Cato Novus's page

I'd suggest a way for them to have their own form of "law". Perhaps there's a setup for situations where guy A and guy B are accusing each other of the same crime, one of them actually did commit it. So its decided by 1 on 1 combat, the victor is declared "innocent" and the loser "guilty", and subject to punishment if he survives.

Similarly, take a bit of inspiration from the Count of Monte Cristo, and allow one man who was caught and is guilty a chance at freedom by combating a single random opponent. alternatively, he could be running a combative gauntlet of sorts. After all, what's he got to lose?

Remember, with such brigands, the only crimes recognized are crimes against the crew.

Sorry, was in a rush when posting, didn't even preview. Would have edited it to say "I guess the reasoning". Oh well.

Purple Dragon Knight wrote:

Knight, you can touch allies the same round you cast the spell. If you touch only one guy, casting + touching is a standard, which leaves you with a move action left.

If you cast + touch 6 guys, it's a full round and you have a 5-foot step left.

That's the way I've interpreted it, because at some other location in the SRD, it states that you can touch as part of the casting...

The rule you bolded was written to provide guidance to players when they carry a charge to the next round (i.e. when the cleric is 20 feet away from the party: ROUND 1 = cast (hold charge) + move; ROUND 2 = touch 6 buddies.

I hope this helps.

This seems correct up to the part were you describe casting and holding the charge. Can't hold the charge of a spell in which you can touch multiple allies (PHB 176). If you can touch multiple allies with the spell then that spell is not one in which you can hold the charge.

The reasoning behind this is because by using the touch spell, you're no longer holding the charge.

Just remember that Spring Attack doesn't let a creature go faster than its move speed(as opposed to Ride-By Attack allowing you to go no faster than double your mount's move speed), therefore, Spring Attack used by your mount in conjunction with you using Ride-By would cut the overall distance you travel in a single round by half. At least, it should as a method of balance.

Cato Novus wrote:

Razic wrote:

R-E-A-L-I-T-Y

*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*

*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
&c

*giggling self to sleep*

*stabs Razic as he sleeps*

Unfortunately, I do not have my copy of the Draconomicon or my notes on my workup of the green dragon here with me, so I will go on a bit of a different path for the time-being.

I realized a few days back that if I'm going to use Pathfinder's setup for Wizards/Sorcerers(albeit with spell points), that the Sorcerer needs a slight change in the Elemental Bloodline, as its set up for a four-point elemental array.

The changes I made were as follows: Air energy type is sonic now; Lightning is added in; eletricity is the Lightning energy type.

This left me with a small gap, what would the elemental movement type be for Lightning heredity? Then I had an idea: I'd grant a limited use ability that sits in between Fire's fast movement and Wind's flight. Five times per day as a swift action, a Lightning heredity Sorcerer can teleport to any place she can see within a radius of 30 feet. Aside from the limitations in distance and the number of times it can be done, it works just like any other teleport(although there is an audible electric crack and sizzle). You can't teleport into anything, and so forth. I'm unsure about bring people along with you. I may make them take electricity damage. I'm unsure at this point.

So, unbalanced?

R-E-A-L-I-T-Y

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
inhales...exhales
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*
*STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*

Alternatively, if you do wish to deal lethal damage, you can have the whip made with a small blade on the end.

And if both casters roll simultaneous 1's on their checks, the magical backlash creates a maelstrom/waterspout/typhoon/angry elder water elemental!

Reminds me of the time a Druid failed a concentration check when summoning underwater. I didn't want to just make the spell fizzle, and I wanted to have a little fun with the group.

"Unfortunately, you fail to summon a celestial shark. You do, however, manage to summon beyond your normal means. You see a Elder Dire Celestial Fire Elemental, whose face changes from the momentary surprise of suddenly appearing before you, to utter horror as he finds himself surrounded by water. This expression again changes to terror as his flames are abruptly extinguished, leaving nothing where he once was, but boiling hot water and ash." *several dice roll* "Two of your enemies are caught off-guard by this display and are flat-footed until they next act."

