D&D 3E/3.5 [Kulan] House Rules Thread (Updated: Mar 13/24)

[Knightfall]

I'm going to modify the Item Creation feats for my campaign world. Specifically, there will be three tiers of magic item creation — lesser, greater, and epic.

The "lesser" item creation feats will include Brew Potion and Scribe Scroll (renamed Scribe Roll) as well as new "lesser" feats for all the other types of item creation (i.e. Craft Lesser Rod).

The current Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat and Craft Wand feat would become "lesser" item creation feats as well but they will have some important changes. Any item creation feat with a prerequisite of "Caster level 7th" or lower will basically become a modified "lesser" item creation feat.

These feats will have restrictions like the Brew Potion Feat does regarding which spells can be created as potions. (I hven't decided how this is going to work yet.)

The "lesser" item creation feats will be prerequisites for the "greater" item creation feats, which will include Carft Rod, Craft Staff, and Forge Ring as well as new standard item creation feats to replace Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, and Scribe Scroll (but with the same names).

I will be using the Jester's Brew Elixir feat (modified) as the "greater" item creation equivalent to Brew Potion.

I'll get into the Epic item creation feats later once I've worked on the baseline. Here's the plan for the PHB feats:

Lesser Item Creation Feats (Caster level prereq. 7th or lower; cap for level of spells that can be used in the item creation process [3rd?]; XP not required)

• Brew Potion
• Craft Cane (lesser staff)
• Craft Extraordinary Item (lesser wondrous item)
• Craft Lesser Magic Arms and Armor
• Craft Lesser Rod
• Craft Virge (lesser wand)
• Forge Lesser Ring
• Scribe Roll (lesser scroll)

Greater Item Creation Feats (Caster level prereq. of 9th or higher; lesser feat prereq., little or no restrictions on which spells can be used in the item creation process; XP required)

• Brew Elixir
• Craft Greater Magic Arms and Armor
• Craft Greater Rod
• Craft Staff
• Craft Wand
• Craft Wondrous Item
• Forge Greater Ring
• Scribe Scroll

 

[Knightfall]

LESSER ITEM CREATION FEATS

Brew Potion [Item Creation, Revised]
You can create potions which carry spells within themselves.
Prerequisite: Caster level 1st.
Benefit: You can create a potion of any 3rd-level or lower spell that you know and that targets one or more creatures. Brewing a potion takes one day. When you create a potion, you set the caster level, which must be sufficient to cast the spell in question and no higher than your own level. The base price of a potion is its spell level x its caster level x 50 gp. To brew a potion, you must use up raw materials costing one-half this base price.
When you create a potion, you make any choices that you would normally make when casting the spell. Whoever drinks the potion is the target of the spell.
Any potion that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when creating the potion.

Craft Cane [Item Creation]
You can create magical canes, each of which has multiple magical effects, but are not as powerful as magical staves.
Prerequisite: Caster level 7th.
Benefit: You can create any cane whose prerequisites you meet.
Crafting a cane takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a cane, you must use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price. A newly created cane has 15 charges.
Some canes incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the cane's base price.
Special: For a World of Kulan campaign, any staff that only includes spells of 3rd-level or lower for its creation is considered a cane. Such canes have their caster level requirements reduce by one-third (rounded down) and have any cost in charges increased by one.

Craft Extraordinary Item [Item Creation]
You can create a wide variety of magic items that are less powerful than wondrous items, such as a elixir of hiding or a hand of the mage.
Prerequisite: Caster level 3rd.
Benefit: You can create any extraordinary item whose prerequisites you meet. Enchanting an extraordinary item takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its price. To enchant an extraordinary item, you must use up raw materials costing half of this price.
You can also mend a broken extraordinary item if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the raw materials and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.
Some extraordinary items incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the item’s base price. You must pay such a cost to create an item or to mend a broken one.
Special: For a World of Kulan campaign, any wondrous item listed on Table 7-27: Minor Wondrous Items on pg. 247 of the D&D DMG v.3.5 is considered an extraordinary item instead of a wondrous item.
Wondrous items from other sources are considered extraordinary items if they have a Market Price of 7,400 gp or less.

