[Information] House Rules & Guidelines

[Tanuki]

General

• Let's endeavour to make this a fun game! I'm an open and friendly GM, and I really appreciate feedback, negative and positive alike. if you are ever having any problems with how the game is going, please get in contact with me.

• Please post on a regular basis, once every day or two at minimum (more is even better!). PCs who don't post will get dragged along at my whims, including in combat.

• I'd appreciate it if you would give me some warning if you have to disappear. Not posting for an extended period of time with no warning will make you liable for replacement.

• Do not edit posts with dice rolls in them. Ever. Edited dice rolls will be considered a natural 1.

• Please don't roll dice in the roleplaying threads if you can help it. That's why the dice rolling thread exists, after all!

• Please include any mechanics in fieldset tags at the bottom of your posts, including links to any dice rolls if applicable.

• I strongly recommend you make use of bold, italics, underlines, colour, secret tags and so forth in your posts.

[Tanuki]

Character Creation

• Ruleset: Pathfinder RPG (PRD | d20pfsrd)

• Books: Anything from the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (i.e. the material on the PRD) is okay. Material from other sources, whether older WotC 3.5e material, Paizo 3.5e material, third party material (whether PFRPG or 3.5e) or homebrew, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Exceptions: no Psionics, Tome of Battle/Tome of Magic, or Magic of Incarnum. If there's something specific you'd like, though, please feel free to ask me. I'm generally pretty relaxed with content, and I'm more than willing to modify and homebrew things to best suit your character.

• Ability Generation: 25 Point ("Epic Fantasy") Purchase (link)

• Alignment: Any non-evil.

• Starting GP: Average (link)

• Bonus Skill: At first level, each character gains one additional bonus skill rank. This skill rank must be put into any Craft, Knowledge, Perform or Profession skill of your choice, to represent your character's background and prior experience.

• Bonus Traits: At first level, each character gains two traits, as explained in the Character Traits web enhancement here. These traits should represent aspects of your character and their background. One trait should be from the following Rise of the Runelords Campaign Traits; the second trait can come from the basic traits list or any other Pathfinder publication (excluding campaign traits). You do NOT get the bonus feat mentioned in the RotRL Player's Guide; that is replaced with the traits system.

• Bonus Languages: Varisian humans receive Varisian. Shoanti humans receive Shoanti. Everyone speaks Taldane (aka Common), sometimes called Chelaxian.

• Setting: Golarion, and specifically, Varisia. Please look at the RotRL Player's Guide and the Pathfinder Wiki for more information.

 

Rise of the Runelords Campaign Traits

Country Born: Your childhood was not in the bustle of a city, but rather the relative peace of the Varisian rural countryside. You might have been raised on a farmstead, a small town or perhaps never settled in one place for long at all. You were brought up in an environment of rustic tradition, hard work, and common sense, and this has left an imprint upon both your mind and your body. Once per day, when an effect would normally leave you fatigued or exhausted, you may ignore the fatigue or exhaustion effect. This ability activates the first time you are affected by fatigue or exhaustion in a day--you cannot "save" it to apply it to a specific effect.

Hunter of Legends: You have a passion and talent for fighting the gigantic creatures that stalk Varisia's landscape. You might have spent your youth chasing herds of aurochs across the Storval Plateau, defending yourself from the predatory nightbelly boas or ember scorpions that lurk the undergrowth and hills, or training in earnest hope to bring down the legendary Sandpoint Devil and achieve glory; either way, you know how to make your strikes count. You gain a +2 trait bonus on weapon damage rolls made against Large or larger creatures.

Korvosan Imperialist: You grew up in Korvosa, devil-worshipping Cheliax's main outpost in Varisia. The Korvosan mindset is very much influenced by mandate from Cheliax, believing in strong self confidence and high respect for ostentatious displays of wealth, power or knowledge. Sometimes, the only way to get what you want is to convince someone else that they want to do it for you. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Intimidate checks, and Intimidate is always a class skill for you.