Cato Novus wrote:

This is odd, because my interpretation of caster level has always been the level in the class that provides spellcasting, not the level of the spell, so the multiplier in this case should be 4, not 1(because the Paladin is 4th level).

This is the only way it makes sense to me due to the fact that many magic items that list requirements for crafting have shown a caster level over 9, which is the highest spell tier.

No for a paladin it would be 2 not 4 (or 1). Paladins are 1/2-casters, that is, their caster level is 1/2 their paladin level. Just are rangers, though perhaps surprisingly not bards.

Perhaps Bards should be classified as 2/3 or 3/4 casters, due to their limited spell tiers.

Vegepygmy wrote:

According to the spell description: You control the general tendencies of the weather, such as the direction and intensity of the wind.

If your ship is moving one way, and the enemy ship is moving the opposite way, controlling the direction and intensity of the wind is going to help you and hinder them.

To complete your quote: "You control the general tendencies of the weather, such as the direction and intensity of the wind. You cannot control specific applications of the weather—where lightning strikes, for example, or the exact path of a tornado." Which basically means you can make a storm strength wind but not control in who's affected or not within the area. The weather is also limited to appropriate weather for the climate & season.

In addition to the 10min it takes the weather to change, it also takes 10min to cast. So basically you have to wait 20min for any significant change. Not precisely epic battle on the high seas IMHO.

Doesn't sound like they're trying to determine the specifics, only the things such as the prevaling winds, how heavy the rain is, how choppy/glassy the seas are, and which ship these factors are more beneficial to(which ship is traveling with/against the wind). Obviously if the casters are creating some distracting effects, they'll need their concentration checks.

I'd suggest that the winning caster in each struggle for control of the weather gets to ignore concentration checks since he is directing the storm, but also keep the difference low enough that the possibility exists that the control can be stripped from him by the other guy.

Something I just remembered, is a spell from Stormwrack: Maelstrom. If you have that sourcebook, you may wish to look it up. I can't remember if its epic, though.

Lastly, grant a bonus if either one of the casters decides to turn into a pillar of crabs. :)

This is odd, because my interpretation of caster level has always been the level in the class that provides spellcasting, not the level of the spell, so the multiplier in this case should be 4, not 1(because the Paladin is 4th level).

This is the only way it makes sense to me due to the fact that many magic items that list requirements for crafting have shown a caster level over 9, which is the highest spell tier.

Note: I made a mistake on the last post. I was looking at the shirt for sale saying "Somebody is getting Stabbed" and typoed. Instead, my addiction should have read "Biting People".

I still say Unseen Servant is one of the best Bard Spells simply for the fun you can have using it on your party for awesome pranks.

As has been mentioned, it does depend on whether or not your campaign is slanted more towards magic or technology, although I can offer you something which fits both.

Instead of a hook hand or stump knife, I would get the best of both worlds, go for a kukri or shortened kopesh type of weapon. Have it attached so that its parallel to his hand when he stands with his arms at his sides. Then, depending on your preference for either crossbows or true bows, you can use them without removing the blade.

In the case of long/shortbows, you would simply need notches to set the bow into place as part of your prosthetic. This may or may not be considered a move action, depending on your DM's view of how long that should take.

In the case of crossbows, you may look into seeing if your DM will allow your character(or a weaponsmith, if your character has no skill ranks) invent a prosthetic that incorperates a crossbow into its overall design. This design would boil down to a crossbow which has a front mounted blade on it, which is attached to your arm.

My character's backgrounds cannot contain any of the following phrases, whether they be seperate or combined: karioke musician, ex-mental patient, door-to-door meat salesman, professional eater, soccer-mom, member of the future-war pre-enactment society.

I cannot use the Heisenburg Uncertainty Principle to escape imprisonment... anymore.

When someone tells me "Violence is not the answer.", my immediate response should not be "I never said it was the answer, only an answer."

"Stabbing People" is not allowed to be my character's addiction.

If my stats are 10 09 11 15 18 16, it would be appreciated if I didn't pick the Barbarian class.

