kitsune9
Adventurer
Ouch. That would make combats really brutal really quick.
What are your houserules?
- Thread starter joela
- Start date
Ouch. That would make combats really brutal really quick.
coyote6
Adventurer
How will you change them? Combine more skills, or de-combine others?
I'm curious because I just decided to combine Climb and Swim into Athletics for my M&M game (which also lets me call for Athletics checks for footraces or the like), and if/when I run a Pathfinder/3.x game again, I was thinking about doing the same thing.
Archade
Azer Paladin
My house rules were pretty extensive before the final version came out ... now they are very very short. I'm pretty gratified to see some of my house rules / playtest suggestions were incorporated to the final rules, and some of the final solutions were better than anything I could come up with.
But here are my existing house rules ...
TRAINING YOUR CHARACTER
Characters who study, research, train, or meditate may gain 1d6 x (Int/Wis/Cha) Modifier (whichever is highest) experience points per week. This is good for advancing sedentary characters or NPCS.
RETRAINING YOUR CHARACTER
If at any point, you decide you have not made appropriate choices, you may choose to retrain certain aspects of your character. These changes require dedicated contemplation, study, or pursuit of the character’s new interests.
Retraining requires the character not spend any time engaged in strenuous or demanding activities, such as adventuring, magic item creation, spell research, traveling, or the like.
All changes to a character must be ‘backwards-compatable’. If a 12th level character retrains 4 levels of wizard for 4 levels of fighter, not only must they give back skill points, they must ensure their total skill points used are a valid build option for their current configuration, as if the character had never had those 4 levels of wizard. Likewise, if a character retrains a feat, they must have been able to take all their feats and meet their various prerequisites in some sort of legal and valid order.
If a character comes back from the dead, via raise dead, or some similar magic, they may change one thing about their character (a feat, a class level, or the like) should they choose.
Class: A class level may be changed if a character wishes to substitute a class level for another, they may do by spending a month in study. The character must ‘give back’ their class skill points, class abilities, and bonus feats. This can only be performed once per level.
If a character wishes to retrain their specialized wizard class, they must ‘give back’ all levels of the class and replace them.
Class Features: A character may retrain a class feature, such as a ranger’s choice of favored enemy, an advanced rogue talent, or a cleric’s domain choice by spending two weeks of retraining. If the class feature bestows a bonus feat on the character, it must be retrained as a feat below. This can only be performed once per level.
Skills: A character may retrain up to 4 skill points by spending a week of retraining. If a character is reallocating skill points to learn a new language, they must have a tutor or other source of the new language. This can only be performed once per level.
Feats: A character may retrain a feat by spending two weeks of retraining. This can only be performed once per level.
RANGER
Combat Style (Ex): The following additional combat styles are available to the ranger class:
If the ranger selects riding, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Mounted Casting, and Skill Focus (Ride). At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Ride-By Attack and Trample. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spirited Charge and Improved Mounted Archery.
If the ranger selects skirmishing, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Combat Expertise, and Dash. At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Mobility and Improved Feint. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spring Attack and Whirlwind Attack.
ROGUE
Rogue Talents: The following additional talents are available to a rogue character:
Fast Talker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make a Diplomacy check as a standard action at a -20 to their check.
Jack of All Trades (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make any skill check, even if it is limited to trained only.
Hidden Countenance (Ex): This ability grants a rogue the ability to conceal certain actions if they succeed at a Sleight of Hand check at –10, opposed by Perception. This includes spellcasting, attacks, aiding another, drawing a hidden weapon, using a magic item, readying an action, or the like. If the opponent does not succeed a Perception check, sneak attack damage may apply.
Slippery (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make an Escape Artist check as a swift action.
Misleading Stance (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use Bluff to feint in combat against all opponents within 30 feet.
Dangerous Tongue (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to double the duration of Intimidate checks to make opponents shaken.
Likeable Scoundrel (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use his Bluff skill for Diplomacy checks, or his Diplomacy skill for Bluff checks.
EXPERIENCE AND LEVELS
NPC Classes: As NPC classes are far less beneficial than regular character classes, it is easier to advance forward in these classes – this is the reason NPCs prefer to advance in these classes, in order to gain skills and feats that advance their livelihood rather than gain abilities needed for adventuring.
