TEXT: Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s 
  Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  This product utilizes updated material from the v.3.5 revision
  Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s 
  Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  This product utilizes updated material from the v.3.5 revision
  Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s 
  Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  This product utilizes updated material from the v.3.5 revision
  ADVANCED
  GAMEMASTER’S 
  GUIDE
  By Owen KC Stephens
  
  1
  Design: Owen KC Stephens
  Additional Material: JD Wiker     Editing: Mike Johnstone     Development: Robert J. Schwalb
  Graphic Design: Marc Schmalz     Art Direction and Additional Graphic Design: Hal Mangold
  Cover Art: William C. Eaken
  Interior Art: Toren "Macbin" Atkinson, Kent Burles, Marcio Fiorito, Pat Loboyko, 
  Terry Pavlet, James Smith III. Joseph Wigfield, Lisa Wood
  Executive Producer: Chris Pramas
  Green Ronin Staff: Steve Kenson, Nicole Lindroos, Hal Mangold, Chris Pramas, 
  Marc Schmalz, Evan Sass, and Robert J. Schwalb.
  The Advanced 
  Gamemaster's Guide
  The Advanced 
  Gamemaster's Guide
  An Advanced Rulebook for the d20 System
  Playtesters: Ben Aber, Jennifer Ban, Noah Ban, Tyler M. 
  Carey, Jacob Chabot, Travis Dale, Gareth Edel, Th ad Erickson, 
  Mike Garner, Beth Hendrickson, Douglas Hendrickson, 
  James Journey, Anthony Lemus, Zach Lint, Andrew McCool, 
  Andrew Putnam, Jeremy Putnam, Bruce Ripka, Rebecca 
  Rosnoske, Robin Sullivan, Nathan Tolbert, Aaron Wamsley, 
  Jennifer Wamsley, Dave Weiner, Mark Wiener.
  Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide is © 2005 Green Ronin 
  Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reference to other 
  copyrighted material in no way constitutes a 
  challenge to the respective copyright holders of 
  that material. Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide, 
  Advanced Player’s Manual, Green Ronin, 
  Advanced Rulebooks, and their associated logos 
  are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® and Wizards of the 
  Coast® are registered trademarks of Wizards of 
  the Coast, Inc., and are used with permission. 
  ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the 
  terms of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy of this 
  License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
  Th e Game Mechanics and Th e Game Mechanics logo, are 
  trademarks of Th e Game Mechanics, Inc. Initiative Cards 
  designs are copyrights of Th e Game Mechanics, Inc. Used 
  with permission.
  Th e following text is Open Gaming Content: 
  Chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and Appendix 1.
  Printed in the U.S.A.
  Green Ronin Publishing LLC
  P.O. Box 1723
  Renton, WA 98057-1723
  Email: custserv@greenronin.com
  Web Site: www.greenronin.com
  
  2
  Table of 
  Contents
  Table of 
  Contents
  Introduction: Read this First! .............3
  Chapter One: Running a Game ...................4
  Designing a World ........................4
   Sensitive Subjects .......................10
   Running a Game Session ............13
  Th e Play Environment ............... 13
  Information Management .......... 15
  Styles of Play .............................. 19
  Knowing Your Group ................. 21
  Tricks of Pacing ......................... 24
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play .......26
   Combat Rules .............................27
  Bushwhacking Rules .................. 27
  Class Dodge Bonus ..................... 28
  Disabling Critical Hits .............. 30
  Representative Battles ................ 30
   Speeding Play .............................33
  Set Criticals ............................... 33
  Set Damage ............................... 33
  Simpliﬁ ed Attacks 
  of Opportunity ........................ 34
  Timed Turns ............................. 34
   General Rules .............................35
  Experience Debt ......................... 35
  More Average Rolls .................... 35
  Cards ........................................ 35
  Fortune Points ........................... 36
  Hex-Based Movement ............... 38
  Th rowing ................................... 39
   Magic Rules ................................41
  Metamagic Points ...................... 41
  Self-Limited Spells ..................... 41
  Spell Points ................................ 42
  Chapter Three: 
  Preparing Adventures .....................43
   Th e Basics ...................................43
   Readying Pre-Written
   Adventures ...............................44
  Reading for Comprehension ....... 44
  Scaling Adventures .................... 44
  Personalizing Pre-Written 
  Adventures ............................. 45
   Designing Adventures ................45
  Starting an Adventure ............... 45
  Th e Challenge ............................ 46
  Wrapping it All Up .................... 56
  Chapter Four: 
  Non-Player Characters .................58
   Designing Antagonists ...............58
  Role ........................................... 59
  Personality ................................. 61
  Motivation ................................ 62
   Allies ..........................................65
  Mentors ..................................... 66
   Simpliﬁ ed NPC Design ..............68
  100 NPC Quirks ....................... 70
  NPCs with APM Classes ............71
  NPC Eldritch Weaver ................ 72
  NPC Evangelist ........................ 75
  NPC Scout ................................. 77
  NPC Spellmaster ....................... 78
  NPC Th anemage ........................ 80
  NPC Warpriest .......................... 82
  Chapter Five: 
  Running a Campaign ..........................84
   Deﬁ ning a Campaign .................84
  Choosing a Campaign Th eme ...... 84
  Choosing a Cosmology ................ 89
  Choosing Monsters ..................... 92
  Choosing PC Races .................... 93
  Choosing Technology .................. 94
   Campaign Styles .........................96
  Th e Evil Campaign ................... 96
  Magic-Free or Low-Magic 
  Campaigns ............................. 97
  High-Magic Campaigns ............ 99
   Campaign Rules .......................100
  Feats in a Campaign ................ 100
  Designing Feats ....................... 102
   Prestige Classes .........................105
  Designing Prestige Classes ........ 106
   Bringing It All Together ...........108
  Campaign Worksheets .............. 108
  Table Rules .............................. 109
  References ................................ 109
  Chapter Six: Characters .........................110
   Group Dynamics ......................111
   Playing with Power Levels ........112
  Boosting Power Levels ............. 112
  Reduced Power Levels .............. 114
   Ability Scores ...........................116
  Character Backgrounds .............118
   Th e Passage of Time .................122
   Character Advancement ...........125
  Training .................................. 127
  Chapter Seven: 
  Treasure and Magic Items ......130
  Magic Chakras ..........................130
  Innate Abilities ..........................132
  Ars Vitae ................................. 133
  Boons ....................................... 133
   Rites .........................................138
   Levin ........................................140
   Mundane Item 
  Characteristics ........................142
   Sovereign Materials ..................145
   Armor and Shields ....................150
   Weapons ...................................154
   Spell Lenses ..............................162
   Making Artifacts ......................164
  Chapter Eight: 
  Conditions & Environments ..166
   New Conditions .......................166
   New Environments 
  and Hazards ............................168
  Inconveniences ......................... 168
  Starvation ............................... 168
  Transstorms ............................. 170
  Waking Up .............................. 173
   New Diseases ............................173
   New Poisons .............................174
   Mystic Locales ..........................175
  Magic Locations ....................... 175
  Holy Sites ................................ 177
  Appendix One: Compiled Feats .........180
  Appendix Two: Initiative Cards ...184
  Character Cards ........................186
  Monster Cards ...........................187
  Campaign Worksheet ..............................188
  Index ......................................................................190
  
  3
  W
  elcome to Green Ronin’s Advanced Gamemaster’s 
  Guide. My name is Owen K.C. Stephens, and 
  I’ll be your host and author for this manual. I 
  know introductions can be boring, so I’ll keep this one 
  short — but it is an important part of this tome. Like the 
  description says, no matter what you’re looking for, read 
  this ﬁ rst.
  Th is is not a book for players to look through hoping to 
  ﬁ nd something to convince their Game Master (GM) 
  to use. If you’re a GM and a player is trying this, tell 
  him to buy his own copy of the book to look over, and 
  you’ll let him know about his speciﬁ c request later. Under 
  no circumstances should you allow anything from this 
  manual into your games without thoroughly considering 
  it and reading the section on how it will change your 
  game. In fact, a fair chunk of this book comprises advice 
  on how to decide what to include in your campaigns and 
  what to forbid.
  Nor is this book merely a list of new ways to make 
  character’s lives diﬃ  cult. Creating and running 
  opponents is an important function of GMing, and we 
  have advice on making memorable, eﬀ ective, and even 
  easily-run villains in here, but it’s not the book’s only 
  focus. Being a GM involves a lot more than picking bad 
  guys to slaughter, and this book assumes you already 
  know that.
  Th e elements of the Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide can be 
  broke into three broad categories: advice, alternate rules, 
  and expansions. All of these elements are independent 
  of one another — a GM can grab anything he likes and 
  ignore the rest of the book. Not everything here will 
  appeal to every GM, nor is it all appropriate for every 
  campaign. When I say “Advanced Game Master,” I 
  mean someone who already knows the basics of running 
  a d20 campaign. Th at runs the gamut from GMs who 
  are still checking the core books regularly and have 
  never put together a unique campaign, to masters of the 
  craft who’ve built their own worlds, written their own 
  rules, and designed their own adventures for decades. 
  Hopefully, everyone will ﬁ nd something useful in here, 
  but if a section doesn’t seem to speak to you in particular, 
  skip it and go on to the next section.
  Th e advice is all designed speciﬁ cally for GMs of d20 
  games who know the basic rules. Some of the tips and 
  guidelines are pretty straightforward, and I tried not 
  to spend too much time on anything too obvious. Yet 
  running and modifying a d20 System game can be tricky, 
  and I decided that covering the basics was better than 
  assuming that everyone who picks up this tome already 
  knows it all. Many of the rules I put forward I’ve used 
  and playtested myself, either as a GM or a player. A 
  lot of it I’ve modiﬁ ed from the form I used, drawing 
  on experience of what worked and what didn’t. I’ve 
  spread sidebars throughout the book with peeks behind 
  the GM’s screen, showing how I came to particular 
  conclusions, so even if you don’t agree with me you can 
  see what assumptions I did make and change them.
  Th e rules presented in the Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide 
  are not new rules for the sake of new rules. Th ey’re 
  designed to help GMs create speciﬁ c eﬀ ects and feels 
  within their games. Rules aﬀ ect what characters can do, 
  and that aﬀ ects what they try to do. Th e basic d20 rules 
  make a lot of assumptions — about the nature of evil, 
  the role of a hero, the nature of combat and injury, the 
  frequency of magic, and the permanence of death. Th ese 
  assumptions encourage a particular style of play, popular 
  with many people. It’s not the only possible style of play, 
  however, and changing a few rules can produce a very 
  diﬀ erent game.
  Expansions are elements that ﬁ t into the normal d20 
  game but have yet to appear anywhere I know of. Th ey 
  aren’t so much designed to change the feel of a game as 
  to expand options of a standard d20 campaign. GMs can 
  combine them with any of the new rules, use them as 
  is, or ignore them entirely without aﬀ ecting other parts 
  of the book. Th e expansions should put new life in old 
  campaigns, thus they have sections that discuss how to 
  work them into an ongoing game, how to build them 
  into a new campaign, and how to gauge what results are 
  likely.
  Th is book doesn’t assume any GM will decide to use 
  every new rule and idea presented in it. In fact, doing so 
  would likely create a real mess of a campaign. Th e ideas 
  are presented as ways to achieve speciﬁ c results, and 
  GMs are trusted to be smart enough to make informed 
  choices for their games. Th at’s the real deﬁ nition of 
  an “advanced” GM: one who just needs the tools to 
  accomplish a given campaign goal. I’ve tried to include 
  the best tools I could in this book and arm you with the 
  guidelines to take what you like from other books as well. 
  Have fun and enjoy!
  Owen K.C. Stephens
  April, 2004
  Introduction:
  Read this First!
  Introduction: 
  Read this First!
  