When the DM has the king praise me for a job well done, and throws in the offer of his eldest daughter's hand in marriage because he doesn't believe my character will accept it, I shouldn't accept the offer just because I know it'll screw up the DM's plans.

No matter what class I choose, carrying a slide whistle is expressly forbidden.

Twenty seconds of stunned silence from the rest of the table means "Oh my God, what have you done?", not "Go on."

What magic device would they be using to check for traps with?

...There are spell weaver doors in Demonskar Legacy that require INT 6 to open automatically...

As a side note, I find the differences between Class and Cross-Class skills believeable. Aside from some corner-cases, you don't normally come across a Druid who's well versed with the country's political system, or the Wizard who is adept at picking locks. The tag-skills system allows for this, while still keeping the Class/Cross-Class skill system as it normally runs.

Realistic? Quit using that word! *STAB!STAB!STAB!STAB!*

Anyway, to the thread originator, you could use the method I've set up for my campaign world. All skills cost merely 1 point, whether Class or Cross-Class skills. Characters also get one or two background(or "tag skills") that they get to split 10 points between at character creation. These tag skills are considered to always be class skills, no matter what class the character is, or multi-classes into.

I have to agree with the TPK aspect of it. My group started to run it a while back, but when the party(7 characters, all fourth level) first visited the moathouse and encountered the Medium Blue Dragon which should have been a 4th level encounter killed 2 party members right away and quickly had the rest of us running for our lives, the DM decided that perhaps it should wait.

Cato Novus wrote:

If I remember correctly, Combat Reflexes allows you multiple attacks per Attack of Opportunity, but one target can only recieve one AoO each time an AoO is provoked.

Check 3.0 AoO vs. 3.5 AoO. I believe the restriction of one AoO was lifted in the latter. You now can take an AoO (if available) every time the an AoO is provoked.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/attacksOfOpportunity.htm#makinganAttackofO pportunity

I reread my copy of the PHB today and you're right. Good eye.

The Black Bard wrote:

Hope I'm not coming across like a nag, but the "trip when he stands up" AoOp confusion is part of why everyone thinks spiked chains trip builds are broken. That and the "multiple AoOp provoked by movement through threat" bit.

what do you mean by ""multiple AoOp provoked by movement through threat" bit."?

As I understand it you get an AoOp whenever a target leaves a threatened square as long as you have an AoOp available to use. So if target leaves 2 threatened squares and you have combat reflexes you can smack it 2 times.

If I remember correctly, Combat Reflexes allows you multiple attacks per Attack of Opportunity, but one target can only recieve one AoO each time an AoO is provoked. Combat Reflexes is useful if you have multiple enemies around you who each provoke at once, such as two goblins who have to flee from you. You can attack each of them once, but the rules say you can't use more than one AoO on a single target in a given round.

Cato Novus wrote:

I was just starting to play it when my comp fried on me. Didn't seem to bad, but I did see a couple things I disagreed with, such as zombies using AoO(to me, those should be limited to intelegent creatures).

Geez - your pretty demanding of your CRPGs.

YES! I MUST HAVE PERFECTION!

Actually, I thought the game(what little I played of it) was really well made. Its just that when you're playing a good game, the little things stick out much easier. Like sitting down in a nice leather chair, and discovering the tip of a nail protruding through the frame but was hiding just beneath the leather. You may like the chair, and not wish to get rid of it, but you will notice that nail every time you sit down.

I was just starting to play it when my comp fried on me. Didn't seem to bad, but I did see a couple things I disagreed with, such as zombies using AoO(to me, those should be limited to intelegent creatures).

It all depends on what you mean by effective in combat. If you mean you want a Bard who can deal massive damage, its not likely. There are things you can do to improve your survivability in combat.

Like using the Longsword, but can't use Weapon Finesse with it, and find the Rapier less usefull? Spend a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency-Elven Thinblade(Longsword's damage, Rapier's criticial and damage type, Finesse weapon).

Don't wade into melee if you don't have to. You get access to a crossbow, plink the badguys untill they've made it to close-range, then go melee. Additionally, consider carrying three or four crossbows and keep each of them loaded, then just move your speed away from your enemy, fire one, and put it away. Investing in Rapid Reload helps here.

