House Rules
Modifications are primarily listed according to the chapter in the
Player's Guide that was modified.
- Chapter 1 - Abilities
- Chapter 2 - Race (No changes)
- Chapter 3 - Classes
- Chapter 4 - Skills
- Chapter 5 - Feats (extracted)
- Chapter 6 - Description
- Chapter 7 - Equipment (No changes)
- Chapter 8 - Combat (No changes)
- Chapter 9 - Adventuring (No changes)
- Chapter 10 - Magic (No changes)
- Chapter 11 - Spells
- Chapter 12 - Prestige Classes
- Chapter 13 - Psionics
- Chapter 14 - Familiars
- Appendix - References
- Bonus 0-Level Spells
- Character classes that have access to 0-level spells gain bonus 0-level
spells equal to their spell bonus ability modifier. For example, a sorcerer
named Vincent can cast 4 additional 0-level spells per day because of his 18
(+4) Charisma.
- Bonus Languages
- Characters gain additional languages besides common and their native
tongue equal to their Intelligence modifier. Also, if a character can speak
a language, they can read and write it unless the character is a barbarian
(barbarians are illiterate). Guldon, a dwarf, can normally
speak and write Common and Dwarven. Due to his Intelligence of 15 (+2),
he can also speak and write Elven and Gnome.
- Weapon Proficiencies
- If your class enables you to summon forth a weapon for use (not
fabricate one) as a special ability, the character is proficient in its use.
The psionicist, Irwin, has taken a prestige class of Pyrokineticist, which
lets him summon forth a whip of fire. Psionicists normally do not have
proficiency in exotic weapons, and a whip is an exotic weapon. Even without
a proficiency in whip, Irwin can use his whip of flame as with no penalty.
- Jumping
- You can reach and grab up to a distance equal to your height x 1.5.
- Profession
- Profession is not considered a cross-class for Fighters and
Barbarians.
- Speak Language
- As a general rule, if you can speak the language, you can read/write the
language.
- Wilderness Lore
- If you choose a specific climate and terrain for wilderness lore, such
as temperate forest, tropical mountains, etc., you gain twice the number of
ranks than skill points you allocate. For example, if this is a class skill
and you dump 4 points in, you get a total of 8 ranks. If this is a
cross-class skill, you get 1 rank per point instead of spending 2 points to
get 1 rank.
Please see the extracted Feats Listing.
- Character Background
- Characters may gain free skills or languages based on background. For
example, a character who grew up in the mountains might get a bonus to
fortitude saves versus cold and cold based spells. Players are encouraged
to write their own elaborate background to increase the chance and numbers
of these bonus skills and to create new skills to help customize their
characters.
- Players are also encouraged to create variants of existing character
classes. For example, elementalist spellcasters are spellcasters with access
to elemental schools of magic or domains (see 2nd edition Tome of
Magic), or shamens who appeal to spirits and entice, convince, or force them
to do favors.
Changes to existing spells:
- Wish
- Wish can be used to change the spells known for a Sorcerer or Wizard.
The newly accessable spell must replace a spell of the same level, so you
could wish to be able to use Magic Missile instead of Burning Hands. The
new spell must also be a sorcerer/wizard spell, and not one that is from a
prohibited school.
New spells:
- Call Familiar
- Transmutation [Teleportation]
- Level: Sor/Wiz 3
- Range: 1 mile
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Target: Caster's familiar
- Saving Throw: None
- Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
- This spell summons your familiar into your presence from up to 1 mile
away (within the range of your empathic link). The familiar appears
immediately, anywhere within arm's reach of you.
- Familiar's Form
- Necromancy
- Level: Sor/Wiz 3
- Range: Medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Until the caster returns to his body
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Target: Caster's familiar
- Saving Throw: None
- Spell Resistance: No
- With a round of concentration, you can transfer your mind and spirit
into your familiar's body as if you were using a magic jar spell.
Your familiar's spirit is harmlessly surpressed while you inhabit its body
and your body falls into a death-like trance. You can use your familiar's
body as if it were your own. If your familiar is normally capable of
speech, you can cast spells with verbal components. If your body is killed
while you are in your familiar's form, you become trapped there. If your
familiar dies while you are possessing it, you are automatically returned to
your own body and suffer the normal effects of your familiar's demise.
- You cannot return to your own body unless your familiar is within range
of the spell. You cannot use this spell if your familiar is a construct --
instead, they have a special ability called 'vessel'.
- Familiar's Sense
- Divination
- Level: Sor/Wiz 2
- Range: See text
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 minute/level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Target: Caster's familiar
- Saving Throw: None
- Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
- Familiar's Sense allows you to perceive some of what your familiar does,
regardless of the distance between you. As a partial action each round for
the duration of the spell, you can replace one of your senses with one of
your familiar's senses. For example, the round the spell is cast, you can
choose sight and see only through your familiar's eyes. The following
round, you can choose hearing and hear only what your familiar hears, but
regain your own sight. The familiar doesn't lose any of its senses when you
borrow them.
- The spell does not grant you the ability to communicate with your
familiar if it is outside the range of the empathic link. You use your
normal Listen and Spot skills to notice things, modified by the familiar's
Alertness feat. Lead or magical protections block the spell.
