House rules for the Dark Sun campaign.

Resolving the Feat Taxes:
Instead of forcing people to get expertise, and the NAD boosting feats due to how monster attack and defenses scale with respect to PC attacks and defenses, the NPCs that are not built using character builder and all mobs will have a -1 per 6 levels (or part of) to all attacks and defenses to realign the scaling to match PC growth.
Rational for this issue: (I reserve the right to adjust stats or specific powers, for monsters/NPCs if I feel it is needed in order to make the fight more balanced. At-will 'be screwed and die powers' aren't fun or balanced. I'm interested in telling a story not seeing how to sadistically kill off the party.)
PC scaling over 30 levels is +15 (level bonus) +6 (enchantment bonus) + 4 (normal stat boost for primary stat[s]) = +25
Monster scaling over 30 levels is +30 which is 5 points greater than the PC scaling. With this change monster scaling is changed to be +25 to match that of PC scaling.

All feats from Essentials are allowed, but none are being granted as 'free feats'.

Proficiencies
Rogues are considered proficiency with the Talid, Widow's knife (which counts as a dagger for class features), Wrist Razor, and Dejaga.

Weapon/Implement Breakage
Reckless breakage rule is being used but can be applied on ANY miss instead of only on a roll of 1 when dealing with either weapon or implement powers. i.e. Can reroll any miss but the weapon/implement breaks afterwards. Reckless breakage may not be combined with Arcane Defiling.
Metal weapons/implements only break if the reroll is a 5 or less.

Defiling
The Arcane defiling auras/powers that deviate from the normal rules that PCs use by are changed to affect every ally within 20 squares and every enemy within the defiling range as determined by the power being defiled. Everything being affected by the defiled area makes a saving throw with same modifiers as a death saving throw or take the spellcaster's primary modifier in necrotic damage. (None of this half of a healing surge in damage garbage.) The caster then rerolls each to-hit roll and the damage roll and may chose to use either result. Resistance and immunity cannot reduce the damage received due to defiling. Minions do not suffer damage from Arcane Defiling unless they are a target of the power and are hit by the power. Anyone that makes their save vs defilement (which is treated as a save with the same modifiers used for a death saving throw) takes no damage from the defiling attempt, but take effects/damage from the power being used if they are also a target of it.

For NPC defiling, non-minion allies of the NPC within 20 squares of the defiler take the same amount of damage the defiling does to PCs within the range specified by the power, but all NPCs grouped with a defiler are considered to have the Defiler Trooper feat so they gain half the damage as temporary hit points after taking the damage from the defiling. Since gaining temporary hit points is not recovering actual hit points, defiling magic will not bring an NPC reduced to 0 hit points back into the fight. NPC defilers are allowed to use an arcane/implement power without defiling if they choose to.

The Crystal Cloister
The group if PCs are an expedition from the 'Crystal Cloister' (Village) which uses the Forgotten Realms Windrise port background as its background due to the spreading of knowledge within the village.
The Crystal Cloister is located on the edge of the Crystal Forest within the Forest Ridge. The entrance to the Crystal Cloister is a cave entrance concealed by crystalline vines at the edge of the Crystal Forest. While the village itself is underground in a cavern, the cave is illuminated with sunlight emitted by the crystalline roots of plants that cover the roof of the cavern as they transmit light they collect from above ground.

Shardmind and Warforged were both originally created due to the aftermath of the magical energies being released from the creation of the Crystal Forest. The first Warforged and Shardminds learned how to perform a ritual to create more Warforged and Shardminds from friendly primal spirits that made a bargain with them to assist in protecting Athas from the destruction Defiling magic brings. The Crystal Cloister is rare in that all Arcane magic is not considered forbidden magic, only defiling magic is forbidden. When outside of the Crystal Cloister, Warforged and Shardmind always conceal their appearance by dressing in desert clothing that covers their body. They take this precaution since the village is aware what a sorcer-king would try to do if they learned about Warforged and Shardmind, let alone the dangers of the location of the Crystal Cloister being revealed. Only guests who have proven to be loyal allies are ever allowed into the Crystal Cloister, and when such guests are allowed inside the Crystal Cloister, Arcane casters remain out of sight as a courtesy. One of the products that originally was exported by those in the Crystal Cloister, but some others have learned to produce on there own are magical shards. (i.e. dragon shards, etc...)

Any known Arcane user that is found to use defiling magic within or near the Crystal Cloister is exiled from the Forest Ridge into the Crimson Savanna, often being escorted out there by villagers to insure that the defiler does not cause further harm to the Forest Ridge. Such defilers typically are left with little provisions and are abandoned to fend for themselves. The Crystal Cloister mostly keeps to itself but it does have some relations with neighboring  forest tribes which are mostly hafling tribes which tolerate the Crystal Cloister since they are neither edible, or in competition for food. Most of the trade with the Crystal Cloister is various crafted crystalline products made from materials found in the Crystal Forest in exchange for materials that the Crystal Cloister uses for equipment they cannot craft out of crystal and materials for rituals. The ritual used to create Warforged and Shardmind is detailed later in this post.

