Heal Skill (first aid): As a standard action, you can use first aid to save a dying character. If a character has negative hit points and is losing hit points (at the rate of 1 per round, 1 per hour, or 1 per day), you can make him stable. A stable character regains no hit points but stops losing them. 1d4 rounds later, a stable character recovers to 1 hit point and gains consciousness. First aid also stops a character from losing hit points due to effects that cause bleed.
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just because it has no difference at the encounter level does not mean it does not have a difference in the players perception of his character.And when one player's character is of a higher level than the other players' characters in the party, those players are going to have a negative perception of their own characters; they'll feel as though Player X's character is receiving all the glory, which will naturally lead to resentment/tension.
and when one player contributes more than another and yet they both progress at the same rate breeds resentment and apathy.
Call me a socialist :P
Let's see...
- Stats are 4d6, re-roll all 1s, re-roll the lowest, take your best 3. Do that 7 times and take your best 6. If your very first roll comes up four 6s, that counts as a 19 (but it can only work on your VERY FIRST)
- I use the 'Trailblazer' iterative attack system. This changes a few things like the Two-Weapon Fighting feat chain and monk's flurry of blows, etc.
- Spell DCs are 10 +1/2 caster level + stat modifier.
- Magic Item DCs are based on the stat and level of the wearer/user. I find it puts more 'oomph' into things like a dagger of venom and the like.
- Natural 20s on skill checks are treated as 30. Natural 1s are -10.
- Natural 1 on attack roll threatens a fumble. You have to confirm the miss and if you do - it provokes an AoO. If you don't, it is just a miss.
- Forgery is not under Linguistics, it is under Appraise. Also, detecting forgeries is under Appraise as well.
- The Steal combat maneuver is done using Sleight of Hand. If your check beats their CMD, you get the item. If their Perception beats your check, they notice you do it.
- cure spells and their ilk are necromancy.
- half-elves +2 racial modifier has to be to a mental stat. half-orcs, to a physical one.
- specialist wizards choose one school to be their opposed school. They can't memorize/cast those spells - no 2 for 1 stuff. They get Spell Focus in their chosen school as a bonus feat.
- classes are proficient in weapon groups
- languages are not based on race but nation/geography. You only get half your Int modifier in bonus languages and it takes 5 ranks in Linguistics to get a new one. Languages are also grouped into 'families' and you can attempt to communicate using Linguistics across language barriers - the closer the relation, the easier the check.
- Initiative ties are decided with a coin toss, but only after checking Initiative modifier, then Dex modifier, then Dex score.
.. I'm sure I've got more that I just can't think of right now.
One thing I may try and do is put back the specific favoured class per race thing.. I dunno why I like the flavour of that.. but I do.
Pathfinder has favored classes, but they just get a bonus for a class they pick. If every race, except humans, gets assigned a favored class, do it right. Gnomes would have favored class illusionist. They don't get the favored class bonuses if they become a summoner.
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Actually, I wouldn't add favored class by race, not if being specific anyway. Picking from groups might work such as elves must have a magic caster favored class, but personally, I hate the idea of culture and race being the same thing, and favored class is a cultural or personal thing, not a genetic thing.
The only reason I'm truly considering it is because right now, not many people multiclass* so really, it is just "choose an extra skill point or hp per level" rather than anything to do with a 'favoured class'.
I guess I'm just trying to think of a way to make it more.. thematic? fitting with the concept of a favoured class?
*YMMV...of course.
- Spell DCs are 10 +1/2 caster level + stat modifier.
I've thought about doing this. How's it working out for your group? I suppose it determines how powerful your group is compared to someone else's, though.
The only reason I'm truly considering it is because right now, not many people multiclass* so really, it is just "choose an extra skill point or hp per level" rather than anything to do with a 'favoured class'.
I guess I'm just trying to think of a way to make it more.. thematic? fitting with the concept of a favoured class?
*YMMV...of course.
Well, you can always give tell them what their favored class is based on where they come from, or you can make it more thematic by making different bonuses based on race/culture that might be more useful to one class or class type. For example someone from a magical culture (or just elves if you really want it racial) can get a bonus on spellcraft checks equal to half their level. This is helpful to casters but less so to fighters, but no matter the class, it still reflects the characters origins and supports the theme.
So elves get favored class wizard or ranger depending on where they grew up.
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- Spell DCs are 10 +1/2 caster level + stat modifier.I've thought about doing this. How's it working out for your group? I suppose it determines how powerful your group is compared to someone else's, though.
