House Rules and Clarifications

Transcription

1 House Rules and Clarifications 1 Introduction Verson 2.3, last updated 4/4//2006 The purpose of this document is to collect all of the rulings and rules modifications that I m using into one place, as well as to answer all of the clarification-style questions that I can recall having been asked. Anything here that appears to be a retread of standard rules from RMSS are probably just that, and should not be taken as a modification of the actual rules. Any place where there are conflicts between RMSS (RM 3.0) and RMFRP (RM 3.1), RMSS wins, except where described below. I will be stealing a number of rules and spell lists from RM2 as well; anything that effects the group as a whole will be added to this document. 1.1 Credits and Apologies I ve stolen most of my house rules from Derrick Kong. The site for Derrick s current game 1, contains a pdf version of his rules 2. Sections stolen directly from him are marked as such. If you are familiar with both sets of rules, these should be very familiar to you. Discrepencies may be accidental or intentional; ask me and I ll make something up. 2 Character Development 2.1 Modification of Races Modifying races is permitted, but all modifications must be approved by the GM. Wood-elves and High Men are exceptionally rare on the continent where this run is currently based, and so are not good choices for PCs. 2.2 Modification of Classes This is intended to be a high-magic, high-power campaign. PCs will develop at an obscene rate of speed, but (hopefully) via XP-loading, not monty-haul giveaways. PCs, therefore, will have a number of tweaks to allow them to survive and thrive Non-spell Users Non-spell users are discouraged. IMHO, they will be over-shadowed by spell casters by tenth level. However, if you insist, we can try to work something out Semi-spell Users Semi-spell users acquire eight base lists, not six, purchase spells at hybrid costs (but only within their realm they still only have one realm) and have a few dev costs lowered, as appropriate Pure Spell Users Pure spell users acquire 12 base lists, not 10, can develop 7 lists at normal cost, not 5, and have a few other dev costs lowered, as appropriate

2 2.3 Starting Languages Starting languages are modified from RMSS, but the total number of ranks and languages are likely to be similar. Ask me and we ll figure out what your character can speak. See below for the list of common languages in this part of the world. 2.4 Background Options and Talents I m not using background options as described in RMSS. Instead, I m using the talent point system described in RMFRP Character Law that allows players to purchase talents and flaws. The base number of talent points that you have to spend is based on your race, and is listed under option seven in section 9.3 of Character Law. The talents and flaws in Section 6 (Status, Wealth, and Items) are not being used. Small numbers of talent points will be given out at the completion of plot arcs, so plan ahead. Naturally, all talents and flaws are subject to sanity checking by the GM. 2.5 Adolescent Development You can spend (0th level/adolescent) hobby ranks on armor, weapons, body dev, power point dev, transcend armor, and spells, if you so choose, regardless of what may be listed under your racial description as an acceptable hobby skill. This supplements and does not replace the hobby skills listed in the racial description. 2.6 Training Packages Training packages may only be purchased as part of Apprenticeship Development, which is conducted when devving from 0th to 1st level. Only one lifestyle training package (indicated by the (L) after the name) may be acquired. Additional stat gain rolls acquired through training packages only apply to the level when the package was purchased. 2.7 Stat Gain Rolls Stat gain rolls must be made for every stat at every level, even if the temporary stat equals the permanent stat. There s always the chance of lowering the temporary stat. House rule: if you roll a double zero on a stat gain roll for a maxed stat, the temporary and potential stats both go up by one. This only applies for stat gain rolls made for levels gained during game-play. 2.8 Bonus Development Point Skills NOTE: The concept and the next two paragraphs were stolen from Derrick s rules. Upon advancing a level, each character will receive a number of bonus DP s equal to 20% of their normal DP s. These bonus DP s may only be used to purchase secondary skills (or skill categories), i.e. ones that give background, color or interest to a character. They do not have to be useless skills, but all must be approved by the GM. At times, the GM may mandate that some of these bonus DP s be used to buy one or more skills to reflect current conditions of the campaign. Example: the character spends several game months in a new city. The character may then be required to buy a minimum of one rank in Region Lore and one rank in Culture Lore for that city. Healing-related skills and healing-related spells that can be used on someone other than yourself (target must not be self ) can be purchased with secondary points. Lores and languages are always acceptable secondary skills, unless they directly affect mechanics, such as Circle Lore, Lock Lore, Poison Lore, and languages with mystical powers or properties. Other skills can fall under that 20% as well, where appropriate to round out the character. For example, evaluate weapon and armor is fine, but reverse stroke is not. Tactics and animal healing are fine, but riding and mounted combat are not. Diplomacy and leadership are fine, but trading, evaluate item, and lie perception are not. Artifact lore and undead lore are fine, but lock lore (which directly effects a major skill) 2