Race clarification:
Any type of Living Construct may use attached and embedded components.

Halfings have their own language that halfing characters get for free which  has no native script, but Halfings have applied the Common script to it when they wish to write texts down instead of keeping just an oral account. (The halfing language is comprised of animal-like calls, avian-like cries, and clicks of the tongue that any other race can easily mimic if they know the language.)

New Ritual
The Ritual to create a Warforged/Shardmind requires a material cost of 1000gp per Warforged/Shardmind to be born, and a focus costing 50,000gp which is called 'the forge'. The ritual takes a week to perform, it is a level 11 creation ritual. It requires three or more individuals to perform with one of the individuals having psionic energies, another using primal magic, and the third using preservation arcane magic. Each day during the week long ritual, every participant in the ritual must donate a single healing surge or the ritual fails. The ritual is completely incompatible with defiling magic, which has been the primary hindrance in preventing Sorcerer-Kings from creating Warforged to date.
Creating a new forge is a complex task that takes on average 15 months to build and prepare for use as a focus for this ritual.
One Warforged or Shardmind is born for every two casters participating in the ritual that donate healing surges. A combination of up to six warforged and shardmind can be born from a signal ritual as up to 9 additional people can assist in performing the ritual.
Estimated Market Value for this ritual is 250,000 gp.

The Elders of the Crystal Cloister have long foreseen that eventually a Sorcerer-King will create a method to construct of unnatural creatures in the future using defiling magic that would destroy much of Tyr, including the tribe. This troubles the tribe elders since they know that at least one of the Sorcerer-Kings does use constructs as part of his personal bodyguard. Everyone living in the cloister, as well as the tribes that the Crystal Cloister regularly trades with fears what would happen if a Sorcerer-King managed to learn how to recreate the ritual as it could result in the creation of an army that could conquer Tyr in a short amount of time given the resources that a Sorcerer-King could dedicate to the ritual.

Creatures that don't eat, breath, or drink and survival in Athas:
While they do not need food or water, Living Constructs and other beings that don't eat, breath, or drink that are not immune to diseases still require Survival Days when in regions where normal humanoids require them. The only difference is that for these beings the Survival Days do not include water or food which results in a saving of 1.5gp in cost and 5 pounds in weight. (The cost and weight for a waterskin and a day's supply of travel rations.)
A Survival Day for Living Constructs only costs 3.5 gp and weighs 3lbs.

Items, currency, and daily magic item limit rules:
Everything priced in Residuum is bought or sold at 100% unless otherwise noted. The primary exception to magical items using Residuum instead of GP are that intentionally consumable items such as 'potions' will be priced in GP (Ceramic Pieces) to insure that all players have the same amount of Residuum for their gear. Materials priced in GP are bought and sold at 'market values' (typically selling for half the value of the item, although resale value can be as low as 20% or as high as 80% depending on situation.)
Parcels are tallied up and will be given in two values the currency value (in GP) and the magical value in residuum. Residuum cannot be purchased with GP and GP cannot be purchased with Residuum. People can freely spend residuum on any magical stuff they want, and are free to spend currency on non-magical items. Rituals can use either residuum or currency for cost but currency must be used for focus costs. Residuum can be used as part of bribes, if desired. Specific non-consumable magic items are not going to be given out although if you have the residuum to purchase a new item you can do so during any extended rest when in a city/village or if someone in the party is capable of making the item. Consumable magic items can be created quickly if someone in the party is capable of doing so and these items can be created during a short rest. Otherwise consumable magic items can be found when in a village/city like non-consumable items, with common consumable items often being priced in GP instead of Residuum. (The house rules for item creation from the other house rule thread are in force here, I won't repeat them.)
Keep track of the amount of any GP spent on consumable magic items, alchemical items, or rituals as I will try to feed additional GP back to the group via treasure found to compensate for it if it becomes necessary.

Rituals will not use Residuum for components and will use the individual types of components that are purchased with GP instead.

Daily item changes:
Daily item usage is being governed by Essentials rules (ie no limit to the number of daily items that can be used, but each daily item can still only be used once a day.)

Inherent Bonuses:
Inherent bonuses are being used and the bonuses for weapon/implement and armor/defense enchantment is uses the standard table for weapon/implement bonuses. (Character builder does not support this house rule as it adds in the armor/defense inherent bonus on 4+ instead of 2+.)
Everyone gets a +level/5 round up item bonus to damage. This does not stack with bracers of power or staffs of ruin. This bonus applies to all damaging attacks, not just damage rolls. This way there will be some variety in equipment for people instead of everyone rushing to get those items. Since the monsters got a damage boost since MM3, the players need one to be fair. It can stack with shards or other items that use an untyped bonus. (+1 at levels 1-5, +2 at levels 6-10, etc...) Character builder does not support this house rule so just add it in manual for your characters in your character sheets.

