Character Character Generation Rolling Ability Scores There are two basic methods of rolling up your character's ability scores. The first is fairly standard. Roll 4d6 and drop the lowest. Do this for each ability, and then rearrange as you like. The second method is a po int-buy system that splits the attributes into three categories: categories: STR/DEX, CON/ CON/ INT, and WIS/CHA. Each category gets 26 points, with 1 point buying 1 ability point within each category. You can transfer points over from one category to another, but at double the cost. So you could spend 2 points from WIS/CHA to get 1 additional point in STR/DEX.
Secondary Attri utes Secondary attributes are really combinations of attributes that describe a particular characteristic. These characteristics may or may not be used by a particular player during a game, but they are easily calculated if necessary. For example, if a fighter were trying to intimidate someone, a very high Build might be applicable, or a female character trying to distract a male guard at a distance might use Comeliness.
Build (Strength + Constitution / 2) This represents the overall musculature of the character. So meone with an above average build and an above average weight would basically look like a body builder. Someone with an above average build and below average weight would look like a dancer, gymnast or martial artist. Someone with a below average build and above average weight would be chubby. Someone with a below average build and below average weight would be scrawny.
Comeliness (Build + Charisma / 2) This represents the attractiveness of a character, and is determined by Build and Charisma because, although attractiveness is often very subjective, most cultures agree that someone who appears healthy and has a great personality is usually seen as attractive, even if they are not our specific "type." "type."
Creativity (Intelligence + Wisdom / 2) This represents the ability to reach beyond simple knowledge and experience by blending the two into something more. Most people think of creativity as artistic expression, but it also comes in useful for problem solving, thinking outside the box, and strategy. Creativity is the source of true genius.
Grace (Dexterity + Charisma / 2) This represents the character's ability to move in harmony with the environment, whether they are fighting, dancing, or walking down the street. Grace doesn't necessarily improve a character's ability to fight, but when they do fight, they look great dong it. In other circumstances like dancing, grace can play a greater part since dancing for the pleasure of others is enhanced. In the case of walking, someone with a great deal of grace will likely draw more attention and — depending on how they use their grace — can appear more confident, cultured or regal.
Nimbleness (Grace + Wisdom / 2) The nimble character is one who channels their grace with great accuracy. They have clever hands and sure feet.
Class Changes Arcane Spell Casters (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, etc.) Standard Cantrips – In addition to their daily allotment of cantrips, arcane spell casters have several standard cantrips that do not count against their spells for the day. These are Arcane Dagger*, Arcane Shield*, Detect Magic, and Read Magic. If a particular arcane class does not cast cantrips, then they would not have these spells. * See new spell below.
Spell Crafting – Any spell that has some sort of visual manifestation always reflects the personality of the caster, making every spell visually unique in some way. The ap pearance of the spell can be guided by the caster's subconscious, or if they choose to put in the extra effort, it can be influenced by their conscious thoughts. The variations can include the shape, color, or some other aspect to the spell's visual appearance, as long as it does not effect the basic properties of the spell. The specifics will vary depending on the spell and the personality of the caster, but will not be drastically different from it's "base" appearance. For example, a Magic Missile will always have the same size, speed and magical intensity from caster to caster, even if the individual caster makes theirs look like a bright red bird. In game terms, this means that the player is encouraged to be creative when describing their spells. Here are a few examples of some simple visual spell modifications: • Rope Trick Trick – The interior interior looks looks like like a ornately ornately decorated decorated tent tent with floating floating candles. candles. • Fire Ball Ball – The ball ball that shoots shoots toward toward an opponent opponent looks like a small small flaming flaming dragon. dragon. • Cloudkill Cloudkill – The cloud broils broils with with the shapes shapes of various snakes snakes and and serpents. serpents. The caster may be able to attempt to disguise their spell or make it extremely complex, in which case they can make a Spellcraft check to determine success. Attempting to disguise a spell (such as making a fire-based spell appear to be cold-based) would be a DC 20, while making a particularly complex modification (such as making the inside of a Rope Trick look like a specific room) might be a DC 15. Only spells with a v isual component can be modified, so spells like Charm or Power Word Kill could not be altered. The DM will ultimately decide if a particular visual change is allowed.
Bard Perform Skill: Skill: The Bard starts off with 1 free rank in Perform (Oratory) at first level, since it would be necessary for learning Bardic Performance. The Bard must then learn their performance styles in a particular order, because of the way they relate to each other, and to allow for the most versatility under adverse conditions. The performance skill tree is as follows: Body Mastery • Perform (Oratory) • Perform (Sing) • Perform (Dance) • Perform (Act) • Perform (Comedy) Instrument Mastery • Perform (Percussion) • Perform (Wind) • Perform (String) • Perform (Keyboard)
The bard begins by learning to use only their own body before picking up an instrument, starting with oratory since it is the most basic form of communication. They then move up through the list, gaining at least 2 ranks in a performance style before moving on. Once they have a performance style, they can of course put as many ranks in it as they like. This means that a bard could (even with no INT bonus) learn all 9 basic performance skills by 3rd level, if they focused on little else. Furthermore, the bard is not necessarily limited to the core performance styles, for example they could have Perform skills in: Juggling (include knife throwing), Puppetry, Ceremony (includes rituals and hosting events), and even Eroticism (includes flirting, seduction, and sex). Bardic Performance: This isn't so much a new rule as it is a refinement or clarification of the existin g rules. The one thing that is often overlooked is that the Bardic Performance effects are magical in nature, so the spe cific style of performance really doesn't matter all that much as long as it interacts with the intended audience's senses. In other words, if the performance is sight-based, the target(s) must see it, and if it auditory, then they must be able to hear it. However, the style of performance does matter, particularly when in combat. The rules state that once the performance has started, it is a free action to maintain it, which means that the bard can be doing other things, including melee combat or casting spells. This would seem to preclude the use of a musical instrument for example since playing a lute could not be con sidered a free action by any stretch of the imagination. This means that in combat or similar situation, the bard would likely be using only their voice. This could be some sort of battle song, though one would think that fighting and singing would leave one very short on breath. That leaves speaking and chanting, either of which could be very appropriate in a combat situation. For example, the bard might be speaking words of encouragement to his allies, words of discouragement to his foes, or chanting, which need not be intelligible, only audible. The bottom line is that the style of performance should make sense for the situation, and will ultimately be at the discretion of the DM.
Magic Changes New Magic System – Spell Points The standard spell system ha s been modified to use spell points. The goal is to give casters a greater variety and flexibility of spell use, enhancing the story and the overall enjoyment of the game. Basically, the spell point system uses the spells-per-level an d the ability bonus to determine how many spell points the character has, and the level of the spell determines how much it costs to use. This system may seem complex at first, but it's important to realize that you will only need to calculate spell points at character creation an d leveling-up. To be honest, the math isn't really that hard. Each spellcasting character (arcane or divine) gets a number of spell points equal to:
Total Spell Levels per Day + Ability Bonus So, let's say you have a 5th level wizard who has three 1st level spells (3 spell levels), two 2nd level spells (4 spell levels) and one 3rd level spell (3 spell levels), with an Intelligence of 18 (+4 ability bonus). He would have a total of 14 Spell Points. The formula looks like this:
(1x3)+(2x2)+(3x1)+4=14
In terms of the setting, arcane spell points are derived from the universe itself, channeling through the caster by sheer force of will, while divine spell points are imbued from the character's deity.
Spell Point Recovery Arcane spell points are recovered through meditation and rest, while divine spell points are restored to the character by their deity through prayer and rest. All spell points, whether they are arcane or divine, are recovered at the same rate depending on the circumstances. The recovery rate is as follows: Recovery Conditions Deep meditation or prayer and a full night's sleep. Regular meditation or prayer and some sleep. Light meditation or prayer and some rest. Meditation or prayer under stressful conditions.
Recovery Rate 2x (Level + Ability Bonus) per hour 1x (Level + Ability Bonus) per hour .5x (Level + Ability Bonus) per hour .25x (Level + Ability Bonus) per hour
Note that the effect of specific conditions on the recovery rate is at the GM's discretion. A concentration roll may be necessary under uncomfortable or stressful conditions.
Using Spell Points The character casts and modifies spells using spell points. The basic cost is 1 spell point per level of the spell, which is simple enough. That means that casting a 2nd level spell costs 2 spell points.
Modifying Spells The caster also has the option to modify spells using metamagic feats, but instead of taking up spell slots, they use additional spell points. For example, let's say a wizard wants to use the Extend Spell feat to modify Resist Energy, which is a 2nd level spell. The feat says that the spell must use a spell slot one level higher, so using this system, the caster would have to spend 3 spell points to cast his extended 2nd level spell instead of 2. Again, this is fairly simple. Another modifi cation to the metamagic feats is that certain ones can can now be stacked for for an additional spell point cost. The cost is steep, but in an emergency it might be exactly what the caster needs. They can only be stacked once, and the spell point cost is increased by 200%. So a metamagic feat that normally costs 1 additional spell point would cost 3 extra to double it. This means that a metamagic feat that costs 2 points would cost 6, one that costs 3 would cost 9, and one that cost 4 would cost 12. Whether a metamagic feat can be stacked is up to the GM, but a good rule of thumb is, if it modifies the spell by a numerical amount, it is stackable. For example, the metamagic feat "Extend Spell" normally doubles the duration of a spell, but if stacked, it would quadruple it.
Metamagic Feats • Bouncing Spell (+1 spell point) - You can direct a failed spell against a different target. • Burning Spell (+2 sp ell points) - Spell with th e acid or fire descriptor deals extra damage the next round. • Coaxing Spell (+2 spell points, Spell Focus (enchantment) and Knowledge/Dungeoneering 6 ranks) - A mind-affecting spell modified by this feat affects mindless oozes and vermin as if they weren't mindless. • Concussive Spell (+2 spell points) - Spell with the sonic descriptor gains a debilitating concussive effect. • Consecrate Spell (+2 spell points) - Spell is maximized against evil creatures and creatures with the evil subtype. • Dazing Spell (+3 spell points) - You c an daze creatures with the p ower of your spells. • Diminish Spell (+4 spell points) - You can cast your spells so that they occupy a smaller space. This is a new feat. See below. • Disruptive Spell (+1 spell point) - Your magical energies cling to enemies, interfering with their spellcasting.
