User:MisterSinister/TOToM (3.5e Sourcebook)/SRP1

Chapter 1: Basics and Bookwork

Before we can get into the meat of the rules, quite a few specific changes need to be made. These are designed to make the game easier to use and more sensible overall, as well as to remove some oddities of the systems, and the magic system in particular.

These changes have been categorised based on which section of the SRD they would come under, to the nearest approximation I can manage.

Basics

Bonus Types

In short, there are far, far too many bonus types around in 3.5 DnD. Some of these are quite necessary and useful, while others basically allow people to stack on RNG-raping bonuses to things that frankly don't need them. Thus, this needs to be put straight. This isn't actually hard; it just requires a bit of discipline.

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Additionally, there are now rules regarding what bonuses may apply to. This is not really a big deal if the rules here are used as-is, but it is designed to assist people who want to make their own content using these rules, or to adapt content from elsewhere to work with these rules.

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Character Creation

New Level-Dependent Benefits

Let's face it: having our heroes look like Christmas trees or hoboes isn't very cool. At the same time, the magic item system pretty much forces us to do that very thing. This isn't at all what the source material, or indeed, our own intuitions tell us, and results in people constantly fighting to get enough numeric-bonus items to keep in the game while neglecting to pick up interesting or fun stuff. This makes no sense, and frankly, numeric items don't even need to exist at all.

Secondly, the magic item system, as well as wealth-by-level, blatantly favours casters, as they have far fewer necessities as compared to the poor melee folks. While this whole document attempts to address this issue, one of the most pertinent problems needs to be addressed here specifically - the need for number-boosting items.

Thirdly, nobody gets enough feats. These are a good way to get generic abilities onto a character, but most people will only see about seven feats in their entire 1-20 career (assuming the game even goes on that long). This also needs to be rectified.

Additional Level-Dependent Benefits Table

Character Level	Enhancement Bonus to Attack Rolls, Damage Rolls and Saves	Enhancement Bonus to Ability Scores and AC
1st	+0	+0
2nd	+0	+1
3rd	+1	+1
4th	+1	+2
5th	+1	+2
6th	+2	+3
7th	+2	+3
8th	+2	+4
9th	+3	+4
10th	+3	+5
11th	+3	+5
12th	+4	+6
13th	+4	+6
14th	+4	+7
15th	+5	+7
16th	+5	+8
17th	+5	+8
18th	+6	+9
19th	+6	+9
20th	+6	+10

Combat

New Action Types

The addition of the swift and immediate action was one of the best things done in 3.5 over 3.0. However, especially where immediate actions are concerned, some timing restrictions were never put in place, leading to some confusion about whether these actions could be used before the ability they are 'responded to' with, or after. This is relatively simple to fix as well.

Flat-Footed and Touch AC

The way flat-footed AC calculations work in 3.5 is more than a little odd, as people with a Dexterity of 20 are penalised more for being flat-footed than those with a Dexterity of 10. This plainly makes no sense, as more agile characters would be less worried about being caught flat-footed than anyone else. Additionally, being flat-footed as written now does nothing whatsoever to people who have a Dexterity of 10 or below, which also seems strange.

In addition to that, the number of different conditions which seem to indicate the same thing (namely, loss of Dexterity to AC) is rather large, due to slightly-different or inconsistent notation. We need to bring these into line, so that references to such make more sense.

Wasn't that easy? Now, touch AC suffers from a similar problem, as characters who wear more armour become easier to touch. To me, this also plainly makes no sense - if more armour makes it harder to sword you, but not tap you on the shoulder, there's some serious versimillitude issues at work. So while we're here...

This also has the added bonus of making the AC entry for monsters and PCs a fair bit simpler.

Initiative

Dexterity is a hideously overloaded ability score, making it an extremely easy choice to improve into the stratosphere on any character ever. Additionally, it is possible that a 1st level rogue has a better reaction time in combat than a 20th level fighter, and this strikes me as outrightly strange, given that the latter is much more experienced and powerful. So to correct for this, and give people a fair go of things, the following is being introduced.

Magic

Save DCs

The fact that the base 3.5 system bases spell DCs on spell level is a substantial flaw for a number of reasons. First of all, from 0-level to 9th level spells, this produces a 9-point save DC disparity, which is very much unacceptable if you want people to either care about 0 level spells or not get massacred by 9th level ones. Secondly, this makes saves extremely difficult to balance, as they would quickly end up being either too good or too weak if this system is maintained. Lastly, this doubly screws casters which don't get access to 9th level spells at all, such as paladins and rangers, which isn't what we want at all.

