Books Allowed

Any books with an Asterix (*) are considered probationary.  Any rules used from those books are subject to being ret-conned away at a moment's notice.

These are the books that will currently be allowed to be used as source books:

Player's Handbook

• DMG
• Complete Warrior's
• Complete Adventurer's
• Complete Arcanist's
• Complete Divine
• Races Of Stone
• Races of Destiny
• Races of the Wild
• Races of Eberron
• *Expanded Psionics Handbook
• *Complete Psionicist's
• Eberron Campaign setting
• Eberron Player's Guide
• *Other Eberron Sourcebooks
• *Spell Compendium

Books under consideration:

• PHB II
• DMG II

Books absolutely not allowed:

• Anything by Mongoose
• Anything by Toastmaster Harry

Races Allowed:

     PHB Races:

• Human
• Elf
• Half-Elf
• Half-Orc
• Dwarf
• Gnome
• Halfling

     Eberron Races:

• Warforged
• Kalashtar
• Shifter
• Changeling

Classes Allowed:

     PHB Classes:

• Barbarian
• Bard
• Cleric
• Druid
• Fighter
• Monk
• Paladin
• Ranger
• Rogue
• Sorcerer
• Wizard

     Expanded Psionics Handbook classes:

• *Psion
• *Psychic Warrior
• *Soulknife
• *Gene Wilder

     Eberron Classes

• Artificer

Racial Substitution levels

Note that I haven't explored all of these, but those that I have don't seem overbalancing.  They all seem to have some give and take.

As such, At this point Racial substituion levels in Allowed books are also allowed.

This ruling is subject to revokation if the need arises.

 

Starting Age

No character may start older than <2 years prior to middle aged> or 50, whichever is lower.

One because I don't want anyone starting the game with age modifiers, and the other, because I don't want any characters born before the continental shift began.

 

Character Generation

 General

• Characters must have a concept that is a "Good Criminal."  The campaign will have the recurring theme of performing actions that are legally or morally questionable, but suit a noble goal.
• Characters begin at 1st level with Maximum hitpoints for their class.
• Players must submit a background of at least one paragraph on their journal page.  You may be as specific or vague as you want when referring to the campaign world.

 

Stat Generation

Players may choose one of the following 3 Stat generation methods:

 

Random

     1) Roll 4d6, drop the lowest die, 6 times.

     2) choose up to one number to reroll. (must take second Roll)

     3) If the 'net bonus' is lower than +3, start over

     4) place the stats in any order on your character

     5) Apply racial Modifiers

• Must be done in front of me (or a duly appointed representative)
• Characters may be re-rolled due to GM pity (if any exists)

Point Buy (almost Ogre's method)

• divide 75 points among the 6 stats.
• No stat can be higher than 18
• no stat can be lower than 7
• Charisma cannot be lower than 8
• Apply racial modifiers

Pre-set stats:

• Place the following stats in any order on your character sheet:  8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17
• Apply Racial Modifiers

 

Starting Gold

 

For starting gold, consult the rulebook for what type of dice to roll for starting gold and use the following constants:

• Treat d4s as if they had rolled 3s
• d6s as 4s
• d8s as 5s
• d10s as 6s (I don't think this is an issue)
• d12s as 7s (I don't think this is an issue)

 

Rules Changes, Additions, and Clarifications

 

"Chips"

Various activities will reward the players with chips, which can be used for in game effects.

 

Earn Chips by:

• Keeping your journal between each session. (such as updateing your character file, Maintaining pages)
• Submitting text for the "Story so far" page.  (keep either a page or a discussion on your journal for this purpose. I will copy from there the text I want to use on the primary page.
• Being active on this Gaming group site.
• Being ready to play 5 minutes early.
• Various tasks as determined by GM

Use chips to:

• Perform an extra Move action immediately before or after your turn.
• Use a chip as an action point.
• Use a "Trained only" skill unskilled for 1 roll.

 

Prestige Classes

All prestige classes from the approved books are legal for play, but you must meet the requirements for them as written (or errata-ed).

You may take a prestige class on the level you qualify for it, but you may not use points/feats from the prestige class to qualify for the prestige class.

Where this makes the most difference:

Skill Level and BAB requirements.

