midnight appendix - new rules

8/12/2019 Midnight Appendix - New Rules

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1 Appendix: New Rules

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SkillsDiplomacy (Cha)

Use this skill to ask the local baron for assistance, to convince aband of thugs not to attack you, or to talk your way into someplace

you aren't supposed to be.Check: You can propose a trade or agreement to another

creature with your words; a Diplomacy check can then persuade

them that accepting it is a good idea. Either side of the deal mayinvolve physical goods, money, services, promises, or abstractconcepts like "satisfaction." The DC for the Diplomacy check is

based on three factors: who the target is, the relationship betweenthe target and the character making the check, and the risk vs.

reward factor of the deal proposed.The Target:The base DC for any Diplomacy check is equal to

the 15 + level of the highest-level character in the group that you aretrying to influence + the Wisdom modifier of the character in the

group with the highest Wisdom. High-level characters are morecommitted to their views and are less likely to be swayed; high

Wisdom characters are more likely to perceive the speaker's realmotives and aims. By applying the highest modifiers in any group, apowerful king (for example) might gain benefit from a very wise

advisor who listens in court and counsels him accordingly. For this

purpose, a number of characters is only a "group" if they arecommitted to all following the same course of action. Either one

NPC is in charge, or they agree to act by consensus. If each memberis going to make up their mind on their own, roll separate

Diplomacy checks against each.The Relationship: Whether they love, hate, or have never met

each other, the relationship between two people always influencesany request.

-10 Intimate: Someone who with whom you have animplicit trust. Example: A lover or spouse.

-7 Friend: Someone with whom you have a regularlypositive personal relationship. Example: A long-time buddy

or a sibling.

-5 Ally: Someone on the same team, but with whom youhave no personal relationship. Example: A cleric of the samereligion or a knight serving the same king.

-2 Acquaintance (Positive):Someone you have met severaltimes with no particularly negative experiences. Example:The blacksmith that buys your looted equipment regularly.

+0 Just Met:No relationship whatsoever. Example: A guardat a castle or a traveler on a road.

+2 Acquaintance (Negative): Someone you have metseveral times with no particularly positive experiences.Example: A town guard that has arrested you fordrunkenness once or twice.

+5 Enemy: Someone on an opposed team, with whom youhave no personal relationship. Example: A cleric of aphilosophically-opposed religion or an orc bandit who is

robbing you. +7 Personal Foe:Someone with whom you have a regularly

antagonistic personal relationship. Example: An evil warlord

Appendix

New Rules


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Appendix: New Rules 2

whom you are attempting to thwart, or a bounty hunter who

is tracking you down for your crimes.

+10 Nemesis: Someone who has sworn to do you,personally, harm. Example: The brother of a man you

murdered in cold blood.Risk vs. Reward Judgement: The amount of personal benefit

must always be weighed against the potential risks for any deal

proposed. It is important to remember to consider this adjustmentfrom the point of view of the NPC themselves and what they might

value; while 10 gp might be chump change to an adventurer, it mayrepresent several months' earnings for a poor farmer. Likewise, a

heroic paladin is unlikely to be persuaded from his tenets for anyamount of gold, though he might be convinced that a greater good is

served by the proposed deal. When dealing with multiple people atonce, always consider the benefits to the person who is in clearcommand, if any hierarchy exists within the group.

-10 Fantastic: The reward for accepting the deal is veryworthwhile, and the risk is either acceptable or extremely

unlikely. The best-case scenario is a virtual guarantee.Example: An offer to pay a lot of gold for something of novalue to the subject, such as information that is not a secret.

-5 Favorable:The reward is good, and the risk is tolerable.If all goes according to plan, the deal will end up benefitingthe subject. Example: A request to aid the party in battle

against a weak goblin tribe in return for a cut of the moneyand first pick of the magic items.

+0 Even:The reward and risk are more or less even, or thedeal involves neither reward nor risk. Example: A requestfor directions to someplace that is not a secret.

+5 Unfavorable: The reward is not enough compared to therisk involved; even if all goes according to plan, chances are

it will end up badly for the subject. Example: A request tofree a prisoner the subject is guarding (for which he or she

will probably be fired) in return for a small amount ofmoney.

+10 Horrible: There is no conceivable way the proposedplan could end up with the subject ahead, or the worst-casescenario is guaranteed to occur. Example: A offer to trade a

bit of dirty string for a castle.Success or Failure: If the Diplomacy check beats the DC, the

subject accepts the proposal, with no changes or with minor (mostly

idiosyncratic) changes. If the check fails by 5 or less, the subjectdoes not accept the deal but may, at the DM's option, present acounter-offer that would push the deal up one place on the risk-vs.-

reward list. For example, a counter-offer might make an Even dealFavorable for the subject. The character who made the Diplomacy

check can simply accept the counter-offer, if they choose; no furthercheck will be required. If the check fails by 10 or more, the

Diplomacy is over; the subject will entertain no further deals, andmay become hostile or take other steps to end the conversation.

Action:Making a request or proposing a deal generally requiresat least 1 full minute. In many situations, this time requirement maygreatly increase.

Try Again: If you alter the parameters of the deal you areproposing, you may try to convince the subject that this new deal iseven better than the last one. This is essentially how people haggle.

As long as you never roll 10 or less than the DC on your Diplomacycheck, you can continue to offer deals.

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2synergy bonus to Diplomacy. No other skill provides a synergybonus to Diplomacy.

FeatsDiehard (General)

Prerequisite: Endurance.

Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus on Fortitude made to stabilize. Inaddition, when reduced to negative wound points, you may choose

to act as if you were disabled, rather than dying. You must make thisdecision as soon as you are reduced to negative wound points (evenif it isnt your turn). If you do not choose to act as if you were

disabled, you immediately fall unconscious.When using this feat, you can take either a single move or

standard action each turn, but not both, and you cannot take a fullround action. You can take a move action without further injuring

yourself, but if you perform any standard action (or any other actiondeemed as strenuous, including some free actions, such as casting a

quickened spell) you take 1 point of damage after completing theact. If you reach 10 wound points, you immediately die.

