This campaign uses D&D rules, 3.5 edition, as written in the core rule
books. This page lists the exceptions and modifications, or House Rules.
Player Responsibilities and Optional Stuff
Responsibilities
- Do not backstab, betray, or kill other PCs.
- Write a character background with at least the following information:
- character name
- where you are from (I can provide home regions or make your own)
- reason for travelling
- reason for working with the group
- Please keep track of the following:
- your experience points
- your gold pieces
- encumbrance (how much you are carrying), it affects speed and
some physical skills
- ammo (bolts, arrows, sling bullets, grenade type weapons)
- rations (if in the wilderness with no access to inns, or if destitute)
- casters
- spells per day, daily spell lists
- expensive spell components
(assume you usually have regular components)
Optional Stuff
- There are various ways the players can help the GM and
earn XP at the same time!
- Snacks for the gaming group are always welcome!
Character Generation
- alignment
- no evil characters
- true neutral is okay, but no "balance between good and evil must be
maintained" types
- class
- no sorcerers (see magic rules)
- clerics: please do not be one dimensional fountains of healing
- source books
- Races, classes, feats, skills, spells, and equipment from
the core rule books (PHB, DMG) are available to you.
- If you would like
something from another book, please ask the DM first.
- cohesive party - have a reason for working with the group
Death and Resurrection
- no PC death
- no instant kill spells (they change to instant harm spells, leave d4 hp)
- no resurrection spells
- the PC may not die, but plenty of other horrible things may happen, such
as ability drain, level drain, limb loss, property loss, exile, Wrath of the Gods, etc., so don't get cavalier :)
Experience Points
- leveling up - standard rules
- experience needed to gain a level (PHB 22, table 3-2)
- advancing a level (PHB 58)
- combat experience - standard rules (DMG 36-38, table 2-6,
DMG 49, table 3-1)
XP is received for defeated monsters (killed, captured, fled, or made
not hostile)
- story experience
- quests / game goals
- Completing a quest or game goal earns XP, amount
determined by GM, tougher quests earn more XP. Players are encouraged
to keep a list of quests.
- mysteries / questions
- During the course of the game, the PCs may be
faced with mysteries or puzzling questions. Players are encouraged
to keep a list of unanswered questions that, when answered, will
earn XP.
- helping the DM out XP
- Players are encouraged (but not required) to write journal entries
after a game session to help everyone remember what happened and what the
group plans to do in the future. Email these to the GM to be posted on
this site. Earn XP for doing this!
Dice and Rolls
- dice that fall off the table or land on edge get rerolled
- to hit - modified rules
- critical hit -
On a natural 20 (or within a weapon's critical range),
roll again. If the 2nd roll misses, you hit normally. If the 2nd roll
hits, you score a critical hit. Yay!
- critical miss -
On a natural 1, roll again. If the 2nd roll hits, you
miss normally. If the 2nd roll misses, you critically miss. Uh oh...
- saves - standard rules (PHB 136)
1 always fails, 20 always succeeds
- skill checks - standard rules (PHB 63)
- success / failure - standard rules
Roll a d20, add your skill bonus (skill ranks and
ability modifier). If you equal or beat the DC, you succeed. If you
roll less than the DC, you fail. For some skills (ie. swimming,
climbing, disarming traps) failing by more than a little may have dire
consequences...
- taking 20 - standard rules (PHB 65)
When you have plenty of time, are not in combat or
threatened, and the skill check failure carries no risk,
you can go slowly and
carefully and do your very best by "taking 20". You don't need to roll,
your skill check is 20 + skill bonus. If this is not enough to beat the
DC, you still fail.
- taking 10 - standard rules (PHB 65)
When you have only a round, but are not in combat or threatened,
you can "take 10". You don't roll, your skill check is 10 + skill bonus.
- natural 1 or 20 - nothing special
Action Points
Action points alter d20 rolls.
Not standard 3.5 D&D, but taken from the Eberron Campaign Setting, page 45.
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Action Point d20 Roll Modification
- action points modify d20 rolls
(attack, skill check, ability check, level check, saving throw)
- you have a limited amount of action points per level (table 1)
- make a d20 roll
- before you know if you succeeded or failed,
roll N d6, pick the highest, and add to the d20 roll (table 2)
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Other Action Point Uses
- Extra Class Feature - burn 2 action pts for
another use per day of a class feature
(bardic music, rage, smite evil, Stunning Fist,
turn or rebuke undead, wild shape)
- Stabilize - when dying, spend 1 action pt
to stabilize
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Table 2: Action Point Dice
| level 1-7 | 1 d6 |
| level 8-14 | 2 d6 |
| level 15-20 | 3 d6 |
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Table 1:
Action Points per Level
| level 1 | 5 |
| lvl 2,3 | 6 |
| lvl 4,5 | 7 |
| lvl 6,7 | 8 |
| lvl 8,9 | 9 |
| lvl 10,11 | 10 |
| lvl 12,13 | 11 |
| lvl 14,15 | 12 |
| lvl 16,17 | 13 |
| lvl 18,19 | 14 |
| level 20 | 15 |
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Magic
Casting is more spontaneous than in the regular rules. I'm using an
optional rule from Unearthed Arcana, page 153, called Daily Spell Lists.
- Bards -
Lucky, lucky bards! You can cast any spell you know whenever you feel like it, up to your limit per level per day, of course.
- Sorcerers - They don't exist in my game world.
- Wizards, Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Rangers
You pick a "daily spell list". Of the spells you know, for each level, select a number of spells equal to the number you can cast that day. You can cast any combination of those spells that day.
Daily Spell List: Example
Suppose you are a wizard who can cast 3 1st level spells per day. Let's say you pick "magic missile (M), mage armor (A), burning hands (B)" as your daily 1st level spell list. That day, you can cast any of these combinations:
A, M, B
M, M, B
M, M, M
B, B, B
... and so on, any combination of the three. However, you can not cast
the following combination: mage armor, shield, burning hands, because "shield" is not on your daily spell list for that day.
Daily Spell List: Prepare As Needed
You don't have to prepare the entire spell list at once. It takes 15 minutes
to prepare a spell. If you can prepare 3 1st level spells, you could spend 1/2
an hour preparing 2 of them. You can cast the 2 spells you prepared.
But for the third one, you can't decide between "Magic Missile" and
"Burning Hands". So you don't prepare the third spell until you find out you'll
be facing cold creatures who hate fire, so you then spend 15 minutes preparing
"Burning Hands" as your 3rd spell. Then you can cast any of the 3 spells you
have prepared.
cleric special -
You can, of course, substitute a "cure ____ wounds" spell of the appropriate level for any spell. You don't have to put it on a daily spell list to use it.
druid special -
You can substitute a "summon nature's ally ___" spell of the appropriate level for any spell. You don't have to put it on a daily spell list to use it.
lower level spells in higher spell slots - You can cast a lower level spell in a higher level spell slot. For example, let's say you wanted to cast magic missile four times, but have only 3 1st level slots. If you have a 2nd level slot, you can put a magic missile there. Of course, magic missile still has to be on your daily spell list or you can't cast it.
scrolls -
Cheap to make, and not horrendously expensive to buy. I suggest you use them for spells that are useful, but not frequently used. Then you can cast from a scroll, provided you know the spell, without it having to be on your daily spell list.