There is a lot here.
I start with character creation, then move on to gameplay rules. Major headings are colored, minor headings are in bold for quicker reference. A few places have been [updated since Last Game].
If you have a question or can’t find something just ask. A lot of the character creation rules may seem rather… generous… (particularly for spells and equipment). These are supposed to be veteran adventurers, so it makes sense that they would be well-established. Trust me, though, you’ll need every bit of it.
Character Creation
Use invisible castle or Unseen servant for rolls and link here. Unseen servant Campaign id 369.
There is a step-by-step guide HERE
You can use the Purple Worm site (free and legal) for the official 2e PHB, DMG, and complete (insert race or class) books here, as well as Tome of Magic. I don’t think it has Complete Humanoid, but if you can’t find it let me know and I can look stuff up for you.
Races:
Any race from PHB or the ‘complete’ series, but Not complete humanoids.
Exceptions: I will allow (from complete humanoid) Bugbear, Gnoll, Flind, Goblin*, Hobgoblin, Kobold*, Half-Ogre, Orc, Half-Orc.
*Means they will get +1 to dex in addition to the stat adj in CH.
Height/Weight/Age:
Roll for height. Age can be chosen freely below 'old age' for that race. Weight can be chosen within the starting limits. The reasoning here is that a person cannot choose how tall they are, but they can choose how old they are when they start adventuring and can adjust weight with diet/exercise.
Classes and Kits:
Pretty much anything from the official 2e ‘complete’ series of splatbooks. I have made specialized kits in the past, but the life-expectancy of characters in this game might be a little short to put in that level of effort for… No Psions… sorry.
No more than 1 kit per character. Multi-class characters can only take one kit, but it can be for either class or a specifically multi-class kit. This means a Fighter/Thief could take a normal Fighter or Thief kit, or a kit described as being only for Fighter/Thieves.
A Race can either Dual-class or Multi-class, but not both. For this game, any race can be any class: A kender mage, dwarf paladin, etc. Kit racial restrictions still apply. No level or ability score caps for races. There are ability score requirements for classes, though. Read up on this if you are deciding to dual-class.
Dual-Class:
Any human or humanoid race whose max life is 150 years or less.
Human Bugbear, Gnoll, Flind, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Half-Ogre, Kobold, Orc, Half-Orc.
Multiclass:
Any humanoid race whose max lifespan is over 150 years
Elves, H-Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Halflings, etc, etc, and so on
Background
Create a physical/behavioral description of your character, along with a background history. At the very least include their reason for adventuring and any significant tragedies/successes in their life. You don’t have to go into a lot of detail for this game, but please do more than a couple of sentences.
Stat Generation: (finally)
I dislike the point-buy system, but I do enjoy the control it gives players during character creation. We'll use a modified point-buy where the base is random.
Custom Method:
3d4 six times as base, distribute for each stat, then distribute 28 points
-1 pt = 1 pt no matter what the score it's added to is. Going from 17-18 only costs 1 point.
-No more than 7 points can be added to any one stat. you could conceivably spend all your points by adding 7 to 3 different stats and leaving the others alone.
-No point buy above 18 (potential exceptional strength will be handled separately)
-Reroll if: total 3d4 from all 6 stats is less than (not equal) to 45, OR every 3d4 set you roll is below 9 (could not even buy one stat up to 16)
Racial adjustments are added after point buy. Once you have your stats and your race, let me know and I would roll for exceptional strength. Racial adjustments can push your final stat over 18, but never over 20.
Invisible castle and Unseen servant can handle at least 6 rolls at a time. IC is pretty intuitive, Unseen servant describes how to do so as well. For US you can write your stat roll code like this “Stat Roll for <insert name here> [3d4] [3d4] [3d4] [3d4] [3d4] [3d4]”
Level and Hit Points:
Characters will start with 2 million xp. [updated since Last Game]. For most single classers this should be around lvl 16.
Multi-classers split their starting and gained xp evenly between all classes.
Dual-classers spend xp normally for first class in any amount they like. They then spend double that amount in the second class to get to and Equal the same Class Level, but spend xp normally after that (slightly different from phb)
Example:
Bob is playing this game and has 2 million xp to create his character with.
His goblin character starts life as a warrior, and earns 500k xp to get to lvl 10 (gaining 9d10 +3 hps, + any con bonuses up to and including lvl 9).
He then decides to multiclass into Mage (He must have a 17 Int to do this per PHB).
He spends double the amount of xp needed to reach lvl 10 as a mage (normally 250k xp, it costs him 500k xp)
He has 1 million xp left to spend, and puts it all in his new Mage class at the normal rate (bringing him to 1.25 mil xp in Mage and lvl 14)
He gains 1d4 hp for lvl 10 (because mage get a 10th hit die) and 1 hp/lvl for lvls 11 through 14 (per normal mage leveling rules).
Max hps for 1st lvl. Roll hit points for additional levels and link your rolls in private or character creation threads. If you have trouble or are confused with how many die/hps you should have (which sometimes happens with high lvl multiclass or dual-class characters) just ask and I’ll help you along.
I allow you to ‘roll over’ fractions of multiclass hps, so roll all of your hps as if you were single class, add them, then divide the result by the number of classes you have. Report any fractions.
Proficiencies:
NWProficiencies:
I use NWPs instead of Secondary Skills. High Intelligence scores give you both the number of languages and bonus NWP slots. You cannot trade a language for another NWP. Additional slots in a NWP will improve the score by 2. Max of 20, but rolling a 20 on a skill check always fails so it is moot unless there is some kind of penalty applied to the check.
Example:
A character with an Int of 16 gets to learn 5 languages and picks up 5 NWP points. These can be spent on ancient languages and the like. A character could not sacrifice a language to gain an extra NWP (i.e. taking only 4 languages to get 6 NWP slots is not allowed.)
WPs and Specialization:
Follow the rules in the PHB or relevant splatbook (ex: single-class rangers specializing in 2-wep fighting style can use dual longswords.)