• Echoing Spell (+3 spell points) - Cast a spell a second time. • Ectoplasmic Spell (+1 spell points) - Your spells breach the gulf between dimensions, sending ghostly emanations into the ether. • Elemental Spell (+1 spell point) - You can manipulate the elemental nature of your spells. • Empower Spell (+2 spell points) - Increase spell variables by 50%. • Enlarge Spell (+1 spell points) - Double spell range. • Extend Spell (+1 spell points) - Double spell duration. • Flaring Spell (+1 spell point) - Spell with the fire, light, o r electricity descriptor dazzles creatures it affects. • Focused Spell (+1 spell points) - When you cast a spell that affects more than one creature, one opponent finds it more difficult to resist. • Heighten Spell (see description below) - Treat spell as a higher level. • Intensified Spell (+1 spell point) - Increase maximum damage dice by 5 levels. • Lingering Spell (+1 spell points) - Instantaneous area effect spell lasts for 1 round. • Maximize Spell (+3 spell points) - Maximize spell variables. • Merciful Spell (+0 spell points) - Spell inflicts nonlethal damage instead of lethal. • Persistent Spell (+2 spell points) - Creatures who saved against a spell must save again. • Piercing Spell (+1 spell point) - Affected spell treats creatures with SR as having an SR of 5 lower. • Quicken Spell (+4 spell points) - Cast spell as a swift action. • Reach Spell (see description below) - Increase spell range to higher range category. • Rime Spell (+1 spell point) - Spell with the cold descriptor also entangles creatures if the spell damages them. • Selective Spell (+1 spell point and Spellcraft 10 ranks) - Exclude targets from an area effect spell • Shadow Grasp (+1 spell point, Tenebrous Spell feat and Umbral Spell feat) - Entangle creatures with spells you cast that have the darkness descriptor. • Sickening Spell (+2 spell points) - Sicken creature with spell damage. • Silent Spell (+1 spell points) - Cast spell without verbal components. • Still Spell (+1 spell points) - Cast spell without somatic components. • Thanatopic Spell (+2 spell points, Knowledge (religion) 6 ranks and Spell Focus/Necromancy) Affected spell’s death effects, energy drain, and negative levels affect undead. • Tenebrous Spell (+0 spell points) - Spells you cast in dim light or darkness are harder to resist or dispel. • Threatening Illusion (+1 spell point and Spell Focus/Illusion) - Cause a target to believe your illusion is a threat. • Threnodic Spell (+2 spell points, Knowledge/Religion 6 ranks, Spell Focus/Necromancy) - Change a mind-affecting spell so it can affect undead, but not living creatures. • Thundering Spell (+2 spell points) - Deafen creature with spell damage. • Toppling Spell (+1 spell point) - Spell with the force descriptor knocks targets prone. • Umbral Spell (+2 spell points and Tene brous Spell feat) - Spell gains the darkness descriptor and target of the spell radiates darkness in 10-foot radius while the spell is in effect. • Widen Spell (+3 spell points) - Double spell area.
New Metamagic Feats Diminish Spell You can cast your spells so th at they occupy a smaller space. Benefit: You can alter a burst, emanation, o r spread-shaped spell to decrease its area. Any numeric
measurements of the spell's area decrease by 50%. A diminished spell uses 4 additional spell points to cast. This is due to the fact that it is more difficult to restrain and restrict energy. Spells that do not have an area of one of these four sorts are not affected by this feat.
Heighten Spell You can cast spells as if they were a higher level. Benefit: A heightened spell has a higher spell level than normal (up to a maximum of 9th level). Unlike other metamagic feats, Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that it modifies. All effects dependent on spell level (such as saving throw DCs and ability to penetrate a lesser globe of invulnerability) are calculated according to the heightened level. Level Increase: The heightened spell cost spell points as its effective level.
Reach Spell Your spells go farther than normal. Benefit: You can alter a spell with a range of touch, close, or medium to increase its range to a higher range category, using the following order: touch, close, medium, and long. Level Increase: Special. A reach spell uses spell points as if the spell were one level higher than the spell’s actual level for each increase in range category. For example, a spell with a range of touch increased to long range uses three additional spell points. Spells modified by this feat that require melee touch attacks instead require ranged touch attacks. Spells that do not have a range of touch, close, or medium do not benefit from this feat.
Cantrips and Spell Points Cantrips do not cost any spell points to cast and are otherwise unaffected by spell points with one exception. A spellcaster cannot cast cantrips if he has no spell points left. As long as he has 1 spell point, his cantrips function normally.
Indefinite Spells As a spell caster becomes more powerful, they are able to cast lower level spells indefinitely throughout the day (like cantrips) without costing spell points. At 10th level, 1st level spells become indefinite, at 15th level, 2nd level spells become indefinite, and at 20th level, 3rd level spells become indefinite. Indefinite spells apply to all spell casters, whether arcane or divine. Indefinite spells require the caster to have at least 1 unused spell point.
New Spells Arcane Dagger School: Evocation [Force]; Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 0 Casting Time: 1 standard action Components: S Range: 30' (5 range increments) Targets: One creature or object. Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: None ; Spell Resistance: Yes This spell creates a single dagger of arcane energy in the caster's hand that can be thrown at a target or used as a melee weapon. The creation and use of the dagger is considered to be a single Attack Action, and it is treated as a normal dagger with respect to things like throwing into melee, the ability to inflict critical hits, the option to make called shots, and so on. If the dagger is thrown, it dissipates after impact (hit or miss), but if used as a melee weapon, the dagger remains in the caster's hand until he releases it. The Arcane Dagger inflicts 1d6 hp + 1 hp/level (+10 max.) of the caster. For the purposes of a critical, it is treated as a puncture wound. Any feats that apply to daggers wou ld also apply to the Arcane Dagge r.
Arcane Shield School: Abjuration [force]; Level: sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time: 1 standard action Components: S Range: Personal Targets: You Duration: 1 min./level Description: This is a lesser version of the 1st level spell Shield, providing +2 to AC. The Arcane Shield does not automatically negate Magic Missiles, but instead has a 50% chance of negating them. The AC bonus applies against incorporeal touch attacks, since it is a force effect, and has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance.
Magic Item Use In order to use a magic item, a character must be strong enough to impose their will upon the item to control it's power. It terms of game mechanics, this means that they must be high enough level to use any give magical object. Each magic item has a caster level (CL) associated with it, and anyone wishing to use the item must be at least the same character level. A character may attempt to use a magic item that is too powerful for them by using a concentrated effort of will. This means that they must make a WILL check to use the item. The DC for any given item is 10 plus the item's caster level. For example, if a 1st level wizard were trying to use a Staff of Fire, she would have to make a WILL check against a DC 18 in order to use it. The means that -- assuming there were no wisdom bonus -- she would have to roll a 16 to use the staff. The consequences for failure can range from a minor effect to serious injury and even death, depending on how badly the character fails.
Item Use Failure Failed By 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08 09-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17+
Result _ Nothing happens except a mild feeling of embarrassment. The item feels warm in your hand, but there is no effect. Lose 1 round of action. The item gets very hot, forcing you to drop it. You drop the item and are stunned for 1 round. You drop the item and are stunned for 3 rounds. You are wracked with pain and are stunned for 1 hour. You fall to the ground unconscious for 1d4 minutes, and are stunned for 6 hours after that. You collapse into a coma to 24 hours. Make a fortitude save (DC 15) or die. If you make your save, you are in a coma for 3 days.
So, if a character needs to roll a 15, but instead rolls a 5, then they fail their roll by 10. This means that they drop the item and are stunned for 3 rounds. Once an attempt is failed, the character may not make another attempt for 24 hours (assuming they are not in a coma). If the character has been put into a coma attempting to use a particular item, they may not attempt to use that item ag ain until they are of the app ropriate level to handle it. If the character succeeds, they gain a +1 to their WILL roll for the next attempt, but if they fail, they gain a -1 penalty to their next attempt. These are not cumulative. Even if the character succeeds with their WILL check, any Use Magic Device skill checks still apply.
Com at Actions To make it simple, you essentially have 5 slots available each combat round, with each action having a specific time cost. • Attack Action (3) – Melee, missile, spell attacks or ready an attack of oppo rtunity. • Standard Action (2) – Readying a scroll or stabilizing an ally. • Move Action (2) – Move, draw a weapon, or move a heavy o bject. • Full Round Action (4) – Full attack, called shot, charge or light a torch. • Minor Action (1) – Drink a potion or take a 5' step. • Swift Action (1) – Cast a quickened spell. • Immediate Action (0) – Cast the spell Feather Fall. • Free Action (0) – Drop an item, drop to the floor or speak.
Possible Combinations of Actions • 2 Move Actions • 1 Move Action and 1 Attack • 1 Move Action and 1 Standard Action • 1 Attack Action, 1 Standard Action and a 5' Step • 1 Full Round Action and a 5' Step • 2 Standard Actions and a 5' Step Note: The Swift, Immediate and Free Actions can be incorporated into any of these combinations.
Combat Movement During combat, you are allowed to move for a portion of your movement total, a ttack, and then move again. The drawback is that you get a -4 to your attack roll unless you have the Spring Attack or Shot on the Run feats. The only exception would be if you made your full move, attacked and then took a 5' step as a minor action.
Attacks of Opportunity You can only take an Attack of Opportunity if you have the Combat Reflexes feat, or you ready an attack of opportunity ahead of time as an attack action.
Hit Point Rules Just as armor class is an abstraction, so are hit points —after all, just because a dagger does 1d4 points of damage doesn’t mean a high-level fighter is somehow immune to having his throat slit. This alternate system attempts to better represent the differences between injuries and impeded performance. Hit points are an abstraction. When a fighter gains a level, his body does not suddenly become more resistant to damage. A sword’s strike does not suddenly do proportionately less damage. Rather, hit points suggest that the fighter has undergone more training, and while he may have improved his ability to deal with wounds to a small degree, the hit points gained at higher levels reflect less his capacity for physical punishment and more his skill at avoiding hits, his ability to dodge and twist and turn. Each
loss of hit points, in this case, su ggests that he is becoming progressively less nimble over the course of combat—in other words, that the decreasing hit points are a marker for his overall end urance and condition. It’s not quite as satisfying, however, to roll a critical hit and then tell a player that his opponent ducked out of the way, but that the sword’s slash made the enemy a little less lucky. This variant system for tracking wounds and vigor should help to remedy tha t.
Determining Wound Points and Vigor Points Instead of hit points, creatures using this system have a number of wound points and vigor points. These two replacement scores are kept track of separately, and represent different ways a character handles the damage inflicted on him. The following are descriptions of these scores and how they work within the variant system of damage tracking.
Wound Points Typically a medium creature has a number of wound points equal to twice its Constitution score. It also has a wound threshold equal to its Constitution score. Wound points represent the amount of physical punishment a creature can take before it dies. When a creature’s wound points drop to or below its wound threshold, that creature becomes wounded. When a creature is wounded, it gains the staggered condition until it is no longer wounded. Furthermore, when a creature is wounded, if that creature takes any standard or move action on its turn, its remaining wound points are redu ced by 1 and it must make a DC 10 Constitution check. If the creature fails that check, it falls unconscious. When a creature reaches 0 wound points they are dying, or if the final attack brings them below 0 wound points, they are dead. Wound Points for size categories other than medium are as follows: [
Size Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal
Multiplier x.25 x.5 x1 x2 x3 x4 x5 x6
]
When someone has exhausted their vigor points and are taking wound point damage, ALL hits are considered critical hits and are treated as such. If an opponent get's an actual critical hit on a wounded opponent, they must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die.
