Rule Variants and Changes

Rule Changes

The standard currently is anything put out by Paizo, especially one of the hardback core books, is allowed. The only exception would be campaign specific material like various named deities of the Inner Seas.

Table of Contents

• 1. The Vilikek Rule
• 2. Selling Goods
• 3. Buying Magic Items
• 4. Languages - Linguistics Skills
• 5. Familiar Immunity Clause
• 6.Elf Sleep
• 7. Lore Benefits
• 8. Natural 20, Natural 1
• 9. Extra Benefits of a high BAB (basic attack bonus)
• 10. Bonus Types: Stacking and Effects
• 11. Advantage and Disadvantage
• 12. Random Initiatives
• 13. Celestial Hit Points and Divine Beings



1. The Vilikek Rule:

Unless a character (or major NPC) takes more damage than will take him below 0 by more 2x his constitution score, said character will have a full round in which others can try to heal him. For example, if Lily the Barbarian with a constitution of 13 is hit with a massive amount of damage in a single round which takes her to -25 hit points, (less than 2x her constitution) she will have a full round of every character being able to act once in an attempt to save her before she dies. If the attack were to take her to -27 hit points however, she would die instantly.

2. Selling Goods:

The general rule is that characters can sell goods and magic items up to a list price of 10,000 GP at half list value. If the character wishes a better price roleplaying will be required. Jewelry falls into this category. Items of 10,001 GP list value and above sell for 75% of the listed value, however, a buyer must be secured. Most locales do not have individuals able to pay the amounts needed. Gems are equivalent to currency, like gold. E.g. A 300 gp gem, for ease of gaming purposes, sells for 300 gp or can be bought for 300 gp. Many merchants have quick cantrips for appraising basic gem value.

3. Buying Magic Items:

Items up to 25,000 GP are bought at listed value. However, more expensive items may be available as long as efforts are made by the character to procure such items. And then, there will be additional costs associated with those items. 25,001 -50,000 GP items are double cost. 50,001 to 75,000 GP items are triple cost. 75,001 to 100,000 GP items are quadruple cost. Anything above 100,001 GP is at x10 cost. Essentially, roleplaying will be needed for extremely valuable items.
Scrolls bear special mention. Spells above 5th level are basically unavailable due to there not being casters of those levels. However, if one saves, the following rules will apply. 6th Level scrolls for spells out of the Core Hardback Books are 5000 GP each. 7th Level Scrolls can be purchased for 10,000 GP each. As has been hinted to the characters, other cities exist. And scrolls may resume normal pricing there.


4. Languages - Linguistics Skills:

A character is assumed to be fully fluent and literate (if applicable) in all of their starting languages. After that, 1 skill point in a language will teach you to speak the language and 1 skill point to be literate in the language. A DC of 20 is required to speak a language flawlessly so as not to sound like a foreign speaker or to detect a dialect. However, a 3rd skill point in the language (or 2nd if you skip the literate phase) will enable the character to speak fluently like a native speaker with no additional rolls required.


5. Familiar Immunity Clause:

This long-standing rule simply states that if your familiar or companion is used basically for aesthetics and roleplaying enhancement without being used for scouting, combat purposes, or any device to advance the character's progress, they are immune to all forms of normal attacks. Get hit by a fireball, disintegrate, or prismatic spray, no problem. Use your familiar to sneak over and drop a roofie in the king's goblet, that familiar is subject to all ill effects if caught.


6. Elf Sleep:

It is fairly well known that elves can go without sleep. This is somewhat true. When exhausted due to being physically tired, elves do need to sleep just like all other races. They have the ability to go for longer periods, almost three times as long as a human, without sleep before suffering similar detrimental effects. This assumes they are not worn out from overly strenuous activity. However, once they sleep the need is for a normal amount of time to sleep before being refreshed (8 hours). This belief that elves can forego sleep and simply meditate is more referring to elves in sedate non-active settings. An elf just performing normal non-strenuous activities can go weeks between sleeping. At these times, they meditate. When meditating, which is more like lucid dreaming, their awareness of their surroundings is considerably diminished. In game mechanics, their final perception rolls after all modifiers are halved.

7. Lore Beneifits:

Lore, as described under Background Skills is an area specific knowledge. Examples might be Lore: Cats or Lore: Dogs. It could also be Lore: Specific Village. Due to the finer nature of the focus, sometimes there are Skill Unlocks available for various types of Lore.

Lore (a single deity) (Must be devout to that religion and regularly practice the obediences.)
- For every 5 points spent in Lore for the specific deity by a non-divine spellcasting character – gain the Believer’s Boon feat. This can be repeated.
- At 5 points spent and an ability to cast 3rd level divine spells, character access to a domain group of the deity. The domain must be a primary characteristic of the deity unless those are already all chosen. (most deities have at least 3 primary characteristics.) For most characters, this will be a 3rd Domain.
- At 12 points spent and an ability to cast 6th level divine spells, access is gained to another domain of that deity (usually the character's 4th domain). This can be one of the more obscure domains of the deity. This represents a truly deep understanding of that deity – often indicating full memorization of all major texts.
- At 20 points spent and an ability to cast 9th level divine spells, access is gained for a 5th domain. Thereafter for every 5 points spent in Lore for the same deity will open up another domain.

