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From Fax Encyclopedicus

It is just after the dawn of time. Enough of it has passed that six great mortal races have made their claims on the land they were brought into, erecting the shaky foundations of what may one day become great empires. Not enough time, however, has passed for the primordial beings that ruled the world before it coalesced into its present form to resign themselves to the land's new mortal masters. Thus, mortal civilizations walk along a perilous line, with the dangers of untamed wilds on one side, and the keen knives of their neighbours on the other.<br> A special type of person has risen amid this conflict. Backed by no authority save that of their sword arm, small parties of adventurers fling themselves into the wilds in pursuit of profit and glory, estranged from the civilizations they inadvertently protect by months and sometimes years spent beyond the frontiers. It is no surprise that some of them gather far more power than any mortal should possess, and come to stand on equal footing with the primordials that threaten their people. These are the new gods, buoyed to divinity through a combination of personal power and the hopes of those they risk their lives to protect.<br> More setting details will be up [[Crucible|here]]. =Schedule= Undecided. The game will begin sometime in January, so get a move on. {|border=1px align=center ! !!Monday!!Tuesday!!Wednesday!!Thursday!!Friday!!Saturday!!Sunday |- ||Flickerdart|| No || After 15:30 Eastern || After 18:30 Eastern || Whenever || Whenever || Whenever || Whenever |- ||Emerald|| Wide open || Wide open || Wide open || Wide open || Wide open || Wide open || Wide open |- ||KKL|| Free || Free || Not Free || Not Free || Not Free || Free || Not Free |- ||DragoonWraith (before Jan 28)|| >19:00 EST || >19:00 EST || >19:00 EST || >19:00 EST || No || No || Free |- ||DragoonWraith (after Jan 28)|| No || No || No || >19:00 EST || No || No || Free |} =Rules and Suchlike= Tentatively, the game will be the following:<br> * System: D&D 3.5, Modified E6 (see below) * Starting level: 6 * Variant Rules: No gestalt, no LA buyoff (but see Modified E6 below), no flaws (but see barely-feats below), traits allowed, incantations * WBL: Standard * Ability Score Generation: 32 Point Buy (but see Modified E6 below) ==Modified E6== 6th level is the peak of mortal power in this setting. The PCs have already reached that peak (they are all reasonably influential and accomplished people - you don't get to the level cap by shovelling manure), and will continue to go beyond it. They begin as 6th level E6 characters, and gain feats as normal for E6. However, they will have opportunities to gain levels - for every divine rank the characters acquire, they also gain a level, though they do not gain feats for advancing by HD. ===Levels in E6=== After you reach level 6, you stop levelling. For every 5000 XP past level 6, you get a feat. ===LA in E6=== E6 does not have level adjustment. Rather, it adjusts your initial point buy based on your original LA. The reduction looks like this: * 0 LA: 32 PB * 1 LA: 25 PB * 2 LA: 18 PB * 3 LA: 10 PB * 4 LA: 0 PB ==Wait, Divine Ranks?== Divine ranks. Slightly modified to fit the low levels of the campaign, but divine ranks, together with Salient Divine Abilities if you get there. * Hit Points: Only intermediate deities or higher gain this benefit. * Speed: Only lesser deities or higher gain this benefit. * Bypassing DR: As you are not outsiders with alignment subtypes, you do not naturally bypass DR. * Immunities: Only lesser deities or higher gain this benefit. Other deities gain the following: ** Transmutation: +2+DR on saves VS the listed effects. ** Mind-affecting Effects: +2+DR on saves VS mind-affecting effects. ** Energy Immunity: Deities of divine rank 1 or higher choose one energy from the list and gain resistance 5 to it. With every new divine rank, they may add 5 to that energy resistance or choose a new one to gain resistance 5 to. ** Miscellaneous: Deities of rank 1 or higher are immune to disease and gain +2+DR on saves against the other listed effects. * DR: Only lesser deities or higher gain this benefit. * Resistances: Only intermediate deities or higher gain this benefit. * SDAs: You gain one SDA per divine rank (DR 0 is not a divine rank). You may only gain SDAs relevant to your portfolio (and remember, all the cool ones are already taken by greedy bastards you need to off first). I will be nerfing most SDAs to put them inline with the game's level, as well as reducing their prerequisites. No, you may not have Alter Reality. * Domain Powers: You may use domain powers from domains that you grant, plus a total extra number of times per day equal to your