Invest in the Dodge and Mobility feats to boost your AC. Mobility is oft-overlooked, I find it exceptional for its +4 to AC vs AoO, as it makes it easier to get away from trouble.

Remember your spells, they're not much for dealing the hurt, but they allow you to control the flow of the fight. Bad guy about to turn you into to salami? Use any number of state effects on him and back off. Also, remember that your Cure spells deal damage to undead, if you find yourself facing them. Wands & Scrolls are also handy in this regard.

Remember your Countersong. Countering enemy spellcasters makes for a great advantage when your party enters combat. "Magic Missle!" "I don't think so." "Okay... FIREBALL!" "Not this time."

Bardic tactics may be different, but that doesn't make them less viable. Finally, remember that the Bard is ment to be a Jack of All Trades; you can do a little bit of everything.

No impact, I never read any true reviews, I read a few immediate over-reactions to the fact it was being updated, but I ignored those. I also read a few things posted on the D&D website and most of what I saw I didn't like(I did like the idea of magic users never running out of spells, but that's about it). I went to my local Hastings and perused the copies two days after they were released. I found little of interest in them, other than the artwork, so I put them back on the shelf.

I don't deny that after all the resources they've released, there was little else they could do without rehashing things beyond the point of ridiculousness, but I don't know if they should have made a new edition after just eight years. Perhaps they should have considered making a new campaign setting.

Unfortunately, this dragon's backstory negates a simple swap. He doesn't start as a Druid, its something he became some time ago, this dragon's history is tied to Les Cinq Lances; more specificly, La Lance Verte.

Alright, I'm needing some opinions here. On two things. First, I'm thinking of a different name for this world. The more I say "Tyrra", the less I like it, but I've had trouble finding something else that I thought sounds good, untill now. Tegara.

Second, I'm working on a dragon NPC for the players to encounter half-way through the campaign, hopefully, they'll make nice with him. If not, well, I won't make him too powerfull.

I'm wanting to give him class levels in Druid, but also to remain in the Adult age category, so I was wondering if it would make sense to simply trade out a number of his Dragon hitdice for his levels of Druid. I'm looking at this to keep from raising his challange rating too much from the Adult age category and allowing a different flavor.

The thing is, this is a Green Dragon, so I'm already having to change his alignment to LN, but I don't really see that as a problem, as dragons are a little different in this world. Each type of dragon instead of always being LG, CE, or whatnot, will have a tendancy towards that alignment, with one of those two being the primary defining axis. In the case of Greens, they are typically LE, but more Lawful than anything. Reds, on the otherhand, while typically being CE seem to be defined more by Evil than Chaotic.

Another little oddity with this is that I'm wondering if I could have the Dragon use the Wildshape ability to take a Humanoid/Monstrous Humanoid form, since Green Dragons don't get the polymorph ability. I'll probably create a feat for him to use to represent his training himself to do this, so it wouldn't be a skill that anyone else would know.

I realize that these changes can potentially make this Dragon much more lethal, but as I said, this one is intended to be an ally down the road. However, I'm not one to shirk away from letting my players reap their own foolishness if they screw themselves over.

The idea of the ArchGod of Flames being unable to harm a Fire Mephit is fallacious. Sure, there's a possibility that the Mephit may be immune to the god's fire magic(or not, if you allow for supreme beings to ignore immunities, that's dependant on you), but would a god really need to waste a spell to kill something such as a Mephit, Fire or otherwise? If a god felt the need to personally intervene(instead of sending a believer, or divine being), against a lowly creature, couldn't he just stretch out his hand and thump him on the nose to kill him?

I think that in general, all skill checks which interact with another person should be opposed, not absolute. I would like to see Tumble and Concentration work that way too. It is exasperating that no fighter, no matter how skilled, can reliably interrupt a high-level wizard casting a spell, or stop a high-level rogue tumbling by. The rolls become automatic successes--in our hands, by 12th or so--and therefore boring. And the opposition tactics are lost.

