Awarding Experience/Level Advancement

As in D&D 3.X Dungeon Masters Guide. I mention this only because I'm dispensing with the prior ad hoc leveling system. TNL (To Next Level) = 1000 x current level.

 

Death Threshold

A character is disabled from 0 to their negative CON bonus. He is is dying when their hit points are below their their negative CON bonus. They are dead when they reach their negative CON score. (Tordek, with a CON of 16 is disabled between 0 and neg 3, dying from neg 4 to neg 15, and dead at neg 16)

 

Non-Lethal Combat

Attacking an enemy with intent to subdue does not carry any penalty. Non-lethal damage is not tracked seperately.  If the blow that reduces an opponent's hp below their negative Con bonus is declared non-lethal, the opponent becomes unconcious and stable. Attacks that are described as doing non-lethal damage do normal damage and are simply incapable of killing a target.

 

Combat Maneuver Bonus

This mechanic replaces the grapple bonus, but works the same way. CMB = BAB + STR mod + size mod. CMB is used to determine success with bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun, sunder, and trip. Sunder, Trip, and Disarm are done as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack. The others are standard actions. Bull Rush and Overrun can be part of a charge. Combat Maneuver Defence (CMD) is derived from CMB+10+Str Mod+Dex Mod+Deflection & Dodge Mods.

 

Rolling Conventions

Establish a flat, unobstructed rolling area. If the die lands outside of that area, it doesn't count.

 

Attribute Determination

The method used in the Heroshi campaign is 4d6 drop the lowest. Roll three columns of 6, pick the one that suits you.  If none of them are satisfactory, you may take the default array (15,14,13,12,10,8). In Modern I'm a little more restrictive: one column or the default array.

 

Success/Failure

The following applies to skill checks, attack rolls, and saves. It does not apply to initiative or spell resistance checks.

A 1 is not an automatic failure. If you roll a 1, treat the result as -10. This prevents the "fighter gets a hernia lifting a gate" problem and other catastrophic failures for someone who is incredibly good at a something (natural talent mitigates the penalty). This only really benefits higher level characters without hurting lower level ones.

A 20 is not an automatic success. If you roll a 20, treat the result as 30. So a nat-20 is often, but not always a hit.

 

Critical Hits

When a roll for confirmation of a crit is also a critical threat, roll another confirmation roll. If this check is backed up, add one to the critical multiplier. For example, if you are using a greatsword and roll a crit threat, then roll a 19 on your confirmation check, you add one to the multiplier for the already confirmed crit, so the GS x2 crit becomes x3. As long as one continues backing up their crits with further crit threats, continue to add one to the critical multiplier and making confirmation rolls. If you think this makes combat too swingy, well... eat it. If an orc makes four consecutive confirmed threats (chance of 1 in 320000 for a 20 crit, 1 in 160000 for 19-20), the truth is... Minmaxar wants that character dead! You should always respect Minmaxar's will. That said, building a character who crits 25% of the time is... absolute genius. You clearly had to spend feats and/or money to get there, so have at it.

 

Undead and Constructs

Undead and constructs are not immune to critical hits or sneak attack, since you can severely disable them or hit critical areas just like any creature. Only oozes and incorporeal undead retain this advantage. [standard for Pathfinder]

 

Supported Materials

Pathfinder RPG

Complete series: feats, spells, classes*, prestige classes*

Race series: feats, spells, classes*, prestige classes*

Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, Lords of Madness, [others in this series]*

Arms & Equipment (some 3.0 to PF conversions*), Stronghold Builders Guide, Savage Species*

Unearthed Arcana, Magic Item Compendium*, Miniatures Handbook*

 

PC Classes

Pathfinder Core Classes

Samurai & Swashbucker (CWar), Ninja, Scout & Spellthief (CAdv), Warmage (CArc), Favored Soul & Spirit Shaman (CDiv)

Others by GM edict.

 

Prestige Classes

Arcane Archer, Arcane Trickster, Assasin, Duelist, Dragon Disciple, Dwarven Defender, Eldrich Knight, Horizon Walker, Loremaster, [Pathfinder] Chronicler, Mystic Theurge, Shadowdancer

 

Monster Edits

Wererats - Alignment: usually Chaotic Neutral. Having rats be lawful? What exactly kind of lawful behavior do they display? They live in frickin' sewers and ass factories. What kind of stable society is built around poop? They're chaotic as hell, betch!

 

Driders - Credit to: Butcher Jackson. Not neccisarily drow, but connected with them by common relationship with Malhavoc, the spider god. The line about "when a drow participates in a special test, failures beecomes a drider" does not apply. Instead any humanoid race can choose to become a drider by succeeding in a test of some sort. It's like the spider equivalent of lich. It'd be interesting to develop this as a template. Also, aligmnent: usually Chaotic Evil (rather than always). One more thing... ever notice anything "funny" about the picture of the drider in the MM? And here it is again for PF! 

  

Rule Edits 

Falling Damage - No cap. I'm not having any jag-off fighters falling 40000 feet and living to tell about it, regardless of level. That's 4000d6 damage, betch.

 

Natural Healing - With a full nights rest (8 hours) you recover hp = HD + Con Mod. So Lidda (15th level) recovers 16 (15+1) while Tordek (also 15th) recovers 20 (15+5). It just makes more sense that the folks with more total hp would recover more. Interruptions to rest result in a cutoff of the benefits you've recieved. So if you are awakened after four hours of rest, you get 50% of what you'd heal with a full night. After the battle (or whatever, but it's usually a battle) you can just go back to sleep to gain the remaining portion of your rest benefits.

 

Rule Variants

Spontaneous Metamagic - Daily Uses The castor must be capable of casting spells a number of levels higher than the spell it is applied to. This does not actually increase the level of the spell (exception: Heighten Spell, where that's kind of the point). For instance, empower spell can be placed on a spell up to two levels lower than the casters highest spell slot. This can be done 3/day and the spells applied to do not have to be specified beforehand. This makes metamagic reasonably useful to Sorcerers and Bards. In all ways, a metamagic spell operates at its original spell level, even though it is prepared and cast as a higher-level spell. Saving throw modifications are not changed unless stated otherwise in the feat description. Clearly this rule makes the Sudden Metamagic feats from the Miniatures Handbook/Complete Arcane unnecessary. Metamagic feats may be taken multiple times for more cumulative uses.

 

Spell Edits

Polymorph Any Object - Just go ahead and delete this sentence in the spell description: "This spell cannot create material of great intrinsic value, such as copper, silver, gems, silk, gold, platinum, mithral, or adamantine. It also cannot reproduce the special properties of cold iron in order to overcome the damage reduction of certain creatures." For a freakin' 8th level spell, it had better be able to do all that stuff!

 

Sun Spells - All spells with the word "sun" in their text are changed to "light", since Heroshi has no sun as we know it.

 

Create Undead - Casting spells such as this is not inherently evil. So some people become mohrgs when the priest of Atrophus animates them. So what? It ain't their fault. It's just a manifestation of what an A-hole they were in life. The deceased can only be raised as an undead with the same hit dice. Thus, a 9th level mook can be raised as a greater shadow, 9 HD Wraith, or Specter or Mummy, or a Ghoul with 7 of its original class levels, but not as anything weaker (zombie or skelleton) or more powerful (mohrg or devourer).

 

Feat Edits

Greater Weapon Focus	Weapon Focus, +8 Attack Bonus
Weapon Specialization	Weapon Focus, +4 Attack Bonus
Greater Weapon Specialization	Weapon Specialization, +12 Attack Bonus

 

Cleric Domains

Core Pathfinder Domains

New/Adapted Domains