Characters who take a level of Commoner gain immediately 50% of the experience needed to gain the next level.
Characters who take a level of Expert, Warrior, Adept, or Aristocrat gain immediately 25% of the experience needed to gain the next level.
SKILLS
AID ANOTHER
For every 10 points you exceed the DC of 10, you grant an additional +1 to your aid bonus granted, whether it be to aid in a skill, or to grant a bonus in combat.
CRAFT
Profession Checks: If you practice a low-risk craft (cook, groom, animal trainer, farmer, etc) and can make a DC 15 check you can earn your Craft check in gp per month. If you fail your check, you earn nothing this month.
If you practice a medium-risk craft (armorer, weaponsmith, mason, architect, etc) and can make a DC 20 check you can earn twice your check in gp per month. If you fail your check, you earn nothing this month.
If you practice a high-risk craft (alchemist, shipwright, etc) and can make a DC 25 check, you can earn 4x your check in gp per month.
Crafting an Item: To craft an item, make an income check as above to represent a week’s worth of work. If the check succeeds, your income roll determines progress towards the market value of the item. If the result equals the price of the item, then you have completed the item. If the result equals double or triple the price of the item, then you’ve completed the task in one-half or one-third of the time. Other multiples of the DC reduce the time in the same manner. If the result doesn’t equal the price, then it represents the progress you’ve made this week. Record the result and make a new Craft check for the next week. Each week, you make more progress until your total reaches the price of the item.
You can attempt to construct an item more quickly by adding +10 to the DC check. If you succeed, you double your progress that week.
You can choose to make an item with only one-quarter the value of the item in raw materials, but you suffer a -10 to the check.
PERCEPTION
Identifying the properties of a potion by taste: DC 20 + item caster level.
DIPLOMACY
Selling Goods: Any character can sell up to the gp limit of a town per day in goods. However, a character may use a Diplomacy check to sell more than this in a day. If a character can make a DC 15 Diplomacy check, they sell an extra multiple of the town’s gp limit, and a further multiple for every 5 points they exceed the DC by.
If a character is in a rush to sell products, they can attempt a DC 25 Diplomacy check to sell up to the town’s gp limit in an hour. For every 5 points they exceed 25 by, they may sell an extra multiple.
Buying Goods: Diplomacy can be used to locate and acquire equipment or magic items. There is always a 75% chance that an item up to the town’s gp limit is available. A character with Diplomacy can spend an hour and make a further DC 20 Diplomacy check for a reroll. Further rerolls are allowed, but the DC increases 5 each time.
A DC 25 Diplomacy check and an hour reveals the list of unique items for sale in any given town.
A character can also hire a specialist, such as an enterprising merchant or a local expert on swords to find these items for you, if an item is not available. This requires a DC 25 Diplomacy check, increases the cost of the item by 10%, and requires 1d6 days per 5,000 gp market price of the item.
A character may also use Knowledge (local) or Appraise to locate items, but the DC is 5 higher.
SPELLCRAFT
Identifying a Spell: If you are attempting to identify a spell, and you cannot see the somatic actions being used, or cannot hear the verbal components, you take a cumulative +4 DC penalty for each component not viewed to identify the spell.
Identifying a spell-like ability adds +8 to the DC to identify it as they have no formal verbal or somatic components.
Identifying the properties of a magic item: DC 20 + item caster level.
RAPID RELOAD
The Rapid Reload feat, which normally works only on crossbows, also works on firearms in the Western Marches Campaign.
DAMAGE
Massive Damage: If you ever sustain damage so massive that a single attack deals over half your hit points or more than 50 points of damage, whichever is greater, and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a Fortitude save, the DC being 15 + 2 per 10 points over 50 (for example, a medium creature taking 62 points of damage just made a DC 17 Fortitude save). If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. This amount of damage represents a single trauma so major that it has a chance to kill even the toughest creature. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply.
For each size category larger or smaller than medium, add or subtract 10 points from your threshold.
DISARM
Grabbing Items: You can use a disarm action to snatch an item worn by the target (such as a necklace or a pair of goggles) but the DC is +5. Unlike on a normal disarm attempt, failing the attempt doesn’t allow the defender to attempt to disarm you. This otherwise functions identically to a disarm attempt, as noted above.