• If you are taking a prestige class that requires 8 ranks in a skill (for example), the earliest you could take that prestige class is as your 6th level, or else you would be spending prestige class skill points to qualify for the prestige class.
• If you are a fighter taking a prestige class that requires a BAB of +5, the earliest level you could take that prestige class is 6th, or else you would be using BAB from the prestige class to qualify for the prestige class.

However, if the Prestige class requires a feat that you are taking on that level (as in the feats you get at character level 1,3,6,9,etc) you may take the prestige class on the same level you get the feat, since you would not be using a feat from the prestige class to qualify for the prestige class.

 

Ogre's take on prestige classes has sort of muddied the water on this a bit, since we all effectively qualify for prestige classes a level early in his method.

 

Eberron Races

 

Changelings:

• Changelings may take feats normally restricted to Humans or Dopplegangers (Races of Destiny)

Kalashtars:

• Kalashtars may take feats normally restricted to Humans (Races of Destiny)

Shifters:

• Shifters may take feats normally restricted to Humans or Feral races (Races of the Wild)

Warforged:

• Warforged may take feats normally restricted to Goliaths (Races of Stone)

Racial Weapons

• Weapons associated to a specific race (dwarven Axe, Orc Double axe, Halfling Skiprocks, etc) are considered Martial weapons to mebers of that race.

Psionics

• Psionic Characters must take the New feat, "Augment Power" to use any augmentations listed under a power not related directly to scaling damage (and only damage).   This is considered a psionic feat and may be taken as a bonus feat for psionic classes that grant them.
• Psionic characters must take the New feat, "Epic Psionicist" to spend more than 20 points manifesting a power. This is considered a psionic feat and may be taken as a bonus feat for psionic classes that grant them.
• Soulbows will use an altered enhancment list on their Psionic weapons. Banes, alignments, and elemental damage are disallowed. as are 'speed' and 'returning.' 
• We will be using the "Magic Psionics Transparency" rule with the following exception:  Skill rolls for one type of effect can be used at "-4" to deal with the other effect.  IE: Use Magic Device Rolls will suffer a -4 penalty when trying to use a Psionic device and Vice-Versa.  The skill pairs affected by this rule are as follows:

Knowledge: Arcana - Knowledge Psionics

SpellCraft - PsiCraft

Use Magic Device - Use Psionic Device

 

Professions

I am primarily going to revert to the SRD/PHB use of professions:

• You can practice your trade and make a decent living, earning about half your Profession check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated work. You know how to use the tools of your trade, how to perform the profession’s daily tasks, how to supervise helpers, and how to handle common problems.

It will also function secondarily as a knowledge check of that vocational field or to perform some tasks when appropriate.

 

Knowledges

I am going to default to the SRD/PHB knowledges.

There is no "Knowledge: Monsters."  Most monster types are considered in the other knowledges.

For Instance, Knowledge: Dungeoneering let's you know about Oozes and Aberrations.

 

Action types

We will be using the following action types:

• Free actions: Multiple free actions can be performed on your turn without impacting your turn.  Some free actions (as indicated in their descriptions)are limited to only once each on your turn.
• Swift action: You may perform 1 swift action on your turn without impacting your turn.
• Immediate action: You may use 1 immediate action any time between your turn and your next turn.  If you use an immediate action, you are not allowed a swift action on your next turn.
• Move equivalent action: You may perform 1 move equivalent action per round on your turn.
• Standard Action: You may perform 1 standard action per round on your turn, either before or after your move equivalent action.
• Full- round action: This takes your whole turn. You may not take a Move equivalent or standard action in the same round as a full round action.  Free and swift actions can still be performed before or after the Full round action.  Some full round actions last until just befor the start of your next turn. (full round spells, Coup de Gras, etc)

Magic Items

• Weapons can only have one type of elemental damage (including Sonic) bestowed upon them at one time.
• Weapons can only have one kind of Bane bestowed upon them at one time.
• Weapons can only have one Law to Chaos damage enhancer bestowed upon them at one time.
• Weapons can only have one Good to Evil damage enhancer bestowed upon them at one time
•      For instance, you could get a Lawful, flaming burst, Elfbane dagger of good, but you could not have a Flaming, Acid, Thundering dagger.
• The cost for upgrading a magic Item is the difference in total cost plus 10% (1.1 times the cost difference)