2012047 edit- added some of the feat mergers we have been playing with this whole time and the spell specific subsection the magic houserules, as well as what to do if you target something besides an "intersection" with your spell (really a hex vertex- intersection implies squares).

I'm making a thread for this stuff. Mostly it is stuff you are familiar with, but you know, I don't think we write it down. It should be extensive! It should also not really be necessary to read through every piece, but who knows.

0- Character generation


You won't be able to do 3 and beyond until we are all together again, but you won't really need to. Note that any character can force a 20, and starting with multiple 18s should not be difficult.


1- Combat houserules and interpretations

-10 second rounds- I'm giving this Zem-rule a shot for this game. Durations measured in minutes are affected, as a minute is 6 rounds vice 10. This is largely to help out high level characters, who are getting way too many attacks for the time given. It's still likely too high, but the concept of "attack" is abstract in the sense that it could be several seconds of swordplay, but it's not abstract in the other direction- for instance, three successful attacks are in no way one very good attack, you really did connect three times.

-Hex grids are my primary mode of running combats. If you label the six squares surrounding a central hex as 0-5, a flank would be 0+3. A "triple flank" is 0+2+4. Flanking represents the inability to focus your attention in all directions at once, due to the limitations of time, your neck, and the fact that you can only see about 180-ish degrees. Creatures without these limitations can be immune to flanking.

-As per normal, facing does not exist. However, very large creatures cannot bring their rear-specific and front-specific attacks to bear in the same round on the same person all the time- for instance, while a dragon can claw/claw/bite you, he's not going to tailwhip you or anyone along that 60-degree cone (90 degrees if playing on a square grid) that lies in that direct direction, on that round. This houserule will come up rarely, and applies to creatures of size large and up. It does not affect bipeds.

-Medium and larger creatures with non-magical flight with less than half their hit points are too injured to fly. They can glide, but lose altitude each round. Smaller or exceptionally aerodynamic or light creatures can remain aloft until 1/4 their hit point total is reached.

-Attacks of Oppurtunity represent a momentary lapse in your opponent's awareness, wherein your normal course of melee attacks are not stymied by his defenses and threats. In this time, you can make a melee attack, but not a "combat action"- getting through with a ranseur when your opponent is not able to be fully focussed on you is one thing, getting a full trip is another.

-Ending your round threatened by an invisible opponent provokes an attack of opportunity. You are not engaged in proper swordplay with him after all, you can't even see him!

-Immediate actions can't be interrupted or responded to. A readied action can trigger normally, as long as the immediate action has something that accompanies or precedes its effect.

-You can "treat as invisible" an opponent you regard as being no threat. You can make this decision as a free action at any time, however, you are bound by it for at least one round (until that same spot in the initative happens again). In this case, the ignored opponent does not act as a flanker. He is treated as invisible from the perspective of combat numbers- he gains a +2 to attack you and ignores your Dexterity bonus to armor (the same as if he actually is invisible), and if you end your round next to him, you provoke an attack of opportunity (the same as if he were invisible, according to the houserule). If you choose to attack him, however, you have no difficulty in that event. This rule is to prevent a sack of angry puppies from letting the rogue stab the HELL of you, because you were too busy watching out for the ankles on your leather boots to remember to guard your damned kidneys.

-Versus missile combat, you do not treat normal creatures as any kind of cover in normal situations. Creatures that are very oddly shaped, such as gelatinous cubes, can provide cover or block line of effect entirely. Actually hiding directly behind someone (such as holding a person in front of you) can still supply actual cover.
http://www.dragon.ee/30srd/coverconceal.htm
Yes, that is a 3.0 link. Many of the 3.0 rules are better! However, in most cases, cover is a standard +4 AC, +2 reflex saves (1/2 cover, the one preserved and made official in 3.5)

-If you attack with a ranged weapon a target engaged in melee with another target, you take a -4 to hit, as you are taking care not to hit the other target (as in the 3.5 rules). You may choose to fire without regard for the other combatants: in this case you take no -4, but if you miss, you randomly determine which opponent you actually hit, rerolling your to-hit against them.
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Levelling rules (Caligo specific ones in italics):