Craft Lesser Magic Arms and Armor [Item Creation]
You can create magic weapons, armor, and shields of lesser power.
Prerequisite: Caster level 3rd.
Benefit: You can create any magic weapon, armor, or shield with a total weapon bonus of +5 or less whose prerequisites you meet. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes one day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you must use up raw materials costing one-half of this total price.
The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item that you provide. Its cost is not included in the above cost.
You can also mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the raw materials and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.

Craft Lesser Rod [Item Creation]
You can create magical lesser rods, each of which has varied magical effects, but are not as powerful as greater rods.
Prerequisite: Caster level 5th.
Benefit: You can create any lesser rod whose prerequisites you meet. Crafting a lesser rod takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a lesser rod, you must use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price.
Some lesser rods incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the lesser rod’s base price.
Special: For a World of Kulan campaign, only the following rods from Table 7-19: Rods (of the D&D DMG v.3.5 [pg. 234]) are considered lesser rods: flame extinguishing, immovable, and metal and mineral detection. The status of other rods from other D&D sourcebooks will be determined on a case by case basis. Such lesser rods have their caster level requirements reduce by one-third and I reserve the right to rewrite the items description.
DM's Note: If a rod requires any spell of 4th-level or higher or another feat for its creation then it is considered a greater rod. Thus, lesser metamagic rods are actually greater rods.

Craft Virge [Item Creation]
You can create virges, each of which holds spells, but that are less powerful than wands.
Prerequisite: Caster level 5th.
Benefit: You can create a virge of any 3rd-level or lower spell that you know. Crafting a virge takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a virge is its caster level x the spell level x 750 gp. To craft a virge, you must use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price. A newly created virge has 15 charges.
Any virge that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base price, you must expend fifteen copies of the material component or pay fifteen times the XP cost.

Forge Lesser Ring [Item Creation]
You can create magical lesser rings, which have varied magical effects, but are less powerful than greater rings.
Prerequisite: Caster level 7th.
Benefit: You can create any lesser ring whose prerequisites you meet. Crafting a lesser ring takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a lesser ring, you must use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price.
You can also mend a broken lesser ring if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the raw materials and half the time it would take to forge that lesser ring in the first place.
Some magical lesser rings incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. You must pay such a cost to forge such a lesser ring or to mend a broken one.
Special: For a World of Kulan campaign, any ring on Table 7-18: Rings (on pg. 231 of the D&D DMG v.3.5) that is only listed on the Minor or Medium columns is considered a lesser ring (i.e. mind shielding).

Scribe Roll [Item Creation]
You can create magical rolls, from which you or another spellcaster can cast the scribed spells.
Prerequisite: Caster level 1st.
Benefit: You can create a roll of any 3rd-level or lower spell that you know. Scribing a roll takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a roll is its spell level x its caster level x 25 gp. To scribe a roll, you must use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
Any roll that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when scribing the roll.
Special: For a World of Kulan campaign, wizards gain Scribe Roll instead of Scribe Scroll at 1st-level.

 

[Knightfall]

GREATER ITEM CREATION FEATS

Brew Elixir [Item Creation]
By the Jester – modified for World of Kulan
You can brew magical draughts that are more powerful than potions.
Prerequisites: Caster level 9th, Brew Potion.
Benefit: You can brew potions of spells up to 9th-level, called elixirs. Brewing an elixir takes one day. When you create an elixir, you set the caster level, which must be sufficient to cast the spell in question and no higher than your own level. The base price of an elixir is its spell level x its caster level x 100 gp. To brew an elixir, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half this base price.
When you create an elixir, you make any choices that you would normally make when casting the spell. Whoever drinks the elixir is the target of the spell.
Any elixir that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when creating the elixir.
Special: The new Craft Extraordinary Item feat (see below) can be used to brew certain elixirs, but only the ones described in the D&D DMG v.3.5.

Craft Greater Magic Arms and Armor [Item Creation]
You can create magic weapons, armor, and shields of greater power.
Prerequisite: Caster level 12th, Craft Lesser Magic Arms and Armor.
Benefit: You can create any magic weapon, armor, or shield with a total weapon bonus of +10 or less whose prerequisites you meet. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes one day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you must spend 1/25 of its features' total price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this total price.
The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item that you provide. Its cost is not included in the above cost.
You can also mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.