Spend all proficiency slots, please. Left-over slots will be unusable until your next level-up that grants a proficiency slot. In this way you can save up for those 2 or 3 slot skills.
Magic:
Spellbooks:
Any arcane caster can have just enough spellbooks (for free) to contain their spells. List your spells and I’ll roll for pages and how many books you have. This includes bards and any other class that casts Arcane magic from a Spellbook.
Starter spells:
These will be based on the highest spell level an Arcane caster has access to and their max spells/lvl based on Intelligence.
Don’t worry about rolling % chance to learn spells except for those of the highest spell level available.
Example:
Meg made a single class mage at lvl 14 with access to 7th level Arcane spells with 17 Int (14 spells/lvl).
-All spell levels up to the three highest (1-4 for Meg) can be completely filled up to the limit based on Int*
-The Third Highest spell level (5) can be filled up to 75% (10 spells)** +2 ‘freebie’ spells (explained below)
-The Second Highest spell level (6) can be filled up to 50% (7 spells) +1 ‘freebie’
-The Highest spell level (7) can be filled up to 25% (3 spells) +1 ‘freebie’
-Limited Wish can only be gained as a ‘freebie’
*(Spells/lvl will cap at 22 for character creation for PCs with 19 or higher Int, but may be exceeded later in-game)
**Fractions round down. ‘Freebies’ explained below
‘Freebie’ Spell:
This spell will be selected by the DM (I’ll just roll for it) from a list of 4 to 10 spells the player is interested in. This spell does not need to be rolled for % chance to learn. Thus if Meg really wants to get Limited Wish as a freebie, she should make a shorter list that includes it to increase her chances. If she gets a different spell, she can still try to learn it in-game provided she has access to a copy. NO LIMITED WISH SCROLLS.
A specialist can decide to select a new spell of their chosen school without rolling OR go for a ‘freebie’ from a different school as mentioned. The only exception to this is Limited Wish.
Equipment:
Since the players are starting at level 16-ish, they are considered veterans.
Characters can start with almost any amount of normal equipment for free provided each individual thing costs 50 gp or less (for the quantity listed), 10 units or less (100 for ammo). Items over 50 gp each must be purchased.
5,000 gp worth of ‘funds’ are available to each character to buy normal things costing more than 50 gp (field plate, longbows, additional things with a unit limit above, etc). Magical items cannot be purchased this way.
5,000 xp worth of magic items, but no more than One with xp value over 2,000, and nothing over 3,000. [updated since Last Game].
I will allow anything you can afford from the Complete Book of Magical Items. If you don’t have access to this, it is basically just a compilation of magic items from all of the books on the Purple Worm site. To get a magic item from one of the race or class books, you should be of that race or class (at least half)! If you are not but you think it should be allowed for your class/race, ask and explain your reasoning and I’ll consider it. If the base item is more than 50 gp, the base cost of the item must be paid out of the starting gold (i.e. +3 plate).
-No items can be purchased with a greater than +4 enchantment, these are simply too rare. [Updated since Last Game]
-Bracers of Defense can be purchased to your allowable limit (1pt /500 xp. AC 5 at 2500xp, AC 4 at 3k xp).
-No cursed items!
-Spell scrolls are purchased at 100xp/ total spell levels (3 spells @ 1st = 1 spell @ 3rd = 300 xp)
-NO LIMITED WISH SCROLLS.
-Players cannot ‘pool’ their gold or xp to get something they cannot normally afford.
-No more than 1 ioun stone. Cannot use the +1 exp level stone (pale green prism)
Spell Components:
Normal components that are cheap and readily available don’t need to be specified. Expensive, rare or significantly large materials the character must have with them in inventory. Examples of necessary components are: a silver mirror, black dragon blood, any component with a gp value listed in the spell description, or a bulky item (20 square foot piece of cloth).
General components can be bought from a magic-shop and kept in a 'component bag' that costs 1 gp per spell level to refill (a 3rd level mage would need to spend 3 gp, a 14th level mage would need to spend 28 gp (7+6+5+4+3+2+1) The component bag must be refilled between adventures (or once a month, whichever comes first). The component bag/s weigh 1 lb*max spell level. (7 lbs for mage capable of 7th lvl spells). Don’t worry about paying for component bags in this game, but list them in inventory. The upkeep wont really come into play for this adventure since it is a one-shot.
General Rules:
This game is for 2nd Ed AD&D.
Gameplay rules
Initiative:
I typically use individual initiative along with wep/spell/conditional modifiers. Initiative is rolled each round for each character.
Firing into Melee:
Firing into Melee is risky, but I feel that characters will wait and choose their moment carefully to avoid hitting a party member (even evil ones will do this if only to keep from wasting a shot). I don’t like the way the PHB rules are laid out, but the reasoning has merit (everyone is moving around a lot in order to avoid each other’s strikes and to attack) and so there are penalties. Missing due to a penalty will cause the PC to miss wide, and not endanger their allies; except in the case of a fumble. With critical misses, everyone in the area is fair game except the opponent (oddly enough). Penalties are halved when the opponent does not move its body in relation to the PCs (there is still a small penalty because the PCs are still trying to avoid attacks and strike).
Here are the adjustments I will use for a player firing into a melee between a party member and an opponent:
-0 There is no penalty if the opponent is 2 size categories larger than the player (gnome vs ogre).
-1 if the opponent is 1 size category larger.
-2 if they are the same size, or if the opponent is larger and there are 2 party members attacking it.
-4 if the opponent is one size category smaller than the player
Multiple party members engaging in melee (or preparing to backstab) the same opponent will multiply the above penalties to a max of 3x. For example: Bob is out of spells and wants to use his sling to hit the ogre. Three of his party members are engaged in melee with the ogre: A gnome rogue, a human fighter and an elf ranger. Since the ogre is 1 size category larger than both the human fighter and the elven ranger, there is a -1 penalty for each of them. There is no penalty for the gnome since he is 2 size categories smaller. The total penalty for Bob firing at the ogre would be -2. If it were an Orc instead of an ogre the total penalty would be -5 (-2 for the human, -2 for the elf, -1 for the gnome).