You can’t snatch an item that is well secured, such as a ring or bracelet, unless you have pinned the wearer (see Grapple). Even then, the defender gains a +5 bonus on his roll to resist the attempt.
But here are my existing house rules ...
TRAINING YOUR CHARACTER
Characters who study, research, train, or meditate may gain 1d6 x (Int/Wis/Cha) Modifier (whichever is highest) experience points per week. This is good for advancing sedentary characters or NPCS.
RETRAINING YOUR CHARACTER
If at any point, you decide you have not made appropriate choices, you may choose to retrain certain aspects of your character. These changes require dedicated contemplation, study, or pursuit of the character’s new interests.
Retraining requires the character not spend any time engaged in strenuous or demanding activities, such as adventuring, magic item creation, spell research, traveling, or the like.
All changes to a character must be ‘backwards-compatable’. If a 12th level character retrains 4 levels of wizard for 4 levels of fighter, not only must they give back skill points, they must ensure their total skill points used are a valid build option for their current configuration, as if the character had never had those 4 levels of wizard. Likewise, if a character retrains a feat, they must have been able to take all their feats and meet their various prerequisites in some sort of legal and valid order.
If a character comes back from the dead, via raise dead, or some similar magic, they may change one thing about their character (a feat, a class level, or the like) should they choose.
Class: A class level may be changed if a character wishes to substitute a class level for another, they may do by spending a month in study. The character must ‘give back’ their class skill points, class abilities, and bonus feats. This can only be performed once per level.
If a character wishes to retrain their specialized wizard class, they must ‘give back’ all levels of the class and replace them.
Class Features: A character may retrain a class feature, such as a ranger’s choice of favored enemy, an advanced rogue talent, or a cleric’s domain choice by spending two weeks of retraining. If the class feature bestows a bonus feat on the character, it must be retrained as a feat below. This can only be performed once per level.
Skills: A character may retrain up to 4 skill points by spending a week of retraining. If a character is reallocating skill points to learn a new language, they must have a tutor or other source of the new language. This can only be performed once per level.
Feats: A character may retrain a feat by spending two weeks of retraining. This can only be performed once per level.
RANGER
Combat Style (Ex): The following additional combat styles are available to the ranger class:
If the ranger selects riding, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Mounted Casting, and Skill Focus (Ride). At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Ride-By Attack and Trample. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spirited Charge and Improved Mounted Archery.
If the ranger selects skirmishing, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Combat Expertise, and Dash. At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Mobility and Improved Feint. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spring Attack and Whirlwind Attack.
ROGUE
Rogue Talents: The following additional talents are available to a rogue character:
Fast Talker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make a Diplomacy check as a standard action at a -20 to their check.
Jack of All Trades (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make any skill check, even if it is limited to trained only.
Hidden Countenance (Ex): This ability grants a rogue the ability to conceal certain actions if they succeed at a Sleight of Hand check at –10, opposed by Perception. This includes spellcasting, attacks, aiding another, drawing a hidden weapon, using a magic item, readying an action, or the like. If the opponent does not succeed a Perception check, sneak attack damage may apply.
Slippery (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make an Escape Artist check as a swift action.
Misleading Stance (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use Bluff to feint in combat against all opponents within 30 feet.
Dangerous Tongue (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to double the duration of Intimidate checks to make opponents shaken.
Likeable Scoundrel (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use his Bluff skill for Diplomacy checks, or his Diplomacy skill for Bluff checks.
EXPERIENCE AND LEVELS
NPC Classes: As NPC classes are far less beneficial than regular character classes, it is easier to advance forward in these classes – this is the reason NPCs prefer to advance in these classes, in order to gain skills and feats that advance their livelihood rather than gain abilities needed for adventuring.
Characters who take a level of Commoner gain immediately 50% of the experience needed to gain the next level.
Characters who take a level of Expert, Warrior, Adept, or Aristocrat gain immediately 25% of the experience needed to gain the next level.
SKILLS
AID ANOTHER
For every 10 points you exceed the DC of 10, you grant an additional +1 to your aid bonus granted, whether it be to aid in a skill, or to grant a bonus in combat.
CRAFT
Profession Checks: If you practice a low-risk craft (cook, groom, animal trainer, farmer, etc) and can make a DC 15 check you can earn your Craft check in gp per month. If you fail your check, you earn nothing this month.