Wound Points and Constitution Damage, Drain, and Penalties A creature’s wound points and Constitution score are intrinsically linked. For each point of Constitution damage a creature takes, it loses 2 wound points, but this damage does not affect the creature’s wound threshold. When a creature takes a penalty to its Constitution score or its Constitution is drained, it loses 1 wound point per point of drain or per penalty for the duration of the penalty or drain. A penalty to Constitution or Constitution drain has no effect on the creature’s wound threshold. Vigor Points Vigor represents a creature’s ability to avoid the majority of actual physical damage it might take from an attack. When a creature takes damage, the damage typically reduces its vigor points first. Some special attacks either deal wound point damage directly or deal both vigor and wound point damage (see Critical Hits). Creatures with one or more full Hit Dice or levels gain vigor points. With each level gained or each Hit Die a creature has, it gains a number of vigor points based on its Hit Die type. Use the creature’s Hit Dice to generate its vigor points, just like you would hit points, but without adding the creature’s Constitution modifier. A creature gains maximum vigor points on its first Hit Die if it comes from a
character class level. Creatures whose first full Hit Die comes from an NPC class or from their race roll their Hit Dice to determine their starting vigor points. A creature with less than one Hit Die has no vigor points; it only has wound points. When a creature no longer has any vigor points, any additional damage it takes reduces its wound point total.
Regaining Wound Points and Vigor Points A creature can regain wound and vigor points in a number of ways, but in general it is easier to regain vigor points.
Healing Spells and Effects When casting healing spells or using an ability with a healing effect (such as channeling holy energy on living creatures or the paladin's lay on hands ability), the creature casting the spell or using the effect must choose whether it wants to heal wound points or vigor points. The creature decides this before casting the spell or using the ability. When that creature decides to heal vigor points, the healing spell or effect acts normally, replenishing a number of vigor points equal to the number of hit points the spell or effect would normally heal. If the creature decides to heal wound points, it heals a number of wound points equal to the number of dice it would normally roll for the healing spell or effect. In the case of effects like the heal spell, where a spell or effect heals 10 hit points per caster level, the creature heals its caster level in wound points. For instance, if a 12th-level cleric uses her channel positive energy power to replenish wound points to living creatures, she would typically heal 6 wound points for all living creatures with her channel energy burst. If she casts the heal spell, she would restore 12 wound points to the creature touched.
Recovering Vigor Points While Active Although an active character cannot recover wound points without magic or rest, they can recover vigor points if their activity is not too strenuous. • Light Activity (sitting, eating, talking, etc.): 2 vigor po ints per character level per hour. • Moderate Activity (walking, crafting, setting up camp, etc.): 1 vigor point per character level per hour. • Strong Activity (running, traveling over rough terrain, combat, etc.): No vigor points are recovered during strong activity.
Rest When a creature has a full night’s rest (8 hours of sleep or more), that creature regains all its vigor points and 1 wound point. If there is a significant interruption during a rest, the creature regains neither wound points nor vigor points. If a creature undergoes complete bed rest for an entire day, it regains half its level in wound points and all its vigor points.
Restoration and Similar Effects When a creature regains Constitution points by way of the restoration spell or a similar effect, that creature regains 2 wound points for every Constitution point regained. Relieving a Constitution penalty or Constitution drain regains any wound points that were lost from that penalty or drain. Attacks That Deal Wound Point Damage Some attacks can be used to deal wound points damage directly.
Critical Hits When a creature is subject to a critical hit, the critical hit deals the damage normally, reducing vigor points first, and then reducing wound points when vigor points are gone. It also deals an amount of wound point damage equal to its critical multiplier (for example, 3 wound points for a weapon with a !3 modifier), on top of any wound point damage the creature might take from the critical hit.
Negative Energy Damage When a creature deals negative energy damage to a creature with a spell or effect, it can choose to deal wound point or vigor point damage (but not both) with the spell or effect. If that creature chooses to deal vigor point damage, the spell or effect deals negative energy damage normally, and that damage reduces vigor points only, even if it deals more damage than the target has vigor points. If the spell or effect deals negative energy damage to wound points directly, it deals an amount of wound point damage equal to the number of dice the creature would roll for that effect; if the effect deals a number o f points per caster level (such as the harm spell), it deals a number of wound points equal to the caster level of the spell.
Temporary Hit Points When a creature would normally gain temporary hit points, it gains temporary vigor points instead. When that creature takes damage, it loses these temporary vigor points first. If an attack deals damage to wound points only, these temporary vigor points are not lost.
Nonlethal Damage When a creature takes nonlethal damage, it takes that damage in vigor points only, even if the attack deals more damage than the creature has vigor points. If the c reature has no vigor points (and no temporary vigor points), each time that creature takes damage from an attack that deals nonlethal damage, it takes either 1 wound point of damage, or a number of wound points in damage equal to the attack’s critical hit modifier if the attack is a critical hit.
Spells or Effects with Hit Point Triggers When using this system, if a spell or an ability has an effect that occurs when you reduce a creature to 0 or fewer hit points (such as the disintegrate spell), that effect is instead triggered when a creature is wounded. In the case of the harm spell or a similar effect where a creature cannot be reduced below 1 hit point by the spell or effect, a creature’s wound points cannot be reduced to or below that creature’s wound threshold.
Dying When the character reaches 0 wound points, roll on the following chart: |
Roll
Result
1
A Second Chance – Fate has favored the character. They shrug off a blow that would fell a lesser creature; and continue to act normally. You lucky bastard.
2
Stunning Blow – The character isn't killed, but is instead stunned for 1d4 rounds.
3
Scarred – In addition to being stunned for 1d4 rounds, the character is horribly scarred, inflicting a -1 to Charisma. This is cumulative, so the penalty is -2 with three scars, -3 with six scars, -4 with ten scars, etc.
4
Broken Bone (DM chooses or roll randomly) – Broken ribs/collarbone/etc give -2 to attack rolls, broken arm/leg gives penalties as per severed limb; heals in 3d4 weeks or with cure serious wounds; if attack is cutting/piercing and target is unarmored, use arterial bleeding instead.
|
5-9
Felling Blow – The character is knocked unconscious and near death. Each round, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10, +1 per turn after the first) to become stable. If he fails the save, he dies. If the character succeeds on the save by less than 5, he does not die but does not improve. He is still dying and must continue to make Fortitude saves every round. If the character succeeds on the save by 5 or more but by less than 10, he becomes stable with 1 wound point, and remains unconscious. If the character succeeds on the save by 10 or more, he becomes conscious with 1 wound point, and is disabled. Another character can make a dying character stable by succeeding on a DC 15 Heal check as a standard action (which provokes attacks of opportunity).
10
Arterial Bleeding – Stunned, and will die of blood loss in 3d6 rounds, preventable with cauterization (1d6 damage and scarring) or any healing spell; if attack is bludgeoning, use broken bone instead.
11
Crippling Blow – The character is knocked unconscious and additionally suffers a loss of 1d4 points of Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity (determine randomly).
12
Disabled Body Part (DM chooses or roll randomly) – Missing eye gives -1 to attack rolls, mangled/ missing fingers give -2 to attack rolls using that hand, ruined larynx/shattered jaw impairs speech and prevents spellcasting; -1 to Charisma; cure serious wounds reduces this to scarring.
13
Blow to the Head – The character is knocked unconscious and additionally suffers a loss of 1d4 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (determine randomly).
14
Slow Death (gutted, massive internal injuries, spine shattered, etc.) – Incapacitated, die in 1d6 days; cure serious wounds reduces this to scarring.
15
Death-Defying Stand! – The character has been mortally wounded and will die in 1d10 rounds unless medical aid or magical healing is obtained. Until that time the character may act normally as they grit their teeth and fight on through the pain.
16
Mortal Wound (heart pierced, throat cut, neck broken, etc.) – Incapacitated, die in 1d6 rounds; cure serious wounds reduces this to scarring.
17
Limb Severed (DM chooses or roll randomly) – Die of blood loss in 1d6 rounds, preventable with tourniquet, cauterization (1d6 damage) or any curative spell cast; -1 to Charisma; missing arm can’t be used for weapon/shield, missing leg halves movement rate; cure serious wounds reduces this to scarring
18-19
The Reaper's Scythe Falls – Instant Death (decapitated, skull crushed, torn to shreds, etc.). Raise Dead or similar is their only hope now.
20
Horrific Demise! – The character is dispatched in a truly gruesome, stomach-churning manner. It's going to take a Resurrection spell to bring them back from beyond the veil. All allies who witness this atrocity must make an immediate Saving Throw vs. Horror.
Stable Characters and Recovery A stable character is unconscious. Every hour, a stable character must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10, +1 per h our after the first) to remain stable. If the character fails the save, he starts dying again. If the character succeeds on the save by less than 5, he does not get any worse, but does not improve. He is still stable and unconscious, and must continue to make Fortitude saves every hour. If the character succeeds on the save b y 5 or more, he becomes conscious an d disabled. An unaided stable, conscious character at 0 wound points has a 10% chance to start recovering wound points naturally that day. Once an unaided character starts recovering wound points naturally, he is no longer in danger of dying.
Recovering with Help A dying character can be made stable with a DC 15 Heal check (a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity). One hour after a tended, dying character becomes stable, roll d%. He has a 10% chance of regaining consciousness, at which point he becomes disabled. If he remains unconscious, he has the same chance to regain consciousness every hour. Even while unconscious, he recovered wound points naturally, becoming conscious and able to resume normal activity when his wound points rise to 1 or higher.
Special Damage Situations Coup de Grace A coup de grace functions normally in that it automatically hits and scores a critical hit (and thus the damage dealt is applied to the target’s wound points). If the defender survives the damage, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the amount of damage dealt) or die.
Massive Damage If the character ever sustains a single attack that deals an amount of damage equal to half of their total wound points or more -- and it doesn't kill them outright -- they must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or die, regardless of their current wound points. If they take half their total wound points or more in damage from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt more than half of their total wound points, the massive damage rule does not apply.
Environmental Dangers The changes in this section focus on substituting Constitution damage for the non-lethal and lethal damage given in the standard rules. This not only creates greater continuity among the various noncombat dangers the PCs face (why should poisons and diseases be as effective against a high-hit point character as against a low-hit point character, but not falling from a rooftop or breathing in smoke), but it should also create a greater respect for the surroun ding environment on the part of the PCs.