Encumbrance:
Basic encumbrance applies. Magic armor has an effective weight 10 lbs less than normal for each + to it’s bonus, to a minimum of ‘weightless’. A +2 set of chainmail would weigh 20 lbs less than regular chain. Shields stay the same, weps are ‘faster’ and have 1/bonus pt less in the speed category to a min of 0. The effective weight is for encumbrance purposes only and does not affect the object's weight when swimming/levitating, etc
Weapon Type vs Armor Modifiers:
These always made a lot more sense to me than generic AC, and I don’t mind the extra work, so I use them. These are listed in the PHB.
Crits on a d20:
Natural 20 always hits (Crit), natural 1 always misses (Fumble).
Crit: roll your damage twice. A crit scored on a creature unable to be permanently damaged by the weapon may stagger or stun them, but won’t result in actual damage. Obviously this doesn’t apply for noncorporeal creatures and non magic weapons. (John hits the Wight with his normal Warhammer, but needs a silver or better weapon to damage it. He rolls a 20 and crits. The Wight is thrown off balance by the attack and loses his action this round)
Fumble: you miss… badly. Weapons may break, become damaged, embedded in a nearby object (door, wall, floor) or you may hit a nearby ally instead.
[New Info]
Crit Confirmation:
-Another bare d20 is rolled (usually by the DM). Anything except a 1 or 20 confirms the previous roll. A 1 or a 20 has specific results (either mitigating or enhancing the result of the first die).
Examples:
-A natural 20 followed by a natl 2 is still a critical hit.
-A natl 1 followed by a natl 19 is still a fumble
-A natl 20 followed by a natl 1 still hits, but does not do extra damage
-A natl 1 followed by a natl 20 still misses, but is not a fumble
-A natl 20 followed by a natl 20 does the damage of a crit (roll damage twice, then add modifiers) and stuns the opponent 1 round
-A natl 1 followed by a natl 1 is a severe fumble. 2 results from my secret fumble table apply. This could result in hitting an ally and breaking or dropping the weapon, etc.
Death's Door:
I will use the optional Death’s Door rule as it is written in the DMG, not the version in my Ravenloft Campaign.
The one addition is that (for those at death's door only!) a successful use of a healing proficiency will bring them back up by the number it succeeds by, but not beyond +1 hp
XP and Leveling:
XP is earned at the end of the day, once the character has a chance to reflect on their experiences (even subconsciously).
Individual awards may include Defeating monsters 1 on 1 for fighters, successful use of thief skills for rogues, successful casting of spells for mages/priests, etc. Basically I use the guidelines from the DMG or respective handbook.
Leveling doesn’t require training, just a good night’s rest.
Proficiencies and Training:
WPs and NWPs gained upon level advancement must be trained in some way. I will assume your character has been studying up on it for a while and may only need to talk to someone proficient for a few pointers before it ‘clicks’. A player can improve an existing NWP score by spending an additional slot on it. This will amount to a +2 bonus to the ability check and should be noted on the character sheet. Improving an existing NWP requires no training, the character simply gets better.
I won’t force long training times or anything like that. If another party member already has the proficiency, you can pretty much consider this automatic as long as they have the right equipment. (A warrior with the Trident WP trying to teach a Ranger to use one will need to actually have a trident around to show him. If there isn’t one available, the Ranger will have to spend a few minutes playing with a trident once he finds one before the Warrior’s advice sets in) Again, I’ll be reasonable about this. He won’t have to spend an hour playing with his polearm…
If two characters have the same proficiency and want to cooperate on a task, use the higher of the two scores and apply a +2 bonus. A third character will add another +1. No more bonuses will be gained beyond three people. Certain proficiencies may not be adjusted in this way (typically performance-type NWPs). 20 is the highest check value possible before the check is made unless there is a penalty that would apply. (19+2 would be 21, but a -3 penalty is applied for some reason so the check is made at 18)
Supplement Rules
I will allow almost anything from the following handbooks:
Paladin, Ranger, Wizard, Druid, Thief, Bard, Dwarves, Gnomes & Halflings, Elves, Humanoids.
The only major exception to the above is the use of Kits. I do allow kits, but you’ll have to let me know which one you are interested in before I approve it.
The Complete Fighter's Handbook
Offhand weapon use, kneeling and sitting, range and initiative, ambidexterity, fighting style specialization, martial arts, punching/wrestling specialization, disarming, grabbing, holding, pinning, pulling/tripping, sapping, shield punching and rushing, recovery of temporary damage, darkness modifiers, unstable ground, mounted combat, bone and stone weaponry, high quality racial armor, and piecemeal armor.
The Cure Moderate Wounds spell is available.
Forum/Posting Rules
Internal monologue is fine, it helps me understand the characters, their motivations and desires. A little extra might be good at first as you are establishing your character/getting to know them. I have been guilty of overdoing it for my characters in the past, so I won’t be too hard on anyone with this.
I would like everyone to post at least every 3 days. If your character is waiting on something to happen or information from the DM, don’t worry about this time limit too much. Characters may be temporarily NPC’d after this time and won’t be very active/interesting when not under player control. It would take a significant amount of time before I convert a character to a permanent NPC (maybe a month IRL). More likely they would just drift away from the party. Reclamation might be possible, but the character may have spent the time away from the party in enemy dungeon.
Use Invisible Castle or Unseen Servant (Campaign ID 369) for rolls and link them to the thread.
Additional:
One of the main advantages of playing by forum is that characters and their actions can be treated more individually. For instance, the other characters wouldn’t necessarily know if a party member is in grave peril. Suddenly their ‘ninja sense’ starts tingling and their character chooses that exact moment to go check on their friend. I realize that many experienced players can truly keep character knowledge a sacred thing, but the temptation is always there.