3 is not. If you have any specific skills that you d like to buy under the 20%, send me a list and I ll approve or laugh as appropriate. Pick Locks and Disarm Traps are not viable secondary skills. 2.9 Medical Bonuses All characters have a +20 to medical-related skills (1st aid, 2nd aid, surgery, and diagnosis) and a +10 bonus to herb-related skills (Herb Lore, Prepare Herb, and Use Prepared Herbs). Note that the +20 bonus to healing-related skills also covers SCSM (spell casting static maneuver) rolls for healing spells, to make overcasting or rushing healing spells easier. The SCSM bonuses do not apply to target: self spells, unless you are using the Spell Mastery skill or a ranging spell to cast it on someone else. These bonuses do not apply to poisons, although a good herb lore roll might identify a poison successfully. 3 Rules Clarifications 3.1 Purchasing Skills The skill development cost for a category applies individually to each skill within that category, as well as the category skill itself. For example, if you want to buy Stalk, Hide, and Subterfuge/Stealth and your cost is (1/4), then you can buy one rank of each for 3 DP, or two ranks of each for 15 DP, and so on. Hybrid Spell Dev Costs Pure Spell Dev Costs Base Open Closed Arcane Level Base Open Closed Arcane 3/3/3 4/4/4 4/4/4 5/ /3/3 4/4/4 4/4/4 5/5 3/3/3 4/4/4 6/6/6 6/ /3/3 4/4/4 4/4/4 6/6 3/3/3 6/6/6 8/8 8/ /3/3 4/4/4 4/4/4 8/8 3/3/3 8/8 10/10 10/ /3/3 4/4/4 4/4/4 10/10 3/3/ /3/3 6/6/6 8/8 12 Empty slots on spell lists must be purchased normally; the highest level spell that you can cast on a list is equal to your rank in that spell list. 3.2 Occupational and Everyman Skills When you purchase an occupational skill with DPs, you acquire three ranks of the skill for every rank that you buy. When you purchase an everyman skill with DPs, you acquire two ranks of the skill for every rank that you buy. Ranks acquired in Adolescent (0th level) development and through training packages are not modified by this. If you acquire a talent or spell that permits occupational or everyman development after character creation, it is not back-dated it will only apply to skills purchased after the talent or spell was gained. You may not develop part of a rank to gain fewer than (3 or 2) ranks. Example: Assume thieves have Lock Lore as an occupational skill. At a dev cost of 2/4, they could spend 2 DP to buy 3 ranks of Lock Lore, or spend 6 DPs to buy 6 ranks of Lock Lore. 3.3 Restricted Skills When you purchase restricted skills with DPs, you acquire one rank of the skill for every two ranks that you buy. Your effective number of ranks is rounded down if you have 2.5 ranks of Adrenal Stabilization, for all mechanics-related purposes you have 2 ranks. Ranks acquired in Adolescent (0th level) development and through training packages are not modified by this. Transcend Armor and Power Perception are normal skills, not restricted. Channelling is normal for channelers, and restricted for non-channelers. Adrenal stabilization is still restricted. 3

