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A nice way for a DM to put a personal, positive stamp on a campaign is to give players a bonus at character creation, beyond what the basic rules say starting characters get that's appreciable without otherwise "breaking" or derailing the game. I'll start with:
1: Each character starts with a free family heirloom - a single item of their choice worth no more than 2000 gp
2: Each character rolls randomly on the diseases table. The result represents a disease they came down with and overcame in their youth, and consequently receive permanent immunity to. Supernatural diseases, like mummy rot and ghoul fever, require an additional 50% chance to receive this immunity; if they fail, their booby prize is 1d4-1 (minimum 1) permanent bonus hit points.
3: Your characters come from a cosmopolitan background where multilingualism is exceptionally easy to pick up; each character begins play knowing any 2 additional languages of their choice, beyond what their Intelligence bonus and racial parameters would normally permit. The restriction on secret languages still holds, and this in no way affects or improves their Linguistics skill.
4. Your characters not only had more typical vocations before becoming adventurers, they were all particularly good at them, besides. Each character starts with 1 free rank in the Craft, Profession, or Perform skill of their choice, AND receives Skill Focus in that skill as a bonus feat.
5. Your characters each have a particular talent for doing something in an unorthodox fashion, meaning that that they can pick any one skill, and change the ability score to which it is keyed to any other - this must still be within the limits of what you can logically justify to the DM, however (for instance, you could be an athlete who bases Acrobatics on Strength, a former POW whose experiences left them with such an impenetrable poker face that they can use their Constitution for Bluff, or an autistic savant who bases their Perform checks on Intelligence - using Charisma for Swim or Strength for Spellcraft, however, is still right out).
Share your ideas!
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6. The players are from a wild and dangerous frontier where living on the edge is a daily fact of life. They each get one free rank in Survival.
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7. It's an established fact of the game's setting that, for whatever reason, magical potions work better for some people than for others - sort of like a reverse allergy. Each character makes 3 random rolls on the list of spells that can be made into potions (not oils) to determine what specific kind of potion happens to work especially well for them (reroll duplicates). Henceforth, whenever that character quaffs a potion of any of the three varieties they rolled, it functions at +1 caster level +1/5 character levels.
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Haven't come up with anything yet, but totally lurking on this thread to steal ideas. All of the ideas.
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8.You have shown such maturity at the gaming table and such skill at RP, I have chosen to allow you to play an evil character.
At my table, most of the stuff that I hand out is based on what I have seen at the table, so if I see a player preform extremely well handling nongood characters (LN,CN), they get to play an evil character.
9. All spellcasters who are related to outsiders start with an improved familiar, tied to there heritage, they cannot replace it, control it or choose it, it is linked to there heritage.
This is because I only allow ONE race from the featured section and one race from the unusual section at the table, first come first serve.
10. if you play a rogue, you get to start at level three instead of level one.
11. I don't trust you enough to not make a murderhobo,you get a randomly generated character instead. Goddamn!
(thats actually happened, I hate players who build murderhobos, they can either build a character that isn't a sociopathic murderer or they can suck it up and roll a random character)
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11 doesn't exactly seem to be a treat. Quite the opposite. It appears to be you imposing your will on the players.
Dot.
12. You are not easily burned or scalded, but are very vulnerable to the cold.
DR 1 fire, +1 damage from all cold effects.
13. You enjoy the cold and are not troubled by low temperatues, but are highly vulnerable to heat and high temperatures make you feel giddy.
DR 2 cold, -1 to all rolls for 1 round after taking fire or heat damage of any kind.
Also I like 10. Even better if you allow all gold the rogue steals to count towards xp. They will shoot ahead in levels (and will actually act like thieves.
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14- Characters start out as members of the community they live in rather than murder hobos. This means they get a package of extra abilities, skills, traits, and feats to represent the occupation they held before becoming an adventurer. An appropriate list will be provided by me suitable to the setting and level your characters will be starting. This also includes free occupational gear.