Craft Greater Rod [Item Creation]
You can create magical greater rods, each of which has varied magical effects.
Prerequisite: Caster level 15th, Craft Lesser Rod.
Benefit: You can create any greater rod whose prerequisites you meet. Crafting a greater rod takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a greater rod, you must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price.
Some greater rods incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the greater rod’s base price.

Craft Staff [Item Creation, Revised]
You can create magical staves, each of which has multiple magical effects.
Prerequisite: Caster level 18th, Craft Cane.
Benefit: You can create any staff whose prerequisites you meet.
Crafting a staff takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a staff, you must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price. A newly created staff has 30 charges.
Some staves incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the staff's base price.

Craft Wand [Item Creation, Revised]
You can create wand, each of which holds spells.
Prerequisite: Caster level 15th, Craft Virge.
Benefit: You can create a wand of spells up to 9th-level that you know. Crafting a wand takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a wand is its caster level x the spell level x 1,500 gp. To craft a wand, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price. A newly created wand has 30 charges, except for 9th-level wands, which only have 15 charges each.
Any wand that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base price, you must expend thirty copies of the material component or pay thirty times the XP cost, even for 9th-level wands.

Craft Wondrous Item [Item Creation, Revised]
You can create a wide variety of magic items, such as a cape of the mountebank or a iron flask.
Prerequisite: Caster level 12th, Craft Extraordinary Item.
Benefit: You can create any wondrous item whose prerequisites you meet. Enchanting an wondrous item takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its price. To enchant an wondrous item, you must spend 1/25 of the item's price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of this price.
You can also mend a broken wondrous item if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to craft that item in the first place.
Some wondrous items incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the item’s base price. You must pay such a cost to create an item or to mend a broken one.

Forge Greater Ring [Item Creation]
You can create magical greater rings, which have varied magical effects.
Prerequisite: Caster level 18th, Forge Lesser Ring.
Benefit: You can create any greater ring whose prerequisites you meet. Crafting a greater ring takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To craft a greater ring, you must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of its base price.
You can also mend a broken greater ring if it is one that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to forge that greater ring in the first place.
Some magical greater rings incur extra costs in material components or XP, as noted in their descriptions. You must pay such a cost to forge such a greater ring or to mend a broken one.

Scribe Scroll [Item Creation, Revised]
You can create magical scrolls that are more powerful than rolls.
Prerequisite: Caster level 9th, Scribe Roll.
Benefit: You can create a scroll of spells up to 9th-level that you know. Scribing a scroll takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a scroll is its spell level x its caster level x 50 gp. To scribe a scroll, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
Any scroll that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when scribing the scroll.

 

[Knightfall]

Cane
A cane is a long, straight wooden stick, generally of bamboo, Malacca (rattan) or some similar plant, mainly used as a support, such as a walking stick, or as an instrument of punishment. Depending on the use, it is left in its natural state or improved (e.g., smoothened, varnished).

- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia​

Roll
A rotulus is a roll designed for writing on, in which a long narrow strip of papyrus or parchment, written on one side, was wound like a blind about its wooden staff.

Rotuli formed the earliest kind of "volume" (volumen from volvere, to roll up) of which we have knowledge. Many such rolls have been recovered in their primitive form from the excavations at Herculaneum and elsewhere. In the fourth and fifth centuries, however, these rolls began to give place to books bound as we know them now, i.e. a number of written leaves were laid flat one on top of the other and attached together by their corresponding edges. This was a gain in convenience, but for certain purposes rolls were still retained.

- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia​

Virge
A virge, from the Latin virga, is a type of rod, made of wood.

Originally it was one or more branches (the French often use verges, the plural of its equivalent, as the normal word for a rod, the rarer singular verge rather indicates a switch) used as an instrument for corporal punishment, or as a riding crop.

- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia​

 

[Knightfall]

Creating Canes
To create a cane, a character needs a supply of materials, the most obvious being a cane or the pieces of the cane to be assembled. The cost for the materials is subsumed in the cost for creating the cane – 187.5 gp x level of the highest-level spell x the level of the caster, plus 75% of the value of the next most costly ability (140.50 gp* x the level of the spell x the level of the caster), plus one-half of the value of any other abilities (93.75 x the level of the spell x the level of the caster). Canes are always fully charged (15 charges) when created. *Rounded down from 140.63 for easy of cost calculation.