4 3.4 Torches in Combat Stolen from RM2 Arms Companion: When using a lit torch in combat, each attack may deliver fire damage. Use the club attack table, delivering heat criticals (2 severity levels below) in addition to other criticals. There is a 25% chance of the fire being extinguished per level of heat crit delivered. If you fumble, you ll take a heat crit, severity varying depending on the severity of the fumble and how much the GM thinks you ve been abusing this rule. 3.5 Critical Modifications You can modify the critical done by a weapon strike as per the rules in The Armory. Most weapons can also do Subdual crits with a -30 OB penalty. Ask if you re interested. 3.6 Stunned Maneuvering I m using the RMSS rules for Stunned Maneuver, not the RMFRP rules. This subsection is unchanged from the RMSS rules (which are, unfortunately, confusing) and this wording is mostly stolen from an message that Derrick sent out early in Successful use of the skill will allow action during the round the skill is attempted. This skill does not take any action to perform, and is a static maneuver. Failure will not allow action beyond the normal parry with 50%, and may add to the rounds of stun. Maneuver result Roll Effect Spectacular Failure < rounds of stun Absolute Failure -25 to 4 +2 rnds Failure 5 to rnd Partial Success 76 to 90 No effect (cannot act) Near Success 91 to 110 Act as normal Success 111 to 175 Act as normal, -1 additional rnd of stun Absolute Success >175 Act as normal, -2 add rnds Unusual Success UM 100 Act as normal, -4 add rnds Stun Modifier 1 rnd -0 2 rnds rnds rnds rnds rnds Item identification and Evaluation Appraisal will give you the non-magical base value of anything except for weapons and armor. This includes gems, jewelry, and furs. If you know the base non-magical value and the magical properties of an item, you can use trading or appraisal to estimate the item s value in a given market. Trading is the skill used when actually buying or selling something to determine the price that you get. Supply, demand, the base price, and your roll interact on a series of tables to determine the final price that you can get from someone. It is acceptable to have someone else do your purchasing for you you just have to trust them to have your best interests in mind. However, trading won t give you the base price, and trying to buy or sell something of unknown value can be... risky. Stone Lore and Metal Lore aren t technically appraisal skills. They will let you identify a given stone or metal and determine their properties, but aren t generally good for determining the monetary worth of an item. For example, Stone Lore (along with engineering or architecture) would let you determine how likely it would be for a section of a given building to just collapse. Neither of those is actually necessary to determine the base value of something. However, knowing wonky facts about something rare will give you a bonus to your trading roll to actually sell it. Artifact Lore is useful for identifying powerful or legendary magic items. A successful artifact lore roll on an appropriate item will give you bonuses (+20, usually) to your attunement roll. A successful Attunement roll will give you the properties of a magic item. From that, you can determine the approximate base value of the item. However, there are some gotchas some powerful items may have abilities that are harder to detect or that change over time, and it can be extremely hard to get full price for 4

5 a magic item unless the buyer desperately wants it. I believe that the standard rate of return when selling a magic item, according to Treasure Companion, is less than 50% of the base price. Attunement is a good thing to have, and costs real points, because it lets you use triggered magic items. Continuous or automatic magic items such as weapons and armor don t require an attunement roll, but successfully attuning to the item will give you a list of its magical properties, subject to the disclaimers in the previous paragraph. If you commission the creation of a magic item, you don t need to worry about flubbing your attunement roll the alchemist will help you to succeed. Evaluate Weapon and Evaluate Armor will give you the non-magical properties of a weapon or armor, and will hint strongly at whether or not the item is magical. However, these are less critical, since playing with a weapon or suit of armor for a while will make those non-magical properties apparent, and from that, you can determine the approximate base value of the item. Appraisal is the only critical appraisal-type skill. Attunement is critical for completely different reasons. Evaluate weapons/armor isn t really that necessary in Derrick s run, we ve survived over 10 levels without a single rank of those skills in the party. Oh, don t get me wrong whenever we find a new toy all of the fighter-types heft it knowingly and ooh and aah at it, then we hand it to the mage who attunes to it and tells us what it actually does. 3.8 Resistance Rolls Paraphrased and/or quoted from Spell Law, p6: E Elemental spell. These spells use the force of the spell to manipulate physical elements... these elements (and not the spell) are used to either create a phenomena that can affect the physical environment of the target (e.g., a wall spell) or the sense of the target (e.g., an illusion spell). Because the elements are real, no Resistance Rolls are normally allowed. [Ed. - Unless the spell description states or implies a that a resistance roll is allowed.] BE Ball Elemental spell. These are elemental spells that attack an area with one of the physical elements. (i.e., ball spells). Such attacks are resolved on one of the ball tables. No Resistance Roll. DE Directed Elemental spell. These are elemental spells that directly attack a target with one of the physical elements. (i.e., bolt spells). Such attacks are resolved on one of the bolt tables. No Resistance Roll. F Force spell. These spells involve the direct manipulation of matter, energy, the elements, or living beings through the use of a spell s force. If the spell has a target capable of resisting, the caster must make an attack roll on the Basic Spell Attack Table to determine the RR modifications for the target... P Passive spell. These spells usually only indirectly or passively affect a target. Thus, if an RR is allowed (GM s discretion), its purpose is only to determine if the target is aware of the spell. Many detection spells are of this type. I Informational spell. These spells involve gathering information through means that do not involve RRs. 4 Additional and Modified Skills NOTE: This section is cribbed directly from Derrick s rules, with a few minor tweaks. Note that for all skills, we will use the optional third stat: For all skill categories, use the first two stats listed for the category bonus and add in the third stat in brackets after the skill descriptions for each particular skill. Airborne Combat. Category: Combat Maneuvers. As Mounted Combat, but applies to combat while using a fly spell. If using a flying mount (gryphon, pegasus, etc), Mounted Combat is used instead. Levitate provides a stable platform, and so is not capped by this skill. {EM} 5