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Also I like 10. Even better if you allow all gold the rogue steals to count towards xp. They will shoot ahead in levels (and will actually act like thieves.
You surprise me. I, for one, do not at all like the idea of built-in level disparities. Yes, rate of level advancement used to vary quite a bit among different classes before 3rd Edition, but I prefer the new, more even-keeled schema.
On the other hand, I'm definitely on board with reviving the "you get substantial xp rewards for certain accomplishments that are especially in line with the dharma of your class" rules that you had in 2nd Edition.
Moving on:
15. The characters have holdings in a business of some sort that does what it does on its own while the PCs are adventuring, and they enjoy an income of periodic dividends from it. How the business fares varies from interval to interval, and while the dividends the PCs receive should be expected to increase over time, they are also influenced by random rolls and other events in the campaign (which the PCs may or may not have anything to do with). Depending on the nature of the business, they may also enjoy a heavy discount to the goods it deals in and/or privileged access to certain exceptional wares.
16. The gods themselves have taken notice of your grand adventure, and personally smile on it. Each character enjoys their choice of one of the 1st-level Domain Powers of their choice of one of the domains granted by their patron deity (in the case of Clerics, Inquisitors, and certain Druids, this is in addition to and separate from the Domains they normally get). They can use this Domain Power as though they were a Cleric of a level equal to their character level and a Wisdom of 17+1/4 character levels (the character's actual Wisdom score has no bearing on this, even in the case of characters who otherwise receive Domain Powers). Godless characters instead gain their choice of bonus feat.
14- Characters start out as members of the community they live in rather than murder hobos. This means they get a package of extra abilities, skills, traits, and feats to represent the occupation they held before becoming an adventurer. An appropriate list will be provided by me suitable to the setting and level your characters will be starting. This also includes free occupational gear.
I ran a particularly tough "survive in Isger, you start as peasants" game that went a bit like that. Level 1 commoner startup, free gear, must have a profession of some kind.
Now I'm running a bandit game, and they also have more common backgrounds (which have led them to brigandage to survive) than just heroes. Course, this type of game supports being a murderhobo, but they are surprisingly well rounded with character, and aren't just kill-stat machines.
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I give my players free "basic" adventuring gear, such as backpacks, blankets, cooking gear, and the like.
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21. You get +2 to all stats. Seriously. I gave this to our chronic lousy roller, and he STILL got worse stats than a few PCs in the game.
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22. You worked hard to become an adventurer, and it shows! You gain 1 additional skill rank per level to add to a profession skill of your choice.
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23. You worked hard not to die, always being careful and not taking unnecessary risks. You know the world is crazy and threats best avoided! When making a withdraw action, you retreat an additional 5 feet.
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24. Your family has had a guardian spirit for generations. One time in the future, that spirit manifest to help you in your time of need. At any one time in the future, you have access to one spell of the conjuration (healing) subschool. You have no control over when or which one, but the spirit will use a spell appropriate to the situation (e.g. if you're dying perhaps a cure light wounds; if you're dead, a breath of life or raise dead, etc.). After one such occasion, the spirit moves on to help some other family member and never aids you again.
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25. The traumatic events that led you to an adventuring life gave you your current skill set, but you haven't forgotten your past life completely. You have the class skills of a commoner in addition to your own.
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26. Growing up, you were always friendly with the crazy village apothecary, even when everyone else shunned and avoided him. You learned a little from your time with him, but not that much. Seeing you didn't have his talents, he set you off on your career with a parting gift: one free rank in Craft (alchemy), and 3 flasks of antitoxin.
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27. You were a street urchin, barely scraping by, when a local guardsman caught you picking his pockets. Instead of throwing you in jail, he took you in, cleaned you up, and trained you. Years later, you're done your stint with the town guards and picked up a trick or two from your mentor. You get a +2 bonus on Perception checks, but only when opposing Sleight of Hand or Stealth checks.