Well, we really like it!
Mainly, for 3 reasons:
1) Marginally less bookkeeping: all a caster's spells have the same DC rather than 10 + spell level + stat modifier. It is a tiny benefit, but having one DC is a lot simpler.
2) It keeps low-level spells alive: Since the DC scales with level, those 1st and 2nd level spells keep being useful, which means they actually get used at higher levels instead of forgotten, or considered useless.
3) We found that, under the original system, the saving throws of monsters/npcs scaled much faster than spell DCs. Casters had a hard time actually getting the full effect of their spells. The houserule fixes that without going way overboard - spell DCs actually pace pretty evenly with saves now.
Of course, that last one is the most likely to vary. I'm sure there are lots of ways to trick out a spell DC, just as there are ways to boost saves, plus choice of monsters/magic items and everything else.
But I highly recommend it!
The only reason I'm truly considering it is because right now, not many people multiclass* so really, it is just "choose an extra skill point or hp per level" rather than anything to do with a 'favoured class'.
I guess I'm just trying to think of a way to make it more.. thematic? fitting with the concept of a favoured class?
*YMMV...of course.
Does your group not play with the alternate favored class bonuses by race/class combo? Some of them are really interesting, though some are perhaps a bit too much (Human bonuses for spontaneous spellcasting classes, for example).
Anyway, now that I'm finally caught up, some of my houserules that I don't think I've seen posted:
1 - When someone heals someone else, both parties roll the appropriate dice and the character is healed the higher amount (so if someone casts Cure Light Wounds on someone else for d8+5, they both roll d8+5 and the target is healed whichever amount is higher). When someone heals themselves, they just roll once.
2 - I'm toying with the idea of changing the favored class HP bonuses to 1 (if the class's HD is d4 or d6), 2 (if d8), or 3 (if d10 or larger).
3 - And, finally, HP per level:
3a - At first level, characters receive their full HD + Con score + any miscellaneous modifiers (so a Fighter with 14 Con would start with 24 HP plus any other bonuses).
3b - At later levels HP works normally except that, instead of rolling, the characters receive average HP for their HD, rounded up (AKA half the maximum roll, +1). They then have a maximum bonus to HP from Con equal to the difference between that and their HD size (so a Wizard gets 4 HP per level off his d6 HD, and can get a maximum of +2 per level from Con). Other sources of HP (such as favored class bonuses) are applied after this maximum.
3c - To go with this, the Toughness feat is changed to increase one's HD size by 1 (and, because HD are never actually rolled, Barbarians and anyone else with a d12 HD is just bumped up to a d14). This includes the +1 HP per level due to a larger die size, and on top of that allows for more Con per level to HP.
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I've been working on compiling my house rules. Here's what I've got so far (some of which were scavenged from various threads posted on these messageboards):
- Spell DCs are 10 +1/2 caster level + stat modifier.I've thought about doing this. How's it working out for your group? I suppose it determines how powerful your group is compared to someone else's, though.Well, we really like it!
Mainly, for 3 reasons:
1) Marginally less bookkeeping: all a caster's spells have the same DC rather than 10 + spell level + stat modifier. It is a tiny benefit, but having one DC is a lot simpler.
2) It keeps low-level spells alive: Since the DC scales with level, those 1st and 2nd level spells keep being useful, which means they actually get used at higher levels instead of forgotten, or considered useless.
3) We found that, under the original system, the saving throws of monsters/npcs scaled much faster than spell DCs. Casters had a hard time actually getting the full effect of their spells. The houserule fixes that without going way overboard - spell DCs actually pace pretty evenly with saves now.
Of course, that last one is the most likely to vary. I'm sure there are lots of ways to trick out a spell DC, just as there are ways to boost saves, plus choice of monsters/magic items and everything else.
But I highly recommend it!
Thanks!
Keeping the lower level spells useful is one of the reasons I've considered doing this myself. If saves increase and a fighter's BAB increases, (to me, anyway) it would stand to reason a spellcaster's primary schtick would get improve as he leveled up. A fighter doesn't get more skilled with a sword than he does a dagger (without feats) as he goes up in level. So why should Fireball become generally just a way to light a campfire at high levels?
I've been copy pasting the house rules I like to a text file. I will print them out and bring them to the next game I get together.
