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Message: <blockquote data-quote="solomoncane" data-source="post: 1567171" data-attributes="member: 19833">Great thread! A lot of great minds thinking like my damaged one.I used to be a rule junkie, accumulating tons of paper & cd-roms.Now that I'm older (with less free time), I look for ways to simplify while increasing versatility.By consolidating 3.0, 3.5, modern, free web stuff, and a few off-the-shelf products,a very streamlined yet flexible system has emerged.Shelves of books and volumes of binders have been replaced with a small notebook of rules.These have evolved over time and been used for fantasy, pulp, and sci-fi settings.Here are the highlights...COMBATKen Hood's Grim-N-Gritty (GnG) Combat System: realistic and concise.    Now using the simplified and revised version (even simpler).The grimness of GNG is softened with use of Action Points.No AoO (This and GnG combine to eliminate a lot of feats).No miniatures: Narrative range system used.MAGICUse a version of the Skill Based Magic System found at archmagus.us.    Add a few tweaks from the Elements of Magic Revised.This is a concise system that allows careful magic-users to fight all day.It also eliminates the need for volumes of spells and rules.CHARACTER CREATIONUsually use 32 or 34 point buy system.Choose a background (Streamlined version of modern d20 occupations).FANTASY RACESPrime PC races: Human, Dwarf, Elf."Fell" version of each prime race (this is campaign flavor): Orc, Hobgoblin, Drow.Human Hybrids: Half-Elf, Half-Dwarf, Half-Orc, Half-Goblin, Half-Drow.Small Races: generally only NPCs due to Grim-N-Gritty bias.No weapon familiarity or specific skill bonuses.CLASSESOnly 2 core classes: Warrior and Scholar.Warrior: All non-spell special abilities of barbarian, fighter, monk, paladin, & ranger converted to feats.    You can recreate SRD classes or mix-and-match.Scholar: Each level grants either lots of skill points/abilities or a spellcaster level.    Take all skills/abilities and you're essentially a rogue or an academic.    Take all spellcaster levels and you're essentially a sorcerer/wizard.    Mix the 2 level choices and you're essentially a bard.Multiclassing the 2 core classes can recreate the cleric, druid, paladin, ranger, etc.No multi-classing restrictions, except that it requires special training & time to add a 2nd core class.No prestige classes: variety of special abilities and multiclassing makes this unnecessary.I am considering adding a 3rd class, Hero (Four Color To Fantasy) for superheroes.SKILLSThe number of skills is greatly collapsed as related skills are blended together.As a result, PCs get about half the skill points they would get under the SRD.All skills are class skills (no cross-class penalties).Examples of skill combinations:    Acrobatics (Dex): Balance, Escape Artist, Tumble.    Athletics (Str): Climb, Jump, Swim.    Awareness (Wis): Listen, Sense Motive, Spot.    Stealth (Dex): Hide, Move Silently.FEATSThe use of GnG and no AoO greatly reduce the number of feats.Lesser and greater versions of feats are combined, but PCs get fewer free feats..Since many skills are already combined, there are no +2/+2 skill feats (Skill Focus only).The magic system eliminates the need for most metamagic feats.Dodge grants a general +1 Dodge bonus and can be purchased multiple times (stacking).Magic Item creation is a single feat that allows different creations at each level.Technical Proficiency for each Cultural Level influences Weapon Proficiency & Craft-like skills.Weapon Proficiencies: Simple, Martial , & Exotic versions of Melee, Projectile, and Firearm.    Each category (Simple, Martial, Exotic) gets you the entire sub-list.    GnG combat tends to favor skill over weapon selection.SAVING THROWS:Bonuses: Fort (Str & Con), Reflex (Dex & Int), Will (Wis & Cha).This means that no ability is easily dumped.It can give an extra boost to aid in surviving the intensity of Skill-Magic & GnG combat.EQUIPMENTMedium Armor: move 30', run 3x.Weapon and Armor Degradation (simplified).Any weapon with a hardness equivalent to adamantine (20?) can defeat DR/adamantine.</blockquote>

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