If you practice a medium-risk craft (armorer, weaponsmith, mason, architect, etc) and can make a DC 20 check you can earn twice your check in gp per month. If you fail your check, you earn nothing this month.
If you practice a high-risk craft (alchemist, shipwright, etc) and can make a DC 25 check, you can earn 4x your check in gp per month.
Crafting an Item: To craft an item, make an income check as above to represent a week’s worth of work. If the check succeeds, your income roll determines progress towards the market value of the item. If the result equals the price of the item, then you have completed the item. If the result equals double or triple the price of the item, then you’ve completed the task in one-half or one-third of the time. Other multiples of the DC reduce the time in the same manner. If the result doesn’t equal the price, then it represents the progress you’ve made this week. Record the result and make a new Craft check for the next week. Each week, you make more progress until your total reaches the price of the item.
You can attempt to construct an item more quickly by adding +10 to the DC check. If you succeed, you double your progress that week.
You can choose to make an item with only one-quarter the value of the item in raw materials, but you suffer a -10 to the check.
PERCEPTION
Identifying the properties of a potion by taste: DC 20 + item caster level.
DIPLOMACY
Selling Goods: Any character can sell up to the gp limit of a town per day in goods. However, a character may use a Diplomacy check to sell more than this in a day. If a character can make a DC 15 Diplomacy check, they sell an extra multiple of the town’s gp limit, and a further multiple for every 5 points they exceed the DC by.
If a character is in a rush to sell products, they can attempt a DC 25 Diplomacy check to sell up to the town’s gp limit in an hour. For every 5 points they exceed 25 by, they may sell an extra multiple.
Buying Goods: Diplomacy can be used to locate and acquire equipment or magic items. There is always a 75% chance that an item up to the town’s gp limit is available. A character with Diplomacy can spend an hour and make a further DC 20 Diplomacy check for a reroll. Further rerolls are allowed, but the DC increases 5 each time.
A DC 25 Diplomacy check and an hour reveals the list of unique items for sale in any given town.
A character can also hire a specialist, such as an enterprising merchant or a local expert on swords to find these items for you, if an item is not available. This requires a DC 25 Diplomacy check, increases the cost of the item by 10%, and requires 1d6 days per 5,000 gp market price of the item.
A character may also use Knowledge (local) or Appraise to locate items, but the DC is 5 higher.
SPELLCRAFT
Identifying a Spell: If you are attempting to identify a spell, and you cannot see the somatic actions being used, or cannot hear the verbal components, you take a cumulative +4 DC penalty for each component not viewed to identify the spell.
Identifying a spell-like ability adds +8 to the DC to identify it as they have no formal verbal or somatic components.
Identifying the properties of a magic item: DC 20 + item caster level.
RAPID RELOAD
The Rapid Reload feat, which normally works only on crossbows, also works on firearms in the Western Marches Campaign.
DAMAGE
Massive Damage: If you ever sustain damage so massive that a single attack deals over half your hit points or more than 50 points of damage, whichever is greater, and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a Fortitude save, the DC being 15 + 2 per 10 points over 50 (for example, a medium creature taking 62 points of damage just made a DC 17 Fortitude save). If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. This amount of damage represents a single trauma so major that it has a chance to kill even the toughest creature. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply.
For each size category larger or smaller than medium, add or subtract 10 points from your threshold.
DISARM
Grabbing Items: You can use a disarm action to snatch an item worn by the target (such as a necklace or a pair of goggles) but the DC is +5. Unlike on a normal disarm attempt, failing the attempt doesn’t allow the defender to attempt to disarm you. This otherwise functions identically to a disarm attempt, as noted above.
You can’t snatch an item that is well secured, such as a ring or bracelet, unless you have pinned the wearer (see Grapple). Even then, the defender gains a +5 bonus on his roll to resist the attempt.
Jeff Wilder
First Post
A little of both.
We split Perception into "active" and "passive" (Observe and Notice, respectively). Active takes a move action. Passive puts the DCs 5 higher. We put Appraise into Observe.
We removed Jump from Acrobatics and combined Jump, Climb, and Swim into Athletics.
We removed Speak Language from Linguistics.
We put Ride into Handle Animal.
We put Sleight of Hand into Bluff.
