Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Going Further

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Going Further

The preceding work covers the core of the game, but there are additional subsystems that many people use in games that we haven't talked about. This chapter will contain additional information for making the Tome of Prowess work with these other subsystems, as well as variant rules to tailor your gaming experience.

We start listing skill conversions for the various published classes and prestige classes, before discussing minor additions to other subsystems.

Using Tome of Prowess with Psionics

The psionics system is largely a system of powers, and interacts with Tome of Prowess in ways similar to spells. Most of the powers are fine, but the problematic ones will need to be adjusted like the problematic spells. Psionics also added a few skills to the mix, and those need to be dealt with as well.

Psionics in Tome of Prowess are treated as simply another style of "magic", in the same way that arcane, divine, and natural are forms of magic in this work. We also assume that psionics are in use alongside magic, and that full magic-psionics transparency is in use as well. These assumptions color the updates listed here. It also means that the other skills can be used to identify psionic phenomena, at the standard −5 penalty.

Power Changes

Like spells, any power that provides a bonus on a skill check larger than +3 needs to be eliminated or reworked. Powers that largely duplicate skill uses, like the jump spell does, should be reworked as well.

Skill Changes

Autohypnosis

The uses of this skill were already folded into the revised Concentration or Endurance skills. This skill no longer exists as a result.

Knowledge (psionic)

This skill also no longer exists. As with other knowledge skills, the purely "know things about a topic" aspects of this skill are no longer represented by the skill system. The identification uses will be moved to an existing skill or added to a new skill, Psychogenia, in a fashion similar to how the Spellcraft functions were divided up among source magic types. The method chosen depends on what other magic sources will exist in the campaign world.

Psicraft

Psicraft served as a skill to identify psionic phenomena, and these functions largely mirror those of Spellcraft. These functions will be moved to an existing skill or added to a new skill, Psychogenia, in a fashion similar to how the Spellcraft functions were divided up among source magic types. The method chosen depends on what other magic sources will exist in the campaign world.

Use Psionic Device

This skill no longer exists, and its uses have been split amongst the following skills:

  • Use a Dorje - As these are largely equivalent to wands and spell trigger items, they are handled by the whatever skill is serving as the advanced psionic knowledge skill, possibly Psychogenia (see below).
  • Address or Use a Power Stone - As these are largely equivalent to scrolls and spell completion items, they are handled by the Ciphers skill.
  • Other emulation uses are already covered in the applicable skills.

Using Psionics with Magic

If you are using psionics in addition to the other types of magic these skills were written for, then the best solution for the above skills is to add a new skill, along the lines indicated below.

Psychogenia
This skill is a class skill for all classes that previously had Psicraft as a class skill. It functions as Arcana, with the following changes:

  • The Creature Insight ability can be used to identify aberrations and any creature with the [Psionic] subtype. It does not otherwise identify creatures of any specific type.
  • Identify Magic is renamed Identify Psionics, and can identify any psionic phenomenon by default. It can identify other types of magic at the normal −5 penalty.
  • There's A Trick To It functions for psionic trigger items like dorjes.

Using Psionics without Magic

If you are not using normal magic at all in a campaign world, or are not using certain types of magic, the Arcana, Geomancy, and Thaumaturgy skills are left in an interesting position. On the one hand, the lack of magic for them to identify and spell trigger items to utilize leaves them somewhat devalued compared to the proposed Psychogenia skill. We recommend that you eliminate the three magic skills and re-shuffle the creatures they identified to other skills based on your campaign setting and intended themes. Simply merging the creature identification abilities of the skills is also a possibility, but will likely lead to a skill that is underpowered in comparison to the others.

Classes

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all base classes in the SRD:

  • Psion: Concentration, Ciphers, Psychogenia (4 skill points). Additionally, the psion gets additional class skills based on their devotion:
    • Seer: Perception, Psychology, Transformation
    • Shaper: Bluff, Devices, Transformation
    • Kineticist: Appraisal, Devices, Intimidation
    • Egoist: Athletics, Endurance, Healing
    • Nomad: Acrobatics, Endurance, Jump
    • Telepath: Affability, Bluff, Psychology
  • Psychic Warrior: Athletics, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Endurance, Healing, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia (6 skill points)
  • Soulknife: Acrobatics, Affability, Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Dowsing, Endurance, Escape Artistry, Healing, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Stealth (10 skill points)
  • Wilder: Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Escape Artistry, Intimidation, Psychogenia (4 skill points)

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all base classes in Complete Psionic:

  • Ardent: Affability, Ciphers, Concentration, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology (4 skill points)
  • Divine Mind: Athletics, Affability, Ciphers, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Endurance, Healing, Intimidation, Jump, Psychogenia, Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)
  • Lurk: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Concentration, Devices, Escape Artistry, Jump, Legerdemain, Perception, Psychogenia, Stealth, Transformation (8 skill points)