Acid There are a number of ways to be affected b y acid. While simple exposure to small quantities of acid, such as a vial, is relatively minor and does 1d6 points of vitality damage per round of exposure or until the acid is either washed off or otherwise neutralized, partial or even total immersion and fumes are much more serious. Varieties of Acid: There are of course different varieties of acid. The example used here is one of the more commonly dangerous types, though there are some that are much more lethal. It will be up to the DM to calculate damage and saves for other acid types. Partial Immersion: Partial immersion, such as an entire hand, arm, leg, or even head, does 1 p oint of temporary Constitution damage upon immersion and every round thereafter. Even if the member is pulled from the acid, the character still suffers 1 point of temporary Constitution damage per minute for 1d4 minutes until the acid is washed away or neutralized. The Constitution damage affects the character as stated in the Constitution Damage and Drain section with the following exceptions: • The member or limb is considered lost (dissolved down to the bone and perhaps even beyond) once a certain amount of temporary Constitution damage has been done. A hand is lost once the character has taken 2 points of temporary Constitution damage, an arm 3 points, and a leg or head after 4 points. • Lost hands or limbs (but not heads unless the character has multiple heads) can be regenerated. Regeneration restores any Constitution damage suffered due to the loss of the limb or appendage. • If more than 1 point of temporary Constitution damage is done to the head, the character is considered to have damaged eyes and is permanently blinded. This can be cured by the remove blindness spell as the eyes are only damaged unless the head has been completely dissolved. • If the head is completely dissolved, the character is obviously dead and only a resurrection or more powerful magic (such as wish or true resurrection) can bring such a character back to life; the head cannot be regenerated. Total Immersion: Total immersion (anytime one-half or more of the character is submerged) in corrosive acid deals 2d6 points of permanent Constitution drain per round as it eats away at the flesh and organs of the character. Worse, even if removed from the acid, the character suffers further 1 point of permanent Constitution drain per round for an additional 2d6 rounds unless the acid is somehow washed off or neutralized. The character is affected by such acid Constitution loss as listed in the Constitution Damage And Drain section with the following exceptions:
• If the character’s Constitution is reduced to 0, the character is dead and his body dissolved; only a true resurrection spell will bring such a character back. • After the first round, if the character’s head is immersed, the character’s eyes are eaten away and the character is permanently blind. Only a regenerate spell can restore these lost organs. • A regenerate spell, in addition to regrowing the character’s lost flesh and organs restores any Constitution drain suffered due to the immersion. Note that other characters attempting to pull out a totally immersed character are at risk of partial immersion themselves. Also note that, the reason that losing a limb to acid is considered temporary Constitution damage but total immersion results in permanent Constitution drain is that an individual can survive the loss of a limb and still be as healthy, in a Constitution sense, as before. He cannot, however, do so well when his vital organs have been eaten away. Corrosive Fumes: Fumes from corrosive acid spread out from the edge of the body of acid itself to a distance equivalent to the size of the body and twice as high (i.e., a 5 foot pool of acid spreads its fumes out to each of the surrounding 5-foot squares and also to a height of 10 feet). Any creature that inhales the corrosive fumes must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 13, +1 for every additional minute of exposure) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. This process is repeated for every minute the creature spends within the fumes and the saving throw DC is increased by 1 for every minute of such exposure (DC 14 after the first minute, 15 after the second minute, etc.).
Cold An unprotected character in cold weather (below 40°F) must make a Fortitude save eac h hour (DC 15, + 1 per previous check) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. In conditions of severe cold (below 0°F), an un protected character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), taking 1 point of temporary Constitution damage on each failed save. Characters wearing winter clothing only need check once per hour for cold and exposure damage. Extreme cold (below -20°F) deals 1 p oint of temporary Constitution damage per minute (no save) to unprotected characters. Characters wearing winter clothing must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC15, +1 per previous check) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage on each failed save. A character that has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on his saving throws and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well (see the Survival skill description). Those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with very cold metal suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to their Fortitude saves. Once Constitution loss begins, the character is affected as listed in the Constitution Damage And Drain section with the following exceptions: • Characters who have taken even 1 point of temporary Constitution damage from cold are fatigued. Characters who are reduced to one-half of their starting Constitution score are exhausted. • Exposed areas may (DM’s option) suffer frostbite and become useless, requiring amputation.
Drowning/Suffocation A character that has no air to breathe (such a s in a vacuum or underwater) can hold h is breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to continue holding his breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success. When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, he begins to suffocate. In the first round, he falls unconscious. In the following round, he dies. The character does not suffer a hit point loss as a result of drowning, but beginning with the round he died in, he suffers 1 point of temporary Constitution damage every round. As long as the character is recovered before his Constitution score reaches 0, he may be revived with
a successful Heal check (DC 15, +1 for each point of Constitution lost); only a Heal check will revive the character unless there is some magic that can force air into and/or water out of his lungs and restore breathing. Revival in this way leaves the character exhausted. Once his Constitution score reaches 0, the character is truly dead and can only be brought back to life by magical means such as raise dead or resurrection. Slow Suffocation: A Medium character can breathe easily for 6 hours in a sealed chamber measuring 10 feet on a side. After that time, the character takes 1 point of temporary Constitution damage every 15 minutes. Each additional Medium character or significant fire source (a torch, for example) proportionally reduces the time the air will last. Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters. A larger volume of air, of course, lasts for a longer time.
Falling Falling inflicts 1 point of Constitution damage for every 10 feet fallen up to 100 feet. After 100 feet, the fall inflicts 2 points of Constitution damage per 10 feet, and beyond 200, the fall inflicts 4 points of Constitution damage. At this point, the character is co nsidered to have reached terminal velocity and can fall no faster). There are very few creatures that can survive such a fall without slowing down somehow before impact. If a character deliberately jumps, instead of slipping or falling, he avoids the damage from the first 10 feet fallen. A DC 15 Jump or Tumble check allows the character to avoid damage from the first 10 feet fallen (or the second 10 feet if he purposefully jumped). Falls onto yielding surfaces (such as soft ground or mud) allow the character to ignore a further 10 feet of falling damage (so the first 20 feet are ignored if purposefully jumping into mud, and the first 30 feet if a DC15 Jump or Tumble check succeeds in addition to this). Falling into water allows the character to ignore the first 20 feet of falling damage if the water is at least 10 feet deep. Deliberately jumping into water allows the character to ignore an additional 10 feet of falling damage if the water is at least 10 feet deep. Characters who deliberately dive into water take no damage on a successful DC 15 Swim or Tumble check as long as the water is a t least 10 feet deep for every 30 feet of the fall (and even if they fail the check, they ignore the first 20 feet of falling damage). The DC of the check is increased by 2 for every additional 30 feet of the dive.
Falling Objects Assessing the damage caused by objects that fall on characters is very difficult. After all, a 20 0 pound sack of dried peas will do less damage than a 200 pound iron anvil over the same distance. The summary of the rule for falling ob jects is that an object deals damage based on its weight, its hardness,and the distance it has fallen. The basic measure is that for each 200 pounds of weight an object falling a distance of 10 feet will cause 1 point of temporary Constitution damage for every two points of hardness (rounded down) up to a maximum of 5 points of temporary Constitution damage and never less than 1 point. Thus a 200 lbs. sack of dried peas (hardness 0) will cause 1 point of temporary Constitution damage, a 200 lbs. wooden table (hardness 5) causes 2 points of temporary Constitution damage, a 200 lbs. stone block 4 points of temporary Constitution damage, and a 200 lbs. metal anvil 5 points of temporary Constitution damage for every 10 feet fallen. Distance also comes into play, adding the appropriate additional points of temporary Constitution damage for every 10-foot increment the object falls beyond the first(to a maximum of 20 times the object’s damage at 200 feet and beyond, at which point the object is assumed to have reached terminal velocity and can fall no faster). Objects smaller than 200 pounds also deal temporary Constitution damage when dropped, but they must fall farther to deal the same damage:
Object Weight 200–101 lb. 100–51 lb. 50–31 lb. 30–11 lb. 10–6 lb. 5–1 lb.
Falling Distance 20 ft. 30 ft. 40 ft. 50 ft. 60 ft. 70 ft.
For each additional distance increment an object falls,it deals the appropriate additional points of temporary Constitution damage. It is up to the DM to determine the partial damage that an object causes (i.e. a 50 pound iron ingot that falls 20 feet causes 2 points of temporary Constitution damage while a 50 pound sack of dried peas that falls the same distance causes none ). Objects weighing less than 1 pound no matter what their material composition do not deal damage to those they land upon, no matter how far they have fallen.
Heat A character in very hot conditions (above 90°F) must make a Fortitude saving throw each hour (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. In severe heat (above 110°F), a character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. Extreme heat (above 140°F) deals 1 po int of temporary Constitution damage per minute (no save). A character that has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on his saving throws and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well (see the Survival skill description). Characters wearing heavy clothing or armor of any sort take a –4 penalty on their saves. Once Constitution loss begins, the character is affected as listed in the Constitution Damage And Drain section with the following exceptions: • Characters who have taken even 1 point of temporary Constitution damage from heat are fatigued. • Characters who are reduced to one-half of their starting Constitution score are exhausted.
Boiling Water Simple exposure to smaller quantities of boiling water, such as being hit with a pot full of boiling water,cause 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. Partial immersion in boiling water affects a character like acid (see Acid - partial immersion) except that the damage stops once the member or limb is pulled from the water and members or limbs are not dissolved once th ey’ve taken sufficient damage but instead are permanently disabled after the appropriate amount of damage is done. Full immersion also affects a character like acid except that the damage stops once the character is pulled out and the body does not dissolve when the character’s Constitution is reduced to 0 (although it may be boiled apart over time). Note that other characters attempting to pull out a totally immersed character are at risk of partial immersion themselves.
Catching on Fire Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, and non-instantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don’t normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash. Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1 point of temporary Constitution damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. Success means that the fire has gone out (once he succeeds on his saving throw he’s no longer on fire). A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough wate r to douse
himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another Reflex save with a +4 bonus. Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take 1d6 points of d amage immediately and 1d6 points of damage per round they are on fire. The DM may adjust the saves and damage based on the size and intensity of the fire. After all tripping into a campfire is going to a very different experience than being trapped in a burning building.
