House rules
Shields shall be splintered.If someone is healing you (lay-on hands or first aid check), you may spend your own luck to increase their roll. You may also spend a luck point to re-roll a hit die when healing.
To level up, one needs to engage in some sort of activity that speaks to their character as an adventurer or specialist. This can be as simple as having a crazy tavern party, or as specialized as Training, Sacrifice, or Research. I want to make rules for creating buildings too...
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The world according to common man: The world is the plaything of the gods, who are terrible personages that one can only hope to but placate. Much more amiable, though fickle, are the spirits of the world, genis loci, faeries, and magic beasts. The world is in its last days, and the giant ruddy sun will eat us soon in an apocalyptic event. Then everything will start again.
The world according to clerics of law: Perfection was achieved in the past; particularly in the last two empires of man. Miracles are the provenance of the gods and magic is folly. Creatures that do not bow to the might of the gods are to be shunned and driven back to the darkness from whence they spawn. The gods will perfect the world's flaws soon, bringing about the fabled latter days.
The world according to clerics of neutrality: The gods set the worlds in motion and peopled them with their tools, and so it is hubris to try to conquer them, but also a failing to not protect them. The role of man is to maintain a balance between the stagnation of law and the entropy of chaos, between civilization and survival. In the last ages, which draw ever closer, the gods will return to guarantee their inscrutable goals.
The world according to clerics of chaos: The world is a failed experiment. Only by breaking it down and denying its strictures can one hope to build a better world. True power comes from the dark gods and demons, who reward their servants' boldness.
The world according to psions: This world is an illusion populated by mental constructs, sensations, and allusions to true reality. By exercising one's will on reality, we make it our own. The world will be ripped apart by nightmares if we don't manage to achieve enlightenment.
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OLD RULES THAT HAVE BEEN ABANDONED FOR A REFINED SYSTEM
Fluff to keep your character sane
The world according to learnéd wizards: The world was once one of super-science. Man traveled freely among the stars, and had dominion over demons, who whispered the words of power to man who in turn perfected it into formulæ. However, there was one who tested the limits of hubris and brought ruin to the world. In the last days, he or she will return to finish the job.The world according to common man: The world is the plaything of the gods, who are terrible personages that one can only hope to but placate. Much more amiable, though fickle, are the spirits of the world, genis loci, faeries, and magic beasts. The world is in its last days, and the giant ruddy sun will eat us soon in an apocalyptic event. Then everything will start again.
The world according to clerics of law: Perfection was achieved in the past; particularly in the last two empires of man. Miracles are the provenance of the gods and magic is folly. Creatures that do not bow to the might of the gods are to be shunned and driven back to the darkness from whence they spawn. The gods will perfect the world's flaws soon, bringing about the fabled latter days.
The world according to clerics of neutrality: The gods set the worlds in motion and peopled them with their tools, and so it is hubris to try to conquer them, but also a failing to not protect them. The role of man is to maintain a balance between the stagnation of law and the entropy of chaos, between civilization and survival. In the last ages, which draw ever closer, the gods will return to guarantee their inscrutable goals.
The world according to clerics of chaos: The world is a failed experiment. Only by breaking it down and denying its strictures can one hope to build a better world. True power comes from the dark gods and demons, who reward their servants' boldness.
The world according to psions: This world is an illusion populated by mental constructs, sensations, and allusions to true reality. By exercising one's will on reality, we make it our own. The world will be ripped apart by nightmares if we don't manage to achieve enlightenment.
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Further Campaign Quirks
Creatures: Boring monsters such as bugs and beasts that are only remarkable in that they are bigger than normal don't appear in my campaign. In their place are horrors. Many creatures are fey in my setting. Kobolds, for instance, are not dog-men nor little dragon men, but cave and mine fey. They share the fey tongue from which dialects are made. Many favorite monsters from D&D make an appearance, but don't take their looks, history, or stats for granted. Think of dungeons as connections to the underworld of ancient mythologies. They provide many of their own monsters.-----
OLD RULES THAT HAVE BEEN ABANDONED FOR A REFINED SYSTEM
Gold spent on the above activities translates to XP. The level to XP settings that my campaign currently uses is thus:
Gold spent/XP needed to level:
1st lvl @ 100 gill
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2nd lvl @ 900 gill
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3rd lvl @ 4,000 gill
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4th lvl @ 6000 gill
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5th lvl @ 10,000 gill
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6th lvl @ 15,000 gill
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7th lvl @ 21,000 gill
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8th lvl @ 28,000 gill
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9th lvl @ 36,000 gill
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10th lvl @ 45,000 gill plus a quest to placate or overthrow the ever jealous gods
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*gill is just a joke word for gold I picked up at http://youtu.be/AVZczLuoJoU