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I've compiled a skeleton set of rules to help run a game in a setting where magic items aren't as readily available as assumed by standard D&D. I'm looking for feeback and comments about balance and playablility of these rules. In my game I'm going to combine these rules with a boost to skills and a wound/vitality point system, but those rules aren't listed here since I wanted the feedback on just the low magic portion of the rules:
Ability Score Increases/Enhancement bonuses:
At 1st level, each character chooses one of the following options:
1) The character picks 1 prime stat. The prime stat increases at +1 per 2 levels. All other stats increase at +1 per 4 levels.
2) The character picks 3 prime stats. The prime stats increase at +1 per 3 levels. All other stats increase at +1 per 4 levels.
Magical items that give enhancement bonuses to stats are limited to +2.
Spells are also limited to +2 enchancement bonus but the duration of any such spell is increased by 1 category (rounds -> minutes -> 10 minutes -> hours -> days)
Example of Stat Increasing Item:
Gauntlets of Ogre Power/Belt of Giant Strength: This item increases a characters strength to 18 or by +2, whichever is greater. It costs 25,000gp.
Note: The total stat values for 20th level characters should look similar to the actual 3.5 rules, except not involving as many stat increasing items. For a character using option 1), the prime stat will be +12 higher than the starting stat, while other stats are at +5 (or +7 with a magic item) above starting. A typical D&D character will have +5 from level increases for their prime stat and +6 from a magic item, leaving them at +11. Other stats are likely to have +4 or +6 bonuses due to magic items, depending on importance.
Armor bonuses due to Natural Armor and Deflection:
• Each character gets a +1 Dodge AC bonus every other level (round down).
• Natural Armor and Deflection bonuses no longer exist as magic item enhancements.
• Some spells will need to be removed or reworked: Barkskin, Shield of Faith, etc. (I'm leaning towards leaving the spells in, but limited the bonus to +2 AC and leaving durations the same).
Note: This one is pretty simple, the +5 Natural Armor and +5 Deflection bonuses get replaced by a dodge bonus of +10 by 20th level for every character.
Armor
• Masterwork Armor adds +1 to the AC of the armor (and lowers ACP by 1) and costs double the base cost of the armor plus 500gp.
• Magic Enhancements such as Fortification or Spell Resistance can be added to masterwork armor (up to +6 bonus worth of abilities and priced as if the masterwork bonus is +1).
• Armor can also be ‘Enchanted’ to provide an addition +1 AC bonus which stacks with the masterwork bonus. Armor must be masterwork to be Enchanted. Enchanted armor also blocks the 5/- DR negation of Enchanted Weapons(see Weapons). Enchanted armor costs 5,000gp.
• Armor provides an inherent DR at the rate of 1/2 the armor bonus (rounded up) (count masterwork and enchantments, but not competence(see below) for DR purposes). Natural Armor for a monster also provides this bonus and stacks with any armor bonus the monster may have, but it does not stack with the creatures natural DR. (such as a Dragons DR 10/magic).
• Characters proficient in the appropriate armor type gain a +1 competence armor AC bonus each time they gain an additional attack due to high BAB.
• Mithril and Adamantine armors give the same bonuses (and cost the same) as in the 3.5 rules, but the 2/- DR from Adamantine stacks with the inherent armor bonus listed above.
• Each characters gains +2 Defense Bonus to AC per 3 BAB(round down). This does not stack with armor (or armor bonuses like mage armor), but will stack with shields.
Example Armor: Masterwork Breastplate would provide +6 AC and DR of 3/-. If Enchanted it would provide +7AC and DR of 4/- and cost 5,000gp more. Finally, if Heavy Fortification was added (a +5 ‘bonus’) it would cost 35,000gp additional gp. Finally, a character with a +11 BAB (granting 2 extra attacks in a full round attack) would gain an additional +2 competence bonus to AC while using the armor bringing the AC bonus to +9, but leaving the DR at 4/-.
Note: The rules on armor are more complicated, but allow a character wearing mundane normal or masterwork armor to still gain a comparable AC. For a character that can attain a +16 or better BAB, the armor bonus winds up the same as the 3.5 rules assuming the armor is Masterwork and Enchanted.