  4
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  T
  he most basic and important job of a GM is to 
  run a game session. Th e GM is part storyteller, 
  part referee, part social director, and part willing 
  participant. Th is chapter looks at the aspects of this job 
  that have the least to do with game rules: designing a 
  world, managing information, setting mood and pacing, 
  recognizing and dealing with styles of play, and narrative 
  tricks. All these things have an impact on play and may 
  suggest or support game rule decisions, but they are 
  separate from such things as character classes, die rolls, 
  skills, feats, and even the adventures themselves.
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  - Designing a World -
  A roleplaying game takes place in a world under the 
  control of the GM. While beginning GMs may not ever 
  take the time to think about that world, advanced GMs 
  know that their world is an important part of the game. 
  It’s like the biggest and most important NPC in the 
  game, and its look, name, size, and biases have a strong 
  aﬀ ect on all games run in it. Deciding what a world is 
  like and who and what are in it is known as world design 
  or worldbuilding.
  All GMs do some  world design, even if they don’t 
  realize it. Even a GM who decides to use a pre-
  written commercial campaign setting will do some 
  worldbuilding, as PCs go places sourcebooks don’t 
  describe or talk to NPCs with few if any notes on 
  personality, goals, or outlooks beyond a simple alignment 
  and short description. Every decision a GM makes about 
  what is and isn’t available, how NPCs (as individuals or 
  groups) act or react, and which things PCs do or don’t 
  notice has an impact on the world he presents to the 
  players. Many of these decisions are easier if made well 
  in advance of the game session, and there are several 
  techniques a GM can employ to do so.
  Starting Small
  It’s not necessary for you to know much about the world 
  as a whole to start playing. Th is is especially true for 
  games starting at 1st level, when characters can’t travel 
  very quickly anyway. One way for you to avoid doing a 
  lot of work in advance is to describe only the world as a 
  whole in the vaguest terms, focusing instead on the lands 
  in which he plans to set the early adventures. As the 
  campaign progresses and characters become competent 
  enough to survive longer trips, you can design the 
  areas just outside the beginning adventure sites. As the 
  campaign grows, the world grows with it.
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  
  5
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Th e trick to starting small is to describe enough for 
  the players to feel they can interact with the world. If 
  playing an urban game, the campaign’s ﬁ rst adventures 
  might all take place in one neighborhood of a large 
  city. You obviously need to name that city and know 
  something about the nations and lands around it, but you 
  need not name every kingdom, king, and far-oﬀ  forest. 
  Instead, early world design should concentrate on the 
  neighborhoods within the city, especially the location 
  of the ﬁ rst adventure. If the players know where the 
  rich and poor of the city live, what the local guilds and 
  guards are like, and where they sleep at night, they have 
  enough information to play for a few games. You should 
  focus the rest of your eﬀ orts on the areas of the city you 
  know the PCs will explore in the ﬁ rst few games. If 
  you name streets, write up local personalities, and map 
  out guildhalls and sewer systems the PCs are likely to 
  explore, you’re set for several levels of adventure.
  If starting a game focusing on wilderness exploration and 
  dungeon crawling, you shouldn’t spend nearly as much 
  eﬀ ort on any single town’s details. Th e players need a 
  base of operations, but coming up with the name of that 
  town and its major guilds and rulers are likely enough. 
  You should instead focus on the area around town, where 
  most of the adventures are going to take place. Common 
  local threats, the nearby towns and nations, and what 
  kinds of terrain can be found are far more important 
  facts to work out. If the campaign settles into a single 
  town for a longer duration, such as during the winter 
  perhaps, you can then ﬂ esh out that speciﬁ c locale.
  Th is method oﬀ ers numerous advantages. It allows a high 
  level of detail where needed most — around the site of the 
  ﬁ rst few adventures — without requiring too much work 
  ahead of time. It also allows room for a campaign to evolve 
  and grow naturally. A new campaign doesn’t often develop 
  its own unique spirit until after the ﬁ rst few games anyway, 
  and this method puts oﬀ  making too many decisions until 
  you see how the players react to each other. For example, if 
  the elf and dwarf PCs get along well, the campaign might 
  be set up assuming these two races are ancient allies.
  Th is method also works well when including a lot of 
  player input. Since most of the world is only roughly 
  sketched out, there are plenty of places for noble knights, 
  perverse necromancers, noble amazons, and foppish 
  royalty. Even if such characters and their backgrounds 
  don’t make sense for the starting campaign area, you can 
  easily add distant lands where they ﬁ t in. Th is process can 
  result in a campaign in which no PC is a local, but even 
  having everyone be a foreigner can add an interesting 
  twist to a game. It also has the advantage of not requiring 
  any PC to be knowledgeable about the starting locale, 
  allowing players and characters to explore and learn 
  about it at the same time.
  Th is style of world building has drawbacks as well. 
  Th e most signiﬁ cant of these drawbacks are a lack of 
  Campaign Vignettes: Lands Based on History
  Many GMs enjoy designing games with places based on diﬀ erent areas and times from real-world history. Th is 
  can be an eﬀ ective short cut for describing an area to players. If the kingdom of Devonisle is based on 1300s 
  England, and Terre Natale is based on 1300s France, you need only mention this for players to get a feel for 
  these regions. You can then focus on the diﬀ erences and get quickly to exploration or adventure. Particularly for 
  GMs new to designing their own world, this method can be faster and easier than designing from scratch.
  If borrowing from places near each other in both time and place, this process also has the advantage of 
  providing ready-made politics, prejudices, social conventions, names, myths, and interactions. Just a little 
  research can easily ﬁ ll in the details on how 1300s England and 1300s France treated each other, and what 
  life was like in each. You need to make allowances for magic, and you may want to use pantheons of gods 
  rather than a single monotheistic church, but such changes can be recognized and described far more easily 
  than an entire new culture.
  It’s also possible to mix elements from history to create an easily described land with a very unusual feel. 
  For example, you might decide to mix Norse aesthetics and terrain with ancient Japanese culture, creating a 
  frozen land with warriors who act like samurai and look like Vikings. Diﬀ erent houses of samurai become 
  diﬀ erent clans, and replacing katana with broadswords or greataxes. Th e resulting land isn’t quite like any 
  real-world place, but you can easily describe it (and if you needs ideas for it, you can easily borrow eastern-
  themed sourcebooks or adventures and translate them for your Norse looking territory).
  Many d20 sourcebooks, such as Green Ronin’s Mythic Vistas line of books, detail actual historic lands, and 
  many more model their kingdoms on real-world places, such as Testament, Medieval Player’s Manual, Trojan 
  War, Skull & Bones, and Eternal Rome. One advantage of this system is that numerous non-gaming books can 
  also serve as sources of information and inspiration, greatly broadening your research options (and reducing 
  the chance a player has already read the book you use).
  
