3.P Gameplay House Rules
The following are a number of house rules that apply to in-game play:
We don't use experience points in Ledge Campaigns. If you would need to use XP, use GP instead, at a 1:5 ratio (1 XP = 5 GP).
Characters gain a new level whenever specific milestones have been achieved. Usually, this is the conclusion of an adventure or quest within the larger campaign. When these are completed ahead of schedule, players can expect to level once every 10 sessions or so. All player characters will gain levels at the same rate, and new players will build characters to match the current level of the group.
There is a tendency of many groups to minimize the number of encounters per day and maximize the number of rests. Also, many adventures take place over a period of weeks or months rather than hours. Yet magic is a fickle thing in the World of the Ledge, and rarely dependable.
Instead of regaining daily abilities and resources (such as spells slots per day) after every long rest, characters will only regain these abilities after either a long rest or a full play session (whichever is longer). For example, if players are fully rested when they enter a dungeon, they will not regain their abilities until the next session at the earliest. Likewise, if players are engaging in a months-long investigation all within the same session, their daily abilities will not recharge until the next session (even though months have expired in-game). Characters in the world have no explanation for this phenomenon, besides the unpredictability of magic. Players should plan accordingly.
We'll be using a modified version of the Hero Points system, see here: 3.P Fate Points House Rules.
Nothing is completely certain, luck can always turn the tide.
Whenever a player rolls a natural 20, they must roll again. If the second roll is also a natural 20, then they roll again (critical confirmations count as the second roll). If the third roll is a natural 20, then that player automatically wins the current encounter. They gain narrative control of the story and may describe how their character managed to single-handed overcome the current challenge. Players narrating should still be respectful to other players and the GM.
Similarly, if a player rolls a natural 1, they must roll again. On another natural 1, they roll again. In the event of three natural 1s in a row, that player automatically loses the current encounter. Usually, this means that the party fails in its objective, not that the player's character dies or is otherwise removed from the action.
NPCs can roll Triple 20s too, but this only applies to named NPCs. Any NPC can roll Triple 1s and lose the encounter.
In rare instances, a player or NPC can roll more than three natural 20s or natural 1s in a row. These are handled on a case-by-case basis, but they could result in the character winning or losing the entire adventure / quest, gaining some lasting boon, or even dying terribly.
Environments are more deadly in the World of the Ledge. Among other changes, the maximum damage that environmental hazards can inflict increases from 20d6 to 150d6. This applies to fall damage, contact with lava, intense pressure, and similar extreme environmental conditions. Players are advised to tread carefully.
Many DCs are quickly outpaced by the high-power characters in Tiered Gestalt. To allow for at least some chance of failure, the DCs for effects that are not a function of character statistics have been increased. This includes the DCs for environmental effects, as well as poisons, and a number of other incidental abilities.
Use the following equation to derive the new DC from the old DC:
(Old DC - 5) * 2 = New DC
(where the New DC is greater than the Old DC)
This does not apply to ability checks, level checks, or similar. Nor does it apply to spell DCs or the DCs of most supernatural abilities (as they're a function of a character's level and ability scores). The GM still has discretion in raising or lowering DCs.
Immunity to effects now functions as superior resistances:
- Effects that deal hit point damage: If you would be immune to that damage, you get energy resistance or damage reduction equal to 2 * (your effective level) ^ 2 against that damage. For example, a 4 hit die skeleton that would be immune to slashing and piercing weapons would receive DR 32/bludgeoning instead.
- Effects that allow saving throws: If you would be immune to an effect that allows a saving throw, you get a bonus to that saving throw equal to 10 + your effective level. Further, if the effect is a save-for-half-damage, then a successful save negates all damage as if the creature had the evasion or stalwart special ability. So a 5th level elf would get a +15 bonus to saves vs. sleep effects. A 10th level character with only two levels of Paladin would still just get +20 bonus to saves vs. fear effects.
- Effects that no not allow saving throws: If you would be immune to an effect that does not normally allow a saving throw, you get a saving throw with a bonus equal to 5 + 1 / 2 your effective level. The default DC of the saving throw is equal to 10 + 1 / 2 HD (or class level of the effect's source) + Cha Mod (of the source or creator of the effect), but the game master might rule that another DC is more appropriate.
- Abilities that overcome immunities: If you would be the source of an effect that normally overcomes the immunities of another target, that target's total resistances (save bonuses, energy resistance, etc.) are halved vs. your effect. For example, a hellfire warlock's hellfire blast overcomes immunity to fire, so a 10th level creature with the fire subtype would only have fire resist 100 vs. the blast.