1- Feat
2-
3- Feat
4- +1 Any attribute (normally prime attribute is chosen)
5- Elemental Affinity may be selected at no cost, if chosen, you gain a bonus feat (Elemental Affinity is listed below)
5- +1 to any attribute that is NOT your highest attribute
6- Feat
7-
8- +1 Any attribute (normally prime attribute is chosen)
9- Feat
10- Feat
10- +1 to one of your lowest three attributes
10- +1 to one of your lowest two attributes
11-
12- Feat
+1 Any Attribute (prime attribute normally chosen)
13-
14-
15- Feat
15- Feat
15- +1 to Any Attribute that is NOT your highest attribute
16- +1 Any Attribute (prime attribute normally chosen)
17-
18- Feat
19-
20- +1 to Any Attribute
20- Feat
20 +1 to one of your lowest three attributes
20- +1 to one of your lowest two attributes


Elemental Affinity:
Benefit: You gain +1 to saves of one element type. You may select an additional feat.
Disadvantage: You suffer a -2 to saves of another element type.
If you are water, then you gain a +1 to water saves, and a -2 to fire saves.
If you are fire, then you gain a +1 to fire saves, and a -2 to water saves.
If you are earth, then you gain a +1 to air saves, and a -2 to earth saves.
If you are air, then you gain a +1 to earth saves, and a -2 to air saves.
Notes: This feat is a small advantage and a small disadvantage. The larger effect of it is the additional feat. All Caligans may take this feat at 5th level for no cost. If not chosen at this time, it can be selected during any level up.

2- Magic houserules and interpretations

-Magic functions by virtue of a presence of, well, magic. Anti-magic areas suppress most kind of magic from explicitly functioning- complex patterns such as spells and supernatural abilities are suppressed. "Natural magic", such as a beholder's flight and ability to exist, or an elf's ability to be an elf, are not affected by such a field. A "sphere of reality" possesses the a bility to banish magic from an area, either for a brief moment or for a duration- such an item is extremely rare and does not show up every campaign.

-All invisibility effects 4th level and lower are one level higher.

-Detect Magic allows you to see the general location of magic and type as it is being cast or activated.

-Quick Spell is an immediate action.

-Touch attack spells can use either strength or dexterity. Ranged touch is always dexterity as normal.

-Spreads and bursts on the map can originate from a corner of a hex, or from somewhere inside the hex, commonly the center. In the case of origination in a corner, distance is calculated normally if the distance is a multiple of five feet. In the case of the center, calculate the first hex as being .5 hexes (2.5 feet), and then each additional hex adds 1 hex (5 feet) to the range. When reaching all hexes that are partially included, there is a flat 50% chance to affect any creature or object in that hex. So a five foot burst aimed at a vertex affects three hexes, but a five foot burst aimed at the center affects the center hex, and has a 50/50 chance of affecting the six surrounding hexes.

-In the advanced case of any point BUT the center, note the closest vertex, and the distance and direction from the point to the vertex. Calculate distance normally from the closest vertex, and then note an extra five feet in each direction. The hexes have a chance to be affected that is proportional to the distance you had to move to find the closest vertex. While I allow this, I've had to use this I think once ever- essentially, just remember that the hexes are an abstraction, and if you want to target a point on the ground 18 inches south east of the wall with a fireball, you sure can, and this painful method is how we would model that, should it matter.

Specific Spell Changes and Interpretations
-Fireball and Delayed Blast Fireball can be aimed at a creature or object. The fireball is assumed to detonate from the center of their hex. Roll a ranged touch attack- with a successful touch, the creature or object struck has a -2 to their save.
-Lightning Bolt has a +2 to the DC and a +2 to beat Spell Resistance.
-Spells with "Energy" in the name that use it to refer to a choice of Acid, Fire, Frost, etc. have it changed to "Element". When casting these spells, if a choice asks you to choose a type of energy to ward, defend, enhance, or mitigitate, you instead choose an element- either Air, Water, Fire, or Earth. A choice of Air refers to Air attacks and "Electricity energy". A choice of Fire refers to Fire, and "Fire energy". A choice of Water refers to Water and "Cold energy". A choice of Earth refers to Earth, Acid, and Sonic.