Normal: A character without this feat who is reduced to

between 1 and 9 wound points is unconscious and dying.

Improved Trip (General)

Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise.

Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you

attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a+4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.

Normal: Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunitywhen you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed.

Special: A fighter may select Improved Trip as one of his

fighter bonus feats.

Toughness (General)

Benefit: You gain +3 wound points.

Special: A character may gain this feat multiple times. Its

effects stack.

EquipmentArmor

Armor Qualities

To wear heavier armor effectively, a character can select theArmor Proficiency feats, but most classes are automatically

proficient with the armors that work best for them.Armor and shields can take damage from some types of attacks.

Here is the format for armor entries (given as column headingson Table: Armor and Shields, below).

Cost: The cost of the armor for Small or Medium humanoid

creatures. See Armor for Unusual Creatures, below, for armor pricesfor other creatures.

Armor/Shield Bonus: Each armor grants an armor bonus toAC, while shields grant a shield bonus to AC. The armor bonus

from a suit of armor doesnt stack with other effects or items thatgrant an armor bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield

doesnt stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus.

Damage Reduction: The damage reduction granted by armorstacks with other damage reduction of the same type (that is,

damage reduction that has a dash after the number). A 7th level


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barbarian wearing a breastplate has DR 3/- (1/- from his class levelsand 2/- from his armor).

Maximum Dex Bonus:This number is the maximum Dexterity

bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. Heavier armors limitmobility, reducing the wearers ability to dodge blows. This

restriction doesnt affect any other Dexterity-related abilities.Even if a characters Dexterity bonus to AC drops to 0 because

of armor, this situation does not count as losing a Dexterity bonus toAC.

Your characters encumbrance (the amount of gear he or shecarries) may also restrict the maximum Dexterity bonus that can beapplied to his or her Armor Class.

Shields:Shields do not affect a characters maximum Dexteritybonus.

Armor Check Penalty:Any armor heavier than leather hurts acharacters ability to use some skills. An armor check penaltynumber is the penalty that applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist,

Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks bya character wearing a certain kind of armor. Double the normalarmor check penalty is applied to Swim checks. A characters

encumbrance (the amount of gear carried, including armor) may alsoapply an armor check penalty.

Shields:If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, botharmor check penalties apply.

Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wearsarmor and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient

takes the armors (and/or shields) armor check penalty on attackrolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skillchecks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the

penalty for nonproficiency with shields.

Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or

heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. He or she takesa 2 penalty on Strength and Dexterity and cant charge or run.Sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue.

Table: Armor and ShieldsSpeed

Armor Cost

Armor/Shield

Bonus

Damage

Reduction

Maximum

Dex Bonus

Armor

Check

Penalty

ArcaneSpell

Failure

Chance (30 ft.) (20 ft.) Weight1

Light armor

Padded 5 gp +1 8 0 5% 30 ft. 20 ft. 10 lb.

Leather 10 gp +1 1/ 6 0 10% 30 ft. 20 ft. 15 lb.

Studded leather 25 gp +2 1/ 5 1 15% 30 ft. 20 ft. 20 lb.

Chain shirt 100 gp +2 2/ 4 2 20% 30 ft. 20 ft. 25 lb.

Medium armor

Hide 15 gp +2 1/ 4 3 20% 20 ft. 15 ft. 25 lb.

Scale mail 50 gp +2 2/ 3 4 25% 20 ft. 15 ft. 30 lb.

Chainmail 150 gp +3 2/ 2 5 30% 20 ft. 15 ft. 40 lb.

Breastplate 200 gp +3 2/ 3 4 25% 20 ft. 15 ft. 30 lb.

Heavy armorSplint mail 200 gp +3 3/ 0 7 40% 20 ft.2 15 ft.2 45 lb.

Banded mail 250 gp +3 3/ 1 6 35% 20 ft.2 15 ft.2 35 lb.

Half-plate 600 gp +4 3/ 0 7 40% 20 ft.2 15 ft.2 50 lb.

Full plate 1,500 gp +4 4/ 1 6 35% 20 ft.2 15 ft.2 50 lb.

Shields

Buckler 15 gp +1 1 5% 5 lb.

Shield, light wooden 3 gp +1 1 5% 5 lb.

Shield, light steel 9 gp +1 1 5% 6 lb.

Shield, heavy wooden 7 gp +2 2 15% 10 lb.

Shield, heavy steel 20 gp +2 2 15% 15 lb.

Shield, tower 30 gp +4 3 2 10 50% 45 lb.

Extras

Armor spikes +50 gp +10 lb.

Gauntlet, locked 8 gp Special 5 +5 lb.

Shield spikes +10 gp +5 lb.1Weight figures are for armor sized to fit Medium characters. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, andarmor fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much. 2When running in heavy armor, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple.3A tower shield can instead grant you cover. See the description.5Hand not free to cast spells.


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Arcane Spell Failure:Armor interferes with the gestures that a

spellcaster must make to cast an arcane spell that has a somaticcomponent. Arcane spellcasters face the possibility of arcane spellfailure if theyre wearing armor. Bards can wear light armor without

incurring any arcane spell failure chance for their bard spells.

Casting an Arcane Spell in Armor:A character who casts an

arcane spell while wearing armor must usually make an arcane spell

failure roll. The number in the Arcane Spell Failure Chance columnon Table: Armor and Shields is the chance that the spell fails and isruined. If the spell lacks a somatic component, however, it can be

cast with no chance of arcane spell failure.Shields:If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, add

the two numbers together to get a single arcane spell failure chance.