Caster Level

Making caster level independent of character level is also very problematic. It makes casters who multiclass have to burn feats to not constantly lose to SR, makes partial casting in anything a problem to give out, and generally is subject to too many additional modifications all over the place through items, other spells and so on. It needs to be put back on secure and sensible pegs, and we're going to do just that.

Spell Resistance

Since the SRD is actively contradictory on this, and that voluntary save failure is already in the system, there's no reason to make spell resistance as clunky as it currently is. Additionally, spell resistance needs a bit of clarification to interact with some new rules.

New Magic Types

Not so much a fix as a clarification of an element of the Tome of Prowess, this creates an additional magic type on top of the original two of arcane and divine: natural magic.

Spell Levels and Classes

Putting it really simply, spells are either level-appropriate or they're not. There is never a case when it is OK to give out a spell either ahead of time, or later than it's appropriate, without making it a different spell. As a result, this document standardises all spell levels, no matter what class they belong to.

Schools of Magic Redefined

The schools of magic have traditionally had extremely poor definitions, with significant overlap, and some schools gaining far more than they should, while others gaining much less so. In order to try and bring some sense of order to the schools of magic, they are being rearranged and redefined as follows. Additionally, due to the expansion of their definitions, their wording needed to be changed, as they don't just apply to spells anymore.

Abjuration

Abilities from this school affect other abilities. These abilities are usually defensive in nature, but also often interfere with the workings of other abilities, or cause them to function in ways they normally wouldn't. Most protective abilities are abjurations.

Conjuration

Conjuration abilities create matter in all forms. [Summoning] and [Calling] abilities are nearly always conjurations, as well as any abilities that create objects out of thin air. Creatures that you conjure usually, but not always, obey your commands. Conjuration cannot manipulate matter (like transmutation), nor does it create or manipulate energy (like evocation).

Divination

Divination abilities give access to information or sensory input that would not otherwise be available to the user. All abilities that involve perceiving anything that wouldn't normally be visible, audible etc., predicting things to come, or viewing remote locations are divinations.

Enchantment

Enchantment abilities affect, control or alter the minds of other beings. Abilities that induce fear, emotion or similar things, as well as anything that affects memory, are enchantments. Most enchantments have the [Mind-Affecting] tag.

Evocation

Evocation abilities create, control and alter energy. Abilities with the [Teleport] tag or that involve planar travel, as well as anything that controls gravity, fire or a similar energy, are all evocations. Evocations tend toward big, explosive effects. Evocation cannot create or manipulate matter (that's what conjuration and transmutation are for, respectively).

Illusion

Illusion abilities affect, control or alter the senses of other beings, as well as magical or supernatural 'senses'. Abilities which create images of things that are not real, alter appearances and dull or remove certain senses are all illusions. Illusion cannot give access to genuine information, and also cannot be used to give senses (as both of those are divination's job).

Necromancy

Necromancy abilities manipulate life and death. Abilities that deal with negative and positive energy, healing, souls and the undead are all part of the school of necromancy.

Transmutation

Transmutation abilities alter and manipulate matter. Transmutation cannot create matter (that's conjuration's job) and it can't create or alter energy (that's evocation).

Tags

While the descriptors used by 3.5 are a good classification tool, they ultimately don't go far enough. As a result, to replace descriptors and subschools both, a system of tags is being introduced. These determine how the abilities tagged with them interact with other abilities, as well as some additional rules, which will be described here. Just as with spell schools, tags are being expanded to affect all manner of other non-spell things, and so their wording will reflect this.

Tag Groups

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Companion

These tags indicate that these abilities bring creatures across large distances to serve the users of the ability.

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Deception

These tags indicate that these abilities alter the senses of their targets, making them perceive something that isn't there.

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Elemental

These tags indicate what elemental energy the ability draws upon. While there are some connections between Elemental and Energy tags, they aren't absolute.

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Energy

These tags indicate what type of damage the ability deals. While there are some connections between Energy and Elemental tags, they aren't absolute.

[Energy: Acid], [Energy: Cold], [Energy: Electricity], [Energy: Fire]

Example: An ability with the tag [Energy: Cold, Energy: Fire] deals both cold and fire damage. A creature that has fire resistance 5 and cold resistance 5 reduces the damage from this ability by 5. A creature that has fire resistance 10 and cold resistance 5 reduces the damage by 5. A creature that has fire resistance 20 and no cold resistance does not reduce the damage from this ability. unless specified otherwise in the description.}}

[Energy: Selectable]

Example: An ability with the tag [Energy: Cold, Energy: Fire, Energy: Selectable] can deal either fire or cold damage, depending on what options are chosen. If it deals fire damage, the tag effectively shortens to [Energy: Fire], and if cold, [Energy: Cold].