If you have a special ability that allows you to also choose Light or Dark, then Light refers to Light, Divine (Good or Neutral), and Holy, and Dark refers to Dark, Divine (Evil or Neutral) and Unholy.

3- Multiverse houserules and interpretations, and a couple things about Caligo



-None of my games take place in the standard D&D multiverse at all- it's not a place you can go. Toril, Oerth and friends are as far removed from my multiverse as they are from us.

-There are still elemental planes and upper and lower planes. Plane Shift still works normally for these places. The "locally connected" planes still exist, though they don't normally have many denizens (the same is true of normal D&D)- this would be the plane of shadow, and the ethereal plane.

-Actually leaving the universe Caligo is in is difficult. The gods are in some sort of struggle, and the reality is sealed. It's understood that the "distant" gods are more involved in this conflict.

-The gods are actually "AIBNQs"- "Almost Immortal But Not Quite they are transcendent sentients, some of them older than Caligo, others not. If cut off from their power, they would either die or be mortal (depending on their form at the time of the occurrence). If slain, they can be resurrected normally, though presumably anyone with enough gumption to slay a god could also prevent their resurrection.

4- Weapons

-No Spiked Chain

See: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=129&p=1894#p1894

5- Armor

Armor encumbers a character. By default, any character wearing armor has their normal base movement reduced by 10 feet if their movement is 30 or greater, or by 5 feet if their normal base movement is 20 or less. Characters in armor run at x3 instead of the normal x4.
These penalties can be negated if the wearer of the armor is physically strong enough. The table below lists the strength required to improve movement speed by one step, the strength required to improve movement by two steps, and the strength required to run at x4 instead of x3.
The values listed are for small characters, reduce all of these values by 2. For large characters, increase them by 4. For each step beyond large, increase them by an additional 4. Magical size changes (such as an enlarge spell) do not normally change these values at all. A character with a base movement of 30 feet or greater who has strength required to improve movement by one step has a movement of 25. A character with a base movement of 20 feet or less who has strength required to improve movement by one step is not modified. Any character with strength required to improve movement by two steps ignores the penalty to movement completely.

The chart below lists:
Name: The common or abbreviated name of the armor.
Common In: These are the areas in Caligo that the armor is common in. Armors can be found outside of their locales in some cases.
Cost: Normal cost in GP.
AC: This is the armor bonus to AC that the armor gives when worn normally.
MDB: The Max Dex Bonus is the maximum amount of dexterity bonus that can be applied to AC. Note that exotic materials (such as mithral) can improve this.
ACP: The Armor Check Penalty. This applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks. Double the normal value is applied to Swim checks.
DR: Wearing the armor may grant a damage reduction, as listed. This DR stacks with any others.
ASFC: The Arcane Spell Failure Chance is the flat percentile rolled when casting spells in armor.
STR1: The amount of Strength necessary to reduce the movement penalty by one step, from 20 to 25 for a character with base movement of 30. It does not modify the movement of a character with a base move of 20 (it remains at 15).
STR2: The amount of Strength necessary to ignore the movement penalty. Characters move at their normal base movement if they possess this amount of strength.
STR-run: The amount of Strength necessary to run at x4 in the armor.
Weight: Weight in pounds.
Spcl: A code that can be referenced below to explain a further detail about the armor

Many types of plate do not exist except as masterwork. While all armor (except hide) is available as masterwork, some are very rare, or have no known crafters: padded, cord, and splint are not normally available as masterwork. The armor types that are not available except as masterwork are marked (n/a). The heavy armor table is printed twice, once for normal, and once for masterwork. The normal values are listed for ease of applying templates. Masterwork armor costs 150 extra gold pieces, and reduces the armor check penalty by 1. It has no affect on AC or weight, or the Strength necessary to reduce movement penalties.



Quilted Armor has DR 3/- versus small piercing weapons (arrows, bolts, darts, shuriken, thrown daggers, but not sling bullets or firearm bullets)

Chainmail has DR 1/- versus slashing weapons that lack bludgeoning and piercing.

(mw) armors only exist as masterwork. It is included in the stats.
(n/a) armors are not available as non-masterwork. The stats are included for ease of calculating templates, but armor of this quality is always masterwork.