6 Table 1: Armor Donning/Doffing Chart Armor Donning/Doffing Chart Base Time (rnds) Minimum Time (rnds) AT Donning Doffing Donning Doffing Armor group. Quickness penalties from armor CAN be negated by a strength bonus as was standard in RM2. Triple the character s strength bonus and add it to the quickness penalty; if the total is positive, the character will have no penalty. Otherwise, apply the penalty as per the standard rules. Donning/Doffing Armor. Category: Armor. There is one skill for each Armor category (Light, Medium, Heavy). This skill reduces the amount of time it takes to put on or remove armor. The total skill is divided by 5 to obtain the number of rounds reduced from the maximum time. The reduction cannot be below the minimum time. See the Armor Donning/Doffing Chart. {QU} Expertise. Category: Weapon Group (Special). This skill allows a character who already has skill with a weapon to become an expert in using that weapon thus lowering his chance of fumbling. For every skill rank, a character has in expertise with a specific type of weapon, his fumble range for that weapon is reduced by one, to a minimum of one. This skill must be developed separately for each weapon. Note that no level/stat/profession bonuses apply. The cost for this skill is equal to the character s highest weapon skill cost. {None} Frenzy. Don t bother. Mounted Combat Category: Combat Maneuvers. Mounted Combat must be developed per type of mount, including flying mounts. The effective number of skill ranks in this skill cannot exceed the number of skill ranks of riding the mount. {EM} Power Perception. This skill is a regular skill, not a restricted skill. Restricted Area Combat. Category: Combat Maneuvers. This skill can offset some or all of the penalties associated with combat in restricted areas. See the RAC Penalties table. {SD} 6

7 Table 2: RAC Penalties Situation Penalty Height: (Space too short to stand) Character s height % Character s height % Character s height % Character s height -80 Width: (Space too narrow) Arm s length to wall -0 75% Arm s length to wall -5 50% Arm s length to wall % Arm s length to wall -20 Arms pressed against side -45 Weapon space: (Cannot use full swing, etc) 75% Weapon space available % Weapon space available % Weapon space available -45 No space available -80 Seaborne Combat. Category: Combat Maneuvers. This skill can offset some or all of the penalties associated with combat on a ship. {EM} Sniping. Category: Suberfuge Attack. As Ambush, but applies to missile weapons. Subdual attacks, however, are NOT allowed. {IN} Spells. Under the standard rules, a SCSM (Spell Casting Static Maneuver) is required once a caster is at 75% of their maximum power points or less. I am modifying this so that PP expenditure level is NO longer a factor in requiring a SCSM. However, if a SCSM is required for other reasons (overcasting, rushing, etc), the PP expenditure modifier IS applied. Transcend Armor. This skill is modified in the following manner: If the total Transcend Armor skill is enough to offset all SCSM penalties from armor/helm/shield, then a SCSM roll is NOT necessary (assuming all other automatic casting conditions are met). In addition, this skill is considered a standard (not restricted) skill. 5 Languages and Lores Here is a listing of the most common languages in this region of the world, along with the highest possible rank in each for spoken and written forms of the tongue 3. Please note that not all of these languages are automatically available at game start you need an in-character excuse to purchase most of the racial languages. Most written languages either use letters based on the Elvish Tengwar 4 or runes based on the Elvish Cirth. 5 3 Some languages are less complex than others. 4 Devised by Fëanor of the Noldor 5 The Cirth, or Elvish runes, were originally devised during the Sundering by the Grey Elves for inscribing names and short phrases onto wood and stone. This simple form of the runes spread widely during the Second Age and was modified and adopted by many races. The richest form of Cirth, called the Certhas Daeron, was developed during the First Age. 7

