Arkhandus
First Post
Depending on exactly what your low-magic concept involves, you may or may not consider using my Rhunaria houserule for "Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit." Mundane and mostly-mundane classes get them from the latent, untapped power of their own soul or similar, possibly from ancestors or friendly spirits otherwise. They're just minor, passive traits that a character develops over time which provide benefits similar to basic magic items (in most cases).
Warrior's Spirit
In Rhunaria, characters advance in level and power as much through magical accumulation, as through training and experience. As warriors and spellcasters slay powerful creatures, they unknowingly absorb minor magical essence from those beasts, which is unnoticeable to most folks. But this power builds within the individual over time, even from merely strolling through invisible ley lines and absorbing what little energy leaks from them.
Spellcasters develop access to greater magical forces through this unseen accumulation, but the effect on warriors is more subtle, since they do not directly wield these magical forces. They instinctively draw on these natural energies, but are generally unaware of the source for their occasional surges in prowess or 'luck'.
In game-rule terms, the Warrior's Spirit rules are a mild compensation, for the fact that primary magic-users suffer little from the smaller amount of wealth and magic items available in Rhunaria, while classes of a more mundane focus suffer noticeably from the scarcity. At some point in the future, if this turns out to be too much or too little, I may slightly revise the rate of gain for Gifts or the degree of benefit from each. Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit are not considered special abilities and have no type, as they are essentially nonmagical and just stem from natural spirit-energies. They cannot be duplicated or copied by any creature or item.
For every two character levels gained in classes with Warrior's Spirit, the character receives one of the following Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit, chosen by the player. No Gift may be selected twice in a row, but each Gift may be selected multiple times otherwise. For isntance, a Rogue who takes Gift of Agility at 2nd-level could not take it again at 4th-level, but could do so at 6th-level or later. Some Gifts may have a prerequisite, which must be met before that Gift may be selected. Epic-level characters gain access to different Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit, which will be detailed separately at a later time. The classes with Warrior's Spirit in Rhunaria are Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Samurai, and Sohei.
Gift of Agility: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is acquired, the character improves his or her total inherant bonus on Dexterity by 1 point. Thus, if no other inherant bonus to Dexterity is possessed beforehand, the first Gift of Agility gives +1 Dexterity, the second Gift of Agility increases the total bonus to +2 Dexterity, and so on and so forth. The maximum inherant bonus to any single ability score is +5, and inherant bonuses to the same statistic do not stack.
Gift of Clear Focus: Each time the character selects a Gift of Clear Focus, he or she must also choose a single skill for that Gift of Clear Focus to apply with. Speak Language cannot be chosen, nor may psionic skills, and the skill to be chosen must be one the character has at least 1 rank in. If Craft, Knowledge, or Profession is chosen, a specific specialty of that skill must be chosen instead. Henceforth, the character gains a +5 enhancement bonus on checks with that skill. Furthermore, that skill is always considered a class skill for the character, from the next character level onward. A different skill, or specialty of a skill if appropriate, must be chosen for each Gift of Clear Focus.
Gift of Iron Blood: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is chosen, the character gains an improvement to the speed of his or her natural healing. For each copy of this Gift he or she possesses, the character naturally heals 1 additional hit point per character level, per day, as long as he or she receives at least 4 hours of sleep that day. Thus, even if highly active most of the day, a character with one Gift of Iron Blood heals 1 HP/level by the next day, after at least 4 hours of sleep. This benefit from Gift of Iron Blood does not affect the natural rate of healing for subdual damage. However, each copy of this Gift allows the character to naturally heal 1 extra point of subdual damage per Gift of Iron Blood, each hour. The Gift of Iron Blood cannot be selected more than three times.
Gift of Manifest Determination: When the Gift of Manifest Determination is acquired, the character gains a +1 enhancement to the armor bonus of any armor worn, and any shield used. Each additional copy of this Gift increases those enhancement bonuses by +1. Note that enhancement bonuses from different sources will not stack, but the armor bonuses of one suit of armor and one shield do stack. So a character with three Gifts of Manifest Determination will get +3 to the armor bonus to AC from his or her armor, and another +3 to his or her shield's armor bonus to AC, but a Magic Vestment spell would not stack with this. Gift of Manifest Determination has certain limitations, however. It only applies while conscious and awake. It does not treat the armor or shield as magical, so they cannot receive other enhancements or special abilities without first obtaining a true and permanent +1 enhancement bonus, and they do not have the added resilience of magic items. This Gift does not affect any armor spikes or shield spikes on the items used, and does not enhance a shield for attacking, only enhancing the armor bonus from that shield. In order to choose the Gift of Manifest Determination, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Resilience.