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Soul

These tags indicate that the abilities channel positive or negative energy.

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Illumination

These tags indicate that the abilities deal with darkness or light, either filling an area with it or removing it from an area.

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Rarity

These tags indicate how commonly-known the abilities tagged with them are. Nearly always used for spells, these indicate how easy they are to learn or acquire in-game.

[Simple]

Example: If the ability in question was a wizard spell, all wizards know it.

[Complex]

Example: If the ability in question was a wizard spell, any wizard can learn it, but not every wizard will necessarily know all such abilities.

[Exotic]

GM Notes: When are [Exotic] abilities OK?

The rationale behind the [Exotic] tag is to indicate abilities that carry with them a lot of baggage to do with mechanics or unforeseen or 'hidden' capabilities that not all GMs may want in their games or wish to handle. A good example of such an ability is the Leadership feat, as cohorts significantly change the way the game works, and may add significant additional complications. So when should you give these abilities out? Basically, if you have been playing this game for a while and know the implications of these abilities, by all means, let people learn them as freely as you choose. You can have them find them on stone tablets, get them taught to them by another character, or, if you're feeling particularly generous, simply let them learn [Exotic] abilities as if they were [Complex] ones. However, if you're new to this, or aren't totally sure what characters are capable of, feel free to restrict these or even not have them available at all. Whatever works for you.

Example: If the ability in question was a wizard spell, while any wizard could learn it, unless they had permission from the GM or an item that could teach it to them, they'd be out of luck.

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Resistance

These tags show whether spell resistance applies to this ability and how. Template:TOTOM Text

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Type

These tags indicate what type of ability this is, in terms of how frequently and how it can be used.

Individual Tags

These are standalone tags, which do not belong to any group.

[Fear]

These abilities induce a condition of panic or terror in their targets.

Components

Components in DnD 3.5 simply don't work as intended. Material components are an actual, ha-ha-funny, joke. The fact you're not laughing right now shows that nobody gets it, and frankly, these have no business being there, as they're annoying and worthless if they cost no gold. If they do cost gold, they range from merely a nuisance (like the powdered silver for consecrate) to the highly-necessary and majorly-bad-to-be-without (like the diamonds for raise dead) to the utterly insane (like the stupendous amount of onyx that animate dead requires). None of these add anything useful to the game except flavour text, and frankly, that should be up to the players to decide, not the GM or, indeed, the system.

XP components are an altogether different problem. The whole use of these is a bit like paying for something using a credit card - you get what you pay for now (namely, the spell effect), but don't pay for it until later (namely, not levelling-up when you should). Now, this in itself is a problem, as this could only realistically work if every game started at 1 and went to 20. While this is the ideal, it almost never happens - people start the game at higher levels, finish at lower ones, and in some adventures, may never level up at all. Thus, it is totally conceivable that the credit card never comes due, which means that you are essentially getting something for nothing. This 'borrowing from the future' aside, XP components are also designed as a limitation on spells that are considered 'powerful' (such as raise dead) or on spells that give you things earlier than you're supposed to get them. Both of these are essentially flawed - if a spell is powerful enough to be included, it's powerful enough to be included, end of story, and if it's too powerful for its level, it needs relevelling. As a result, XP components serve no purpose, and need to die.

XP and Why It Should Die

Our desire to remove XP from the game does not end with XP components, as this is only the tip of the iceberg that are the problems of numeric XP in general. XP given out on a numeric, encounter-by-encounter basis is highly problematic and not helpful to anyone. Although the DMG contains provisions for giving out XP for non-combat encounters, let's face it - nobody does that. This by itself encourages Final Fantasy-style XP dances in the woods, rather than incentivising things like bypassing combat encounters, negotiations or hell, going for the princess in the tower rather than beating up every goblin around it. This is silly by itself, and is reason enough to be rid of it. Additionally, the rate of XP advance postulated in the DMG is ridiculous, as characters go from mud farmers to demi-deities in less than the time it takes to carry a child to term. No world can possibly remain sane or stable under this kind of advancement pressure, and if you attempt to slow it down, per-day abilities (such as pretty much all casters ever) become crazy-good. This is also a problem, and another reason to do away with XP altogether. As a result of all the above, there are no XP components to crafting, and no XP costs of any sort, in this volume. We also strongly urge you to do away with XP in your own games, and simply level-up when the story requires it.

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Additionally, casters end up playing an interesting war with the rules when it comes to buffs. While some issues (such as buffs displacing items) have been dealt to with the [Investment] tag, a problem commonly known as the Frank Cheat still remains - namely, abuse of long durations to re-use slots while the spells cast out of them remain active. To prevent this kind of nonsense, the following change is instituted.

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