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~ Manden - Mechanical Information ~

Starting level: 11!  We'll be leveling up once or twice, I think, and getting an extra feat in there as well.  We'll be playing here on RPOL.

You can just put your character sheet into 'Character Details' however you'd like.  Alternately https://www.myth-weavers.com/ is a good site!

HP: Max at first level, then for the remaining ten:
d4 - 3
d6 - 4
d8 - 5
d10 - 7
d12 - 9

- Casters are back down to d4s for their hit dice if they were in 3.5.
- Summoners are dinked down to d6s for the same reason
- Incarnates can have d8s (And a couple other small perks below)
- Shadowcasters can keep their d6s.

Stat Selection: Pick one of the following two matrixes
Matrix A: 16 16 16 14 13 11
Matrix B: 18 14 14 12 10 8

Starting Equipment: A'la Carte. (I'll have that up vaguely soon, honest)

Skill changes:
- Climb & Swim (& Jump) => Athletics
(You can still jump with Acrobatics if you want)
- Disable Device, Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand => Thievery
- The Fly skill is removed. We'll use 3.5 rules for flight if it is necessary.
- Autohypnosis is in play as a skill
- Armour check penalty does not apply to ride.  You can, in fact, be a knight!
- The fact that you're all from Manden gives you some skill boosts, check below

List of skills: Acrobatics, Appraise, Athletics, Autohypnosis, Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge, Linguistics, Perception (Grumble), Perform, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Stealth (Grumble), Survival, Thievery, Use Magic Device

Racial Stats: Pick one of these three choices
Choice A: Whatever your race's stats are normally
Choice B: +2 to a stat
Choice C: +2 to a stat, +2 to a different stat, -2 to a third stat

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Manden perks:
(I'm working on these, so right now these are just ideas until I get character creation dnoe)

- Equipment selection: There will be an a'la carte given out!
- Manden Wealth (Feat): In addition to your starting funds and starting equipment, you are from a nation that is rich rich rich!  Thus generally speaking, you can just /do/ anything that's less than around 50 gold that doesn't get you personally a bunch of objects, and not deduct it from your money totals.  For example, you can get the most expensive inn room of an inn for the foreseeable future, buy only the finest of clothing from a traveling merchant, purchase enough crossbows to arm a very small militia, or hire a guide.

Then past this, you are influential people from Manden, and thus you have the authority to set up trade routes and treaties and the like.  Everyone - everyone - wants to have a trade route with Manden.  So for things above this price (which as a note isn't like, set in stone or anything, it's more of a hazy ballpark guideline), you can probably work out a deal.

(This then isn't meant for you to power yourselves up with, besides maybe stuff like buying arrows or backup weapons, so please don't abuse it for that, haha).

- You gain an extra feat at level 10 that you qualify for
- Max ranks in a skill besides UMD (will keep up)
- Skill focus for a skill with zero ranks (And can use it untrained)
(If you later put ranks in this skill, the skill focus moves to another untrained skill)

- +2 skill points for non full casters, +6 for thievery classes
(Thievery classes are rogues, scouts, bards, lurks, cryptics, spellthieves, and experts)

- You get +1 power/spell known or spell slot below your highest level
- If you are a Paladin or Ranger, you get +1 spell known at your highest level instead of the above.

- All Half-Casters get 3 cantrips.  If some casting class would normally get less cantrips than this they get 3 cantrips.  Or Orisons or Talents.  Pick from an appropriate list (Paladins from Cleric, Gifted Blade Soulknives from Psychic Warriors, yadda).

- Everyone can pick 'Get cantrip/talent/orison every level' the favored class bonus
- Everyone can pick 'Get +1 power point every level' the favored class bonus
- Nobody can pick the 'Gain an extra spell/power' favored class bonus

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Race perks:

Dromite
- Don't count against the collective limit
- Gain one of the following feats as a bonus feat: Enlarged Collective, Expanded Collective, Expansive Collective
- Dromite Psionics can be used 3/day
- Can give an ally, but not themselves, a reroll on appraise or to make a deal once an hour
- Chitin's energy resistance becomes +10
(You can racial alternate that into +20 to one but with a -10 to one of the others. Psion favored class caps at 20 not 10)
- They get the Excavator alternate racial trait (They don't replace dromite psionics for it)