  6
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  campaign ﬂ avor and a pervasive sense of incompletion. 
  With only a small area of the world detailed, knowing 
  what the world at large is like can be hard for your 
  players. If you start in a civilized city, you need to address 
  basic questions about what else exists in the world: Are 
  there barbarians somewhere? Are they welcome here? 
  If dwarves aren’t from this city, from where do they 
  come? Is this the largest city in the world, or a modest 
  metropolis of limited importance? Where do the goods 
  in the local market come from? Is the court wizard a 
  powerful master of magic by this campaign’s standards, or 
  a minor trickster?
  Most of these questions you can handle as they come up, 
  but it’s important you tell players enough to give them 
  a feel for your world. If you plan for elves to be from a 
  far-oﬀ  land of decadent slavers and lotus-dealers, players 
  need to know that before they decide to play elves. A 
  game’s tone is harder to determine with fewer details, 
  and it’s important for players to know if you plan an 
  epic high-magic game, a standard fantasy genre with an 
  emphasis on diplomacy, or a grim-and-gritty game where 
  magic is rare, life is cheap, and resurrection unheard of.
  The Seven Wonders
  One development method for designing a game setting 
  is the  Seven Wonders, based on the famous Seven 
  Wonders of the ancient world. Th ough several diﬀ erent 
  lists of these wonders exist, one common set comprises 
  the pyramids of Egypt, the gardens of Semiramis at 
  Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the temple of 
  Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, 
  the Colossus at Rhodes, and the Pharos (lighthouse) 
  of Alexandria. Th ese were the greatest achievements 
  of humanity at the time, and all great eﬀ orts were 
  measured against these monuments.
  People from lands far from these wonders knew of them 
  and had some idea why they were famous. Anyone who 
  went to the lands of these wonders visited them. Th ey 
  were famous the world over, despite traveling being time-
  consuming, costly, and dangerous. Th e Seven Wonders were 
  so fantastic, so amazing, the most uneducated members of 
  the civilized world could name a few of them. Even in the 
  modern era, something designed to be amazing is often 
  hyped as “the Eighth Wonder of the World.”
  Turning this idea toward world design, much of a game’s 
  tone can be set by describing its own Seven Wonders. 
  By deciding what the inhabitants of the world see as 
  the greatest and most amazing achievements, you set a 
  baseline against which you can measure anything else. 
  You also give players a glimpse into the type of world 
  a particular campaign is set in and help them react 
  properly to other “wonders.”
  For example, in a low-magic campaign, all the wonders 
  might be accomplishments of engineering similar to 
  those of the real world. Players told that the wonders 
  of the world are the Bronze Domes of Auyx and the 
  Flower Market of Easterness will have a very diﬀ erent 
  view of the world than those in a game with the Floating 
  Continent of Eld and the Crawling Forest. Th is kind 
  of benchmark can be very helpful for players as an aid 
  to role-playing. If the seven wonders of your campaign 
  include the Floating Continent, players running across 
  a ﬂ ying castle know it’s not the most awesome thing 
  they’ve ever heard of or possibly seen.
  Impressive natural features and massive ediﬁ ces work 
  well for this development method for numerous 
  reasons. First, the very fact they are long lasting makes 
  it believable for them to be well known worldwide. Th e 
  inhabitants of a minor trading town may have never 
  seen the Bronze Domes, but they’ve heard of them. Th is 
  situation allows you to give some information about 
  far-oﬀ  lands, establishing details about foreign lands long 
  before PCs get a chance to go there. Especially in games 
  beginning at low levels, foreshadowing the ﬂ avor of other 
  places and foes the PCs can’t handle yet but you plan to 
  introduce later is often useful.
  Th is kind of starting point works well to build from as 
  well. Once you know the basic culture of a given area, 
  imagining what great structures or amazing scenery 
  might be present is fairly easy. If the area isn’t one you 
  will be running games in immediately, you can leave 
  it at that. When an area does demand more attention, 
  Table 1-1: 
  Wonders of the World
  Dragonbone Chapel
  Walking Tower
  Hanging City
  Arcane Quarter
  Great Bridge
  Endless Pit
  Storm Falls
  Demon’s Hollow
  Eternal Road
  Dead Waste
  Buried Ruins
  Rotting Forest
  Black Timbers
  Swimming Isles
  Shallow Sea
  Rising River
  Ivory Spire
  Burning Ocean
  Necropolis
  Great Rift
  Silent Temple
  Golden Fane
  Iron Cathedral
  Emerald Ocean
  Singing Forest
  Signal Towers
  God’s Home
  Sea Wall
  Cloud Castle
  Fire Canyons
  Crawling Citadel
  Menhir Trail
  Bone Fortress
  Th e Cross Timbers
  Floating Gardens
  Cyclopes Road
  
  7
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  start with the existing wonders and work backwards. 
  Once you know the most amazing thing about a place, 
  it’s easy to decide what’s around that falls just short of 
  it, how people respond to it, and why it was built in the 
  ﬁ rst place. Th e famous Flower Markets might be a city 
  designed and ruled by druids, a den of alchemists and 
  apothecaries, or a slave market with thousands of stages, 
  selling people stolen from every corner of the world.
  Th ere’s no need to have a group name for a campaign 
  world’s wonders, nor do you need exactly seven of them. 
  Th e idea is to know what the most famous features of 
  the campaign world are and to give them intriguing and 
  descriptive names. You may want to borrow from the 
  various wonders of our world, changing them just enough 
  to make them seem new and interesting. Th e Great Wall of 
  China can become a country’s greatest known fortiﬁ cation, 
  called the Endless Fortress. Th e idea is the same, but a 
  new name and slightly diﬀ erent spin make it seem unique. 
  Once you know you have an Endless Fortress in your 
  campaign, you can ask what it’s built to keep out. Hordes 
  of orcs, giants, or dragons are easy and obvious answers, but 
  your campaign may dictate something else. Perhaps the 
  Endless Fortress was built long ago, and no one knows why 
  anymore. Maybe it’s actually a giant temple, devoted to a 
  god of defense and construction, on which priests continue 
  work with each generation.
  Th is same method can be used to begin outlines of 
  regions within a campaign world. Most kingdoms, 
  baronies, and wildernesses have points of interest. By 
  deciding on the top seven places of interest in each 
  region, you set the stage for further development when 
  and if needed. Th is method prevents you from having 
  to design every aspect of a world at once, while still 
  developing enough details for players to have a feel 
  for faraway lands. Even the seven wonders of a single 
  city can be useful for creating a unique and memorable 
  location. Tourist guides of modern cities and vacation 
  pamphlets often have lots of potential sights of interest 
  you can adapt to your own campaign.
  When choosing wonders for an area of a campaign 
  world, think about how and why they were constructed, 
  and why they’re unusual features. Something anyone 
  could and would build isn’t much of a wonder. In a game 
  with powerful and common magic, don’t be afraid to 
  have fantastic explanations for wonders. A city might be 
  built around a huge waterfall because the people worship 
  a water god. A ﬂ oating castle might be unique because 
  long ago, a group of wizards managed to dispel the magic 
  holding up other castles, destroying them, and no one has 
  risked making such vulnerable defenses since.
  You can ﬁ nd thirty-six wonder names on Table 1-1 on 
  the previous page.. Add these to your game or use them 
  as starting points for developing your own wonders. 
  Some are clearly natural phenomena, while others were 
  likely built by sentient creatures.
  Top Down
  Th e most ambitious way to tackle world design is from 
  the top down: starting with a map of the world (or as 
  
  8
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  large a section of the world as you ever expects to allow 
  PCs access to), and designing everything that goes into it 
  before beginning the campaign. Some top-down design 
  actually begins before a world map, with myths about the 
  creation of the world, the gods who watch over it, and 
  the ancient empires that ruled it long ago (see Choosing 
  a Cosmology in Chapter Five). When working on a 
  top-down campaign you answer all the questions you 
  expect players to ask, as well as everything you can think 
  of yourself. Th e level of detail varies depending on your 
  style, but in general, the idea is to make all major world 
  decisions prior to beginning the ﬁ rst game session.
  Th is method works very well, but it’s also extremely 
  time consuming. You may spend weeks or even months 
  designing a campaign world before beginning the game. 
  Because it’s a large investment of time and eﬀ ort, it’s also 
  a risk. If the campaign isn’t popular, or players’ schedules 
  change, or any of a myriad of other problems occur, the 
  campaign may shut down after only running once or 
  twice. You can of course always recycle the campaign 
  world next time you run a game, but if the world is 
  unpopular with players this is also a wasted eﬀ ort.
  Top-down design works very well if you enjoy world 
  building as a hobby in its own right. For some, the 
  process of mapping lands, creating kingdoms and 
  religions, and populating cities is as much fun as running 
  the game itself. At the extreme level, you can decide not 
  just what nations exist and what monsters are common, 
  but how many calendars are in use, what chess variants 
  are common where, what bloodlines have intermarried, 
  how languages have evolved, and what foods are most 
  common where.
  GMs looking for a campaign with strong thematic 
  elements often turn to top-down design. For example, 
  if a GM wants to run a game with exploration and 
  the ethics of colonization as major themes, he needs 
  a good idea of what new lands are to be explored and 
  why nations send people out to explore them. Setting 
  up potential conﬂ icts at this stage is easy: for example, 
  between a rapacious empire in desperate need of land 
  to grow food and raw resources, and a smaller, richer 
  theocracy that wishes to convert heathens to its religion. 
  Such groups may well work together early on, but their 
  diﬀ erent goals can be used as springboards for adventures 
  Behind the Curtain: Worldbuilding Resources
  A whole world is a lot to populate, and often your main problem is not having enough ideas to ﬁ ll it. Th e 
  trick to avoiding idea-burnout is to have reference works available and ﬁ ction from which to borrow ideas. 
  Th ere’s no reason for you to come up with everything yourself, and since there are few truly unique ideas left 
  in the world, borrowing tried-and-true names, ideas, and plots can actually produce a more dynamic world 
  than trying to reinvent the wheel. As long as you don’t  plan on publishing your world, you can take elements 
  whole cloth from any source. (If you want to publish, restrict yourself to borrowing from history and public 
  domain sources, and only being inspired by material under copyright.)
  Every GM should have a thesaurus, dictionary (preferably a large unabridged one with words that have fallen 
  out of common use), an encyclopedia set (again, preferably an older one), a baby-name book, a good history 
  text, and a world atlas. If you don’t own these books, they can all be found in any public library. Many of 
  these resources can also be found through the internet. When low on ideas, you can look up anything you 
  already have and use new information to expand on it.
  For example, a GM who knows she wants a kingdom based on medieval France need only look up French 
  history to gain a ﬂ ood of ideas: the invasion by and eventual expulsion of an Ancient Empire; a noble king’s 
  attempt to recreate the glory of that empire; the long rivalry with a neighboring kingdom and a Hundred 
  Years War; the rise of a common girl to be a divinely-inspired general; religious conﬂ ict; absolute monarchy, 
  the Revolution, the rise of a soldier to be emperor, that emperor’s fall, a new republic; and then two new 
  invasions, both of which are repelled only with the help of other nations. Th is is an extremely simple sketch 
  of a few important events, but it provides enough ideas for a dozen kingdoms.
  Ideas can also be taken from commercial adventures, campaign settings, and works of ﬁ ction. If you don’t 
  care if players recognize elements of your game world from other sources, you can simply take anything that 
  interests you with little eﬀ ort to change it. With a bit more work, borrowed elements can be changed enough 
  to seem new (or at least given a new twist). By changing names (for which a baby name book and atlas 
  are particularly useful), motivations, and genres, you can take an old idea and mold it into a new form. For 
  example, a western movie could provide a classic plot: a cattle baron stole the deed to a ranch so he can claim 
  ownership and kick out the true owners. Molding this plot to a fantasy game, the GM decides a power-
  hungry baron has stolen the scepter of a small village, and if they cannot produce it when the king visits in 
  four days, they lose their freedom. Th e plot is essentially the same, but few players will recognize its origin.
  