I want to try to separate that out without having to build a separate thread for each character, so most things will be public, but I ask you to please do your best to keep character knowledge in mind. For certain things (someone goes on an extended task alone) I may open a new thread; for others (thief finds a small stash without the rest of the party around and I’m not sure he wants to share) I will consider sending a PM and letting the player choose whether or not to divulge the discovery. However, party members may notice if the rogue begins using a new piece of equipment they have never seen before or suddenly has enough money to throw it around like water… People aren’t stupid, and their characters won’t be either.
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Rules and Guidelines:
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TristenC
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Re: Rules and Guidelines:
I will consider NWPs from the Netbook of Proficiencies linked below
https://archive.org/stream/proficiencie ... bookV1.txt
Also, of particular note:
Non-weapon proficiency
Cantrip (wizard group) Modifier: Int -2
Cost: 1 slot (mages), 2 slots (bards, specialists)
A character with the cantrip proficiency has learned enough of the rudiments of magic to conjure minor mystical effects. Anyone may learn cantrips, provided they have been tutored by a wizard, although with their natural intelligence and aptitude for magic, wizards and bards excel in this field.
While all mages learn cantrips as part of their training, many forget the basics once they become fully-fledged mages. Others are too proud (and arrogant) to use such petty magics. When a character tries to cast a cantrip, the player must describe the form he wishes the spell to take, preferably in the form of a short rhyme. In combat, cantrips have a casting time of 2.
A proficiency check is rolled to determine whether the verbal and somatic components have been executed correctly (cantrips do not require material components). A successful check means the cantrip was cast as desired, and a failed check means the cantrip fizzles. A roll of 20 has no additional effect, unless the DM decides otherwise.
Even the simplest spell creates a mental burden, so the number of cantrips a PC can use is limited. All characters may cast four cantrips per day, plus one per wizard or bard level (i.e., nonwizards cannot use more as they advance in level). Each additional cantrip cast beyond this limit inflicts a cumulative -1 penalty on the proficiency check. Failed checks still count against the total.
Details about using the Cantrip proficiency: (it was Dragon Magazine 221)
Optional Rules: Specialist mages and Elementalists do not need to roll checks when performing cantrips pertaining to their specialist school or field of magic. However, they cannot use cantrips of opposing schools. A wizard of 5th level or bard of 8th level or higher need not roll checks—their control of cantrips is complete. These characters can cast an unlimited number of cantrips per day.
School-Specific Cantrips The cantrip spell spans all schools of magic and has a limitless number of uses. However, DMs should determine exactly which school a particular effect belongs to. Specialist mages cast more reliable cantrips in their own school of magic, and bonuses to saving throws may also apply. A list of commonly used cantrips, listed by magical school, follows:
Abjuration Cantrips Abjuration cantrips tend to be practical, often employed by apprentices to clean up rooms, dust shelves, sweep and polish floors, wash or dry clothes, aid the caster’s balance, and warm or cool foods and drinks. Minor wards can also be established (10’ radius maximum) against insects or rodents, or an area can be enchanted to stay cool or warm. The cleaning cantrips may either animate cleaning utensils or create ghostly phantom utensils.
Alteration Cantrips The cantrips of alteration magic represent a wide range of uses, from changing the colors of faded plants or garments, to altering the taste of food, or freshening spoiled food—in these forms they are permanent. Such cantrips can also gather firewood; hide footprints; cut, tie, or untie knots in rope or string,; or brighten and dim lights. Alteration cantrips can also act as rudimentary polymorph spells, able to change insects to rodents or vice versa for up to one turn. Furthermore, they can change vegetable or animal items into others within the same kingdom for one turn or less, depending upon how drastic the change is. The physical shape of small mineral objects can be altered, such as a coin changing to a ring. Such a transformation lasts for one round.
Conjuration and Summoning Cantrips These cantrips can summon tiny creatures: normal insects, rodents, or nonpoisonous spiders, or snakes. Normal items weighing less than one pound can also be conjured permanently; such items may not be worth more than 1 gp and may not be made from any valuable material. Items between one and five pounds in weight can be conjured, but they remain for only one turn before disappearing. Invisible forces can also be conjured to rattle or tap objects or snatch at, tickle or prod unsuspecting creatures. Conjured objects may appear normal, but they are never stronger than balsa wood and break if stressed.
Divination Cantrips Lesser divinations can be performed, such as determining the sex of a creature, discovering whether a door or chest is locked without having to touch it, locating the direction of north (magnetic rocks or nearby magic may cause distortions), divining the presence of magic in a 30’ radius (but not type, direction, or strength), or searching for secret doors. In this latter case, the spell has the same chance of success and takes the same time as the caster would, but leaves the mage free to do other things.
Enchantment and Charm Cantrips Enchanting cantrips can move inanimate objects around slowly and jerkily, as if with a crude form of telekinesis (weight limit 2 lbs.). This may spill liquids, pull items off shelves, or knock over unstable objects (such as brooms or sticks). No damage is inflicted by items used to attack. Charm cantrips affect creatures, and can force targets to wink, nod, scratch, belch, yawn, cough, giggle, sneeze, or perform any other minor, involuntary action. A saving throw vs. spell is applicable; success negates the effect or renders it unnoticeable. Cantrips such as these cannot disrupt concentration, but may prove embarrassing for their victims in diplomatic situations.
Illusion and Phantasm Cantrips These cantrips create false sounds, images, or scents. They can make haunting sounds like moans, chains rattling, footsteps, creaks and eerie bumps, or indistinct muffled sounds. When creating images, illusion cantrips form floating, colored globes of light; alter the facial features of a creature; create illusory furniture, carpets, or bushes in a flat and empty area; or conjure a two-dimensional illusion (invisible from the side or rear). All visual illusions can be dispelled by touch or dispel magic, and they remain only as long as the caster concentrates on them. Any smell created lasts only as long as the caster concentrates, affecting a maximum area of 10 cubic feet. Breezes dissipate the smell, and it may be masked by an overpowering smell, such as a troglodyte’s stench or the carrion odor of a ghast.