Item change lists: (This list will grow as needed.)
Desert Clothing uses the newer 'MME' listing which is 5gp, 4lb. and a +2 item bonus to Endurance, instead of the 10gp, 3lb with only a +1 item bonus found in the DSC book. (Updating the DS Narrator listings for money and weight carried have already been done.)
Mithril items are replaced with Corundum
Adamantine items are replaced with Diamond
The house rules for standards are being used in the Dark Sun game. I won't repeat them in this post.

Item Rarity:
  There will be no limit on common items so long as no abuse of the system is attempted, if I see something that is an abuse I'll warn you, otherwise assume it isn't an abuse. For example, trying to use cheap consumables at paragon and epic levels to continually pull 'frost-cheese' can be considered abuse, while stockpiling healing and recovery supplies is not abuse.
  Uncommon items will generally be limited to approximately one per level, but as long as no one tries to abuse uncommon items going beyond this limit won't be difficult as either a skill challenge or a short adventure will bypass this limitation. (The item in question will affect this.)
  Rare items will be limited to around one per tier, although additional ones can be acquired via more difficult adventuring and/or a series of skill challenges. (Depends on the item in question.)

Boons will ignore rarity and not count for limits against uncommon and rare items, but will instead require an 'achievement' in order to unlock and earn them. These achievements will be listed when unlocked and are related to the boons.
For example being part of a Veiled Alliance cell allows you to get the Mystery of the Veil boon.
You have to work for a Sorcerer King to get that Sorcerer King's boon.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:53, Sat 24 Sept 2011.

To view the bookkeeping notes for this campaign simply click on my character description. Only public knowledge will be listed within these notes.

Regarding Alchemical Items (And poisons)
Alchemical items are being handled in the following manner.
Attacks with an Alchemical item use a base of 'your level+3' vs whatever NAD the alchemical item attacks.
Alchemical ammunition use a base of 'your level+3+weapon proficiency bonus' vs AC but gain the ranges used by the weapon firing the alchemical ammunition. (In all cases this replaces the normal attack modifier for the power the ammunition is being used with.)

Note that enchantment bonuses and the +1/2 level bonus, and other bonuses are not applied to these rolls and only bonuses that specifically apply to alchemical items are used, with the exception that feat based bonuses regarding a weapon are used for alchemical ammunition.

Additionally: For all Alchemical items/ammunition the ammunition's effects automatically count as 'missing' when used on targets that are over 8 levels higher than the alchemical item/ammo.

Example if you want to hit with the effect of the alchemical item/ammo against a level 9 target, use the level 6 version of the alchemical item/ammo, not the level 1 version. Note, for alchemical ammo, if it is used as part of a normal power, or even a ranged basic attack, the attack can hit, while the effects of the ammo can be considered a miss, which would mean the alchemical ammo would do half damage and typically no extra effects in addition to whatever the power does when it hits.
If the attack misses with alchemical ammo, apply the miss effects (if any) for both the power and the alchemical ammo.

Detailed example using a level 1 Alchemical ammo fired from a crossbow:
If fired at a level 1-8 target on a hit it would do normal damage for the crossbow plus the full effects from the level 1 alchemical ammo.
If fired at a level 9+ target, on a hit it would do normal damage for the crossbow and the 'miss effect' from the level 1 alchemical ammo.
If the crossbow attack misses, then the miss effect (if any) from the power is applied and the miss effect from the level 1 alchemical ammo is applied.

Came up with this since eventually alchemical items can be used, and once the party hits level 9+ it will be fun to have hordes of peons guys throwing level 1 alchemical stuff at everyone and it doing pretty much ineffective, but fun...at least till someone comes along and starts chucking around alchemical stuff that is on level.

Also the 40gp, 20 pound Alchemical case is being treated as a portable alchemist lab, which will grant a +2 bonus to skill checks used to identify a substance and to skill checks made as part of a creation or detection ritual. This item is typically mounted in a wagon, or some other mobile vehicle if not setup in a room.

A non-portable Alchemist Workshop functions normally as per the rules in AV2.

An alchemist's kit is 25gp and 5pounds, functions just like the poisoner's kit. Infact, the primary difference between the two kits is what compounds/ingredients are kept in the kit as most poisoner kits start out as alchemist kits that have the compounds replaced. This item includes a small notebook that contains an alchemist's recipes. Alchemist kits are not illegal while poisoner kits are illegal in most civilized areas. Alchemist kits are being treated as ritual books for ritual casters. Thus people starting with the Alchemist feat start with one just like people starting with Ritual Caster get a free ritual book.

Since written text is illegal in many civilized areas due to the sorc-kings, alchemy recipes are disguised in the same manner as ritual books and spell books.

Note that applied poisons will typically be treated as alchemical items/ammo depending on the relative level of the poison and the level of the target. For poisons that are produced by a creature, those poisons have the same level as the creature it is from.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:46, Mon 05 Sept 2011.