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Old May 31st, 2023, 02:50 PM
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Rule Variants and Supplements for Pathfinder (1st Ed)

This section contains an overview of the variations for the Pathfinder 1st Edition rules set that are appropriate for games set within the Yallek world. Please read them carefully and reference them as needed. Players should otherwise expect a Pf1e experience they are familiar with. Additional information may be found in the appropriate sections of this guide.

Relating to Character Creation
On Race:
Payable Races
Players are limited to Core Paizo races in addition to the Skinwalker race. Players should reference the Races section when creating their characters, as many cultures may diverge greatly from other representations. These races, ordered by populace size, are as follows: Humans*, Dwarves*, and Halflings*; Elves and Half-elves; Half-orcs (Shok); Skinwalkers and Gnomes.

*Unusual Backgrounds: In addition to the alternate racial traits generally available to all races, players that select Human, Dwarf, or Halfling have an additional option available to them. Characters of those races may choose to forego the traditional mechanical features of their chosen race and instead choose the mechanical features of any generic Standard or Advanced race with GM approval. For example, Human characters may give up their floating stat bonus and additional skill points in favor of the stat bonuses, elemental resistances, and other core features of the Aasimar race.

It is important to note that this choice also replaces the option to select alternate traits or heritages. For instance, a Human with Aasimar as an Unusual Background will have the mechanical features of the standard, unaltered Aasimar as opposed to one with the Pass for Human alternate racial trait or the Diva-spawn alternate heritage. Characters also inherit any racial weaknesses or types associated with the Background race (such as light sensitivity or Native Outsider.) These characters, however, are still fundamentally members of their chosen Core race and age, eat, rest, and expire as typical.

In play, this reflects the diversity within the three largest population groups on Yallek. It is a world full of mysterious magic, unfathomable curses, and unique circumstances. Players with Unusual Backgrounds are strongly encouraged to develope creative explanations for why their characters deviate from the norm. For example, a Human with a Tiefling background may suffer from an unbreakable curse; a Dwarf with a Wyvaran background may have developed unique mechanical wings only they can use. Other racial populations found on Yallek are either too small or culturally homogenous to support this level of diversity.

Non-playable Races
All potential knowledge of other published Paizo player races beyond those mentioned above either does not exist or exists only as mythology and allegory.

On Class:
Playable Classes
In theory, all Paizo published classes exist on Yallek. This includes options the Pathfinder community at large may consider unbalanced (such as the Synthesist Summoner. ) Therefore, it is imperative that anyone running a game based in Yallek keep an eye on potential party balance and communicate their restrictions directly to the players.

Third Party and Legacy Classes
Some third party classes may be allowed on a case by case basis. Additionally, some classes originating with the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition rules set may be converted for use on Yallek. Third Party classes must be available online and at no cost. Legacy Classes should be converted by the interested player and submitted to the dungeon master for approval.

Approved Third Party and Legacy Classes:
Coming soon!

On Magic:
Prepared Vessels
On Yallek, all prepared spellcasters require a vessel of some sort to contain their spells for study and preparation. This includes classes that traditionally prayed for their spells instead of studying for them, such as clerics and paladins. Common vessels are spell books for wizards, formulae books for alchemists, and prayer books for clerics. Costs associated with vessels and scribing spells into them are universal.

Players that bond a familiar may choose to have their familiar memorize and store their spells as a Witch of equivalent level. This requires the magic user to be able to communicate freely with that familiar. Familiars that are killed lose all previously stored spells, even when subjected to a Resurrection spell.

New spells are inscribed or deposited in the traditional manner.

Domain Selection
Domains are no longer spheres of influence granted to a caster based on the deity they worship. Instead, players are asked to choose any four domains published by Paizo in addition to one alignment domain that corresponds with one axis of their alignment. This selection is made when the first level of a divine casting class is taken by the character and is functionally permanent. They then select from among these the appropriate number of domains for their class.

Learning Divine Spells
Prepared spellcasters that previously prayed for their spells begin play with a vessel containing (2+casting stat bonus) spells already inscribed. At each level, they may add two spells from their spell list to their vessel at no charge. These spells must be of the highest level spell they can cast or lower. In addition, all domain spells and spontaneous conversion spells (heal/harm, summoning, etc.) are added to the vessel at the appropriate level.

On Deity:
Players are not required to select a deity at character creation, no matter their class. Powers previously derived from worship may now originate in more creative ways, such as conviction in an ideal. See the Deities, Worship, and Patronage section for more information.

On Age:
Players are free to create characters in any age category listed by Paizo with the attendant benefits and drawbacks.

On Feats:
Yallek games use the Elephant in the Room Feat Tax Fix.

On Skills:
Characters on Yallek use the Background Skills option with one exception: Only one Performance skill may be considered a Background skill. All other Performance skills are considered Primary skills.

On Alignment:
Alignment is an unfortunate but necessary mechanic within the Pathfinder 1st Edition rules set. Players should pick an alignment for their character that represents the character on their best day. Dungeon masters should be exceptionally lenient when determining whether a character's actions violate their personal alignment. This expectation is heightened when such an alignment shift directly impacts the character's progression, such as in the case of fallen paladins. Yallek is a world of nuance.

Relating to Gameplay
On Summoning:
The planar pathways to and from Yallek are currently closed. All summoned creatures barring elementals are manifestations of the summoner's will and various local and ethereal energies. Elemental creatures are the exception and should be summoned with extreme caution. Once brought to the prime material plane, elementals can not be returned to their original plane and are innately hostile to all life on Yallek, no matter their disposition in other settings. Mechanically, this means that summon elemental spells and gates used to summon elemental creatures have no time limit. This also means that the Dismissal line of spells does not work on elementals, though it does work on other traditionally appropriate summoned creatures. Elemental summoning spells are jealously guarded and particularly taboo in most if not all regions of Yallek.

On Extraplanar Monsters:
True extraplanar beings either do not exist, or exist as manifestations of a summoning spell and not as truly exraplanar beings, barring elementals as explained above. See the Cosmology section for more details.

On Teleportation Magic:
All distance travel magics (including spells like Blink and Dimension Door and abilities such as Dimensional Hop) make use of a pocket of the ethereal realm that carries its own inherent dangers. Repeated use carries a probability of being noticed by beings often much more powerful than the characters. See the Cosmology section for more details.

On Death and Dying:
Heroes are hard to kill on Yallek. A character that falls to negative hit points equal to or greater than their constitution score receives the [Debilitating Wound] special condition. They suffer the effects of one negative level and are restored to 0 hit points once any combat has finished. Characters that fall below the threshold for death while still suffering with a [Debilitating Wound] experiences true Death. A [Debilitating Wound] is cured by seven consecutive nights of uninterrupted rest, though the character may act as normal during the course of an adventuring day. These effects are cumulative with negative levels from other sources.
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Last edited by Icereach; Jun 4th, 2023 at 02:05 PM.
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