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I narrowly missed the 15% holiday promo for 2023, how often do these promotional codes happen? Does anyone know a way to get an out of season coupon maybe through an app or partner website?

Just posting some house rules I am experimenting with. If anyone has ideas or criticisms I'd love to hear them. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy or perhaps even feel inspired, but please do leave me feedback on these.

Pathfinder House Rules 1.1

These rules changes to the Pathfinder RPG by Paizo are an attempt to rectify some logical problems in the game’s engine. The detailed rules change is accompanied with a brief explanation of the reasoning behind it. The following is a brief summary of all changes presented herein:

-Lethal damage causes bleeding wounds.
-Combat Maneuvers can be made in conjunction with attacks.
-Fortitude, Reflex, and Will are fixed values like Armor Class or CMD. In addition, a new Technical Maneuver Defense (TMD) is added to be measured against Demoralize and Feint.
-Missed attacks may still do damage to a creature’s armor or shield. Natural armor does not fully protect against attacks.
-Diseases roll against a fixed Fortitude, and make their host sickened.
-Some feats have been changed due to the removal of Attacks of Opportunity and the changes to Hit Points.
-A spell caster makes a focus roll against fixed Fortitude, Reflex, and Will for every spell that would normally allow a save.
-Hit Points calculation has been dramatically changed, making health much more dependent on size, and giving Hit Dice much less weight.
-Melee attack rolls are modified by Dexterity, and all attack rolls must exceed armor class to hit, rather than match.
-You can attempt to parry enemy attacks when fighting defensively, or using total defense.
-Poison rolls against a fixed Fortitude, but unerringly deals at least its minimum damage.
-Attacks of Opportunity have been removed in favor of an immediate action each round called a Reaction, which can be used for many things.
-Creatures of each size have unique strength benchmarks which determine what size of weapon they can wield and how.

Bleed
Wounds bleed. A weapon doesn’t need a special magical enhancement to nick an artery. The simple fact is combat is deadly dangerous. Getting cut, stabbed or beaten is something the layman avoids for very good reason.

Light Bleeding: Any creature with blood who is dealt lethal damage of 2 or less from a bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing source begins bleeding for 1 hit point every minute at the beginning of their turn. Each time this bleed damage would be dealt the creature makes a Constitution check against DC 5. If they succeed, the bleed damage is not dealt and the bleed stops. This effect can apply more than once. As an action that takes 2 full rounds, the Heal Skill can be used against a DC 5 to staunch one instance of light bleeding. Any magical healing staunches all light bleeding.

Heavy Bleeding: Any creature with blood who is dealt lethal damage of 3 or more from a bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing source begins bleeding for 1 hit point every round at the beginning of their turn. Each time this bleed damage would be dealt the creature makes a Constitution check against DC 15. If they succeed, the bleed damage is not dealt and the bleed stops. This effect can occur more than once. As an action that takes 1 full round, a creature with a healer’s kit can use the Heal Skill against a DC 20 to staunch one instance of heavy bleeding. Any magical healing of 5 or more from a single source staunches all heavy and light bleeding.

Critical Bleeding: Any creature with blood who is dealt lethal damage with a critical hit from a bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing source begins bleeding for 1d2+1 hit points every round at the beginning of their turn. This effect can only occur once. A creature afflicted with critical bleeding cannot stabilize when dying normally. As an action that takes 2 full rounds a creature with an open healer’s kit and someone aiding them can use the Heal Skill against a DC 25 to staunch one instance of critical bleeding. Any magical healing of 10 or more from a single source staunches all critical bleeding.

Apply Pressure: Any creature can make a Heal Skill check against DC 15 as a standard action to initiate staunching pressure. Once this pressure is initiated, it can be maintained as a move action each turn. Successfully applying pressure to a light or heavy bleed causes it do deal damage only half as often (though you still make constitution checks to stop the bleeding at normal intervals). Applying pressure to a critical bleed reduces the damage it deals to 1 every round.

Combat Maneuvers
Some varieties of attacks do other things too. Chopping at a person’s legs with a huge sword certainly isn’t as damaging as hitting a more central area, but it might knock them over. Furthermore, some actions should not be measured against a creatures combat presence, but rather its mental presence.

Combat maneuvers can be made as a part of other actions, usually with some cost to the action. Some maneuvers have new restrictions or oppositions.

Bull Rush: You can make a bull rush as part of any charge attack with a bludgeoning weapon that meets or exceeds your target’s touch AC.

