New Rest Rule

When it is time for a rest for the night after travel or combat, players can declare that they are setting up camp.  This can be as simple as laying out a bedroll or as elaborate as creating a campfire, grilling for everyone, or even a bardic performance. Regardless of how much work gets put into it, the DM adjudicates the penalty to the coming Constitution check on a good night’s rest.

   A good nights rest means 8 hours of sleep and eating enough food to nourish them. The players need to make a Con. check the next day. If successful, the PC negates any negative effect from roughing it in the wilderness. Failed checks mean the PC did not rest well. Two unsuccessful rests make the PC uncomfortable resulting in the SPENT condition until succeeding a rest check. Spent conditions stack. A successful rest removes one spent condition.

   If very successful, pass the check by more than 10, the PC either (roll 1d3) 1) heals 1d4 hp, 2) loses a negative (non-magical) effect (sickness, etc.), or 3) gains +1 to saves, thac0, or NWP check until the beginning of the next rest.

 

Gear	Bonus
Bedroll*	+2
Blanket*	+1
Fire	+2
Food & water	+1
Tent**	+2
NWP use***	+1
Inspirational activity	+3

 

Terrain or conditions	Penalty
Dense forest	-6
Desert or tundra	-16
Grassy plains	-2
Hills	-6
Mountains	-16
Rough wilderness	-6
Ship	-10
Swamp or Jungle	-16
Fair weather	-2
Bad weather	-6
Harsh weather	-12
Very hot or cold	-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choose terrain then condition. Apply all modifiers from gear. Result is penalty applied to the rest check.

 

Food: when eating in the morning, roll 1d6. On a 1, that day’s rations are spoiled. Discard or sickened for 1d2 days.

Water: If carried in a skin and fought in a battle earlier, roll 1d6. On a 1, the skin is punctured and empty.

 

*Cannot be combined with each other

**Can be combined with either blanket or bedroll

***Creative use of NWP applicable to the situation at the DM’s discretion.

 

 

Curse of Hatred

The touch of Lamashtu is upon Rorin, Chad, Bellen, and Beldar.  This curse will fade with time but it is unknown how long the curse will be in effect.  Removal of the curse is simple, if the characters chose to find a priest of Lamashtu, take that priest to the shrine they defaced and aid the priest in rebuilding the shrine.  Otherwise, the removal of the curse will be a bit onerous.

            To remove the curse without appeasing Lamashtu, the characters must find a cleric of 7^th level or better.  This cleric must worship Desna, Urgathoa, Rovagug, or Pazuzu.  The cleric requires each character to donate 666 gp (or 1000 gp for Desna) and agree to a geas to perform a service for the deity.

Rules: Bleed

When a character takes damage that causes bleed that character suffers the indicated damage for the next 1d4 rounds.  Any action such as bandaging, heal or first aid check, or cure spell will stop the bleeding before it’s run it’s course.  If a character regenerates, the bleed damage is halted on the following round but no regeneration occurs that round.  Bleed damage occurs at the top of the round, before initiative is rolled. 

Magical bleed damage is handled slightly differently.  These wounds bleed for one full turn (10 rounds).  Also, magical bleed damage only heals naturally, no potion or spell can restore hit points lost in this manner.  Magical bleed damage completely negates regeneration.

Rules: Shields

Shield Proficiency

By spending a weapon proficiency, warriors and some priests can become more skilled in the use of their shield.  The extra protection conferred by the shield varies by the exact type the character becomes proficient in:

Shield	Normal	Proficient	# of
Type	AC bonus	AC bonus	Attackers
Small	+1	+2	2
Medium	+1	+3	3
Large	+1/+2 vs.	+3/+4 vs.	4
	missiles	missiles

The number of attackers is the maximum number of times the shield bonus can be used in a single round by the character. Normally, shields can only be used against enemies in the character’s front spaces or in the flank spaces on the character’s shield side.

Shield-Punch

Any character equipped with a shield can choose to forego its protection and gain an extra attack known as a shield-punch. The shield-punch is treated as a normal, secondary weapon attack; the primary weapon suffers a –2 penalty to attack rolls that round and the shield-punch attack is rolled with a –4 penalty. A character may use his reaction adjustment due to a high Dexterity score to offset these penalties. Alternatively, the character can substitute his normal attack for a shield punch, with no penalties.

If the character is trying a shield-punch, he must announce his intention while declaring his combat action and forfeits the defensive benefit of the shield for the round. The character moves into the square of his opponent on his base initiative, then executes the shield punch and backs out into his own square again on the following initiative phase.