The problem* with that houserule, is that the mages are already decimating the field with everything else they can do, and the lower level spells are already valuable assets for buffs or field effects or dealing with mooks.
If you apply this rule unilaterally to both PC's and NPCs, expect your PCs to fail a lot more saves.
*I'll note it's an interesting rule and might make things more fun for the casters, and as long as everybody has fun then it's not such a huge problem, but it's certainly not one I would recommend.
Yeah, increasing the DC that much for all spells without any other changes is a big move.
For myself, I'm thinking of doing something similar, but I'm also going to be going through a bunch of problem spells (in my opinion) and revising them.
If I were going to use unified spell DCs I'd probably try something like DC = 10 + CL/3 + Ability Score. The highest level spells are easier to save against, the lower level spells are harder to save against, and on average magic is a little weaker. Starting at -1 DC, scaling up to -3 DC at the highest levels compared to how spells currently function for 9 level casters, with buffs for 6 and 4 level casters.
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I haven't had any trouble with spell DCs as-is. In my experience, people just start using different level 1 spells. They use more low-level utility spells that they previously couldn't afford because they were using those slots for attack spells.
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I'm intrigued by the idea of altering Favored Class so that multiclassing doesn't fall behind. Instead, build on the odd racial bonuses to flavor the way each race approaches the classes.
So if you make a Bard/Fighter/Ranger, each of those classes is favored, but your race determines what alternatives you have for HP/Skill points.
Since right now, multiclassing is almost too weak compared to single-classing.
one multiclass thing i'm considering is making favored class count 1/2 the levels in other classes to determine favored class bonuses.
edit: I am counting prestige classes as well.
Knowledge skill specialties:
For every knowledge skill you have, you can gain 1+ Int. Mod. worth of specialties
A specialtiy grants you +2 to any skill roll pertaining to that specialty. By its nature,
a specialty has to be pretty specific. For example, If you have arcana you could choose
Divine spells, Magical Symbols, dragons, etc...but not Spells, Symbols, or monsters.
When you add a skill rank you can choose to add +2 to a specialty instead of the overall rank.
You can choose to add your additional int. bonus to an exsisting specialtiy; each additional
Int. Modifier added to specialty gives you an additional +1.
So example:
Kelzan has an int. of 14 and the religion knowledge skill. He has the option of gaining 3 specialties within
the religion KS. He chooses undead and and ancient cults. Instead of picking a third specialty, he chooses
to bump his undead skill by 1. So, when making a religion KS dealing with the undead he would add +3 to
his role. +2 if if it were roll on ancient cults.
These are house rules that have come in and out of my groups game over the years.
No descending attack bonus for multiple attacks. Instead their is a -1 for every attack performed by that character in a round. For example a 15th level fighter with a BAB of 15 and three attacks would have a BAB of 15 - 3 for every attack if he performed a full attack. This way there is only one number to keep track of when some one does a full attack.
All classes that get 2 skill points per level get 4.
A fumble rolls are confirmed on a roll of 1-3.
Any reflex save that involves electricity uses the fort save instead. No, you cannot dodge electricity.
Rangers can trade their spells for sneak attack. They cap at 5D6.
Bastard swords are martial weapons for humans, or half elves that grew up in a human dominate society.
Clerics are proficient with their god's favored weapon.
If a character's animal familiar is killed, use 2nd edition AD&D consequences.
Divine classes do not need to memories spells. This actually started in AD&D. The reality is that a cleric is praying to their god for a favor. The fact that a cleric can cast a spell of X or Y level means they have the god's favor. Keep in mind that the god does not have to answer as expected, or at all. This is really so the GM can fit a spell's effects for a specific circumstances, or when the cleric asks for a miracle. It is also a way to deny a player some thing in game if their god would actually find what they ask for offensive.
Miracle is not a wish spell by another name. It is a cleric asking for direct intervention by their god. This is a role playing thing. yes it still costs a spell slot for that day. Remember gods do what they think you need, not want you want.
Wish spells. They are dangerous handle with care.
A cleric's spells are restricted to the domains used by their god.
Healing spells are necromancy.
Specialized casters cannot cast opposed school spells.
Bluff, diplomacy, perception, and healing are class skills for the fighter.
Spell components are important, keep track of them, however a lot of components can be substituted, if logical. For example if you do not have, or want, bat poop for fire ball, powdered sulfur will do, or flower in a pinch.
Losing your spell book sucks, don't do it.