Demoralize: You can attempt to demoralize an opponent as part of any non-withdrawal double move, any coup de grace, or any attack action or casting of a spell by taking a -2 to all attacks or focus rolls in that action. Whenever you fail to demoralize an opponent, that creature is immune to your intimidation for 24 hours. Demoralize now requires rolling against a creature’s Technical Maneuver Defense (TMD). Any conditional effects that add to Will vs. Fear also add to TMD against Demoralize.

Dirty Trick: Dirty Trick is unchanged.

Disarm: You can attempt to disarm an opponent whenever your parry roll stops an opponent’s attack, or whenever you maintain a grapple instead of a normal grapple action. You can also attempt to disarm and overrun someone at the same time, though both maneuvers are made at a -2 penalty.

Drag: Drag is unchanged.

Grapple: When attempting to grapple, you must first make a touch attack roll against the target. You can attempt to grapple an opponent whenever your parry roll stops an opponent’s attack. You can also attempt to grapple when making a claw, slam, tentacle, or unarmed attack, but if you do so the grapple check is made at a -2 penalty and the attack only deals half of its normal damage.

Overrun: You can attempt to overrun an opponent and disarm or steal from them at the same time, though both maneuvers are made at a -2 penalty.

Sunder: Any weapon attack that misses an opponent but exceeds their touch AC may still damage their armor, shield. See the Damage changes for full details.

Steal: You can steal items whenever you successfully maintain a grapple

Trip: When attempting to trip, you must first make a touch attack. You can also attempt to trip an opponent as part of any attack, but if you do so the trip maneuver roll is made at a -2 penalty and the attack only deals half of its normal damage.

Feint: Feint now requires rolling against a creature’s Technical Maneuver Defense.

Critical Threats and Hits
Once a person is very adept at attacking, he knows how to sink a kill against an exposed opponent. While it is true some weapons are more efficient at this, they don’t have a draconian hierarchy. Striking a vital spot is more dependent on personal talent than weapon wielded.

Weapons no longer have distinct threat ranges. Any attack, focus, disease, or poison roll that exceeds the target defense by 10 or more is a critical threat, though these still require a confirmation roll. Weapons with higher threat ranges lower this threshold, with 19-20 requiring an excess of 9 to threaten, 18-20 requiring an excess of 8 to threaten, and so on.

Damage
Armor stops incoming attacks. It takes a beating. Eventually everything falls into disrepair. That’s why it needs mending and maintaining.

Attacks Hitting Armor: Whenever an attack roll misses, if it exceeded the defender’s touch AC without armor or shield bonuses, it still deals damage to their armor or shield (Choose which randomly). This is considered a sunder attack.

Attacks Hitting Natural Armor: Whenever an attack roll misses, if it exceeded the defender’s touch AC with their armor and shield bonuses, it still deals half of its minimum damage to the defender.

Defenses
Why are offensive attacks rolled, but only some offensive spells are? This is one of the few things 4th Edition D&D got right. The burden to roll should always be on the attacker. Furthermore, because attacks and damage are of a much deadlier nature in this system, a defense must always be exceeded to constitute a hit. This makes damage 5% less likely on the d20, and an average of 10-12% less likely in the case of most balanced level attacks given the hit spread of enemies at equal CR.

Fortitude, Reflex, and Will are no longer rolled to resist spells. They are simply static defenses calculated like armor class, adding 10 and all relevant modifiers. Any effects these saving throws used to be made against now make rolls of their own, with a bonus equal to their listed save DC minus 10.

Creatures also have a technical maneuver defense (10 + ½ HD + Int, Wis, and Cha Mod) that demoralize and feint attacks are now rolled against. Any conditional modifiers that add to Will vs. Fear also add to TMD against Demoralize.

Armor Class, CMD, TMD, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will must be EXCEEDED for success, not just matched.

Disease
Being sick makes you, well… sick. Also because fortitude is fixed, the bacteria have to roll now. Lazy bacteria, get off your microscopic butts!

Diseases roll against the Fortitude defense with a bonus equal to their listed save DC minus 10. A creature with any damage or effects from disease is sickened.

Feats Changed
Some rules have shifted, and some feats needed to be changed in order to compensate for the differing paradigm. Since a major logical problem in the original engine was precision vs. power, it must be kept impossible to stack the two in the same statistic or ability score, except for magical enhancement of course.

