The Nine Kingdoms of Arn: House Rules

Character Creation: Consult the Guide for specific details.

Adjudicating the Rules: When attempting to resolve an issue in a dispute over apparently conflicting rules, the following order of precedence is established, from most relevant to least:

1. DM Ruling;
2. A ruling found in this document of House Rules;
3. A rule found in a published adventure that deals with something specific and is limited to the scope of the adventure itself;
4. A ruling found in the latest official D&D FAQ from Wizards of the Coast;
5. A rule found in the Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide;
6. A rule found in another published sourcebook (in the event of conflict, Wizards of the Coast products will often take precedent over non-WOTC products);
7. A rule found in a published adventure (unless it deals with something specific and is limited to the adventure itself);
8. Other sources as approved by the DM.

Cleric: With the introduction of OGC spells from multiple publishers, each domain often has more than one spell to choose from at each spell level. Sadly, the distribution by level and domain is not balanced across the board, leaving some domains with more selections than others. To balance this, clerics are required, at character creation, to select one domain spell for each spell level from their domain list for that level, which will serve as their one domain spell on their personalized list for that domain. As a cleric character advances in level and gains the ability to cast a new spell level, they must at that time select a new spell from the list available to each domain he/she has access to, in order to reflect the cleric's domain choice for that level of spell. Most NPCs, but not all, will simply follow the list in the Player's Handbook.

Druid: Druid characters may pursue the alternate Sea Druid abilities detailed in Seas of Blood, by Mongoose Publishing.

Monk: Monks no longer have any multiclassing restrictions. In addition, they follow the rules of Oriental Adventures and select appropriate martial-style feats at first, second and sixth levels, instead of automatically receiving the Stunning Fist, Deflect Arrows and Improved Trip virtual feats as per the Player's Handbook. Finally, multiclassed monks can use their full BAB for calculating unarmed attacks, as per Sean Reynold's suggestion.

Paladin: The Paladin is no longer a core class, but is considered a prestige class for the Nine Kingdoms of Arn campaign.

Psion: Within the Nine Kingdoms of Arn, Psions use the following Psion Powers Discovered progression table instead of the one found in the Psionics section of the SRD. This was inspired by the variant Psion Powers Discovered table in Bruce Cordell's If Thoughts Could Kill supplement. The Power Points progression from that source has no comprehensible logarithmic or geometric advancement, so the Power Points progression from the original SRD are used instead.

From If Thoughts Could Kill, the Scaling Powers variant is in affect for this campaign. However, the Secondary Disciplines variant is not used in this campaign.

Wizard: Wizards start with Read Magic and fifteen (15) other cantrips, selected from among those available from any acceptable publications approved by the DM.

Using Skills To Avoiding Attacks Of Opportunity: Avoiding attacks of opportunity should not be based on a static DC, because that does not take into account the skill of the potential attacker. Instead, this campaign will use the following rule to create an opposed roll between the potential attacker and the defender:

1. Determine the static DC to avoid the attack of opportunity (AOO) as per the rules. (Ex.: Tumbling through an enemy's square requires a DC 25 to avoid an AOO.)
2. Subtract 15 from the static DC to determine an attack modifier. (Ex.: From above, DC 25 - 15 = +10 attack modifier.)
3. Have the two characters make opposed rolls, the defender's skill check against the attacker's attack roll plus the attack modifier calculated in the previous step. Resolve as per a normal opposed roll check. (Ex.: Roger the Rogue rolls his Tumbling (+9) check against an ogre's attack roll (+8) with the attack modifier above (+10), or +18 on the ogre's D20 roll. Roger rolls a 17, +9 from his Tumbling skill, gives 26. The ogre rolls a 7, +18 for his attack roll, gives 25. The higher roll wins. In this case, Roger succeeds in avoiding an AOO from the ogre.)
4. Should the defender fail, the attacker makes a new attack roll against the defender, as per the normal rules for attacks of opportunity.

Using Skill Checks To Aid Another: When making a skill check to aid another, the assisting character grants a base +2 circumstance bonus for making a DC 10, +1 to the circumstance bonus for every 10 points by which the roll exceeds the base DC 10. (i.e. If the assisting character rolls a 13 on his assisting skill check, the aided character gets a +2 circumstance bonus. However, if the assisting characer rolls a total of 33 on his assisting skill check, the aided character gets {+2 base, +2 for being 20+ more than the base DC 10 = +4 total} a +4 circumstance bonus.) This optional rule can be found in the Epic Level Handbook.

A Note On Skill Synergy Bonuses: Many skills are noted as granting a synergy bonus to another skill when you have 5 or more ranks in the first skill. As per Epic Level Handbook, this synergy bonus increases by +2 for every additional 20 ranks you have in the skill.
For instance, if you have 5 or more ranks in Tumble, you get a +2 synergy bonus on Balance checks. If you have 25 or more ranks in Tumble, this synergy bonus increases to +4, with 45 or more ranks to +6, and so forth.

Open Mass Combat: For large scale and ship-to-ship combats, this campaign will use the Open Mass Combat System, as presented by Mongoose Publishing and modified for this campaign milieu.

Underwater Combat: For underwater combat rules, this campaign will use the official 3E rules published by Wizards of the Coast, currenly available on page 5 of the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil web enhancement, freely distributed on the web at http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/we/we20010713b.