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28. You benefit from specialized self-defense training. You all enjoy a +1 competence bonus to attack and damage rolls against foes armed with improvised and/or exotic weapons.
You're well known around these parts or at least your family name is respected. You start out with +1 Diplomacy or Intimidate (depending on what type of business your family does).
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30. Your youth was spent working, well, cleaning up your father's jewelry shop. He taught you plenty about how the cut of the gem adds to its value, how the color and clarity matter. You listened, but did not take up his profession. Add +2 to all Appraise checks involving gems. You also start with 250 gp of diamond dust, salvaged from your janitorial duties.
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31. Everyone receives 1 additional skill point at creation to place in craft, profession, or performance (for non-bards) to represent a background occupation or hobby.
My version of 31 (was 29 when I was typing): Backstory Benefits (and bonus skills)! Everyone gets +3 to start in any profession or craft skill (that is not Craft:Alchemy), plus an extra 2 Skill points to start at 1st level. Simple and boring idea, but I think it helps characters feel "more real" from the outset.
(ah, ninja'd!)
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33. Grandpa was an adventurer like you. When he retired, he regaled you all with how he barely survived the battle against the great dragon Redvnorak or the siege of Castle Lastwall or whatnot. When he did, he always said "Thank Gorum I was wearing my lucky helmet!" That helm is now yours. While wearing it, you gain 10% resistance to critical hits and sneak attacks, as if it had the fortification property. The helmet is nonmagical and this effect stacks with that ability. Mysteriously, the helm is also nigh-indestructible and always makes saving throws, coming out with an extra scratch or two but nothing more unless deliberately destroyed.
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34. As a child you seemed to catch every bug that came to town. Now that you're an adult, you've gotten everything from measles to mumps to rabies to filth fever it seems. You get a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves dealing with avoiding disease or recovering from it.
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35. Winters got cold where you lived, and you're the one who had to go out and get the firewood. Where other shiver, you shrug. You reduce the intensity of all cold-based environmental conditions by one when determining what you need to do to survive, clothing to wear, damage taken, etc.
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36. Replacement version of the Rich Parents trait: You gain a Stipend, using your Character Level as levels of the Noble Scion prestige class. Should you gain actual levels in Noble Scion, you gain the services of tax lawyers, accountants, investment managers, and eventually intra-national diplomats to reduce any taxes you pay, so that by the time you complete the prestige class, you can be sure that even under the harshest conditions of taxation, you never have to pay more than 9% poll tax, 1% sales tax, and 1% personal income tax.
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37. You squired under a famous knight who has since retired. You inherited a suit of armor, sword, and shield from him. Anyone seeing you in that gear may make a DC 20 Knowledge (nobility) or (local) check. If successful, they remember the days of your mentor fondly and their attitude is improved one step towards you.
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38. You may begin play with a beloved pet or companion. This ally acts as a familiar, but gains none of the normal benefits of a familiar aside from increased natural armor, and its master's BAB and HP. You are restricted to companions that could REALISTICALLY be pets, such as dogs, cats, etc.
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38. You may begin play with a beloved pet or companion. This ally acts as a familiar, but gains none of the normal benefits of a familiar aside from increased natural armor, and its master's BAB and HP. You are restricted to companions that could REALISTICALLY be pets, such as dogs, cats, etc.
39. You experience a mysterious daily mania during which you are at your very best. Pick 1 period of 3 consecutive hours in the 24-hour day. Every day during that time, you enjoy the benefits of a heroism spell. DMs are encouraged to require each player to pick a different period of the day (though some limited overlap is acceptable).
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14- Characters start out as members of the community they live in rather than murder hobos. This means they get a package of extra abilities, skills, traits, and feats to represent the occupation they held before becoming an adventurer. An appropriate list will be provided by me suitable to the setting and level your characters will be starting. This also includes free occupational gear.
I so wish this thread had existed when Athos was starting his game 16 months ago. I'm an awesome weapon-smith now. Just a free skill point and the skill focus feat would be fantastic. A MW weapon at start would have been over the top awesome.