- Familiar's Touch
- Conjuration
- Level: Sor/Wiz 2
- Range: Medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 minute/level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Target: Caster's familiar
- Saving Throw: None
- Spell Resistance: No
- After casting this spell, you can cast any spells with a range of Touch
through your familiar (your familiar touches the intended target to deliver
the spell's effect). Unlike the normal familiar touch ability, you and your
familiar do not need to be in physical contact when the spell is cast. The
familiar must still make a touch attack against the target to deliver the
spell.
- Share Life
- Necromancy
- Level: Sor/Wiz 2
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 full round
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Target: Caster's familiar
- Saving Throw: None
- Spell Resistance: No
- Share life allows you to transfer some of your life force to your
familiar. You can transfer a number of hit points equal to your level to
your familiar by touch, healing any damage it has suffered by taking the
damage onto yourself. You cannot increase your familiar's hit points beyond
its normal level; you can only heal damage it has suffered.
- This does not work with construct nor undead familiars.
Below are changes to the way that prestige classes work, and then
specific prestige classes are listed.
- Psionic Prestige Classes
- The character's prestige class level stacks with her Psychic Warrior or
Psion level for the purposes of determining manifester level (unless
otherwise specified). Irwin Salamander, a 3rd level Psion also
has 1 level in Pyrokineticist, his manifester level will be treated as 4
unless stated otherwise. However, if there is a character that is
multiclassed as a Psion and a Psychic Warrior, and that character puts their
next level into a psionic prestige class, the prestige class's level only
benefits either the Psion manifester level or the Psychic Warrior manifester
level. This must be chosen when the prestige class level is gained. This
is similar to the effect of "+1 level of existing class" for Wizard and
Cleric prestige classes.
- Pyrokineticist (Psionics Handbook)
- Fire Mastery: At 2nd level, the Pyrokineticist gains
the Fire Mastery feat. This allows the pyrokineticist does more damage with
his innate fire attacks as he gains levels. The damage done with the Touch
Aflame, Fire Lash, Hand Afire, and Weapon Afire abilities is increased by 1
point/2 class levels. So, a 5th level Pyrokineticist would have an
additional +2 points, and a 6th level Pyrokineticist would have
+3.
- Bolt of Fire: Up to 1 power point per class level can be spent
with each use of this ability. The damage done is 1d6 per power point
spent.
- Slayer (Psionics Handbook)
-
- The book lists Slayers as "proficient with all weapons and armor."
Slayers have been modified to be proficient with all armor, all shields, and
all simple and martial weapons.
- Psionics use the "psionics are different" rules variant.
New psionic powers:
- Heal Other
- Psychokinesis (Con)
- Level: Psion 3 / Psychic Warrior 3
- Display: Au, Ma
- Manifestation Time: 1 full round
- Range: Touch
- Target: 1 person
- Power Points: Maximum of 4 (for healing) + 1 (activation)
- You may heal others by resting your hands on them. One power point is
used for activiating this power. Each power point spent beyond the
activation cost, up to four beyond the activation cost, is used to restore
1d8 hit points to the target.
- New Familiar Types
- Bird - Owl, hawk, falcon, eagle, gulls, pelicans, crow, parrot.
Owls have superb night vision but tend to be inactive during the day.
Crows and parrots can speak one language (usually common) in a croaking voice.
Predatory birds can hunt or be fed fresh meat. Crows will also eat carrion.
Other birds generally eat seeds, nuts, and berries.
- Dog - Dogs can use their superb senses of smell and hearing to
see past simple deceptions. Dog familiars grant their owners a +2 bonus to
Sense Motive checks.
- Fox - Good hunters and even better at evading predators.
Fox are carniverous and grant their spell casters a +2 bonus to Reflex saves.
- Hare - Larger cousing of the rabbit, they tend to be skittish,
although hare familiars are much braver than others of their kind. Keen
senses of smell and hearing, swift runners, good jumpers. Hare familars
grant +2 bonus to Listen checks and eat all sorts of vegetables.
- Lizard - Geckos, iguanas, chameleons, etc. Found in warm (often
tropical) forested areas. Good climbers, eat insects and small animals,
prefer live food (some eat fresh meat or sometimes food). Lizards grant +2
bonus to Climb checks.
- Mouse - Very good at hiding, and grant a +2 bonus to Hide checks.
Cannot do any damage in combat. Primarily eat vegetables and grains.
- Otter - Clever amphibious animals. Good swimmers and divers.
Otters grant a +2 bonus to Swim checks to the owner.
- Raccoon - Grant a +2 bonus to Pick Pockets checks for their
masters.
- Skunk - When threatened, can spray a foul-smelling musk 10 feet,
and hits with a successful ranged touch attack. If the attack hits, the
target must make a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds. A
skunk familiar's master is immune to the musk attacks of all skunks. Only
one target can be affected by the musk, and only once per day. Skunks are
omnivorous and particularly enjoy eating insects.
- Squirrel - Excellent climbers and jumpers. Can gnaw through soft
wood, leather, rope. Can pick up small objects (but not carry, since they
run on all fours). They eat fruit, nuts, grains. Squirrels gramt a +2
bonus to Reflex saves.
- Other Animals - Other small, plain animals can be used as
familiars. More exotic or dangerous animals might be familars if you get
the Improved Familiar (Tome and Blood) feat.
Thanks to the following sites for their contributions to these house
rules: