Character Building

Click here for rules regarding blind characters.
Click here for rules regarding sanity.

--------

27-point build.

Start with a base of 10 in each attribute. You have 27 build points with which to raise them. Each level from 11 to 13 costs one build point. 14 and 15 cost two apiece, 16 and 17 cost three, and 18 costs 4. Lowering an attribute below 10 gains you one point each for 9 and 8, and four points for 7. Thus:

7 = –4
8 = –2
9 = –1
10 = 0
11 = 1
12 = 2
13 = 3
14 = 5
15 = 7
16 = 10
17 = 13
18 = 17

Apply racial modifiers afterward.

Max ability score before racial mods: 18
Minimum ability score before racial mods: 7

--------

Every character receives the maximum hit points possible given his or her hit die. Don't forget to add in any bonus hit points from a high Constitution score.

--------

XP accumulates normally. If a character gains enough XP in one session to advance more than one level, no XP is lost. However, that character must spend one session at the intermediate level before advancing to the final level.

--------

House Rule: Fractional Base Bonuses

The progressions of base attack bonuses and base save bonuses in the standard rules increase at a fractional rate, but those fractions are eliminated due to rounding. For single-class characters, this rounding isn't significant, but for multiclass characters, this rounding often results in reduced base attack and base save bonuses.

For example, a 1st-level rogue/1st-level wizard has a base attack bonus (BAB) of +0 from each class, resulting in a total BAB of +0. But that's only due to the rounding of each fractional value down to 0 before adding them together—the character actually has BAB +3/4 from her rogue level and BAB +1/2 from her wizard level. If the rounding is done after adding together the fractional values, rather than before, the character would instead have BAB +1 (rounded down from 1-1/4).

The table below presents fractional values for base save and base attack bonuses. To determine the total base save bonus or base attack bonus of a multiclass character, add together the fractional values gained from each of her class levels.

For space purposes, the table does not deal with the multiple attacks gained by characters with a base attack bonus of +6 or greater. A second attack is gained when a character's total BAB reaches +6, a third at +11, and a fourth at +16, just as normal.

This variant is ideal for campaigns featuring many multiclass characters, since it results in their having slightly higher base save and base attack bonuses than in a standard game.

For example, in a standard game, a 5th-level cleric/2nd-level fighter would have base save bonuses of Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +4. In this variant, the same character would have Fort +7 (rounded down from 7-1/2), Ref +2 (rounded down from +2-1/3), and Will +5 (rounded down from +5-1/6).

Another example: A standard 2nd-level rogue/9th-level wizard would have a base attack bonus of +5, +1 from rogue and +4 from wizard. Using the fractional system that character's base attack bonus would be +6, +1-1/2 from rogue and +4-1/2 from wizard, enough to gain a second attack at a +1 bonus.

Adding together halves, quarters, and thirds can be tricky. Here's a cheat sheet to help you with some of the common sums you might encounter.

1/4 + 1/3 = 7/12
1/4 + 2/3 = 11/12
1/2 + 1/3 = 10/12
1/2 + 2/3 = 14/12, or 1-2/12
3/4 + 1/3 = 13/12, or 1-1/12
3/4 + 2/3 = 17/12, or 1-5/12

--------

All characters treat exotic weapons with their race's name in them as martial weapons. In addition, all feats and requirements pertaining to martial weapons apply to their racial analogues if a character is of the appropriate race.

For example: A dwarf who takes Weapon Focus: Battleaxe may apply its bonuses to a dwarven waraxe and the axe portion of a dwarven urgrosh.

In a similar vein, Martial Weapon feats (but not proficiency feats) and requirements apply to their non-racial exotic weapon analogues, but only if the character already has proficiency with the exotic weapon.

GM Note: In this campaign, weapon proficiencies gained by class include racial analogues (if appropriate), but those gained by race do not. It's essentially the difference between knowing how to use a weapon and actually having training with it. A character may use a weapon with which he is not proficient as his primary weapon for an entire level in order to gain a proficiency equivalent to a racial proficiency.

--------

Special abilities may be requested of the GM. The player should have a balancing disadvantage in mind. Other roleplaying systems that use such mechanics (like GURPS) may be used for reference, but approval is not guaranteed. Similarly, flaws (from Unearthed Arcana and the SRD) may be applied with GM approval.

--------

Only spells from Paizo are available. Other spells may become available via scrolls or through contact with other characters (including PCs). GM-approved third-party classes are exempt from this rule in regard to their printed spell lists.

Only psionic powers from Dreamscarred Press are available. Other powers may become available via power stones or through contact with other characters (including PCs). GM-approved third-party classes are exempt from this rule in regard to their printed power lists.

Exception: With GM approval, the feats Expanded Knowledge and Extra Spell, as well as the spell/power researching mechanic, may be used to gain access to third-party spells and powers.

--------

Metaphysical Transparency

--------

Spellcraft check results are limited to 5× the number of ranks a character has taken in an appropriate Knowledge skill, based on the particular metaphysical energy (generally divine magic, arcane magic, or psionics) of the effect or item being identified. If a character has no ranks in the appropriate skill, not even the type of energy can be identified. For this purpose only, bonuses to a Knowledge skill (including Bardic Knowledge and Skill Focus) count as ranks as long as the character has at least one actual rank in the skill. Characters who can use the appropriate Knowledge skill untrained may treat bonuses as ranks even if they have no actual ranks.

