Help with low magic S&S homebrew

If you're absolutely set on not using another rulesset, even a free one, you could always just use the magic item rules for what they are: a point buy system on the back end of a class and level system. In other words, let players buy all the same items, but simply define them as character abilities.

I don't reccomend this, but it *would* work.
 

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MoogleEmpMog said:
d20 Modern will cost you $0 and 0 cents if you use the SRD available on Wizard's site or at various other, more user-friendly locales, and add the character creation rules found in your copy of the World's Most Popular Roleplaying Game. ;)

Modern is a lovely system that emulates virtually any existing fantasy subgenre better than D&D does, while remaining familiar enough that almost everything can be ported from one to the other without modification and players of one can quickly pick up the other.

It's a much, much better idea than using D&D for low-magic S&S.


I'll look into that; not a bad idea at all. Thanks!
 

These are some things that might contribute a bit of the power and flexibility needed (assuming, as it seems you do, that you want to keep other things along a similar-ish power curve):

* High starting scores -- 32+ PB / 5d6 drop 2 / heroic array. . something like that.
* A feat every level.
* An ability score increase every 2 levels (starting at 2nd).
* Degrees of 'masterwork-ness', scaling up from the standard, maybe including some magic-like properties, or at least DR-defeating ones (perhaps gained via 'epic feats' - so to speak - accomplished by the PCs, for instance).
* Completely free multiclassing (i.e., no favoured class or whatever).
* Possibly a supportive variant health/combat system like Reserve Points or Damage Conversion, from Unearthed Arcana (or the SRD as, the case may be).
* More emphasis on the Healing skill, with herbalism and stuff tacked on (or a separate subsystem, if preferred).
* Maybe add in Autohypnosis, as one means of combating a few little potential problems and weaknesses. Class skill for all? Just a thought.
* More skill points per level.

There are lots of other (free) possibilities of course, but these ones jsut came to mind. Hope it's at all helpful.
 

SpiderMonkey said:
Yeah. I've got absolutely zero money for rpgs right now. So it's got to be homebrew w/ modified core rules.
Ah.

Two things:

1) I will buy you a copy of the IH core book (in pdf format) if you like. I'm not kidding. PM me if you're interested. It seems just too far up your alley.

2) If that's just too bizarre, then here are my suggestions for beefing up PCs:

a) One feat every other level. Add in feats that deal with some of the missing magic stuff (better miss chance vs. incorporeal opponents, better vision in the dark, etc.)

b) 4 extra skill points per level. I'm not kidding; your PCs will need them.

c) 40 point buy, plus one ability score boost every 3 levels (3rd, 6th, etc.).

d) Class defense bonus and armor as DR. Perhaps a good defense bonus for monks and rogues, medium for fighter-types, and poor for magic-users?

e) A +1 bonus to all saves per 4 levels... at least.

f) One to three racial/ethnic benefits that confer things similar to racial abilities at first level.

Those are just a few thoughts.
 

I agree, a bonus to saves might be good: maybe +1 to all of them at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th?

A couple of other maybes:

* Carry over fractional saves and BAB.
* Max HP per level (or at least d6 -> d3+3, d8 -> d4+4, etc.).
* Action Points, or Fate Points, or something. This one could prove more useful than several other things combined.
 






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