Gift of Manifest Fury: When the Gift of Manifest Fury is acquired, the character gains a +1 enhancement to the attack and damage of any melee weapons used, including gauntlets but not other unarmed strikes or natural weapons. Each additional copy of this Gift increases those enhancement bonuses by +1. Note that enhancement bonuses from different sources will not stack. So a character with three Gifts of Manifest Fury will get +3 to attack and damage for his or her melee weapons, but a Greater Magic Weapon spell would not stack with this. Gift of Manifest Fury has certain limitations, however. It only applies while attacking with the weapons, not at any other time. It does not treat the weapons as magical, so they cannot receive other enhancements or special abilities without first obtaining a true and permanent +1 enhancement bonus, and they do not have the added resilience of magic items. However, an exception is that the weapons are treated as magical for purposes of striking incorporeal targets, and targets with Damage Reduction. The Gift of Manifest Fury does not function with ranged attacks. This Gift does not enhance a shield's armor bonus to AC, only enhancing the attack and damage for that shield when used in shield bashes. In order to choose the Gift of Manifest Fury, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Might.
Gift of Manifest Spite: When the Gift of Manifest Spite is acquired, the character gains a +1 enhancement to the attack and damage of any ranged weapons used. This does not enhance ammunition. Each additional copy of this Gift increases those enhancement bonuses by +1. Note that enhancement bonuses from different sources will not stack. So a character with three Gifts of Manifest Spite will get +3 to attack and damage for his or her ranged weapons, but a Greater Magic Weapon spell would not stack with this. Gift of Manifest Spite has certain limitations, however. It only applies while attacking with the weapons, not at any other time. It does not treat the weapons as magical, so they cannot receive other enhancements or special abilities without first obtaining a true and permanent +1 enhancement bonus, and they do not have the added resilience of magic items. However, an exception is that the weapons are treated as magical for purposes of striking incorporeal targets, and targets with Damage Reduction. The Gift of Manifest Spite does not function with melee attacks. In order to choose the Gift of Manifest Spite, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Agility.
Gift of Might: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is acquired, the character improves his or her total inherant bonus on Strength by 1 point. Thus, if no other inherant bonus to Strength is possessed beforehand, the first Gift of Might gives +1 Strength, the second Gift of Might increases the total bonus to +2 Strength, and so on and so forth. The maximum inherant bonus to any single ability score is +5, and inherant bonuses to the same statistic do not stack.
Gift of Predatory Instinct: When this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is first chosen, the character receives a +2 bonus on Initiative, Hide checks, Listen checks, Move Silently checks, and Spot checks. Each additional copy of this Gift improves those bonuses by +1. The bonuses from this Gift are enhancement bonuses, and enhancement bonuses to the same statistic do not stack. The Gift of Predatory Instinct cannot be selected more than three times.
Gift of Resilience: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is acquired, the character improves his or her total inherant bonus on Constitution by 1 point. Thus, if no other inherant bonus to Constitution is possessed beforehand, the first Gift of Resilience gives +1 Constitution, the second Gift of Resilience increases the total bonus to +2 Constitution, and so on and so forth. The maximum inherant bonus to any single ability score is +5, and inherant bonuses to the same statistic do not stack.
Gift of Steadfast Effort: Each time the Gift of Steadfast Effort is taken, the character receives a bonus of +6 to his or her maximum hit point total, and +5% to stabilization checks at negative hit points.
Gift of Tenacious Spirit: When the Gift of Tenacious Spirit is selected for the first time, the character gains a +1 enhancement bonus on all saving throws. This enhancement bonus improves by another +1 for each additional copy of the Gift of Tenacious Spirit acquired thereafter. Enhancement bonuses to the same statistic do not stack. In order to choose the Gift of Tenacious Spirit, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Steadfast Effort.
Gift of Unyielding Flesh: Each time the character acquires a Gift of Unyielding Flesh, he or she adds +1/- to his or her Damage Reduction. This functions as per a Barbarian's DR, and stacks with similar DR, but is separate from any Damage Reduction of the X/+Y sort. Thus, one copy of this Gift would grant DR 1/-, two copies would result in DR 2/-, and so on and so forth. The Gift of Unyielding Flesh cannot be selected more than three times. In order to choose the Gift of Unyielding Flesh, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Iron Blood.