In some ways this is done. The Fighter trying to break the Wizard's concentration is doing so by dealing damage. After all, the total damage he deals, plus the tier of spell the Wizard, plus 10 is the Fighter's roll. The Concentration Check is the opposed roll in this case.

As for the Tumbling Rogue, you're right, there is no opposed roll. Perhaps it should be changed so that you roll the d20, add the Tumble ranks, add the character's AC(minus the static base 10) to get the total tumble roll. The Fighter who gets his AoO makes an attack roll, and instead hitting the Rogue's static AC, hits this Tumble AC.

Maybe it'll work, maybe not; its just the sleep-deprived ramblings of an Oklahoma boy.

I said RAW sucks; it does when it's considered LAW.

What does YMMV mean?

(Ray asks just so he can point out how neet it is that when he hollars "Jesus Christ" the guy that responds is the guy who invented the Demonomicon and is typically regarded as the most knowledgeable Demon-lore designer in the industry ;)

-W. E. Ray

Your

Milage
May
Vary

/tapdance out of sight

My husband played in one where the GM pitched a this-world, play-yourself scenario and then teleported the PCs to the Land of the Lost. They never bonded with the situation or setting at all; they wanted nothing but to go home. I think the GM would have done better to ask for frustrated loners with a strong desire for adventure, not settled family guys with good careers!

My friends have done this before(and I may have mentioned it elsewhere on this forum), but not in D&D. The idea behind it was it was supposed to surprise us as soon as we sat down for a game. Virtually nobody was ready for this, which added a little excitement to it. The whole thing was us trying to survive this little game world we created and escape it back to ours. The only items our us-characters had where whatever things we had on us when we stepped through the door.

We knew all the characters, because we'd made them, but they didn't know us. The powergamer of the group walked up to the queen of the empire in a land his main character(not the Himself-character) ran and informally said "Hi, how's it goin'?", began ordering the empire's soldiers about, and tried to start running things.

Keith as the Empress: "Who are you?"
Dave as Dave: "What do you mean Shano?"
Keith: "Guards, arrest him."
Dave: "But, I..."

Heh, it was priceless.

These games are fine as long as you know the PCs are going to want to go home, and run things with that in mind.

Diplomacy isn't broken, it isn't a catch-all instant-win for the PCs.

SRD wrote:

Diplomacy requires AT LEAST one minute worth of constant full-round actions spent talking. Characters taking a diplomacy check as a rushed full-round action take a -10 penalty on the check.

If a creature is not willing to listen for 1 minute (Unfriendly or Hostile, maybe even Indifferent), they PCs auto-fail and waste a round talking. Some of my favorite moments have been when the PCs gab for a round and the villain responds by drawing his sword and charging.

Even better, let the villain lead them on using Bluff and Diplomacy himself while he prepares an attack or casts Still & Silent Feat enabled spells?

"I see, that is quite an interesting proposition you pose, allow me to make an addendum... Silent & Stilled Color Spray!" Quickened Disintegrate(upon whomever the caster deems to become the most troublesome in later encounters), Teleport

The same might be true by adding enough fire to a fire elemental. Without too much real world physics, it is true that you can fight fire with fire. Two competing fires might draw all the oxygen out of the room, preventing either from continuing to exist....

This is false logic. Elementals originate from the elemental planes. They live in environments where they are literally surrounded by those elements which they are composed of. A Fire Elemental stepping into a bond fire or a Water Elemental taking a dip in an ocean is almost like going home to them.

Now(warning: real world science ahead, read at your own risk), in the case of the Fire Elemental, if you expose it to something that explodes big and fast(such as a flask of Nitroglycerin), the explosion may deal damage, since such things are used in the real world in order to extinguish exceptionally large and hot fires. This is accomplished by the rapid consumption of oxygen and sudden concussive force of the shockwave from the explosion.

Remember, weapons don't kill people, physics kills people. :P

pervy god, that one is

• He's Chaotic Neutral
  
• Let's just say he's the "King of All Fairies", and leave it at that.

I'm afraid I don't have any sort of website, either. While I normally wouldn't mind writing it up and posting here on Paizo, my notes are a bit too scattered and my schedule this summer a bit too hectic to compile that kind of info in depth. Sorry!