Lone Wolf: Your past has not been an entirely happy one. You had to learn to take care of yourself, realising that there are many situations when nobody else can help you. You may have been alone within the hustle and bustle of a city, or left to survive within Varisia's uncaring wilds; you grew resilient as a result. Whenever you are dying, the base DC to stabilize is 5, rather than 10.

Magnimarian Diplomat: You hail from Magnimar, the City of Monuments, a few miles south of Sandpoint on the Lost Coast. It is a city that prides itself as much for its many freedoms and open-mindedness as for its fine arts and monolithic architecture. But it is a city perpetually tangled within red tape, and only those who know the way to talk get anywhere within its bureaucratic madness. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is always a class skill for you.

Riddleport Rat: You come from infamous Riddleport, the City of Cyphers. Once a secret pirate haven, the city is now a corrupt and filthy port city where, with a smidgeon of skill and a handful of luck, anyone at all can get rich quick--and lose it all even quicker. It's a city where being stabbed in the back is not so much a frequent occurrence but rather the socially expected norm, and only the quick-witted survive there. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is always a class skill for you.

Thassilonian Scholar: You have always been fascinated by the magnificent ruins that dot the landscape of Varisia, and sought to know all you could about the lost civilization that built such wonders. Information is scarce, but you have learned to piece together fragments of rumours from halfway across the country and believe you are definitely on the road to understanding Varisia's many mysteries. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (history) checks, and Knowledge (history) is always a class skill for you. In addition, you gain the ability to read and speak Thassilonian.

Totem Spirit: You are one of the proud Shoanti, the nomadic, tribal natives of Varisia. While your tribe does generally closely associate with a sacred totem, you feel especially linked with it. Knowing and understanding your totem gives you an almost mystical confidence.

• Lyrune-Quah (Moon Clan): Expert bowmen and hunters, the keen-eyed warriors of the Lyrune-Quah travel by the light of the bright Storval moon. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks, and Perception is always a class skill for you.
• Shadde-Quah (Axe Clan): The Shadde-Quah, dwelling in scattered sea caves, are powerful but isolated defenders of Varisia's northern coast. If you have the barbarian rage ability, you can rage for an additional 3 rounds per day.
• Shriikirri-Quah (Hawk Clan): Revering and respecting the animals it shares the land with, the Shriikirri-Quah learn much from predator-prey relationships. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Ride checks, and Ride is always a class skill for you.
• Shundar-Quah (Spire Clan): The Shundar-Quah are the Shoanti storytellers and diplomats, smoothing tensions and travelling far. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves.
• Sklar-Quah (Sun Clan): Caught between marauding orcs and foreign invaders, the Sklar-Quah learn the art of war and riding through fire early in life. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Acrobatics checks, and Acrobatics is always a class skill for you.
• Skoan-Quah (Skull Clan): Sworn to destroy the walking dead, the Skoan-Quah greatly honour their ancestors. You gain a +2 trait bonus on weapon damage rolls made against undead.
• Tamiir-Quah (Wind Clan): Cloaked in the skins of mountain lions and storm rocs, the Tamiir-Quah stand determined like their mountainous homeland. Your base land speed increases by 5 feet. This increase is a trait bonus.

Varisian Tattoo: You are an enigmatic Varisian, the good-natured and free-spirited wanderers of the nation that bears their namesake. You have been blessed by the fates; perhaps you were born under an auspicious alignment of the stars, or maybe you inherited the talents of a powerful seer in your family, and this blessing gives you the ability to work ancient Varisian magic. You have been tattooed with designs which inspire and empower your natural magical abilities and mark you as someone of great destiny.
Select a school of magic (except divination). If you take the Spell Focus feat for that school, you cast spells of this school at +1 caster level. In addition, you can cast a single cantrip as a spell-like ability at will (caster level equals Hit Dice, save DC is Charisma-based). The spell-like ability gained (and the Varisian name of the spell's school) are as follows:

• Avaria (Transmutation): Mage hand.
• Avidais (Abjuration): Resistance.
• Carnasia (Enchantment): Daze.
• Idolis (Conjuration): Acid splash.
• Ragario (Evocation): Dancing lights.
• Vangloris (Illusion): Ghost sound.
• Voratalo (Necromancy): Touch of fatigue.