Lava Breathing air or otherwise being near an area of lava means being subjected to extreme heat (above 140°F) and deals 1 point of temporary Constitution damage per minute (no save). Simple and direct physical exposure to small quantities of lava, such as a bursting lava bubble, causes 2d6 points of fire damage per incidence. Partial immersion, such as an entire hand, arm, leg, or even head, does 1 point of temporary Constitution damage upon immersion and every round thereafter until the member is pulled free at which point the damage stops. The Constitution damage affects the character as stated in the Constitution Damage and Drain section with the following exceptions: • The member or limb is considered lost (burned away to uselessness) once a certain amount of temporary Constitution damage has been done. A hand is lost once the character has taken 2 points of temporary Constitution damage, an arm 3 points, and a leg or head after 4 points. • Lost hands or limbs (but not heads unless the character has multiple heads) can be regenerated. Regeneration restores any Constitution damage suffered due to the loss of the limb or appendage. • If more than 1 point of temporary Constitution damage is done to the head, the character is considered to have damaged eyes and is permanently blinded. This can be cured by there move blindness spell as the eyes are only damaged unless the head has been completely burned away. • If the head is completely burned away, the character is obviously dead and only a resurrection or more powerful magic (such as wish or true resurrection) can bring such a character back to life; the head cannot be regenerated. Total immersion (anytime one-half or more of the character is submerged) in lava deals 4d6 points of permanent Constitution drain per round as the intense heat suffocates the character while also burning his flesh. Even if removed from the lava, the character suffers a further 1 point of permanent Constitution drain the following round as the lava cools. The character takes no further damage after this time. The character is affected by such lava Constitution loss as listed in the Constitution Damage and Drain section with the following exceptions: • If the character’s Constitution is reduced to 0, the character is dead and his body burned away; only a true resurrection spell will bring such a character back. • After the first round, if the character’s head is immersed, the character’s eyes are burned away and the character is permanently blind. Only a regenerate spell can restore these lost organs. Regeneration restores any Constitution drain suffered d ue to the immersion. Note that other characters attempting to pull out a totally immersed character are at risk of partial immersion themselves.
Smoke A character that breathes heavy smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character that chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. Smoke obscures vision, giving concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it.
Starvation and Thirst A character can go without water for 1 day plus a number of hours equal to his Constitution score. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. A character can go without food for 3 days, in growing discomfort. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each day (DC 10, +1 for each pre-Characters who have taken even one point of temporary Constitution damage from lack of food or water are fatigued. Characters who are reduced to one-half of their starting Constitution score are exhausted.
Water Dangers Any character can wade in relatively calm water that isn’t over his head, no check required. Similarly, swimming in calm water only requires skill checks with a DC of 10. Trained swimmers can just take 10. (Remember, however, that armor or heavy gear makes any attempt at swimming much more difficult. See the Swim skill description.) By contrast, very fast-moving water (such as rapids) is much more dangerous. On a successful DC 15 Swim check or a DC 15 Strength check, it deals 1 point temporary Constitution damage per round (2 points of temporary Constitution damage if flowing over rocks and cascades). On a failed check, the character must make another check that round to avoid going under. Very deep water is not only generally pitch black, posing a navigational haza rd, but worse, it deals water pressure damage of 1 temporary point of Constitution damage per minute for every 100 feet the character is below the surface. A successful Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) means the diver takes no damage in that minute. Very cold water deals 1 point of temporary Constitution damage (no save) from hypothermia per minute of exposure.
Movement Dangers The changes here focus on substituting temporary Constitution damage for the non-lethal damage given in the standard rules. Again, these rules are completely written out and can be used as a direct substitute for their SRD counterparts. Forced March: In a day of normal walking, a character walks for 8 hours. The rest of the daylight time is spent making and breaking camp, resting, and eating. A character can walk for more than 8 hou rs in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +1 per extra hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. A character that takes any temporary Constitution damage from a forced march becomes fatigued. A character reduced to one-half of his initial Constitution score is exhausted. Eliminating the temporary Constitution damage also eliminates the fatigue and exhau stion. It is possible for a character to march himself to death by pushing himself too hard. Hustle: A character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Each additional hour of hustling in between sleep cycles requires a Constitution check (DC 15, +1 for every previous check ) and, if failed, deals 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. A character that takes any temporary Constitution damage from hustling becomes fatigued. A character reduced to one-half of his initial Constitution score is exhausted. Eliminating the temporary Constitution damage also eliminates the fatigue or exhaustion. Mounted Movement: A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle or in a forced march, taking temporary Constitution damage, but automatically fails all of its Constitution checks. Mounts become fatigued and exhausted from temporary Constitution damage at the same levels as characters.
Raising the Dead There are many ways that one can be brought back from the dead, but the most common of which are the spells Raise Dead and Resurrection. These spells come at a terrible price however, for whenever life is restored, it must be taken from somewhere. Some religious orders offer sacrifices of various kinds to pay the cost, while others distribute the cost over a wide area. Those in the service of evil gods will either not care from where the life comes or they might offer the sacrifice of sentient b eings.
Whoever pays the cost, the raised individual will know exactly from where their life came, and if they are a good soul, it will likely disturb them to one degree or another. If the cost has been distributed, they will know every bird that falls, every beetle that stops, and every child that is miscarried. If they were raised by animal sacrifice, they will feel the loss but their recovery will be swift. If on the other hand a good person is raised through the use of a human sacrifice, they will suffer deep emotional scars and guilt. In ca ses like this, only the most evil will be unaffected. In fact, there are some of an evil disposition who have turned over a new leaf after being raised in this manner, feeling the trauma so deeply that it causes them to feel true empathy for perhaps the first time. There is also a physical price to this process, costing the raised individual 1-3 permanent CON points. These cannot be restored through any means whatsoever. This cost is cumulative, so if an individual is raised many times, they will continue to lose CON. Once their CON reaches 1, they can no longer be raised. If the resurrection cost exceeds their CON when they died, they cannot be raised.
Critical Hits Critical Roll The player achieves a critical roll when their unmodified die roll falls within their critical threat range. In most cases this is 20, but some weapons have a greater range. For example, a long sword has a critical threat range from 19-20, meaning that a natural roll of 19 or 20 is a critical roll. This is called a critical roll because, unlike some systems, it is not an automatic hit. The critical roll is open ended, which means that after your critical roll you roll the d20 again and add the result to your attack. If you are lucky enough to roll a natural 20 on this second roll, you get to roll again, adding that roll to the total. All critical rolls after the initial critical roll must be a natural 20, regardless of the attack's threat range. As an example, let's say that your opponent has an armor class of 35. You roll a natural 20 indicating a critical roll, and a 5 on your open ended roll. Your hit bonus is +9 giving you a total of 34, which means that even though you made a critical roll, it is still a miss. The up side of this system is that anyone has a chance to hit an opponent, no matter how high their armor class. For example, let's say that a 2nd level fighter were trying to his an opponent with an armor class of 35. In most cases this would be impossible, but if the character rolls a 20 followed by a 14 and then adds their attack bonus of +2, their total is 36. This does not necessarily mean any extra damage, but at least it's a hit. When a critical hit is successful, it is possible that, in addition to any damage multiplier, the blow may inflict a wound or injury that has a lasting effect upon the victim. This is called a critical effect. The severity of the effect depends on how much the attack roll exceeds the minimum roll required to h it the target's AC. This is called the critical factor. When an attacker scores a hit that is within her critical threat range, she rolls again and adds the second number to the first (adding in any other applicable bonuses) to determine if there are any damage multipliers and/or any additional critical effects. If the second roll results in another critical threat, then the attacker rolls yet again, and all the rolls are added together to determine the critical effect. If the total roll is less than the opponent’s AC, then it is still a miss. If the total exceeds the opponent’s AC, then the critical factor is applied to the chart below to determine the critical effect.
Critical Effect Critical Factor Severity 01 - 06 07 - 12 13 - 14 15 - 16 17 - 18 20+
Normal Damage Standard Critical Multiplier Only Standard Critical Multiplier / Mild Increase Critical Multiplier by 1 / Moderate Increase Critical Multiplier by 2 / Serious Increase Critical Multiplier by 3 / Lethal
Example: Arinia the halfling (A 3rd Level Fighter), wielding a magical longsword (+1), attacks an adult blue dragon with AC 28. She rolls a 19 which is within her weapon's critical threat range. She rolls again and gets a natural 20 which means she rolls again. The third roll is a 2 which brings the total attack to 48 ( including a +7 for all other bonuses). That is 20 above the minimum attack roll needed to hit the dragon, indicating x5 damage and a Lethal critical effect.
Body Locations For those of you that are sticklers for detail, here is a highly detailed alternative to the above critical hits and effects system. Target body profiles allow you to quickly determine exactly where a critical hit has landed and which specific body location is affected. While many of the critical effects listed below are identical to those previously listed, some have been modified to better reflect more realistic effects for each specific body profile. When trying to determine into whic h body profi le a particular creature belongs, remember that not every antenna, frill, fin, horn, or pseudopodia can be accounted for. These can be ignored because a critical hit to these areas will not have a serious effect on the creature in game terms. For instance, look at the Tyrannosaurus Rex. He has a head, body, tail, two legs and two arms. By definition, he is a Complex Humanoid. However, since the T-rex’s forelimbs are so small and nonfunctional you could argue that a critical hit to either of the se appendages would not seriously impair h is effectiveness. So, if the forelimbs are not taken into account, the T-rex would better fit a Bipedal profile (a head, body, tail and two legs). This is a lesson: include only the relevant body locations of a creature when determining which body profile should be used. To determine where a critical hit has landed, roll the appropriate-sided die (listed on the corresponding table). Then, for creatures with multiples of the same body location, use the closest-numbered die to determine which is affected. (Example: to decide between which of two right-side wings, use odd or even, for three tails use 1d3, etc.) Then cross-reference the body location, critical effect severity level, and the type of injury to determine the exact critical effect. When you look at different body location tables, you may notice that the percentage chance to hit a specific location is often the same. This has been done intentionally, to keep the system simple and as quick to use as possible. Within the parameters of each body profi le, the creatures vary immensely in size, shape, and proportions, making an accurate percentile table nigh impossible. Such a weighted table may work for the majority of the creatures represented, but a significant percentage would be misrepresented. Secondly, when you are involved in combat (especially melee) you are constantly attacking and countering, always searching for that one opportunity to strike a particularly weak spot (a critical hit). That one opportunity, that weak spot, can present itself at anytime and anywhere along your opponent’s body. This is why we feel it can be just as difficult to strike a critical hit on a given body location as on any other. Please note that under each critical effect some descriptions are relatively vague and some are a little more precise, but all contain a specific penalty mechanic. Although the game mechanics should always be applied to the situation, the Game Master is more than
welcome to adlib and improvise different and more detailed descriptions of the action and wounds suffered. Each body profile lists a number of examples of creatures that fit into it. Creatures in italics may be found in the Oathbound®: Domains of the Forge campaign setting. A Breakdown of Body Locations: Head: This usually contains the creature’s brain, mouth, and most of its sensory organs. Sensory Organs: eyes, ears, nose, antennae, etc. (sometimes used for attacks i.e. gaze attacks) Mouth: Orifice used for talking, tasting, biting, or eating. Torso: Main body containing most of the vital organs. Arm(s): Appendages used to manipulate objects or to attack. Leg(s): Appendages used primarily for locomotion and sometimes to attack (kicking). Wing(s): Appendages used primarily for flight and sometimes to attack (buffeting). Tail: Rear appendage used for balance, movement, or attacking. Body profiles resemble the Monster Type usually found near the top of a creature’s description or stat block, so be careful not to confuse the two. Aberration types may be Complex Humanoids, Reptilian types are not always Draconic, and so on.