Speed: Medium or heavy armor slows the wearer down. Thenumber on Table: Armor and Shields is the characters speed whilewearing the armor. Humans, elves, half-elves, and half-orcs have an

unencumbered speed of 30 feet. They use the first column. Dwarves,gnomes, and halflings have an unencumbered speed of 20 feet. They

use the second column. Remember, however, that a dwarfs landspeed remains 20 feet even in medium or heavy armor or whencarrying a medium or heavy load.

Shields:Shields do not affect a characters speed.Weight:This column gives the weight of the armor sized for a

Medium wearer. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half asmuch, and armor for Large characters weighs twice as much.

Masterwork Armor

Just as with weapons, you can purchase or craft masterwork

versions of armor or shields. Such a well-made item functions likethe normal version, except that its armor bonus is improved by 1 and

the armor check penalty is lessened by 1.A masterwork suit of armor or shield costs an extra 150 gp over

and above the normal cost for that type of armor or shield.

The masterwork quality of a suit of armor or shield never

provides a bonus on attack or damage rolls, even if the armor orshield is used as a weapon.

All magic armors and shields are automatically considered to beof masterwork quality.

You cant add the masterwork quality to armor or a shield afterit is created; it must be crafted as a masterwork item.

Magic Armor

An armors enhancement bonus (if any) increases its armor

bonus to AC, but has no effect on the armors damage reduction.The +1 armor bonus for being masterwork does not stack with

magical enhancement bonuses.

Armor Damage Reduction ValuesFor armors not covered on the table, you can determine the new

armor values and damage reduction based on the armor bonus. Todetermine the armors damage reduction, divide the armors normal

bonus by 2 (rounding down). To determine the armors new armorbonus, subtract the DR from the normal armor bonus. All other

armor statistics, such as maximum Dexterity bonus, armor checkpenalty, and arcane spell failure chance, are unchanged.

Natural Armor

A creatures natural armor also provides a modicum of damage

reduction. Divide the monsters natural armor bonus (not including

any enhancement bonus) by 5 to determine the monsters damagereduction. The same value is subtracted from the monsters natural

armor bonus to AC to find the monsters new AC. These

calculations are summarized in the table below (Natural Armor and

Damage reduction).If the creature already has damage reduction, either add the

value gained from natural armor (if the existing damage reduction is

of the same type) or treat it as a separate DR value (if it is of adifferent type).

MasterworksIn a world where magic is hunted and rare, the differences in

normal craftsmanship become greater and even more apparent.Legates and Orc leaders alike demand the finest weapons and suits

of armor, as well as the best tools and services from their supportingcraftsman or the local population, if they are garrisoned at sometown. Resistance members and refugees try to defend themselves to

the best of their ability, making the best quality items they canafford the time to and also, escaping the dangers of bearing a

magical iem with them. In each case, the ultimate purpose to ownitems of the highest quality is the tangible benefit they gain from it.

Above AverageAbove average items come in 6 levels of improved quality. Each

level increases the number or strength of benefit the items qualitycan provide. Each level adds one benefit to the item, increasing its

usefulness or effectiveness. Higher levels of quality allow the samebenefit to be taken twice, or even three times, making the item muchbetter for a particular purpose or use.

Fine

A not uncommon example of extra care and effort being put into

an items manufacture. Fine items gain one benefit suitable to that

type of item, most towns and cities have craftsman capable ofcreating an item of this quality.

Excellent

Requiring much more time and care than an average item, most

excellent items are made by craftsmen wishing to create ashowpiece to demonstrate their skills, or as the result of acommission. Excellent items gain two benefits.

Exceptional

Always a major undertaking, exceptional items require the labor

of an above average craftsman and often a bit of luck. Very few

craftsmen have the time to lavish on such work for their ownamusement most exceptional items are the result of important

commissions, and as a result the item often has some small place instories from that time. Unless newly made, this item can be

identified with a DC 30 Knowledge (history) check.

Superior

Only possible for craftsmen whos skills far exceeds those ofcommon artists, superior items reflect a broad knowledge of how the

item is supposed to look and be used, combining many smallimprovements over typical examples. Unless newly made, this item

can be identified with a DC 27 Knowledge (History) check.

Masterwork


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Some of the finest work a person can ever hope to see, true

masterworks are often the culmination of a lifetime of practice andlearning. Unless newly made, this item can be identified with a DC24 Knowledge (history) check.

Masterpiece

Only craftsmen of legendary skill and often supported bymagic or the work of years are able to produce such items. Thepinnacle of their type, these items are usually remembered in song

and story, even if their original owner is forgotten! Unless newlymade, this item can be identified with a DC 21 Knowledge (history)

check.

Crafting MasterworksCreating a masterwork item takes considerable skill and

patience, and requires an amount of special or exotic materials, anitem of the highest quality can be crafted only with the best

materials one can get their hands on. To attempt to create an aboveaverage item, the craftsman must commit additional time depending

on the Masterwork level he is hoping to create, as described below.With the material needed in hand and the time required to

produce the item determined, the craftsman makes his check tocreate the item. The quality of the resulting item depends on howmuch he beats the DC for the check, while the time taken sets the

maximum level of quality he can achieve, even if the result wouldallow a higher quality item. Only on a result of less than the normalDC does the craftsman fail to produce at least an average item.

Gathering Raw Materials

The materials used to produce a masterwork item are by no

means the same used to produce an average quality item, only thebest steel can even hope to hold some of the masterwork abilities a

crafter can bestow upon it, and the highest qualities of items requireeven more exceptional base materials, like mithral or alchemical

silver.The cost of the raw materials used to create a masterwork item

represents one-third of the items price, including the cost of thequality component, meaning that no item can be made withoutspecially refined, created or collected materials, or the use of

mediums with higher inner costs and special properties.To determine whether a given material qualifies to make a

specific item quality compare the cost modifier of the item to the

cost increase given below on the table below, if the value is at least

equal to the one given below, the material can be used, otherwise, it

does not suffice and thus, cannot achieve that degree of quality.The DM is encouraged to allow the cost to be met by using

exotic and rare materials that fit both the desired benefits to be

bestowed and the item type, those exotic materials need not be tiedto the items shape and function. A longsword, for example, could

be made of excellent quality through the use of either mithral (which

has a cost equal to 2,000 gp, according to the core rules) or with theuse of two exotic materials, the blood of unique beast found on theoutskirts of the hills surrounding a given town and specially refined

steel that that has suffered the strike of lightning for at least an yearon the peaks of thunder.