[Tanuki]

Classes

• General: All classes that receive 2 + Int modifier skill ranks per level now receive 4 + Int modifier skill ranks per level.
  
  First level HP is maximum. For second level and onwards, you roll normally. However, if you roll less than half your HD (i.e. 1-2 for d6, 1-3 for d8, 1-4 for d10, 1-5 for d12), you round up to half HD (i.e. 3 for d6, 4 for d8, 5 for d10, 6 for d12.)

• Bard: A bard's Versatile Performance now functions as follows:
  
  Versatile Performance (Ex): At 2nd level, a bard can choose one type of Perform skill. He adds half his ranks in that Perform skill (minimum 1) as a competence bonus on associated skill checks. At 6th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute.
  
  The types of Perform and their associated skills are: The types of Perform and their associated skills are: Act (Bluff, Disguise), Comedy (Bluff, Intimidate), Dance (Acrobatics, Fly), Keyboard Instruments (Diplomacy, Intimidate), Oratory (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate), Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive), String (Bluff, Diplomacy), and Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal).

• Druid: The Bear animal companion choice is renamed to Bear, Small (Black). Additionally, the following animal is added to the druid's list of animal companion choices.
  
  Bear, Large (Brown, Polar)
  Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 40 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
  7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8), 2 claws (1d6); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4; Special Attacks grab.

[Tanuki]

Skills

• Appraise: If you are trained in this skill, you can use it in conjunction with detect magic or identify to identify the properties of magic items in your possession. The DC of this check is equal to 15 + the item's caster level. If successful, you determine the item's properties and command words. You cannot determine the powers of artifacts through the use of this skill. You must be the caster of detect magic to use this skill in this way. Attempting to ascertain the properties of a magic item takes 3 rounds per item to be identified and you must be able to thoroughly examine the object. When using detect magic or identify to learn the properties of magic items, you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day. Additional attempts reveal the same results. An elf gets a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks to identify the properties of magic items.

• Disable Device: This skill can now be used by any class (not just rogues) to disarm magical traps.

• Knowledge (arcana): This skill can be used to identify arcane (sorcerer/wizard/bard) spells as they are being cast, an arcane spell that just targeted you, or arcane spell effects that are already in place. Identifying a spell as it is being cast requires no action, but you must be able to clearly see the spell as it is being cast, and this incurs the same penalties as a Perception skill check due to distance, poor conditions, and other factors. You cannot retry checks made to identify a spell.
  
  Knowledge (arcana) can also be used to learn a spell from a spellbook or to prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook. Learning a spell from a spellbook takes 1 hour per level of the spell (0-level spells take 30 minutes). Preparing a spell from a borrowed spellbook does not add any time to your spell preparation. If you fail to learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll, you must wait at least 1 week before you can try again. If you fail to prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook, you cannot try again until the next day. If you are a specialist wizard, you get a +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks made to identify, learn, and prepare spells from your chosen school. Similarly, you take a -5 penalty on similar checks made concerning spells from your opposition schools.
  
  Knowledge (arcana) is also no longer associated with identifying constructs.

• Knowledge (engineering): This skill is now associated with identifying constructs.

• Knowledge (nature): This skill can be used to identify druidic (druid/ranger) spells as they are being cast, a druidic spell that just targeted you, or druidic spell effects that are already in place. Identifying a spell as it is being cast requires no action, but you must be able to clearly see the spell as it is being cast, and this incurs the same penalties as a Perception skill check due to distance, poor conditions, and other factors. You cannot retry checks made to identify a spell.

• Knowledge (religion): This skill can be used to identify clerical (cleric/paladin) spells as they are being cast, a clerical spell that just targeted you, or clerical spell effects that are already in place. Identifying a spell as it is being cast requires no action, but you must be able to clearly see the spell as it is being cast, and this incurs the same penalties as a Perception skill check due to distance, poor conditions, and other factors. You cannot retry checks made to identify a spell.
  
