Crafting Points

• Every character gains 100 crafting points per level upon reaching a new level (i.e. a 1st level character has 100 points, when reaching 2nd level the character gains another 200). If the character takes any action that would normally burn experience points, the character spends crafting points instead. A character can not spend more crafting points than he has.
• If the character loses experience points while adventuring, he loses crafting points instead. If this brings him below zero, the character loses a level and gains 100 times his former level in crafting points to pay the remaining loss (i.e. A 10th level wizard with 300 crafting points loses 700 experience. After paying the 300 points he has, the wizard still has 400 more lost, so he must go down to 9th level, granting him 1000 more crafting points to pay the remaining experience loss).
• A character may not voluntarily lower his level to gain more crafting points. If a character does not have the required crafting points to make an item or cast a spell, that character may not use that spell until he gains more points.
• When a character takes an item creation feat, he gains crafting points equal to 100 times the level prerequisite of the feat. This means Wizards start with 200 crafting points instead of 100 (100 for reaching level 1 and 100 more for the scribe scroll feat).
• If a character is at a lower level than other party members (after considering racial adjustments if necessary), that character can gain a level by spending crafting points equal to 100 times his new level (a 9th level fighter in a 10th level party can spend 1000 points to instantly move up to 10th level). Characters do not gain crafting points when leveling up this way.
• Whenever a character chooses to craft a magic item or cast a spell (such as wish) for the direct benefit of another character, that character may choose to spend their crafting points towards the action instead of the creator/castor’s crafting points. The character may choose whether to pay all of the cost or only part.

Prestige Classes

• In order to take levels in a prestige class, the character must find a mentor to train under or an organization to join. The character will be allowed to take levels in the class once they overcome an entrance test.
• In special circumstances, the character may be able to take a prestige class without joining an organization or finding a mentor, but the character will still have to pass an entrance test.
• This test replaces the normal prerequisites for the prestige class (e.g. an arcane archer does not necessarily have a +6 base attack bonus), however the prerequisites will hint at the difficulty of the entrance test and the types of challenges that it may involve.
  • Racial prerequisites are not strict for most classes. e.g. if a class has drow as prerequisite, then a character with friendly relations with the drow and magical equipment or spells to mimic crucial racial abilities of the drow may be able to take the class.
  • Alignment prerequisites for a class hint at actions that may be required to pass the test as well. E.g. a class that requires a character to be chaotic evil might have a test that involves breaking into houses in the middle of the night and killing the sleeping innocent people.
• If a character taking levels in a prestige class is kicked out of their organization, abandoned by their mentor, or voluntarily leaves the organization/mentor, the character might not be allowed to continue to take levels in the prestige class (though in most circumstances the character will be allowed to continue).

Missing Sessions

• Play will begin within 5 minutes of the designated playtime regardless of what players are absent. If a player is not present, his character is absent from the party. If a player joins the session late, his character may be delayed in rejoining the party (e.g. the party is exploring an abandoned tower outside of town when the person who plays the barbarian Derek arrives. Derek realizes that his companions left town while he was talking to local women, and so he sets out to rejoin them, but by the time he gets there the party has already explored two more rooms and is fighting off an ambush).
• A player may not lay claim to any valuables found while he is absent from the game unless every player who was present when it was found doesn’t want it.
• If a player misses a session where the characters level up and the player returns before he misses three sessions in a row, the player automatically levels up upon returning.
• If a player misses three sessions in a row, his character becomes an npc. Upon returning, the player may resume the game with the lost character, converting it back into a pc, if the character is still alive and such an action would be reasonable from the point of view of the character.

New Players

• If a new character is made with the intent of joining the party, that character starts at the level of the party (including racial adjustments), crafting points equal to 100 times that level (he does not get crafting points for the previous levels) or the average crafting points of the party (whichever is greater), and with adequate equipment for his level (though possibly worse than the rest of the party). These small disadvantages represent the difference between a new member and those who have been risking their lives the whole time (the small differences in power will even out quickly).
• If a player starts a new character in the campaign for any reason, the new character will use these same rules and the old one, if still alive, will retire from the party and permanently become an npc.

Healing Spells

• Healing is now a subschool of necromancy, not conjuration. Seriously, source books? What does healing have to do with conjuring?

Epic Strength
*Weapon damage will increase as you reach really high levels (above 20). I haven’t found a system that I like yet, but one will be detailed here before it becomes relevant to the players.

Poison Change
The DC to save against poison will increase by 2 for every previously failed save against poison. After making your save against a poison’s secondary effects or being cured of the poison, that poison will no longer be factored in determining future saves vs poison.

Increasing Deadliness
While it was previously mentioned, as both players and their enemies are growing more resilient I feel it is necessary to leave a permanent reminder. There will be times when death will come because it makes sense story-wise even if pure numbers say otherwise. If I think someone has sufficient time to line up a dagger across the throat, don’t expect to take a meager 1d4 damage and roll initiative. You will most likely die, or at best be left at a severe disadvantage. Perhaps more importantly, a clever peasant can kill a legendary adventurer (the right amount of poison will kill you no matter how many levels you have). Some exceptions below:

• Creatures with divine rank will ignore the instant death rules for things such as having a throat slit while sleeping. However, such a case could still count as a coup de grace unless something protects the creature from them.
• Similarly, creatures with positive divine rank are not subject to instant death through poisoning (or even a clever use of acids).
• These exceptions do not apply if the aggressor has divine rank and it is no lower than 1 less than the victim’s divine rank.

Chases

Monster Name Changes
*Medusa will be referred to as Gorgon
*Gorgon will be referred to as Stone Bull
*Pegasus will be referred to as Winged Horse