Some of these thing are awesome and I will be using them in the next game I run. I talked with most of my players and their back stories are tied to the plot. The Wizards family was captured by the baddies, sorcerer has family tied to fighting the baddies, assassin was raised to fight the baddies. They seem to like it.
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40. You were rather fond of one of your teachers growing up, always willing to help run extra errands for her. When you finally set out on the adventuring road, your teacher, a local priest, gave you a parting present: a potion of cure light wounds. You really were her best altar boy, after all.
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41. Your father was an engineer, constantly working on setting up and refining siege machines. While you never were formally trained, you get a +1 bonus to Knowledge (engineering) checks relating to siege machines.
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42. The days growing up on the streets were rough. You were part of a street gang, picking pockets, stealing food, doing what you had to when it came to surviving. Your fellow gang members beat you if you didn't bring home your share of the bacon, so to speak. Now those days are long past, but you still remember. You start with +2 hp, over and above your normal maximum, plus a contact with that gang.
43. Your wizardly mentor taught you a few extra secrets before turning you out into the world. You start with 2 extra first level spells in your spellbook.
Edit for numbers.
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44. Your older brother was in a relationship with a very beautiful woman, which turned sour in a truly spectacular fashion. Your brother did not seem to learn from this, but you did. Ever since, anyone who tries to seduce you sets off alarm bells in your mind, giving you a +2 bonus on all rolls to resist such attempts, whether Sense Motive or Will saves.
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45. For unknown reasons, you were born with a birthmark that resembles a rune. This mark is not a symbol in any living language, and a magical attempt to decipher it failed. (Not) Coincidentally you are just a tiny bit better at your chosen activities.
Choose one: one extra level one spell slot, 3 extra HP,or a +2 bonus to one skill.
(Admittedly, might be too powerful for some)
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44. Your older brother was in a relationship with a very beautiful woman, which turned sour in a truly spectacular fashion. Your brother did not seem to learn from this, but you did. Ever since, anyone who tries to seduce you sets off alarm bells in your mind, giving you a +2 bonus on all rolls to resist such attempts, whether Sense Motive or Will saves.
The alarm bells I HEAR THEM!
*The young lad flees from the peasant girl flirting with him at the well. He will not sire children, and it will be somewhat of a local embarrassment. He did become a hero in a far off land, but that isn't really their concern.*
Very nice Sissyl, I liked your recognition that what happens to one sibling can really shape the others. It isn't all about the pc.
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Wow . . . this actually seems to be turning into a serious custom Campaign Trait thread. So . . .
36. Replacement version of the Rich Parents trait: You gain a Stipend, using your Character Level as levels of the Noble Scion prestige class. Should you gain actual levels in Noble Scion, you gain the services of tax lawyers, accountants, investment managers, and eventually intra-national diplomats to reduce any taxes you pay, so that by the time you complete the prestige class, you can be sure that even under the harshest conditions of taxation, you never have to pay more than 9% poll tax, 1% sales tax, and 1% personal income tax.
<-- Okay, I lied --> The quoted text is actually the Insider Connections Campaign Trait for the yet-to-be-announced Council of Robber Barons (also known as Curse of the Ivory Mansion) Adventure Path.
Here's the serious replacement for the Rich Parents (non-campaign) trait:
36a. Rich Parents (Social Trait): You were born into a rich family, perhaps even the nobility, and even though you turned to a life of adventure, you enjoy a one-time benefit to your initial finances. Benefit: Your starting wealth increases to 900 gp. After you have gained a level or spent the 900 gp (whichever comes first), you gain a permanent +1 bonus to Appraise that stacks with racial traits such as Dwarves' Greed, and Appraise becomes a class skill for you (if it was not already a class skill).
