D&D Player's Handbook, Chapter 3: Classes

The Classes

Barbarian

Not a class. Just take Fighter with appropriate decisions on skills and feats.

Bard

Bardic music and lore abilities are essentially swapped in to another class in return for some of the abilities that normally belong to that class. Typical examples would be a Fighter or Cleric with three class features each taken down one step: hit die, base attack (advances as the next-slower class would), and fortitude save. To turn a Wizard into a Bardic Wizard, simply have him advance 2/3 Wizard-equivalent level per level advanced. If you were to do that with Sorcerer, you'd get essentially the Bard class of the 3rd Edition Players Handbook, except for the Rogue-like skill access of the PHB Bard.

Changing a class to the bardic version should add the following skills in-class (but should be reviewed for the specific class): bluff, concentration, craft, decipher script, diplomacy, disguise, gather information, knowledge (any), perform, sense motive, speak language, and spellcraft.

Cleric

The Cleric does not get the ability to spontaneously convert prepared spells to Heal or Harm spells (though they may have such an ability in their area of specialty, if any), and almost all aspects of priestly magic will stay the same as before the 3rd Edition conversion. One big difference from the PHB is the use of metamagic feats by Clerics. If a Cleric has "bought" a feat, then the feat is used as standard. But the Cleric can still use any metamagic feat he hasn't "bought", at a premium of +1 spell level (beyond what the feat calls for). Levels in compatible classes contribute to a Cleric's caster level. Skill points: 3/level (12 at first), before modifiers.

Druid

As standard, with the spells a little different, different Wild Shape progression, and with some special abilities carried forward from pre-3rd Fivtoria. Druids are animal and plant specialists, so they get all animal and plant spells at one spell level below other divine casters. (Or put another way, all those spells increase by one in level, execept for Druids.) Druids can use any metamagic feat at +1 spell level beyond what the feat calls for, as with Clerics. Levels in compatible classes contribute to a Druid's caster level. Skill points: 5/level (20 at first), before modifiers. Still need to note stealth abilities (Hide, Move Silently and Spot counting as in-class in wilderness settings?).

Elven Archer and Elven Fencer

These are based on the D&D 3.5 PHB Ranger, with the former being the archery option of combat style and the latter the two-weapon option. They both lack the tracking and favored-enemy class features of the Ranger class, but have Wizard spellcasting abilities of fully half their Elven Archer/Fencer class level. (This Wizard ability is cumulative with levels in Wizard or any arcane casting prestige class.) As an alternative, the character can take Druidic abilities, with caster level equal to class level (but all other abilities progressing as half class level). Skill points: 7/level (28 at first), before modifiers.

Fighter

Fighter has changed in that the combat system upon which it entirely depends has had changes. Fighters in 3rd Ed Fivtoria have the Weapon Ease feat (see "NEW FEATS" below), and characters buy weapon proficiency with skill points. Skill points: 5/level (20 at first), before modifiers.

Monk

Monks are similar to the 3rd Edition norm, but change in ways specific to their order, as each order is unique. Also, Monks gain a meditation bonus of about 1/3 their level to most of their ability scores. Skill points: 5/level (20 at first), before modifiers.

Paladin

A Paladin is distinguished by having made an implicit pact with a god. This is not a class, but a linked set of abilities (smite, grace, laying on of the hands, steed... but not spells) and responsibilities. Paladins advance as another class (generally Fighter or Cleric) in all ways (plus the special abilities of a standard Paladin, excluding spell casting). Their Fighter-bonus feats can be used for religion-specific purposes, including to acquire spell-like abilities. Champions of different types (i.e. not real Paladins) are likely to have different restrictions and special abilities. It is possible for a Rogue (for example) to meet the requirements of a Paladin, but he will probably need to advance as a Fighter and/or Cleric from then on.

Ranger

The Dark Sun version of the Ranger class is available, but as Dark Sun is still unpublished its specs are regularly changing and not yet readily available. Ranger "Favored Enemy" abilities are available to anyone as a feat. With D&D 3.5 (revised 3rd Edition), Ranger has become a more practical class, but I'm still not thrilled with it. Skill points: 5/level (20 at first), before modifiers.

Rogue

Rogue sneak attacks and evasion are limited significantly. See "Sneak Attack" in the NEW FEATS section. At 2nd level, the Rogue gets the "Evasion 1" feat (see NEW FEATS) instead of the standard Evasion. Rogues start with the Simple Weapons feat, as well as having the other PHB-listed Rogue weapons available. Rogues get the Sneak Attack Resistance feat at 2nd level, which replaces the Uncanny Dodge (flanking) class feature. Rogues get bonus feats every 5th level, as well as an extra skill point, to offset the weakening of Sneak Attack and Evasion. Skill points: 10/level (40 at first), before modifiers.

Samurai

Samurai is a Fighter-like class with an effective Strength modifier of base attack minus 3. Bonuses like that from the Weapon Focus feat do not increase this Strength modifier. Unfamiliar melee weapons are wielded with an effective Strength of -2; only familiar ones get further effective-Strength improvement from base attack. The traditional unarmed combat skill of Fivtorian Samurai can come from Fighter-class bonus feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Flurry of Blows, etc. Anyone with an appropriate teacher can learn the Samurai (finesse) melee style upon acquiring a new level. Upon reaching this new level the character has the effective -2 Str, and accumulates bonuses to effective-Str in the following levels (+1 Str per plus of base-attack advancement). This fighting style is almost always taught from the beginning, or not at all.

Sorcerer

Sorcerer is used for the innate abilities of dragons, but is not available as a regular character class.