A guiding principle for me has been to try to find unity in the D&D game. When I look at races, monsters, deities, etc., I usually wonder "Where is this supposed to fit exactly, and how does it relate to the rest of the game's lore?" Often, there is no answer. It's just "there" because the designer thought it would be cool. Maybe, but that annoys the hell out of me. I know that the real world it huge and diverse and has countless facets great and small that have nothing to do with any other given facet, but that's not what I want in a game world. I want something that has a sense of cohesion to it. Therefore, I try to come up with one unified, "organic" story for the creation of the gods, the planes, the physical world, the races, and the reason that world and those races are the way they are. Sometimes that means limiting what actually exists/can be found in my homebrew; it doesn't follow the early stated philosophy of Eberron ("If it exists anywhere in D&D, you can find it somewhere in here!"). I'm okay with that. My lore is necessarily open enough that I can always find a little niche to expand or detail more if I should need to, and therefore allow my homebrew to grow and develop in complexity as far as I could ever want.

Of course, the players never understand or care about even half of what I come up with, but I'm okay with that, too. I do it for myself and that's all that matters.

I have to agree that I like there to be a reason for why something is there, even if it boils down to "The elder god Whosit said he wanted ostriches to have wings, even though he doesn't want them to actually fly."

As a related note: I was working on the deities when I noticed I've never seen any mention of male pixies in D&D(at least, not in any of the source books I've read). Therefore, the Fey god's reason for making all Pixies female, and yet still giving them breasts is because "it makes him laugh when they jiggle".

Cato Novus wrote:

Light Armor- No Requirements

Medium Armor- 3rd Level, Light Armor
Heavy Armor- 6th Level, Light & Medium Armor

Fighter/Barbarian: Automatically gain all armor class proficiencies at the appropriate levels.

Cleric/Druid/Ranger/Rogue: Automatically gain Light and Medium armor proficiencies at the appropriate levels.

Paladin/Blackguard: Automatically gains Heavy armor at 2nd level of these Prestige classes.

So, too restrictive?

I'd swap Heavy Armor gain to 5th level (or 1st level for Prestige Paladins / Blackguards). Everybody is getting a Feat at 6th, and possibly other goodies (like yet another Feat, for a Fighter). 5th is a sparser level, so adding Heavy Armor there would be neat.

If Armor is going to be level-restricted, perhaps Tower Shields might also not be usable immediately? (Have them arrive with Hvy Armor?)

If you wanted to go whole hog on this idea, you could tighten up weapon use and have it also limited by level. Everybody would get one or two of their class-allowed weapons at 1st level (two for Ftrs, etc) and then gain others as they progressed. Fighters would get a new weapon proficiency every level, etc. It would be very much like 1st edition, where characters would be 'proficient' in a smaller number of weapons and not entire 'groups' of weapons.

I'm not a fan of this idea, I'm just tossing it out there, to see if it fits where you are going with this staggered armor proficiency idea.

There are plenty of other places where staggered gains might fit as well, such as Summoning spells (Unearthed Arcana had a pretty neat section on having casters only learn a few specific creatures from each Summoning list, by level, rather than learning the spell and immediately having a dozen options).

I'll have to think over the limited weapon access, but that's a good insight on the shields. I'm going to leave Paladins/Blackguards at 2nd for Heavy Armor due to the number of things they're getting at first level. Here's how I'll break it down.

Bucklers/Light Shields = Light Armor
Heavy Shields = Medium Armor
Tower Shields = Heavy Armor(Unless class specificly states otherwise)

I also noticed a little oversight of mine, and since I can't edit my older posts, here's a relisting.

Light Armor- 1st Level
Medium Armor- 3rd Level, Light Armor
Heavy Armor- 5th Level, Light & Medium Armor

Fighter/Barbarian: Automatically gain all armor class proficiencies at the appropriate levels.

Cleric/Druid/Ranger: Automatically gain Light and Medium armor proficiencies at the appropriate levels.

Rogue/Bard: Automatically gain Light armor proficiencies at the appropriate level.