There is no hard rule for determining exotic materials, but the

DM should consider that items of quality higher than fine carryproperties that can rival even magical items, while not holding thedrawbacks those have.

Determining Time Required

With the material to be used on hand, the next step is to

determine the amount time required to produce a given masterwork

item. In order to determine the minimum amount of time to be takenby a character in order to produce a given quality of item, you mustknow the base timeand the multiplier presented on the table below.

Base time:to calculated the base time multiply the DC to createa given item by either the lowest check result the crafter can achieve

or a check result that is equal to the DC, whatever is higher. Dividethe item price in silver pieces by that value and you will have thenumber of weeks he might take to produce the item, if you use the

value of the item in copper pieces you will have the amount of timein days.

Minimum time: the time required to produce an item is theminimum time the character can invest into the production in orderto reach the degree of excellence he hopes to, this is determined by

taking the base time and multiplying it by the number given on the

table below.If, for any reason, the character does not take the amount of time

required he can choose between having an unfinished item, whichhe can try to complete at a later time, or have a lower quality item

that could be produced in that time and then roll the die.

Taking 10 and Taking 20

The craftsman may take 10 normally when trying to create anitem of above average quality. When taking 20, however, the time

required makes the undertaking a very long endeavor indeed,determine the adjusted minimum time by multiplying the time

required to create the masterwork item by 20.

Table: Masterwork Levels

Name CostBeat

DC byTime

Required Benefit

Average +0 x1 none

Fine +500 gp +5 x2 1 benefit

Excellent +1,5000 gp +10 x4 2 benefits

Exceptional +3,000 gp +15 x6 3 benefits, may double once

Superior +6,000 gp +20 x10 4 benefits, may double once

Masterwork +8,000 gp +25 x15 5 benefits, may double twice or triple once

Masterpiece +10,000 gp +30 x25 6 benefits, may double twice or double and triple once.


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Example: Vonkar Thanos of the Zurkir clan is a masterweaponsmith and is attempting to create an exceptional greataxe, theDC to create a greataxe is 15, meaning that Vonkar can roll a 1 on

the die and still make the weapon. The longest Vonkar would take tocreate such an axe would be almost equal to 6 days, or about 0.8

weeks (200 sp divided by 240 - DC x minimum check result he can

achieve).Since Vonkar is attempting to create an exceptional greataxe the

minimum amount of time he must work is around 36 days, or 5

weeks (base time x time required multiplier)After working for 5 weeks on the axe Vonkar makes a craft

(weaponsmith) check, if the result is equal to 30 or more, meaning

he needs a 15 in the die roll, he has produced an exceptionalgreataxe.

Note that Vonkar could still produce an average through

excellent greataxe if his check result would not beat the check resultfor the exceptional quality, he would need a die roll of 10 for an

excellent greataxe, meaning he could produce one by taking 10, afine greataxe with a roll of 5 through 9, or yet, make only an averageitem even after taking 5 weeks of work, this would be a die roll

equal to 4 or lower.

Masterwork BenefitsBelow are listed various improvements and benefits an item

could receive from being of above average quality. Eachmasterwork benefit indicates what sort of item it can be applied to,

and comes in three levels: single (listed as the standard benefit),double, and triple. Benefits that can only be applied to gear may

not be chosen for weapon or armor. Quality bonuses do not stackwith themselves.

Accurate (any weapon)

Benefit:The wielder gains a +1 quality bonus to his attack rollswith this weapon.

Double:The quality bonus increases to +2.

Triple:The quality bonus increases to +3.

Adapted (any armor)

Benefit: A suit of light armors maximum dexterity bonus isincreased by 1.

Double: A suit of light armors maximum dexterity bonus is

increased by 2.

Triple: A suit of light armors maximum dexterity bonus is

increased by 3.

Arcane Designed (any armor)

Benefit: A suit of light armors arcane spell failure is reduced

by 5%.Double:A suit of heavy or medium armors arcane spell failure

is reduced by 5%.

Triple: Any suit of armors arcane spell failure is reduced by10%, this cannot reduce the chance to lower than zero.

Balanced (any weapon or shield)

Benefit: While this item is in hand and readied, the wielder

gains a +1 quality bonus to his initiative total.Double:The quality bonus increases to +2.


Concealable (any item)

Benefit:The bearer gains a +2 quality bonus to Sleight of handchecks to hide this item on his person.

Double:The quality bonus increases to +4.Triple:The quality bonus increases to +6.

Crushing (any bludgeoning weapon)

Benefit: In addition to normal damage this weapon inflicts 2

points of nonlethal damage with every successful hit. This is aquality bonus to damage.

Double: The additional nonlethal damage inflicted increases to+4.

Triple: The additional nonlethal damage inflicted increases to

+6.

Deadly (any weapon)

Benefit: Increase the threat range of a weapon with a 20 threatrange by 1. This bonus is applied after any feats or other modifiers.

Double: Increase the threat range of a weapon with a 19-20

threat range by 1. This bonus is applied after any feats or othermodifiers.

Triple: Increase the threat range of a weapon with a 18-20threat range by 1. This bonus is applied after any feats or other

modifiers.

Decorative (any item)

Benefit: The owner gains a +1 quality bonus to Diplomacychecks while displaying ownership of the items.

Double:The quality bonus increases to +2.Triple: The quality bonus increases to +3.

