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From Fax Encyclopedicus

A disorganized mess that is now in reworking. The base concept is going to use a modified version of Cumberland Games' ''Uresia: Grave of Heaven'' setting. Variant lore will be gathered here. You will be able to bring things in from outside settings... Except deities, for obvious reasons. The players will form (most of) the crew of a caravel - a midsize ship of the land. (You may, at your party's option during party planning session, add a DMPC. Or not. Your choice.) Recommended books: * The ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' supplement, ''Uresia: Grave of Heaven''. (Which actually is pretty system-agnostic in practice...) Finding it is left to the reader. * The ''Uresia: Caravel'' book, available for purchase at http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/caravel.htm - although the DM will be referring to the extended second edition (which is currently not ''yet'' for sale). Keep in mind, this will ''not'' be the Uresia setting entirely straight. Monsters that don't exist in that setting may show up. Variant lore will be written and stored here. Three of the most important things to know, however: * Slimes are cute - even adorable. They're sentient. And they're some of the best craftsmen and cooks in the world. Without hands. * Exactly four gods - and they're not very important ones - exist. Every other one is now the God of Pushing Up Daisies as of 1300+ years ago. * Your explorations may take you outside of the Divides as levels get higher. Things will be a ''lot'' more open then. The setting is actively Anime Trope'd, but that can mean a lot of things - here, it means that the tone can range from quite dramatic to very, very silly. Keep that in mind with your characters. The medium will be the latest ''STABLE'' MapTool build as of the character organization session. The time will be (depending on player preference) Noon Pacific on either Saturday or Sunday. == Critical Rules == * Characters will be at least partially worked out ''in a group session'' - players should do absolutely '''no''' building before this session. Research is of course okay. * The DM's tolerance for advanced build manipulations will be proportionate to the difference between a player's build and the ''weakest'' build in the party... Unless the weakest build is attempting to troll the optimizers, in which case they can bite the DM. Players should expect to work together, and work with the DM, to find a happy medium. An entertaining and interesting character concept that provides the DM with plot hooks may get more wiggle room. ** If a player wants to run a scheme that is hard to run a good build with normally, custom buff content or adaptations may be brought into consideration. ** UA variants, Pathfinder variants, or other sources will be considered to help bring characters in line with each other, or make things more interesting. * Bonus Feats may be a thing based on the quests you undergo. Usually, these will be the entire party gaining the same feat. * Alignments have inertia in this game - that means that it isn't that easy to shift your character's mechanical alignment. In particular, given some of the material, at least some comedic sociopathy should be expected within the party. ''In particular'', a Paladin who analyzes a moral conundrum carefully is more likely to be rewarded than punished, even if they ultimately choose poorly. * Be warned: Cursed Items and Munchkin d20 are in play. Traps ''may'' be in play. Puzzles ''will'' be in play. The DM may use tricks and even Interface Screws. * Specific items may require some work - even some questing - to find. * The DM will do his best to not be a shit to you. ''Do not antagonize him if you want him to succeed.'' Most particularly, don't try to sneak shit past him. * Expect some opportunities to run roughshod over the setting. Also expect to be run over in turn by bigger fish if you're not careful. == Mechanics Basics == * System: 3.5 with some Pathfinder-based modifications. * Starting Level: 3rd. * Ending Level: Unknown. * Ability Score: 28 PB with potential for DM bonuses; these will be particularly awarded for taking efforts to keep the optimization cap down a bit for a DM's first attempt in years at a campaign, and for good fluffworking. * Special: Gestalt, ''limited'' low level Tristalt (see "Level Adjustment", below) else Gestalt, Two flaws and two traits (fluff and following required), choice Pathfinder swap-ins. * Action Points: Yes - they can turn a Take 10 into a Take 15, or allow you to take one extra Standard, Move, or two extra Swift actions in a turn, or to get a hint from the DM. AP will be earned with exceptional frequency, and you may not have more than 5 