Off to War Houserules

First this is a DM ONLY post to keep all the rules together and accessible. I will be using it first to post the character generation rules (copy/paste), and to add any new rules as we come upon them. If you have a houserule or questions about what you see here please direct your questions to this thread.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/talking-talk/308120-off-war-always-recruiting-occ-year-3-a-41.html

And come to the above thread if you want to join in the campaign it is open to all and even if we have started, we can still fit you in because after all this is D&D.

Character Generation

Characters:

1. I hate to do this but just to start everyone will have to be human since the Five Kingdoms are all human. As the group marches across the land they may be joined by other races as the move close to the dwarven mountains or elven forest.

2. Looking for character concepts more than stats and equipment at first. I think everyone will need a trade or profession, now this doesn't mean you have to take ranks in Craft or Profession (but they won't hurt). Just want to know what the character was doing before being drafted off to war. EDIT: this was at the very beginnign a year ago and is not at all a must anymore though again it doesn't hurt to have something for backgrounds sake.

3. To help with concepts will let everyone know that The Five Kingdoms are just that five seperate kingdoms with a high king each. They all have lesser lords of the land and the whole country is ruled by an Overking or Great King.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-places/258310-five-kingdoms.html

Character generation cont.

Starting lvl 1- The PC's are commoners/tradesmen not yet in the lords upper circle but through their exploits they may come to join or lead note:I am going to use a special system to reward xp based on roleplay posts, completed missions, and real time passed (as per LEW- I like that rule) So moving up levels will be faster than usually pbp.

Generation:
1.Abilities- 35pts to buy abilities as per DmG pg 169 (The high points is two fold;1- Humans get know ability adjustment so this helps alittle and 2- the PC's will need to stand out in a crowd)
2.Class-Any (non PhB must be approved by me)
3.Race-Human (again sorry)
4.Skills- houserule please add 2pts to the base of the class you have chosen (i.e. Wizards base skill pts=4, Rogue base skill pts=10)
5.Feat- In addition to human bonus feat all players may select one +2/+2 feat for their charater (otherwise those feats will never be used and again the PC's need to stand out)
6.Equipment-Starting gold will be limited to the average listed for your class(pg 111 PhB). As the characters will be feed and provided for as they travel and when they are sent out on a mission they might recieve equipment from the quartermaster. houserule any character with ranks in Craft or Profession may make a skill check after starting gold is spent and then add that money to there leftover cash.

Customization

To start choose a class: non PhB must be approved

Then you may swap class features and abilities for either:
1) An approved feat (something that fits the concept )
2) Choose one:
a) switch one class skill for a cross-class skill
b) +1 to damage (with one weapon)
c) +1 to parry bonus (effects AC & Touch but not Flat Footed)
d) Reduce ACP by 1
e) +1 to one save
f) +1 skill rank in a class or cross-class skill
g) +1 HP
h) One extra spell that can be cast at highest level
i) +1 caster level for determining save DCs
h) present something of your own

I think we can skip worrying about giving up spell slots and other things for the moment. Just use the above list and when you send proposals please list what it is your dropping and what you want to replace it (i.e. fighter(woodsman) lose heavy armor for (h) add hide&move silently as class skills)

If you have the following minimum posted in the rogue gallery:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/rogues-gallery/257898-rg-off-war.html
Name
Gender
Age
Height
Weight
Hair color
Eye color
Apperance (generlized eguipment or clothes on -left gear under a tree -along with facial/body type features)

You can come to the IC thread and start playing right away.

Experience

Posting this here because I believe it has to do with characters and character generation. As I have said before I will not be using the guidelines for rewarding experience. I happen to believe that those rules are for a hack&slash, WoW, Diablo type of game. Where you just walk in and and keep swinging at everything and say to yourself "I need to check every room I might miss some xp/treasure." Not my style (though you will get in your fair share of fights, just don't go looking for them is what I mean) I believe in the complete the mission approach, example: LotR the mission was to get Fordo and the Ring to Rivendell and Strider used deception (at Bree) on the Black Riders, and tried to lose them in the forest. He only confronted them when he had to at Weathertop. If you take this approach not only will you live longer (a good thing), but you will recieve a higher xp reward (a great thing). Everything should be focused on what your character would do in a givin situation and within the back of his mind thinking of how to obtain whatever goals he has set for himself. Playing to your character will gain you the most experience not hacking your way through a horde of goblins.

Defence Bonus (DB)

We will be using a parrying type rule that will be avaiable to all characters. Your DB will replace the size spot in your character sheet, as all characters will be medium.

Your DB is simply 1/2 your Base Attack Bonus (BAB) rounded down.

This number is then added to your AC and your touch AC but not your Flat-Footed AC.

