"All classes that are not Int-based 9th level casters get a minimum of 4 points per level", I take it you meant skill points, correct?
Anyone ever allowed your players to have a special power like a breath weapon, magical hair that can be used to attack, constant see invisibility effect, various spell like abilities, gaze attack, etc.?
How about a special defense like fast healing, DR, immunities, energy resistances, SR, etc.?
So has anyone thought of using a boon or special option system?
Examples:
At first level(only) pick one...
1)Dex to Damage- Get dex to damage with all finesse based weapons- having weapon finesse may be a requirement.
2)CS to Hit- Use your casting stat to hit with spells, spell powers, and supernatural abilities. Examples Sorcerers using Cha mod, Kineticist using Con mod, etc.
3)Highly Skilled- gain 2 extra skill points per level and all skills are class skills.
4)Good Save- make one bad save a good save.
5)Alternate Stat- Change what mental stat you use for class features. Examples: Monk using charisma for AC and other class abilites, Sorcerers using intelligence for casting/bloodline powers, Witch using wisdom, etc.
6)Alternate Saves- use whatever is currently higher between two stats for your saves- Fort- Con or Str, Ref- Dex or Int, Will- Wis or Cha.
7)Martial Master- Gain prof. in all weapons and armor.
8)Spell Knowledge- Gain a bonus spell known from 0 to 9th level or gain a new spell per level to your spell book/familiar.
Alternate boons
Every even level
1)Bonus Feat(race based, skill based, cunning, endurance, fleet, great fortitude, iron will, lightning reflexes, run, and toughness)
2)+1 Ability Boost
3)Alternate Racial Trait(once)
4)Racial Trait from another race(once)
5)Improved Racial Trait- Like increasing the energy resistance of a race, more uses of special ability/spell power(s), etc.
6)Racial Paragon- Adding an ability that fits a race such as change shape(bat or wolf) for Dhampirs, wings for Tieflings, etc.
Other choices could be: Burrow(20ft), Climb(20ft), Darkvision (60ft), Energy Resistance (5), Low-light vision, Natural Armor (+1), Resistance(+2 racial bonus vs one effect such as charm, fear, disease, etc.)Scent, Spell Power, Skill Bonus(+2 racial to one skill), Swim(30ft), and Weapon Prof.(2 martial or one exotic).
Another one.
At 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level.
Class Ability- Pic a class ability from another class. You must be at least the same level as the class ability to gain it. You might want to limit what the player can pick such as can't get spell casting, rage, sneak attack, favored enemy, weapon training, smite, etc. I would have no problem with monk unarmed damage, shifter claws, channel, lay on hands, animal companion, etc. but not eidolons, phantoms, or other powerful companion types.
[Quotes="Dragon78"]Anyone ever allowed your players to have a special power like...magical hair that can be used to attack...gaze attack, etc.?
Isn't magic hair a thing in some supplemental rules already?
I did give one of my players in my last game a magic false eye that granted him a gaze attack (he had lost an eye previously, and not even the murderhobo-iest of my players were goibg to try and claim their character was willing to gouge out an eye to use the thing). But it just gave the target the shaken condition, and he had to keep it covered up most of the time to prevent it from spooking his friends and the local townsfolk.I've been playing around with a few ideas lately:
Players can assign their bonuses to saving throws however they want (your normally"good saves" have to be at least tied for highest). So, say you're a lvl3 cleric. Normally you'd be rocking a +3/+1/+3, but maybe you want +2/+2/+3. Lvl10 rogue? Usually you'd have +3/+7/+3, but you could have +4/+5/+4 or +3/+5/+5.
Bumping the classes with 2 skill points up to 4 is really tempting. I'm just wondering if the other classes need something else to compensate, or if it just doesn't matter.
Revamping the fighter's Bravery into some kind of combination of the paladin's aura and the barbarian's rage powers that grant immunity to certain conditions. +2/+4 versus fear, treat frightened/panicked/cowering as shaken, etc. Immunity to fatigue/sickened, bonus to resist enchantment, treat stunned as dazed, and so on.
Rogues getting some kind of early access to Slippery Mind, maybe some sort of luck-themed re-rolls, a pseudo Evasion for melee attacks that works similarly to Crane Style?
There is a witch's hex that has hair as a natural attack but it is really weak and very limited use. Call me old school, but you shouldn't have a limited usage of a natural attack.
Bumping classes with 2 skill points up to 4 is not game breaking at all.
Has anyone used the following...?
Feats like Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Power Shot, built into the combat rules, no feats needed.
Weapon Focus applying to weapon groups.
Combat Maneuvers do not provoke(AoO).
Weapon Finesse is a weapon property/No Feat needed.
Has anyone used the following...?
Feats like Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Power Shot, built into the combat rules, no feats needed.
Weapon Focus applying to weapon groups.
Combat Maneuvers do not provoke(AoO).
Weapon Finesse is a weapon property/No Feat needed.
Yes. Yes. No. Yes.
I've pretty much adopted most of Elephant in the Room changes to feats and run my own custom ruleset. Mostly Unchained action economy, revamped feats and changes to spellcasting.
hp after 1st level is max hd-2 (+con mod), so d6 gets 4, d8 gets 6, d10 gets 8, d12 get 10.
Average hp sucks for d12, it should get more that 7
I have my table do the following: Levels 1 to 3, you get max HP. Every level after, you roll HALF your HD and add HALF your HD. So, d6 = 1d3+3, d8 = 1d4+4, 1d10 = 1d5+5, d12 = 1d6+6. Worst case, you get average HP. It also makes it VERY easy to optimize Elite enemies to bring their HP up to player levels.