Duergar
- Gain unlocked talent
- Duergar psionics can be used 3/day
- (Feat to use them at will. Maybe also someone you trust thoroughly can compression you)
- +4 bonus on will saves, except in relation to That Which Sleeps
- When anyone attempts to read a Duergar's mind, they have to make a will save (DC 25 or 20 + Duergar's constitution modifier, whichever is higher) or be stunned for 2d4+2 rounds and take 1d8 wisdom damage.  Thematically but not mechanically, be careful when using missive/message/collective with a duergar and this is much much harder to accomplish.
- Sleep for four hours.  While still asleep, they sleep with their eyes open and sometimes pace.
- Proficient in medium armour.
- If already proficient in medium armour, proficient in heavy armour.
- If already proficient in heavy armour, gain Armour Focus
- +4 on profession (miner)
- Automatically stabilize when below 0hp. If below 0hp, can be brought /to/ 0hp via eating rocks/dirt

- Duergar can take the Sleeping Stonekin feat as a normal feat.
Sleeping Stonekin: Duergar Psionics can be utilized at will, although after the third time each day the Duergar's save for Cloud Mind is based on a random stat, rolled each time.  In addition, the Duergar with this feat gains the Compression power as a psi-like ability usable 3/day.  Finally, the Duergar can have someone they trust hold him tightly for two rounds, utilizing Compression on the duergar without using one of his daily uses.  The Duergar must /really/ trust the person doing this.

Dwarf
- Lose Hatred (Keep defensive training)
- +2 on craft checks, can do any craft check untrained, craft is always a class skill
- Max ranks in one craft
- Proficient in medium armour.
- If already proficient in medium armour, proficient in heavy armour.
- If already proficient in heavy armour, gain Armour Focus
- +4 on profession (miner)
- Automatically stabilize when below 0hp. If below 0hp, can be brought /to/ 0hp via eating rocks/dirt

Elan
- Bonus Feat: Breadth of Experience feat.
- Bonus Feat: Psionic Talent or Elan's Reservoir
- Bonus Feat: Psionic Meditation or Access Psionic Talent
- Ancient Echoes: Once a run, you can make a special 3.5 bardic knowledge check in relation to something that is very old and ancient (Examples include ancient ruins, a powerful lost sigil, or a sufficiently old and famous/infamous dragon).  Use your level plus intelligence modifier on the check.  When this check is made, a token is given to the DM; the DM can use that token to give you a -2 penalty on skill checks for a scene in the presence of something ancient that you haven't used Ancient Echoes on.  This is the feeling of 'I... I feel like I should know this'.

Elan's Reservoir feat: Treat your primary casting stat as two points higher for the purpose of power points gained when you rest.


Elf:
- Gain an extra spell or power one level below their highest level of a class they can cast/manifest from.  You can alternately select a Druid Orison if you would rather or don't have a casting class.
- Gain Calm Animals, Detect Animals or Plants, Cure Light Wounds, Goodberry, or Produce Flame as a spell known.  This uses intelligence, wisdom, or charisma for saves and your caster level is equal to your hit dice.  Treat your choice as a divine spell usable once a day.

Elves can take the Nature's Friend feat.
Nature's Friend: Gain Calm Animals, Detect Animals or Plants, Cure Light Wounds, Goodberry, and Produce Flame as spells known.  They all use intelligence, wisdom, or charisma for saves and your caster level is equal to your hit dice.  Treat these choices as divine spells usable at will.  You can have at most ten goodberries from this effect active at any one time.

Gnome:
- Lose hatred (Keep Defensive Training)
- One of the Gnome Magic spells is at-will (You can pick). You don't need cha 11 for any of them.
(Feat so all the others are at-will)
- +2 on two knowledge checks of your choice. Both become class skills.
- Bonus feat: Gnome Weapon Focus or Mobility

Gnomes can take 'Advanced Gnome Magic' as a feat.
Advanced Gnome Magic: All of the Gnome Magic spell-like abilities are usable at will.  The DC is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the gnome's intelligence, wisdom, or charisma modifiers (you can pick).