Paladin/Blackguard: Automatically gains Heavy armor at 2nd level of these Prestige classes.

Ah, the wonderful world of Saern; I'd always wondered.

So, where are Dragons from in Saern?

-W. E. Ray

Small, indestructible, canvas tents.

Armor-related concept this time. I'm considering limiting the classes of armor characters get at the outset by placing a minimum level requirement on them. This does not mean that a Fighter would have to burn a feat to use platemail. It simply means that Fighter could not wear platemail at first level. Here's how the idea breaks down.

Light Armor- No Requirements
Medium Armor- 3rd Level, Light Armor
Heavy Armor- 6th Level, Light & Medium Armor

Fighter/Barbarian: Automatically gain all armor class proficiencies at the appropriate levels.

Cleric/Druid/Ranger/Rogue: Automatically gain Light and Medium armor proficiencies at the appropriate levels.

Paladin/Blackguard: Automatically gains Heavy armor at 2nd level of these Prestige classes.

So, too restrictive?

If you know it you know it.

There shouldn't be a higher DC (penalty) for casting a spell that's rare just because it's rare. The "penalty" has already been taken since the PC could only gain access (learn it) through a certain in-game way. That's sufficient.

GOOD LUCK

-W. E. Ray

Agreed. However, should that character have not actually researched that specific spell, then there should be a higher DC for performing certain actions related to it(figuring out what the other caster is doing, for instance).

Interesting question. I've actually an answer for that in my homebrew world(links in my profile), where both science and magic exist. Think of them as two sides of the same coin, they do the same thing, just in different ways.

Anyway, with my world, the basic ideas are as follows. There are those who are created, those who evolved, and those in between.

Any creature with a racial deity is a member of a created race. These races are essentially at the peak of their potential, they do not change naturally. Examples: Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes

Those creatures without a racial deity is a member of an evolved race. These creatures are not the best they can be, but they have the potential to grow as a species. Humans are currently the only ones who fit this niche.

Then there are those few in between, the half-breeds. Depending on the racial deities, they may or may not be accepted as well as the full breed versions of the races. After all, they are not what the gods created. Example: Errants(Half-Elves), any being with partial Draconic Heredity.

Aberrations are a specific subset of those in between. Part of the history of the game world is that there was world-wide event which caused things to change. This was the event which caused an ice-age, thusly ending most prehistoric life. Some survived by being on an volcanic island, but due to the nature of the event, they were either radically changed(thusly creating the Aberrations); or grew a resistance to the effect, and in turn lost their ability to grow as a species.

They met in a Starbuck's?

No, it doesn't have over-priced coffee.

The Tavern Base: This is a group who do oddjobs on the downlow and opperate out of a specific tavern. They already know each other. Note: Works best in an urban campaign.

A good place to look is the compilation of spells found in Crystal Keep, which actually lists the source the spells come from.

The Childhood Friends: A group of people mostly all from the same town, one of whom is saddled with a great responsibility or duty; his/her friends come along to help, maybe seeing it as a chance to see a little more of the world. Note: I'll be using this on my eventually-coming campaign.

The Squad: A group of individuals with various backgrounds who are placed together as a small strike force for a military or similar organization. They are sent out on missions which further their organizations goals. Possible Twist- They discover half way or later in the campaign that their organization is the enemy, and they were just being used. They must now undo all they have done.

The Destined Heroes: These individuals are touched by destiny, which has brought them together in a time and place to act as a balancing force against someone or something. Their actions and inactions decide the fates of many.

That's it, I need to get off my ass and create the Magic Hate-Ball™. It looks like a regular Magic 8-Ball, but all 20 messages are mean-spirited and some are downright nasty.

"Go away."
"Who are you to ask me anything?"
"I slept with your wife."
"Eat me."
"Stop shaking me!"

"Just stop talking."
"You look like ass."
"Stupid people ask me questions."
"You can still get more fat."
"Shut your pie-hole!"

"Up yours!"
"Let go of me!"
"How about I shake you?"
"I don't have time for you."
"Crushed by the ugly tree?"