Invocation and Evocation. These cantrips can create glowing lights of any color, puffs of smoke, miniature colored flames shooting from the caster’s fingers, crackles of lightning and sparks, or a glowing mystical radiance. They can painfully sting another creature, scorch and destroy paper or wood without flames or heat, or cause harmless but noisy explosions. None of these cantrips can physically damage any but the smallest of targets, though they may ignite combustible materials, frighten animals, and alarm the superstitious.
Necromantic Cantrips Necromantic cantrips foster death and decay. They can make flowers wilt or food spoil. Tiny animals such as rodents or insects may be killed by a necromantic cantrip, or animated as ½ HD undead creatures (no more than 2 HD total per cantrip). Bones may rattle, corpses twitch, or glowing points of light appear in the eyes of skulls or undead. Another necromantic cantrip calls out to undead creatures in a 60’ radius, alerting them to the presence of a necromancer. The undead may respond to this information any way they wish, and the caster does not learn of their presence or absence.
Elemental Cantrips Elementalist wizards may use any form of cantrip, although their favorites concern their chosen element. They cannot cast cantrips concerning their opposing element. Air cantrips include the creation of mists, puffs of smoke, hazes, scents and gusts of wind strong enough to billow robes, dry washing, or disperse unpleasant smells. Earth cantrips create or alter stone, sand, mud, clouds of dust, minor earth tremors, and the growth of stalactites. Fiery cantrips create sparks, warmth, flickering lights (no stronger than torchlight), and can ignite dry undergrowth, paper, campfires or thin sticks. Water cantrips deal with the conjuration of water, thick mist (rain if mist is already present), currents and ripples in water, and small waves. Salt or fresh water may be created, as desired.
Wild Cantrips Wild mages have no specific cantrip effects of their own, apparently because their science is still a young one. It has been observed that roughly 5% of cantrips attempted by wild mages become wild surges (a roll of 20 on the proficiency check).
Bardic Cantrips Bards may use cantrips of all varieties presented here. Their favorites, however, relate to the playing of ghostly music or haunting melodies, imitating the sound of horns and bugles, accompanying percussion sounds (cantrips keep time very well), attracting an individual’s attention from across a crowded room or street, illusions and glowing shapes to enhance acts, and false applause. Of course, any cantrip user may create these effects.
No cantrip can directly damage a living target of size S or larger, although damage may be cause indirectly. For example, a fire may be started by a cantrip spark, objects may fall off shelves onto a victim, etc.
No cantrip can force a creature to lose its concentration when maintaining or casting a spell.
Cantrip effects always allow saving throws vs. spells when they affect a living target directly, and they must also overcome natural magic resistance.
No magical items can be damaged or affected by cantrips, nor can a cantrip dispel or remove another magical spell of 1st level or greater.
No cantrip functions within the confines of a protection from cantrips spell, instead being cancelled with a popping noise. A dispel magic spell automatically cancels any cantrip, as will touching any illusory creation.
A divination cantrip is automatically foiled by any form of misdirection. The DM may further rule that areas of strong background magic warp cantrips, preventing them from functioning correctly.
Cantrips do not function in dead magic zones, and in wild magic zones they are treated as if they were spells of level 0.
If two cantrips from different wizards contest each other (such as two wizards so long. Players can also develop failed wizard characters, those apprentices who using telekinesis on the same object, or one creating a breeze to blow away an illusory scent), the wizard with the highest successful proficiency check wins—as in a psionic contest. In the case of a tie, neither cantrip dominates, and the contest continues into the following round
https://archive.org/stream/proficiencie ... bookV1.txt
Also, of particular note:
Non-weapon proficiency
Cantrip (wizard group) Modifier: Int -2
Cost: 1 slot (mages), 2 slots (bards, specialists)
A character with the cantrip proficiency has learned enough of the rudiments of magic to conjure minor mystical effects. Anyone may learn cantrips, provided they have been tutored by a wizard, although with their natural intelligence and aptitude for magic, wizards and bards excel in this field.
While all mages learn cantrips as part of their training, many forget the basics once they become fully-fledged mages. Others are too proud (and arrogant) to use such petty magics. When a character tries to cast a cantrip, the player must describe the form he wishes the spell to take, preferably in the form of a short rhyme. In combat, cantrips have a casting time of 2.
A proficiency check is rolled to determine whether the verbal and somatic components have been executed correctly (cantrips do not require material components). A successful check means the cantrip was cast as desired, and a failed check means the cantrip fizzles. A roll of 20 has no additional effect, unless the DM decides otherwise.
Even the simplest spell creates a mental burden, so the number of cantrips a PC can use is limited. All characters may cast four cantrips per day, plus one per wizard or bard level (i.e., nonwizards cannot use more as they advance in level). Each additional cantrip cast beyond this limit inflicts a cumulative -1 penalty on the proficiency check. Failed checks still count against the total.
Details about using the Cantrip proficiency: (it was Dragon Magazine 221)
Optional Rules: Specialist mages and Elementalists do not need to roll checks when performing cantrips pertaining to their specialist school or field of magic. However, they cannot use cantrips of opposing schools. A wizard of 5th level or bard of 8th level or higher need not roll checks—their control of cantrips is complete. These characters can cast an unlimited number of cantrips per day.
School-Specific Cantrips The cantrip spell spans all schools of magic and has a limitless number of uses. However, DMs should determine exactly which school a particular effect belongs to. Specialist mages cast more reliable cantrips in their own school of magic, and bonuses to saving throws may also apply. A list of commonly used cantrips, listed by magical school, follows:
Abjuration Cantrips Abjuration cantrips tend to be practical, often employed by apprentices to clean up rooms, dust shelves, sweep and polish floors, wash or dry clothes, aid the caster’s balance, and warm or cool foods and drinks. Minor wards can also be established (10’ radius maximum) against insects or rodents, or an area can be enchanted to stay cool or warm. The cleaning cantrips may either animate cleaning utensils or create ghostly phantom utensils.