Forgery (any item)

Benefit:The DC to determine this is not the genuine object isincreased by +2.

Double:The DC is increased by +4.

Triple:the DC is increased by +6.

Fortified (armor)

Benefit:A suit of medium or heavy armors Damage Reduction

is increased by 1 against melee and ranged weapons.Double:A suit of light armors Damage Reduction is increased

by 1 against melee and ranged weapons.Triple:Any suit of armors Damage Reduction is increased by

2 against melee and ranged weapons.

Guard (any weapon or shield)

Benefit: The wielder may reduce his attack rolls by 1 for theentire round to gain an equal deflection bonus to Armor Class forthat round. This deflection bonus is doubled if this item is a shield.

Double:The wielder may reduce his attack rolls by up to 2 togain an equal deflection bonus to Armor Class. This deflection

bonus is doubled if this item is a shield.Triple: The wielder may reduce his attack rolls by up to 3 to

gain an equal deflection bonus to Armor Class. This deflection

bonus is doubled if this item is a shield.


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Lethal (any weapon)

Benefit:Wielder gains a +2 quality bonus to rolls to confirm a

critical hit.



Light (any item)

Benefit:The item functions normally and has the usual numberof hit points, but is 10% lighter than normal.

Double:The weight is reduced by 20%.Triple:The weight is reduced by 30%.

Mastercraft (armor or shield)

Benefit:This armor reduces its armor check penalty by 1, to a

minimum of 0.Double:This armor reduces its armor check penalty by 2, to a

minimum of 0.

Triple: This armor reduces its armor check penalty by 3, to aminimum of 0.

Ornate (any item)

Benefit:The cost multiplier for this item is increased by 5. it

also adds a +2 quality bonus to Diplomacy checks when given as agift.

Double:The cost multiplier for this item is increased by 10. italso adds a +4 quality bonus to Diplomacy checks when given as agift.

Triple: The cost multiplier fro this item is increased by 15. italso adds a +6 quality bonus to Diplomacy checks when given as a

gift.

Rugged (any item)

Benefit:The item gains a +2 quality bonus to its hardness andBreak DC.



Poisoned (any weapon)

Benefit:The number of strikes the weapon may make before thepoison is rubbed of is doubled.

Double:The number of strikes the weapon may make before thepoison is rubbed of is tripled.

Triple:The number of strikes the weapon may make before thepoison is rubbed of is quadrupled.

Sharp (slashing or piercing weapon)

Benefit: Add a +1 quality bonus to all damage rolls with this

weapon. This bonus is applied before any multipliers.

Double:the quality bonus increases to +2.

Triple:the quality bonus increases to +3.

Sturdy (any item)

Benefit:The item gains a +50% quality bonus to the number of

hit points it has.

Double:The quality bonus increases to +100%.Triple:The quality bonus increases to +150%.

Threatening (any item)

Benefit: The wielder or wearer gains a +2 quality bonus to

Intimidate checks while displaying the item.



Unhindering (any armor)

Benefit:The movement provided by the armor is reduced by 5ft. The armor type is otherwise unaffected.

Double:The movement provided by the armor is reduced by 10ft. The armor type is otherwise unaffected.

Triple:The movement provided by the armor is reduced by 15ft. The armor type is otherwise unaffected.

Well-crafted (any gear)

Benefit:This item provides a +1 quality bonus to one skill whenused for its intended purpose.



CombatDefense Bonus

The Class Defense Bonus

Every character has a defense bonus based on his level, this

defense bonus applies to Armor Class and stacks with all otherbonuses to AC, including the characters shield bonus, natural armor

bonus, and so forth. The defense bonus applies in all situations, evenwhen you are flat footed or would lose your Dex bonus to AC.

A characters defense bonus is derived from his character leveland class, as shown on the table below.

For classes not mentioned below, determine the characters class

defense bonus by looking the classes and choosing a category thathas the most classes that closely resemble the concept of your class.

Monster Defense Bonuses

Monsters have inherent defense bonuses based on type, treatingHit Die as levels in the table presented in order to determine theirdefense bonus to AC.

If a creature has levels in a PC class, it gains a defense bonus

just like any other character with a PC class. This bonus stacks withany defense bonus the creature may have from Hit Die.

Table: Creature Defense BonusesCreature Type Defense

Bnus

Dragons, magical beasts, outsiders Amazing

Aberrations, constructs, elementals, giants, monstrous

humanoids

Good

Animals, humanoids, oozes, plants, vermin Fair

Fey, undead Poor


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8


Vitality & Wound Points

Combat Statistics

Vitality and Wound Points

Your vitality and wound points tell you how much punishmentyou can take before dropping. Your vitality points are based on your

class, your level, and your Constitution modifier. Your wound

points are equal to your Constitution score.When your vitality points reach 0, you no longer have the innate

energy to roll with the attack. The next successful attack against youdeals damage that reduces your wound points, representing a

physical injury. (If an attack reduces your vitality points to 0 anddamage remains to be applied, the damage immediately reducesyour wound points.)

When you take any wound damage, you become fatigued. Inaddition, you must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + thenumber of wound points lost in this round). If the save fails, the

character is dazed.When your wound points reach 0, youre disabled.

When your wound points are reduced to a number between -1and -9 inclusive, youre dying. A dying character is unconscious and

can take no actions. Each round, a dying character makes a Fortitudesaving throw (DC 20, + current wound points below zero). If the

save fails, the character loses 1 wound point. If the save succeeds,

the character stabilizes and stops dying, no longer loosing 1 wound

point every round (though he or she remains unconscious).

Injury and Death

Vitality and wound points together measure how hard acharacter is to hurt and kill. The damage from each successful attack

and each fight accumulates, dropping a character's vitality point orwound point totals until he runs out of points.