As this rule has never been used that I know of we will workout any bugs as they should pop up.

Leveling Up

Have a small ideal as to how I would like to see leveling up done (and remember this is not in stone there is an edit button trust me I know)

First all players will need to make a Level Up post for their character in the RG putting in the title 'Character Name-Level Ups' example "Adian Burke- Level Ups" (only used because it is easiest name to spell)

Then please take and put a link to this new post in your character sheet somewhere. Maybe near where your level is listed

In the Level Up post you will do an sblock=Level# for every level (examples below) easy as that. Please note that for swaps you list the ability/feat/skill lost then the letter of the swap from the chart and what you recieved for the swap (i.e. Lose purity of body for (b) +1 to damage with unarmed strike- not a bad swap seeings as how you won't face werewolves or mummies every week).

Ok a few examples:

[sblock=Level 2]
Class: Fighter level 2
Feat: Power Attack (bonus fighter)
HP: +3 Roll Lookup
Skill Points: +5 = 1 rank in climb, swim, intimidate, and knowledge(local)cc
[/sblock]

[sblock=Level 3]
Class: Rogue Level 1
Feat: Cleave (character level)
HP: +5 Roll Lookup
Skill Points: +11 = 1 rank in intimidate, 4 ranks in Knowledge(local), 6 ranks in bluff
Special: lose trapfinding for (1) Toughness feat, lose light armor prof. for (d) reduce ACP by 1, lose prof. with all simple weapons for (c) +1 parry bonus [/sblock]

And please try not to abuse the swap rules by taking only 1 lvl of fighter to get a bunch of swaps I probabaly won't allow most of the swapping unless it really helps with the concept and/or you were "working on it" during the prior level.

NPCs

This is a simple rule I have used in my RL games and should work really well here in pbp.

There are two types of NPCs Named and Unnamed.

Named NPC's are those that I control inclusively, they are introduced to players as Mort the Baker or High Judge Henville. Players may not control any actions from a Named NPC.

Unnamed NPC's are controlled by both me and the players. They have titles or descriptions to let you know who or what they are. The baker, the man in the corner, or something similar.

Note: That though a player may control a unnamed NPC he may not contridict any personality or actions posted by the DM or another player. (If a player posts that the cook left in a huff mad at the group. You can't post that he had a change of heart and came back and feed everyone, changes like that are left to the DM. And you may not receive any service or item for free or in return for a favor that your character performs for that unnamed NPC. All services and items are at standard rulebook prices with any haggling to be done between player and DM (with the DM in control of the NPC). And lastly these NPCs may not be given a name by the player, you must continue to address them as sir, m'lady, master, etc.

This is all in hopes that we can speed things along. Hate for someone to post. {{ Walking into the tavern John says hello to the barkeep.}} And then you wait two days for me to post. {{ Hello, What will you have?}}

That kind of interplay is not truly need if you go up to the same barkeep and ask if he knows any rumors that is different. But for now just know that you may control unnamed NPCs to both a) keep the game moving and, b) and more depth to your posts.

Just posting a map I want to set up a link for no new rule here.

Mass Combat Rules

Mass combat rules BaHM:
1) Will be using Invisible Castle for rolls (when it's up). Please make rolls for characters/allies and enemies seperate. One for the character/allies and one for your enemies.

2) On the map each player will be givin a color that will cordinate with enemies/allies they can see. I'm thinking that in this type of fighting you will be focused on the combatant before you so you will not be able to make AoO or target enemies not colored to you. And in the same sense you will not be able to give orders to someone at a distance.
You will know there is fighting going on around you but the vagueness of "they are off to your left engaged in melee" doesn't supercede the fact that there are four enemies right in front of you trying to gut you.

3) Players will have control of the enemies and allies colored to them (with a split for players who are the same color). This will I hope speed up combat in an already slow process. Actions will be limited to the following:


So as you guessed mostly you will be fighting yourselves. On your initative you will get to go along with your allies, and then your enemies will get a turn. If two or more characters have the same enemies (i.e they are the same color) then you divide the enemies up evenly between those charaters. Odd men out go last whether allies or enemies.

Example:
Lora and Trinham and three allies are fighting against eight Treylorian warriors. Trinham goes before Lora so he attacks along with one ally. Then four of the Treylors get to go (and may only attack Trinham or his ally). Lora is next with the last two allies (one plus the odd man), and then the remaining four Treylors (or less if any were takin out). Try and target those enemies near you unless you have a "save the day" reason to attack someone further away.

In the above example if it was Trinham, Lora, and Marko figting, each player would get to attack along with one ally. And then you would divide the Treylor up evenly with odd men last. First two attack Trinham, then three attack Lora and three attack Marko.