  9
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  later. A GM is much less likely to get these kinds of 
  theme-speciﬁ c elements from a commercial campaign 
  setting or through starting small campaign design.
  Top-down design is also useful for campaigns designed 
  to be diﬀ erent from a standard d20 campaign. For 
  example, if you want to run a game with little or no 
  access to spells, but with lots of magic items (scrolls, 
  potions, wondrous items, and so on) and sentient wolves 
  as a PC race, you’re unlikely to ﬁ nd a commercial 
  campaign that meets your needs. While you can try the 
  starting small design method, players will probably have 
  a lot more questions (where do smart wolves come from? 
  do they have their own homeland? are they treated as 
  people? are they treated as people by everyone? how do 
  churches act when clerics have no spells? and so on). 
  Answering enough of these questions to allow players 
  to role-play accurately requires a fair amount of work, 
  resulting in something pretty close to top-down design.
  When working on a top-down world design, 
  determining how diﬀ erent elements of the game world 
  interact with each other and how PCs are expected 
  to interact with them is important. For example, 
  if designing a world with many city-states full of 
  noble knights in plate armor who all worship a single 
  god, you need to think about how they react to your 
  Egyptianesque kingdom of Osyria, with Bronze Age 
  technology and a vast pantheon of gods. Th e Osyrians 
  may be seen as inﬁ dels and the subject of a crusade, in 
  which case their Bronze Age technology places them at a 
  disadvantage.
  You should also be ready to explain obvious questions 
  about your kingdoms, even the far-oﬀ  ones. For 
  example, you need to answer why, in a world with magic 
  divination, the Osyrians are still stuck with Bronze-Age 
  skills. Are the PCs expected to sympathize with the city-
  states, Osyria, or neither? Players are bound to ask such 
  questions eventually, and it’s best you have answers ready. 
  Perhaps the Osyrian gods forbid their people to use any 
  metal except bronze (and may give them special beneﬁ ts 
  to make up for this restriction); or Osyria may be very 
  poor in natural sources of iron; or Osyria and the city-
  states may have just come into contact with each other, 
  and the technology needs more time to spread. Each of 
  these answers produces a very diﬀ erent campaign.
  Th e two main drawbacks to top-down design are the 
  amount of time it can take and player overload. A GM 
  who spends more time designing the details of his 
  campaign world than actually running his game is both 
  spending a lot of time on a hobby and risking burnout 
  from overexposure to his own creation. Similarly, giving 
  players too much information to absorb at once can leave 
  them feeling overwhelmed and confused. Handouts of 
  common information can help, but in general, avoid 
  requiring players to read more than about ﬁ ve pages of 
  information before they play. Even if you know what 
  fashions are popular in the City of Bells, the players don’t 
  need that information until they’re more involved — and 
  more interested — in the world.
  Including Player Input
  A game world is more than a setting for you to put 
  adventures in; it’s the backdrop players use to build 
  the characters that are their alter-egos. Many players 
  enjoy writing extensive histories for their characters 
  and include towns, families, guilds, evil foes, and even 
  entire kingdoms in the process. For some GMs, this is an 
  annoyance, as little of that information matches up with 
  elements she already decided to include in her game. If 
  handled carefully from the beginning, however, this sort 
  of input not only allows players to help build a world 
  they’re interested in exploring, it reduces some of your 
  workload.
  You should talk to your players about what kind of 
  input is welcome before they make their characters. 
  It’s best if you can do this after you have some idea of 
  the game world’s features, but before you’ve described 
  every corner of it. One good way to do this is to design 
  the core area the early adventures will take place in, 
  but not surrounding areas or kingdoms. Doing so gives 
  players some idea of the feel of the game world, while 
  still allowing them to create new lands for their PC 
  backgrounds that you can place in nearby undeveloped 
  areas as needed.
  It’s important for you to let players know once they’ve 
  designed something, they don’t control it anymore. 
  
  10
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Nothing is wrong with a player suggesting his character 
  be from an island nation that’s little more than a haven 
  for pirates and thieves, but once you accept his idea, the 
  city is out of the player’s hands. It may be his PC’s home, 
  but it’s part of your game world. Try to get a good idea 
  what the player expects from his home city and provide 
  it, but ultimately, you decide who’s in charge, how tough 
  the local guards are, and what kind of punishments are 
  dealt by the local authorities.
   - Sensitive Subjects - 
  When building a new game world, you should think 
  about how you will deal with sensitive subjects. Th ese are 
  topics, themes, and crimes are so emotionally charged 
  they can ruin a gaming experience just by being present. 
  Such matters as  slavery,  sex,  drug use,  bigotry,  betrayal, 
  brutality, crimes against women and children (especially 
  rape), real-world  religion,  torture, and  cannibalism must 
  be handled delicately.
  For many groups, there is no “right” way to handle these 
  subjects — any inclusion of them is so uncomfortable 
  for some players they can’t enjoy the game. Other groups 
  are ﬁ ne with such things being understood to exist in 
  the game world, but they don’t want to have to deal with 
  them. Even when a group is comfortable having PCs 
  encounter such things, most get upset if their PCs are 
  the victims of abuse along these lines. A group in which 
  all players are both happy and comfortable dealing with 
  such issues whenever they come up, regardless of who is 
  the target, is extremely rare. A GM should never assume 
  he has such a group without a lot of discussion and 
  careful experimentation.
  Making sure these issues never become the primary 
  focus of a campaign is also important. A ﬁ ght against 
  evil may require examples of that evil to be witnessed or 
  even described, but going too far turns heroic roleplaying 
  into something else. You should try to ﬁ nd your group’s 
  comfort level for the best gaming experience, not pushing 
  the boundary of what they ﬁ nd acceptable. If there’s no 
  need to delve into unpleasantness, don’t.
  Th e general guideline for these subjects is to get player 
  input in advance and gear the game for the person 
  comfortable with the lowest level of extreme elements. 
  If nine out of ten players don’t mind anything and 
  everything on the sensitive subject list, the game should 
  settle at the comfort zone of the 10th person. Th ese 
  subjects are emotionally charged enough that “majority 
  rules” isn’t a fair way to handle them.
  You could shoot for diﬀ erent levels of intensity regarding 
  these subjects. GMs who have experience with their 
  players may be able to determine the appropriate level 
  based on previous games, but as a general rule, discussing 
  player interest in advance is best. You may even wish 
  Tips and Tricks: Stealing Maps
  For many GMs, the hardest part of creating a world is mapping it. Few GMs are experienced cartographers, 
  and a well-rounded campaign needs maps (at diﬀ ering scales) of landmasses, kingdoms, countrysides, and 
  individual cities and towns. Each map can take hours to design and draw, but may only be needed for a few 
  seconds of play time. Mapping is extremely work intensive, and often GMs skimp on maps early on, only to 
  have arguments with players later about where things are.
  One good way to cut down on mapping time is to copy maps from elsewhere. A number of professional game 
  products such as Green Ronin’s Dungeons of Doom and Todd Gamble’s Cartographica include good maps you 
  can use for your games. Lesser-known game books and adventures are often good for this, since players are less 
  likely to recognize such maps than those taken from major products. You can mix and match maps as needed 
  — taking a country map from one-source and city maps from three or four others, renaming things as needed.
  Of course, if you’re willing to do a little more work, maps from any source can be used. Road atlases, 
  almanacs, and encyclopedias are all good sources of maps, and if you trace or scan them and make what 
  changes are needed (usually including renaming major features), there’s little chance a player will recognize 
  them. Another good trick is to change the scale on maps. A map of a small island at 1 mile to the inch can 
  become a map of an entire continent at 100 miles to the inch. Changing what direction is north is another 
  way to disguise maps. Even the map from the back of a telephone directory can be reused in this way.
  Scanned maps are particularly useful because you can copy a section and re-create it on a diﬀ erent scale. You 
  could copy out a small section of a continent and blow it up, then draw in things appropriate only to the new 
  scale. In this way, you have one or two large-scale maps and make smaller-scale maps only when adventures 
  take the PCs to new regions.
  