Being Hit

What Vitality Points Represent:Vitality points are a measureof a character's ability to turn a direct hit into a graze or a glancingblow with no serious consequences. Vitality points go up with level,

giving high-level characters more ability to shrug off attacks. Mosttypes of damage reduce vitality points.

Characters gain vitality points as they gain levels. At each levela character rolls a vitality die and adds his Constitution modifier,

adding the total to his vitality point total. (A character always gainsa minimum of at least 1 vitality point per level, regardless of his roll

or Constitution modifier.) A 1st-level character gets the maximumvitality die result rather than rolling.

What Wound Points Represent: Wound points measure how

much true physical damage a character can withstand. Damagereduces wound points only after all vitality points are gone, or whena character is struck by a critical hit. A character has a number of

wound points equal to her current Constitution score.

Damaging Helpless Defenders: Even if you have lots ofvitality points, an arrow through the heart is still an arrow through

the heart. When a character cant avoid damage or deflect blowssomehow, meaning that he is helpless, hes in trouble. Whenever a

character is considered helpless all damage he takes is applieddirectly to his wound points.

Effects of Damage: Damage first reduces vitality points. You

only take wound damage after all your vitality points have beenexhausted or if you take a critical hit.

Massive Damage: The massive damage rule does not apply

under this system.

0 Vitality Points

At 0 vitality points, a character can no longer avoid taking real

physical damage. Any additional damage he receives reduces hiswound points.

Taking Wound Damage

The first time a character takes wound damage even a single

point he becomes fatigued. A fatigued character can't run orcharge and takes a -2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity until he has

rested for 8 hours (or until the wound damage is healed, if thatoccurs first). Additional wound damage doesn't make the character

exhausted.In addition, any time an attack deals wound damage to a

character, he must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 +number of wound points lost from the attack) or be dazed for 1d4rounds. (During that time, any other character can take a heal check

DC 15 as a standard action to help the dazed character recover, or afull round action to provide first aid care for the character; doing soends the dazed condition.)

Dazed

A character who takes wound damage in a round and fails his

Fortitude save (DC 10 + the number of wound points lost in the

Table: Class Defense Bonus

Level Amazing1 Good2 Fair3 Poor4

1st +0 +0 +0 +0

2nd +1 +0 +0 +03rd +1 +1 +0 +0

4th +2 +1 +1 +0

5th +2 +1 +1 +1

6th +2 +2 +1 +1

7th +3 +2 +2 +1

8th +3 +2 +2 +1

9th +4 +3 +2 +2

10th +4 +3 +2 +2

11th +4 +3 +3 +2

12th +5 +4 +3 +2

13th +5 +4 +3 +3

14th +6 +4 +4 +3

15th +6 +5 +4 +3

16th +6 +5 +4 +3

17th +7 +5 +4 +4

18th +7 +6 +5 +4

19th +8 +6 +5 +4

20th +8 +6 +5 +41Barbarian, Fighter2 Legate, Wildlander3 Rogue4 Channeler, Defender


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round) becomes dazed. A dazed characteris unable to act normally,the character can take no actions, but has no penalty to AC. A

character remains dazed for 1d4 rounds or until he receives help.A dazed character is not stunned, so attackers get no special

advantage against it.

Disabled (0 Wound Points)

At 0 wound points, you are disabled. A disabled character is

conscious, but can only take a single move or standard action eachturn (but not both, nor can she take full-round actions). She moves at

half speed. Taking move actions doesn't risk further injury, butperforming any standard action (or any other action the DM deemsstrenuous, including some free actions such as casting a quickened

spell) deals more damage to the character he or she takes 1 pointof wound damage. Unless the action involved healing, the character

is now at -1 wound points and is dying.

Dying (-1 to -9 Wound Points)

When your current wound points drop below 0, and between -1and -9, inclusive, youre dying. A dying character is near death andimmediately falls unconscious and can take no actions.

Each round on his turn, a dying character must make a Fortitudesave (DC 20 + current wound points below zero) to become stable.

If the save fails, the character loses 1 wound point and mustmake another save in the next round.

Combat Basics

Damage

Vitality points and wound points represent how muchdamage a character can take. If you score a hit, roll damage

and deduct the result from the targets current vitality points.If the target has run out of vitality points, or if the target has

no vitality points to begin with, damage is deducted from thetargets wound points.

Vitality Points and Wound Points

Damage is usually deducted from your vitality points.

Vitality points represent your characters ability to roll withan attack and avoid physical damage.

Wound points represent how much physical damage acharacter can take before falling unconscious or dying.Damage is deducted from your wound points only after

youve exhausted your vitality points or when you are struckby a critical hit.

Death, Dying, and Healing

Combat is dangerous. As you lose vitality points and

wound point you begin to suffer various adverse effects.

0 Vitality Points

If you run out of vitality points, you can no longer avoidphysical damage. Any additional damage you receive is

deducted from your wound points.

Lost Wound Points

If your character takes any wound damage, he or shebecomes fatigued. A fatigued character cant run or charge

and takes a -2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity.In addition, in each round in which you take wound damage,

you must make a Fortitude saving throw. The DC is 10 + thenumber of wound points you lost in the round. If the save

fails, you are dazed.

Dazed

A character who takes wound damage in a round andfails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the number of wound points

lost in the round) is dazed and can take no actions. Thiscondition typically lasts 1d4 round.

0 Wound Points

If you wound points drop to 0, you are disabled. A

disabled character can only take a single move action orattack action in a round; he or she cant perform full-round

actions. A disabled character who takes any strenuous actiontakes 1 point of wound damage.

-1 to -9 Wound Points

If your wound points drop to a number between -1 and -

9 (inclusive), your character is unconscious and dying. Adying character loses 1 wound point every round. Each

round, before losing that wound point, the character makes aFortitude saving throw (DC 20, + current wound pointsbelow zero). If the save succeeds, the character becomes

stable. A stable character remains unconscious but stopslosing wound points. If the save fails, the character loses the

wound point and makes another save in the next round.A dying character can be stabilized with the Treat Injury

skill or the Heal Another skill.