"Go play in traffic."
"Hang yourself."
"I woke up for you?!"
"Find out for yourself."
"I don't care."

My "poisons" campaign is going great, but for this one instance.

The majority of the party is going to be land locked during the winter. It seems that the PCs are intending to take some down time to train up some feats and skills, level up and craft. However, I'd hate for them to get too bored, and I really hate the idea of skipping over the months.

A good bulk of the party seems to want to board with the dwarves under the mountain... so here's my question.. what, (excluding small war skirmishes and abberation cleansings) can a group of 12th lvl PCs (est.) do in the underground, close to the underdark in the middle of winter?

Any suggestions?

That depends on the party's likes and dislikes. Political Strife, perhaps? This can get especially interesting if there is no clear bad guy among the Dwarves, and those who are causing the trouble are being manipulated by some enemy in order to soften their infrastructure and sew distrust as a prelude to an attack.

Situation: Party pointmen(all Level 4: Human Monk, Human Ranger, Halfling Rogue) encounter angry Ape.

Pre-Round 1: Monk readies longbow to fire at anything "hostile" that comes through the door, Ranger with Hand of the Mage opens door. Monk sees big mean monkey and tells the Ranger to shut the door. Ape busts through closed door, Monk's readied action succeeds and scores immediate hit.

Round 1: Now enraged Ape advances on Monk. Monk goes unarmed. Ape hits Monk, fails to hit with both claws, does not rake. Monk hits ape. Halfling fires crossbow and misses the massive target somehow. For some reason, the Ranger was found around the corner and had to advance before being capable of attacking.

Round 2: Halfling retreats and fires crossbow from a distance. Monk hits Ape. Ape hits Monk, fails to Rake again. Ranger takes shot and hits- the Monk, even though they're on opposite sides of the Ape, which is also a Large creature.

Round 3: Halfling retreats around corner and flees to the rest of the party. Ranger misses attack. Ape hits Monk, fails to Rake. Monk hits Ape.

Round 4: Party nears combat. Ranger misses attack, begins to close to melee. Ape hits Monk. Monk uses Flurry of Blows, hits both times, Critical on second. Ape dies. Monk does victory pose.

Monk: Yes! I punched the big monkey!
DM: Give me a Reflex save.
Monk: Yeah! I ju- wait, what?

Failed save. Ape falls on Monk.

I remember that because I was playing the Monk. My party is very horrible when it comes to ranged attacks. My character might as well change his name to "Pin Cushion" or "Coat Rack". I swear, I need to tell them to aim at me so that their failed attacks will actually have a chance of hitting the bad guy.

Quick addition: I'm adding one Cantrip from the Spell Compendium and two Brand New™ Cantrips to the spell lists. These three are similar to Acid Splash and Ray of Frost in that they are direct attack Cantrips. The reason I'm including them is due to the Elements being a little more significant in the cultures. The previous two spells fit Earth and Air in my elemenal system, but I needed three more. The Spell Compendium provided me with Electric Jolt, but I had to make the last two.

Electric Jolt(SC), Evocation, 1d3 damage (Ray)

Firebolt, Evocation, 1d3 damage(Missile)
A spark of Flame ignites in your open palm, then migrates to your finger. With a flick of the wrist, a single gesture sends it flying at your intended target.

Sonic Pulse, Evocation, 1d3 damage (Missile)
The world around you appears to shake as a series of vibrations run through your body. Extending your arm, you channel those vibrations through it and out of your opened hand.

Each of these are ranged Touch attacks as Acid Splash and Ray of Frost, as well as having the same damage range. I classified them as best I could, but if anyone has any suggestions as to different schools of magic and so forth, I'll listen.

Simple solution, all Cantrips/Orisons cast at will are cast with all the variables down as if the caster were only a first level caster. In the case of Create water, that means only 2 gallons of water, and only 25 feet away. If the player wishes to cast them at greater potency, allow that player's character to prepare the Cantrip/Orison in a first tier spell slot.

This way, you have balance and choice. The player can repeatedly cast Create Water at will for 2 gallons each time, but not 20 in one round without casting it as that First Tier.