Generic Use as the default for any creature, re-rolling any that do not app ly. 1-3 Arm 4-5 Tail 6-8 Leg 9-12 Torso 13-15 Abdomen/Groin 16-18 Wing 19-20 Head
Abomination This body profile is for creatures with no definable form, which consists of any number of body areas. 1-2 Sensory Organ 3-4 Mouth 5-10 Body 11-12 Appendage Examples: Blood boulder, chaos beast, darkmantle, gibbering mouther, grick, hovara, mimic, otyugh, and ort.
Beast, Eight-Legged This body profile consists of eight appendages, a body (or thorax), a head, and tail (or abdomen). 1-8 Appendage 9 Head 10-11 Body/Thorax 12 Tail/Abdomen Examples: Aranea, basilisk, scorpion, and phase spider.
Beast, Four-Legged This body profile consists of a head, torso, four legs (or appendages), and a tail. 1-4 Appendage 5-7 Torso 8-9 Tail 10 Head Examples: Aboleth, achaierai, arrowhawk, bulette, h ellhound, kytus, lillend, owdi, stark, tarrasque, tumble ox, unicorn, worg, and wyvern.
Beast, Six-Legged This body profile consists of a head, torso (or thorax), six appendages, and a tail (or abdomen). 1-6 Appendage 7 Head 8-10 Body/Thorax 11-12 Tail/Abdomen Examples: Ankheg, ebon spider, formian, rust monster, sho ck beetle, and xill.
Bipedal The bipedal body profile consists of a head, torso, two appendages (usually legs), and a tail. 1-2 Appendage 3-5 Torso 6-7 Tail 8 Head Example: Digester, ethereal marauder and tyrannosaurus rex.
Dibrachium This body profile consists of a head, main body (or torso), two appendages (pectoral fins or arms), and a tail. 1-2 Appendage 3-5 Torso 6-7 Tail 8 Head Examples: Cuttershark, merfolk, salamander, and sea lion.
Draconic This body profile consists of a head, torso, two legs, two arms, two wings, and a tail. 1-2 Leg 3-5 Torso 6-7 Tail 8-9 Wing 10-11 Arm 12 Head Examples: Asherake, balor, chromithian, dragon, gargoyle, griffon, lammasu, manticore, pegasus, and sphinx.
Humanoid Simple humanoid body profiles consist of two arms, two legs, a head, and torso. Complex humanoid body profiles consist of two arms, two legs, a head, a torso, and an additional body part. (such as a tail, extra head or appendage, a tentacle, etc.) 1-2 Leg 3-4 Arm 5-7 Torso 8-9 Abdomen 10 Groin 11 Head 12 Additional Body Part or Roll Again Examples: Elf, ettercap, ghoul, giant, grimlock, hobgoblin, hound archon, kith, kobold, lizardfolk, medusa nymph, ogre, picker, and satyr.
Serpentine This body profile consists of a head, torso, and a tail. 1-3 Torso 4-5 Tail 6 Head Examples: Frostbiter, frost worm, naga, purple worm, scavan, slather, and thoqqua.
Combination Profile This body profile is for creatures that are a combination of two (or more, if possible) body profiles listed above, such as a creature that is half four-legged beast and half humanoid. First, determine which half of the creature is struck. Choose which body profile is odd and even and then roll any die. Then roll on the table above as normal for that particular body profile. If you roll a body location that is not present on that half of the creature you may accept that location on the creature as a whole regardless or roll again. Examples: Centaur, drider, and lamia.
Critical Effects All debilitating effects last until the victim has received healing applied directly to the specific wound or healing equal to the hit points lost in the attack that caused the critical effect, unless otherwise noted. Mild and Moderate effects can be removed either magically or naturally; however, Serious effects are usually permanent and can only be removed through means other than natural healing. Unfortunately, this system is not 100% foolproof. Eventually, someone’s going to roll an effect that doesn’t exactly match with a particular creature, such as a broken ribcage on an invertebrate or a jawbone hit for a creature that has no defi nable jaw. Although the game mechanics of the critical effect system should remain consistent, the Game Master is encouraged to improvise different and more detailed descriptions of the action and wounds suffered.
Critical Effects by Location ARM (Appendage) - Mild Effect: The victim suffers a -2 penalty to all attacks and Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Forgery, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand and Use Ro pe skill checks involving that arm. Dazed for 1 round. Bludgeoning: The upper arm is deeply bruised. Piercing: The upper arm has been pierced. Slashing: The upper arm has been sliced open.
ARM (Appendage) - Moderate Effect: The victim suffers a -8 penalty to all attacks and skill checks involving that arm. Victim must roll a Strength check (DC 17) each round or lose any held item, shield or weapon. Stunned for 1 round and 1d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has been cracked. Piercing: The arm has been severely punctured. Slashing: Victim loses 1d4 fingers/claws.
ARM (Appendage) - Serious Effect: The victim suffers a -10 penalty to all attacks and skill checks involving that arm. Victim must roll a Strength check (DC 22) each round or lose any held item, shield, or weapon. Stunned for 1d4 rounds and 2d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has been broken. Piercing: A joint has been severely punctured. Slashing: Muscle and tendon slashed, making the arm useless. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the arm is severed.
ARM (Appendage) - Lethal Effect: Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 20) or go into shock and suffer an additional hit point loss equal to the maximum damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Stunned for 2d4 rounds and 3d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: Multiple bones are broken, hand/claw is now lame and completely useless. Piercing: The arm is torn open and is now ruined and completely useless. Slashing: The arm has been severed.
TAIL (Abdomen) - Mild Effect: The victim suffers a -2 penalty to attacks involving the tail and Balance, Jump and Tumble skill checks. Dazed for 1 round. Bludgeoning: The tail is deeply bruised. Piercing: The tail has been pierced. Slashing: The tail has been sliced open.
TAIL (Abdomen) - Moderate Effect: The victim suffers a -8 penalty to attacks and skill checks involving the tail. If the tail is used for locomotion, reduce the victim’s base movement by half. Stunned for 1 round and 1d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has snapped. Piercing: The base of the tail has been severely punctured. Slashing: A significant length of the tail has been split open.
TAIL (Abdomen) - Serious Effect: The victim suffers a -8 penalty to attacks and skill checks involving the tail. If the tail is used for locomotion, reduce the victim's base movement rate by half. Stunned for 1d4 rounds and 2d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has snapped. Piercing: The base of the tail has been severely punctured. Slashing: A significant length of the tail has been split open, making the tail useless. If the damage exceeds 25 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the tail is severed.
TAIL (Abdomen) - Lethal Effect: Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 20) or go into shock and suffer an additional hit point loss equal to the maximum damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Stunned for 2d4 rounds and 3d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: Many bones are broken, tail is useless. Piercing: Tail is torn open, ruined, and useless. Slashing: The tail has been severed from the body.
LEG (Appendage) - Mild Effect: The victim suffers a -2 penalty to all Dexterity bonuses for AC (if any) and skill checks invo lving that leg. Dazed for 1 round. Bludgeoning: The thigh (or upper leg) area is deeply bruised. Piercing: The thigh has been pierced. Slashing: The thigh has been sliced open.
LEG (Appendage) - Moderate Effect: Reduce the victim’s movement rate by half. Victim suffers a -8 penalty to all Dexterity bonuses for AC (if any) and skill checks involving that leg. Stunned for 1 round and 1d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has been cracked. Piercing: The leg has been run through. Slashing: A ligament has been cut.
LEG (Appendage) - Serious Effect: The victim suffers a -10 penalty to all attacks and skill checks involving that leg. Victim must roll a Strength check (DC 22) to move each round. Stunned for 1d4 rounds and 2d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has been snapped; however, it is a clean break. Piercing: A joint has been severely punctured and run through. Slashing: A joint has been split op en and a major ligament cut, making the leg useless. If the damage exceeds 25 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the leg is severed.
LEG (Appendage) - Lethal Effect: Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 20) or go into shock and suffer an additional hit point loss equal to the maximum damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Stunned for 2d4 rounds and 3d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: Multiple bones are broken, foot/claw is now lame and completely useless. Piercing: The leg is torn open and is now ruined and completely useless. Slashing: The leg has been severed.
TORSO (Body) - Mild Effect: Victim suffers a -1 penalty to attacks and strength based skill checks. Dazed for 1 round . Bludgeoning: Victim’s back or chest is deeply bruised. Piercing: Victim takes a jab to the gut. Slashing: Victim’s side is sliced open.
TORSO (Body) - Moderate Effect: Victim suffers a -5 penalty to attacks and strength based skill checks. T his also slows down the victim, reducing base movement rate by one quarter. Stunned for 1 round and 1d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A number of ribs are cracked. Piercing: The blow has punctured the chest. Slashing: The victim’s back or chest has been severely slashed and torn open.
TORSO (Body) - Serious
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -3 Effect: Victim suffers a -10 penalty to attacks and strength based skill checks. This also slows down the victim, reducing base movement rate by half. Stunned for 1d4 rounds and 2d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A number of ribs are cracked and/ or broken. Piercing: The blow has punctured the chest. Heavy bleeding. Slashing: The victim's back or chest has b een severely slashed and torn open. Heavy bleeding.
TORSO (Body) - Lethal Effect: The victim dies in a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier. The victim must roll a Will save (DC 20) to take any action du ring this time. Magical healing that restores at least half of the damage taken during the critical attack will prevent death. A successful heal check (DC 20) will delay death for 24 hours. Bludgeoning: The victim’s ribcage has been crushed. Piercing: The victim is pierced through the heart and/or lungs. Slashing: The victim has been disemboweled.
WING (Appendage) - Mild Effect: Reduce the victim’s flying speed by one-half and maneuverability by one category. Dazed for 1 round. Bludgeoning: The wing is deeply bruised. Piercing: The wing has been pierced. Slashing: The wing has been sliced open.
WING (Appendage) - Moderate Effect: The victim can only use the wing to glide clumsily and can take off only from an elevated position. Stunned for 1 round and 1d4 hp per round from bleeding. When attempting to land, victim must roll a Dexterity check (DC 17) or flounder and crash, taking 2d6 additional hit points of damage. Bludgeoning: A bone has cracked. Piercing: A joint has been severely punctured. Slashing: A joint has been split open.
WING (Appendage) - Serious Effect: The victim cannot fly. Stunned for 1d4 rounds and 2d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: A bone has snapped. Piercing: A joint has been run through. Slashing: A joint has been split open, making the wing useless. If the damage exceeds 30 hit points (+/10 hp per size category difference) then the wing is severed.
WING (Appendage) - Lethal Effect: Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 20) or go into shock and suffer an additional hit point loss equal to the maximum damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Stunned for 2d4 rounds and 3d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: Multiple bones are broken, wing is now lame and completely useless. Piercing: The wing is torn open, ruined and completely useless. Slashing: The wing has been severed from the body.
HEAD - Mild Effect: The victim suffers a -2 penalty to Initiative rolls and Perception checks. Stunned for 1 round. Bludgeoning: The blow causes a deeply bruised eye or jaw. Piercing: A jab to the skull leaves a small but bleeding wound. Slashing: Victim’s scalp is split open and bleeds profusely.