Combat Reflexes
Prerequisites: Character Level 6th, Dex 15, Int or Wis 13
Benefit: You gain a 2nd reaction each round. If you have already used a reaction to cast a spell in a round, you can only cast spells at least 4 levels below the highest level you are capable of casting.
Normal: Non-staggered creatures only have 1 reaction each round.

Improved Combat Reflexes
Prerequisites: Character Level 11th, Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You gain a 3rd reaction each round. If you have already used reactions to cast two spells in a round, you can only cast spells at least 6 levels below the highest level you are capable of casting.
Normal: Non-staggered creatures only have 1 reaction each round.

Greater Combat Reflexes
Prerequisites: Character Level 16th, Improved Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You gain a 4th reaction each round. If you have already used reactions to cast three spells in a round, you can only cast spells at least 8 levels below the highest level you are capable of casting.
Normal: Non-staggered creatures only have 1 reaction each round.

Mobility
Prerequisites: Dodge
Benefit: You gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against reaction attacks made by opponents when you pass through their threatened area.

Spell Focus
Benefit: Add +1 to focus rolls for all spells from a school of magic you select.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a new school of magic.

Greater Spell Focus
Prerequisite: Spell Focus in the school to be chosen.
Benefit: Add +1 to focus rolls for all spells from a school of magic you select. This bonus stacks with that of Spell Focus.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a new school of magic already affected by Spell Focus.

Stand Still
Benefit: When an opponent tries to pass through your threatened area you can make a combat maneuver check as a reaction. If it succeeds, that creature cannot move for the rest of its turn.

Toughness
Benefit: You gain 3 base hit points.

Improved Toughness
Prerequisite: Character Level 7th, Toughness
Benefit: You gain 4 base hit points.

Greater Toughness
Prerequisite: Character Level 13th, Improved Toughness
Benefit: You gain 5 base hit points.

Weapon Finesse, and any feats or features that allow dexterity modifiers to affect damage no longer exist.

Leadership no longer exists.

Focus Rolls
With save categories fixed, spells must now be rolled for, but this also addresses another issue: Caster multiclassing, and the relative uselessness of lower level spells against powerful opponents. Multiclassing casters badly shafted their ability to be relevant not just in combat, but in most situations of equal CR. Making focus rolls function based on total hit dice answers this (the damage of scaling spells will still function from caster level, as they should).

Spells no longer have save DCs. Instead, spells that would normally allow a save require the caster to make a focus roll against the appropriate defense type. A focus roll is 1d20 + ½ the caster’s character level + the caster’s relevant ability modifier. Treat exceeding the opponent’s defense as a failed save, and anything less as a successful save.

Hit Points
If you get critically hit, it should be a bad thing. If you jump in lava that can melt your armor, you should be dead. There really isn’t a whole lot of sense to hit points as they stand, and particularly the fact that a human could potentially take as bad a beating as a dragon. More flesh to beat on means more hit points. The smaller you are, the more fragile you are. A fly doesn’t get swatted and keep floating around.

Hit points have a base value determined by class/creature type and hit dice plus the creature’s hit point modifier (usually Constitution). This base value is then altered by the creature’s size. Determine base value by adding the maximum roll of a creature’s racial hit die to their hit point modifier, and then either 1 or 2 hit points for each class level, using 1s for d6s or d8s, and 2s for d10s or d12s.

A 3rd Level Human Wizard with 12 Constitution has 12 Base HP
(8 [max roll of racial HD] + 1 [con mod] + 3 [3 d6/8 class HD])

A 5th Level Dwarf Barbarian/3rd Level Rogue with 14 Constitution has 21 Base HP
(8 [max roll of racial HD] + 2 (con mod) + 11 [4 d10/12 HD])

Size and Hit Points: The size of a creature alters their base hit points by a percentage. Increase a creatures base HP by 50% compounding for each size above medium, or reduce by 25% compounding for each size below medium (rounded down). Whenever a creature changes sizes, any damage they have taken is increased or decreased by the same compound percentage (rounded down).

A 22 HD Gargantuan Dragon with 24 Constitution has 212 HP
(12 [max roll of racial HD] + 7 (con mod) + 44 [22 d10/12 HD]) x 3.375 [50% compounded 3 sizes: 150% - 225% - 337.5%) : 63 x 3.375 = 212

Melee Attack Rolls
The grand dichotomy of Pathfinder is perhaps the stand-alone power of strength measured against the trade of precision for power in the Power Attack feat. Why does strength alone make your attacks both more devastating, AND more accurate? Well, now it doesn’t, but it DOES let you do other fun stuff explained later. For now, your hand-eye coordination and agility determines your accuracy with everything.