-10 Wound Points

A character whose wound points are at -10 or lower isdead.

Healing

As long as a character isnt dying, he or she regains 1

wound point for each day of light activity or rest. For eachhour of light activity or rest, a character regains a number of

vitality points equal to his or her character level. The Healskill may be used to provide long-term care and double thosebenefits.


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If the save succeeds, the character becomes stable. A stable

character stops losing wound points every round and remainsunconscious.

Another character can make a dying character stable by

succeeding on a DC 15 Heal check as a standard action (whichprovokes attacks of opportunity).

Dead (-10 Wound Points or Lower)

When your characters current wound points drop to 10 orlower, hes dead. A character can also die from taking ability

damage or suffering an ability drain that reduces his Constitution to0 or lower.

Stable Characters and Recovery

Recovering without Help: Each round, a dying charactermakes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 20, + current wound points

below zero). If the save fails, the character loses 1 wound point andmust make another save in the next round.

If the save succeeds, the character becomes stable. A stable

character stops losing wound points every round and remainsunconscious.

If no one tends to the stable character (see below), he nowmakes a Fortitude save every hour. If the save succeeds, the stablecharacter regains consciousness. (If a dying character is stabilized

and conscious, treat him as though he were disabled as far as actionsand movement are concerned). Each time the character fails the

hourly save, he loses 1 wound point.An unaided stable, conscious character who has negative wound

points or who is disabled makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 20, +current wound points below zero) to start recovering wound points

naturally that day. If the save fails, the character loses 1 woundpoint.

Once an unaided character starts recovering wound points

naturally, he is no longer in danger of losing additional wound point(even if his current wound points total is still negative).

Recovering with Help: A dying character can be made stable

with a DC 15 Heal check (a standard action that provokes attacks ofopportunity). One hour after a tended, dying character becomes

stable he is entitled a Fortitude saving throw (DC 20, + currentwound points below zero) to regain consciousness, at which point he

becomes disabled. If he remains unconscious, he is entitled anothersave every hour. Even while unconscious, he recovers wound points

naturally, becoming conscious and able to resume normal activitywhen his wound points rise to 1 or higher.

Healing

After taking damage, a character can recover vitality and woundpoints through natural healing (over the course of hours or days), orby magic. In any case, a character can't regain vitality points or

wound points above his full normal totals.Natural Healing:Characters recover vitality points at a rate of

1 vitality point per hour per character level, wound point at a rate of1 wound point per night of rest (8 hours), or twice that amount withcomplete bed rest for 24 hours. Any significant interruption during

the rest period prevents the character from healing that night.

Assisted Healing:A character who provides long-term care (see

the Heal skill, page 75 of the Player's Handbook) doubles the rate atwhich a wounded character recovers lost vitality and wound points.

Magical Healing: Spells that heal a variable amount of damage

based on a die roll (such as cure light wounds), apply the actual dieroll as restored vitality points, or he may exchange one die of the

spell to heal 2 wound points instead.For example, cure moderate wounds heals 2d8 points of

damage, +1 point per caster level (maximum +10). Under this

system, a 10th-level cleric could cast it to heal 2d8+10 vitality

points or 2 wound points and 10 vitality points.Spells or effects that heal amounts of damage but are not based

on die rolls, such asHeal, apply the healing to lost vitality points. A

caster may choose to heal wound points instead of vitality points byspending more energy of the spell, thus each wound point to be

healed costs 5 points of the spell. For example, a 10th-level cleric

casting heal has 100 points of healing to apply. If the target hastaken 10 points of wound damage and 68 points of vitality damage,the caster may use the spell to heal all the wound damage, costing

50 points of the spell, and 50 points of the vitality damage, leavingthe target with only 18 points of vitality damage remaining.

Healing Limits: You can never get back more vitality points or

wound points than you lost. Even magical healing wont raise yourvitality points or wound points higher than your full normal totals.Note that an increase in your Constitution score raises your full

totals as well as your current, since it reflects an effective healthincrease.

Healing Ability Damage: Ability damage is temporary,returning at the rate of 1 point per night of rest (8 hours) for eachaffected ability score. Complete bed rest restores 2 points per day

(24 hours) for each affected ability score.

Temporary Vitality Points

Certain effects give a character temporary vitality points. Whena character gains temporary vitality points, note his current vitality

point total. When the temporary vitality points go away thecharacters vitality points drop to his current vitality point total. If

the characters vitality points are below his current vitality pointtotal at that time, all the temporary vitality points have already beenlost and the characters vitality point total does not drop further.

When temporary vitality points are lost, they cannot be restoredas real vitality points can be, even by magic.

Increases in Constitution Score and Current Vitality andWound Points: An increase in a characters Constitution score,even a temporary one, can give her more vitality and wound points

(an effective vitality and wound point increase), but these are nottemporary vitality or wound points. They can be restored and they

are not lost first as temporary hit points are. Whenever the effectends the character looses the appropriate amount of vitality and

wound points, meaning a dying character can die if enough pointsmust be taken.

Nonlethal Wound Damage

Sometimes you get involved in a brawl or you are hit with aswords hilt, this kind of attack will not kill you, but it can knockyou out.

Dealing Nonlethal Wound Damage: Certain attacks deal

nonlethal damage. Other effects, such as heat or being exhausted,can also deal nonlethal damage. Since vitality points make nodifference between lethal and nonlethal damage, damage taken by a

character, be it from a lethal or nonlethal attack, reduces its vitalitypoints total without accounting for the type of damage dealt by theattack. When a character suffers wound damage, on the other hand,

lethal and nonlethal damage are taken into account and the attackmay result in widely different results based on the type of damagesuffered.

Whenever a situation arises that a character takes nonlethalwound damage, keep a running total of how much is accumulated.