Alteration Cantrips The cantrips of alteration magic represent a wide range of uses, from changing the colors of faded plants or garments, to altering the taste of food, or freshening spoiled food—in these forms they are permanent. Such cantrips can also gather firewood; hide footprints; cut, tie, or untie knots in rope or string,; or brighten and dim lights. Alteration cantrips can also act as rudimentary polymorph spells, able to change insects to rodents or vice versa for up to one turn. Furthermore, they can change vegetable or animal items into others within the same kingdom for one turn or less, depending upon how drastic the change is. The physical shape of small mineral objects can be altered, such as a coin changing to a ring. Such a transformation lasts for one round.
Conjuration and Summoning Cantrips These cantrips can summon tiny creatures: normal insects, rodents, or nonpoisonous spiders, or snakes. Normal items weighing less than one pound can also be conjured permanently; such items may not be worth more than 1 gp and may not be made from any valuable material. Items between one and five pounds in weight can be conjured, but they remain for only one turn before disappearing. Invisible forces can also be conjured to rattle or tap objects or snatch at, tickle or prod unsuspecting creatures. Conjured objects may appear normal, but they are never stronger than balsa wood and break if stressed.
Divination Cantrips Lesser divinations can be performed, such as determining the sex of a creature, discovering whether a door or chest is locked without having to touch it, locating the direction of north (magnetic rocks or nearby magic may cause distortions), divining the presence of magic in a 30’ radius (but not type, direction, or strength), or searching for secret doors. In this latter case, the spell has the same chance of success and takes the same time as the caster would, but leaves the mage free to do other things.
Enchantment and Charm Cantrips Enchanting cantrips can move inanimate objects around slowly and jerkily, as if with a crude form of telekinesis (weight limit 2 lbs.). This may spill liquids, pull items off shelves, or knock over unstable objects (such as brooms or sticks). No damage is inflicted by items used to attack. Charm cantrips affect creatures, and can force targets to wink, nod, scratch, belch, yawn, cough, giggle, sneeze, or perform any other minor, involuntary action. A saving throw vs. spell is applicable; success negates the effect or renders it unnoticeable. Cantrips such as these cannot disrupt concentration, but may prove embarrassing for their victims in diplomatic situations.
Illusion and Phantasm Cantrips These cantrips create false sounds, images, or scents. They can make haunting sounds like moans, chains rattling, footsteps, creaks and eerie bumps, or indistinct muffled sounds. When creating images, illusion cantrips form floating, colored globes of light; alter the facial features of a creature; create illusory furniture, carpets, or bushes in a flat and empty area; or conjure a two-dimensional illusion (invisible from the side or rear). All visual illusions can be dispelled by touch or dispel magic, and they remain only as long as the caster concentrates on them. Any smell created lasts only as long as the caster concentrates, affecting a maximum area of 10 cubic feet. Breezes dissipate the smell, and it may be masked by an overpowering smell, such as a troglodyte’s stench or the carrion odor of a ghast.
Invocation and Evocation. These cantrips can create glowing lights of any color, puffs of smoke, miniature colored flames shooting from the caster’s fingers, crackles of lightning and sparks, or a glowing mystical radiance. They can painfully sting another creature, scorch and destroy paper or wood without flames or heat, or cause harmless but noisy explosions. None of these cantrips can physically damage any but the smallest of targets, though they may ignite combustible materials, frighten animals, and alarm the superstitious.
Necromantic Cantrips Necromantic cantrips foster death and decay. They can make flowers wilt or food spoil. Tiny animals such as rodents or insects may be killed by a necromantic cantrip, or animated as ½ HD undead creatures (no more than 2 HD total per cantrip). Bones may rattle, corpses twitch, or glowing points of light appear in the eyes of skulls or undead. Another necromantic cantrip calls out to undead creatures in a 60’ radius, alerting them to the presence of a necromancer. The undead may respond to this information any way they wish, and the caster does not learn of their presence or absence.
Elemental Cantrips Elementalist wizards may use any form of cantrip, although their favorites concern their chosen element. They cannot cast cantrips concerning their opposing element. Air cantrips include the creation of mists, puffs of smoke, hazes, scents and gusts of wind strong enough to billow robes, dry washing, or disperse unpleasant smells. Earth cantrips create or alter stone, sand, mud, clouds of dust, minor earth tremors, and the growth of stalactites. Fiery cantrips create sparks, warmth, flickering lights (no stronger than torchlight), and can ignite dry undergrowth, paper, campfires or thin sticks. Water cantrips deal with the conjuration of water, thick mist (rain if mist is already present), currents and ripples in water, and small waves. Salt or fresh water may be created, as desired.
Wild Cantrips Wild mages have no specific cantrip effects of their own, apparently because their science is still a young one. It has been observed that roughly 5% of cantrips attempted by wild mages become wild surges (a roll of 20 on the proficiency check).
Bardic Cantrips Bards may use cantrips of all varieties presented here. Their favorites, however, relate to the playing of ghostly music or haunting melodies, imitating the sound of horns and bugles, accompanying percussion sounds (cantrips keep time very well), attracting an individual’s attention from across a crowded room or street, illusions and glowing shapes to enhance acts, and false applause. Of course, any cantrip user may create these effects.
No cantrip can directly damage a living target of size S or larger, although damage may be cause indirectly. For example, a fire may be started by a cantrip spark, objects may fall off shelves onto a victim, etc.
No cantrip can force a creature to lose its concentration when maintaining or casting a spell.
Cantrip effects always allow saving throws vs. spells when they affect a living target directly, and they must also overcome natural magic resistance.
