In this thread you will find a list of small house rules, special bubble rules, advice and recommendations. Despite these, Chessenta is not a bubble region. All standard RoA rules still apply.

Orcs & Half-Orcs

Due to the relatively civilised and respectable nature of orcs in Chessenta, the Orc race is allowed in this game. However, the prospective Orc PC must abide by the following criteria:
1) Be the standard Mountain Orc from the Monster Manual.
2) Take the Orc: Chessenta region. You'll probably come from the Flaming Spike tribe of the Akanapeaks (a fairly typical barbarian orc tribe) or one of its sub-tribes, or the cities of Airspur or Reth (cities with sizeable orc populations), but other origins are possible.
3) Be of non-Evil alignment, as per standard RoA rules.
4) Be capable of working in a Neutral-to-Good game
4) Be able to get along with fellow players (as far as Chessentans go).
4) Be reasonably civilised.

Prospective orc players should discuss their character with me before hand, and recognise that although Chessenta is not a bubble region, orcs are still not allowed elsewhere in RoA. If they wish to transfer to another game, they may only move to other bubble regions that take orcs.

Although combat is a large part of Chessentan life, the fields of arts, philosophy, politics and cunning are equally important, so it is strongly recommended that orc characters do not completely dump their mental abilities. There will be plenty of combat, but there will be much more roleplaying and problem solving. A dumb meat tank will find himself with nothing to do for long periods of game-time.

Half-Orcs are of course still playable, and are more respectable than full-blooded Orcs.

Alignments

This is a standard RoA game, and as such no Evil characters are allowed. However, many cities and groups are run by people and creatures who are either tyrannical, evil, mad or some combination of all three, and Good characters should respect this. At least until they're powerful enough to do something about it.

Paladins are neither banned nor discouraged, but should be prepared to work for or with Evil creatures now and then. I am open to creative interpretations of a Paladin's Code and their deity's dogma. I am not a stickler for adhering to the letter of it.

This will not be a constant thing, and will only occur occasionally.

Patron Deities

Due to most gods in Chessenta being harsh, mad, fake or evil, you may choose to have one as your patron deity, or even to be a cleric of one. However you must abide by the following criteria:
1) The deity must have a strong presence in Chessenta.
2) Be of non-Evil alignment yourself (if your chosen god allows it), as per standard RoA rules.
3) Be capable of working in a Neutral-to-Good game
4) Be able to get along with fellow players (as far as Chessentans go), even Paladins and worshippers of opposing deities.

Prospective worshippers of such deities should discuss their character with me beforehand, particularly with regards to their character's dogma, faith and interpretation of their deity's will. Some amount of heresy is possible. This is regarded as a role-playing however.

You may worship Tchazzar and be a divine spellcaster devoted to him and still get spells (though this requires a feat). Indeed, this is encouraged. I will provide you with further details if you are interested.

You are free to invent your own hero-cult to worship, but if you want to get divine spells and be raised from the dead when necessary (and not be considered Faithless), you should choose an existing god as a patron deity and make an appropriate hero as their representative. Essentially you will be a somewhat typical follower of that deity, subject to all the same rules and restrictions, just under a different name. You should also discuss this with me beforehand.

Entropy however would be almost impossible, but I am open to a very good idea.

Persecution of Magic and Magical Creatures

Luthcheq's persecution of arcane magic, those who practice it and creatures that might be made of it, is not something that should worry about when making your character, unless you want to base your character concept around it. Make your character as normal. No races or classes are banned.

The persecution will only be a concern in and around Luthcheq itself, or in specific plots revolving around agents of the Karanoks or the Cult of Entropy. Otherwise, there may be a few random encounters involving them, but their efforts to kill you will be no better or worse than any other creature.

If you are interested, here is a rough summary of who and what is banned by Luthcheq:
* Arcane magic
* Elves
* Dwarves
* Obvious Planetouched
* Followers of magic-related deities, deities who would be opposed to House Karanok and Entropy

And what is allowed:
* Divine magic (though few people can tell the difference, and mistakes are common)
* Half-Elves (watched carefully)
* Orcs & Half-Orcs
* Halflings
* Gnomes (Gnomes are barely known in Chessenta, and could get away with pretending to be Halflings, if only until closely inspected or they cast a spell)
* Followers of Waukeen

As the Karanoks and their agents have a "shoot first, don't bother asking questions later" policy, and don't like admitting mistakes, and are quick to ban anything new or different, then it is safe to assume that almost anything might be bannable. So if in doubt, then you probably shouldn't try.

Posting Guidelines

Please post regularly and often. Even if your character is waiting patiently without speaking or acting, please post something to that effect so we all know it and need not wait on you.

During the game, and especially in combat, please regularly include the effects of spells and special abilities that affect your character in your posts so that I can easily find and remember them. These can be in a private line, or public if they affect other players. Please update this information every round.

Most battles and important events will use a battle map of some kind. Please remember to include co-ordinates when moving around, attacking, or casting spells. Ordinary pen-and-paper D&D rules are in effect.

Have fun!
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:32, Sat 21 July 2012.