Use magic devise is a stupid nonsensical skill. It does not exist. If you want to use a magic item, you need to go old school and figure out how it works. Also if an item has a specific restriction, and your character does not meat it, you cannot use the devise. Actual roll playing, and extenuating circumstances can change this.
The leadership feat is not required to take for followers. This is an RP element. However the basic structure of the leadership rules are used.
Dispel magic, or any similar spell or effect, cuts off the spell or magical effect absolutely. So if you are flying and get hit with dispel magic, good luck.
Will start using D12 for initiatives. Thinking of adapting 2nd ed weapon/spell speed factors into PF.
Clerics are proficient with their god's favored weapon.
That's not a house rule, just to mention. That's RAW.
Any reflex save that involves electricity uses the fort save instead. No, you cannot dodge electricity.
interesting...
The D20 is replaced with 2D10.
A 2 is always a failure regardless of bonuses.
Crits do not need to be confirmed; due to the nature of the bell curve on 2D10.
The Skulls rule: When a natural 2 is rolled; The Player who rolled the fail must roll the Skull Dice (as set of black D10s where the 10s are replaced with skulls).
If one skull is rolled something "bad" happened (It could be a trip/fall or anything else of an inconvenient nature). If Two skulls appear something "really bad" happened (self injury, favorite weapon shatters/breaks, etc...). The player who rolls the Skulls gets to decide and describe the "bad" effect. (GM Caveat: If the GM deems the effect either insufficient or excessive he may impose his own in its stead). (Designer Note: In all the years of the use of the Skulls Rule I have never had to utilize the insufficient clause).
Every class gets a +2 skill points per level bump.
All classes start trained in their Class skills (even if they do not place any ranks in the skill).
Diplomacy, Military Etiquette, Perception, and Sense Motive are Fighter Class Skills.
Class skills do not require a rank to gain the +3 CS bonus.
An expanded skills list is used.
Knowledge skills have been renamed Lore (I prefer this title as it is more in keeping with the nature of the skill).
Taking 10 and taking 20 are banned; skill checks are only preformed for non-mundane usages of the skills. Example: riding a horse at a leisurely walk on a well worn track does not require a check. Riding a horse at break neck speeds through an untamed forest with heavy under growth... Make a check.
Sympathetic skills: Sometimes skills will overlap. When this happens the PC may choose which skill to use as the base (Primary) skill for the check. For every 3 ranks in an overlapping skill the primary skill gains a +1 Sympathetic bonus (These bonuses stack). No more than two sympathetic skill bonuses may be applied in this manner.
The spell Identify (and any spell of a similar nature) are banned for setting reasons. (The Skills spellcraft, Lore: Magic, and Research are used to identify magic items).
Meta-magic rods/items are banned for setting reasons.
Any reflex save that involves electricity uses the fort save instead. No, you cannot dodge electricity.Of course you don't dodge electricity, you dodge the place it was aimed at, the same as dodging bullets.
Yet unlike a bullet, an electrical arc doesn't keep going in a straight line if you move the electrode. I agree that modern conception of electricity does not apply here, but having electrical attacks behaving differently from fire attacks is an interesting mechanical concept.
The D20 is replaced with 2D10.
A 2 is always a failure regardless of bonuses.
Crits do not need to be confirmed; due to the nature of the bell curve on 2D10.
I won't be using that. Anything that makes true strike a waste of time is hereby banned at my tables.
As a rule, the game is about magic. No low magic, no auto fail, and no exceptions. Shield stops bullets, but then ends on the next initiative.
I already said True Strike trumps the natural 1.
True strike- The glimpse it gives you of the future lets you compensate so a 1 on the D20 is not a fumble or automatic miss.
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Fair enough. Personally I'd rather just remove the rule entirely than have truestrike override it, but to each his own.
well using the 2d10 the bell curve makes it so that an auto-fail only happens 1% of the time.
IMO some small chance of failure is needed or success becomes meaningless.Spells such as True Strike would be the exception to the rule as Magic is supposed to warp the normal laws of the universe in the favor of the caster.
The D20 is replaced with 2D10.
A 2 is always a failure regardless of bonuses.
Crits do not need to be confirmed; due to the nature of the bell curve on 2D10.
I won't be using that. Anything that makes true strike a waste of time is hereby banned at my tables.
As a rule, the game is about magic. No low magic, no auto fail, and no exceptions. Shield stops bullets, but then ends on the next initiative.
I think you are confusing low magic with weak magic.