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all prestige classes in the SRD:

  • Cerebremancer: Appraisal, Arcana, Ciphers, Concentration, Psychogenia, Psychology (4 skill points)
  • Elocater: Acrobatics, Athletics, Concentration, Devices, Psychogenia, Stealth (4 skill points)
  • Metamind: Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Endurance, Psychogenia, Psychology (4 skill points)
  • Psion Uncarnate: Bluff, Concentration, Ciphers, Psychogenia, Psychology, Transformation (4 skill points)
  • Psionic Fist: Acrobatics, Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Endurance, Escape Artist, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)
  • Pyrokineticist: Athletics, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Devices, Endurance, Geomancy, Intimidation, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia, Survival (8 skill points)
  • Slayer: Bluff, Concentration, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Survival (4 skill points)
  • Thrallherd: Affability, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Psychogenia, Psychology (4 skill points)
  • War Mind: Affability, Appraisal, Athletics, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Endurance, Healing, Intimidate, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia (8 skill points)

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all prestige classes in Publication:Complete Psionic:

  • Anarchic Initiate: Affability, Concentration, Intimidation, Psychogenia, Psychology, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Ebon Saint: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Concentration, Escape Artistry, Intimidation, Jump, Legerdemain, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Stealth (8 skill points)
  • Ectopic Adept: Arcana, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Geomancy, Psychogenia (4 skill points)
  • Flayerspawn Psychic: Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Intimidation, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Stealth, Transformation (6 skill points)
  • Illumine Soul: Acrobatics, Affability, Arcana, Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Endurance, Escape Artistry, Healing, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (10 skill points)
  • Soulbow: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Dowsing, Endurance, Geomancy, Jump, Legerdemain, Perception, Psychogenia, Stealth, Survival (10 skill points)
  • Storm Disciple: Affability, Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Dowsing, Endurance, Healing, Intimidate, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Survival (8 skill points)
  • Zerth Cenobite: Acrobatics, Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Endurance, Escape Artistry, Jump, Perception, Psychogenia, Psychology, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)

Using Tome of Prowess with the Tome of Battle

Because the Tome of Battle has skills associated with its disciplines, and uses skill checks in some of its maneuvers, there is a bit of overlap here. There are relatively few changes that need to be implemented to use the Tome of Battle in conjunction with the Tome of Prowess, however.

Skill Changes

Martial Lore Skill

The Martial Lore skill does not get an analogue in the Tome of Prowess, and no longer exists. Its uses for identification are broken up as follows:

  • If you witness a maneuver being performed, you automatically recognize it if you can perform maneuvers from the discipline.
  • Martial Scripts written in unfamiliar languages must be translated before they can be utilized. This can be done with the Ciphers skill or other magic. As long as the martial adept is present while it is being deciphered and the creature doing the deciphering does not withhold or falsify any information from the script, the martial adept may later activate the script as a standard action.
  • Determining the maneuvers available to a target, or recognizing a maneuver from a discipline you do not have access to, is covered by the Cultures skill and follows the standard rules for identifying the abilities of a creature.

Skill Items

The loss of skill items does interesting things to some martial maneuvers. In some games, a large boost from these items was expected and the lack of the items now is a large decrease in the ability of these characters. In other games, these items were never used for these purposes and the change won't even be noticed.

If your game expected skill items, consider adding a bonus to all skill-based maneuvers equal to the initiator's Character Level. Using Character Level here in place of Initiator Level helps the maneuvers retain the same multi-classing utility they did originally. If your game did not expect bonuses from skill items, do nothing. You won't notice the change.

Discipline Key Skills

As some skills have been removed or merged, the key skills for some disciplines may no longer exist. Others have an opportunity to gain a more relevant key skill, and have been moved for that reason. The new assignments are as follows:

  • Desert Wind - Acrobatics
  • Devoted Spirit - Intimidation
  • Diamond Mind - Concentration
  • Iron Heart - Acrobatics
  • Setting Sun - Psychology
  • Shadow Hand - Stealth
  • Stone Dragon - Endurance
  • Tiger Claw - Jump
  • White Raven - Affability

Classes

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all base classes in the Tome of Battle:

  • Crusader: Acrobatics, Affability, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Endurance, Healing, Intimidation, Jump, Perception, Psychology, and Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)
  • Swordsage: Acrobatics, Athletics, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Endurance, Geomancy, Healing, Intimidation, Jump, Perception, Psychology, and Stealth (8 skill points)
  • Warblade: Acrobatics, Affability, Arcana, Athletics, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Endurance, Jump, Intimidation, Perception, and Psychology (8 skill points)