Guidelines For Battle

Just so you know what to expect and to whet your appetite, here's how I'll usually handle battles.



Basically treat this game as you would tabletop D&D with miniatures and maps and everything. Please declare where you are moving to, your actions, and roll any dice necessary.

Most times we'll work off the standard initiative system, modified to work in blocks. I'll roll them for you, and show a list of the init order. All player shaded green may go at once.

Please remember to update your active spells and other abilities each round, because I likely won't remember from one week to the next. Ideally you should include these in both your bio lines and in your posts to be sure.

Of course, please also remember to write a nice descriptive piece on your actions in that round. You may assume a lot more happens in a short combat round then the D&D system typically allows for; there is a lot of parrying and sparring that needn't be represented by the rules.

Just for example:



I regard rounds as "long enough", not necessarily 6 seconds. This won't change anything rules-wise, so assume it's just the same, but some battles may go all day for coolness' sake and still only last 8 rounds. Spell durations of course do not change, and last the normal number of rounds.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:39, Sat 21 July 2012.

From Complete Warrior:

PERFORM (WEAPON DRILL) (Cha)

You are skilled in quick, flashy movements of a weapon and can put on a display that shows off your prowess in combat.

This category of the Perform skill covers any sort of weapon display, such as twirling a sword or flipping a dagger from hand to hand. Despite the skill’s name, you can use it when unarmed by demonstrating difficult martial arts techniques or shadow boxing against an imaginary opponent.

Check: Unlike other categories of the Perform skill, your prowess with the weapon (indicated by your base attack bonus) is an important factor in how good your Perform (weapon drill) skill is. Apply half your base attack bonus (rounded down) as a circumstance bonus on Perform (weapon drill) checks. Your Charisma modifi er also applies, as with any Perform check. If you aren’t proficient with the weapon you’re using, you take the –4 nonproficiency penalty on Perform (weapon drill) checks.

Action: Varies. If you’re performing to earn money in public, a weapon drill requires at least 4 hours of 20-minute performances, with breaks in between. If you’re demonstrating your skill or trying to impress the crowd at a gladiator match (see Chapter 4 of this book), the performance is a standard action.

Try Again: Yes, but as with other uses of the Perform skill, subsequent attempts after a failure increase the DC of the Perform check by 2 for each previous failure.

Special: The following feats each grant a +2 bonus on relevant Perform (weapon drill) checks: Combat Expertise, Greater Weapon Focus, Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus, and Whirlwind Attack.

A bard cannot use Perform (weapon drill) checks to perform his bardic music abilities (inspire courage, fascinate, and so on).

From the DM: I will give +2 circumstance bonuses when interesting weapons are used, magic is applied for special effects, or other interesting things are made to happen.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:35, Tue 08 May 2007.

From Complete Adventure

SENSE MOTIVE: ASSESS OPPONENT (Wis)

You can assess the combat prowess of an opponent, identifying particularly dangerous or vulnerable foes.

Check: As a standard action, you can use Sense Motive to ascertain how tough a challenge an opponent poses for you, based on your level and your opponent’s CR. This skill check is opposed by the opponent’s Bluff check. To attempt this task, your opponent must be visible to you and within 30 feet. If you have seen the opponent in combat, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on the check.

The accuracy of the assessment depends on the amount by which your Sense Motive check result exceeds the opposed Bluff check result. On a successful Sense Motive opposed check, you can gain the following information:

Assess Opponent                        Opponent’s CR Result
4 or more less than your level/HD      A pushover
1, 2, or 3 less than your level/HD     Easy
Equal to your level/HD                 A fair fight
Equal to your level/HD plus 1, 2, or 3 A tough challenge
Exceeds your level/HD by 4 or more     A dire threat

A successful assessment reveals that your foe belongs in one of two adjacent categories (for example, “Easy” or “A fair fight”). If your Sense Motive check result exceeds the opposed Bluff check result by 10 or more, you can narrow the result down to a single category.

By contrast, if the target’s Bluff check result equals or slightly exceeds your Sense Motive check result, you gain no useful information. If the target’s Bluff check result exceeds your Sense Motive check result by 5 or more, you may (at the DM’s option) gain a false impression, believing your opponent to be much stronger or weaker than he really is (equal chance of either). If the target’s Bluff check result exceeds your Sense Motive check result by 10 or more, your assessment is off by at least two categories (for example, a dire threat might be assessed as a fair fight).

Special: The Combat Intuition feat grants a +4 bonus on Sense Motive checks made to assess opponents. It also enables you to narrow your assessment of your opponent’s combat capabilities to a single category. Finally, it allows you to accomplish this task as a free action.

An opponent that is particularly vulnerable to your typical attack routine (for example, a vampire facing a high-level cleric of Pelor) registers as one category less challenging; one who is resistant to your typical attack routine (for example, a golem opposing a rogue who relies heavily on sneak attacks) registers as one category more challenging.

Try Again: You can use this skill on a different opponent each round.

From The DM: I'll roll the checks for this. Let me know if you want to try it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:34, Tue 08 May 2007.