  11
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  to give players a questionnaire regarding their desired 
  intensity level for each sensitive subject the GM wants 
  to include in his campaign. A campaign, however, need 
  not deal with all sensitive subjects at the same level of 
  intensity — a group of players may have no problems 
  with prejudice and cannibalism, for instance, but need 
  low intensity when dealing with sex and slavery.
  Minimum Intensity: No Presence
  At minimum intensity, a sensitive subject isn’t 
  mentioned at all. Th is is a common level for beginning 
  gaming groups: anything you wouldn’t discuss with 
  a schoolteacher, grandmother, senator, pastor, and a 
  complete stranger doesn’t get mentioned. No religion 
  is similar to current real-world faiths, no race or nation 
  keeps slaves, sex is never mentioned in any context, and 
  no crimes against women or children are ever mentioned.
  Obviously, a minimum intensity game will not feel 
  particularly realistic. Everyone knows that some bad, 
  distasteful, or private things will occur in a world. Yet 
  since a roleplaying game is primarily a game, there’s 
  nothing wrong with ignoring things that would make 
  one or more players uncomfortable. Th at said, minimum 
  intensity games often slide to low intensity in time. While 
  you should always watch to make sure you don’t increase 
  intensity past a player’s comfort level, most players don’t 
  have a problem with low intensity handled maturely.
  Low Intensity: Off-Screen Presence
  At low intensity, sensitive subjects are assumed to exist, 
  and even get mentioned, but all such action happens 
  oﬀ -screen. No eﬀ ort is made to hide that bad things 
  happen somewhere, but such events are never directly 
  encountered or used as a theme of the campaign or 
  as the focus of a speciﬁ c adventure. Th is is the most 
  common level of intensity for the touchiest of subjects 
  (rape, cannibalism, child abuse, and drug use) and is the 
  baseline of many published adventures and settings. 
  At this level, players may assume a half-orc is the 
  product of a rape, but the issue isn’t speciﬁ cally 
  discussed. Some campaign religions may ﬁ ll the same 
  roles as real-world faiths, but don’t use the same 
  terminology or mythology. It’s a fairly safe place for 
  you to set a campaign without discussing intensity with 
  players. Often a campaign has at least a few subjects set 
  at low intensity, if for no other reason than neither the 
  GM nor the players bring up the issue.
  Campaign Vignette: 
  Fairyland Tales
  Building a campaign setting to support your 
  chosen intensity level can be done by simply 
  including or excluding things likely to bring 
  up sensitive subjects. For a truly minimum 
  intensity game, though, that’s harder, because 
  totally avoiding subjects such as sex is 
  impractical. If the king has a son, surely he 
  and the queen had sex, right? Why would the 
  goblins kidnap the queen if they have no horrid 
  purpose in mind for her?
  Supporting even this level of background 
  innocence is possible, though doing so 
  produces an unusual campaign. Essentially, the 
  result is a fairy-tale game, where children are 
  delivered by storks or found in cabbage patches 
  (perhaps depending on race), goblins carve 
  their young out of stone, and having a queen 
  is important enough if you do kidnap one, you 
  treat her well.
  Th is approach actually works quite well for an 
  adventure-themed campaign backdrop. Hags 
  in gingerbread houses, trolls under bridges, 
  creatures living under the bed, and black-bearded 
  pirates can be just as dangerous to overcome 
  as more serious fantasy foes. And many players 
  accept a black-and-white world of morality if it’s 
  obviously not designed as a serious fantasy world. 
  Campaigns set in worlds reminiscent of fairytale 
  kingdoms, the land of Oz, or Wonderland are a 
  clear sign that the normal evils of the real world 
  may not be present.
  
  12
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Medium Intensity: Limited Exposure
  At medium intensity, sensitive subjects are broached 
  as needed by theme and plot, but kept to a minimum 
  and never experienced directly. Th e world is assumed 
  to have bad things happen, and when appropriate the 
  players may learn of them, but anything irrelevant isn’t 
  explored. Even when sensitive subjects are brought 
  up, they’re not done in an in-your-face way. Th e worst 
  things may be encountered, in theory, during play, but 
  only to a limited extent.
  Half-orcs may mention their mothers were raped by their 
  fathers, but PCs never see such a thing happening or deal 
  with it having just happened recently. Campaign religions 
  may closely follow the model of a real-world faith, but 
  aren’t actually presented as the same religion. Players may 
  have to deal with more minor sensitive subjects, such as 
  drug abuse, but only if they chose to do so.
  Medium intensity is as high as many players are 
  comfortable with, and you should never set your 
  campaign higher without a good idea of how your players 
  will react. Th at you don’t belittle the consequences of 
  these subjects in an eﬀ ort to minimize their impact is 
  important. Th is isn’t a world in which abused children 
  never have development problems. Instead, the problems 
  can be focused on and the abuses revealed, without 
  detailing the speciﬁ cs of those abuses.
  High Intensity: Full Exposure
  At a high intensity, players deal with the full range of 
  a sensitive subject when appropriate. Most games that 
  move to high intensity do it for only one or two subjects 
  — a game can too easily become grim if the full range 
  of human depravity is brought up. Most groups are 
  uncomfortable with high intensity on at least some 
  subjects, and you should know your group well before 
  even trying it.
  In these campaigns, PCs trying to stop an orc raid 
  might run into a rape in progress or see a child being 
  beaten in the street. Real-world religions may be present 
  and drawn from their worst point in history. Th e PCs, 
  though, aren’t subject to the same rules. Th ey’re the 
  heroes, and even in a high intensity game they need 
  a level of script immunity against the most horrid 
  of events. Players may choose to have such events in 
  character backgrounds (perhaps the cleric was once a 
  lotus addict before he saw the light), but don’t have them 
  forced upon PCs, even as a consequence of failure.
  Extreme Intensity: No Limits
  At extreme intensity, no subject is considered taboo, 
  and anything can happen to anyone. Almost no group 
  is comfortable at this level for more than one or two 
  subjects, and only very mature groups can handle it at 
  all. Never go here without both knowing your group well 
  and discussing it in advance — even if everyone seems 
  okay with it, tread lightly and gauge actual response. 
  Friendships can be ruined over some of these subjects.
  At this level, a PC might get raped by an orc, sold into 
  slavery, and forced into cannibalism to survive. Of course, 
  nothing of the sort should happen unless it’s integral to an 
  ongoing plot, and nothing like this should happen without 
  express player approval. Th ese things are just too sensitive 
  for you to have carte blanche. People can and do get 
  truly upset about events at this level, and you must check 
  anything of the sort privately with a player beforehand.
  Th at no one should tell a group how to play a roleplaying 
  game is a truism, but extreme intensity pushes the limits 
  of that philosophy. A campaign never needs to handle 
  things this way, and there are few reasons to do so. A 
  game might explore extreme intensity on a single subject, 
  such as slavery, without doing much damage, but for the 
  most part this description is here as a warning sign. If 
  you hit extreme intensity, you’ve gone too far.
  Dealing With Intensity Pushers
  GMs aren’t the only ones who have an impact on a 
  campaign’s intensity level. Players can impact a game’s 
  intensity both through their own character’s actions (a 
  shaman cannibal PC forces the campaign to deal with the 
  morality and acceptability of eating thinking creatures) 
  and how they react to the world around them. Even just 
  asking questions can impact a game’s intensity — if a 
  PC looks for abused children in a big city, you and other 
  players are forced to address the issue of abuse. Players 
  who engage in this kind of activity are intensity pushers.
  If everyone is comfortable with the higher intensity, 
  including you, it’s a non-issue. Often, intensity pushing 
  is a sign that players are ready for a grittier, darker 
  campaign. If anyone is uncomfortable, however, even 
  you, the intensity pushing must stop. Th is is an issue 
  that needs to be handled out of game time, likely by a 
  discussion between you and intensity-pushing players, 
  or among the group as a whole. While group discussions 
  are often better, sometimes shy players won’t stand up for 
  their preferences if confronted by a group. You should 
  decide how to handle such situations based on your 
  experience with your game group.
  You are ultimately responsible for the tone of your 
  campaign. Most players are happy to dial it back a bit 
  if asked. If a player objects to being stiﬂ ed (and some 
  will), you must decide if it’s better to make someone 
  uncomfortable or kick out an oﬀ ending player. Th at 
  answer is diﬀ erent for diﬀ erent groups, but a good 
  principle is not to kick out the people who aren’t bucking 
  the system. Once a player learns he can act however he 
  wants and other players leave as a result, he has the power 
  to twist a game in ways you may not appreciate.
  