And to part with, here's another Council of Robber Barons Campaign/Curse of the Ivory Mansion Campaign Trait:
46. Merchant Prince: Your upbringing in a merchant family has given you business acumen unusual for your age. Although your family made you work for your wealth rather than handing it down to you, you know how to get it. Benefit: You gain the Business Acumen class feature of the Prophets of Kalistrade (genericized name: Sanctified Prophets), and you count as having 1 more rank of each of Knowledge(Local) and Profession(Merchang) for the purposes of meeting the skill prerequisites of that prestige class. If you gain sufficient levels in that prestige class to award you Business Acumen, you instead gain the ability to continue using all of your class features even if you stray from the code of conduct specified by the Prophecies of Kalistrade, as long as you maintain your focus on the acquisition and display of wealth, although your display of wealth need not be in the same style as that used by normal adherents to the Prophecies of Kalistrade.
More to come in the future . . . .
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Wow . . . this actually seems to be turning into a serious custom Campaign Trait thread. So . . .
That wasn't actually my intent - while the parameters are exceedingly broad, I was overall more aiming for the un-covered niche of "much too good for a trait, but still not game-breaking, and outside-the-box in ways traits and feats can't typically be" - more like house rules than traits, I guess, though really a hybrid.
47. You were quite simply born for adventure. In addition to your normal Hit Dice, roll your Hit Die an extra two times when creating your character. Take the better of the two and add that to your hit points (this does not otherwise count with regards to how many HD you have, or otherwise affect you in any way beyond having extra hit points).
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{. . .}
47. You were quite simply born for adventure. In addition to your normal Hit Dice, roll your Hit Die an extra two times when creating your character. Take the better of the two and add that to your hit points (this does not otherwise count with regards to how many HD you have, or otherwise affect you in any way beyond having extra hit points).
I've actually been toying with the idea that everybody (PC and NPC) would get a level of traditionally NPC class before their class levels -- basically monster/racial Hit Dice for 1 Hit Dice races/monsters. Would like to have the specifics of which traditionally NPC class you choose interact with your actual class levels as part of your background, sort of like your traits but different; however, I have yet to figure out specifics.
And here's another Council of Robber Barons Campaign/Curse of the Ivory Mansion Campaign Trait:
48. Arch-Conservative: You have especially strong insight into the inner workings of popular sentiment, and have learned how to turn them to the advantage of yourself and/or your political and/or financial benefactors. Through your insidious skills in these matters, you will achieve world domination through political action. Benefit: Whenever you use Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge(Local), Perform(Oratory), or Sense Motive in interactions with traditionally-minded people in which you are attempting to influence them to serve the financial and/or political interests of yourself and/or your political and/or financial benefactors, you gain a +3 bonus on the rolls. In addition, one of these skills becomes a class skill for you; alternatively, if they are all already class skills for you (or become all class skills later), the class skill bonus on one of them increases from the normal +3 to +5.
More coming in the future . . . .
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49. A lady of high social station took a liking to you in your teen years. Bored and lonely, you helped her pass a night or two. Now, years later, she remembers you fondly, and when you start out on your own career, you start with her as a contact (work with the GM regarding what role she can play), as well as a gift of 100 gp to spend on what you will.
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50. Due to a blessing of the gods, you get three tokens to magically escape from Grimtooth-style rooms of death.
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Another Council of Robber Barons Campaign/Curse of the Ivory Mansion Campaign Trait:
51. Political insider: You know how to manipulate things behind the scenes, and you know how to make sure that if it blows up, it doesn't blow up on you. Benefit: You get the benefit of the Flag of Convenience class feature of the Low Templar prestige class. If you gain sufficient levels of Low Templar to gain the Path of Darkness/Path of Light class feature, you can change your choice made with this class feature each day. If you gain sufficient levels of Low Templar to gain the Damnation/Redemption class feature, you instead gain the Mythic ability Beyond Morality.
You know, I just realized yesterday that after Occult Adventures comes out, this could actually be a pretty cool Adventure Path or pair of Adventure Paths set on Earth in the 1920s . . . with fallout from the Reign of Winter crossover segment.