No magical items can be damaged or affected by cantrips, nor can a cantrip dispel or remove another magical spell of 1st level or greater.
No cantrip functions within the confines of a protection from cantrips spell, instead being cancelled with a popping noise. A dispel magic spell automatically cancels any cantrip, as will touching any illusory creation.
A divination cantrip is automatically foiled by any form of misdirection. The DM may further rule that areas of strong background magic warp cantrips, preventing them from functioning correctly.
Cantrips do not function in dead magic zones, and in wild magic zones they are treated as if they were spells of level 0.
If two cantrips from different wizards contest each other (such as two wizards so long. Players can also develop failed wizard characters, those apprentices who using telekinesis on the same object, or one creating a breeze to blow away an illusory scent), the wizard with the highest successful proficiency check wins—as in a psionic contest. In the case of a tie, neither cantrip dominates, and the contest continues into the following round
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TristenC
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Re: Rules and Guidelines:
Crossbows Modified:
Crossbows do more damage than indicated in the rulebook, as follows:
Hand crossbow RoF=1/rd, dmg=1d4/1d4, range=2/4/6 (not available to starting PCs)
Light crossbow RoF=1/rd, dmg=1d8/1d8, range=6/12/18
Heavy Crossbow RoF=1/2rd, dmg=1d12/1d12, range=8/16/24
Crossbows do more damage than indicated in the rulebook, as follows:
Hand crossbow RoF=1/rd, dmg=1d4/1d4, range=2/4/6 (not available to starting PCs)
Light crossbow RoF=1/rd, dmg=1d8/1d8, range=6/12/18
Heavy Crossbow RoF=1/2rd, dmg=1d12/1d12, range=8/16/24
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TristenC
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Re: Rules and Guidelines:
Identify Spell:
I don't really like the way Identify is laid out in the PHB, particularly with the preparation and con penalties. Therefore we will use the following:
Same as PHB except:
Prep time reduced by 1hr/caster level-1, to a min of 1
Con penalty = -8 at 8 hours prep, -6 at 6-7 hrs, -4 at 4-5 hrs, -2 at 2-3 hrs, no penalty at 1 hr.
Ex: Bob a lvl 5 mage casts identify (he can learn 1 property from 5 diff items, 5 properties from 1 item, or any mix)
His preparation time is 4 hours (8hrs base -(level 5-1)). At 4 hours he suffers a -4 con penalty, recovered at 1pt/hr of rest
I don't really like the way Identify is laid out in the PHB, particularly with the preparation and con penalties. Therefore we will use the following:
Same as PHB except:
Prep time reduced by 1hr/caster level-1, to a min of 1
Con penalty = -8 at 8 hours prep, -6 at 6-7 hrs, -4 at 4-5 hrs, -2 at 2-3 hrs, no penalty at 1 hr.
Ex: Bob a lvl 5 mage casts identify (he can learn 1 property from 5 diff items, 5 properties from 1 item, or any mix)
His preparation time is 4 hours (8hrs base -(level 5-1)). At 4 hours he suffers a -4 con penalty, recovered at 1pt/hr of rest
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TristenC
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Re: Rules and Guidelines:
Weapon/Armor damage and repair:
(Mostly from Sages and Specialists with some modification)
Damaging Armor:
When a crit is rolled against a player, the armor makes a save vs Crushing Blow (or other appropriate save) Modifiers from PHB Table 52 ‘Weapon Type vs Armor Modiffiers’ apply to the save, magical protection bonuses apply to the save as well. If the save is made, no damage is done. If the save is failed, the armor in question accumulates 1 category of damage. Damage is visibly obvious on the armor.
For each category of damage the AC bonus provided to the character is reduced by 1, and the saving throws of the armor itself are reduced by 1. Penalties are cumulative up to -3 (category 3 damage). If the armor is damaged again, it breaks and provides no AC bonus. Wearing broken armor provides no protection, and the wearer suffers a -4 to attacks until it is removed and/or repaired.
A skilled Armorer can repair the damage for a percentage of the cost of the armor relative to the amount of damage. Broken armor can be repaired, but the cost and time are significantly higher.
Category # (name): (AC/hit penalty)__Cost to repair
1 (Partly Damaged): -1________15% armor cost + labor
2 (Significant Dmg): -2________ 25% armor cost + labor
3 (Badly Damaged): -3________50% armor cost + labor
4 (Broken): ______ N/A______50% armor cost + labor
The time to repair damaged Armor is: [Damage Category * AC benefit] Hours and costs 2gp/hr
The time to repair broken Armor is: [AC benefit] Days and costs 10gp/day
Repaired items are considered to be just as good as new.
Ex:
Joe’s Chainmail (AC 5, 75 gp) is Badly Damaged (category 3). While he wears it he only gets an AC improvement of 2 (5-3), and the armor makes its saves at -3. If Joe takes his chainmail to an Armorsmith now it will cost him 37gp 5sp (50% for materials)+ 30 gp (labor=2 gp/hr for 5*3 hrs) for a total of 67gp 5sp… practically the cost of a new set of armor!
Joe decides to wait, and the armor is broken in the next fight when an Orc gets in a lucky shot. The armor no longer provides protection, and Joe is now at -4 to hit due to the pieces tangling up his arms. Once he gets out of melee he can remove the broken armor. He finally takes the broken armor to the smith and asks to have it repaired. The smith informs him that it is probably not worth repairing as it will take 5 days to repair (1 day/AC benefit) and cost 87gp 5sp to fix (37gp 5sp + 50 gp labor). Joe decides he will buy a new set of armor instead.
Damaging Weapons:
When a creature or character fumbles (rolls a natural 1 and has it confirmed), one of the many possible outcomes is weapon damage. The weapon makes a saving throw vs Crushing Blow (or appropriate). Failure results in damage to the weapon. Weapons accumulate damage using the same categories as Armor, and suffer a -1 to Hit and Damage for each category of damage suffered.