Familiarity with a particular type of metaphysical energy allows a character to ignore the limitation to Spellcraft checks relating to that type of energy, regardless of skill ranks. The capacity to use or detect metaphysical energy as a learned ability grants familiarity with that type of energy. For example, a druid can cast divine spells, so they can perform Spellcraft checks on divine magic without being limited by ranks&mdahs;or lack thereof—in Knowledge (religion). Spell-like abilities (and similar innate minor abilities) do not automatically confer familiarity.

If a character has familiarity with at least one type of metaphysical energy, the Metaphysical Transparency feat allows the Spellcraft limitation to be ignored for all types of metaphysical energy. A character must still have had some sort of prior exposure to the specific energy type in order to discern its type.

The Detect Magic spell and the Detect Psionics power are renamed "Detect Metaphysics." Any classes with either on their spell or power list may add Detect Metaphysics for free to their spellbook or list of spells/powers known, and (for casters who prepare their spells) it is always considered prepared.

Antimagic field halves its effect when used on psionics, and null psionics field halves its effect when used on magic. Each round, an opposing effect has only a 50% chance to remain unhindered. If hindered, it is considered suppressed for 1d4 rounds, and then becomes unhindered for the remaining duration of the spell or power. There is no differentiation between arcane and divine magic in this situation.

Generally speaking, spell resistance and power resistance function normally against all types of metaphysical energy. If the GM so desires, beings of pure magic or psionic energy may be vulnerable to the other type to some extent.

Effects that specifically block certain spells or types of spell effects usually have the same effect on any psionic counterparts, and vice versa. This is determined on a case-by-case basis by the GM.

Use Magic Device and Use Psionic Device are combined into a single skill and renamed "Use Metaphysical Device." All magic item creation feats are also combined with their psionic analogues.

If a class has Knowledge (arcana) as a class skill, yet has no inherent magical aptitude, add Knowledge (psionics) as a class skill.

--------

Reducing Feat Taxes

There are a number of combat-related feat chains that make the effectiveness of specialised characters lag significantly behind simpler characters. For example, it takes multiple feats to bring a character wielding two weapons up to the effectiveness of a similar character wielding a single weapon in two hands—which requires no feats at all. These rules may be downloaded at The Elephant in the Room.

In addition to the rules in the linked document, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting is modified. Instead of granting an extra attack, it reduces the penalties for fighting with two weapons by 2. When the character reaches a BAB of +11, the penalties are eliminated entirely. Greater Two-Weapon Fighting also provides a matching offhand attack each time a character's BAB grants them an iterative attack, instead of only the first and second times.

Light weapons are still referred to as "light weapons," and mêlée weapons for which a character may use their Dex bonus in their attack rolls are still referred to as "finessable." This is for the sake of clarity, as there isn't really a need to change the terminology, and it avoids any confusion between a weapon with the agile (ie. "finessable") inherent property and one with the agile psionic modification.

--------

Other Rules

--------

• With a full night's rest (8 hours of sleep or more), you recover 1 hit point per hit die plus 1 hit point per point of Con bonus (if any). Any significant interruption during your rest prevents you from healing that night unless you rest for an additional hour.

  If you undergo complete bed rest for an entire day and night, you recover twice your HD plus twice your Con bonus (if any) in hit points.

  In either case, if you have a Con penalty, subtract the value from your hit points recovered. Always use your Con bonus or penalty as it stands before you begin your rest.

  Long-Term Care
  Providing long-term care means treating a wounded person for a day or more. If your Heal check is successful, the patient recovers hit points or ability score points (lost to ability damage) at twice the normal rate. Any significant interruption during the patient's rest negates long-term care unless a second Heal check is made.

• Abilities with uses listed as x∕day refresh at midnight unless specifically stated in their descriptions (eg. cleric spell slots refresh at dawn, wizard's refresh after studying his spellbook). Abilities with uses listed as x∕week refresh at midnight on the 7th day subsequent to their use; if x>1, treat each use individually.
• Knowledge (geology) [Int]: Like the Craft and Profession skills, Knowledge actually encompasses a number of unrelated skills. This entry specifically relates to the study of rocks, minerals, and geologic processes. Knowledge (geography) and Knowledge (dungeoneering) each touch on some bits of geology, but Knowledge (geology) delves further into the processes behind the features and includes other all other fields which fall under "earth sciences."

--------

Rules Clarifications

--------

Sometimes, the complexities of a rule can be interpreted in multiple ways. Or the way it interacts with another rule can be subject to debate. I tend to be a lenient GM, so the rules clarified here are not necessarily based on official clarifications.

• The speed weapon enhancement grants an extra attack following the first attack made with that particular weapon in a round. If a character is wielding two weapons, each enhanced with speed, and makes a full attack, each weapon can make a second attack following its first. The attacker may choose the order in which these attacks take place, though all must be performed before any iterative attacks (those using a lower base attack bonus).

  A creature under the effects of haste or similar and making a full attack must choose between making the single extra attack enabled by the spell or making extra attacks due to speed enhancements (if any), but continues to benefit from the other effects of the spell regardless of choice.

• The Heighten Spell metamagic feat always heightens the spell to the level of the slot ultimately used to case the spell. When used in conjunction with another metamagic feat, Heighten Spell stacks with the spell level increase caused by that feat.