 |
 |
PC Generation:
Rolling method: 4d6, drop lowest die, arrange scores to satisfy class requirements, if at all possible. (So I like my heroes to be a bit heroic in stature! ;-) )
Prohibited Classes: Druid and Paladin. (I have always found druids to be an overly-powerful class from mid-levels on; in Minarra, the void has been filled by the priests of Sephri, the Creator Goddess. As for paladins, no True God of Minarra is naïve, stupid, and/or cruel enough to impose this sort of unattainable purity on inherently flawed and frail mortals. The closest thing to a paladin that exists in Minarra is a Knight of Rifkis the Peacekeeper.)
Prohibited Races: Halfling. (Too Tolkien, not to mention the fact that they've been very unpopular with my players over the years.)
Prohibited Alignments: All Evil. (Sorry, folks, but I've had too many decent campaigns trashed by evil PCs to ever allow them again. The final straw for me was when one of these PC low-lifes sold out the rest of the party to a pirate crew, then set fire to the ship with the rest of the PCs locked below deck. I also have real problems with Chaotic neutral...)
All PCs get maximum starting money. In case of multi-classed characters, funds are determined by the most generous class in this regard.
Maximum hit points are always granted at 1st level. (Believe me, they need it.)
If given a good reason, I give my players a little more latitude with race/class combinations than the Players Handbook allows. Most conspicuous in this regard is the gnome mage. (Up until recently, specialist mages of any kind were forbidden; historically, Minarran wizards have always preferred versatility to specialization. The illusionist and transmuter in my current campaign are on a trial basis only.)
PCs cannot have more than two classes.
Dagger proficiency at 1st level is a given, and does not require a slot.
By and large, clerics are allowed (and are sometimes required) to have pointed/edged weapons. (Let's face it, people—if you bash someone's skull in with a mace, it's gonna bleed!)
No PC (or NPC, for that matter) has weapon specialization. (By 6th or 7th level, the numbers get a bit too ridiculous for me...)
PCs in the ongoing campaign:
Multi-classed characters have the option of terminating their advancement in one class; all subsequent x.p.s are devoted solely to the remaining active class. This decision is irrevocable once made.
Method of determining the level of PCs brought into campaign mid-stream: a poll is taken of the entire party to find the single-classed PC with the lowest level, and the new PC starts at that level. If multi-classed, the level is dropped by one for each class. Example: if lowest single-classed PC is 5th level, a single-classed PC entering the game comes in at the bottom of 5th, while a multi-classed comes in at the bottom of 4/4.
Unless the DM allows, new PCs entering an existing campaign do so without magical items. (I'm a big believer in earning magic, not having it handed to you. I will, however, make adjustments to deal with the matter realistically. For example, when was the last time you heard of a 9th level character without a few magic baubles to his credit?)
Optional core rules considered standard in my campaigns:
Death’s door rule (This one gets invoked a lot. Sometimes as often as two or three times a session.)
Bonus NWPs for high Intelligence (I'm for anything in the core rules that can flesh out a character, within reason…)
Other procedures:
Initiative: Group initiative is rolled every round for both parties involved. Individual initiative is rolled only when there is either a chance for a spellcaster to be interrupted, or when individuals from either group break off to do their own thing during melee. (I often have as many as eight PCs at once, and an even greater number of opponents at times. Under the circumstances, individual initiative is not an option.)
Encumbrance: (This is an area in which I try to avoid harping on my players. Rather than turning them into quartermasters and auditors, I prefer a common-sense approach to the problem. One tool at my disposal is the "UAS", described below.)
Experience:
Okay, here goes:
The "Usual Adventuring Stuff" (UAS) for Minarran Adventurers:
Unless campaign circumstances dictate otherwise, it is assumed that all PCs have the following items at hand at all times, regardless of level:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(A tad overgenerous, you say? Given our collective campaigning style, not really. My PCs revel in extended overland excursions, making mounts a necessity. Further, it allows leeway for encumbrance vis-a-vis PCs with relatively low Strength scores.)
Quirks:
In official TSR/WotC publications (core rules, etc.), there are a number of spells and magical items that bear the name of their creators. These spells and devices do not exist in Minarra. (Bigby? Mordenkainen? Who are these people? They never lived in my world, that's for sure!..)
Minarran clerics, regardless of Order, are free to select spells from any sphere they choose. The only "restrictions" that apply are those imposed by the cleric's own conscience, wisdom, and fidelity to their Power. (In terms of campaign history, this freedom stems from a "curse" upon all Minarra uttered by the divine Lord of Chaos, in order to foster discord and temptation among mortal priests. In terms of my DMing philosophy, it merely reflects my belief that if clerics truly possess this wonderful wisdom, their players should be made to actually role-play it!)
Per the standard rule, a wizard that fails to make his "chance to know" roll for a given spell must wait to go up a level before trying again. However, if the wizard can find a fellow that already knows the spell and is willing to demonstrate/explain it in detail, the wizard is entitled to make another check. (Call it the "duh factor", if you will...)
|
|
|