  13
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  In addition to preparing a game world and adventures 
  before a game session, you have to prepare a real-
  world location in which to run the game and manage 
  things during the actual  running of the game. Some of 
  these tasks can be delegated to players, but you must 
  be aware of what’s available. Th e success of a game 
  session can be strongly inﬂ uenced by elements having 
  nothing to do with the game world, rules, or planned 
  adventure. Th ese elements can be broken into three 
  broad categories: the game environment, information 
  management, and play styles.
  The  Play Environment
  Th e success or failure of a d20 game session can hinge 
  on factors completely outside the scope of the game 
  itself. When a good mood is established and players 
  are enjoying themselves, things go more smoothly. Bad 
  rules calls get ignored, poor rolls are laughed oﬀ , and 
  conﬂ icts between PCs are viewed as heroic drama. When 
  a bad mood is in place, the slightest setback can lead to 
  complaints and annoyance. Similarly, a group of players 
  may begin a game happy and excited, but become bored 
  and disinterested before the game is over.
  Th ese are problems of mood and pacing, and they are 
  the most diﬃ  cult elements to control during a game 
  session. A few tools can be used to encourage players 
  to be relaxed and happy or to jog a group out of a bad 
  mood, but for the most part the best you can do is 
  create a good play environment and hope the players 
  take advantage of it.
  Choosing a  Play Space
  Where a game occurs strongly aﬀ ects its mood and 
  often its longevity. Roleplaying games are a leisure 
  activity, and players are more likely to stick with a game 
  if doing so isn’t a hassle. A good gaming space should 
  be large enough to accommodate all players comfortably 
  (hopefully with no one sitting on the ﬂ oor), enough table 
  space for books and die rolling, a place for miniatures if 
  the group uses them, and space for you to hide things you 
  doesn’t want players to see. It should also be conveniently 
  located for everyone to get to (easier if everyone is 
  driving) and preferably have room for pizza boxes and 
  soda cans to be kept separate from game books and 
  character sheets.
  While many groups don’t have access to a perfect play 
  space, some things can be done to enhance what is 
  available. First, don’t assume you must play in someone’s 
  home or a game shop. Libraries, community centers, 
  apartment clubhouses, and sometimes even utility co-ops 
  often have rooms available for either free or for a very 
  small fee. Th e main limitation with such spaces is hours 
  of operation, but a game played on a Saturday afternoon 
  may be perfect for a public room. Th e things to look out 
  for are privacy and noise restrictions. Games don’t go as 
  well if a group is constantly interrupted by passers-by, 
  and an area with bad sound baﬄ  ing can result in a rowdy 
  group of players being asked to leave.
  If you do need to game in a home, consider periodically 
  moving which home hosts the game. A group of players 
  can make quite a mess, and it’s a bit much to ask one 
  homeowner always to deal with that. Even if the group 
  does its best to clean up before it leaves (always a good 
  idea), chairs get moved, stacks of paperwork stowed away, 
  trashes ﬁ lled, and dishes used. A group that can share 
  this burden over three or four homes is less likely to draw 
  the ire of parents/spouses/siblings/neighbors, any of 
  which can make a game session less pleasant.
  If possible, a play space should match a campaign’s 
  mood. Taking a horror or suspense game seriously in the 
  middle of a park on a bright, sunny afternoon is diﬃ  cult. 
  Similarly, a dreary basement doesn’t lend itself well to a 
  beer-and-pretzels or comedy game. Ideally, a game space 
  has the same eﬀ ect on player’s mood as the game itself. 
  Few people have access to a room with swords on the 
  walls and a massive ﬁ replace, but lighting, color, decor, 
  odor, temperature, and layout can suggest such things 
  without actually having them present.
  For example, a room with concrete walls isn’t attractive 
  for most purposes, but it can be perfect for a dark and 
  gritty fantasy game. Any room lacking a television, 
  computer, and phone seems more fantasy-oriented 
  than those with them. (It’s best to have something to 
  play music on, however). Th ese concerns are secondary 
  to space and comfort — a concrete room that gets 
  sweaty-hot or freezing cold is still a bad choice, but 
  when options exist, pick those with the most mood-
  setting elements.
  Props and  Music
  Even a dull, mediocre play space can be improved with 
  a few props and some appropriate music. Prioritize such 
  eﬀ orts to ensure you don’t squander game-playing time 
  by trying to set up too much, but even a few props and 
  decorations can help groups get into the right frame of 
  mind, especially early in a campaign’s history. Th e general 
  idea is to minimize the things that remind players of the 
  real world and to maximize clues to the kind of world 
  their PCs are experiencing. Avoid sacriﬁ cing comfort for 
  props, however. A roleplayer’s imagination is much more 
  powerful than any props, and being imaginative when 
  cramped and uncomfortable is hard.
   - Running a Game Session - 
  
  14
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Art is an easy way to decorate a gaming space. If books 
  or  GM screens with images related to the campaign 
  are available, they may be set up temporarily during the 
  game as spot art. Many published GM screens have 
  panels of campaign-speciﬁ c art; game books also often 
  have evocative covers and can be arranged around the 
  room (within easy reach). If the group uses miniatures, 
  having ﬁ gures that come close to representing what PCs 
  and major NPCs look like visible is helpful, even if the 
  game play doesn’t immediately require using them.
  If the space can be permanently decorated, place 
  campaign-appropriate objects around it.  Maps of the 
  campaign world,  posters of fantasy art with similar 
  themes, shelves of painted  miniatures, sketches of PCs 
  and important NPCs, and replicas of fantasy objects all 
  make good mood setters. A GM shouldn’t go overboard 
  with decor, but even a few objects with a fantasy tone 
  or some relevance to the campaign can help remind 
  players to think in terms of a fantasy game. Such props 
  can even be used in-game with careful set up, describing 
  particular NPCs or monsters as matching the appearance 
  of nearby art or having mock-up swords or jewelry as 
  representations of treasure.
   Lighting is one of the most eﬀ ective mood setters. Th e 
  darker the lighting, the darker the mood. Cheerful, 
  upbeat games work best when an area is well lit and 
  ﬁ lled with cheerful colors.  Suspense,  noir, and  horror 
  games work better in dimmer settings, though players 
  need enough light to read their character sheets without 
  straining. You can treat lighting as props, altering the 
  ambient light for each adventure to establish better the 
  locale in which PCs ﬁ nd themselves. When an adventure 
  takes place in a cave system, turn out the lights and let 
  the players use ﬂ ashlights. You may wish to discuss going 
  this far with players in advance, but most groups are at 
  least willing to experiment with mood-setting props.
  Music is another subject you should discuss with players. 
  Taste in music can vary wildly, and there’s little that’s as 
  annoying as listing to a long list of songs you hate while 
  trying to have fun. Consideration is important on this 
  issue. Don’t just expect players to live with your song 
  choices, but players should show some consideration for 
  your eﬀ orts to set a mood. Most groups can ﬁ nd music 
  they’re willing to listen to, even if it doesn’t include 
  everyone’s favorite pieces.
  Popular choices for campaign music include pop culture, 
  rock, classical, and movie soundtracks. Soundtracks in 
  particular can be good for setting a tone for a particular 
  encounter. Some companies make theme soundtracks 
  speciﬁ cally for roleplaying games, though the quality of 
  these eﬀ orts varies wildly.
  Taking a  Break
  If a game session is going badly no matter what you try, 
  it may be time to step back from the game. In the short 
  term, a game session can break for everyone to stretch, 
  get a glass of water, or even go get something to eat. 
  Much like changing the focus within the game, getting 
  everyone’s attention oﬀ  the game entirely can shake 
  
  15
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  things up and allow a fresh start later on. Th e length 
  of the break should be carefully considered — doing 
  something that takes too long may result in the group 
  not wanting to go back to playing the game with just a 
  little time left.
  Sometimes, of course, giving up on the game for a session 
  is the best solution. If all other eﬀ orts to set a positive 
  tone have failed and no one is having any fun, suggest 
  putting the game on hold until the next scheduled 
  session. Th is should not be done lightly — especially 
  in groups that can’t meet very often, many players are 
  upset by not getting to play. Just asking if people would 
  rather not play can sometimes change a group’s dynamic 
  enough to start having fun. Taking this step requires 
  consideration, but if you seriously believes no one is 
  having a good time, checking to see if they’d rather not 
  play is worthwhile.
  Just because a group isn’t playing a roleplaying game 
  doesn’t mean it can’t spend time together. Something fun 
  and simple such as a card game or seeing a movie may 
  remind everyone they enjoy having fun together. Not 
  all groups are comfortable spending out-of-game time 
  together, but roleplaying games are social events and 
  some socialization outside the game is common. Make 
  sure any kind of out-of-game socialization is described 
  as an invitation, rather than a requirement. Players 
  should never feel they’ll be punished in-game for not 
  participating in another non-game social event.
  If a campaign consistently has problems with player 
  disinterest and poor moods, it’s time for you to discuss 
  the matter with your players. Th e players may be satisﬁ ed, 
  but simply have an odd way of showing it. Other 
  events in their lives may prevent them from enjoying 
  the campaign to its fullest, and they need to postpone 
  gaming for a few weeks. Some speciﬁ c themes of the 
  campaign may bother one or more players, in which case 
  discuss making changes.
  Or the game may just be wrong for a particular batch of 
  players, or it has run its course. Most campaigns don’t go 
  on endlessly, and at some point you must close a game 
  down. Many groups enjoy exploring new campaigns and 
  just get bored with an old game. A group may want to 
  put a game on hiatus for weeks or months while another 
  game runs, or it may prefer to end the campaign entirely. 
  Th is shouldn’t be seen as a failure — like television or 
  book series, campaigns eventually run to their end. You 
  may interest the players in running a “wrap-up” plotline 
  that closes dangling plot threads, but after that it’s time 
  to move on.
   Information Management
  One of the biggest hassles GMs face is keeping track of 
  everything. While players must manage a single character 
  and possibly a cohort or companion, you must literally 
  do bookkeeping for a world. It’s not hard to fall behind 
  in the duties of a GM and discover you’ve lost track of 
  treasure the party is just now casting identify on, the 
  spells known by a friendly sage, the leader of a small 
  country, or even just who’s turn it is in combat. Keeping 
  track is a chore, but it’s an important one. Th e players 
  depend on you to know what’s going on, both on a small 
  scale during a ﬁ ght and on a larger scale with the world 
  around them.
  Th e most important advice for GMs who are often 
  overwhelmed is to do as much as possible outside 
  normal game time. In between games, you don’t need 
  to worry about keeping players entertained or hoping 
  you’ll remember to write something down at the end of a 
  combat round. Keeping one or more  notebooks is a good 
  idea, with tabs for diﬀ erent sections of information. You 
  can make quick notes on a pad of paper during a game 
  and then transcribe your notes more completely into the 
  notebook after the game is over.
  Th e second general piece of advice is to spread out the 
  bookkeeping work as much as possible, rather than 
  try to do it all at once. If you’re writing an adventure 
  and deciding what treasure will be found, mark that 
  information as you come up with it. Th en you can note 
  what treasure the PCs actually got after the adventure 
  runs. If the PCs go back and try to Appraise or identify 
  the treasure later, you’ll already have the information 
  written down and organized.
  Vigilance saves you a lot of headaches later on. If 
  possible, keep a  journal open at each game session. 
  Whenever anything signiﬁ cant happens, make a quick 
  note about it. Don’t describe the whole event — just jot 
  down who, where, and what in the simplest terms. Try 
  to note both the real world date and the game world 
  date. Doing so acts as a reminder when you update your 
  bookkeeping after the game. It also serves as a reminder 
  of what has occurred in the past, which is especially 
  helpful if your campaign lasts a while. Being able to look 
  back and see what date a group met a pregnant duchess 
  is great when you’re trying to decide if she has a son yet 
  when the PCs come back.
  Advanced Stat Blocks
  Some  NPCs have ways to augment their combat stats, 
  ranging from magic items and spells (of their own or 
  those of allies) to special combat abilities, battle rage, or 
  even shapeshifting. Whenever you have an NPC who 
  is very likely to use one or more of these abilities, take 
  the time before the game begins to write out a second, 
  augmented stat black. Already having the adjusted attack, 
  damage, and AC values saves time during the game 
  itself. If a character is likely to use combat rules you’re 
  not intimately familiar with (such as grappling or trip 
  attacks), write out a quick description of these rules on 
  the advanced stat block as well.
  
