User:MisterSinister/TOToM (3.5e Sourcebook)/SRP5

Chapter 5: Variants and Variations

Not everyone plays the game the same way, and this volume seeks to accomodate those who choose to go a little differently. This section acts as a repository of variant uses of these rules and variations on some of the core assumptions.

Many of these rules seek to fix problems that are inherent to the game, but lie outside the magic system proper. These should have no problem working with the magic system that has been presented here, and if anything, will make it a better fix for your needs.

Ability Arrays

It is fitting that even at the beginning of the game, odd things start already. Rolling for your ability scores, even with the provisions given in the SRD, leads to serious problems, as it basically leaves your character's efficacy down to a throw of the dice. On the other hand, the various point-buy systems are instinctively biased towards certain characters, as they work better for classes that rely on just a single ability score as opposed to multiple ones. Let's set this straight and make it work for us.

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Better Hit Points

Rolling for your hit points can leave barbarians with lower hit points than sorcerers - which is undesirable. Additionally, early-on, a single lucky greataxe critical hit can fell a character, which is not something that we really want to be seeing either. So let's fix both.

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Declaratory Initiative

Although this is certainly a more interesting way to play the combat minigame, it is a bit more fiddly and places much more importance on winning initiative. At the same time, it allows for more tactical reactiveness and leads to some interesting tactical decisions.

More Stable Saves

Binding saves to only a single ability score is problematic, as it really gimps the non-casters significantly, while casters mostly don't care. To make this less of a problem, let's get a bit more flexible.

Additionally, the disparity between 'good' and 'bad' saves becomes unacceptably high towards the end of the progression. While this is not noticeable early, later-on, it requires people to invest increasingly more scarce resources into maintaining their poor saves. To make this easier, another small change is being implemented.

Narrow Caster Classes

Not everyone likes having broad casting classes (or broad classes as such), and this is fair enough, given that melee classes are pretty much narrow by definition. For those who want such classes, I'll give a whole bunch here. Feel free to use these as guidelines to make up your own.

No Tome of Prowess

Not everyone likes the Tome of Prowess, and while this isn't something I agree with, I'll provide alternate rules for using this with the normal skill system all the same.

Revised Combat Maneuvers

Whether hideously complicated to the point of insanity or errata-d to 'not working', these are often done badly and without discipline. One of the key points is to make it simpler and easier to use, and another is to make it interact with more of the system in ways that make more sense. So here are some rules that won't make your eyes bleed or your brain swim.

Simplified Skills

The 'level+3' formulation of maximum skill ranks is more than a little annoying. It means that skill points have to be multiplied by four at 1st level, which makes taking up a skill at later levels more than a little stupid, as it requires far more investment then that it does at creation. This is obviously a little bit strange, and this serves to fix it.

Variant Cleric: Prepared Casting

In a world where you can directly talk to your gods, it makes a good amount of sense for cleric spells to be little more than favors that are doled out upon request. Since this is generally the default option in most Dungeons and Dragons games, it is the option taken for the cleric in this work. In settings with less direct divine intervention, however, cleric spells are just another form of magic. A magic shaped by the faith of the devoted perhaps, but still something that is obviously less available upon request. So for those who prefer a world with less divine shenanigans or like their cleric old-school-flavoured, here's a remix of the cleric located in this work with prepared casting instead.

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