PRC is the damage reduction versus piercing ranged weapons that quilted and silk armor get.
SLS is the damage reduction versus slashing weapons that chainmail gets.
FLT represents the wooden armor's natural buoyancy : the armor check penalty does not apply to swim checks in any material wood would float in (such as water) for wood armorl.
DON is the ability to don an armored coat as a move action.
SIL is easier to silence: the armor check penalty for hide and move silent checks is reduced by 3. Brigandine has a check of -1 instead of -4 for hide and move silent.
AGI is the specially engineered agile breastplate or half plate: the armor check penalty for climb and jump checks is reduced by 3. Agile Breastplate has a check of -1 instead of -4 for climb and jump, and Half Plate has a check of -4 instead of -7. Masterwork or special materials (such as mithril) can reduce this further, to a minimum of 0.




6- Feat differences


I have merged some of the less commonly selected feats, or modified them.

Dodge- Now always grants the +1 dodge bonus. Now also grants the benefits of Mobility.

Enlarge Spells- This grants the benefits of Enlarge and Widen spell. Each costs +1 level to apply individually, as normal.

Fortunate- You are perhaps a bit more fortunate at avoiding ill fates. You gain a +1 bonus to all saves.

Improved Precise Shot- Now also grants the +1 to hit benefit from Point Blank Shot across ALL ranges.
The normal benefits still apply: Your ranged attacks ignore the AC bonus granted to targets by anything less than total cover, and the miss chance granted to targets by anything less than total concealment. Total cover and total concealment provide their normal benefits against your ranged attacks. In addition, when you shoot or throw ranged weapons at a grappling opponent, you automatically strike at the opponent you have chosen.

Improved Two Weapon Fighting- This now grants a third offhand attack when your base attack is +11, and a fourth when your base attack is +16. It still grants the second offhand attack as normal.
The Greater and Perfect were awful feats, and having to pay for Two Weapon and Improved Two Weapon seems like enough of a price.

Mounted Combat- Now also grants the benefits of Mounted Archery.
Since none of you know, this feat now allows you to use to try to mitigate one strike on your mount per round, using the result of your Ride check as your mount's AC. You regain this ability at the beginning of your turn, and using it is a free action usable at any time. You also halve penalties to ranged attacks taken while mounted.

Power Attack- When taken, this also counts as Cleave. In my games, you can only cleave with slashing weapons.
I hold that it is supposed to be modelling a single blow, instead of granting bonus attacks somehow because timeline slashy conan. I also don't like players spending a feat on cleave and then it being bad, but I also don't like such an iconic feat denied usefulness and ignored.

Potent Spells- This grants the benefits of the Heighten and Extend spell feats. Heighten works normally, and Extend costs the normal amount as well, +1.

Precise Shot- Now has no prereq. Now also grants the benefits of Point Blank Shot, and counts as that.

Spirited Charge- Now also grants the benefits of Ride-By-Attack.
When mounted and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a lance).
When you are mounted and use the charge action, you may move and attack as if with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). Your total movement for the round can’t exceed double your mounted speed. You and your mount do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that you attack.

Subtle Spells- This grants the benefits of Still and Silent spells, each can be applied individually for +1 as normal.

Toughness- Now grants extra hit points equal to your hit dice, or three hit points, whichever is greater. Recalculate this feat whenever your hit dice change.

Whirlwind Attack- The prereqs for this feat are now Base Attack +4, Dex 13, Dodge and Spring Attack.

...Half? Really? So if I get hit with a pointy stick I'm on the ground? I just got zinged.


I guess I better buy a pointy stick for myself.

You're a pixie. Don't get hit!




Pixies are proficient in shortswords! d4 shortswords, but shortswords nonetheless.

Awe, don't be such a baby...

Is it sad that I consider the lightsaber more realistic than the spiked chain? I mean, we KNOW a spiked chain won't work. At least, you know, in some galaxy far far away, with some technology we don't know about...

What about a chain filled with tiny lightsabers?

Wouldn't they just do that stupid "CrrRRRrRRrr" noise and lock the chain to itself?