True Wizard, a.k.a. Arcane Artist

No metamagic feats (or need for them), completely different spell system (no concept of "spell level"), d4 for hit dice, base attack as Wizard, saves as Cleric. Skill points: 3/level (12 at first), before modifiers. An additional 2 points or so per level are assumed to go into required class skills, such as mathematics and magic theory. Those skills do not show up anywhere in the game except when one class is assumed to understand a thing while another class is not. Spellcraft is not of much importance to an Arcane Artist.

Witch

Witch is like Wizard, with the ability to select from arcane and divine spell groups, and with the requirement that all spells be cast the slow way (generally 1 full round per spell list (uninterrupted)). They effectively get all metamagic feats for free, in that they have flexibility in how they cast their spells. (That flexibility comes with the long casting time.) They use the Wizard-class specs for most things, and their bonus feats could provide a special familiar, item creation feats, etc. The items they can create besides scrolls are basically potion-like things (e.g. candles, talismans). Witches should check on the new metamagic feats (in the Feats section). Levels in other classes contribute to the caster level of a Witch. Skill points: 5/level (20 at first), before modifiers. Two of these are generally expected to go to "Alchemy" and "Profession(herbalist)". Spellcraft is not of much importance to a Witch.

Wizard

Wizard will stick with the Fivtorian concept of familiars, as well as the spells and optional spell points that we have been using, and the item creation feel that we have been playing with. Which is to say, little has changed except that there are now metamagic feats. Unlike the PHB3 Wizard class, they will not start with any weapon feats. All weapons will be "out of class" unless a feat is spent to remedy the situation. Levels in other classes contribute to the caster level of a Wizard. Skill points: 3/level (12 at first), before modifiers. An additional 2 points or so per level are assumed to go into required class skills, such as mathematics and magic theory. Those skills do not show up anywhere in the game except when one class is assumed to understand a thing while another class is not.

Advancement

Experience During Downtime

Doing adventurous things gets you experience as normal, and allows you to advance in levels as normal. But as with previous Fivtoria rules, study can allow level advancement without finding (or causing) trouble.

General study and practice, with a smattering of off-camera experience and with skilled assistance and/or proper practice equipment gives 1kxp/year (~20xp/week). Assuming human lifestyle, this provides for a pretty steady rate of advancement for low-level trainees (2nd level after 1 year / 3rd after 3 years / 4th after 6 years / 5th after 10 years), and low-level normals (about half or one-third the trainee advancement rate), while keeping advancement from being too fast for high-level characters who study all the time (10th->11th in 10 years).

The level of ordinary people is likely to be limited more by how many years they are willing to study rather than by how many years they have had in which to study. Consider how real-life college students lose their patience for school, and don't get it back. Player characters are assumed to have as much patience as needed.

If the typical person can study his profession for a maximum of 5 or 10 years, then the typical advancement-oriented person advances to somewhere in the 3rd-5th level range by the time he's human-equivalent 30 years old, then maybe gets one more level during his life. The equivalent of real-world people who don't go into a profession is a character who gets to 1st or maybe 2nd level as an adult, then maybe one more level later in life.

It is possible to acquire skill points with time, even without advancing a character level. The amount of time required per skill point depends on the level of dedication and determination to study. The time required is reduced to half with a sufficiently capable teacher, and is doubled if lacking learning materials (e.g. books, practice weapons, sparring partner).

  TIME/SkPt  PACE
  1 year     leisurely
  3 months   normal full-time study
  2 months   including weekends

Feats, too, can be learned with only time and training. Treat the learning of a feat as though it were 8 skill points, with a teaching/learning DC 2 higher than normal. For each additional feat gained without a level increase, add +4 to the effective skill points and +1 to the DC. If a learning attempt backfires (missed by 10), that teacher can no longer help with the learning of that feat. If it backfires badly (missed by 15), all progress toward learning that feat is lost.

Experience For Runs

My thought on experience (starting 10/2002, anyway) was to record a certain amount (perhaps typically 300) as the "norm" for characters who participated in the activities of a session. Unplayed characters (NPCs, or PCs who were not actively played during the session) would give up 1/3 of this number, but could make it back up with offline activity (e.g. other character development). Characters significantly above the median level of the party, without doing a substantially larger fraction of the work than the others, would give up 1/3 of this number. Characters significantly below the median level, without doing a substantially smaller fraction of the work than the others, would gain an additional 1/3 of this number.

Rerolling Hit Points

I've adopted a rule from Jerrod's game to allow characters to avoid low hit points for their levels. Every time a new hit die is rolled, the character (PC or NPC) has the right to reroll all hit dice to date, but will be stuck (for at least 1 level) with whatever comes up on the reroll. The new level will increase the character's hit points at least as much as if the player had rolled a 1 on the new hit die (and not rerolled the other dice). This is useful for characters who have rolled poorly, and is risk-free any time a character rolls a 1 on that level's hit die.

Example: Fred the Fighter has rolled 3 on both his d10 hit dice. He just reached 3th level, giving him 16 hit points (10 + 3 + 3) plus 3 times his Constitution bonus. He takes the risk that he'll end up rerolling even lower, and rerolls his 2 d10s. If he somehow gets an even-worse roll, his minimum hit points will be 14 (10 + 3 + 1) plus 3xCon bonus.

Example: Barry the Bard has rolled near maximum on his hit dice, but upon reaching 8th level he rolls a 1. While it is extremely unlikely that he would do better with a reroll, his hit points cannot go lower as a result, so he rerolls on the off chance that he gets even luckier.