Half-Elf
- Sleep, but for four hours
- +2 racial Diplomacy, Bluff, Sense Motive
- You gain the sociable feat
- +1 racial bonus when flanking and to others who are flanking with them
- Bonus Feat: Spell Specialization
- Bonus Feat: Psionic Meditation

Half-Orc
- Sleep, but four hours
- +2 racial bonus for Athletics, Handle Animal
- +4 racial Bonus on Perception (Non Vision) checks
- -4 racial penalty on Perception (Vision) checks
(You can select to racially make those +8 and -8 if you'd like)
- Move action, grant all friendly creatures within 30ft who can see or hear you a +2 athletics & acrobatics (including you), for a number of rounds equal to charisma modifier (minimum 1 round)
- +1 racial bonus when flanking and to others who are flanking
- Bonus Feat: Spell Specialization
- Bonus Feat: Psionic Meditation

Halfling
- +2 racial Appraise and on skill checks to make a deal
- Sure-Footed is a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Athletics checks
- +2 bonus to-hit with thrown weapons or thrown stones
- Movement speed 30ft
- Gain the Courageous Resolve or Risky Striker feat

Human:
- Transformation vulnerable: Humans get a -2 penalty against psychometabolism/transmutation or similar abillities
- Divination resistant: Humans get a +2 bonus against clairsentience/divination or similar abilities
- Skill focus for any one skill and can use that skill untrained.  That skill also becomes a class skill.

Kobolds:
- Banned

Noral:
- When making a save against a mind-affecting effect, Noral may roll twice and take the better
- +2 on Will saves (Symbiote Mental Shield)
- Gain Detect Psionics usable at will (Symbiote Sensitivity)
- Gain the levitate power usable at will on self
- Gift of tongues is a +2 instead of a +1 on bluff and diplomacy. Both are always class skills

Xeph:
- Gain Quick Draw as a bonus feat
- Gain proficiency with the Xephyr Knife (1d6 dmg; 18-20/x2)
- At level 10, Bonus Feat for Extra [this]: Blade Skill, Customization, Insight, Strategy, Terrors, Transfer.  You do have to qualify for the bonus feat you select.
- Xeph can always take 'Add +1 to base speed' as a favored class bonus.

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Some smallish Class Changes

- Any class that has level 2 psionic powers may learn the power 'Sensitivity to psychic impressions', which pretty much automatically makes you a fantastic detective.
- The 'Sighted Seeker' prestige class now only requires you to be level 5 and have a power point reserve to get in.  It expressly counts as a skill based class.  Hey look, you can detective if you want to!
- Rangers have d10s for their hit points.  Their animal companion counts their full Ranger level (not half).  I will help you with good choices for Ranger favored enemies.
- If your class grants 9th level spells and an animal companion or special mount, then your companion is received as though you were level minus 3.
- There is a feat which means your animal companion is equal to your hit die, which is useful for multiclassers or druids.
- Rangers and Paladins have full caster level (not half).  They receive 3 orisons known, from the druid or cleric spell list respectively.
- Bards have d8s for their hit points, and can cast spells while wearing shields or medium armour (and are proficient in both) without arcane spell failure.
- As noted above, most full casters are back to d4s for hit points.
- Skirmish does work while mounted
- Lurks have 6+int skill points (So 12+int here since they're thievery classes)
- Wilders have very strong resistance to effects that read or control their minds.
- Paladins and psychic warriors have good will saves (as well as their good fortitude saves).
- Barbarians, Bards, and Monks can be of any alignment.
- Incarnates have d8 hit points, clerical BAB, and 4+int skill points (so 6+int in these rules)
- Soulborn have d12 hit points, and 4+int skill points (so 6+int in these rules)
- Incarnates and Soulborn can nudge one step away while still counting as their alignment.
- Finally, Paladins are very special - you must be a beacon of light and goodness while not being oppressive to your party or anyone else, and I will expect a lot out of you. If you wanted to have the /abilities/ of a paladin without being one, however, that can almost certainly be okay - I'm okay with a 'Zealot' or 'Crusader' class that is a paladin mechanically but not thematically.  Being a paladin is hard, although rewarding.

I have very few hard bans on classes.  Gunslinger may not be preferred as guns do not target touch AC in this game, Summoner is a bit restricted as well due to 'not too many on the field'.

The prestige classes Void Disciple and Frenzied Berserker are banned banned banned, and those are two prestige classes I sincerely doubt I'm going to budge on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:56, Mon 05 July 2021.