The two concepts are not necessarily (and often are not) the same thing.| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
well using the 2d10 the bell curve makes it so that an auto-fail only happens 1% of the time.
IMO some small chance of failure is needed or success becomes meaningless.
This is a weird concept to me. I'm of the opinion that someone who's trained all their life to do something shouldn't have a flat 1% chance to fail no matter what.
The big burly Barbarian warrior, slayer of 1000 men, should not have a chance to miss the cowering child laying prone on the ground. He should CERTAINLY not have even the slightest percentage chance of injuring himself or breaking his weapon or whatever while doing so.
It makes the game seem like a Happy Tree Friends episode. You know, like the one where the guy critically failed his "Use Blender" roll and killed himself.
And while Happy Tree Friends is amusing, it's also quite silly.
Failure should be dependent entirely on your opponent's skill vs yours (i.e. AC vs attack bonus, coupled with HP as an abstraction of hits wearing them down or lightly damaging them for a more final blow).
The real world equivalent to this would be something like a mathematician having a 1% chance to forget what 2+2 equals, and then spontaneously lose all knowledge of human speech immediately afterwards because he fumbled too hard. It's just weird.
Taking 10 and taking 20 are banned; skill checks are only preformed for non-mundane usages of the skills. Example: riding a horse at a leisurely walk on a well worn track does not require a check. Riding a horse at break neck speeds through an untamed forest with heavy under growth... Make a check.
Just wanted to point out, that you're not banning Take 10 in that case...since Take 10 is used for exactly what you're describing. Things the character can do quite easily while not distracted or in danger.
well using the 2d10 the bell curve makes it so that an auto-fail only happens 1% of the time.
IMO some small chance of failure is needed or success becomes meaningless.
This is a weird concept to me. I'm of the opinion that someone who's trained all their life to do something shouldn't have a flat 1% chance to fail no matter what.
The big burly Barbarian warrior, slayer of 1000 men, should not have a chance to miss the cowering child laying prone on the ground. He should CERTAINLY not have even the slightest percentage chance of injuring himself or breaking his weapon or whatever while doing so.
It makes the game seem like a Happy Tree Friends episode. You know, like the one where the guy critically failed his "Use Blender" roll and killed himself.
And while Happy Tree Friends is amusing, it's also quite silly.
Failure should be dependent entirely on your opponent's skill vs yours (i.e. AC vs attack bonus, coupled with HP as an abstraction of hits wearing them down or lightly damaging them for a more final blow).
The real world equivalent to this would be something like a mathematician having a 1% chance to forget what 2+2 equals, and then spontaneously lose all knowledge of human speech immediately afterwards because he fumbled too hard. It's just weird.
Taking 10 and taking 20 are banned; skill checks are only preformed for non-mundane usages of the skills. Example: riding a horse at a leisurely walk on a well worn track does not require a check. Riding a horse at break neck speeds through an untamed forest with heavy under growth... Make a check.Just wanted to point out, that you're not banning Take 10 in that case...since Take 10 is used for exactly what you're describing. Things the character can do quite easily while not distracted or in danger.
No matter how good you are sometimes you fail.
Using dice in a game to "simulate" that is somewhat difficult as the actual reality of failure is obviously less than 1%.As to the critical fumble... I instituted the Skull Dice rule a long time ago (25 years) since all fumble systems up to that point were hopelessly broken. It should be pointed out the odds of rolling both a natural 2 on 2d10 and then getting 2 skulls are very slim. (Around .01% I think... that kind of math was never really my strong suit.)
Your example of the mathematician forgetting 2+2=4... Around here we call that a "brain fart;" you know you should know the answer but for some odd reason it momentarily escapes you. Failing a check does not mean you can never try again. Just that at that precise moment you pulled an "oopsie."
The barbarian striking the cowering child? Isnt there a Coup De Grace rule for that?
And yeah I know the take 10 thing is basically the same thing but if I do not ban it out right; I invariably get some "genius" who thinks that just because he has 15 ranks and a +20 bonus to the skill he can take ten on some ridiculous hair brained non-mundane use of the skill. This just eliminates the need for me to explain the definition of Mundane Use to said player.
No, you don't sometimes fail at things that are ingrained in you like that.
A master chef is never going to sometimes forget how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
A master swordsman is never going to cut at something and fail so hard he severs his own leg.
Things like that are things that don't happen in reality, with normal people, so why should it happen in a fantasy game with people who are beyond human?
