User:DanielDraco/sandbox

Eyes Upon the Hero
An adventurer lives a difficult life. If he fails to save a town, to slay a dragon, to bring everyone back alive, he is considered a failure. These can't really be considered reasonable expectations, can they? Yet everyone holds an adventurer to them. Everyone.

You're a greenhorn. You haven't yet proven yourself as an adventurer. Maybe you have some combat experience, maybe you're a respected scholar of magic, maybe you're a hapless civilian, but one thing you are not -- at least not yet -- is a hero.

Character Creation and Levelup

 * Starting level 1. As hinted by the intro, please do not give your character a backstory that portrays them as already being a hero -- though some other sort of backstory is very much encouraged.
 * There are no alignments. This means, for example, that Smite Evil becomes simply Smite -- and you can use it against whomever you want.
 * All standard races are replaced with these. However, you may not select Ghoul, Mercurian, or Daywalker.
 * We are using this point buy system.
 * Max HP for every hit die. Also, you get a bonus +20 hit points.
 * You gain a bonus to AC based on your BAB, and miscellaneous bonuses are nerfed a bit, as detailed here.
 * If you have a Medium BAB (like a rogue), you get some goodies to compensate. For classes that aren't detailed there, consult me.
 * Save bonuses are completely different. For reference, a Good save is one that normally starts at a +2 bonus.
 * You automagically get bonuses (ignore everything below the first table on that page) as you level up, but those bonuses from magic items are gone.
 * You get an extra feat at levels 2, 4, and 5.
 * Experience-to-level thresholds don't scale quadratically. It always takes only 1,000 XP to go from one level to the next. Because of this change, you may divide all experience costs (for spells, magic item creation, etc.) by your character level.

Gameplay

 * Size bonuses/penalties to special attacks and Hide checks scale at a rate of 1 per size category, instead of the silly quadratic bullshit of the standard rules.
 * Any time an effect refers to HD, replace it with CR.
 * Spells, maneuvers, and powers have a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 character level (not class level) + relevant ability score. Other abilities may be given this same DC, but ask me first.
 * Taking 10 and 20 works differently.
 * You can retry Knowledge checks, but it takes 1 round, consuming all your actions -- you can't think of it off the top of your head, so you have to stop and focus on trying to remember. This can be used in concert with the previous rule.
 * You can take stock of your situation as a standard action to gain a smallish bonus.
 * You gain an ability to increase the effectiveness of any healing effect on you; in exchange, healing effects are limited outside combat. Can also be triggered (with limits) when taking stock.
 * Falling below 0 HP works a little differently.
 * Full attacks are completely different, but much simpler.
 * Concentration and Tumble are harder to use.

Buffed are the Weak, for Theirs is the Kingdom of Celestia

 * Stone Dragon maneuvers do not care whether you and your target are touching the ground.
 * Stone Dragon stances do not end when you move.
 * Sneak attack (and other sources of Precision-based damage such as Sudden Strike and Skirmish) deals 1/2 damage to creatures immune to critical hits.

Sin Queso

 * Efreeti's wishes last 1d12 hours. You will not know the result of this roll until the time expires.
 * Everything on this list does not exist.
 * Save-or-die effects instead deal 10 damage per level.
 * Ability damage or drain instead deals damage equal to the target's level for each point of damage dealt, and grants -2 to all checks (skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, etc) and DCs dependent on the targeted ability score for a number of rounds equal to the amount of ability damage/drain dealt.
 * Negative levels instead deal damage equal to twice the target's level for each negative level dealt, and grant -2 to all checks (skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, etc) and DCs for a number of rounds equal to the number of negative levels dealt.
 * When a critical hit is achieved, multiply the base damage of the weapon (including enhancements it might possess) by its multiplier. Sneak attack, Strength damage, and other sources of damage outside the base weapon damage and enhancements are not multiplied. The main effect of this is that high-strength monsters won't one-hit you on a crit.

Possibly Inconsequential

 * If the campaign goes beyond level 20, it will operate under E20 rules.
 * If you die, you don't just lose. But a hero's quest demands victory -- there will be consequences for falling.
 * Healing spells are Necromancy, not Conjuration.

Balance
We will be using primarily High power material, with two-weapon rogues being on the lower end of that range and optimized martial adepts being on the upper end. I will not define any hard restrictions, but please try to stay within that range; you can play a Very High class if you want, but I expect you to use your best judgement and not use anything too ridiculously strong. If you're unsure about some material, just ask me. We're operating under Grimoire rules, so anything with that label is likely to fit better than other material (most of it is listed below anyway, but there are a few that I haven't looked at in that category and thus have not listed).