Shield Punch

Shield Type	Size	Spd	Dmg
Small	S	2	1d3
Medium	M	6	1d4
Large	L	8	1d6

Shields save lives

Any time a PC takes damage, they can opt instead to say their shield absorbed the force of the blow. The shield is shattered and must be discarded, but the PC doesn't take any damage from that hit. Magical shields lose one 'plus' each time they are used in this way. This rule does not allow normal shields to stop magical attacks like fireballs, but magical shields may be able to improve the save or reduce damage even further, somewhat.  This will completely destroy a magic shield, regardless of it’s bonus.

Rules: Death

When the character takes damage that reduces him to zero hp or less, regardless of the amount that brings the character to that point, the character assumes zero hp and rolls a save vs death.  Each character is entitled to three death saves per day but no more that one per battle.

If the roll is made, the character is able to function, somewhat, at zero hp.   At the DM’s discretion the character may also be stunned, nauseated, or feverish.  The character can crawl at one third his movement, usually this is away from combat.  The character may attempt a small action but that action takes 1d4 rounds.  During this time the character does not bleed out and is considered stabilized. 

If the save is failed, the character falls unconscious on the ground.  He then begins to bleed out.  The character takes a -1 each round thereafter.  When the player reaches -10 the character is dead.  While bleeding out, the character can be hit and reduced faster (killed faster).  If another character bandages the wounded character, the wounded character is stabilized. Stabilized characters are at a steady zero hp (is no longer bleeding out) and are unconscious until healed or rested into positive hp. The player may expend a hero point to stabilize automatically (zero hp, not bleeding out and unconscious).  Spell casters that are at zero hit points to -5 will still have spells memorized, however if they go beyond -5, the trauma of near death erases all spells memorized.  Spells can be regained as normal, after a nights rest.

Rules: Training

Characters must train for their first few levels.  I generally decide this on the fly but a die roll could be used if needed.  Usually the first three levels are definitely training levels, sometimes I enforce it up to 5th level.  If you are desperate to know when you no longer need to train, we can roll a die to determine it, 1d3+2.  This could hurt as it would be binding on your character when we roll it.

To train, a character must have a tutor or instructor. This tutor must be of the same class and higher level than the one the character is training for. Thus, a 7th-level fighter training for 8th-level must be taught by a 9th-level or higher fighter. The tutor must also know the appropriate things. Fighters specialized in a given weapon must find a tutor also specialized in that weapon. Mages seeking to study a particular spell must find a tutor who knows that spell. A thief seeking to improve his lockpicking must find a higher-level tutor more accomplished in lockpicking.

Since not all characters are suited to instructing others, any player character who attempts to train another must make both a Wisdom check and a Charisma check. If the Wisdom check is passed, the player character possesses the patience and insight to nurture the student. If the Charisma check is passed, the character also has the wit, firmness, and authority needed to impress the lessons on the student. If either check is failed, that character is close, but just not a teacher. If both checks are failed, the character has absolutely no aptitude for teaching. Alternatively, the DM can dispense with the die rolls and rule for each player character, based on his knowledge of that character's personality. It is assumed that all NPC tutors have successfully passed these checks.

Second, the character must pay the tutor. There is no set amount for this. The tutor will charge what he thinks he can get away with, based on either greed or reputation. The exact cost must be worked out between player character and tutor, but an average of 100 gp per level per week is not uncommon.

Finally, the player character must spend time in training. The amount of time required depends on the instructor's Wisdom. Subtract the Wisdom score from 19. This is the minimum number of weeks the player character must spend in training--it takes his instructor this long to go through all the lessons and drills. At the end of this time, the player character makes an Intelligence or Wisdom check, whichever is higher.

If the check is successful, the lessons have been learned and the character can advance in level. If the check is failed, the character must spend another week in training. At the end of this time, another check is made, with a +1 applied to the character's Intelligence or Wisdom score. The results are the same as above, with each additional week spent in training giving another +1 to the character's ability score. This +1 is for the purpose of determining the success or failure of the check only. It is not permanent or recorded.

One obvious result of the training system is the development of different academies that specialize in training different character classes. Because of their importance in the adventuring community, these academies can become quite powerful in the lives of the player characters. Imagine the disastrous effect should one of the player characters be blacklisted by his appropriate academy. Although the DM should not abuse such power, the player characters should treat such institutions with care and respect.

Rules: Cost of Living

I am going to start posting some rules here every once in a while so that you guys can know what's what in the game.  These will be tagged as rules.

Player Character Living Expenses

Lifestyle	Cost/Month
Squalid *	3 gp
Poor *	5 gp
Middle-Class	50 gp per level
Wealthy	200 gp per level

*Living in poor or squalid conditions can lead to illness or disease.