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House Rules

Here are some house rules we'll use in the campaign.

Campaign Setting

  • The World: The campaign will be set in the world of Golarion, which is the core world for the Pathfinder RPG. If you're unfamiliar with Golarion, I encourage you to pick up the Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting, though flipping the Pathfinder Wiki may help.

  • Campaign Guide: Paizo's Serpent's Skull Player's Guide can be found here as a free download.

Character Creation and Advancement

  • Character Creation: See the Serpent's Skull Character Guide for a step-by-step guidelines for creating a character for the campaign.

  • Do you need help coming up with a character name? Try this PDF.

  • Hit Points: Give yourself maximum hit points at first level, then add in your Consitution score. You'll need them! Also, when you advance a level, roll your hit points as normal but count any 1s as the maximum roll.

  • XP Advancement Track: We'll use the Medium advancement track.

Combat

  • Bloodied: When you are reduced to half or less hit points you are bloodied. Not only is this the point at which you begin to show physical damage, the bloodied threshhold may also be a catalyst for other abilities/effects like Second Wind (see below).

  • Bodies: Fallen enemies (and allies!) take up space. Any 5-foot square containing a body of size medium or larger turns that square into difficult terrain (see the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, page 193). Additionally, bodies of size larger (or larger) may offer cover in some situations (see the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, page 195).

  • Critical Hits: When a critical threat is rolled, and the roll is high enough to hit the target, it indicates a critical hit. We will roll to confirm critical hits, as detailed in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. Additionally, when you score a critical hit, you may draw a card from the Critical Hit Deck.

  • Critical Hits - Damage Multipliers: When a critical hit is scored, you will roll for damage once and then multiply the total by the appropriate critical modifier (x2, x3, etc.). You will not roll two damage dice for x2 criticals, etc. This is meant to save time.

  • Fumbles: Though natural "1" still always misses, if you roll a "1" you also risk the chance of a fumble. After rolling a "1", roll another d20. On a 10 or less, you have fumbled and must draw a card from the Critical Fumble Deck.

  • Second Wind: Once per day, when you are bloodied, you may use a standard action to take a second wind. This grants you an immediate boost in hit points equal to 1d6 plus your character level.

  • Stabilizing: When reduced to negative hit points, player characters will have a 20% chance to stabilize each round (as opposed to the standard 10%). Roll a d10. On a roll of 1 or 2, you have stabilized.

Hero Points

Hero points give the PCs the means to affect game play in significant ways, by improving important rolls or unlocking special abilities. The hero point rule we'll use is simliar to the rules in the Advanced Player's Guide (pages 323-325).

Acquiring Hero Points

All PCs, regardless of their beginning level, start the game with 1 hero point. Every time a character advances in level, he gains an additional hero point. The GM may also award hero points to each PC who is involved in completing a major chapter or story arc during the campaign. Additionally, characters can also earn a hero point by performing acts of incredible heroism and self-sacrifice, especially if the act promotes teamwork or comes at your expense to help another party member.

The Rule of Three

You can never have more than three hero points at one time. Excess hero points are lost.

Using Hero Points

You can spend 1 hero point to take a special action or create a special effect. You can spend 1 hero point in a round.

  • Activate Class Ability: A character can spend 1 hero point to gain another use of a class ability that has a limited number of uses per day. For example, a monk might spend a hero point to gain another use of her stunning fist ability, or a paladin might spend a hero point to make an additional smite attack.

  • Act Out of Turn: You can spend a hero point to take your turn immediately. Treat this as a readied action, moving your initiative to just before the currently acting creature.

  • Extra Action: You can spend a hero point on your turn to gain an additional standard or move action this turn.

  • Extra Attack: During any round in which a character takes a full attack action, he may spend 1 hero point to make an extra attack at his highest base attack bonus. Hero points may be used in this way with both melee and ranged attacks.

  • Improve a Die Roll: You can spend 1 hero point to improve a d20 roll, and add +10 to the result of your d20 roll. You can spend a hero point to increase attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks. You can declare the use of 1 hero point to alter a d20 roll after the roll is made, but only before the GM reveals the result of that roll. You can’t use a hero point to alter the result of a d20 roll when you are taking 10 or taking 20.

  • Inspiration: If you feel stuck at one point in the adventure, you can spend a hero point and petition the GM for a hint about what to do next. If the GM feels that there is no information to be gained, the hero point is not spent.

  • Spell Recall: Spellcasters who prepare their spells in advance can spend 1 hero point to recall any spell just cast. The spell can be cast again later with no effect on other prepared spells. This use of a hero point is a free action. Spontaneous spellcasters (such as sorcerers and bards) can spend 1 hero point to cast a spell without using one of their daily spell slots. This use of a hero point is also a free action.

  • Stabilize: Any time a character is dying, he can spend 1 hero point as a free action to become stable at at 0 hit points.