By 6th level you've surpassed humanity. You should be getting better at things without a 1% chance of going "Whoops, guess all my training is useless".
And NOBODY is going to forget something as simple as 2+4, even for a moment, much less a guy who makes his living on numbers. Come on now. Even when you brain fart, I doubt it's something to do with your livelihood, and as you said...you know the answer, you just can't vocalize it. It's not the same thing.
You might go "Hand me that...thingy over there" when you mean a screwdriver, but you're not suddenly going to be like "And what's this for again?"
Also the way Knowledge checks work mean you CAN never try again but that's a whole 'nother basket of stupid that's not related to your rule at all.
I'm not going to go as far as to say your rule is horrible and you're terrible for using it or whatnot, I've fooled around with fumble rules too, but I don't think it makes sense like you implied it did.
No, you don't sometimes fail at things that are ingrained in you like that.
A master chef is never going to sometimes forget how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
A master swordsman is never going to cut at something and fail so hard he severs his own leg.
Things like that are things that don't happen in reality, with normal people, so why should it happen in a fantasy game with people who are beyond human?
By 6th level you've surpassed humanity. You should be getting better at things without a 1% chance of going "Whoops, guess all my training is useless".
And NOBODY is going to forget something as simple as 2+4, even for a moment, much less a guy who makes his living on numbers. Come on now. Even when you brain fart, I doubt it's something to do with your livelihood, and as you said...you know the answer, you just can't vocalize it. It's not the same thing.
You might go "Hand me that...thingy over there" when you mean a screwdriver, but you're not suddenly going to be like "And what's this for again?"
Also the way Knowledge checks work mean you CAN never try again but that's a whole 'nother basket of stupid that's not related to your rule at all.
I'm not going to go as far as to say your rule is horrible and you're terrible for using it or whatnot, I've fooled around with fumble rules too, but I don't think it makes sense like you implied it did.
No the master chef is not going to forget how to make a Grilled Cheese; but he might over season, burn, undercook, etc... no matter how good you are... mistakes happen. (just not as often as any system based on the limits of dice is going to limit you to).
Every decent Master will tell you that themselves.You make a poor assumption on the fumbles.
yes a master swordsman is unlikely to cut his leg off.
But... Pull a groin muscle? Hyper-extend a joint? etc... Self-injury encompasses a large area. The reason I place the effect of rolling Skulls in the hands of the player is they then have a say in how "detrimental" that "bad" result is. The caveat is there to cause that one player who will try to "game" the system and say he stubbed his little toe on a Double Skull to think twice. In point of fact I have had to utilize the excessive over-ride a few times and the insufficient over-ride never.
Is it a perfect system?
not really. But no system will ever be able to perfectly copy reality.
This one functions better than any static one I have encountered so far.
On the Idea that after level 5 the characters are far above the norm? we will just have to agree to disagree. Since I do not see that point happening until level 16 or so and even then I am not so sure.
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No, you don't sometimes fail at things that are ingrained in you like that.
A master chef is never going to sometimes forget how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
A master swordsman is never going to cut at something and fail so hard he severs his own leg.
Things like that are things that don't happen in reality, with normal people, so why should it happen in a fantasy game with people who are beyond human?
By 6th level you've surpassed humanity. You should be getting better at things without a 1% chance of going "Whoops, guess all my training is useless".
And NOBODY is going to forget something as simple as 2+4, even for a moment, much less a guy who makes his living on numbers. Come on now. Even when you brain fart, I doubt it's something to do with your livelihood, and as you said...you know the answer, you just can't vocalize it. It's not the same thing.
You might go "Hand me that...thingy over there" when you mean a screwdriver, but you're not suddenly going to be like "And what's this for again?"
Also the way Knowledge checks work mean you CAN never try again but that's a whole 'nother basket of stupid that's not related to your rule at all.
I'm not going to go as far as to say your rule is horrible and you're terrible for using it or whatnot, I've fooled around with fumble rules too, but I don't think it makes sense like you implied it did.
I get what you're saying here, and, after all, house rules are for the individual GM, but I can't help feeling that fumble does not necessarily = 'forget how to do it.' Sometimes, freakishly, circumstances are just against you. I've gone to make a grilled cheese sandwich and the knife has just flown out of my hand, or the match has snapped in half. We've all seen YouTube vids where Olympic athletes fail at doing something they've excelled at all their life - equipment breaks, or they slip.
