House Rules

As you know, I love my house rules. Here are the variations we will be playing with for Unuviel.

Acceptable Sourcebooks
All material in the Dungeons and Dragons v3.5 core rulebooks, the Books of Experimental Might, and the Pathfinder core rulebook is acceptable in Unuviel, as is any material within this Players Guide. Any other material must be approved by the Dungeon Master. Where multiple iterations of a rule exist – such as when different versions of a spell or feat appear – use this scale to determine which version to use: D&D 3.5 < Pathfinder < Experimental Might.

Pathfinder
We will use Pathfinder’s classes and races, with the modifications listed below. If you do not have the Pathfinder book, you can use the Pathfinder system reference document: www.d20pfsrd.com. Be sure to look at the Classes and Races section of this wiki, too.

Leveling Up
Every time you complete a session, pick one of the following: You have to take all four before you can take any of them again. Once you've taken all four, you've completely "leveled up." It may help to note your level as "Level (ABCD)"; for example, if Kenny had attended three sessions and picked up everything but his skills, he might write that he is level 1ACD.
 * Hit die + base attack bonus
 * Skill points
 * Saves + Class Features
 * Feat

Epic 6th Level (E6)
6th level is the maximum level for any mortal in Unuviel. Monsters can be more powerful than 6 HD, but player characters (and non-player characters) can only achieve 6th level. That means that the most powerful magic available is on the scale of a fly or fireball, and only a pure warrior will see two attacks per round from his or her base attack bonus. The idea is that, unlike the steep power curve of a standard D&D game, there is only so much room for the typical mortal to grow. A handful of adventures can put a traveler through a “crash course” in heroism and leave them a mighty figure, but after that, progress becomes somewhat slower, though still noticeable.

You still advance after achieving 6th level. Every four sessions you attend after achieving 6th level results in a new feat. In addition to those in the sourcebooks mentioned above, you can find some more new feats over on the Feats Page.

Experimental Might
We will be using the Book of Experimental Might rules to modify the classes. These were the rules we used in Ravenloft. The basic rules are as follows:

-Gain a feat every level.

-You begin the game with bonus hit points equal to your Constitution score.

-Your hit points are divided into Health and Grace points. Health points equal your Constitution score + your first hit die + hit points from a high Constitution bonus. Everything else is Grace. Grace hit points heal naturally at a rate of 1 per minute of rest. Health hit points naturally heal at a rate of 1 per day of rest. Grace hit points always heal first, and are always the first hit points lost.

-Instead of 0-3rd level spells, clerics, druids, wizards, and sorcerers have 1-6th level spells and disciplines. These characters start the game with one discipline, and can select a new discipline – or improve their current discipline – at 2nd, 4th, and 6th levels, at the cost of a feat. There are no 0-level spells. Save DCs are 10 + key ability score modifier + ½ of spell level, rounded up.

-Rangers and paladins don’t cast spells, but they do gain access to disciplines.

-Bards are unchanged. You can also use the Eldritch Might Bard from the Complete Book of Eldritch Might.

-Fighters, and some other characters, have access to special Fighting Domains and other feats.

Combat Rules
You can now take a breather as a standard action. When you take a breather, you can do one of the following:

1) heal your level in Grace point damage

2) gain a bonus to an attack’s damage or attack roll equal to 1 + 1 for every four levels on the next turn

3) gain +1 to the spell DC of a spell you cast the next turn

4) make a new save against a condition with a duration measured in rounds.

Skills and Feats
-Background Skills. You begin the game with a bonus skill point you can spend on any Craft, Profession, or Perform skill. (If this is a class skill for you, then you get the normal +3 bonus for having a rank.)

-“Liberal Arts” Knowledge. When you put points into Knowledge, pick an area of expertise that is a class skill for you. Your knowledge skill applies to the chosen area. You may spend extra skill points to expand your areas of expertise; the cost is 1 skill point for a Knowledge listed as a class skill and 2 points for a cross-class Knowledge. Your Knowledge skill bonus applies equally to all areas of expertise.

Example: Kalen the Paladin puts points into Knowledge. His first area of expertise is Knowledge (Religion.) Kalen then decides to add Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) to his areas of expertise. Since that’s a class skill for him, the cost is one skill point. If he wanted to add Knowledge (Nature) to his areas of expertise, though, it would cost him two skill points, since that is cross-class.

You can have a maximum number of Areas of Expertise equal to your ranks in the Knowledge skill.

-Magic Item Creation feats. The only magic item creation feats available in Unuviel are Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion. Permanent magic items are too rare for open trade; there is essentially no market for them, and so no market price. Magical weapons, armor, and other items can be made by extremely talented artisans with Craft checks, but they always require difficult to acquire materials such as mithril in order to make. These materials are also rare enough that there is essentially no market for them. Finding materials for magic items may be the source of many adventures.

'''-Opposed Concentration. '''The check to cast defensively is not a static DC. Instead, it’s your threatening opponent’s attack bonus (minimum 10) + ½ spell level.

'''-Opposed Tumble. '''Tumble checks to avoid attacks of opportunity while moving through threatened areas are opposed by an opponent’s attack roll; failure means you provoke an attack of opportunity. The DC increases by 5 if you try to move through an opponent’s square.

House rules for races and classes  are found on their respective pages.