  16
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Area  Templates
  If a PC or NPC has some area eﬀ ect ability that comes 
  up regularly, make a template that covers that area. Rather 
  than counting out the eﬀ ect’s area every time it is used, you 
  can now lay down the template and immediately see who 
  and what is within it. Th is is best done only with abilities 
  that get used at least once per game, rather than for every 
  conceivable area-of-eﬀ ect ability possessed by any character. 
  Th e best templates are made of ﬁ rm but clear, thin plastic, 
  which allows players to see through the template. An easier 
  and cheaper alternative is to use chipboard, such as the 
  material most cereal boxes are made of.
  With a lot more eﬀ ort, you can create templates made of 
  a thin gauge wire, such as the kind wire hangers are made 
  from. Bending the wire with a pair of pliers, it’s possible 
  to create an outline of an area with nothing in the middle 
  of it. Not only can the template be placed without 
  obscuring ﬁ gures (making it easy to see who’s in and out 
  of the area), it can be left on the play surface to represent 
  areas with multi-round durations.
  Failing the use of a full template, spell areas of durational 
  spells can be indicated with small dice or other markers. 
  Most hobby shops sell bags of small  counters designed 
  to replace missing game pieces. Th ese counters are often 
  in diﬀ erent shapes and colors, making them perfect for 
  marking out the areas of walls, spheres, and ﬁ elds created 
  by spells. Clearly marking spell areas with something 
  that’s easily removed helps keep matters clear for the 
  GM and players alike without slowing down game play 
  while things are drawn in and erased.
  Initiative Cards
  Th is idea is designed to make keeping track of initiative 
  order quick and easy. Th e GM has a 3” x 5” index card for 
  every character, including NPCs. When a combat begins, 
  write the current initiative for each character on the upper 
  right hand corner and places the cards in initiative order. 
  Th en simply read each character’s name as its card comes 
  up, cycling through the cards until he reaches a new round.
  Th e reason this method works better than just listing the 
  initiative order is that moving characters around when 
  their initiative changes is easy. If a character readies or 
  holds an action, the GM can place her index card in the 
  stack sideways. Th en, when she takes her action, and 
  therefore her initiative changes, the GM removes her 
  card and puts it in the very back of the stack. On the next 
  round, the card shows up in the new order automatically.
  Example: Two PCs, a ﬁ ghter named Karl and a sorcerer 
  named Mikelle, face three goblin ﬁ ghters and one 
  hobgoblin shaman. When the GM decides it’s time to 
  roll initiative, he takes six index cards, one for each of the 
  characters involved, and writes their name and initiative on 
  the cards. Karl gets a 7 for initiative and Mikelle a 19. Th e 
  three goblins get 4, 9, and 15, and the hobgoblin a 21. Th e 
  GM places the cards in the following order: hobgoblin, 
  Mikelle, goblin 1, goblin 2, Karl, and goblin 3. He places a 
  card marked “new round” at the back of the deck.
  Since the hobgoblin’s card is on top of the deck, it goes 
  ﬁ rst, trying to charm Mikelle unsuccessfully. Th e GM 
  places that index card at the back of the deck, revealing 
  
  17
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Mikelle’s card. On her move, Mikelle casts mage armor 
  on herself and moves away from the goblins. Her card 
  goes in the back of the stack, revealing goblin 1’s card. 
  Goblin 1 charges Mikelle but misses, so his card is put 
  in the back. Goblin 2 does the same thing, bringing up 
  Karl’s card. Karl decides to pull out his bow and ready 
  an action to shoot the hobgoblin shaman when he starts 
  casting again. Th e GM places Karl’s card upright in 
  the back of the stack. Th en goblin 3’s card is up, and he 
  throws a spear at Karl, injuring the ﬁ ghter.
  When goblin 3’s card is placed in the back of the stack, the 
  “new round” card is revealed, and the GM lets everyone 
  know a new round has begun (this generally makes very 
  little diﬀ erence in combat, but it is a good way to keep 
  players updated about how ling the ﬁ ght is taking). Th e 
  next card is the hobgoblin shaman, who plans on casting a 
  charm spell at Karl. Since Karl has a readied action, he gets 
  to go ﬁ rst, interrupting the hobgoblin. Th e GM removes 
  Karl’s card from its current place in the stack and puts it in 
  the back, no longer turned upright. Karl takes his action, 
  shooting the hobgoblin, and his initiative is now changed 
  to be just before his target. Th e GM continues cycling 
  through the cards until the end of combat.
  Th e same method of easily reshuﬄ  ing initiative can be 
  used for characters who delay or have their initiative 
  changed through the use of some special ability.
  Initiative cards are also a good place for a GM to put 
  basic attack and skill information about NPCs, since he 
  usually uses this information when that character’s turn 
  comes up. For characters with just a few attack options, 
  this is particularly handy, since it keeps the GM from 
  having to look up attack bonuses and damage dice on 
  a character sheet. Defensive information, such as AC 
  and hit points, should be kept on a separate sheet of 
  paper since it’s normally used when other characters or 
  monsters act, and not shuﬄ  ing through the index cards 
  looking for an NPC’s hit points is best.
  Th e same cards can also be used to keep track of spell 
  durations. If a wizard casts a summoning spell that lasts 
  5 rounds, the GM can give the spell its own index card. 
  Th e card lists the name of the spell and its duration, and 
  every time it comes up in the deck the GM marks oﬀ  
  one round. Not only does this method keep NPC spells 
  from being forgotten and make sure PC spellcasters are 
  kept honest, it also allows the spell’s duration to end on 
  the initiative it was cast even if the caster has changed 
  initiative through delay, refocus, or a similar action.
   Modifier Chart
  Many factors can change the attack, save, skill, and damage 
  rolls characters make. Spells, fear auras, terrain, and special 
  abilities can all aﬀ ect not just one character, but an entire 
  group. If several of these factors are in place at once (a 
  group under the eﬀ ects of a prayer and aided by a bardic 
  song are all shaken due to dragon fear), a player may 
  ﬁ nd keeping track of the ﬁ nal modiﬁ er to any given roll 
  diﬃ  cult. Th is problem often leads to missed attack rolls, 
  incorrectly made saves, and inaccurate damage totals, all of 
  which may be realized only a round or two later.
  Modiﬁ ers that aﬀ ect just one character should be tracked 
  by that player’s character (or the GM for NPCs). Writing 
  down all the modiﬁ ers for a given character on a card 
  that can be referred to before taking an action will prove 
  helpful. If initiative cards are used, everything currently 
  aﬀ ecting a character can be jotted down on it and read 
  oﬀ  as a reminder before the character moves.
  Th ings that aﬀ ect an entire group can be written down 
  in a place all the players can see it. If a  white board or 
  chalkboard is being used, it makes an ideal location, as 
  does a vinyl  battlemat. Otherwise, one player can be 
  responsible for tracking group modiﬁ ers on a piece of 
  paper and either posting it where everyone can see or 
  making it available whenever anyone asks what’s in eﬀ ect.
  Multiple  Coded Dice
  Some characters, especially at higher levels, can make 
  many attacks in a single round. If a monk makes four 
  unarmed strike attacks at +12/+12/+7/+2, it can slow 
  down a game for the player to roll the same d20 four 
  times, especially since the last two attacks are much less 
  likely to hit. It can be also a problem for a player to roll 
  four identical d20s at once, as confusion may arise over 
  which die is using which attack bonus.
  Two good ways are available to solve this problem and 
  speed up the game. One is to get dice of diﬀ erent sizes 
  and use bigger dice for attacks with larger bonuses. Th e 
  die market now has a huge selection of unusually large 
  and small dice, and ﬁ nding several dice of diﬀ erent sizes 
  is rarely a problem. If the monk player in the above 
  example rolled two big d20s, one medium d20, and one 
  small d20, the bigger dice would obviously represent 
  attacks with bigger bonuses. If all four dice were diﬀ erent 
  colors, the player could even roll damage at the same 
  Initiative Cards 
  by the Game Mechanics
  Th e Game Mechanics, designers of excellent 
  d20 System .pdf products and published in print 
  by Green Ronin Publishing, produce a set of 
  initiative cards. A copy of these can be found in 
  Appendix Two and as a .pdf at their website: 
  www.thegamemechanics.com. Th ese cards contain 
  pertinent information about the characters and 
  monsters, covering everything from ability scores, 
  speciﬁ c skills, saves, and more.
  