The time to repair a damaged Weapon is: 1 Hour/Day it took to create (see Table 41 PHB) and costs 1gp/hr
The time to repair a broken Weapon is: 1/2 the time it took to create in Days, and costs 5gp/day
Labor is the only cost considered for weapon repair. Broken weapons must have all of their pieces to be repaired.
Other Damage:
Damage can occur from sources other than normal combat such as magic, acid, extreme heat, cave-ins/rock slides, falls from a great height, etc. In these cases the appropriate item saving throws are made.
Obviously sometimes the cost to repair weapons or armor is not worth it so long as a similar replacement is available… (kind of like being told your Car has been totaled…) sadly a replacement may not always be available, particularly for magical or exotic items.
Magical Armor and Weapon repair requires a very skilled Armorer/Weaponsmith (lots of penalties to the checks). Damaged magical items cost 20gp/hr to repair, broken ones cost 50 gp/day to repair.
(Mostly from Sages and Specialists with some modification)
Damaging Armor:
When a crit is rolled against a player, the armor makes a save vs Crushing Blow (or other appropriate save) Modifiers from PHB Table 52 ‘Weapon Type vs Armor Modiffiers’ apply to the save, magical protection bonuses apply to the save as well. If the save is made, no damage is done. If the save is failed, the armor in question accumulates 1 category of damage. Damage is visibly obvious on the armor.
For each category of damage the AC bonus provided to the character is reduced by 1, and the saving throws of the armor itself are reduced by 1. Penalties are cumulative up to -3 (category 3 damage). If the armor is damaged again, it breaks and provides no AC bonus. Wearing broken armor provides no protection, and the wearer suffers a -4 to attacks until it is removed and/or repaired.
A skilled Armorer can repair the damage for a percentage of the cost of the armor relative to the amount of damage. Broken armor can be repaired, but the cost and time are significantly higher.
Category # (name): (AC/hit penalty)__Cost to repair
1 (Partly Damaged): -1________15% armor cost + labor
2 (Significant Dmg): -2________ 25% armor cost + labor
3 (Badly Damaged): -3________50% armor cost + labor
4 (Broken): ______ N/A______50% armor cost + labor
The time to repair damaged Armor is: [Damage Category * AC benefit] Hours and costs 2gp/hr
The time to repair broken Armor is: [AC benefit] Days and costs 10gp/day
Repaired items are considered to be just as good as new.
Ex:
Joe’s Chainmail (AC 5, 75 gp) is Badly Damaged (category 3). While he wears it he only gets an AC improvement of 2 (5-3), and the armor makes its saves at -3. If Joe takes his chainmail to an Armorsmith now it will cost him 37gp 5sp (50% for materials)+ 30 gp (labor=2 gp/hr for 5*3 hrs) for a total of 67gp 5sp… practically the cost of a new set of armor!
Joe decides to wait, and the armor is broken in the next fight when an Orc gets in a lucky shot. The armor no longer provides protection, and Joe is now at -4 to hit due to the pieces tangling up his arms. Once he gets out of melee he can remove the broken armor. He finally takes the broken armor to the smith and asks to have it repaired. The smith informs him that it is probably not worth repairing as it will take 5 days to repair (1 day/AC benefit) and cost 87gp 5sp to fix (37gp 5sp + 50 gp labor). Joe decides he will buy a new set of armor instead.
Damaging Weapons:
When a creature or character fumbles (rolls a natural 1 and has it confirmed), one of the many possible outcomes is weapon damage. The weapon makes a saving throw vs Crushing Blow (or appropriate). Failure results in damage to the weapon. Weapons accumulate damage using the same categories as Armor, and suffer a -1 to Hit and Damage for each category of damage suffered.
The time to repair a damaged Weapon is: 1 Hour/Day it took to create (see Table 41 PHB) and costs 1gp/hr
The time to repair a broken Weapon is: 1/2 the time it took to create in Days, and costs 5gp/day
Labor is the only cost considered for weapon repair. Broken weapons must have all of their pieces to be repaired.
Other Damage:
Damage can occur from sources other than normal combat such as magic, acid, extreme heat, cave-ins/rock slides, falls from a great height, etc. In these cases the appropriate item saving throws are made.
Obviously sometimes the cost to repair weapons or armor is not worth it so long as a similar replacement is available… (kind of like being told your Car has been totaled…) sadly a replacement may not always be available, particularly for magical or exotic items.
Magical Armor and Weapon repair requires a very skilled Armorer/Weaponsmith (lots of penalties to the checks). Damaged magical items cost 20gp/hr to repair, broken ones cost 50 gp/day to repair.
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TristenC
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Re: Rules and Guidelines:
Stoneskin adjudication from “DM Option: High-Level Campaigns”
I knew I had seen this somewhere, and I finally found the reference so I wanted to post it for future interactions since the group is into frequent use of the Stoneskin spell; particularly since the original spell is so poorly worded.
“Stoneskin protects only against blows, cuts, pokes and slashes directed at the recipient. It does not protect against falls, magical attacks, touch-delivered special attacks (such as touch-delivered spells, energy draining, green slime, etc.), or nonmagical attacks that do not involve blows (such as flaming oil, ingested or inhaled poisons, acid, constriction and suffocation). Stoneskin lasts for 24 hrs or until the spell has absorbed its allotment of attacks.”
I knew I had seen this somewhere, and I finally found the reference so I wanted to post it for future interactions since the group is into frequent use of the Stoneskin spell; particularly since the original spell is so poorly worded.
“Stoneskin protects only against blows, cuts, pokes and slashes directed at the recipient. It does not protect against falls, magical attacks, touch-delivered special attacks (such as touch-delivered spells, energy draining, green slime, etc.), or nonmagical attacks that do not involve blows (such as flaming oil, ingested or inhaled poisons, acid, constriction and suffocation). Stoneskin lasts for 24 hrs or until the spell has absorbed its allotment of attacks.”
