First let me dispense with the standard:  Play nice with others, don't declare what other players' characters are doing, etc.  Basically, this is a mature game and you're expected to be a grown up.  If another player (or I) do something that you find offensive, let us know in a mature and reasonable way.  It might have been meant very differently and just oddly worded, or maybe an apology is in order, but you're less likely to get it if you go off on the person.

You can and should take a little fair bit of freedom with NPC's, especially ones that don't have names (and ones you make up and possibly give names).  So if you're trying to push your way into an exclusive party and you make a bluff roll of 35, then go ahead and write the whole conversation, including how the door guard becomes completely flustered and ends up walking you in and giving you a table that is reserved for VIP's.  I'm a big fan of the Fate system, and the level of control over the environment that players have.  I'd rather you go a little too far, and I have to rein you in now and then, than no one doing anything beyond the obvious.

For rule mods in general, if you are looking for a rule to bend when your purpose is just role-playing and fun (as opposed to trying to min-max some loophole), it will probably be allowed.

Extra Feats
The normal Pathfinder rules give everyone a Feat at every odd level.  I'm changing this to give everyone a Feat on every level.

Traits
Take two traits.  If you don't find one that suits your character, feel free to make one up.  Generally, a trait should be about this powerful
+1 to all uses of one skill and that skill is always a class skill
+2 to all uses of some of the lesser-applicable skills, like Craft skills.
+2 to some specialized uses of one skill and that skill is always a class skill
+1 to some specialized uses of two skills and those skills are always class skills
+1 attack with a specific type of weapon
+1 damage with some weapon that is otherwise underpowered (e.g. unarmed combat)
+1 on one combat maneuver
+1 on defense to two combat maneuvers

Hero Points
We will be using the optional Hero Points Rules.  Everyone will start with their maximum hero points.  This is normally 3, but might be 5 if you take Hero’s Fortune feat.  You'll be getting more for any especially heroic actions, often at the end of an adventure, and always at level up, so don't hoard them excessively.  The feats and spells regarding hero points will also be used, and there might even be a magic item available.

In addition to the uses of Hero Points that are listed, there is one more:

Introducing an object into the environment:  The object has to be somewhat reasonable, but remember that the more entertaining something is, the more likely you are to get away with it.  For example, negotiations with the baron has gone badly, and you find you are running out the castle ahead of the guards.  You might use a point to declare that the main hallway has several complete suits of armor standing decoratively, and you knock them down to create an obstacle for your pursuers.  Or, when you see that the portcullis will drop too quickly for your escape, you spend a point to declare that a farmer is just entering the castle, his wagon blocks it from closing, and you make an successful acrobatics roll to slide between the oxen, roll out between the front and back wheels on the left, and come up still at a full sprint.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:43, Sun 27 Feb 2022.

There are people who feel that social skills -- bluff, diplomacy, etc. -- should not be skills that are rolled with dice, but should just be left to role-playing.  I won't debate it here (feel free in OOC), but suffice to say that I disagree.  However, I do acknowledge that I want players to describe what they do in entertaining detail, and this includes your bluffing the harem guard, or whatever.

So, the compromise is that any skill roll will be adjusted from +4 to -4 (though only rarely is anything adjusted by more than 2 points), based on the entertainment value of its description.  Note that this does not apply to attack rolls, but it might apply to, say, an intimidation roll in a combat, or even an acrobatics roll as you swing across the room on the chandelier.  Fun and interesting description is what will gain you points.

Some examples:

Perform (Act) can be used to fake an accent when you are speaking in another language, or another dialect of your own language.  It's a very handy ability in conjunction with disguise.  The DC depends on the listener's knowledge of the language/dialect as well as how big a jump it is for you.  So, let's say you know dwarven, and you are trying to use a Deep Dwarf accent (which we'll say you have a good friend who is a Deep dwarf, so you at least have a prayer).  vs. an elf who met a Deep Dwarf once, DC would be 10; vs. a human who lived with Deep Dwarves for a month, 15; vs. a normal Dwarf, DC would be 20; and vs. a Deep Dwarf, 25.  If it is a low stress situation or it is a moderate stress situation and you are ready for the meeting (time to get in character) then you can take a 10 on it.

Krrf is an illegal drug that is popular amongst some of the elite competitors in many fields.  It is a greenish-gray powder that is taken orally with water or alcohol (some claim alcohol enhances the effect, others say just the opposite).

If you use it, it enhances all your stats (i.e. strength, dexterity, etc.) by +4 for 15 minutes.  After this time, all stats are at -1 for one hour (and then they return to normal -- well, probably).  That's the first time you take it, anyway.  Anyone who has spent any time in any of the less savory parts of the city will have seen late-stage addicts.  They seem to be burnt out shells, weak, clumsy, stupid people who need a fix just to be within hailing distance of their own original stats.

But hey!  One time, that can't be too dangerous, can it?

Origin of Krrf, thanks to Valandil (a player I had in a previous game):

Minor Rule Change:  Danger Sense for Unchained Rogues

We have at least one Unchained Rogue, which has an ability called Danger Sense that has some overlap with my Danger Sense special ability.

If you have this ability AND you have the Danger Sense special ability, then the rogue Danger Sense is changed to this:

Ultra-specialized skills

I'm a big fan of using skills to round out a character's personality, and I wish PathFinder gave more opportunity to do interesting things with them.  I've tried many ways to tweak the PathFinder system, generally making the skill system more complicated without really improving the situation much.  So here is yet another complication, but I hope that this will not have the detrimental effects that my other attempts to change the system have had.  (Since it only affects you if you make use of this rule change, I think I've succeeded in that respect.)

If you allocate a point to a highly specialized version of an existing skill, that point counts double, but it only applies to that specialized  version of the skill.

Example:  There is already the skill Profession: Cooking which applies to all types of cooking.  You could, instead, decide that your character worked for a year in a bakery, so you have Profession: Cooking / Baking only as an ultra-specialized skill.

Let's assume that you have a 14 wisdom and you've allocated one skill point to Profession: Cooking and another to Profession: Cooking / Baking only


The one point allocated to the specialized version of the skill adds two points to the total for that specialization on top of the unspecialized total for that skill.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:47, Sat 16 Apr 2022.