UA, What variants are you using?

[d10]

I was sitting here at work prepping a new campaign and was wondering what, if any, variants from UA other DM's may be using.

Here's my list:

Gestalt Characters- I only have two players.

Defense Bonus- This one just makes sense to me. The more ya get swung at the better your gonna get at avoiding hits.

Armor as DR- Again this one just makes sense to me.

Vitality and Wound points- I like that this makes things a bit more lethal but not overwhelmingly so.

Spell points- I kinda like the flavor of this one. "Cast fireball on that Frost Giant!!!", 'I can't, I'm out of MANA!!!"

Incantations- Again the flavor.

Honor- 'cuz honor is cool

Taint-'cuz evil is bad

Test based prereq's-make more sense than oh wow I have all these cool abilities now that scores me the Harper PRC!

Vitalizing Magic- Another one for flavor. A Wizard should be exhausted after flinging spells all day.


Also, Does anyone have any expierience running the 'Incursion' Campaign Supplement that ran in both Dragon and Dungeon magazines last October. It involves a Githyanki Invasion if that helps. I'm building my campaign around that and was wondering if anyone had any advice about how to begin to introduce the Githyanki.

Anyway, d10 out!

 

[Campbell]

My Current Up For Consideration List:

1. Turning Level Check: A much less convuloted mechanic. It also seems like this variant could help to keep Turning relevent at higher levels.
2. Incantations: It just fits.
3. Reserve Points: This variant should take a little load off of the divine casters in my game, and should generally decrease the amount of downtime in the game.
4. Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting: It should help differentiate between seperate members of the same divine spellcasting classes. I'm also digging the effects this might have on domain selection.
5. Whirling Frenzy: The flavor of this ability fits the Berserker base class I'm going to be using in my game better than rage does.
6. Death and Dying: Another case of streamlining here. Better long-term survivability is just an added boon.

 

[hong]

This is what I want to use:

Class variants: wilderness rogue, urban ranger, battle sorcerer
Rage variant: whirling frenzy
One of the massive damage variants (not sure which one yet)

I already use something like VP/WP, but without the option of damage bypassing VP. Similarly I already have a hero point system for those times when you really need to beat the odds.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Depends on which campaign I'm running.

Basically, I have 3 different campaign settings in development. Each one has a different idea behind it, & thus, calls for different options to add to that game's particular flavor.

For my standard/core D&D game, I'll use these rules:

• Paladin variants (paladin of honor/freedom/slaughter/tyranny). The paladin of honor will just be a paladin; paladins of freedom are Avengers; paladins of slaughter are Ravagers; & paladins of tyranny are blackguards (no blackguard PrC, BTW).
• Terrain-based racial variants (not the planar-based variants, though).
• Domain wizards (this is still a maybe)
• Character traits & flaws
• Craft points (maybe)
• Contacts
• Reputation

I'll also use one of the Level Adjustment idea from the WotC website (basically, a PC race with a LA of +1 or higher has a negative equal to that #, which is bought off by gaining XP; or a starting character only has some of his/her racial abilities, & gains the rest of those abilities 1st with XP instead of levels in his/her class).

For my Lankhmar-based campaign, I'll be using a lot more optional rules:

• Generic classes
• Character traits & flaws
• Vitality/Wound Points
• Action Points
• Contacts
• Reputation
• Taint (to represent the, well, "taint" gained from using black magic)
• Incantations
• Spell points (maybe)

In addition to this, I'll probably use my own variant of a Defense bonus (sort of like in d20 Modern, where the Defense Bonus stacks with the equipment-based Armor Bonus). I'll also use the Alliegiances system from d20 Modern rather than Alignment (since it's a darker setting). There'll be more custom races than modified ones, as well as custom PrCs for the setting.

For a (possible, still-in-development) 3rd campaign setting set in the world of my writing, I'll use:

• Generic classes
• Character traits & flaws
• Contacts
• Reputation
• Incantations
• Action points (maybe)
• Spell points (maybe)
• Craft points (maybe)

However, I'll probably use a lot more homebrew rules/ideas for this setting; new PC races; a Defense Bonus (weaker than the 1 proposed for Lankhmar); allowing "bonus spells" from a high ability score to count toward a spellcaster's known spells as well as toward his/her spells/day; new PrCs; & possibly some new feats/flaws/traits as well.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Been using W&V, DR for Armor, and Defense Bonuses for some time.

Haven't bought the book yet, so no telling for sure what all I do or don't want to use. Quite a bit doesn't even sound interesting, while other parts I'd like to get a more in-depth look at.

 

[WanderingMonster]

• Contacts
• Reputation
• Defense Bonus
• Reserve Points
• Action Points
• Metamagic Components
• Recharge Magic
• Incantations

Here are two feats by the way, for use in a recharge magic system (we're play testing these yet, so beware):

Rapid Recharge [Metamagic]

Your spell energy recharges faster than normal.

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 3+

Benefit: Spells with a General Recharge Time (see table 5–6, p158 UA), may be cast as if they were two levels lower. No spell may have a recharge time more frequent than every round.



Example: A 6th level sorcerer normally casts 3rd level general recharge spells at an interval of 1d4+1 rounds, 2nd level at 1d4+1 rounds, and 1st level at 1d4 rounds. With Rapid Recharge, he can cast 3rd level spells at an interval of 1d4 rounds, 2nd level at 1d4 rounds, and 1st level at 1d3 rounds (two steps lower on the chart).



You may take this feat more than once, but each additional time only decreases the level by one more step.



Spell Expert [Metamagic]

You can cast specific spells with very little time and effort.

Prerequisite: Spell Focus, key ability 13+

Benefit: A spellcaster may select a number of general recharge spells he knows equal to the modifier of her key spellcasting ability (Charisma for bards and sorcerers; Wisdom for clerics, paladins, and rangers). She may cast these spells as if they had the standard general recharge time minus her key ability modifier (Charisma or Wisdom). For specific recharge spells, the time is divided by a factor equal to 1+ the caster’s ability modifier (Charisma or Wisdom). General recharge spells can not be reduced to a recharge time below 0.



Example: A 6th level sorcerer with a Charisma of 15 may choose two spells to use with her Spell Expert feat. She chooses fireball and charm person. Her fireball has a new recharge time of 1d4–1, and her charm person spell has a specific recharge time of 20 minutes (1 hour/3).



The effects of Spell Expert do stack with the benefits of Rapid Recharge.

 

[Wombat]

Planning to use several types of variants listed in UA, but none of them as written in the book.

I already have better versions of everything I might be inclined to use from the book from other sources.

 

[Will]

I'm adopting the general principle of 'swap special abilities to make specific classes.'

It's sort of starting with regular classes but moving vaguely toward generic classes. It's perfect for those players who really think one or two special abilities are right for their character, but multiclassing moves them off of character concept.

I have a paladin, for example, who could really use Favored Enemy: Undead. It might make sense for him to take ranger levels (since he's a bit 'woodsy'), but combat mastery is completely pointless for him. Taking ranger levels but swapping combat mastery for something else might be perfect.

 

[trentonjoe]

I'm adopting the general principle of 'swap special abilities to make specific classes.'

.

Me too. I love the Specialist wizard variants. I am going to start playing the "new" conjurerer (with new summoning list) on Wednesday.

 

[Morpheus]

I'm going to use Contacts for sure. We will also, maybe, use the Whirling Frenzy variant for barbarian rage. We tried the Players Roll All the Dice and my players didn't like it. I think it had to do with the fact that they kept knocking themselves out with good rolls (i.e. low rolls). There are a few more I'm looking at, but that's it for now.