So that Barbarian - if he rolled a 1 one at my table while trying to kill a cowering child - well, I'd say 'ok, the rock that you put your weight on while you swing down is actually unstable, and twists under your foot, throwing you off balance. Your swing goes wide.'
Circumstances can be against you, and that's what I use fumble for, not intimating that the player / character forgot everything they ever learned in an instant.
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Yeah ... I want to play Pathfinder, not The Three Stooges RPG. I don't use the autofail or the autosuccess rules.
I wouldn't say that the Olympic Athletes rolled a 1, because 1s don't autofail on skill checks, by RAW. What they try to do is difficult (high DC), and sometimes they just don't make the check.
Any reflex save that involves electricity uses the fort save instead. No, you cannot dodge electricity.
What do you do about evasion in this instance? I am intrigued by the idea but it seems unfair to just cut out one of the rogue's or monk's best defenses.
Also, for me:
Magic item crafting is done at 1,000 gp/hour not day. Even then, there is a high level feat that bumps it to 10,000 gp/hour.
Of course, my players never focus on crafting - it is just to speed up gear upgrading.
This is a weird concept to me. I'm of the opinion that someone who's trained all their life to do something shouldn't have a flat 1% chance to fail no matter what.well using the 2d10 the bell curve makes it so that an auto-fail only happens 1% of the time.
IMO some small chance of failure is needed or success becomes meaningless.
That's where the take 10/take 20 rule comes.
I'm with Damian on this one (except that he got ride of the take 10/20), when you are under rushed or threatened conditions, there should be a chance of failure; even if the task is trivial. Is there are no rush or threat, then there shouldn't be a test at all IMO.
Put a gun on 20 people's head. Ask them to tie their shoes or else they're shot. Guarantied one will fail... (Damian is generous enough to say that 1 in 100 will fail).
It may not be obvious here yet, so I'll make it so.
Expensive magic item ingredients obtained by adventuring, crafting, or using a profession, subtract from the cost of making an item, but not other costs such as time.
The GM should roleplay it too. In your example, if a barbarian tries to slay a child, and rolls a 1, the GM should be able to list the deities that are sending an omen. An Orc cub who is genetically evil(at some tables, they are not) would get no such protection.
The GM should roleplay it too. In your example, if a barbarian tries to slay a child, and rolls a 1, the GM should be able to list the deities that are sending an omen. An Orc cub who is genetically evil(at some tables, they are not) would get no such protection.
Why wouldn't the Orc gods send an omen? Or evil gods in general? And if the GM has a problem with a PCs behavior, why isn't he talking to the player instead of using lame Deus Ex Machinae?
This is why I don't use extant, meddlesome gods in my games. I've never seen it done and not be totally lame.
n the Idea that after level 5 the characters are far above the norm? we will just have to agree to disagree. Since I do not see that point happening until level 16 or so and even then I am not so sure.
It's pretty easily demonstrable. Level 6 is just ever so slightly above the norm. If you look at the amount of damage they can dish out or take, or the feats of skill they can accomplish easily, they are clearly mildly superhuman. They can accomplish things that even masters of their craft might find difficult. In game terms, they can Take 10 on a skill check a level 5 human master would have to roll on because he misses it by 1 if he Takes 10.
By level 10 it becomes VERY clear, just in the amount of punishment your character can take. The average Fighter can literally survive a fall from orbit or a short dip in lava, naked. No human can hope to accomplish these things, at least not with any reliability.
People tout the falling thing as being inaccurate "because people have survived falls like that before", but the thing is...not EVERYONE survives a fall like that. It's all a matter of luck.
Not so with the level 10 character.
And back to skills, a level 10 character can accomplish something a level 5 character would consider their magnum opus as a matter of course. That's clearly above anyone who's ever lived.
There are other ways to demonstrate it, but those are the most clear.
That's where the take 10/take 20 rule comes.I'm with Damian on this one (except that he got ride of the take 10/20), when you are under rushed or threatened conditions, there should be a chance of failure; even if the task is trivial. Is there are no rush or threat, then there shouldn't be a test at all IMO.
Put a gun on 20 people's head. Ask them to tie their shoes or else they're shot. Guarantied one will fail... (Damian is generous enough to say that 1 in 100 will fail).
You can't Take 10 on attack rolls and saves.
And even then, comparing a group of level 1 Commoners to your highly trained, superhuman party of adventurers is a poor comparison.