ROR:Rules

Character Generation

Stats

Your choice of:

• 20 point buy (remember to use the Pathfinder one), or
• 3d6 to each stat rolled, allocating to stats, then adding six dice, one at a time, adding 1d6 a stat of your choice (still keeping only top 3 dice).
  • If your result is under 15 point-, or over 25 point buy equivalents, you gain/lose until you are at that equivalent.
  • Example: "I want to be a sorcerer. I roll 3d6 for each stat. Sort the results, and put the highest score into Charisma, and lowest into Wisdom. I then decide I want a little more constitution and roll an extra d6 for constitution, charisma, and dexterity; I roll them and add them to the dice for those stats. I still don't like the top-three dice for dexterity and add another one. Happy with that, I add my last extra dice into intelligence and strength. I now find the top three dice for each stat and that's the score."

Hit Points

• Max for 1st level.
• Subsequent levels, half hit die size. Get that many hit points, and roll the other half.
  • d6 -> 1d3+3; d8 -> 1d4+4; d10 -> 1d5+5; d12->1d6+6
  • Source: This was from some d20 flavor I read, but I can't recall which. I thought it was Trailblazer, but it wasn't.
• Aside: I considered this rule I have encountered on the Web: Max at first level. Every level thereafter, you roll your entire HD pool, and it becomes your new HP total if it exceeds your previous one. Otherwise, you go up by +1. (Con/toughness bonuses apply after/outside this result.)

Trait

• The "Trait" rules will be used. Your character will start with one reasonable background-style trait [ie, subject to approval: I haven't read them all].
• Trait rules come from Advanced Player's Guide.
• These should be roleplayed when appropriate.
• Three lists of traits:
  • Advanced Player's Guide (not the rest of the page; just traits)
  • Ultimate Campaign
  • The Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide

Extras

• No evil alignment. Chaotic neutral will be examined carefully.
• Your character MUST be from Varisia.
• Your character MUST have a reason why he or she would like the region, including/especially Sandpoint, to remain safe.

Equipment

• All characters will start with 350 GP.
  • Anyone have any idea why the rules start different characters differently?

House Rules

At this time, before discussing contract or playing, these is the only ones I'm putting in with a heavy hand.

Experience

• I'm still crunching the numbers, but I believe we will be using the "Fast" advancement track for XP.

Rolling odd-sized dice

• Unless you otherwise specify, I assume "modulus dice" instead of "grouped" dice when using a larger die to represent a smaller one.
  • Ex: 1d3 rolled on a d6 is, to me: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 and not 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3.

Numbers

• Remember, you do not "lose hit points", you "gain damage".
• You do not "gain hit points" from healing; your "gained damage" number decreases.
• Similarly, you do not "expend rounds per day of bard song", you "gain rounds of bard song sang".
• While it sounds subtle, this GREATLY simplifies math, especially when buff spells eventually become part of the game.

Death

• To encourage character investment, costly material components for Raise Dead-type spells are reduced by 90% if cast by a party member or a party member who could cast a spell in that family.
  • The spells otherwise work as described, including the gaining of negative levels.
• If not resurrected, somehow a replacement PC has exactly the same gear as the dearly departed, for better or for worse.
  • If the replacement PC wants different equipment, he's going to have to sell (at normal rates) the old PC's equipment.
  • No "I'm on a suicide mission, here, take all my stuff" cheese.
• Background/rationale

Access

Definitions:

• PRD is only those on http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ (not d20pfsrd).
• Non-core, not-explicitly-listed items all are "with approval".
• All categories also have, "plus those as encountered in adventure path after encountered" (there are not a lot of these).
• Items that bring in class features from unavailable classes or related to unused alternate rules certainly will not be approved.
• Mythic Adventures and Technology Guide are explicitly rejected.
• Tool note: d20pfsrd.com may be a useful tool to help find available race (eg, http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/core-races/gnome#TOC-Standard-Racial-Traits) or class (eg, http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger#TOC-Combat-Style-Feat-Ex- and http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger#TOC-Archetypes-Alternate-Class-Features) options or compiled feat lists, but make sure to verify availability in the PRD before asking.