Though clearly not relevant to me, are you considering any change to the armor? It's a bit gay that the best armor in the world is a chain shirt. Of course, part of that is due to high dex bonuses, but still. My suggestions...
Move for medium armor is 25, not 20 (I guess the base move of 20 is still screwed at 15).
The armor bonus for all heavy armor is increased by 1.

Yea, definitely.

And mithril breastplate is currently the best armor. Chain shirt if you can't afford that or can't wear medium

The question becomes, how to do it? First, there's this odd softcap of 8-9 on how good an AC you have. This is OBVIOUSLY by design, but I don't know how super it really is.

Light armor adds up to 8 or 9. The 9 is the padded, and only with a Dex bonus of +8. Leather and studded leather both cap out at 8, a very meager reward for the rogue. Chain Shirt caps at 8 and only requires a Dex of 18 for it- while that's a very good Dex, you also don't have any problems with it. At low levels, everyone is wearing chain shirt. Chain shirt made of mithril is also really good because it has no Dex penalties to moving silently and such, and it also ups your allowable AC by 2. So high dex types may be interested in that.

Medium armor has the movement penalty, which I think is trivially fair to change to 25 instead of 20. Movement is really important (especially in the negative direction), so obviously this huge penalty should come with SOME benefit, but it generally doesn't. Everything in this category caps at 7, except for breastplate, leaving the iconic chainmail almost entirely unworn. Hide is relegated to starting armor for barbarians (and is fine for that). Three of these armors can be made into mithril, but only breastplate ever is. When that's done, it becomes:


Which is the best armor in the game if your Dex is very good.

Then you hit heavy, which also limits run (a smaller penalty). In heavy, the only thing WORTH considering even BRIEFLY is full plate, which caps at 9. With a Dex of 10, Splint could be more affordable, but cmon.

Mithril armors cap at 10 or 11, by the way.

So yea, I'll probably rework this a little bit. For now, assume the movement penalty for medium armor is 5 feet, not 10, for medium speed creatures, and that heavy armor has like DR 1, and one extra AC. Armor shouldn't be totally bullshit.

Duelist with a lightsabre! Fucking BRILLIANT!

So we all rolled for ability scores (I think) on Sunday morning. Was it 80 plus whatever we rolled with the 2d4?

88 + 2d4, I believe. This is meaningless until the lameass gives us the sliding scale. It will be something like how I did it, where a 16 score might cost 18 points, and a 17 score may cost 20.

I know it will be of a similar method to what he did because I stole it from him.

I'm still bitter about my rolls of 1 and 2 on the d4. Feels like I was rolling Marchosias's early-level hit points all over again.

How awkward... I just realized the lameass already edited his original post with the sliding scale.


This is from the lameass himself...


Pass this onto the forum for those searching for rogue prestige classes:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070401a

This is the good-guy version of the assassin.

I have to make a definitely allowed list and a definitely banned list.

Definitely banned:
Hulking Hurler
Master of Chains / that S&M girl class
Any Incarnum
Wilder (P sionic)
Any class with 5 levels or less.
Knight
Ur-Priest
Any Nine Swords (this one makes me sad, but it must be done)\
All Book of Vile Darkness
All Book of Exalted Deeds
All Strange Damned Books That Have One Prestige Class No One Tested, Like Fiend Folio and Planewhatever
Dragonfire Adept
Dread Necro mancer
Factotum
All Complete Miniature
Spirit Shaman


Definitely allowed:
Base classes:
All PHB
Beguiler, Dragon Shaman, Duskblade, Favored Soul, Psion, Psychic Warrior, Scout, Shaman, Shugenja, Sohei, Swashbuckler, Warlock, Warmage, Wu-Jen
Prestige allowed:
Some stuff in the Completes (this needs me to look over them quickly)
Allowed, my stuff:
Ninja of the Chi, Denier, Zeugeran Samurai, Kuromeran Samurai (these are both taken from other places pretty much). I was thinking of an elementalist as well, but I stopped working when I realized I had other stuff to get done for the game.