HEAD - Moderate Effect: Victim must pass a Constitution check (DC 17) or go into shock and suffer an additional hit point loss equal to the base damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Stunned for 1d4 rounds and 2d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: Blow cracks the victim’s jaw. Cannot speak command words properly or cast spells with verbal components. Piercing: Victim takes severe eye damage, suffering a -4 penalty to ranged attacks and visual Perception checks. Slashing: Victim takes hearing damage. Suffers a -4 penalty to Initiative rolls, audible Perception ch ecks, and Balance checks. If they are a spell caster, there is a 10% of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components.
HEAD - Serious Effect: Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 17) or go into shock, suffering an additional hit point loss equal to the maximum damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Stunned for 3d4 rounds and 4d4 hp per round from bleeding. Bludgeoning: Blow breaks the victim's jaw and knocks out some teeth. Cannot sp eak properly or cast spells with verbal components. If the damage exceed s 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the victim is dead. Piercing: Victim takes severe eye, ear, nose or mouth damage. Roll 1d6 to determine which (1 nose, 2 left eye, 3 right eye, 4 left ear, 5 right ear, 6 mouth) and then refer to the appropriate called shot critical for the result. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the victim is dead. Slashing: Victim takes hearing damage. Suffers a -8 penalty to Initiative rolls, audible Perception ch ecks, and Balance checks. If they are a spell caster, there is a 50% of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the head is severed.
HEAD - Lethal Effect: The victim is unconscious and dies in a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier. The victim must roll a Will save (DC 20) to take any action during this time. Magical healing that restores at least half of the damage taken during the critical attack will prevent death. A successful heal check (DC 20) will delay death for 12 hours. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the head is severed or destroyed, meaning that no spell or heal check will help. If the victim survives the attack, their Intelligence is reduced by 1d6 until restored through Heal, Restoration or Limited Wish. Bludgeoning: Victim’s skull is partially caved in. Piercing: The victim is pierced through the sk ull. Slashing: The victim’s throat is slashed open.
Impossible Attacks In fantasy worlds the relative size of combatants can vary incredibly. Unfortunately, the critical effects system presented here doesn't take this into consideration when randomly determining where a critical hit landed. To help remedy this, the following guidelines are suggested. When an attacking creature is smaller than its intended target by two size categories or more, it cannot strike at the target's head (or an y portion of the body that is elevated well above the attacker) unless the targeted portion of the body was used to attack the smaller creature during the same combat round. In other words, the smaller creature can't strike the intended target's head u nless it tried to bite him first and he can't attack the intended target's wing (if it is elevated well above him) unless it tried to buffet him first, and so on. Of course, if a smaller creature can utilize some method to elevate itself to an equal or greater height than its intended target (i.e. flying, climbing, jumping, etc.), this is no longer an issue. Similar rules can be used when an attacker wishes to target any area of the defender's body that is ordinarily inaccessible, (e.g. A human cannot possibly attack the kno wn-to-be-vulnerable-tail of a specific dragon if it keeps facing him and trying to burn him into a toasted aperitif. But if the dragon tries to hit him with its tail, that's another story.) These guidelines apply only to melee combat situations and are irrelevant when using ranged weapons. If it's in sight, it can be shot at.
Creatures Immune To Critical Hits While some creatures are immune to critical hits (such as constructs, elementals, plants and undead), they may still be affected by certain results from a critical effect. Even though such a creature may ignore hit point damage from a critical hit, a broken or severed appendage or damaged sensory organ can still have a serious affect on how the creatures can function. This could reduce the creature's movement rate, cut the number of attacks they may make or even eliminate their ability to sense opponents. It is up to the DM whether or not certain creatures are vulnerable to critical effects. If so, use the critical hits and effects system as normal. Ignore all critical hit damage you would no rmally apply to the target and only resolve the resulting critical effects.
Called Shots Sometimes a character will wish to strike a particular body part in hopes for a specific effect such as hitting the target's knee to cripple or slow them down, hitting the eyes to blind, or hitting a hand to dislodge a weapon or item. This can certainly be done, however it is very hard to do. Use the following rules for the requirements and possible consequences of attempting a Called Shot. • The following are mandatory rules/requirements to perform a Called Shot: • You must announce that you are attempting a Called Shot at the beginning of your turn. A called shot requires 1 standard action and 1 attack action. • You must roll a successful Concentration check (DC 15). If you fail, you may not attempt a Called Shot. This uses up your standard action but not you attack action, so you could still perform a standard action, attack action, or move action. If you have the Weapon Focus feat with the weapon in question, this reduces the Concentration check DC to 10. • You may attempt only one Called Shot each round. • The target cannot have moved more than 5 ft. in that round before your attempt. If the target does move more than 5 ft. in that round before your attempt, you incur a -5 circumstance pen alty in addition to all other accumulated penalties. • Delivering a Called Shot provokes attacks of opportunity (AoO) from threatening foes (other than your target) because it involves focused concentration and methodical action. Once these criteria are met you can attempt a called shot. You receive a called shot penalty to your attack roll, as per the chart below for the appropriate body location. Your DM may increase this penalty if the target area is particularly well armored or rapidly moving. Please note that when calculating the AC of a body location that areas unprotected by the target's armor (usually the head) do not receive the target's armor bonus.
Called Shot Penalties Body Called Location Head Sensory Organs (Eyes, Ears, Nose, etc.) Mouth Body or Torso Tail or Abdomen Appendages (Arms, Legs, Wings, etc.) Hand, Knee, Hamstring, etc. Groin
Shot Penalty -8 -11 -6 -3 -3 -5 -8 -10
Should your attack roll succeed, you automatically score a Critical Hit and Critical Effect (Moderate) as is appropriate to the relevant body part hit. If you miss, you miss, even if it would have hit without the penalties of a called shot. To attempt a called shot with a ranged weapon, the target mu st be within the first range increment of the weapon. That would be 10 ft. for a dagger, 100 ft. for longbow and so on. A called shot requires great precision, and some weapons are simply too large and clumsy to accurately strike such a small target. The DM should use common sense to determine if an attack is even possible.
Attempting The Impossible You may wonder just how can a gnome wielding a light mace scores a called shot on a hill giant's head. It's possible because realistic combat makes a very chaotic dance. Combatants are constantly moving around, turning, and shifting from side to side, and larger creatures may have to bend down to attack smaller opponents. Still, some situations may very well be too extreme to be plausible. As always, the DM has final say as to what can and can't be done.
Critical Effects Called Shots ARM
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -5 Effect: The victim suffers a -8 penalty to all attacks and Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Forgery, and Sleight of Hand skill checks involving that arm. Victim must roll a Strength check (DC 17) each round or lose any held item, shield, or weapon. Bludgeoning: A bone has been snapped. Piercing: A joint has been severely punctured. Slashing: Muscle and tendon slashed, making the arm useless. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the arm is severed.
EAR
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -11 (this penalty may be reduced if the ear is of larger proportions than normal) Effect: The victim suffers a -5 penalty to Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth and Perform skill checks and/or cannot use that ear at all. (Game Masters discretion) The victim also receives a -2 penalty to Charisma. Bludgeoning: The impact has ruined the inner ear. Piercing: The ear is punctured and torn open. Slashing: The ear is sliced open or cut clean off (DM's choice).
EYE
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -11 Effect: The victim suffers a -5 penalty to Spellcraft and Perception skill checks and/or cannot use that eye at all. (DM's discretion) The victim also receives a -2 penalty to Charisma. Bludgeoning: The eye has been smashed and ruined. Piercing: The eye is penetrated and torn open and is now completely useless. Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 20) or go into shock, suffering an additional hit point loss equal to the base damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Slashing: The eye has been deeply cut causing blindness.
GROIN
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -6 Effect: The victim is Dazed for one round and suffers a -2 circumstance penalty to all attack an d Reflex save rolls for 1d6 rounds (including the Dazed round). Bludgeoning: The groin has been deeply bruised. Piercing: The groin area has been impaled and is bleeding. Slashing: The groin area has been sliced open and is bleeding. Note: Any other "consequences" resulting from a hit to the groin are up to each individual Game Master.
HAMSTRING
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -8 Effect: See text below. Bludgeoning: The area is deeply bruised but with no substantial affect other than normal damage. Piercing: The area is skewered. The victim's movement rate is reduced by 15 ft. and they lose all Dexterity benefit towards AC (if any). Slashing: The victim suffers a -5 penalty to Acrobatics, Climb, and Stealth skill checks, a 10 ft. reduction in movement rate and loses all Dexterity benefit towards AC (if any).
HAND
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -8 Effect: The victim suffers a -5 penalty to all attacks involving th at hand and Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Forgery, and Sleight of Hand skill checks. Victim must roll a Strength check (DC 17) each round or lose any held item, shield, or weapon. If severed, the hand is useless (well, duh!). Bludgeoning: One or more small bones in the hand are cracked or broken. Piercing: The hand has been run clean through. Slashing: Muscle and tendon slashed, making the hand useless. If the damage exceeds 10 hit points (+/5 hp per size category difference) then the arm is severed.
HEAD
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -8 Effect: Victim must roll a Constitution check (DC 17) or go into shock and suffer an additional hit point loss equal to the base damage of the weapon used to cause the injury. Bludgeoning: Blow cracks the victim's jaw. Cannot speak command words properly or cast spells with verbal components. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the victim is dead. Piercing: Victim takes severe eye, ear, nose or mouth damage. Roll 1d6 to determine which (1 nose, 2 left eye, 3 right eye, 4 left ear, 5 right ear, 6 mouth) and then refer to the appropriate called shot critical for the result. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the victim is dead. Slashing: Victim takes hearing damage. Suffers a 4 penalty to Initiative rolls and Perception and Acrobatics checks and has a 10% of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components. If the damage exceeds 20 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the head is severed.
KNEE
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -8 Effect: Reduce the victim's movement rate by one-half. Victim suffers a -8 penalty to Acrobatics, Climb, and Stealth skill checks and loses all Dexterity benefi t towards AC (if any). Bludgeoning: The kneecap has been smashed. Piercing: The joint has been impaled and rendered immobile. Slashing: The joint has been carved open and some tendons have been cut.
LEG
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -5 Effect: Reduce the victim's movement rate by half. Victim suffers a -8 penalty to any Acrobatics, Climb, and Stealth skill checks and loses all Dexterity benefi t towards AC (if any). If severed, the penalties double. Bludgeoning: A bone has been snapped; however, it is a clean break. Piercing: A joint has been severely punctured and run through. Slashing: A joint has been split open o r cut a major ligament, making the leg useless. If the damage exceeds 25 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the leg is severed.
