 hit points
-1 effective level (for purposes whenever a creature's level is used in dice calculation)
Multiclassing
In order to gain a level in a second (or more) class, you must first have enough experience to level. Then you must seek a trainer of the appropriate level - if no one in your party is willing or able to train you, you must be in a town and spend a number of days equal to 1d6/level finding a trainer. Next, you train in your new class for 1 week + 1 days/level (break old/bad habits, learn new skills, etc). Please note:
1) You don't have to do anything special to level in your primary class
2) Your total character level, not the level of your new class, is used to determine time spent training
3) The plot will proceed whether you are involved in it or not. You must weigh the benefits of multiclassing against the urgency of your tasks.