When making decisions, we considered realism and utility. Where they were anywhere close, we went with utility. In a game, 1 skill point spent in a skill should be roughly equal in utility to 1 skill point spent in any other skill. (There's some aspect of marginal utility in play, and other factors, but in general, if you max out Athletics, it should be somewhere near as useful as if someone has maxed out Stealth. Swin versus Stealth fails that test. Badly.)
Jeff
StreamOfTheSky
Adventurer
Still working on them. In particular, the spellcasting classes and the spells will take a long time to look over and judge. I can tell just by looking that I'm very, very unhappy with the scissor snipping polymorph got...
My ruminations and changes thus far:
[sblock]
Races:
Dwarves: Seem way too good overall. Specifically, Stability should be reduced to +2, like the various improved combat maneuver feats have been. Might also reduce the saves bonus to +1.
Gnomes: Getting rid of low-light vision and perception bonus, giving them darkvision and +2 on perception checks to listen. Seems odd that they get +1 illusion DC, but +2 on illusion saves. Normally races negate bonuses
for tat, like with small size's +1 attack and AC becoming a wash if both attackers are small.
Halflings: Might trade the perception bonus for low-light or darkvision. Otherwise fine.
Classes:
Overall: Thinking of dropping druid and cleric to d6 HD, and wizard and sorcerer back to d4. I like the improved HD of rogue and bard.
Bard: Need to reduce it back down to 3.5's spells per day. They get more per day at a given level than wizards and druids!
Barbarian: I don't like the idea of barbarians having tumble (acrobatics) as a class skill... You should get to replace roused anger after getting tireless rage, since it becomes completely useless.
Fighter: Might add perception to the class skill list. Weapon Training seems to exist solely to make Favored Enemy cry. It needs to go. Badly. Overall, I'm really disappointed. They just gave the fighter a bunch more +numbers to combat stuff and didn't do to help Fighters with out of combat stuff.
Monk: Any ability that lets a monk use his monk level instead of BAB only replaces the monk BAB. In other words, multiclassed monks can still use flurry without sucking. Ditto for Maneuver Training. Monk level replaces BAB from the monk levels in the case of multiclassed characters. The flurry of blows attack bonus listing on the table confuses the out of me.
Paladin: Smite Evil seems a bit over the top. It can potentially do a LOT of damage for a single use. The code of conduct allows for some evil association if absolutely necessary, but overall seems harsher than in 3.5.
Rogue: Why do they list specific combat feats for rogue talents, when you can just choose a combat feat anyway? Or is it that you can only take a combat feat with the class feature once?
Sorcerer & Wizard: Just...wow. Some of their new class features are really strong. Just how badly have spells been nerfed? Because they really didn't need all this help...
Spellcasting:
Concentration: Way too punitive to expect a level 1 character to roll CL + casting stat + d20 against DC 17. And it becomes easy to cast defensively at higher levels. I'm going to switch to DC 10 +3x spell level for casting defensively.
Combat:
Combat maneuvers: Changing the modifiers for size to +/- 0/2/4/6/8, from the listed 0/1/2/4/8. Just seems more evenly distributed, and the modifiers close to medium are just way too minute.
Disarm: I think I liked it better as an opposed attack roll. Then again, I liked all of the combat maneuvers better as opposed checks, but they wanted to speed up combat, so whatever. I do find it appalling that in 3.5 being smaller gave you a benefit of the disarm roll (attack bonus), while as now being larger is better. That's a really dramatic shift.
Minimum Damage: Houseruling it to be a minimum of 1 damage (lethal or nonlethal, as the attack was originally) instead of 1 nonlethal damage. This still does not apply for DR, which CAN completely negate damage, only penalties on your damage roll (low str, cursed, silver weapon, etc...)
Hit Points: You die at -10 hp if you have a con score below 10.
Skills:
I miss synergies...
Acrobatics: I kind of want to break this up. I know barbarians need their jump, but I don't see why they should be good at balancing and tumbling. I'll leave it alone for now and assume the new barbarian needs his graceful somersaults to function. But it's on my list to maybe add jump to climb as a grouped skill and make acrobatics tumble/balance only.
Climb: Might roll jump into this, as noted above.
Diplomacy: Not sure I like gather info grouped here. I'll try it for now. Thinking of moving it into knowledge local. The DCs for making requests of a creature seem laughably easy on first glance.