Warrior's Spirit
In Rhunaria, characters advance in level and power as much through magical accumulation, as through training and experience. As warriors and spellcasters slay powerful creatures, they unknowingly absorb minor magical essence from those beasts, which is unnoticeable to most folks. But this power builds within the individual over time, even from merely strolling through invisible ley lines and absorbing what little energy leaks from them.
Spellcasters develop access to greater magical forces through this unseen accumulation, but the effect on warriors is more subtle, since they do not directly wield these magical forces. They instinctively draw on these natural energies, but are generally unaware of the source for their occasional surges in prowess or 'luck'.
In game-rule terms, the Warrior's Spirit rules are a mild compensation, for the fact that primary magic-users suffer little from the smaller amount of wealth and magic items available in Rhunaria, while classes of a more mundane focus suffer noticeably from the scarcity. At some point in the future, if this turns out to be too much or too little, I may slightly revise the rate of gain for Gifts or the degree of benefit from each. Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit are not considered special abilities and have no type, as they are essentially nonmagical and just stem from natural spirit-energies. They cannot be duplicated or copied by any creature or item.
For every two character levels gained in classes with Warrior's Spirit, the character receives one of the following Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit, chosen by the player. No Gift may be selected twice in a row, but each Gift may be selected multiple times otherwise. For isntance, a Rogue who takes Gift of Agility at 2nd-level could not take it again at 4th-level, but could do so at 6th-level or later. Some Gifts may have a prerequisite, which must be met before that Gift may be selected. Epic-level characters gain access to different Gifts of the Warrior's Spirit, which will be detailed separately at a later time. The classes with Warrior's Spirit in Rhunaria are Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Samurai, and Sohei.
Gift of Agility: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is acquired, the character improves his or her total inherant bonus on Dexterity by 1 point. Thus, if no other inherant bonus to Dexterity is possessed beforehand, the first Gift of Agility gives +1 Dexterity, the second Gift of Agility increases the total bonus to +2 Dexterity, and so on and so forth. The maximum inherant bonus to any single ability score is +5, and inherant bonuses to the same statistic do not stack.
Gift of Clear Focus: Each time the character selects a Gift of Clear Focus, he or she must also choose a single skill for that Gift of Clear Focus to apply with. Speak Language cannot be chosen, nor may psionic skills, and the skill to be chosen must be one the character has at least 1 rank in. If Craft, Knowledge, or Profession is chosen, a specific specialty of that skill must be chosen instead. Henceforth, the character gains a +5 enhancement bonus on checks with that skill. Furthermore, that skill is always considered a class skill for the character, from the next character level onward. A different skill, or specialty of a skill if appropriate, must be chosen for each Gift of Clear Focus.
Gift of Iron Blood: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is chosen, the character gains an improvement to the speed of his or her natural healing. For each copy of this Gift he or she possesses, the character naturally heals 1 additional hit point per character level, per day, as long as he or she receives at least 4 hours of sleep that day. Thus, even if highly active most of the day, a character with one Gift of Iron Blood heals 1 HP/level by the next day, after at least 4 hours of sleep. This benefit from Gift of Iron Blood does not affect the natural rate of healing for subdual damage. However, each copy of this Gift allows the character to naturally heal 1 extra point of subdual damage per Gift of Iron Blood, each hour. The Gift of Iron Blood cannot be selected more than three times.
Gift of Manifest Determination: When the Gift of Manifest Determination is acquired, the character gains a +1 enhancement to the armor bonus of any armor worn, and any shield used. Each additional copy of this Gift increases those enhancement bonuses by +1. Note that enhancement bonuses from different sources will not stack, but the armor bonuses of one suit of armor and one shield do stack. So a character with three Gifts of Manifest Determination will get +3 to the armor bonus to AC from his or her armor, and another +3 to his or her shield's armor bonus to AC, but a Magic Vestment spell would not stack with this. Gift of Manifest Determination has certain limitations, however. It only applies while conscious and awake. It does not treat the armor or shield as magical, so they cannot receive other enhancements or special abilities without first obtaining a true and permanent +1 enhancement bonus, and they do not have the added resilience of magic items. This Gift does not affect any armor spikes or shield spikes on the items used, and does not enhance a shield for attacking, only enhancing the armor bonus from that shield. In order to choose the Gift of Manifest Determination, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Resilience.
