First try: Consolidating the bonuses.


Homebrew and House Rules


Hello all! I'm new to these forums, but I'm been game mastering D&D and then Pathfinder since 1999. I'm usually not shy with house rules, but this one thing has been bothering me, and since it can clearly break the system in random ways I decided to register and ask for opinions and help. My problem right now are the bonuses for the different actions, since the amount of bonuses that can be leveled for a given task in Pathfinder is ridiculous, for example, I counted the following mods only for skills:

Size: Ye olde size mess.
Trait: It only exist to prevent hardcore min-maxim. Not bad per se, but add even more bloat to the toad.
Feat: Nice way to show focused training. A five level expert with base NPC status may be considered a master blacksmith with a bonus of 17 without magic. Cool. [+5 ranks, +3 skill focus, +2 I-forgot-the-multiple-craft-feat-name, +3 trained skill, +2 int 14 {13+1}, +2 Masterwork shop].
Alchemy: Because this need, for some reason, it's own modifier. The funny part is that pharmacological items doesn't use this, so it stack with it.
Circumstance: Factors outside the control of the character making the check. Love it, clear and direct.
Competence: This one is weird. It does give you more knowledge on how to perform? Does it perfect your ability to use what you already have?
Insight: Ok, how does this differ from competence, for Sarenrae's Golden Shiny Ass! Maybe a spirit is whispering insightful clues in your head?
Inherent: Only for add old mechanism of attribute inflation.
Luck: Lady destiny gives you your blessing? You have a probability field +1 around you? This is not exactly well thought...
Morale: Clear, straightforward bonus of the gutsy and brave. Also a mess with certain weapons.
Sacred: Good deity bless you, fine.
Profane: Bad deity mark you as object of amusement. Lol.
Racial: Dude(tte)s, this should really be under circumstance or compentence. Right now, it only foments Speciesm. And is a PITA to explain the diference with Race traits to n00bs.
Mythic: This is cool. It breaks the skill system like a cat breaks an uppity moth, but its freaking Mythic, it's supossed to be like that. May require a reworking to include the nice ideas of Unchained and to delete the utterly boring "you are a demigod of acrobatics. +20 to check, lol" parts, but that is outside the scope of this document.

I hope that there wasn't bonuses that I didn't catch. I really, really hope so.

What I want is a way to consolidate all of these things in a compact and clear list valid for all rolls that can be modified plus armor (wich can be considered a "take 10" roll for these effects, if necessary), and that said bonuses, for the sake of consistency, should never stack with themselves and should always stack outside their category.

Now, the list as it is at this momment:

Atributte: A single, or sometimes more boost from your atributes (see lusty nature Oracle of Arshea)
Size: The Size mess, heritage of bygone eras, are not inside the scope of this document... So this should stay like this for a little while.
Focused training (FT): Augments due to personal focus on the area. Feats, traits, and anything that inspires training montages should be here.
Circumstance: All factors short of divine intervention that conspire to affect your success and are outside your control. For example, entangled penalties, high terrain bonuses, etc.
Competence: Bonus that allow the better use of you what already have. For example, alchemist substances that give you a bonus via clearing your head, or cleansing the lactic acid from your muscles. Inherent bonuses should be fused here.
Enhancement: Magical aid that affect directly an atribute. Magical objects of +15 all kills, Belts of Physical Narcyssim, bonus to hardness. A sword +5 would get an enhancement bonus of 10 to hardness of the weapon.
Inherent: Specific attribute inherent to an object or being that help others with a task. A sword +5 would give an Inherent bonus of five to attack and damage, five wishes for strenght would give you a normal IQ... Wait, no, would give you a bonus inherent equal to 5 for your mind prowess.
Divine (Sacred-Profane-Dogmatic-Entropic-Luck): Divine intervention upon your task. This bonuses alter reality to change your probabilities of success. Good deities give Sacred Bonuses, Neutral deities give luck bonus, etc. May be allowed to stack non-contradictory alignments (like Profane Dogmatic)?
Morale: The boon of the hero. The thing that makes you stand against all odds. The ballad in the making. The thing that I will not touch since I don't want to mess with Rage and others. Courageous should affect only one source of morale bonus at a time, can be changed once per day.

Purged bonuses:
Dodge: every freaking character does it best to dodge incoming attacks unless they are barbarian. This should be merged in competence.
Racial: skilled bonuses should go to competence if they give better ways of doing things (like enhanced senses), but a corner case could be better in another category. Races could give bonuses to different categories.
Resistance: This is called "enhancement", but with a cheaper name. Keep the cheapness, change the tag.
Natural Armor: Remove this from the game. Add any old Natural Armor bonuses as base armor (10+old NA bonus) Items that enhances your skin resistance should be

Special case:

Mythic: If I didn't touch morale for fear of messing up, I'm not touching this one with a 11' inamobable rod. A mythic character would break or steal the rod anyway.

Consolidated bonus:

Can affect attack rolls
Atribute
-> Enhancement (to weapon, not character)
Size
Focused training (weapon focus et all)
Circumstance (flanking, height, etc.)
Competence? Probably for things like Tenser Transformation.
Inherent
Divine
Morale

Can affect damage rolls
Atribute
Focused training (weapon specialization, devastating strike, etc.)
Enhancement
Divine
Morale

Can affect armor class
Atribute
Armor (specific to armor class)
-> Enhancement (to armor, not character)
Shield (idem)
-> Enhancement (to shield, not character)
Size
Deflection
Insight
Divine

Can affect initiative
Atribute
Focused training
Class specific
Competence
Enhancement (to item. not character)

Can affect skills
Atributte
Size
Focused training (FT)
Circumstance
Competence
Enhancement
Inherent
Divine
Morale

Can affect speed (increments of 5')
Enhancement
Inherent

Now, is there something that I have forgot? Do someone have a suggestion? Please help! :P

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