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all the prestige classes in the Tome of Battle:

  • Bloodclaw Master: Acrobatics, Athletics, Creature Handling, Dowsing, Endurance, Escape Artistry, Geomancy, Healing, Jump, Perception, Stealth, Survival (8 skill points)
  • Bloodstorm Blade: Arcana, Acrobatics, Appraisal, Athletics, Concentration, Cultures, Endurance, Intimidation, Jump, Legerdemain, Perception, Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)
  • Deepstone Sentinel: Acrobatics, Athletics, Appraisal, Concentration, Cultures, Devices, Dowsing, Geomancy, Endurance, Intimidation, Perception, Psychology (8 skill points)
  • Eternal Blade: Acrobatics, Affability, Athletics, Arcana, Concentration, Creature Handling, Escape Artistry, Intimidation, Jump, Perception, Psychology, Survival (8 skill points)
  • Jade Phoenix Mage: Acrobatics, Affability, Concentration, Intimidation, Jump, Psychology (4 skill points)
  • Master of Nine: Acrobatics, Affability, Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Endurance, Intimidation, Stealth, Jump, Perception, Psychology (8 skill points)
  • Ruby Knight Vindicator: Affability, Concentration, Endurance, Intimidation, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Shadow Sun Ninja: Acrobatics, Affability, Arcana, Athletics, Concentration, Endurance, Escape Artistry, Jump, Perception, Psychology, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)

Using Tome of Prowess with the Tome of Magic

Tome of Magic introduced a number of casting styles that differed in new and interesting ways from the core casters or the psionic power users. Unfortunately, one of these casting styles came with a whole new skill to cast with. Yes, we're referring to Truespeak, and that skill represents a number of problems with the the skill system which this volume tries to address. We would be very lax in our work if we didn't do something about this, so here we have it. And while we're on the subject, we'll update the skills of the rest of the classes as well.

Skill Changes

Truespeak

Truespeak as a skill shouldn't exist. The skill does nothing other than act as a skill point tax for people who get truenaming as a class feature, as they are required to invest skill points in it to maintain their class features. To make matters worse, the way Truespeak DCs scaled was also pants-on-head retarded. It meant that people who used the skill system fairly basically couldn't use their class features after a while, while people who min-maxed like crazy and dumpster-dived for every bonus could blow past Truespeak checks like they weren't even there. Lastly, the checks were often redundant as many truenaming abilities still asked for saves and attack rolls. So we're gonna fix all of this in the simplest and most direct manner possible: we're going to get rid of it.

Truespeak no longer exists as a skill when used in conjunction with the Tome of Prowess. We expect you will use your skill points on actually useful things like the other classes, rather than simply maintaining your class features. As it no longer exists, any checks to it are no longer required. If something requires ranks in Truespeak as a prerequisite, replace them with ranks in Cultures or levels in a Truenaming class instead.

Identifying Alternate Magics

Because of its associations with other realities, the skill to identify pact magic is Thaumaturgy.

Because shadowcasting resembles normal magic in its traditions and approaches, it can be identified using Arcana.

Truenaming is a bit of a nuisance, however, because it doesn't neatly fit under any of the normal 'identify stuff' skills, and since it is heavily dependent on language, it wouldn't really make sense anywhere other than Cultures. If you're using truenaming in your game, simply give Cultures the ability to identify truenaming magic as well — it's less than ideal, but probably better than the alternatives.

Classes

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all base classes in the Tome of Magic:

  • Binder: Affability, Arcana, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Intimidation, Psychology, Thaumaturgy (6 skill points)
  • Shadowcaster: Arcana, Appraisal, Concentration, Dowsing, Intimidation, Perception, Psychology, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (6 skill points).
  • Truenamer: Affability, Arcana, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Geomancy, Intimidation, Thaumaturgy (6 skill points)

The suggested class skills, and number of skill points, for all prestige classes in the Tome of Magic:

