House Rules and Guidelines
This thread is where you'll find official rulings and house rules. Expect this list to expand sporadically as I remember how I rule things in the tabletop game. I remain fairly flexible on house rules - that is, if enough players object to a rule or would like a new one in place, I'll consider changing/adding it. My word remains final however!
Occupation skill points:
All characters receive 4 extra skill points at 1st level to spend in up to three skills related to their profession or life previous to becoming an adventurer.
Rules as follows:
Spend these points before the rest of your skill points.
For these 4 points treat all skills as class skills.
You may not exceed the normal maximum skill rank with the exception that for these 4 points your cross-class skills will be maximum rank 4 (at level 1).
You must agree these skills and their spending ratio with me.
The skills chosen must be appropriate to a profession/occupation/lifestyle.
A clarification: the trickiest point is cross-class skills. For example, if Profession is a CC skill for you then you may spend anywhere up to 4 of these points in say Profession(Weaver), but if you spend only two or fewer points then you cannot increase your ranks past two by spending your normal skill points as well.
Example occupations:
Mason Craft(Stonemasonry), Knowledge(Engineering)
Farmer Knowledge(Agriculture), Knowledge(Nature)
Teamster Animal Handling, Craft (Carpentry)
Cartographer Knowledge(Geography), Craft(Drawing), Knowledge(Local)
Furrier Knowledge(Nature), Survival
Skills:
Knowledge skills:
The list of knowledge skills in the PHB is a bit limited. Feel free to come up with your own and then check with me.
Dungeoneering is renamed Adventuring (dungeons are rather rare).
On monsters: the only skills that will allow knowledge of monsters are: arcana, adventuring, and the new skill beast lore.
Knowledge(The Planes) does not exist - there are no planes in this setting.
Craft skills:
As above, feel free to come up with your own.
Extra skills:
From time to time I may add or make available new skills that I don't feel are covered by an existing one.
I'm aware there's a lack of skillpoints for certain classes so occasionally I may add a rank to a skill if your character has spent a lot of time practicing it - practicing it for good reason, not just because you want a free skill point! I'll usually only do this for characters that don't have many skillpoints and certainly only for skills they have very few ranks in.
Skills available at starting:
Seamanship (Wis) Ask if you're interested in this as a class skill.
Herbalism (Wis) Class skill for classes that have heal as a class skill.(I'll supply some recepies that act like minor potions)
Dying:
As resurrection and raise dead don't exist in this campaign I make it harder for you to die.
Actual rule to go here but probably something like you don't die until HP < 0 - CON.
Healing:
As healing is not easily accessible (clerics/druids are very rare, as are potions) and I want the game to be playable, healing via bed rest will be faster than standard rules.
Actual ruling not yet decided but possibly heal (Level * 2) + CON modifier HP per day of rest. Open to discussion on this one.
A difficult healing check with suitable supplies will also allow one wound to be patched after combat, healing perhaps 1d6 per 4 levels HP. Only one check per character per combat in which that character took damage.
Equipment:
Spiked chain is banned because it's ridiculous :P
The special items in the PHB such as thundertwigs, smokesticks, tanglefoot bags etc., are banned as the tech doesn't work in the setting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:59, Wed 17 June 2009.
