IK:Rules

Rules Not Used

• Creature Lore skill mn1. The Creature Lore skill does not exist. Relevant knowledge skills are used.
• Healing pain.
  • Incompatible alignments ik276. Actual alignment does not affect healing.
  • Pain of healing damage chart ik278. There are no adverse side effects to healing other than the spell failing.
• Regional traits ik31. Region skills, ability adjustments, social flaws, etc, are not used. Languages are.
• Modified classes ik80. I will allow the by-the-PHB versions of most classes instead of the IK-modified one if you choose.

Rules Used (IK and house)

• Healing pain. Applies only to magical healing.
  • Maximal healing per day ik276. Casters and recipients each can heal and be healed to a certain limit each day. This limit is equal to the massive damage threshold for the character. Exceeding this limit requires a will save (or concentration check) against the spell's save DC on the part of both the caster and the recipient, and casting takes at least one full round action (one minute if concentrating). This also applies to healing from magical items, which use a will save modifier equivalent to the minimum wisdom necessary to cast that spell.
  • Incompatible religions ik278. Healing of incompatible faiths will require both the caster and the recipient to pass will save (or concentration check) against the save DC of the spell plus the listed modifier. The overall healing (Vigor, Heal) or healing-per-die (Cure) is reduced by this modifier even in the event of success and require at least one full round to cast (one minute minimum if concentrating). Magic items are not subject to this.
  • Restricted raising of dead ik279. Pretty much as-written.
• Massive damage threshold phb145. A creature's massive damage threshold is the sum of its constitution, wisdom and hit dice. A creature with a constitution or wisdom score of "-" substitute charisma. Yes, even undead, constructs, etc. are subject to this. To offset this greatly lowered number, the saving throw is your best save against DC one-third* the damage done. (*Subject to refinement.)

Bob is a fourth level cleric with constitution 14 and wisdom 16. His massive damage threshold is 34. (Let's assume he's rolled really well and has 36 hit points.) An enlarged grue power-attacks him for 34 points of damage. This triggers a massive damage save. Bob's save DC is 11. He chooses to roll a will save (+7, his best), and lives to kill the grue. (Failure would have put Bob immediately at -1 and dying.) After the battle, Bob casts Lesser Vigor on himself twice, each time healing 14 points of damage. Later in the day, valiant Bob hurts himself again -- down to 10 hit points this time -- trying to kill an animated windmill. One roll of one on a cure light wounds later, Bob is up to 15 hit points. He has healed (and been healed) a total of 33 points of healing. He knows that any more healing, even a cure minor wounds spell will require some effort. Out of battle, Bob decides to use his second level cure spell on himself. To succeed, he needs to pass two checks -- one as the caster exceeding his limit, the second as a recipient of healing being healed too much. He passes his will (or concentration) saves on DC 15 (10+2+3). Later in the day, Bob's pet monstrous cockroach is scratched. Forgetting he has fought the fates too much already today, he casts cure minor wounds on Cocky. For the spell to work, Bob and Cocky both need to make DC 13 saves for the spell to work. Even though Cocky has not been healed at all today, one of the involved parties has exceeded his daily limit and so both must exert their will. Cocky (not unsurprisingly) fails, and the spell is wasted. Merrow will teach Bob yet not to be frivelous with his precious healing!

Relgion

Religion is VERY important to the people of the Iron Kingdoms. Familiarize yourself with the deities ik205. ALL characters must have a patron deity, whether or not you follow it strongly. Most followers of Merrow or Thamar will also favor a particular Ascendant or Scion ik213. Some deity information is in Lock & Load as well. Notice that if you are devout (and roleplay it), you will gain the bonuses listed for patronage benefits. Chances are you can't become devout enough as an adventurer to gain the more-extreme devout boon, though. If you are a cleric, you choose one domain from your deity and one from your ascendant ik214. If you'd like a domain not listed -- ask me, I'll see if it fits anywhere. A favored soul may chose either a deity or an ascendant or scion as his patron at creation. This affects the weapon focus feat.

Classes

Noone likes by-the-book fighters or sorcerers.

• Fighters:
  • gain an extra skill point per level that must go to a craft skill, and
  • may choose (at character creation) to have a strong reflex save instead of fortitude.
• Sorcerers:
  • obtain their familiar for free and have +5 to any skill checks to keep it secret (hide, disguise, slight of hand, whichtever's used in the attempt; only for the attempt to conceal the familiar), and
  • may either:
    1. specialize, using intelligence, as a wizard, with the same benefits and penalties, or
    2. select, using wisdom, any one (relevant to your religion) clerical domain and recieve its bonus one spell per spell level per day only (not the granted power, nor may these spells be cast with a sorcerer's normal slots per day), or
    3. Eschew Materials, as the feat.
• Wizards treat their familiar, if obtained, as if they were one level higher.