  

  Task	Knowledge Skill	DC
  Identify an arcane spell as it is being cast	Arcana	15 + spell level
  Identify an arcane spell effect that is in place	Arcana	20 + spell level
  Identify an arcane spell that just targeted you	Arcana	25 + spell level
  Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll	Arcana	15 + spell level
  Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook	Arcana	15 + spell level
  Identify a druidic spell as it is being cast	Nature	15 + spell level
  Identify a druidic spell effect that is in place	Nature	20 + spell level
  Identify a druidic spell that just targeted you	Nature	25 + spell level
  Identify a clerical spell as it is being cast	Religion	15 + spell level
  Identify a clerical spell effect that is in place	Religion	20 + spell level
  Identify a clerical spell that just targeted you	Religion	25 + spell level

• Spellcraft: No longer exists.

[Tanuki]

Magic Item Creation

With Spellcraft no longer existing, the checks for item creation are now primarily various Craft and/or Profession skills. I'm pretty liberal with interpretation of this, especially when it comes to Wondrous Items, and I heartily encourage you to be creative! To be specific, this means if you have Craft (glasswork), your amulet of proof against poison might be a specially shaped magic-infused crystal, while if you have Craft (woodwork), it could be a carving. Creating magical items otherwise works the same, with the same chances to create cursed or faulty items, etc.

I also encourage "upgrading" your magical items rather than selling (for example) your +1 longsword once you purchase a +1 flaming longsword. The prerequisites to do this are the exact same; that is, you will need to use the Craft Magic Arms & Armor feat, make a Craft (weaponsmithing) check, etc. However, you can save money this way. To enchant your +1 longsword it will cost 8,300 - 2,300 = 6,000gp, as opposed to selling the +1 longsword for 1,150gp and purchasing the +1 flaming longsword for 8,300gp.

The same kind of principle applies for all other objects, including things that can are currently non-magical but could potentially be crafted into a magical item. For example, you could enchant a cloak into a cloak of elvenkind or a rope into a rope of climbing. You can ALSO use this to add or upgrade additional abilities to magical items, such as improving your belt of giant strength from +2 to +4.

There are rules for this kind of thing in the Magic Item Compendium, and if/when we come to it, I'll explain it in more detail. Basically, I like magic items that do cool and interesting things, and have a history with your character, rather than the standard +2 to mental stats, +1 to saves, etc.

As a general note, you are much more likely to find a guy who can enchant your sword rather than a guy who is interested in buying all your odds and ends, so make use of this.

[Tanuki]

Critical Hits and Fumbles

I use Paizo's Critical Hit and Critical Fumble decks. If you click those links you can read the full rules and get an idea of what's what, but the basic gist is that, rather than simply doing extra damage or missing, you get an extra effect added to your attack. This could be inflicting bleed damage, ability damage or even limb removal... or teleporting yourself right next to that enemy you just failed to hit with your scorching ray.

When you score a critical hit on your attack roll, confirm it as per normal; if this second roll hits, you will deal an additional effect on top of your weapon damage instead of simply doubling (or tripling) the damage.

Critical fumbles operate similarly. If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, confirm the fumble by rolling again with the same modifiers. If this second attack also misses... cross your fingers for luck, I suppose.

When you're confirming your crit or fumble, please roll a d52. This will be how you "draw" the card.

If you'd like to do standard double (or triple) damage rather than drawing a card, please feel free to state as such when you confirm your attack.

You can also "save" a card. This nullifies your critical hit's extra damage and effects, dealing only standard weapon damage, but allows you to "use" the card to avoid a future critical fumble. Please say along with your critical confirmation if you'd like to do this.

Unconfirmed fumbles are simply a miss, while unconfirmed criticals are simply normal damage.

All PCs and NPCs use the fumble decks, but only the PCs and major NPCs use the critical hit deck.