Rulings

"You will breathe life into the stillness, giving meaning and purpose to all the actions which are to follow." ― Gary Gygax

The following articles have inspired me to create this, to think on things I had never considered. Many of the elements contained within these articles have been squashed together and reworked to suit my needs. In no particular order, the list of articles are as followed: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”

— Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

by teame zhao

House Rules

General Notices

Rule of Cool

In these campaigns, balance takes a backseat to fun, story, and roleplay. Not to say it isn't important to keep some semblance of realism and believability, because it is, but enjoyment comes first. As DM, I'm more focused on preserving consistency than balance.
I'm still learning though and as I fill out these shoes, perhaps things will change. But for now, as long as everyone is having fun, I'm willing to try anything within reason if the dice are in your favor and it makes for a good story to tell.

Flexibility

In DMing, playing, background creation-- as life ebbs and flows, understand that the world of Telmarea will too, as will the campaigns and the story itself. The DM will be as flexible as needed, for players, the story, and everything in between. All that is asked is that you be as well.
Note that new rulings can be added at any time, as well as modifications to current rulings if found to be unsatisfactory.

Character Creation & Advancements

Rulebook Sources

Any & all. Homebrew is cool as well.
As long as it doesn't look obviously flawed, I'd be keen on trying it out!

Ability Scores

There are two (2) ways to generate ability scores within Talmarean campaigns. The first is to roll for 4d6's for each stat, dropping the lowest and rerolling any ones (1). The second method is to take this customized spread: [15, 15, 14, 13, 11, 9] as your base ability scores.

XP & Leveling

Players will take max hp for their characters upon each level up.
Players are granted a free Feat upon reaching eighth (8th) level.
We will be using Milestone Leveling within these campaigns. Players will not need to track experience in combat, social, or miscellaneous encounters. DM will be employing "plot beat checkpoints" for level progression based on the three categories mentioned, and will let players know when they've leveled up at the end of the session in which they do.
Note that progression difficulty will scale as levels increase.

Combat & Social Rulings

Every action and reaction will have an according response in the world. So have fun, be careful, and roleplay to your hearts content.
Note that roleplay sessions and encounters, be they social or combat, count as experience gained.

Damage

Wasted damage dealt by a melee attack can transfer to an enemy within 5 ft.

Bonus Actions

Potions can be used as a bonus action.
If you cast a spell as a bonus action, you can cast another as long as it's a cantrip.

Social Rulings

Intimidation checks can be made with charisma or strength.
Do unto npcs as you wish npcs to do unto you. As mentioned before; every action will have an appropriate reaction.

by Currently Unknown

Attunement Slots

There are two types of attunement slots within Telmarean campaigns, one more common than the other. General attunement slots are what's described in the DMG, taken as is with the following adjustment. The other is something more eldritch, something a little more connected to one's soul.

Players can discern character attunement slots by adding 3 + their proficiency bonus.

Items labeled with the Endrumakian rank do not count towards general attunement slots. A creature can only attune to two (2) Endrumakian items and cannot willingly unattune with them.

Items: Magical & Mundane

All +1, +2, +3 items require attunement.

Companions

There are two types of animal companions within Telmarea. One magical and one not. Creating a bond with an animal is a magical affair, one that is described here.

The second type of animal companions uses what I, as the DM, refer to as "imprinting". Through a vulnerable moment, a wild animal, undergoing no magical means, imprinted upon the player. If imprinted upon, characters are granted advantage on animal handling checks.

Miscellaneous Decisions

	Downtime Activities
Working & Foraging	If you wish to work for pay, players are tasked with coming up with a logical scenario within lore restraints. Pay will be calculated as followed: xd100, where x is equal to your proficiency bonus and character level halved and rounded down. If you wish to Forage for supplies, it will take one (1) hour to discern and gather materials.
Learning Proficiencies	Characters can spend their downtime learning to be proficient in a language, weapon, particular skill, tool, game, instrument, or vehicle. There will be a common sense rule inherent with this, however, and players will need to come up with a logical scenario in how they will learn or be taught and by whom. What it will cost and how long it will take will be determined on a case-by-case scenario.
Crafting	Crafting yourself, if capable or hiring a craftsman to do it for you can be done during downtime. Once again, a common sense rule is in place here. Some areas have more access than others and not every service will be available everywhere you go within Telmarea. Players are once again tasked with coming up with a logical scenario in which they craft or pay for something to be crafted. Cost, availability, and wait time will be determined on a case-by-case scenario.