Removing Big 6 + Skill Based Crafting: A Homebrew Draft


Homebrew and House Rules


Hi Forum People,

I have been working on a homebrew ruleset that I can use to maintain character power level so that they can fight high CR monsters while at the same time making all found magic items rare and special. There will be four parts to this ruleset, three of which can be found in the Document here:

Here is the pdf!

Part 1: Hero Bonuses
This is a pretty common idea on the forums automatic bonuses to attack, damage, saves, ac to replace the big six. I also include additional ability score increases from leveling up to replace belts and bands.

Part 2; Craft(Armaments)
This class skill for marital characters allows them to craft a limited number of masterwork items empowered by their inherent magic (flavor wise even fighters are magic, magically good at fighting). At low level these function like normal masterwork items but at higher levels these weapons gain magical qualities through superior weapon maintenance. (can be bought and sold but without upkeep from a high level character they revert to normal masterwork items)

Ex: Thrag the Fighter knows all about swords he sharpens his sword every day, eventually this repetitive act empowers his sword with the keen ability. As long as Thrag spends some time performing weapon upkeep every week his sword will stay magically sharp.

Part 3: Craft (Alchemy)
Kind of re skinned alchemy here to replace potions and low level scrolls. Alchemists have an alchemical power level which increases with both character level and total Craft(Alchemy) skill bonus. This determines how many potions they can make is a day how long those potions last (limited shelf life cannot be stockpiled) and how powerful those potions are: Alchemists bombs, healing potions, toxin, and other magic brews can all be made with Alchemy.

Ex: Thrashex Endarious the slayer knows that he is going to be fighting some trolls soon so he makes up some alchemists firebombs to burn them all up. He needs to do this a few days beforehand because his potions are only viable for about a week.

Part 4: Wondrous Items and Magic Foci,
I am currently converting to Spheres of Power, once I am done with that I will look into making a Craft(Occult) skill for making magic rods, staves, and wondrous items. (which will require upkeep from their creator to keep working)

This is supposed to replace wealth by level entirely. There will be some additional magic items (I'm thinking like 1 per PC per five levels) but they will be designed specifically to be special and useful indefinitely.

So if you are interested and/or have any thoughts or comments please let me know. Play testing is happening currently so I can't really comment on that yet. Balance wise I think this is a net power increase over RAW, not as much as like gestalt but still significant, I am fine with that and will just throw bigger meaner (more interesting) baddies at the PCs.

Thanks,

Bardarok


Well this is interesting. I like how specific classes can craft specific types of potions, like Holy Water can only be crafted by a divine class. Very cool.


Be careful that you're not double-counting. For example, some bonuses to AC (like Dodge) already add to CMD. Are you suggesting that hero bonus adds to CMD twice?

Also, you'll want something, I think, for full casters. I suggest using something like a Knowledge (metamagic) to replace all those metamagic rods with skill checks.

You're sorta destroying the 'specialness' of the alchemist with this system. I doubt you'll see anyone play one, unless they're redesigned to be even better at alchemy than others.

Given the nature of the game, I suggest you want regular and improved alchemical items. A really powerful blue potion is more useful than 20 minor ones, and something that a high-level character should be able to pull off.

Be careful with leadership. I'm not sure you want to allow a cohort to become a magic item factory.


Also, consider what you'll give out as treasure now. How would you adopt a printed adventure into your system?

We did something similar, and found that turning duplicated magic items into MW items, and cutting gold by half worked well enough.

Here's what we used, for reference.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?298121-Cutting-Down-the-3-5-Chr istmas-Tree-Decoupling-Wealth-from-Combat-Power


Is craft (armaments) also craft (armor), or are weapons and armor seperate skills, like in the core rules?


Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:


Here's what we used, for reference.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?298121-Cutting-Down-the-3-5-Chr istmas-Tree-Decoupling-Wealth-from-Combat-Power

*BEEPBOOP*

LINKED FOR MEAT-BAG CONVENIENCE.


So I realized after posting this that I have been running my own little pathfinder world in isolation for so long that I kind of forgot about a lot of things that are generally relevant in the game such as leadership, alchemists, and pre-written adventures.

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:
Be careful that you're not double-counting. For example, some bonuses to AC (like Dodge) already add to CMD. Are you suggesting that hero bonus adds to CMD twice?

I was intending the Hero bonus would add to CMD once as it's own type of bonus that stacks with everything

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:
Also, you'll want something, I think, for full casters. I suggest using something like a Knowledge (metamagic) to replace all those metamagic rods with skill checks.

I am actually currently working on a Craft(occult) to go with this but since I am converting to spheres of power system I thought that a homebrew of a third party system might be a bit of a streach to talk about on the Paizo boards.

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:
You're sorta destroying the 'specialness' of the alchemist with this system. I doubt you'll see anyone play one, unless they're redesigned to be even better at alchemy than others.

Don't intend to allow alchemists as I don't want to bother converting them to Spheres of Power.

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:
Given the nature of the game, I suggest you want regular and improved alchemical items. A really powerful blue potion is more useful than 20 minor ones, and something that a high-level character should be able to pull off.

Good point I'll take another look at scaling at high levels.

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:
Be careful with leadership. I'm not sure you want to allow a cohort to become a magic item factory.

I have not allowed leadership in my games for years so I didn't think about that contingency, I might limit it in that cohorts can craft but they don't get Hero bonuses so they are never as good at it as PC's that might be too harsh though.

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:
Also, consider what you'll give out as treasure now. How would you adopt a printed adventure into your system?

I've been playing for 12 years and I have never actually used a pre-canned adventure so I have no idea how I would do that.

Anonymous Visitor 163 576 wrote:

We did something similar, and found that turning duplicated magic items into MW items, and cutting gold by half worked well enough.

Here's what we used, for reference.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?298121-Cutting-Down-the-3-5-Chr istmas-Tree-Decoupling-Wealth-from-Combat-Power

Thanks, I'll check that out

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Homebrew and House Rules / Removing Big 6 + Skill Based Crafting: A Homebrew Draft All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Homebrew and House Rules