8 5.1 Regional/Cultural Languages Trade Tongue (Common). Simplified dialect of Fador, which is a tongue closely related to Nod. Widely used throughout this continent. Max of S8/W8. Nod. Language used throughout the region formerly controlled by the former Empire of Nod, which encompasses the game start area. Closely related to Fador. Max of S10/W10. Fador. Language used in Fador, a primarily human kingdom to the east of Nod with a strong merchant presence. Closely related to Nod. Max of S10/W10. Old Nod. The language used in the Empire of Nod before it fell one thousand years ago. Fador and Nod are both derivate from Old Nod. Max of S10/W10. Ancient Dûnael. The immediate ancestor of Old Nod. Rarely spoken on this continent. 5.2 Universal Languages Black Speech. Used by evil overlords to command underlings without having to learn dozens of different racial languages. Max of S8/W6. Thieves Cant. Belgariad-style hand signs plus hobo marks. Max of S6/W2. Elya. An ancient tongue tailored for the discussion of magical ritual and effects. S8/W8 in this language is one of the requirements for full membership in the Mages Guild. Semi-spell users are expected to have around 4 or 5 ranks of written and spoken Elya. This language is sometimes informally called magish. Max of S10/W Racial Languages Adûnaic. The ancient racial language of High Men. Not commonly used on this continent. Most other human tongues are derived from (or corrupted from) Adûnaic. Max of S10/W10. Bethleur. The wood-elvish tongue. Crude in comparison to Sindarin and Quenya. Not commonly used on this continent. Max of S10/W10. Entish Impossible for most non-ents to comprehend or speak. High-Orcish. An oddly flowing and musical form of the harsh orcish tongue that can be used to discuss aesthetics and poetry as well as the sound that an eyeball makes when you pop it like a grape. 6 Max of S10/W10. Khuzdul. The tongue of Dwarves, who call themselves the Khazâd. Guarded closely from non- Dwarves. Not related to any other known languages, although their written alphabet is based on the Elvish Cirth. 7 Max of S10/W10. Goblin. A dialect of Black-speech, composed of monosylabic words spoken quickly that is also used by Kobolds. Max of S8/W8. Gnoll. A quiet and melodious language. Max of S10/W10. Gnomish. A very monotonous and extremely detailed language. Max of S15/W15. Hobgoblin. A guttural, barking tongue that is closely related to Black-speech. Max of S8/W8 Orcish. A crude and guttural tongue that has absorbed words or phrases from countless other tongues over the ages. Max of S8/W8 6 Think Klingon. 7 The dwarves use a dialect of the Certhas Daeron that they call the Angerthas Moria, or Long Rune-rows of Moria. 8