Lore (Arcana-single school)
-For every 5 points spent in the Lore of a single arcane school, a non-arcane caster will learn one cantrip in that school.
-For every 5 points spent in the Lore of a single arcane school, a caster who memorizes spells gains one metamagic feat, however, it may be used for spells from that school only.
-For every 5 points spent in the Lore of a single arcane school, a caster who innately knows spells will gain one additional spell known from that school.

8. Natural 20, Natural 1:

A natural 1 always misses, a natural 20 always hits on an attack. Any effect which causes a reroll after the roll has been announced will not cause a reroll of the 1 or the 20.
On any roll of a natural 1, that character cannot make any further attacks for the round. The character can still perform their swift and free actions.
Similarly, any time a skill is used in a stressful situation and is hurried (probably in combat), a natural 1 is always a failure and cannot be rerolled once the roll is announced. Similarly, a roll of a 20 cannot be rerolled and gets an additional +10 to the total in checking for success.

9. Extra Benefits of a high BAB (basic attack bonus):

These changes apply only for PC's, named NPC's, and major opponents. This will make combat more deadly and quicker.

Automatic Hits:
BAB +9 or Greater: A 19 or 20 is now at automatic hit. This affects the primary attack only.
BAB +17 or Greater: An 18, 19, or 20 is an automatic hit. This affects Primary and Secondary attacks only.
BAB +25 or Greater: An 17, 18, 19, or 20 is an automatic hit. This affects Primary and Secondary attacks only.

Extra Attacks after Move:
BAB +10 or Greater: When taking a basic movement action, the attacker can get a 2nd attack in before the next round, assuming the 2nd attack would have been available were the attacker making a full round action instead. This extra attack comes at the very end of the round after all other parties have gone. If multiple participants of the battle get this extra attack, it is resolved in the order of initial initiative for the round.
BAB +15 or Greater:As above, except the attacker can get a 2nd and 3rd attack at the very end of the round.

Ranged Touch Spells:
Casters get a +1 BAB per 4 casting levels (4, 8, 12, 16, 20) for all ranged touch spells of 2nd level or higher.

10. Bonus Types: Stacking and Effects:

Standard Pathfinder doesn't allow any bonuses to stack except Dodge bonuses, which always stack. (See pg. 134 of Ultimate Magic for a detailed chart.) For this game, two exceptions are made for gear and bonuses.
-Character may wear up to 2 belts
-Rings and other types of jewelry. As long as each piece of jewelry is worn in a specific location, it will work. This can be multiple rings on fingers, nose, toes, eyebrow - where ever. This will also apply to ankle bracelets, necklaces, etc. As such, if it is jewelry, multiple pieces are allowed up to one's charisma score. If it's easier, think of it like one's ability to accessorize. In detail, it has to do with one's presence and their ability to handle internal magical forces.
-All other slotted items are as listed in the Core book.

With regards to bonuses stacking, the two highest bonuses can be stacked with the exception of armor, shield, and size bonuses, which remain unstackable.