divine rank. * Divine Realms: All planes are coterminous, so find a spot and start realming it (provided it's not already taken) if you're of divine rank 1 or higher. While you can still bar teleportation into the plane as normal, nothing is stopping people from just walking in unless you put up a fence or something. * SLAs: Deities or higher may use one spell from their domain lists per spell level per day, and even then may only use the spells if their divine rank meets or exceeds the spell's level on that domain list. * Immortality: No deities are immortal. A slain deity can lose a portfolio to the challenger even if he is returned to life. * Remote Sensing: Remote sensing is taxing to a deity of less than intermediate rank, and requires a ritual that takes an hour and may be used once per day. * Portfolios: All the cool ones are already taken. Before you can acquire a portfolio, you must seize it from an existing god or primordial being. * Automatic Actions: You do not gain automatic actions. * Divine Aura: Only intermediate deities or higher gain this benefit. * Grant Spells: You may only grant spells of a level equal to or less than your divine rank. * Spontaneous Casting: No. * Communication: Only intermediate deities or higher gain this benefit. * Travel: Only intermediate deities or higher gain this benefit. * Familiar: You may only designate a creature with HD equal to or less than your divine rank as your divine familiar. ===Divine Spellcasters=== Paladins gain their spells from being righteous pricks, and do not have to worship a god. Rangers, Druids, and other nature-based spellcasters gain their power from the ebb and flow of energies between order and chaos, and do not have to worship a god. Clerics can still be clerics of a cause, but must receive domains from relevant mortal gods (they may receive domains from different deities if they work to further the causes of both, but this is a terrible plan for obvious reasons) or else try and truck with primordials and hope that they don't notice their powers being sapped. ==Allowed Sources== * All 1st party WotC books and web materials * The following is available only on a case-by-case basis: ** Setting-specific material (Forgotten Realms, Eberron) ** 3.0 and "3.25" materials that do not have official updates to 3.5 ** Magazine materials unless reprinted in Dragon Compendium or other book ** 3rd party and homebrew material (including ACF chaining) All "it's not in the book but the rules say something kind of similar and I heard a guy on the forum say it works this way but never bothered to check myself" calls will be made by me and not you. ==Banned Sources== * Dragonlance * Green Ronin books * Kingdoms of whatever the hell it was called, Kamalur? * Monster Manual 2 ==House Rules== * What's a multiclass XP penalty? What's carrying capacity? What's keeping track of mundane ammunition? Dirty communist lies, is what. * Deity prerequisites for PrCs and suchlike do not exist. * Alignments in crunch can eat a dick. **The actions of individuals do not change their alignment, because the universe doesn't care that you eat puppies for breakfast. Alignments are assigned based on your role in the order of things. Personal-level powers that trigger on alignment don't work the same, and will be re-evaluated on a case by case basis if you insist on taking them. Smite Alignment/Opposition hits everything. **Chaos corresponds, by and large, to primordial powers and their worshippers. Law corresponds, by and large, to civilization and its adherents. Straddling the line between the two, most non-divine adventurers are Neutral on this axis. **Good corresponds to actors that work to benefit their side of the Law-Chaos axis. Evil corresponds to actors that work to benefit themselves, even in detriment to their side. Most gods are Good. Most mortal rulers and primordial creatures are Evil. Non-divine adventurers, who tend to be motivated by selfish desires but inadvertently help civilization survive, are Neutral on this axis. * Exotic Weapon Proficiency grants proficiency with one exotic weapon per point of BAB you have (which improves as you level). * Gauntlets deal unarmed strike damage or their own damage, whichever is higher. * Shadowcaster [http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3273239&postcount=2 errata] * A psicrystal counts as a part of you for the purpose of Confusion and similar effects. * You may delay gaining stances as an initiator until you gain access to a new stance level. You may only have one stance delayed in this manner at any given time. * Conjuration(Healing) spells are now Necromancy(Healing) and are affected by all effects that modify Necromancy or Conjuration(Healing) spells. * Conjuration spells that have [Element] tags (such as Orb of Acid or Force) are now Evocation. ** The exception is Mage Armor and derivatives, which are Abjuration. * Familiars scale with character, not class, level. * Dodge and Mobility no longer exist. Anything that has these feats as prerequisites doesn't anymore. * Flyby Attack, Rideby Attack, Shot on the Run, Spring Attack and Swimby Attack are now one feat with Spring Attack's prerequisites. You automatically get the extra functions once you have the prerequisites for those feats. * Call Weaponry is now a standard action. * Two Weapon Fighting turns into ITWF and GTWF as soon as you qualify; same thing goes for Rapid Shot -> Improved Rapid Shot and Manyshot -> Greater Manyshot. * Bows and crossbows add 1/2 Dexterity to damage. * Rangers and Druids exchange animal companion abilities. Paladins gain their stupid horse at level 3, and are treated as 2 levels higher for all stupid horse abilities. * Druids must use either the Shapeshift (PHB2) or Aspect of Nature (UA) variants. Wildshape Rangers must use the Aspect of Nature variant. * You cannot trade away an ability for an ACF if it's already been modified by another ACF. * In order to gain a benefit that requires a cost, you must pay that cost; if you mitigate all of the cost away, you're not paying the cost and the benefit does not happen. I'm looking at you, Hellfire Warlock and Body Fuel abusers. * Leadership of any kind may not be taken before the game begins. In game, Leadership may only be used to acquire existing NPCs that the PCs are familiar with as cohorts/thralls/wild companions/what have you. The same thing applies for animal companions, improved familiars and controlled undead - if you want something, seek it out in-game. * You don't need to be a spellcaster to use Craft: Alchemy * Everything has a masterwork tool as long as you make a good case for what it is * Combined skills (if any subskill is a class skill, the combined skill is as well; synergy from a subskill cannot affect any other skill in the combined skill; bonuses specific to one subskill do not apply to all uses of the combined skill): ** Stealth (Dex) - Hide, Move Silently ** Legerdemain (Dex) - Sleight of Hand, Open Lock, Disable Device ** Awareness (Wis) - Spot, Listen, Search ** Linguistics (Int) - Speak Language, Forgery, Decipher Script ** Deceive Device (Cha) - Use Magic Device, Use Psionic Device * Average HP per hit die, rounded up: ** d4 = 3 ** d6 = 4 ** d8 = 5 ** d10 = 6 ** d12 = 7 ==Action Points== Action points are used by characters to avoid wiping out hilariously when their life is on the line. ===Gaining Action Points=== A character is created with 1 action point. At the end of every session, every player awards an action point to one other player for something impressive that they did during the session (whether roleplaying or in combat). An action point cannot be awarded more than once for a particular action. A character may not have more action points than their level. ===Spending Action Points=== Once per round (resetting as soon as the initiative count goes back around to the first character), a character may spend action points to: * 1 action point: Replace the result of a d20 roll you just made with a 10, before you know the result * 2 action points: Replace the result of a d20 roll you just made with a 20, before you know the result (this is not a natural 20) * 1 action point: Add +1d6 to the result of a d20 roll another character just made, before they know the result * 1 action point: Automatically stabilize at -1 HP when reduced to between -1 and -9 HP ==Barely-feats== Sometimes, a feat isn't really worth a feat. Most of the time, that feat's not really worth a flaw, either (what counts as a barely-feat is determined by the DM after you ask). You must meet all prerequisites for barely-feats, even if they are other barely-feats. A barely-feat is gained at levels 2, 4, and every 3 levels thereafter (except for E6), and may be purchased for half cost (2500XP instead of 5000) in E6. PHB examples of barely-feats include: * All +2/+2 skill feats * Armor Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Shield Proficiency * Blind-fight * Combat Casting * Combat Expertise * Diehard * Endurance * Eschew Materials * Far Shot * Great Cleave * Improved Critical (let's be honest, everyone takes keen instead) * Improved Disarm * Improved Feint * Improved Sunder * Improved Overrun * Improved Shield Bash * Improved Turning * Improved Unarmed Strike * Point Blank Shot * Precise Shot * Quick Draw * Rapid Reload * Run * Skill Focus * Snatch Arrows * Spell Mastery * Toughness * Track * Trample * Two-Weapon Defense * Weapon Finesse * Weapon Focus * Weapon Specialization * Whirlwind Attack

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