stockpiled at a time - so use 'em! ** All content where the 3.5 and Pathfinder versions of that content conflict will be settled on a case by case basis, favoring 3.5. ** Third-party content will be considered on a case by case basis. ** Setting-specific material will be considered on a case by case basis, probably with mods to suit the final setting. ** 3.0 and "3.25" content that has no direct 3.5 or Pathfinder analogue will be considered on a case by case basis. ** Un-compendium'd Dragon Magazine content will be considered on a case by case basis. ** Homebrew will be considered on a case by case basis, with favor brought for ''your own'' homebrew. * A high-detail sheet, including both fluff and crunch descriptions for ''all feats, special abilities, etc.'' (or at least working links for the crunch), will be required. ** If you haven't noticed, the DM likes his fluff. However, ''he is not a stickler for any specific fluff, as long as the end results are consistent.'' == Tristalt/Level Adjustment And You == No matter what, you'll be guaranteed access to Gestalt. However, it'll be possible - at a cost - for you to make your character be ''Tri''stalt for a number of levels, subject to a series of restrictions. * The third side is ''solely and exclusively'' for paying Level Adjustments or for a Monster Racial Class. * Your XP gain rate will be cut by a third from calculated earnings rates until you have finished out your levels - meaning that when you finish it out, those who took it for fewer levels, or not at all, will likely have multiple levels on you. * Your ability to take high-tier classes may be restricted. * The standard for "I will accept this" in terms of both fluff and crunch will be MUCH higher. * If a monster has multiple Hit Dice, it's total level adjustment, including those hit dice, is equal to its CR, subject to DM adjudication. * You'll have to work with the DM to work out how your abilities will develop over the entire stack of levels subject to this. == Pathfinder sub-ins And Other Special Rules == * Skill points are allocated using the ''Pathfinder'' rules (loosely: same skill points per level, but no times-4 at first level. Cross-class skills cost the same per rank as class skills. The first rank in a class skill rolls in a +3 bonus). ** This includes the merge-downs from the Pathfinder skill list, and possibly other merge-downs to be determined. ** Except that Concentration's still a skill. ** All Prestige Prerequisites of the 'X skill ranks' variety have their ranks requirement dropped by 3 - you get them at the same level. * All players will have 3 'Fluff Points' per level - these are skill points, except that they ''have'' to be used in skills that are flavor for your character and are not critical to your build. (Keep in mind, your party's a boat crew. The whole crew. So at least some choosing accordingly would be good.) ** If a skill that wasn't critical to your build becomes critical - say, because it's a prerequisite for a Prestige Class you're taking - you ''lose'' those fluff points and have to retrain skills to get the points together. Seriously, don't abuse this privilege. * Belt of Battle is banned. * Leadership is banned. * (Magic) Item Crafting feats are restricted to Artificer or to being earned as Bonus Feats. (If you want 'em, you'll get a chance to earn 'em - you just won't be simply ''taking'' them.) * Wealth is going to be half-fluff half-crunch, as follows: ** A character's Equipment may value up to 75% of WBL, rounded up to the nearest 100 until 5th level, then the nearest 100. ** A character's significant consumable items will value to 20% of WBL, same rounding. ** A character's less-mechanically-significant displays of wealth will be less limited and fluff-based. == Comedic Injuries == When the scene is significantly less serious than the gameplay - that is, when you're fighting, say, a swarm of pissed-off magical girls - the Comedic Injuries mechanic may be brought into play. This rule essentially forces all damage to be nonlethal - no matter how ridiculously impossible this should be. Further, knockback, throwing, defenestration, and other attack results become the norm, getting added to attacks (usually the last attack of a turn) at the DM's whims based on description. When this comes into play, good description on the player's part can bring a positive ''swarm'' of action points. == Setting Notes == * [[IncGame:Setting]] - This will grow out over time, and will include ''basic'' notes of how things are in the Uresia setting, as well as anything ''changed'' from the setting. * [[IncGame:Constructs]] - This will contain notes and links to any homebrew content or adjudications as to how a concept should be implemented.

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