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Message: <blockquote data-quote="woodelf" data-source="post: 2083273" data-attributes="member: 10201">Well, that sort of depends on what you mean. The actual document is a 203p book, but that has a lot more than houserules--it's also a primer on the setting, and summary of some existing rules. It breaks down as follows:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">35pp of setting info, ripped almost straight from Al Qadim and Land of Fate, with some tweaks here and there to fit my vision (and accommodate a different selection of races), and including a basic map. Also talks about the gods worshipped in Zakhara.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a dozen pages of name lists</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">16pp of suggestions on character roles--i.e., the archetypes appropriate to the setting, and suggestions on races/classes/feats/skills to best match those archetypes</li> </ul>that's the pure-setting material, and i wouldn't call any of it houserules (or even rules, really). Then we get to actual rules:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">25pp of new flavors of champion, totem warrior, and witch. Definitely "houserules", though most of the champions and witches were swiped from other people's work online. Plus a few pages exploring common archetypes for each class.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">10pp of new feats. About a quarter of these are from Ultimate Feats, a quarter are from Net Book of Feats, a quarter are from Dynasties & Demagogues, and a quarter are my own invention (with a smattering of others amongst those three).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">6pp of new racial transformations. Except for gnolls (fan material), all my own.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">3pp of clothing and weapon/armor templates. I completely redid the templates for weapons and armor, systematizing those for armor, tweaking the costs, and introducing a bunch of new options.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">3pp of new spells--though they're just collected from Monte's website</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Calling on Fate. Except for the new magic item creation feats, this is really the first houserules in the book--on p119. [new class options, new feats, new racial transformations, new weapon templates, and new spells are really just new widgets for existing rules.]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">summary of the relevant environmental rules for deserts from the D20SRD </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">4pp to summarize the rules used (i.e., which books are being used, and any bits of those that aren't being used), provide the definitions of all conditions, and throw in a couple of little houserules (see below)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a few pages to reproduce the errata and FAQ for Arcana Unearthed</li> </ul>That concludes most of the rules, and there are only a couple real houserules in there--just lots of new widgets. The next section has some genuinely alternate rules: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Alternate Dice Mechanics: presenting mid20 and TiCTaC as alternatives to the d20. [We settled on TicTaC, which rolls fumble/failure/success/critical all into one roll.]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Alternate Weapon Rules: my own expansion of the system DanMcS came up with for making weapons more a flavor element, and skill more significant in how deadly a warrior is. [We're using these rules.]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Alternate Experience Point Rules: summary of the system developed by Speaks With Stone, Rel, and BardStephenFox, and a couple different styles of tracking forms. [We're not using these.]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Contacts: slightly-tweaked version of the system found in Unearthed Arcana. [We're using these.]</li> </ul>So, again, it depends on what constitutes a "houserule"--does something from Unearthed Arcana? Finally, the last section consists of just some lists/summaries to make people's lives easier and collect and/or precalculate info. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">combined feats chart, listing all the feats in this book and AU.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">combined spell list. (AU, Mystic Secrets, Grimoire II, and this work.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">conjured creature stat blocks for all the spells/runes that conjure creatures</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">common animals. This comes in at over 25pp, and just presents standard monster entries for most of the animals that i presume anyone who grew up in this environment would be at least passingly familiar with. So, it's basically just the Animals and Vermin sections of the D20SRD ripped out, trimmed down, and reorganized--except that i had to invent the stats for about half of them, and correct the stats for half of those i didn't invent. The D20SRD animal stats are horrible, from a verisimillitude standpoint. Most noticably, their size ratings, especially on the small end, are pretty questionable, and almost every critter is faster than the stats indicate, usually by a factor of 2x or 3x. And i discovered that there are basically no herbivores other than domestic ones (horse, donkey, elephant), which is really bizarre, and led to a lot o work in that department.</li> </ul>Oh, as to actual houserules i've implemented that can be easily summarized:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">you get a minimum of half-die hps at each level--so if your HD is a d8, you get what you roll or 4, whichever is higher, etc..</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">actions are re-defined along the lines of Spycraft: half or full, none of this move-equivalent/standard distinction. Yes, it means that low-level chars can now get two attacks in a round if they do nothing else. So what? Everybody can do it, so it balances out just fine. And now there's a reason not to move at low levels--and you get to do something else during your round if you can't do anything but hack. You can still only cast one spell per round, generally speaking.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">animals have a species Truename, rather than individual names like sentients do. Vermin don't have Truenames.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">you get the bonus against a flanked opponent even if you're not one of the people creating the flanking situation</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">out-of-turn dodge, so you can get an immediate AC bonus in return for giving up an action on your next turn</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Protection from Elements and Protection from Energy apply to all types at once, rather than picking an element/energy type.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">social uses for Appraise and research uses for Gather Information, taken straight for Dynasties & Demagogues</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">TiCTaC: roll 3d20 instead of 1d20. If zero succeed, it's a fumble; if 1 succeeds, it's a failure; if 2 succeed, it's a success; if all 3 succeed, it's a crit.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">oh, we're using the D&D3E XP chart, rather than the AU one</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the alternate weapon rules, which can't be easily summarized, and tie into the expanded weapon/armor templates</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Does "we're using The Book of Distinctions and Drawbacks and Artificer's Handbook" count as houserules? Or is that just a matter of book selection?</li> </ul>That's about it. In large part because AU, Artificer's Handbook, and Book of Distinctions did the work for me, it's not all that many houserules--at least compared to when i ran AD&D2, or what it'd take for me to run D&D3E [without those books]. And most of the new widgets are setting-specific (totem warriors for animals common to the Arabian peninsula, rather than Northern Europe, frex). But the "houserules document" is pretty massive, because of all the other stuff in it.</blockquote>

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