I'm in 2 groups that run living world games. Both use EITR and Spheres. One of the groups gives max HP for leveling up and also uses gestalt. The other group did a houserule that allows alchemist to count as spellcasters to qualify for Brew Potion if their archetype traded it away.
I have never played a gestalt game....sounds fun though.
I really do love getting max HP per level.
Anyone else like to make all skills class skills for all classes?
Back in 3.5, before we started using all the features of FantasyGrounds to handle all the math and we were just rolling dice and manually adding modifiers, I used to have a rule for attack rolls that a "1" was not an automatic miss, but was rather a "-10". And a "20" was not an automatic hit, but was rather a "30". Then modifiers were applied.
To me, a 1 in 20 chance for a peasant with a hoe to damage a dragon is nonsense. Same with a 1 in 20 chance for a 20th level, highly trained fighter to miss hitting a peasant. But I never put the time in to see if FantasyGrounds could be modded to use those rules.
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ours are about 3 pages typed, but the highlights include:
Stats: Max 18, Min 10 before racial mods
Healing is always maxed when not in combat.
Max HP per level or Reroll any HP that's less than half the die value (DM's option for that campaign)
No Evil PCs
Ignore Encumbrance
Use Milestone XP/levelling
Do not use Bleed
Diagonal movement doesn't count double.
Then a few banned classes.
I used full HD last two campaigns, but figured less HP might make a more thrilling experience and more dynamic encounters. So I went with Bestiary rules this time: While the first HD for PCs is full as normal, they gain only half the HD size for the second, half + 1 for the third, half for the fourth etc.. Plus Con mod etc., of course, making these modifiers more relevant again. I will see how it works out.
Beyond that, I mostly use houserules for simplification:
Only gold pieces as currency (cheaper stuff is free or costs 1 gp)
Ignore encumbrance (unless it's really absurd, like the wizard carrying an altar)
Unlimited nonmagical ammunition
Unlimited food and water
Diagonales always count as one square
I have never played a gestalt game....sounds fun though.
I really do love getting max HP per level.
Anyone else like to make all skills class skills for all classes?
You can get some pretty good combos off with gestalt. I've got two characters in that group. One is a bard/fighter. The extra feats means I can grab things I wouldn't have room for in the non-gestalt build. The second is a feral champion warpriest gestalted with hunter. Lots of spells, though I have to keep careful track of them.
You can get some pretty good combos off with gestalt. I've got two characters in that group. One is a bard/fighter. The extra feats means I can grab things I wouldn't have room for in the non-gestalt build. The second is a feral champion warpriest gestalted with hunter. Lots of spells, though I have to keep careful track of them.I have never played a gestalt game....sounds fun though.
I really do love getting max HP per level.
Anyone else like to make all skills class skills for all classes?
I have a Gestalt Ninja/Magus. Spell combat combined with sneak attack damage is pretty much insane.
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My group does 1/2HD+1 HP(after 1st level) and healing is maximized outside of combat. We also don't use XP, we just level when the AP says to do so.
TxSam88
What classes are banned?
Milestone XP/Leveling?
SheepishEidolon
Unlimited food?! Do you mean you just assume the PCs have enough food.
My group does 1/2HD+1 HP(after 1st level) and healing is maximized outside of combat. We also don't use XP, we just level when the AP says to do so.
TxSam88
What classes are banned?
Milestone XP/Leveling?
SheepishEidolon
Unlimited food?! Do you mean you just assume the PCs have enough food.
yeah, instead of tracking XP, the GM just states when he wants the characters to level. it generally happens after a major chapter in the adventure. it's way easier and keeps everything where we want it to be.
Banned classes: This probably needs updated, but this is our current list
1. Summoner
2. Fighter
a. Archers
3. Undead Lord
4. Arcane Trickster
5. Arcane Archer
Unlimited food?! Do you mean you just assume the PCs have enough food.
Yup, we don't count rations. Sometimes players still enjoy the roleplay to gather food, but that's voluntary.
The Fighter is banned?! Why?
I have a Gestalt Ninja/Magus. Spell combat combined with sneak attack damage is pretty much insane.You can get some pretty good combos off with gestalt. I've got two characters in that group. One is a bard/fighter. The extra feats means I can grab things I wouldn't have room for in the non-gestalt build. The second is a feral champion warpriest gestalted with hunter. Lots of spells, though I have to keep careful track of them.I have never played a gestalt game....sounds fun though.
I really do love getting max HP per level.
Anyone else like to make all skills class skills for all classes?
One very successful character of mine was a Hunter with 4 levels of Unchained Rogue. If I had been able to gestalt the two classes, she would have been able to hit even harder than she already was. Which was pretty hard.
My group does 1/2HD+1 HP(after 1st level) and healing is maximized outside of combat. We also don't use XP, we just level when the AP says to do so.
TxSam88
What classes are banned?
Milestone XP/Leveling?
SheepishEidolon
Unlimited food?! Do you mean you just assume the PCs have enough food.
yeah, instead of tracking XP, the GM just states when he wants the characters to level. it generally happens after a major chapter in the adventure. it's way easier and keeps everything where we want it to be.
Banned classes: This probably needs updated, but this is our current list
1. Summoner
2. Fighter
a. Archers
3. Undead Lord
4. Arcane Trickster
5. Arcane Archer
Why would you ban ranged combat? One flying mount or bird monster opponent and the PCs would be helpless. And wouldn't Arcane Archer just fall under Archers anyway?
Undead lord would be useful if your entire party is made up of Dhampirs.
I don't ban classes but I can understand if it is the core Summoner.
Not sure about the archery ban.