Do not deduct the nonlethal wound damage number from yourcurrent wound points. It is not real damage, and thus cannot kill

you, instead, when your nonlethal wound damage equals your

current wound points, youre staggered, and when it exceeds yourcurrent wound points, you fall unconscious. It doesnt matterwhether the nonlethal wound damage equals or exceeds your current


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wound points because the nonlethal wound damage has gone up or

because your current wound points have gone down. Nonlethalwound damage does not cause a character to be fatigued or put thecharacter at risk of being dazed.

Nonlethal Wound Damage with a Weapon that Deals Lethal

Damage: You can use a melee weapon that deals lethal damage to

deal nonlethal damage instead, but you take a 4 penalty on your

attack roll, notice that the attack type is taken into account only ifthe attack deals wound damage.

Lethal Wound Damage with a Weapon that Deals Nonlethal

Wound Damage: You can use a weapon that deals nonlethaldamage, including an unarmed strike, to deal lethal damage instead,but you take a 4 penalty on your attack roll, notice that the attack

type is taken into account only if the attack deals wound damage.Staggered and Unconscious: When your nonlethal wound

damage equals your current wound points, youre staggered. You

can only take a standard action or a move action in each round. Youcease being staggered when your current wound points once again

exceed your nonlethal wound damage.When your nonlethal wound damage exceeds your current

wound points, you fall unconscious. While unconscious, you are

helpless.Spellcasters who fall unconscious retain any spellcasting ability

they had before going unconscious.Healing Nonlethal Wound Damage: You heal nonlethal

damage at the rate of 1 point per hour per character level.When a spell or a magical power cures wound damage, it also

removes an equal amount of nonlethal wound damage.

Special Damage Situations

Critical Hits

A critical hit deals the same amount of damage as a normal hit,but that damage is deducted from wound points rather than from

vitality points. Critical hits do not deal extra damageWeapons that normally have a critical multiplier greater than x2have their threat range expanded by 1 point per additional multiplier

instead, as indicated on the table below.

Table: Weapon Threat RangesCritical

MultiplierNew

Threat Range

x3 19-20

x4 18-20

x5 17-20

Coup de Grace

A coup de grace functions normally in that it automatically hits

and scores a critical hit (and thus the damage dealt is applied to thetarget's wound points). If the defender survives the damage, he mustmake a Fortitude save (DC 10, + the amount of damage dealt) or

die.

Damage Reduction

Damage reduction functions normally, reducing damage dealtby attacks. However, any critical hit automatically overcomes a

creature's damage reduction if it is one that could be bypassed by aspecial weapon quality or material, regardless of whether the attackcould normally do so. For example, a critical hit against a skeleton

(DR 5/bludgeoning) overcomes the creature's damage reduction

even if it was hit with a weapon that does not deal bludgeoningdamage. A barbarians damage reduction, on the other hand, appliesto all damage suffered from natural attacks or weapons, thus it still

applies to damage dealt by critical hits.

NPCs and Monsters

Most monsters have both wound points and vitality points. ForSmall, Medium, and Large creatures, a monster's wound point total

is equal to its current Constitution score. Creatures smaller or largerthan that have their wound point total multiplied by a factor based

on their size, as indicated on the table below. A monster's vitalitypoint total is equal to the number of hit points it would normally

have, based on its type and Constitution score.

Table: Wound Points by Size

Size Wound Point Multiplier

Fine x1/8

Diminutive x1/4Tiny x1/2

Small x1

Medium x1

Large x1

Huge x2

Gargantuan x4

Colossal x8

Creatures without Constitution Scores

Some creatures, such as undead and constructs, do not haveConstitution scores. If a creature has no Constitution score, it has no

vitality points. Instead, it has wound points equal to the number ofvitality points it would have based on its HD and type. Such

creatures are never fatigued or dazed by wound damage.

Bonus Hit Points

If a creature would have bonus hit points based on its type, theseare treated as bonus wound points. (For example, a Mediumconstruct gets 20 bonus wound points.) The same holds true for any

permanent effect that increases a character's hit point total (such asthe Toughness feat, which adds 3 to the character's wound point

total).

Fast Healing

Creatures with fast healing regain vitality points at an

exceptionally fast rate, usually 1 or more vitality points per round,as given in the creature's description (for example, a vampire hasfast healing 5). This ability also allows the creature to heal nonlethal

wound damage. If a creature has suffered nonlethal wound damageand vitality damage, the nonlethal wound damage is healed before

the vitality damage.If a creature with fast healing has no Constitution score, fast

healing restores lost wound points at the same rate instead.


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exposure to the light of heaven, for example). An unfettered might

try to use a hero point not only to disarm a foe but to send theweapon sailing into the hand of a nearby ally.

The DM should still apply all normal circumstance modifiers to

the PCs action. Actions using hero points can still fail. The objectof hero points, more than anything else, is to represent the role of

wild luck and karma in overcoming logical circumstance penalties

to extremely difficult actions. They make the nearly impossiblesomewhat more possible but still not a sure thing.

Hero Points for NPCS

DMs can also give hero points to NPCs. They may even wish toinvert the concept and award villain points to characters who

perform exceedingly villainous deeds.A hero point makes an NPC opponent far more dangerous. DMs

should consider granting an experience point bonus of +50 percent

for defeating an opponent with a hero (or villain) point.

Hero Points for Characters Above 1st level

If the needs of the game require that a player create a characterabove 1st level, the character may have already earned a hero pointin his career. Assume that there is a 10 percent chance per level that

a character has a hero point when created. If above 10th level, hehas 1 hero point and has a 10 percent chance per level above 10th to

have another. If the character has the Born Hero feat, he starts with ahero point, and has a 10 percent chance per level to have another. If

he has the Born Hero talent and is above 10th level, he starts with 2hero points and has a 10 percent chance per level above 10th to have

another.

midnight appendix - new rules

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