Melee attack rolls add dexterity modifiers instead of strength. Attack rolls must exceed armor class to hit rather than match.

Parry
Come on now, it makes sense. He’s swinging at me. Can’t I parry it? The deadly nature of damage vs. hit points makes more defensive options necessary. And really this one should have always existed.

Creatures can use attacks to attempt to parry an opponent’s attacks. Any creature may delay their action to save a full attack, use a ready action to save an attack, or use a reaction attack to parry. When a foe makes an attack a creature wishes to parry, that creature makes an attack using their saved attack roll at its listed bonus opposing the incoming attack roll. If the parry roll exceeds the incoming attack roll, the attacks is parried and the weapons deal damage to each other. If either weapon is a natural weapon, instead half the damage is dealt to the creature with the natural weapon. If a parry exceeds the incoming attack roll by 5 or more, the defending creature can make a riposte attack, using the same bonus as the parry -5.

Parries cannot be made on attacks against which a defender is flat-footed.

Poison
Poison and venom don’t just stop at the walls of your veins and be all like “Whelp! He made his fortitude save, guess we are done here.” Poison will always do some damage. If you want a good countermeasure, I would suggest not getting poisoned. And look on the bright side, fortitude is fixed so the burden to roll is on the poison.

Poisons roll against the Fortitude defense with a bonus equal to their listed save DC minus 10. A poison that fails this roll will still persist through its duration, making a new roll at each frequency interval. Each interval always deals at least minimum damage for a poison. Poisons that cause unconsciousness instead cause fatigue or exhaustion (if the target is already fatigued).

Reactions
The nature of turn based combat creates an environment where you do your thing, and then you have to watch everything go to hell before you get to try and fix things again. Reactions let you interact out of turn to dive out of the way of bad things, or rush to somebody’s aid. Also, attacks of opportunity? I mean, come on. That’s just a stupid idea. I get to swing at them if they are open? And it just randomly happens? Can’t I just, you know… take that swing? What if I want to take it at myself? Attacks of opportunity were always an ill-advised, nonsensical mechanic that Pathfinder kept. I got rid of them. If you want to interrupt somebody’s spell, or whack them as they run by, just use your reaction attack. You can even throw something with it now. Really I think it’s a no-brainer.

Attacks of Opportunity are no longer a part of the combat rules. Combatants instead gain an extra immediate action after their turn that can be used until their next turn. A Reaction takes place simultaneously with whatever action it is announced during. A reaction can accomplish any of the following:

-Apply pressure to a bleed (Heal DC 20).
-A melee or thrown attack at a -2 penalty.
-A defensive maneuver (+2 Dodge to AC and Reflex)
-A move of any kind at half normal speed.
-A parry.
-A spell of level 0, or at least 2 levels lower than the highest spell level you can cast.

Reactions cannot be made before a creature could act in combat. Reactions become available again at the start of each combatants turn, and can be used anytime thereafter (including during their turn, or in reaction to another reaction).

Strength, Weapon Sizes, and Wielding Creatures
Power vs. Precision, the diametric opposition is now restored. But since we’ve established that, let’s redefine power. I want to weild Cloud’s buster sword now, please and thank you. Oh, and what about picking up that Halfling and beating on something with it? He’s like… bite-sized. I just want to take him and attack the brick wall! Well now you can. Just don’t let the ogres do it to you, because it’s really not ideal.

Each size of creature has a base strength expectancy denoted on list A-1 below. For every 4 points of strength you are above or below this, you may be able to wield larger weapons, or be forced to wield smaller weapons. However, you can never wield a weapon that weighs more than 1/4 of your lift overhead limit.

Table A-1
Fine 1
Diminuitive 3
Tiny 7
Small 9
Medium 11
Large 15
Huge 23
Gargatuan 31
Colossal 41

Wielding Creatures: If any creature weighs less than 1/4 of your lift overhead amount, it can be wielded as an improvised weapon. If the creature is conscious and unwilling it must be grappled first, and you must maintain grapple without the normal +5 bonus. Wielding an unwilling creature as a weapon adds an additional -4 penalty to attacks as the creature tries to escape. Any blow dealt to a target while wielding a creature deals the same damage to the wielded creature (including sunders). A willing creature can be wielded without the additional -4 penalty. Creatures have a range increment of 5 feet.