MOUTH
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -11 Effect: The victim suffers a -5 penalty to all attacks and Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Perform skill checks. Casting spells with verbal components is impossible. The victim also receives a -2 penalty to Charisma. Bludgeoning: Victim loses 1d4 teeth/fangs. Piercing: The jaw/cheeks or lips are punctured and torn open. Slashing: Victim loses 1d4 teeth/fangs.
TAIL
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -3 Effect: The victim suffers a -8 penalty to attacks involving the tail and Acrobatics skill checks. If the tail is used for locomotion, reduce the victim's base movement rate by one half. Bludgeoning: A bone has snapped. Piercing: The base of the tail has been severely punctured. Slashing: A significant length of the tail has been split open, making the tail useless. If the damage exceeds 25 hit points (+/- 5 hp per size category difference) then the tail is severed.
TORSO
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -3 Effect: Victim suffers a -5 penalty to attacks and Acrobatics, Climb, Ride, Swim and Stealth skill checks. This also slows down the victim, reducing base movement rate by half. Bludgeoning: A number of ribs are cracked and/ or broken. Piercing: The blow has punctured the chest. Heavy bleeding. Slashing: The victim's back or chest has b een severely slashed and torn open. Heavy bleeding.
WING
Minimum Called Shot Penalty: -5 Effect: The victim can only use the wing to glide (clumsy) and can take off only from an elevated position. When attempting to land, victim must roll a Dexterity check (DC 17) or flounder and crash, taking 2d6 hit points of damage. Bludgeoning: A bone has snapped. Piercing: A joint has been severely punctured and run through. Slashing: A joint has been split open, making the wing useless. If the damage exceeds 30 hit points (+/10 hp per size category difference) then the wing is severed.
Critical Miss 01-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-91 92-93 94-95 96 97 98 99 00
You lose your turn, and are pretty sure that you hear a snicker from your opponent. Drop Weapon — Reflex save (DC 15)1. Throw Weapon — Reflex save (DC 15) or throw weapon 2d10 feet in a random direction1. Damage Weapon — Reflex save (DC 5 + damage rolled2) or -1 to hit until repaired 3. Damage Weapon — Reflex save (DC 10 + damage rolled2) or -3 to hit until repaired 3. Break Weapon — Reflex save (DC 15 + damage rolled2) or weapon broken 4. Break Weapon — Reflex save (DC 20 + damage rolled2) or weapon broken 4. Lose Footing — Reflex save (DC 12) or fall prone. You stumble and fall. Roll Dexterity save (DC 12) or drop weapon. Fall and drop weapon. Roll Dexterity save (DC 12) or stunned for 1 round. Fall, drop weapon and stunned 1d4 rounds. Fall and hit head. Unconscious for 1d4 rounds. Twist ankle. Fortitude save (DC 12) or movement reduced to 1/2 until rested for at least 1 hour. Twist knee. Fortitude save (DC 12) or movement reduced to 1/4 until rested for at least 1 hour. Bad move. Opponent gets a free Attack of Opportunity. Something hits you in the eye (blood, dirt, debris, etc.). -1 to hit until cleaned 5. Something hits you in both eyes (blood, dirt, debris, etc.). -3 to hit until cleaned 5. Self-inflicted wound. Take normal damage with no strength bonus. Self-inflicted wound. Take maximum damage and stunned for 1d4 rounds. Hit ally. Normal damage with no strength bonus. If no applicable ally, it's a self-inflicted hit. Hit ally. Critical hit. If no applicable ally, it's a self-inflicted critical. Roll twice on fumble table. Re-roll if this comes up again.
1 If using a bow, crossbow or sling, it is the ammunition that is dropped or thrown. 2 Magic weapons receive a bonus to their save equal to their magical bonus. 3 Repairing weapon requires a Craft Weapon skill (DC 15). 4 In the case of a bow or crossbow, it's the string that breaks. 5 Cleaning eyes takes 1 standard or move action.
Skill Criticals Just as in combat, a character may have outstanding successes and
Active Skills These include all physical skills like acrobatics, climbing, stealth and so on. Critical Success 01-25 You make it look easy. 26-50 You make the skill look so easy that all friendly witnesses gain a +1 to attempt the same skill. 51-75 You accomplish the task in half the time and look good doing it, giving any friendly witnesses a +2 to attempt the same skill. 76-99 You accomplish the task in one quarter time and look great doing it, giving any friendly witnesses a +3 to attempt the same skill. 00 You are surprised by your own skill. You accomplish the skill in one quarter time (as above), while gathering a unique insight into the skill performed that gains you 1 rank in that skill.
Critical Failure 01-25 Character fails, but manages to avoid complete embarrassment. 26-50 Not pretty. An embarrassing failure leaves the character vulnerable (DM's discretion). 51-75 Dramatic failure leaves the character injured and/or incapacitated (DM's discretion). 76-99 Severe failure. This is going to hurt (DM's discretion). 00 Critical failure.The character will be lucky to survive (DM's discretion).
Passive Skills These include all mental skills such as knowledge, social, perception checks and so on. Critical Success 01-25 All those near you are thoroughly impressed. 26-50 You succeeds with style, gaining a +1 to you next related roll (DM's discretion). 51-75 Extraordinary success. This might mean that you accomplish the skill in half the time, gather more information, or notice more than one would normally expect (DM's discretion). 76-99 Incredible success. This might mean that you accomplish the skill in a quarter the time, gather much more information, or notice something that might otherwise be almost impossible to notice (DM's discretion). 00 You are surprised by your own skill. You manage an incredible success (as above), while gathering a unique insight into the skill performed that gains you 1 rank in that skill. Critical Failure 01-25 You're lucky that no one saw that. 26-50 You really mess things up, giving you a -2 on the next attempt. 51-75 You dramatically mess things up, giving you a -4 on the next attempt. 76-99 An embarrassing fail. You break a tool, your mind goes blank, you annoy someone so badly that they storm off, or some other unfortunately applicable result (DM's discretion). 00 Epic fail. The damage from this fiasco is irreparable. The lock is completely jammed, the shop keeper calls the city guard, the dog bites you, the knowledge you dredged up from your feeble memory is catastrophically wrong (though you're certain it's right), or some other disastrously appropriate result your demonically cruel DM can conjure.
Action Points Action points give characters the means to affect game play in significant ways, by improving important rolls or unlocking special abilities. Each character has a limited number of action points, and once an action point is spent, it is gone for good.
Acquiring Action Points At each level, the character has a pool of 5 action points. These points do not accumulate if not used during that level. Once they are spent, the character gets no more automatic action points until their next level. The other way that characters can gain action points is by being particularly clever or creative. When the DM feels that a player has done so mething extraordinary, he can reward them with an action point. This could be the player coming up with a creative solution to a problem, a great bit of role playing, or really anything else that successfully impresses the DM. Naturally, these points are give solely at the discretion of the DM and his whims.
Using Action Points You can spend action points to add to a single d20 roll, take a special action, improve the use of a feat, or even dramatically change your fate. You can only use action points to effect one event per round. For example, if you spend a point to use a special action (see below), you can't spend another point in the same round to improve a die roll, and vice versa.
Special Actions A character can perform certain tasks by spending an action point. In addition to the actions described below, some prestige classes or feats might allow the expenditure of action points in order to gain or activate specific abilities, at the DM's option.
Action Point Costs 1 Action Point: • • • • • • •
Add to a Die Roll Activate a Class Ability Boost Defense Emulate Feat Extra Attack Improve Feats Stablize
2 Action Points: • Temporarily Boost an Ability Score
3 Action Points: • Improved Called Shot. Treat a called shot as a normal shot.
4 Action Points: • Natural 20. Take an automatic natural 20 roll.
5 Action Points: • Escape Death • Extraordinary Luck These are just examples of course, and the DM can decide to allow the use of action points for any situation they like, assigning whatever point cost they feel is appropriate. Remember that action po ints are not meant to be overused. The characters are meant to be heroes in their world, and action points (whether you call them luck, fate, karma, or the force) reflect their heroic nature.
Action Point Use Descriptions Add to a Die Roll When you spend 1 action point to improve a d20 roll, you add the result of a 1d6 roll to your d20 roll (including attack rolls, saves, checks, or any other roll of a d20 to help you meet or exceed the target number. You can declare the use of 1 action point to alter a d20 roll after the roll is made, but only before the DM reveals the result of that roll. You can't use an action point to alter the result of a skill check when you are taking 10 or taking 20. Depending on character level (see the table below), a character might be able to roll more than one d6 when he spends 1 action point. If so, apply the highest result and disregard the other rolls. A 15thlevel character, for instance, gets to roll 3d 6 and take the best result of the three. So, if he rolled a 1, 2, and 4, he would apply the 4 to his d20 roll.
Character Level 1st-7th 8th-14th 15th-20th
AP Dice Rolled 1d6 2d6 3d6
Activate Class Ability A character can spend 1 action point to gain another use of a class ability that has a limited number of uses per day. For example, a monk might spend an action point to gain another use of her stunning fist ability, or a paladin might spend an action point to make an additional smite attack.
Boost an Ability Score Using 2 action points, the player can temporarily boost one of their character's ability scores (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, or CHA) by 2. This boost only lasts for 10 rounds (1 minute).
Boost Defense A character can spend 1 action point as a free action when fighting defensively. This gives him double the normal benefits for fighting defensively for the entire round (+4 dodge bonus to AC; +6 if he has 5 or more ranks in Tumble).
Emulate Feat At the beginning of a character's turn, he may spend 1 action point as a free action to gain the benefit of a feat that he doesn't have, though he must meet the prerequisites of the feat. He gains the benefit until the beginning of his next turn. This can be a nice way for players to try out feats, and in game, it can reflect the character trying out something new before they master it.
Escape Death The player can spend 5 action points to avoid certain death. This may require some creativity on the DMs part, for example, if a character is falling from a great height and wants to cheat death, the DM must come up with a plausible excuse why they didn't die. Perhaps there is a long forgotten mine shaft full of water that breaks their fall just enough to avoid dying (though naturally they could still be badly injured), or maybe there is a kindly wizard who happens to be passing by, and casts feather fall at the last minute. In a worst case scenario there is always divine (or demonic) intervention offering a favor that must now be paid back. Hey, no one said action points were free.
Extra Attack During any round in which a character takes a full attack action, he may spend 1 action point to make an extra attack at his highest attack bonus. Action points may be used in this way with both melee and ranged attacks.
Extraordinary Luck This is a generic one left to the DMs discretion, but it's generally reserved for the really crazy twists of fate that are not necessarily life or death.
Improved Called Shot Spending 3 action points means that you can treat any called shot as if it were a normal shot. This certainly does not guarantee that the shot will be successful, but it improves the chances significantly.
Improving Feats Action points can be used to improve existing feats. They could be used to increase their effectiveness, remove a penalty, o r modify it in some way that benefits the character. Like all acton p oint use, they are at the discretion of the DM, but below are a few examples of how actions points can be used with existing feats. Unless otherwise stated, each effect requires a free action to activate and lasts 1 round.