- Multiple resistances against the same source: If you would get two or more types of resistance bonuses applying toward the same effect, they don't stack, just choose the higher bonus. For example, if you have immunity to both mind-affecting and death effects, you don't get a bonus of 2 x (10 + your effective level) to your saves, you just get 10 + your effective level.
- Immunities granted by items, spells cast by others, etc: If you would get an immunity from an outside source, calculate the benefit based on the source's effective level.
- Possible exceptions: If you would be immune to aging (such as ghosts or those with the Timeless Body class feature), that immunity works normally. If you would be immune to an effect due to lacking the body part or state required for the effect, that immunity works normally (such as a wingless creature being unaffected by the wingbind spell).
Additionally, sentient undead, constructs, and other creatures normally immune to mind-affect effects by nature of their creature type are no longer immune to mind-affecting effects. To be considered sentient, the creature must have an Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma score of at least 3.
Damage Reduction mostly works as normal with a few changes:
- Weapon enhancement bonuses do not automatically overcome damage reduction. For example, a good-aligned weapon can overcome DR/evil but an otherwise +5 weapon cannot.
- Damage Reduction is effectively doubled against swarms, mobs, troops, or similar collections of enemies. For example, DR 5/slashing becomes DR 10/slashing against a swarm's attack.
- Armor and shields grant bonus damage reduction equal to half their AC bonus (after enchantments, round down). This is similar to the Armor as Damage Reduction rules, but all other statistics of the armor/shield and AC rules remain unchanged. This DR stacks with any other DR the character may have, and counts as DR/- otherwise. For example, a character with DR 5/magic wearing full plate and a heavy shield would have DR 10/magic and DR 5/-. Bracers of armor, shield spells, and other sources of AC that aren't actual armor or shields don't provide this bonus DR.
Teleportation rules are unchanged from standard Pathfinder, but a few clarifications may be necessary.
The World of the Ledge doesn't have the planes typically used for teleportation, such as the ethereal, astral, or shadow planes. Instead, it has the Veil, a catchall for the transitive planes. If an effect would block travel to any of the above planes, it also blocks all forms of teleportation that require access to any of the above planes.
Teleportation is treated as a form of movement for effects that limit movement or depend on movement, other than attacks of opportunity. For example, Shadow Pin would prevent a character from teleporting.
All actions that expend attacks of opportunity to use count as attacks of opportunity for purposes of effects. For example, if you get a +2 to attack on attacks of opportunity, that bonus also applies to parry attempts.
Ledge Campaigns have more immediate and triggered actions than normal. I prefer to use a first-in, last-out method, similar to the stack in Magic: the Gathering. For example, if an action A provokes an attack of opportunity B, then B will resolve before A. Similarly, if another character declares an immediate action C in response to B, then C will resolve before B and A.
In some cases, immediate or triggered actions can't resolve after the entirety of the action or effect they're responding to. This is handled on a case-by-case basis. If the actions of multiple characters would trigger simultaneously, they're placed on the stack in initiative order (or an order of the GM's choosing outside of combat).
Players are encouraged to keep to a reasonable number of free actions per turn. Each free action of the same type after the first may come with an additional action cost.
For example, a character trying to identify several different monsters on the battlefield as part of the same turn might spend a free action for one Knowledge check, a swift action for their next check, then a move action, and finally a standard action for their fourth knowledge check to identify a monster.
This is mostly meant to limit infinite chains of free actions, but effects that expressly allow multiple free actions of the same type each turn are unlikely to be impacted. Check with the GM before planning to execute multiple free actions in the same turn.
Infinite loops stop after the first iteration. For example, if you cast Fabricate to create something insanely expensive to sell, you'll get it, but just that once (other attempts will fail). If you try to fill a valley with a decanter of endless water, you might only have enough to fill a small pond (then it's empty), but if you use it for different purposes day-to-day, it won't run out, etc.
We're not using the massive damage rules.
Tiered Gestalt allows for powerful characters, and frequently this means that their stats are off the charts (literally, in some cases). This can put some characters dramatically behind (for example those that rely on summoned creatures). Whenever a player brings a familiar, companion, cohort, or other minion to the battlefield, they can choose to have it use "Base Stats" rather than its own stats. These base stats are the average of all tiered gestalt characters I've tracked for that minion's level. As such, they represent a decent baseline, and won't be immediately outclassed. However, if you choose to use this base stats, the minion can't benefit from additional buffs of any kind - they're essentially locked to these averages.
Players with many minions are advised to form them into troops or other groups for ease of play. Talk to the GM about these options.
For battles we will use the Mass Combat rules with a few alterations. I'll post more house rules on this as we explore the system more.
We'll be using the Kingdom Building and Downtime rules with several alterations. I'll detail these house rules later as we explore the systems.