Activating a spell from a cane costs 2 charges instead of 1 charge, like a staff.

If desired, a spell can be placed into the cane at only half the normal cost, but then activating that particular spell costs one extra charge from the cane (for a total of 3 charges). The caster level of all spells in a cane must be the same, and no cane can have a caster level of more than 8th, and no cane can include spells above 3rd-level.

The creator must have have prepared the spells to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any focus the spells require as well as material and XP component costs sufficient to activate the spell a maximum number of times (15 divided by the number of charges one use of the spell expends minus 1). Material components are consumed when the creator begins working but focuses are not. (A focus used in the creating of a cane can be reused.) The act of working on the cane triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the cane's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the creator's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

Crafting a cane requires one day for each 1,000 gp of the base price. There isn't an XP cost to create a cane beyond the XP component cost noted above.

Item Creation Feat Required: Craft Cane.

 

[Knightfall]

Creating Rolls (Rotuli)
To create a roll (rotulus), a character needs a supply of choice writing materials, the cost of which is subsumed in the cost for scribing the roll — 12.5 gp x the level of the spell x the level of the caster.

All writing implements and materials used to scribe a roll must be fresh and unused. A character must pay the full cost for scribing each spell roll no matter how many times she previously has scribed the same spell.

A roll can only be scribed with spells that are 3rd-level or lower, and a roll can only have one spell inscribed on it.

The creator must have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) and must provide any material component or focus the spell requires. If casting the spell would reduce the caster’s XP total, she pays the cost upon beginning the roll. Likewise, a material component is consumed when she begins writing, but a focus is not. (A focus used in scribing a roll can be reused.) The act of writing triggers the prepared spell, making it unavailable for casting until the character has rested and regained spells. (That is, that spell slot is expended from her currently prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.)

Scribing a roll requires one day per each 1,000 gp of the base price. There isn't an XP cost to create a roll beyond the XP component cost noted above.

Item Creation Feat Required: Scribe Roll.

 

[Knightfall]

Alternate PrC Names
Many of the official prestige classes have names that don't fit with the overall feel of Kulan, IMO. Therefore, many of them will have altered named for my campaign world. Some might even end up with altered class abilities; I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, here's my initial list...

Book of Exalted Deeds

• Ascetic Initiate [instead of Initiate of Pistis Sophia]
• Bear Sentinel [instead of Sentinel of Bharrai]
• Beloved of Eachthighern [instead of Beloved of Valarian]
• Celestial Defender [instead of Defender of Sealtiel]
• Celestial Prophet [instead of Prophet of Erathaol]
• Exalted Barbarian [instead of Champion of Gwynharwyf]
• Exalted Druid [instead of Lion of Talisid]
• Fist of the Crusader [instead of Fist of Raziel]
• Holy Emissary [instead of Emissary of Barachiel]
• Holy Stalker [instead of Stalker of Kharash]
• Slayer of Kuil [instead of Slayer of Domiel]

Complete Books

• Knight of Swords [instead of Thayan Knight]
• Knight of the Realm [instead of Purple Dragon Knight]
• Radiant Servant [instead of Radiant Servant of Pelor]
• Shining Blade [instead of Shining Blade of Heironeous]

 

[Knightfall]

Even More New Skills
Here are a few new skills that come from the Book of Erotic Fantasy that I'm going to use for World of Kulan. No, I'm not kidding!

• Craft (scarification) (Int)
• Craft (tattooing) (Int)
• Perform (sexual technique) (Cha)
• Profession (courtesan) (Wis)
• Profession (masseuse) (Wis)
• Profession (midwife) (Wis)
• Profession (piercer) (Wis)
• Profession (scarification artist) (Wis)
• Profession (tattoo artist) (Wis)

 

[Knightfall]

Hmm, I just noticed that this thread is in the Pathfinder/Starfinder forum. Can one of the moderators move it to the D&D Older Editions forum.

Thank you,

KF

 

[Knightfall]

Adding this file here for @The_rising_sea. Note that it might be a little out of date compared my current working file.