Disable Device: Totally grouping search with this. Screw you, Perception! It will be int-based. Moving open locks to Sleight of Hand, which will be renamed "Thievery."
Escape Artist: I think allowing someone to use Escape Artist bonus +10 instead of CMD to avoid a grapple is fair.
Fly: I like the idea, first of all. Don't like the "you need a natural fly speed to take ranks..." line. Why can't you take it as a crossclass skill?
Knowledges: Huh, based on CR now. Still can't ID a human untrained without going to the library, which remains humorous. I think I'll keep my old houserule about learning basic things common to all memebers of a race for things like dragons, which have many different entries with advanced HD. So a low result could still tell you things true for a wyrmling of the color, assuming you rolled high enough to ID the creature to begin with.
Perception: Spot and Listen combined is good enough already. Search goes to Disable Device, which obviously needs a new name. Elves will get +2 on this new skill for checks to search (but not to disable device). I don't think any other race that now gets perception had a search bonus in 3.5, so tough luck for them.
Sleight of Hand: Adding Open Locks to it, renaming it Thieving.
[/sblock]
If you don't want to read that, the most important parts / things I'm 100% set in stone on changing:
Dwarves: Only +2 stability bonus.
Monks: Anything that has you use monk level for BAB is clarified to only replace BAB from monk levels, so multiclass monks don't get screwed.
Combat Maneuvers: Size modifiers changed to +/- 0/2/4/6/8
Concentration: defensive casting has a DC of 10 + 3 / spell level (10, 13, 16, etc...)
Minimum Damage: Set back to 1 lethal (or nonlethal, if attacking in that fashion), as per 3E. Otherwise things immune to nonlethal damage could not be hurt be really eak attacks.
Hit Points: You die at -10 if your con score is less than that.
Skills: Search is going to disable device. Open locks is going to sleight of hand. Escape Artist bonus +10 can be used as CMD to avoid grapples.
My ruminations and changes thus far:
[sblock]
Races:
Dwarves: Seem way too good overall. Specifically, Stability should be reduced to +2, like the various improved combat maneuver feats have been. Might also reduce the saves bonus to +1.
Gnomes: Getting rid of low-light vision and perception bonus, giving them darkvision and +2 on perception checks to listen. Seems odd that they get +1 illusion DC, but +2 on illusion saves. Normally races negate bonuses
for tat, like with small size's +1 attack and AC becoming a wash if both attackers are small.Halflings: Might trade the perception bonus for low-light or darkvision. Otherwise fine.
Classes:
Overall: Thinking of dropping druid and cleric to d6 HD, and wizard and sorcerer back to d4. I like the improved HD of rogue and bard.
Bard: Need to reduce it back down to 3.5's spells per day. They get more per day at a given level than wizards and druids!
Barbarian: I don't like the idea of barbarians having tumble (acrobatics) as a class skill... You should get to replace roused anger after getting tireless rage, since it becomes completely useless.
Fighter: Might add perception to the class skill list. Weapon Training seems to exist solely to make Favored Enemy cry. It needs to go. Badly. Overall, I'm really disappointed. They just gave the fighter a bunch more +numbers to combat stuff and didn't do
to help Fighters with out of combat stuff.Monk: Any ability that lets a monk use his monk level instead of BAB only replaces the monk BAB. In other words, multiclassed monks can still use flurry without sucking. Ditto for Maneuver Training. Monk level replaces BAB from the monk levels in the case of multiclassed characters. The flurry of blows attack bonus listing on the table confuses the
out of me.Paladin: Smite Evil seems a bit over the top. It can potentially do a LOT of damage for a single use. The code of conduct allows for some evil association if absolutely necessary, but overall seems harsher than in 3.5.
Rogue: Why do they list specific combat feats for rogue talents, when you can just choose a combat feat anyway? Or is it that you can only take a combat feat with the class feature once?
Sorcerer & Wizard: Just...wow. Some of their new class features are really strong. Just how badly have spells been nerfed? Because they really didn't need all this help...
Spellcasting:
Concentration: Way too punitive to expect a level 1 character to roll CL + casting stat + d20 against DC 17. And it becomes easy to cast defensively at higher levels. I'm going to switch to DC 10 +3x spell level for casting defensively.