  • Acolyte of the Ego: Affability, Athletics, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Endurance, Healing, Intimidation, Jump, Perception, Psychology (8 skill points)
  • Anima Mage: Arcana, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Intimidation, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Bereft: Athletics, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Dowsing, Escape Artistry, Geomancy, Intimidation, Perception, Psychology, Thaumaturgy, Transformation (8 skill points)
  • Brimstone Speaker: Affability, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Healing, Intimidation, Perception, Psychology, Thaumaturgy (6 skill points)
  • Child of Night: Arcana, Concentration, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Disciple of the Word: Acrobatics, Appraisal, Athletics, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Cultures, Endurance, Escape Artistry, Jump, Legerdemain, Perception, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (10 skill points)
  • Fiendbinder: Arcana, Bluff, Concentration, Cultures, Intimidation, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Knight of the Sacred Seal: Affability, Arcana, Athletics, Bluff, Concentration, Creature Handling, Intimidation, Psychology, Thaumaturgy (6 skill points)
  • Master of Shadow: Arcana, Concentration, Intimidate, Perception, Psychology, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Nocturmancer: Arcana, Appraisal, Ciphers, Concentration, Intimidation, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Scion of Dantalion: Acrobatics, Affability, Bluff, Concentration, Cultures, Devices, Intimidation, Psychology, Stealth (6 skill points)
  • Shadowblade: Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Bluff, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Escape Artistry, Intimidation, Jump, Perception, Stealth (8 skill points)
  • Shadowsmith: Appraisal, Arcana, Athletics, Concentration, Cultures, Devices, Dowsing, Endurance, Jump, Perception, Stealth, Thaumaturgy (8 skill points)
  • Tenebrous Apostate: Affability, Bluff, Concentration, Intimidation, Psychology, Thaumaturgy (4 skill points)
  • Witch Slayer: Arcana, Athletics, Bluff, Ciphers, Concentration, Creature Handling, Cultures, Dowsing, Endurance, Intimidate, Jump, Perception, Psychology, Survival, Thaumaturgy (10 skill points)

Remade Classes

  • The Shadowcaster has been recreated to better integrate with this work. The Shadow Magister can be found here, and is recommended if you are using other updated classes from this wiki.

Other Skill Based Subsystems

Lycanthropy

Acquiring the SRD version of lycanthropy as a character is a mess when done with Tome of Prowess. The template grants a pile of bonus racial hit dice with accompanying skill points, and brings with it all of the issues normal monsters have with skill point totals. Those not born with the disease have to invest in control shape to make it more than just a plot hook, and we have not updated the skill in this work. These are issues that need to be dealt with before player characters can start growing fur coats and howling at the full moon.

Animal Racial Hit Dice

Those who contract lycanthropy do not gain any racial hit dice for the animal they may now transform into. They thus gain no skill points, no base attack or save bonuses, and no attribute increases.

Natural lycanthropes are treated as an animal first, and a humanoid with class levels second, and still gain their bonus racial hit dice.

Lycanthropic Empathy

Afflicted lycanthropes do not benefit from this empathy in the same way that natural lycanthropes do. They only gain a +2 competence bonus to the indicated check attempts. Natural lycanthropes continue to receive the full benefit, though the bonus type is changed to competence.

Control Shape Skill

If you have contracted lycanthropy, you don't actually have access to any of the nifty bonuses granted by the template without the control shape skill. In effect, the skill is giving you access to power. At low levels this power is pretty out of line, but due to the skill bonus changes and lack of bonus hit dice you can't use it very reliably to return to normal. While you gain a substantial combat bonus from the change, those afflicted are likely ruined for any social encounter until the following morning. There is thus a reasonable, if largely role-playing, penalty associated with low level use of the alternate form. At higher levels, these bonuses are more reasonable, and your odds of using them only when you want to increase substantially with skill point investment. This return on investment works in a similar way as other skills in this work, and actually makes investing in control shape instead of another skill a relevant trade off. Those who invest in the skill can make use of their curse, but those who do not are likely to try to avoid using the powers it grants.

Since this is the case, characters who acquire lycanthropy must still invest in the control shape skill if they want to be able to control their transformations. There are no changes to DCs for this skill from those presented in the SRD. Unlike other skills in this work, however, they may not take 10, 15, or 20 with this skill at any time, regardless of the number of ranks they have invested in it. Attempting to control the beast within is almost always a gamble.

If a character is cured of lycanthropy, they may retrain the change shape skill as if it were any other skill or may spend the skill points in full when they next level up.

Transformation Skill

Normally, a form change would break the character out of any disguise or transfiguration that they are currently using. The fantastic transfiguration ability of the transformation skill gains an additional ability:

  • Continue transfiguration if the operator changes size or form due to a voluntary or involuntary form change, with no outward signs of the change.

Level Adjustment

Because lycanthropy is a less straightforward powerup now, due to the tradeoff between investing in control shape to harness the abilities and investing in a skill that would grant powers elsewhere, there is no need to apply the listed level adjustments. Afflicted lycanthropy comes with a level adjustment of +0, while natural lycanthropy carries a level adjustment of +2 and has an ECL of 2 + 1 per 3 granted animal hit dice, before any class levels are applied.

Natural Lycanthropes
Though included here for the sake of completeness, any type of natural lycanthrope is largely inappropriate as a player character race as a result of their ECL and ability to infect limitless targets with lycanthropy. If a player at your table wants to play a lycanthrope, and you are willing to allow it, they should play an afflicted one with no level adjustment instead of a natural one.


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