I'm always trying some altered rules, but I've found that trying to work with players on establishing the rules to be played with always fails. So, this time, I'm presenting the rules I want to try. So unless there is some big glaring obvious problem, or everybody says they want a specific alteration (like that'll ever happen [unless to say "no alterations."]), these'll be what is played with. I haven't used them before, so an unforeseen problem may occur. If it does, we'll fix it and move on.
I'll be running a gritty level world with lots of low powered magic in a homebrew world (cause I really don't know or care about any published settings).
Creative and proactive players will have the best time as my style is to have the world react to the players. I don't have railroad tracks. I may use material from a few modules, but it'll be more like pieces laid down and I'll let you do what you want with it.
The world has no real name yet IC, as none of the groups have been here very long, only a few generations, all taken from their homes elsewhere and brought here by something unknown. And so they've made a living while exploring.
The players are expected to all be part of the same group already and to have been traveling together, though this may simply have been a matter of convenience (all traveling the same way at the same time) so you all know each other at least a little. Well, you found something, and you are the ones who suddenly found yourselves in a big white room after someone decided to touch a stone rune.
The important details,
This uses Spheres of Power plus the following alterations,
4 alterations
HP, Classless, leveling, action economy, and will use Spheres of Power.
### Health ###
HP
Hit points are non-lethal damage.
HP is equal to Con score plus level.
Hit Dice are based on creature type (not sure if PF kept this, but creature type hit dice are available for 3.x), HD size generally won't matter however.
Non-lethal damage weapons deal damage to HP as normal damage, but crits simply apply extra damage.
Once a creature has 0 or fewer HP, it is staggered. If a strenuous action is taken, the creature must succeed at a fort save DC equal to total damage taken, or fall unconscious.
If a creature's hp falls below an amount equal to negative it's con score, it falls unconscious.
For each multiple of it's negative con score (not modified by con damage) a creature's HP falls, it takes one Con damage. I.E. a creature with a normal con score of 10 (and no other con damage), dies when it hits -100 hp (it can bleed out for around 10 minutes before it dies).
Injuries
When a critical hit is rolled, or when you take more damage than the your con score, then you gain an injury.
An injury is a semi-permanent condition. Each injury affects a random hit location and has a severity.
The effects of an injury match those listed for called shots. Here-after, the listing for a called shot is a minor injury, the critical called shot is a major injury, and the debilitating blow is a critical injury.
Effects that normally apply for a duration (such as a -2 for 1d4 rounds) or ability score damage, instead last till the injury is healed. This does not apply to effects like stun or staggered.
Determine severity by rolling a d20 and adding,
-a bonus for any armor on that location equal to the armor bonus, +2 more for head, torso, and vitals.
-a penalty for damage type
-a penalty for the attacker's applicable strength bonus (what would be added to the damage).
-the penalty from ranged weapons are reduced by 1 per range increment, if any.
-Crossbows and guns add their weapon damage die to this, but subtract 2 per range increment (includes the normal range penalty), up to a maximum of the armor bonus (basically, at maximum this penalty negates the bonus from armor).
If this severity check is less than 0, the injury is a critical injury (using the debilitating blow effects), if less than 10, the injury is major, if less than 20, it is minor, if above 20, the injury is minor and heals after 1d4 nights of rest.
Hit location determined via d% roll,
Arms 1-30,
Legs 31-60,
Chest 61-70,
Hand 71-78,
Vitals 79-86,
Head 87-92,
Neck 93-95,
Ears 96-97,
Eyes 98-99,
roll again, +1 severity level, 00
Dying and Death
If a character gains a critical injury or more major injuries than their con modifier, they become disabled.
The disabled mechanics work as normal except: they only become disabled as mentioned above, some standard actions may be deemed non-strenuous, the character loses 1 hit point every round until stabilized (which stops the the loss of 1 hp every round), the character does not become dying (that condition is replaced by these modifications), any strenuous actions taken require a fort save DC 10 + damage taken + 2 for each major or critical injury or fall unconscious.
Healing
Cure magic work as normal on HP, but do not affect injuries.
Injuries are healed by 1 level (critical -> major -> minor -> fully healed) for each casting of Greater Restore. Restore must be cast enough times to negate all of an injuries effects to heal it.
### Classless ###
Instead of gaining classes, each level grants 3 feats to spend. At each level, one feat may be traded for 6 skill points.