Combat:
Combat maneuvers: Changing the modifiers for size to +/- 0/2/4/6/8, from the listed 0/1/2/4/8. Just seems more evenly distributed, and the modifiers close to medium are just way too minute.
Disarm: I think I liked it better as an opposed attack roll. Then again, I liked all of the combat maneuvers better as opposed checks, but they wanted to speed up combat, so whatever. I do find it appalling that in 3.5 being smaller gave you a benefit of the disarm roll (attack bonus), while as now being larger is better. That's a really dramatic shift.
Minimum Damage: Houseruling it to be a minimum of 1 damage (lethal or nonlethal, as the attack was originally) instead of 1 nonlethal damage. This still does not apply for DR, which CAN completely negate damage, only penalties on your damage roll (low str, cursed, silver weapon, etc...)
Hit Points: You die at -10 hp if you have a con score below 10.
Skills:
I miss synergies...
Acrobatics: I kind of want to break this up. I know barbarians need their jump, but I don't see why they should be good at balancing and tumbling. I'll leave it alone for now and assume the new barbarian needs his graceful somersaults to function. But it's on my list to maybe add jump to climb as a grouped skill and make acrobatics tumble/balance only.
Climb: Might roll jump into this, as noted above.
Diplomacy: Not sure I like gather info grouped here. I'll try it for now. Thinking of moving it into knowledge local. The DCs for making requests of a creature seem laughably easy on first glance.
Disable Device: Totally grouping search with this. Screw you, Perception! It will be int-based. Moving open locks to Sleight of Hand, which will be renamed "Thievery."
Escape Artist: I think allowing someone to use Escape Artist bonus +10 instead of CMD to avoid a grapple is fair.
Fly: I like the idea, first of all. Don't like the "you need a natural fly speed to take ranks..." line. Why can't you take it as a crossclass skill?
Knowledges: Huh, based on CR now. Still can't ID a human untrained without going to the library, which remains humorous. I think I'll keep my old houserule about learning basic things common to all memebers of a race for things like dragons, which have many different entries with advanced HD. So a low result could still tell you things true for a wyrmling of the color, assuming you rolled high enough to ID the creature to begin with.
Perception: Spot and Listen combined is good enough already. Search goes to Disable Device, which obviously needs a new name. Elves will get +2 on this new skill for checks to search (but not to disable device). I don't think any other race that now gets perception had a search bonus in 3.5, so tough luck for them.
Sleight of Hand: Adding Open Locks to it, renaming it Thieving.
[/sblock]
If you don't want to read that, the most important parts / things I'm 100% set in stone on changing:
Dwarves: Only +2 stability bonus.
Monks: Anything that has you use monk level for BAB is clarified to only replace BAB from monk levels, so multiclass monks don't get screwed.
Combat Maneuvers: Size modifiers changed to +/- 0/2/4/6/8
Concentration: defensive casting has a DC of 10 + 3 / spell level (10, 13, 16, etc...)
Minimum Damage: Set back to 1 lethal (or nonlethal, if attacking in that fashion), as per 3E. Otherwise things immune to nonlethal damage could not be hurt be really eak attacks.
Hit Points: You die at -10 if your con score is less than that.
Skills: Search is going to disable device. Open locks is going to sleight of hand. Escape Artist bonus +10 can be used as CMD to avoid grapples.
StreamOfTheSky
Adventurer
Yeah, I've used that rule before, I like it. Probably will also use that. In a similar vein, the rule from OA for greater fighting defensively and total defense AC for every 10 ranks in tumble beyond 5. I think I'll be adding that if it's not already in there.
Totally agree. The disparity in usefullness in skills is amazing, and skills is probably the worst part of PF. The skill rules still aren't as awful as I first thought. I think the +3 for trained class skills is a decent trade-off to help out class skills now that crossclass have no lower limit and cost the same to purchase.
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StreamOfTheSky
Adventurer
New houserule/clarification!
Point Blank Shot applies to weapon-like (spells using an attack roll) spells. In general, weapon-like spells are assumed to be treated as weapons for bonuses/penalties to attack and damage, unless specifically noted otherwise.
Point Blank Shot applies to weapon-like (spells using an attack roll) spells. In general, weapon-like spells are assumed to be treated as weapons for bonuses/penalties to attack and damage, unless specifically noted otherwise.
