This section of the Known Lands Online Campaign Sourcebook contains a number of alternate rules used in this campaign. The following alternate rules are used:
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This system encourages players to take a more active role during combat encounters. Instead of the DM rolling attack rolls, saves and spell resistance checks for non-player characters when fighting player-characters, the players instead make the rolls for the DM. (The DM still determines the effects of these rolls, such as rolling damage, etc.) In essence, it's the same roll, save that the players are making them instead of the DM. The three sections below summarize the basics.
In melee and ranged combat, monsters and NPCs used to have to make an attack roll against a PC's armor class score. Under this rule, players now have to roll a Defense Check against an attacker's attack score. A natural one always fails (indicating that the attacker hits automatically), and a natural twenty always misses (forcing the attacker to make a Dex check, DC 10, to avoid a critical fumble). Critical threat ranges for an attacker's weapons are reversed (i.e. a threat range of 18-20 with an attack roll becomes a threat range of 1-3 with a defense check.)
Attack Score: 12 + attack bonus
Defense Check: 1d20 + character's AC modifiers
When casting spells, manifesting powers or using class or racial abilities, the target is often allowed a saving throw to minimize or avoid the effects. Under this rule, players now have to roll a Magic or Power Check against an attacker's save score. A natural one always fails (indicating that the target automatically succeeds in saving against the spell or power), and a natural twenty always succeeds (indicating that the target fails to save against the spell or power).
Save Score: 12 + save modifiers
Magic/Power Check: 1d20 + spell level + ability modifier + other modifiers
Occasionally, player-characters have spells, racial or class abilities or magic items that grant Spell Resistance, which an enemy spellcaster must overcome. Under this rule, players now have to roll a Resistance Check against an attacker's Caster Level Score, to insure their ability to resist an incoming spell. There are no automatic effects for a natural one or a natural twenty on Resistance Checks.
Caster Level Score: 12 + caster level + modifiers
Resistance Check: 1d20 + (SR-10)
Action Points provide characters with the means to affect game play in significant ways, by improving important die rolls or unlocking special abilities. A character's number of Action Points is renewed with each new level, and unused Action Points are carried over from session to session.
Characters start each level with a pool of Action Points based on their character's level, modified by any specific feats related to Action Points. Typically, characters gain a number of Action Points equal to 5 + one-half their character level, rounded down, at 1st level and every time they attain a new character level.
Only one Action Point may be spent per round. A character may spend their Action Dice in the following ways:
Increase A Die Roll: The character may add the total roll of a six-sided die to a single d20 die roll the character makes (e.g. an attack check, a skill check, a saving throw, etc.). This use may be declared even after making the initial die roll. However, Action Points cannot be spent once the DM describes the outcome of the action associated with it.
Characters of 8th level or higher may roll 2d6, and take the best one, when using an Action Point to increase a die roll. At 15th level, the character may roll 3d6 and take the best one.
A character can't use an Action Point on a skill check or ability check when he or she is taking 10 or taking 20.
Increase One's Defense: A character can spend an Action Point as a free action when fighting defensively or being totally defensive. This grants the character double the normal benefits for fighting defensively or being totally defensive for the entire round.
Confirm a Critical Threat: A player can spend an Action Point to confirm a critical threat on an attack they made against another target. The decision to use an Action Point in this manner may be made even after the player attempts to confirm the critical threat normally, but must be made before damage is rolled.
Recover from a Critical Fumble: The character can spend an Action Point to recover from a failed critical fumble check of their own.
Healing One's Self: When a character is not in combat and still conscious, they may expend an Action Point to heal themselves of lethal and nonlethal damage equal to the amount rolled on a six-sided die. (See notes above, under Increase A Die Roll, for the number of dice rolled by higher level characters.)
In combat, a character may take a full-round Refresh action, in which they can do nothing else but rest. If they are not targetted by an attack by the beginning of their next round, they may spend an Action Point and be healed as above. If the character is targetted by even one attack during that time, the character losed the ability to spend the Action Point, and still loses the ability to take any actions that round.
If a character is unconscious and dying, they can expend an Action Point to become stable at their current hit point total. They may not expend additional Action Points to heal until they regain consciousness.
Avoiding Death's Grasp: If a character dies from hit point loss due to damage, they can expend an Action Point to stabilize themselves at -9 hit points, and keep their character alive.
Gain One More Use of a Limited Usage Ability: The character may expend an Action Point to gain another use of an ability with limited daily uses that have already been expended. (i.e. Bardic music, smite, death touch, stunning fist, etc.)
Extra Attack: During any round in which a character takes a full attack action, they may choose to spend an Action Point to gain an extra attack at their highest attack bonus.
Spell Boost: A spellcaster can expend an Action Point to increase their effective caster level of one of their spells by 2. This Action Point must be spent before casting the spell to gain the effect.
Action points can be used to improve the effect of a feat. Unless stated otherwise, each effect requires a free action to activate and lasts one round.
Blind-Fight: You can spend one action point to negate your miss chance for a single attack.
Combat Expertise: You can spend one action point to double the bonus to AC granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of -3 on your attack roll, you gain a +6 dodge bonus to AC.