Classes

• No change.
• Core + Oracle and Witch.
• Prestige classes remain core only.

Archetypes and alternate class features

• Newly allowed.
• Any PRD (including racial archetypes).
• Clarification: Multiple Archetypes can be used on the same class as long as they don't compete for the same class feature to replace. And, no, it's not possible to multiclass with a different archetype of same class [eg, Fighter (Martial Master) 2, Fighter (Mobile Fighter) 2].
• Clarification: many "alternate class features" are only available as part of an archetype, but not all. For instance, extra Barbarian Rage Power choices, or additional Ranger Combat Styles are stand-alone.

Spells

• Slight change.
• Core + Advanced Player's Guide (Oracle and Witch spells only. NEW: Witch spells are now available to anyone whose lists they fall on otherwise, not just witch; oracle spells were already.)
• I may award from outside this list, which does not necessarily then make it further available.
• Any spells, if any, encountered from foes/NPCs will be open thereafter.

Equipment/gear

• No change.
• Core only.
• I may award from outside this list, which does not necessarily then make it further available.

Races

• Slight change.
• Core only races.
• Any PRD for subtypes/alternate racial trait.
• Racial feats may be available.
• No limit for subtypes/traits as long as there are no conflicts.

Favored class bonuses

• No change.
• Only HP or Skill.
• Racial favored bonuses are not being used.

Traits

• Slight change.
• Any PRD.
• I encourage not changing your trait.
• I will be offering a 2nd trait to each character based on my interpretation (slash expectation slash etc) of it. It need not be accepted and you may negotiate.

Feats

• Changed.
• Any PRD.

Categories to browse:

• • General
  • Combat
  • Critical
  • Item Creation
  • Metamagic
  • Style
  • Teamwork
  • Grant Extra Uses

Categories to ignore:

• • Panache (Swashbuckler)
  • Grit (Gunslinger)
  • Performance (performance combat system)

Rules

• No change.
• None of the extra systems/optional rules from the various books are used unless explicitly listed (eg, traits are).
  • Additional spell descriptors (Ultimate Magic) are used to a small degree by the adventure path.
  • I may incorporate Retraining (Ultimate Campaign) at a later time.
• Explicitly being called out as not used:
  • Additional maneuvers.
  • Hero points.
  • Words of Power.

Source-by-source

Source-by-source for places to look. It seems that later publications often include the entire content of an earlier one (Racial traits in ARG appear to include all the traits from APG and then some.)

Core Rulebook

Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path Player's Guide (not in PRD)

• Open except Leadership feat.

Advanced Class Guide (ACG)

• Archetypes/class options
• Feats

Advanced Player's Guide (APG)

• Archetypes/class options
• Feats
• Racial traits
• Traits
• Oracle/Witch (class + class spells)

Advanced Race Guide (ARG)

• Racial traits
• Racial archetypes/class options
• Racial feats

Ultimate Combat (UC)

• Archetypes/class options
• Feats

Ultimate Magic (UM)

• Archetypes/class options
• Feats
• Familiars (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateMagic/magic/newFamiliars.html http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateMagic/ultimateMagicAppendices.html)

Ultimate Campaign (UP)

• Traits (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateCampaign/characterBackground/traits.html)

Bestiaries

• A couple odd feats here (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/monsterFeats.html)
• Animal companions

Ultimate Equipment (UE)

• Seems to be nothing.

Game Mastery Guide

NPC Codex

Monster Codex

• Nothing player-oriented.

Mythic Adventures

Technology Guide

• Not allowed.

Pathfinder Unchained

• Some optional stuff may be ported in later (unlikely), but overall no. (FYI, the class redos for rogue and monk are insanely broken. Barbarian is basically unchanged. And I don't get why they wanted to buff the Summoner, one of two classes that dominate organized play, alongside Investigator [and distantly third the Alchemist], for their being very powerful.)

Other sources (even if they're from Paizo; eg

Kaiju book or Player's Companion series):

• Not allowed.