Tome of Battle and Complete Sublime
Martial adepts tend to be very well suited for games of this power level, and the Tome of Battle is thus a good resource to use. But there is a homebrew sequel on the wiki that you might also want to look over: Complete Sublime. It contains a number of new classes, many new feats, and even some new disciplines that can replace standard ones. Even if you're just planning on playing a normal Warblade, it might do you well to at least give the feats a glance.

However, not all of the book is gold, and it is subject to the same approval stage as any other homebrew; consider everything in it graylisted (see below), unless it appears on the whitelist.

Replacements
This material replaces WotC material of the same name, and either must be used instead of the original because it fixes something, or is strictly superior to the original and so there is no reason to take the original.
 * Combat Reflexes
 * Goad
 * Power Attack (note that it can apply to ranged attacks)
 * Spring Attack
 * Stand Still
 * Toughness
 * Deflect Arrows is same as core, except that it requires an immediate action to use.

Homebrew Whitelist
Here's a list of pre-approved material from this wiki that you can feel free to use. For any other homebrew, you have to ask me first. Recommended items are bolded, but all the ones here are approved.

Classes

 * Gentleman Explorer -- fights with solitary ranged attacks and has some survivalist utility
 * Berskerer -- basically a replacement for the barbarian
 * Marshal -- support character; vaguely like a bard, but infinitely more interesting
 * Sharpshooter -- exactly what it sounds like
 * Flammenwerfer (except that Smoke Blast and the blinding version of Bright Fire are only usable once per encounter each, and Sudden Airblast is not available) -- the Pyro from Team Fortress 2
 * Grimoire Rogue -- a rogue variant that's a little stronger and cleaned up for Grimoire; be sure to read Sneak Attack, because it works a little differently from core
 * Bloodcloud Assailant -- fills the air with blood, then hits harder while standing in it
 * Grimoire Soulknife -- you all know what a soulknife is; here's one that doesn't suck quite so hard
 * Grimoire Tenken -- kind of like a monk, but less sucky, speed-themed, and armed (though there's also an unarmed version)
 * Toxinblade -- in the author's words, "a twist on the defender role"; uses poison to draw blows and soak damage
 * Tome Assassin -- a base class assassin that's more worth taking than the prestige class
 * Halberdier (except that Intuitive Defender's extra AoOs are in addition to the normal one and ones from Combat Reflexes if you take it) -- uses a halberd as a reach weapon to knock people down and then smack them

Feats

 * Bladeblast -- for the Grimoire soulknife; perform psychic strike as an area effect
 * Blood of Stone -- use immediate action to reduce damage taken
 * Dash -- move as a swift action; can be used instead of Mobility to meet prereqs
 * Defensive Strike -- free attack against foes who attack you
 * Deft Opportunist -- free AoO against foes that stay close
 * Distracting Barrage -- lay down covering fire to give penalty to foes
 * Extended Psychic Strike -- for the Grimoire soulknife; frees up your swift action for other stuff
 * Focused Energy -- a little more oomph with energy spells
 * Iron Tide -- when using power attack, push back foes with each strike
 * Quick Reconnoiter -- lets you take stock (or gain a second wind) as a swift actin 1/encounter
 * Ranged Feint -- exactly what it sounds like
 * Ranged Flanking -- exactly what it sounds like
 * Sharpshooter -- vastly superior replacement for Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot
 * Shielded in Life -- gain a mental ability score to AC
 * Spiritual Weapon -- like Weapon Finesse, but for any weapon, any ability score, and damage too
 * Stilled Charge -- gain all the benefits of charging without actually moving
 * Grimoire Stone Power -- a little worse than standard in the first few levels, but remains useful indefinitely
 * Grimoire Spring Attack -- full attack in a spring attack

Graylist
This is material that I think might be suitable based on what others have said and/or on my knowledge of the authors' work, but which I have not yet looked at. I will probably look through these and either remove or whitelist them on my own (eventually), but they're good articles for you to look over and ask me about if one catches your eye.


 * Electric Mage -- exactly what it sounds like
 * Shaman -- a replacement for the Druid
 * Schismsoul -- a guy with magical dissociative identity disorder
 * Iaijutsu Master -- fights while repeatedly sheathing and unsheathing his weapon
 * Trapsmith -- exactly what it sounds like