Arrow and Ammunition Loss: An arrow (or other ammunition) that misses has a 50% chance of being broken, lost or otherwise rendered ineffective, minus 5% per plus of enchantment on the arrow, if magical. Ammunition that hit a target are considered non-reusable, but "saving the pieces" recovered from the targets can half the cost needed to craft new ones using the appropriate Craft skill. This rule has been made in keeping with the spirit of the rules for ammunition loss as written, with a nod toward the increased hardness of magical weapons.

Feat Selection In General: Characters may select feats from any published sourcebook that is owned by the DM. Any feat selected that is not included in this document or in the Player's Handbook must be approved by the DM before they come into play. Sources that are open for review includes any WOTC sourcebook in the DM's library, feats from Relics and Rituals and various Malhavoc Press products, most of the feats from Mongoose Publishing products, and any appropriate feats from numerous Fantasy Flight Games products. Feats from the Internet will be considered, but will not be allowed until they are included in this document of House Rules.

Fame [General] (New Feat):
You are particularly well-known.
Benefit: You get a +3 circumstance bonus to all Charisma-based skills whenever the GM determines that your celebrity status would be a benefit.
Special: You can't select both Fame and Infamy.

Great Leader [General] (New Feat):
You are a particularly inspiring leader of men.
Benefit: Gain a +3 bonus to your Leadership score.
Note: This can be taken repeatedly, and the bonuses stack.

Infamy [General] (New Feat):
You are well known for crimes or evil deeds (whether or not you actually committed these crimes or evil deeds.)
Benefit: You get a +3 circumstance bonus to all Diplomacy, Gather Information and Intimdiate skills whenever the GM determines that your notoriety would be a benefit. However, in other circumstances your infamy gives such checks a -3 penalty.
Special: You can't select both Fame and Infamy.

Leadership (Clarification):
When creating the cohort's character sheet, use 28 points for the non-standard point buy method to create their stats, and use the NPC starting wealth values for their level. When creating a follower's character sheet, use the Default Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) to create their stats, and use the NPC starting wealth values for their level. The Nine Kingdoms of Arn milieu uses the Variant Rule: Exceptional Followers from the Epic Level Handbook, pg 37, allow for other followers besides commoners, experts and warriors. (Adepts and aristocrats count as two levels higher; followers with levels in PC core classes count as three levels higher; followers with levels in a prestige class count as five levels higher.)

Magical Talent [General] (New Feat):
Mystical and eldritch secrets are clear to you.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft.

Notorious Tyrant [General] (New Feat):
You are a particularly notorious tyrant.
Prerequisite: Evil alignment.
Benefit: Gain a +3 bonus to your Tyrant score.
Note: This can be taken repeatedly, and the bonuses stack. This applies to the Tyrant feat found in AEG's Evil sourcebook.

Skill Focus (Clarification):
The Skill Focus feat grants a +3 bonus to all skill checks with a specified skill. This replaces the description of the Skill Focus feat in the Player's Handbook.

Weapon Mastery [Fighter, Special] (New Feat):
You have become a true master of a weapon in which you are specialized.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (specific weapon), Weapon Specialization (specific weapon), Fighter 8th level+.
Benefit: When wielding your weapon of specialization, you gain a +2 bonus to attack and a +1 bonus to damage. These bonuses stack with those granted by Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, granting a total of +3 attack and +3 damage with that weapon.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat, it must be taken in another weapon in which you have both Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization.

Weapon Grand Mastery [Fighter, Special] (New Feat):
Your weapon mastery attains legendary heights.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (specific weapon), Weapon Specialization (specific weapon), Weapon Mastery (specific weapon), Fighter 12th level+.
Benefit: You treat your chosen weapon as one size category larger for purposes of determining weapon damage.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat, it must be taken in another weapon in which you have Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Weapon Mastery.

When Casting A Spell: When a character is going to cast a spell, the player should have their book open to the spell description, in the event there are questions that will assist in the abjudication of the spell's effects.

Sourcebooks Usable For Spell Selection: Characters may select spells from any published sourcebook that is owned and has been approved by the DM. This currently includes any WOTC sourcebook in his library, Relics and Rituals, any Malhavoc Press product in his library, any Mongoose Publishing product in his library, and any appropriate Fantasy Flight Games product in his library.

Zero-Level Spells: Zero-level spells do not have to be prepared in advance. Instead, classes that normally have to prepare spells can cast zero-level spells "on the fly" from those that they know. (Taken from a WOTC House Rule seminar, GenCon 2001.)

Familiars and Touch Spells: Familiars of wizards or sorcerers of 3rd level or higher receive the Touch ability, which can, by the rules, only be used for touch spells that the wizard/sorcerer casts. In this campaign, the familiar may also use the Touch ability for spells cast by spell completion and spell trigger items activated by the wizard/sorcerer.

Harm, Heal and Mass Heal:
Change Saving Throw: None to Saving Throw: Will (partial). A successful save against these spells changes the effects to that of a Cause Critical Wounds (for Harm) or Cure Critical Wounds (for Heal and Mass Heal). Anyone can voluntarily fail a Saving Throw, so using Heal on a willing victim is still not an issue.

Scrying (and all other spells that reference Scrying to determine success):
Change the Scry check DCs under the Knowledge section of the spell to the following, leaving the Connection section the same:

Knowledge	DC
None (must have some connection to a subject you have no knowledge of)	40
Secondhand (you have heard of the subject)	30
Firsthand (you have met the subject)	20
Familiar (you must know the subject well)	10
Subject on another plane	+5

Shield:
Shield grants a +7 cover bonus to AC, but grants none of the other benefits of cover.