Unearthed Arcana Variant Rules - Previews and Questions

[Kichwas]

How does the six stage injury system work?

If you hit you with a sword, do you make a saving throw to determine where you are, or something else?

Is it different if you're level 15 or level 2?

Does it say how to convert a monster over to it? A 5d8+5 hit dice monster vs. say, a 5d8+8 or a 20d8?

Is there a difference between a 5d4 hit die and a 5d12 hit die creature? How about a 3d4 and a 1d12 hit die creature?

Can it work together with the Armor as damage system, or was no thought put into using them together?

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Reducing Level Adjustments - Per Three class levels you attain you may buy a reduction to your LA with XP

What does this accomplish?

gestalt characters - effectively taking two classes at once: just use all class features and the better of all variable features (for example Base Attack, Base Saves, # of skill points...)

Does this include half-levels? If it doesn't I can't see this as a viable choice for beginning characters.

Bloodlines (take 2) - Ancestors available: Celestial, Demon, Devil, Doppelganger, Black Dragon, Blue Dragon, Brass Dragon, Bronze Dragon, Copper Dragon, Gold Dragon, Green Dragon, Red Dragon, Silver Dragon, White Dragon, Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Water Elemental, Fey, Djinni, Efreeti, Janni, Cloud Giant, Fire Giant, Frost Giant, Hill Giant, Stone Giant, Storm Giant, Githyanki, Githzerai, Hag, Lycanthrope, Minotaur, Ogre, Slaad, Titan, Troll, Vampire, Yuan-ti.
There are three bloodline strength - minor, intermediate, and major, giving 5, 10, or 20 special abilities.
All of that uses up 13 pages.

Interesting, I can see the Birthright comparison.

I couldn't find anything called Damage Save. As I don't know about M&M, I can't correlate. Sorry.

then...

variant hit point systems -
-Injury System: No hp, just 6 conditions: hit, disabled, dying, nonlethal hit, staggered, unconscious.

I think that's it.

Paladin variant specs - There's a 15-level prestige class; P. o. Freedom: Chaotic Good variant; P. o. Slaughter: Chaotic Evil variant; P. o. Tyranny: Lawful Evil variant.

Wish they had given them individualized names, but at least their not as silly as Anti-Paladin.

 

[Ranger REG]

Are you kidding? I love the name: Anti-Paladin. Wasn't silly to me back then, it's not silly now.

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

Armor Damage Conversion :
Each time you're struck, convert lethal damage equal to your armor bonus to nonlethal damage. You also get Damage reduction against nonlethal attacks equal to your armor bonus.

That means in a tavern brawl fists will not really hurt you and against most armored opponents you probably will not kill but just put someone unconscious.


Injury:

Divide damage by 5 (round up) -> damage value
Make a Fortitude Save (DC 15 + damage value)
Success: No effect
Failed by 1 to 9: Hit (if lethal damage) or nonlethal hit (if nonlethal damage)
Failed by 10 or more: Disabled (lethal dmg) or Staggered (nonlethal dmg)

Hit: some minor injury; each gives a cumulative -1 to later Fortitude Saves vs. Injury
Disabled: Almost like 0 hp; if a disabled gets a hit or another disabled he's dying
Dying: Each round a Fortitude Save (DC 10+1 per turn after the first)
-fails: dead
-succeed by less than 5: still dying
-succeed by 5-9: stable, but unconscious
-succeed by 10 or more: conscious and disabled
if a dying gets a hit or a disabled he's dead
It's almost the same with nonlethal hit, staggered, and unconscious, but you can't die of course.
There's some more on Healing, special damage defenses and effects and how this all works together.

Oh, and buzz: Gern geschehen.

 

[Kichwas]

That system looks like the Mutants and Masterminds damage save.

Unfortunately in DnD it fails to take account for high hit die monsters and abilities that boost fort saves become disportionately powerful.

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

What does this accomplish?

Does this include half-levels? If it doesn't I can't see this as a viable choice for beginning characters.


Wish they had given them individualized names, but at least their not as silly as Anti-Paladin.

Reducing LA: As you will lose a level you get more XP and in effect will get to highr levels with less XP in total.

Gestalt: It's actually some kind of melding two classes into one and getting it all. The characters are very high-powered and of course more powerful than any of the standard classes. It's really a strange option, I think.

Well, If you don't want the Anti-Paladin back, you shouldn't look into Dragon #312.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Quote: gestalt characters - effectively taking two classes at once: just use all class features and the better of all variable features (for example Base Attack, Base Saves, # of skill points...) Endquote


How does this work? Do you level up half as often? Or what?

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

That system looks like the Mutants and Masterminds damage save.

Unfortunately in DnD it fails to take account for high hit die monsters and abilities that boost fort saves become disportionately powerful.

Yes

 

[buzz]

IIUC, a gestalt is a combination of two classes. I.e., you take the best bits from both and combine them into one (best save from one with best saves of the otehr, best hit die, etc.). That's what it sounds like, at least.

 

[Kai Lord]

Kai Lord:

Bloodlines (take 2) - Ancestors available: Celestial, Demon, Devil, Doppelganger, Black Dragon, Blue Dragon, Brass Dragon, Bronze Dragon, Copper Dragon, Gold Dragon, Green Dragon, Red Dragon, Silver Dragon, White Dragon, Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Water Elemental, Fey, Djinni, Efreeti, Janni, Cloud Giant, Fire Giant, Frost Giant, Hill Giant, Stone Giant, Storm Giant, Githyanki, Githzerai, Hag, Lycanthrope, Minotaur, Ogre, Slaad, Titan, Troll, Vampire, Yuan-ti.
There are three bloodline strength - minor, intermediate, and major, giving 5, 10, or 20 special abilities.
All of that uses up 13 pages.

Awesome! Thanks for the info. Would you mind posting a few of the abilities given by celestial, doppleganger, fey, and githzerai ancestry? Thanks again.