Weapons:
• Masterwork weapons add +1 attack. (cost: same as SRD rules).
• Magic Enhancements such as Speed, Frost, or Wounding can be added to a masterwork weapon (up to +6 bonus worth of abilities and priced as if the masterwork bonus is +1).
• Masterwork weapons can be ‘Enchanted.’ Enchanted weapons provide an additional +1 to attack which stacks with the masterwork bonus and lowers all DR by 5 (except that provided by Enchanted armor – see Armor). Enchanting a weapon costs 10,000gp.
• Mithril weapons must be masterwork and provide an additional +1 to hit which stacks with the masterwork and Enchanted bonuses. (so an Enchanted Mithril Sword would give +3 to hit, a Mithril Sword would give +2 to hit). Price is 1000gp + 1000gp per pound of mithril. Weight of a mithril weapon is the 1/2 base weapon weight for most weapons, 1/4 the weight for wood hafted weapons, 1/6th the weight for wood hafted reach weapons. (Examples: .5lb for a dagger, 4 lbs for a greatsword, Longspear 1.5 lbs, Greataxe 3 lbs, Heavy Flail 2.5 lbs, Glaive 1.67 lbs, Halberd 3 lbs, Longsword 2 lbs.)
• Adamantine weapons must be masterwork and provide an additional +2 to hit which stacks with the masterwork and Enchanted bonuses. (so an Enchanted Adamantine Sword would give +4 to hit, an Admantine Sword would give +3 to hit). Price is 3000gp + 3000gp per pound of adamantine. Weight is the base weapon weight for most weapons, 1/2 the weight for wood hafted weapons, 1/3rd the weight for wood hafted reach weapons. (Examples: 1lb for a dagger, 8 lbs for a greatsword, Longspear 3 lbs, Greataxe 6 lbs, Heavy Flail 5 lbs, Glaive 3.33 lbs, Halberd 6 lbs, Longsword 4 lbs).
• Spells which add enchancement bonuses to items (such as Magic Weapon and Greater Magic Weapon) instead make the weapon cast upon Enchanted, providing a +1 bonus to hit and lowering DR by 5 (those spells cast upon a weapon already Enchanted has no effect).
• No weapons or magic enhancements add bonuses to damage (though a magical weapon with an enhancement such as Fire will still add it’s magic damage), instead all characters gain +1/2 point of damage per point of BAB.
Note: These weapon alternate rules provide characters with about the same bonus to hit as the 3.5 rules, but wind up adding some damage. A character with a +20 BAB with an Enchanted Adamantine weapon will have a +4 to hit and do +10 damage (compared to the +5/+5 that a +5 weapon provides with the 3.5 rules). This extra damage is mitigated somewhat by the inherent DR armor and natural armor provides.
Saves
• Good saves give +2 plus an additional +3 per 4 levels (and use the fractional save rules, rounding down). Good saves never give the initial +2 after 1st level when a character multi-classes.
• Bad saves give +2 per level 3 levels (and use the fractional save rules, rounding down).
• Magic Enhancement bonuses to resist no longer exist.
Note: By 20th level a characters good saves will be +17, while bad saves will be +13. Multi-classing will give bonuses somewhere between +13 and +17. A standard 3.5 rules character will have +12 good saves (enchanced to +17 with a cloak of resistance +5) and +11 bad saves. Using these alternate rules the bad saves are slightly enhanced compared to the base rules, but overall are close to standard 3.5 rules.
Summary for bonuses tied to BAB:
All characters gain +1/2 damage per point of BAB.
All characters gain a +1 competence bonus to Armor Class for wearing armor for each additional attack granted by high BAB (see Armor above).
All characters gain a +1 competence bonus to Armor Class for wielding a shield for each additional attack granted by high BAB (see Weapons above).
Good luck auditing this. I'm not saying its bad, just saying it seems like it could easily become confusing.
Let me instead simply recommend Iron Heroes to you.
Good luck auditing this. I'm not saying its bad, just saying it seems like it could easily become confusing.
Let me instead simply recommend Iron Heroes to you.
"Auditing" is easy since I just modified a Heroforge spreadsheet to do all the calcs for me. No thanks on Iron Heroes.