9 Quenya. The High-elven tongue, also known as Eldarin. Typically only used in formal ceremony, lore, and song. Max of S10/W10. Sindarin. The Grey-elven tongue, related to but greatly diverged from Quenya during the Sundering. The primary day-to-day tongue of most of the Eldar (Grey and High Elves). Max of S10/W10. Periannath. The tongue of the little people. Derivate from Adûnaic. Max of S10/W10. Troglodyte. A mass of conflicting consonants and guttural nonsense that seems to make sense only to Troglodytes. Max of S10/W Useful Lores Useful lore skills include Region and Culture lores for Nod (the area where the game will be starting) and History - Nod. Everyone who has studied in the Mages Guild should have at least three ranks of Region/Culture Lore - Mages Guild. Artifact Lore, Demon Lore, Dragon Lore, and Undead Lore could all be useful, and all qualify as background skills. 6 Round Sequencing I ll be using the modified version of the old RM2 sequence that Derrick uses. NOTE: This section is cribbed directly from Derrick s rules. 1. Spell Phase. Spells are initiated or cast in this phase. Appropriate spells (Deflections, etc) may be held until a later phase. 2. Missile Phase. All missile weapons are prepared/fired simultaneously. Missile weapons may be held for fire in a later phase. 3. Movement/Maneuver Phase. All movement/maneuvers are made in this phase. Anyone engaged in melee or intending to engage in melee may move 10% of their base movement rate with no penalty. Additional movement will reduce available OB. All movement is simultaneous and proportional. 4. Melee Phase. Each character engaged in melee determines OB/DB split. Initiative is determined (using RMSS system). Melee is conducted in initiative order. 7 Fate Points NOTE: This section is cribbed directly from Derrick s rules, with trivial modifications. Each character starts with 3 fate points. You will accumulate 1 fate point per experience level gained. In addition, the GM will award 1-3 fate points for accomplishing minor goals or character goals. The GM will also award 3-6 fate points for completing major goals. Finally, the GM will award 6-10 fate points for completing MAJOR goals and quests (this is reserved for defeating REALLY BAD GUYS and finishing major quests). 7.1 Fate Point Uses Fate points may be used by characters in the following ways: Treat any roll as open-ended. By spending one fate point, a character can roll a second time, adding the second roll to the first roll. If the second roll is open-ended, it is treated as a normal open-ended roll (i.e., roll again). This allows characters to succeed at skill checks that are important to the character (as defined by the player - not the GM). If used in this fashion on a fumbled maneuver (not an attack roll), the second roll could result in a non-fumbled result. 9

10 Re-roll a fumbled attack skill. By spending one fate point, the character can re-roll an fumbled attack roll. The second roll is used IN PLACE OF the first (not added to it). Re-roll a Spell Casting Static Maneuver check. By spending one fate point, the character can re-roll a SCSM check. The second roll is used IN PLACE OF the first (not added to it). Reduce damage from a hit. By spending one fate point, the character gets three damage credits. Increments of 1/3 of a fate point may be used. With one damage credit, the character can do any one of the following: 1. Reduce a crit severity by 2 (i.e. E to C, D to B, C to A, B or A result in no crit. However, if a character receives a Large or Super-Large critical (e.g. a Slaying crit), one damage credit will change the column of the critical by one to the left (i.e. less severe), with a Normal critical turning into no critical. Tiny crits are reduced in severity by 3, not Reduce the number of concussion hits by 10. If less than 10 hits were scored in this blow total, then only that number may be negated. 3. Take away one effect of the critical hit (ie. bleeder, stun, etc.) However, a critical result that indicates death or a mortal wound always takes 1 1/3 fate points (not damage credits) to negate. Additionally, an unconsciousness/incapacitation result takes 1 fate point to negate, not one damage credit. Cancel BAD GUYS from using Fate Points. Bad guys may have fate points. In general, only exceptional bad guys (leaders, etc) will have them. The number of fate points will balance with the number of fate points available to the characters (usually much less than the characters have unless it is a major bad guy). If a fate point is used in this fashion, it will negate a fate point spent by the bad guy on the indicated roll. NOTE: This requires that the GM tell the players when a bad guy is calling upon fate. Regenerate Power Points. A character may spent fate points to instantly regenerate his/her power points (up to their normal maximum, without adders or multipliers)) 7.2 Fate Points Notes Fate Point Expenditure PP Gained 1/3 FP 15 PP 1 FP 60 PP 2 FP All base PP A character can spend as many fate points as he/she deems necessary on one skill check or roll of any kind, subject to GM override. Bad guys MAY spend fate points to stop a character from spending fate points. Also note that you can attempt to spend fate points even if you have 0 at the time. This gives the character a negative total, allowing the GM to invoke fate AGAINST the character until the total reaches 0 again. However, once a total of zero or less is reached, the GM may arbitrarily prevent a character from using fate at any time. As a guideline, a fate point total of -2 is the lowest suggested threshold. Any further and the GM will use the opportunity to bring on a catastrophe that is unlikely to be appreciated by the characters Change History Version 2.3 fixed a few typos, added treatment of Tiny crits, and updated the treatment of combat on a flying mount. Version 2.2 added a summary of the resistance rolls rules, section 3.8. Version 2.1 added a version number, this section, greatly expanded and revised the section on languges, and added the dev costs for pure spell users. A few other minor tweaks were made for the sake of clarity. 10