On the fence:
Theurges- the mystic and eldritch theurges, as well as the wizard/sorcerer guy, are all oddballs. I don’t actually think they are “broken” , but they have a LOT of utility. It’s also disappointing that it’s the only way to be a mage/priest or whatever, not that the combo there is all that fair or makes that much sense. At low levels, you suffer: it’s pretty lame being a Wiz3/Clr3. But past about 11th level, it’s pretty tasty. I don’t know, it just seems like those guys should be different prestige classes or something, or that their tax shouldn’t be paid upfront. As in, go Wiz2/Clr2, then you qualify, and you take it for 15 levels, and you end similarly.
Hexblade- I just don’t have a spot for these guys, but I don’t think they are broken or anything.
Shadowcaster- I just don’t know.
Spellthief- I just keep wondering if these guys are secretly broken or terrible. I don’t like when I see stuff like that.

Here's my first cut. I'm debating CON because, though I will be short on hit points, I will have fewer hit dice, so it makes less of a difference.

The Avenger class looks neato AND it can be any non-chaotic alignment!

-nudges Cooley...

I thought the Duskblade sounded pretty cool.

So here's a thought, and I'm sure one that has been considered since the 80s. If we can have a half-elf, and we can have a half-orc... and a half-drow... Why can't we have a drow/orc or elf/orc? I know there are no drow in your world, but theoretically it still works. Or a tiefling, but it's half orc instead of half human. Or maybe a tiefling whose human half has that dragon blood thing?

I assume it's just because the adjudication of all those rules would just start to become exceptionally cumbersome. Much easier to just say that humans have that gene that allow them to cross-breed, while all other races don't.

I remember Dark Sun had the mul - half human, half dwarf. Always bald, always sterile, never blissful. They always sounded like fun.

I assume they are all sterile. Funny, but Asimov's Foundation series had a character named the Mule. He was some sort of very powerful guy, and people were afraid of his offspring. "Don't worry. They don't call me the Mule because I'm stubborn."

There should at least be more talk of drow/elf. There's no way that can't work. Maybe then can summon a globe of perfectly normal air or something.

Elves are not cross fertile with any race except humans.
Orcs are cross fertile with ogres and humans.
Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, are not cross fertile at all (Dark Sun has Dwarf/Humans able to breed, but not in my games).

Tiefling and Aasimar are humans with some demonic or angelic ancestors.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/planetouched.htm

Half fiend and Half celestial are, however, templates. They can be applied to anything from a kobold to a red dragon.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfCelestial.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfFiend.htm

I don't recognize the validity of most of the templates. I use them to create very odd monsters rarely, but I keep them out of the hands of the players.

You're saying that's how it is... I'm saying that without further clarification it doesn't make sense. It's like saying a hound can breed with a terrier, and a terrier can breed with a lab, but a lab can't breed with a hound.

I'm not suggesting you should suddenly change your campaign. I just think a tiefling should be able to be elven, and a orc/elf should exist in SOME D&D world.

Well, originally, orcs were fallen elves, so they COULD breed, and the result is an orc.


The real issue, I think, is that these races are supposed to be fantastic, to a degree, and if you can have a half-whatever, it lessens that. Humans are the anchor, the corner things are twisted around, and so they can breed with some of the races.

Tolkein didn't touch on, err, quarterlings, nor the result of breeding dwarves with elves. They are supposed to be separate to some unspecified degree.


Personally, I don't like the results of the different crossbreeds- I mean, an orc / elf... what would the stats be? Can you picture it? How long does it live? How fertile? Etc. What about a dwarf-knoll? Or a bugbear-hobbit? Hobgoblin-Human-Elf-Kobold?

The spiked chain is fantastic...

Xenophobe.

Oh, and in my world half breeds are sterile by default. Signy was an exception because... uhh... her unique... ahhh... because it's funnier that way.


Now that I've thoroughly hijacked this, what about death? Are you going with the standard -1 to -9 dying and -10 is dead? I think I was closer to reasonable, but it still needed quite a bit of work. However you go, I have a feeling this will be particularly important to me. Every session.

I don't recall my death formula. Yours was based on mine, so post yours and I'll see what I think of it. I thought it a tad too generous, but not terribly so.

Swooning from 0 to -5, dead at -(6+Level+Con).

Too generous, but you still heard how they whined.