11. Advantage and Disadvantage:

This mechanic is a borrowed term from D&D 5th edition. Basically, if a roll is advantage then it is rolled twice, taking the higher result. If a roll is at disadvantage, it is rolled twice, taking the lower result. This also mimics certain abilities, spells, and items already found within the game.
As such, certain distinctions are made. The first is that if the reroll is coming from a core ability, like Aja's hex, and is considered some form of curse or boon, then it is slightly more powerful than other forms of advantage and disadvantage. These are considered core ability rerolls. These are effects which actually affect the overall magic and aura of the targeted creature. These abilities are used before the dice are rolled and never after.
The second is ff the reroll is coming from an item or spell, something external to the character class, and it affects the actual rolls versus the overall luckiness of the targeted creature, then it is considered advantage or disadvantage whether it is actually called that or not. These abilities are also used before the dice are rolled and never after.
The third distinction is for those rerolls forced after the initial dice is rolled and the result is already known. These are known as "forced rerolls."
Core Ability Reroll Critical Fumbles and Critical Successes: Due to the strong nature of the curse, hex, or boon, even critical fumbles and success must be rerolled. In the case of where the lower roll is taken, and with a normal crit range, a 20 would need to be rolled twice before the confirmation roll would even take place. Even then, the confirmation roll would need to succeed both times for the crit to happen.
Core ability rerolls also trump all advantage/disadvantage effects, regardless of the number of effects in play. This means a single hex from a witch overrides any number of advantage/disadvantages an opponent might have with regards to rerolls.
Core ability rerolls cancel each other out if opposite. A witch's hex fortune cancels out a witch's hex misfortune and vice versa on a 1 to 1 basis. (note: this may not be said elsewhere, but fortune fully cancels out misfortune for the entire round.) E.g. if seven witches have hexed misfortune on a target while five have hexed fortune, then the misfortune effect is in play. Other than counting for which effect is in play, multiple effects of the same kind do not stack. It is impossible to make a target reroll a roll 3 times taking a good or bad result before the roll is even rolled.
Advantage/Disadvantage Rerolls: Critical Fumbles and Critical Successes: Any roll of a critical fumble or critical success on the first roll negates the need to roll a second time. However, if the advantage/disadvantage is for a whole round as opposed to the next roll, then any confirmation roll is still affected as if under the effect of advantage or disadvantage. Essentially, a 20 always hits (though it may not confirm) and a 1 always misses.
Advantage/disadvantage rolls are always negated by a Core Ability Roll. Advantages and disadvantages stack in a similar manner to who Core Ability rerolls stack.
Forced Rerolls: Critical Fumbles and Critical Successes: These rolls can not be forced to reroll (even with a Mythic Surge). The confirmation roll can be forced to reroll.
When used on a roll affected by a Core Ability Reroll or Advantage/disadvantage, take the result of the first two rolls and then compare it to a third reroll. In the case of a Core Ability Reroll, that effect is in play. So a forced reroll of a misfortune hexed roll can only end up even worse. In the case of Advantage/disadvantage, use the directions of what forced the reroll, which usually means in favor of whoever is forcing the reroll.



12. Random Initiatives

Initiative is randomized each round. The formula in use factors in the overall success the previous round into the new round. Thus a character who goes early in the previous round gains a weighted bonus to their roll while the character who goes late in a round gets a weighted penalty for their next round. Currently, the GM is using an app which randomizes the rolls for all characters and opponents.

13. Celestial Hit Points and Divine Beings:

Beyond mythic level is divine level. Gods and other exceptionally powerful beings are more or less impervious to mortal magics (spells of 9th level or below) and most magical items. They are immune to all negative conditions and effects from standard sources. Divine beings have Celestial hit points rather than standard hit points. Standard damage is reduced to 1 Celestial point per 100 full points and even then it is only non-lethal damage. Divine beings heal 2d6 non-lethal celestial hit points per round.
Mythic level effects can damage them. Again, 100 hit points of mythic damage (all individual attacks rounded down with any attack that does less than 100 points equally 0 damage) equal 1 celestial point, however it is actual damage. Damage from mythic sources is healed at 1 celestial hit point a round unless taken below 0 hit points.
If during an attack a mythic surge is expended, the amount of celestial damage can be increased by 1 point on a surge to point basis.
With regard to mythic effects, only spells of 7th level or higher can even have any effect, beneficial or negative (including heal spells). Detrimental effects will always get a save and this save is at advantage. Even then, any effect of DC 20 or less is automatically passed. Detrimental effects fall off at 2 effects a round, with the weakest effects falling off first.
Celestial hit points vary from divine being to divine being. However, all will fall comatose at 0 hit points and below. At -10 they will die with no hope of revival. Once taken to 0 hit points or lower, they will only heal 1 hit point per hour. They are immune to any bleed effects and can not be coup de graced.
About the only true way to kill a Divine being is with a weapon that does celestial damage. Such weapons are usually only forged by divine beings themselves. No such weapon ever does more than one D of damage. No multipliers affect the amount of damage done except for critical hits and precision damage in the case of slashing and piercing weapons. A critical hit is double damage at most. Precision damage only adds 1 point per D of precision damage.
Divine beings don’t have innumerable hit points like mythic and standard characters. Having more than 15 to 20 is extremely rare. Any attack which does over 6 cp’s has a 10% chance per point over 6 of doing some type of permanent injury with the attack. This could be a hand cut off, maimed, a permeant scar, etc. Such is the nature of divine beings that when one does such injury to the other, the evidence of such damage is permanent.
A few beings have mastered not allowing their actual incarnation to be the one present. In such cases, the incarnation will have at most 25% of their actual cp’s, but all the same immunities. Killing the incarnation has no actual effect on the real being, however, the dead incarnation retains a link to the real being which can be used to track the divine being to their actual source of power.
Weapons that do celestial damage only deal that damage to other divine beings. The celestial damage doesn't cause any additional damage to nondivine beings. As mythic beings are partially divine, each point of celestial damage removes 1 mythic power surge from the target. Those surges will return only at the rate of 1 per week! If an attack reduces a mythic creature to 0 surges, they will fall comatose for 1d4 days from the shock. If it would reduce them to negative surges, all of their mythic abilities are lost for 1d4+1 weeks as their body recovers.