Gift of Manifest Fury: When the Gift of Manifest Fury is acquired, the character gains a +1 enhancement to the attack and damage of any melee weapons used, including gauntlets but not other unarmed strikes or natural weapons. Each additional copy of this Gift increases those enhancement bonuses by +1. Note that enhancement bonuses from different sources will not stack. So a character with three Gifts of Manifest Fury will get +3 to attack and damage for his or her melee weapons, but a Greater Magic Weapon spell would not stack with this. Gift of Manifest Fury has certain limitations, however. It only applies while attacking with the weapons, not at any other time. It does not treat the weapons as magical, so they cannot receive other enhancements or special abilities without first obtaining a true and permanent +1 enhancement bonus, and they do not have the added resilience of magic items. However, an exception is that the weapons are treated as magical for purposes of striking incorporeal targets, and targets with Damage Reduction. The Gift of Manifest Fury does not function with ranged attacks. This Gift does not enhance a shield's armor bonus to AC, only enhancing the attack and damage for that shield when used in shield bashes. In order to choose the Gift of Manifest Fury, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Might.
Gift of Manifest Spite: When the Gift of Manifest Spite is acquired, the character gains a +1 enhancement to the attack and damage of any ranged weapons used. This does not enhance ammunition. Each additional copy of this Gift increases those enhancement bonuses by +1. Note that enhancement bonuses from different sources will not stack. So a character with three Gifts of Manifest Spite will get +3 to attack and damage for his or her ranged weapons, but a Greater Magic Weapon spell would not stack with this. Gift of Manifest Spite has certain limitations, however. It only applies while attacking with the weapons, not at any other time. It does not treat the weapons as magical, so they cannot receive other enhancements or special abilities without first obtaining a true and permanent +1 enhancement bonus, and they do not have the added resilience of magic items. However, an exception is that the weapons are treated as magical for purposes of striking incorporeal targets, and targets with Damage Reduction. The Gift of Manifest Spite does not function with melee attacks. In order to choose the Gift of Manifest Spite, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Agility.
Gift of Might: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is acquired, the character improves his or her total inherant bonus on Strength by 1 point. Thus, if no other inherant bonus to Strength is possessed beforehand, the first Gift of Might gives +1 Strength, the second Gift of Might increases the total bonus to +2 Strength, and so on and so forth. The maximum inherant bonus to any single ability score is +5, and inherant bonuses to the same statistic do not stack.
Gift of Predatory Instinct: When this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is first chosen, the character receives a +2 bonus on Initiative, Hide checks, Listen checks, Move Silently checks, and Spot checks. Each additional copy of this Gift improves those bonuses by +1. The bonuses from this Gift are enhancement bonuses, and enhancement bonuses to the same statistic do not stack. The Gift of Predatory Instinct cannot be selected more than three times.
Gift of Resilience: Each time this Gift of the Warrior's Spirit is acquired, the character improves his or her total inherant bonus on Constitution by 1 point. Thus, if no other inherant bonus to Constitution is possessed beforehand, the first Gift of Resilience gives +1 Constitution, the second Gift of Resilience increases the total bonus to +2 Constitution, and so on and so forth. The maximum inherant bonus to any single ability score is +5, and inherant bonuses to the same statistic do not stack.
Gift of Steadfast Effort: Each time the Gift of Steadfast Effort is taken, the character receives a bonus of +6 to his or her maximum hit point total, and +5% to stabilization checks at negative hit points.
Gift of Tenacious Spirit: When the Gift of Tenacious Spirit is selected for the first time, the character gains a +1 enhancement bonus on all saving throws. This enhancement bonus improves by another +1 for each additional copy of the Gift of Tenacious Spirit acquired thereafter. Enhancement bonuses to the same statistic do not stack. In order to choose the Gift of Tenacious Spirit, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Steadfast Effort.
Gift of Unyielding Flesh: Each time the character acquires a Gift of Unyielding Flesh, he or she adds +1/- to his or her Damage Reduction. This functions as per a Barbarian's DR, and stacks with similar DR, but is separate from any Damage Reduction of the X/+Y sort. Thus, one copy of this Gift would grant DR 1/-, two copies would result in DR 2/-, and so on and so forth. The Gift of Unyielding Flesh cannot be selected more than three times. In order to choose the Gift of Unyielding Flesh, the character must first possess at least one copy of the Gift of Iron Blood.
Resist Hunger: +2 bonus to Constitution checks made to avoid starvation.