BAB is removed, instead each weapon group (as per fighter's weapon groups) is a skill. The ranks in said skill is treated as BAB for that weapon group.
Saves are altered, they simply add two ab modifiers to the d20 plus 1/5 character level. Reflex is Wis and Dex, Fort is Str and Con, and Will is Wis and Cha.
Hit dice size likely doesn't matter, but if it ever does, use according to creature type (3.x mm has a table for this).
Anytime level affects damage output, such as sneak attack, treat level as 1+1/5 for determining damage.
Many class abilities can be bought with 1-3 feats, will adjudicate this on a case by case basis where not covered by the generic classes section of the 3.x Unearthed Arcana.
### Magic ###
Use Spheres of Power except as noted below.
All magic traditions must include the Skilled Magic drawback and use a Profession skill purely for casting Such as Witchcraft, Wizardry, or similar. This skill is split by each sphere (much like knowledge is split).
Exception is the Monastic tradition which can use unarmed strike (likely renamed to some martial art style name) skill, but is otherwise the same as the book plus the skilled magic drawback.
SoP spell DCs add the casting modifier twice to determine the spell's DC.
If not proficient with worn armor, always apply the spell failure chance. If proficient with worn armor, spell failure does not apply.
Duration for all limited duration magic effects is concentration without spending at least 2 spellpoints specifically to make it last caster level * 1 minute per spellpoint spent on duration. As a 5 minute ritual,the spell can be cast with caster level * 10 minutes duration per spell point, or the normal duration if longer. Any effect with duration can no longer be directed by the caster except for conjurations, though a simple pattern or reaction/trigger can be established.
Caster level is equal to character level for general use (such as meeting CL requirements), but for specific effects is equal to the ranks in the skill used for that sphere. When CL affects damage, it caps out at a CL of 1 +1/5 character level (think of it as the max amount of raw power a character can channel at once).
Note: I will apply common sense quite heavily. I.E. a sonic damage spell will be very loud and if it deals damage, is loud enough to be heard for at least a mile if outside.
### Action Economy ###
Gain AP equal to half dex score.
1 AP = swift action.
2 AP = move
3 AP = standard
Can take half your dex score in AP each turn. May spend half that on a reasonable concurrent action (such as to move while shooting). Many actions can be taken while "walking," but some take penalties, and greater penalties for hustling or running. Combo maneuver rules take precedence. For example, moving and attacking counts as a charge anytime the charge rules could have been used instead.
### Leveling ###
Most of it has been handled where applied in the above sections.
Skills, No +3 for class skills (there are no class skills). Skill rank cap is 1/2 Int score. Start with 6 skill points. Spend a feat for 3 skill points.
You still get an extra feat according to the character level table, and get an ability score boost every 4 levels.
XP will be handed out fairly fast however, as the changes above should focus leveling on versatility, allowing a character to reach around level 20 or so while still remaining around natural human ability rather than demigod status.
### Magic Items ###
Magic items will be controlled. The book is not open for shopping.
That said, the basics will be readily available, such as consumable healing items, a variety of common low level items such as ioun torches (or similar).
Magical arms and armor are not common, and most are in the hands of military and nobility who will not share with just anybody.
You can make 1 attempt at 4d6 drop lowest, or 15 point buy.
200 gp starting gold.
Races;
humans, elves, drow, (shared heritage)
dwarves, orcs, (shared heritage)
halflings, gnomes, goblins, (shared heritage)
kobalds,
Minotaurs (shared heritage with dwarves and orcs) and snake-folk (like Kin from the Goblins comic) exist but I don't have good stats for them at the moment. This is mostly so you know they exist as part of society.
Please note, these races generally come from a few shared societies culturally, the Umbral Empire mostly. Race does not equal culture.
Paizo and dnd 3.x official stuff (paizo over 3.x where there is conflict). Beyond that, I'll go case by case.
I'm here for the roleplay. There will be dice, but you have to earn your rolls, and by that I mean "A trap! I roll X to disable it." Is not going to work. Don't look to the rules for what you can or can't do. The rules are only for how things work and do not limit what is possible. You won't find "traps," you'll find pressure plates, trip wires, hidden catches, etc, but never "You found a trap!" and I expect the same in return, never just a dice result, but an action (which need not even require the bog standard skill to work).
So who's interested?