Devout Follower: You can spend one action point to gain an extra daily use of this feat.
Dodge: You can spend one action point to increase the dodge bonus granted by the feat to +2. This effect lasts the entire encounter.
Improved Critical: You can spend one action point to double your critical threat range. Remember that two doubles equals a tripling, so your threat range changes from 19-20 to 18-20, from 17-20 to 15-20, or from 15-20 to 12-20, including the effect of your Improved Critical feat. This benefits stacks with the benefit from Improved Critical, but not with other effects that increase your threat range.
Improved Initiative: You can spend one action point to double the bonus on initiative checks granted by the feat, from +4 to +8.
Metamagic Feats: You can spend one action point to gain an extra use of the metamagic feat.
Alternately, you can spend one action point to apply a metamagic feat your character knows to a spell being cast without having to take into account the maximum spell level that the feat can affect. (This expenditure only applies to one metamagic feat, so maximum levels for any additional metamagic feats being applied to a single spell still come into effect.)
Note that you cannot get both of these benefits from a single action point expenditure, and you can only spend one action point a round.
Power Attack: You can spend one action point to double the bonus on damage rolls granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of -3 on your attack roll, you add +6 to your damage roll.
Spell Focus: You can spend one action point to double the increase to save DCs granted by the feat, from +1 to +2.
Spell Penetration: You can spend one action point to double the bonus on caster level checks granted by the feat, from +2 to +4. The effect lasts for the entire encounter.
The following feats that affect Action Points are available:
ACTION BOOST
You have the ability to alter your luck drastically in dire circumstances.
Benefit: When you spend an Action Point, you roll d8s instead of d6s for the action result.
PRECISE STRIKE
Your strikes against an opponent are treated as touch attacks.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +5.
Benefit: Before making an attack on your turn, choose a single opponent and spend an Action Point. Until the beginning of your next turn, any attacks you make against that opponent use that opponent's touch AC instead of the opponent's normal AC.
This variant rule unifies the rules for crafting items and creating magic items, while also replicating a character's ability to come up with just the thing he needs for a specific task in the nick of time. It glosses over the realities of such work - tool kits, alchemical reagents, laboratories, long hours of toil, and the like - to keep the game moving along at an exciting pace.
To craft an item without spending the normal labor time, a character with the appropriate Item Creation feat (for magic items) or Craft skills (for non-magical items) can pay one-tenth the item's market price in craft points (minimum of one point) as a replacement for the time requirement. Partial expenditures can be used to cover a portion of the total time requirement, at the DM's discretion.
Once the creator declares that he is spending craft points and gold pieces (and experience points, for magic items), the item is completed one day later (typically the next morning.) However, if creating an item requires a skill check, failure means that half the cost of materials is lost, as well as any spent craft points, and another roll cannot be attempted until the next day.
Note: Items can still be created using the standard time requirements, without requiring the expenditure of craft points.
Up to three people can assist the primary creator through the contribution of craft points. Competent assistants (those with the appropriate Item Creation feat or Craft skill) contribute craft points normally, on a point-for-point basis. Inexperienced assistants contribute craft points at half efficiency, spending two craft points to contribute one craft point to the project at hand.
The primary creator must contribute at least half the craft points required to create the item in question. Also, the primary creator is the only person that can normally contribute experience points if such are required. (Exception: the creator may use the Transference feat to allow others to contribute experience points, if he possesses it.)
First level characters (even ones without Craft skills or Item Creation feats) start off with 100 craft points. Upon achieving a new level, a character receives a number of craft points equal to their new level times 100. (i.e. a character gains 200 additional craft points at 2nd level, 300 additional craft points at 3rd level, and so on.)
Creatures with an Intelligence of two or less, as well as familiars, animal companions and special mounts never gain craft points, regardless of their Intelligence or Hit Dice.
Item Creation feats also grant craft points, as given in their descriptions.
Also, the Talented Crafter feat can be used to gain more craft points:
TALENTED CRAFTER
You have an extraordinary talent for item creation.
Prerequisite: Any Item Creation feat.
Benefit: You gain 500 craft points, which may be used to craft items of any kind.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, you gain an additional 500 craft points. A wizard may select this feat as one of his bonus feats gained at every fifth level.
During combat, a natural one on an attack roll (or in the case of defending one's self from attack, a natural twenty on the defense roll) triggers an automatic miss (aka fumble), and may result in a critical fumble. In order to avoid a critical fumble, the attacker must make a Dexterity check (DC 10) or become "off balance". An "off balance" character is unable to perform any other actions until they spend a move-equivalent action to recover their balance. Even though the character is "off balance", they do not receive any penalties to their AC and retain their Dexterity bonus, if any, against incoming attacks.
When a character rolls dice to determine the effects of a spell or power that heals hitpoint damage, such as a cure light wounds spell, the player has the option to review the die total. They may then elect to keep the results, or they may ask the DM to roll the dice instead. However, if the player pursues this second option, the character must take the result of the DM's roll, even if it is lower than the original total.
This rule reduces the negative impact of rolling very poorly on curative magics, without overly unbalancing the game.
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