  18
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  time, rolling damage dice of the same color as the attack 
  dice. Rather than wait for the player to make as many 
  as eight die rolls (four attacks and four damage rolls), 
  only a single roll is needed, with the results quickly and 
  unambiguously determined.
   Miniatures,  Maps, and  Props
  If your gaming group is not using  battlemats and 
  miniatures, adding them can considerably speed up a 
  game. Time is no longer wasted asking how far away the 
  goblins are or arguing over whether the wizard is truly 
  ﬂ anked or not. A number of companies produce ﬂ exible 
  mats with a square or hex grid pre-printed on one or 
  both sides. Th ese mats can be written on with wet-erase 
  markers. Such mats are an excellent way to keep track 
  of relative positions (using miniatures,  cardstock ﬁ gures, 
  or even boardgame pieces and dice). Some groups avoid 
  using metal miniatures or vinyl grid maps due to cost, but 
  the expanding selection of cardstock ﬁ gures and counters, 
  as well as paper maps, makes it cheaper every year to get 
  involved in scale props for battles.
  If using a wet-erase game mat, important features can be 
  drawn on directly. Dungeon walls, pits, water features, 
  and even furniture can be quickly sketched in for all to 
  see. Wet-erase markers come in diﬀ erent colors, allowing 
  scenes to use blue for water, black for buildings, green for 
  bushes and vegetation, and brown for relative altitude of 
  terrain. Th e height of objects can be written next to them, 
  allowing players to distinguish quickly the 30-foot wall 
  from the 50-foot tower.
  Th is approach works well, though many groups prefer 3-
  D props for visual appeal. Th e advantages of such models 
  are their heightened appearance, helping players more 
  accurately visualize a scene, and the fact that they can’t 
  be missed. Two-dimensional maps sometimes become 
  confused, with lines crossing each other and making 
  a morass of shapes players can’t make out. Models 
  are simply generally clearer. Th e drawbacks to such 
  accessories are cost and crowding. A 6-inch plastic tower 
  may look impressive, but players can’t see beyond it even 
  if their characters run around it. You can use this fact to 
  your advantage (placing players in positions similar to 
  that of their characters, hiding models and large ﬁ gures 
  behind terrain features and so on), but too many tree 
  ﬁ gures on a board not only cut down visibility, they make 
  grabbing ﬁ gures to move them diﬃ  cult.
  Simpler props are sometimes a better option. A forest 
  can easily be mapped out using coins for tree-trunks and 
  boulders. A horde of opponents may be represented by 
  dice, with each die turned to a diﬀ erent number. Most 
  gamers have plenty of spare dice, allowing them to ﬁ eld 
  large forces without spending much money. Using dice of 
  diﬀ erent sizes and colors makes describing foes easy (for 
  example, the GM can announce that red, blue, and white 
  d6’s are orcs, and the d12’s are ogres). Since foes are 
  numbered and colored, players can easily indicate which 
  enemy they target with a spell or attack.
  Miniatures, ﬁ gures, and props can also slow a game if they 
  get knocked over, accidentally moved, or even blown away 
  by a sneeze. Paper counters are particularly vulnerable to 
  this last threat. To prevent such problems, coat paper props 
  with a light adhesive like the kind used in sticky-notes. 
  A stick of this material can sometimes be found in oﬃ  ce 
  supply stores, and it allows paper items to be securely 
  placed, removed, and replaced on a smooth grid map 
  without any sticky residue or risk of accidental movement. 
  Always try such material on a small corner to make sure 
  nothing gets damaged before applying it to everything.
  Metal and plastic props tend to be too heavy for sticky-
  note adhesive to hold them down eﬀ ectively, but that 
  doesn’t mean they can’t be similarly secured. Numerous 
  reusable putties and clays are designed to hold posters 
  up or keep china plates from rolling about when put on 
  display. Th e right putty holds your miniatures ﬁ rmly even 
  when they are lightly jostled, but doesn’t prevent them 
  from being moved and removed over and over. Th ere is a 
  great deal more variance in these materials than sticky-
  note paste, so be sure to check their use instructions before 
  applying them to anything valuable or irreplaceable.
  White Boards/ Chalkboards
  A chalkboard or dry-erase board can be an excellent 
  way to keep track not only of whose turn it is, but what 
  characters are present and what their names are. Th e 
  bigger a board you have room for, the better, and white 
  dry-erase boards tend to be cheaper, easier to read, and 
  less messy. Place the board at the side or behind the GM, 
  where the most people can easily see it and the GM can 
  easily reach it. When there’s no ﬁ ght, list all the PCs 
  and major NPCs, along with the players running them 
  and noteworthy features. Especially early in a campaign, 
  doing so helps players and GM alike keep track of who’s 
  who. If the group breaks up, list who’s in what group to 
  help keep track. If a break scatters, a small note after each 
  name listing where the character is can be helpful.
  When a ﬁ ght starts, list each PC and NPC involved in 
  order of initiative, being sure to leave a space between each. 
  Th is not only helps keep track of when each character acts, 
  it lets players see how long they have before their character 
  acts (useful if they need to run out of the room for a 
  moment). If a character readies or delays, mark that action 
  next to its name; when the character acts, write in its name 
  at its new place in the initiative (which is why a space is 
  left between names), and erase the old one.
  A white board can also be used to keep track of movement 
  in combat. If laid ﬂ at, it can have a map drawn out and 
  miniatures placed on it. If hung on the wall near the GM, 
  character’s placement can be marked on a map with initials. 
  Th is keeps players from needing miniatures, and works 
  
  19
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  well in areas without a tabletop big enough for everyone 
  to get around. Constantly erasing and re-marking every 
  character’s position can be tedious, and the GM will 
  need either a grid marked on the board or a ruler to mark 
  distances, but the beneﬁ t in clear knowledge of who’s where 
  is worth the eﬀ ort if other options don’t work well.
  Styles of Play
  Two games can have the same rules, maps, and adventures, 
  yet still have very diﬀ erent  play styles. How you interact 
  with players and how the players view each other and 
  the game world are matters of play style. Diﬀ erent 
  styles produce diﬀ erent kinds of game sessions and may 
  work better with some kinds of campaign themes (see 
  Choosing a Campaign Th eme in Chapter Five). A GM 
  who understands her own play style and those of her 
  players has a better chance of avoiding problems. Some 
  narrative tools allow you to change the feel of a game by 
  changing how scenarios are presented to your players.
  Th ese tools and descriptions can be helpful for ﬁ guring 
  out why a game doesn’t seem to work or why certain 
  players are causing trouble or complaining about the 
  game. None of these styles are right or wrong in an 
  absolute sense, but some groups and even individual 
  players don’t mesh well with some styles. Anything a 
  group enjoys is a good style, and anything that causes 
  problems needs to be examined.
   GMing Styles
  Diﬀ erent GMs approach their jobs diﬀ erently. Th e 
  following are a few common, simpliﬁ ed GM styles. 
  Examine how and when you use styles and how players 
  react to those styles. Sometimes a game’s main problem 
  is that players don’t like the way you run things, which is 
  something only you can change.
   Adversarial Opponent
  Th e adversarial opponent GM is one who tries to get 
  the PCs into trouble. NPCs act with ruthless eﬃ  ciency 
  and are often designed speciﬁ cally to overcome PCs. 
  Adversarial opponent GMs tend to be very restrictive 
  about what they allow — races, feats, classes, and spells 
  from non-core books are unlikely to be allowed, and rules 
  are enforced very much by the book. If this kind of GM 
  has house rules, they’re run how the GM interprets them, 
  as are all core rules. Players are allowed to decide what 
  actions their characters attempt and have little to no other 
  input into the world. As well, the GM speciﬁ cally arranges 
  encounters and NPCs in such a way to put PCs at risk and 
  doesn’t back down from killing an entire party.
  Th is style comes closest to being “wrong,” despite the 
  earlier claim that every style is valid. Th e number of 
  players who enjoy a GM who’s actually out to get them 
  is extremely small. Logically, there’s nothing a player can 
  do to “beat” a GM. No matter how tough PCs are, a GM 
  can always have them attacked by 100 elder dragons who 
  also happen to be epic level ﬁ ghters, sorcerers, and clerics, 
  each with an artifact. Th e idea that a GM would actually 
  want to “defeat” players through any possible means is 
  silly — the GM would always win, and the players would 
  likely walk away and not play with her again.
  Some players, however, enjoy games in which the GM 
  appears to be out to get them. Th e sense of danger and risk 
  is increased, and therefore the feeling of accomplishment 
  is increased if the players do succeed. A GM trying to 
  pull this oﬀ  needs to establish some ground rules early in 
  the campaign. First, she must make it clear that the game 
  is one of harsh application of the rules: rerolls won’t be 
  granted unless a player has a special ability granting them, 
  spells work exactly as listed in their descriptions and can’t 
  be used for anything else, and the cavalry won’t suddenly 
  show up to save a party in trouble. Any house rules should 
  be clearly deﬁ ned and explained in advance. Taking the 
  role of opponent only works if the GM is scrupulously fair.
  Adventures designed by this kind of GM must be within 
  a reasonable power level of PCs. Having the PCs all 
  poisoned by an epic assassin when they’re 1st level is 
  unfair. Making more dangerous adventures available is 
  ﬁ ne, but they should clearly be dangerous at the outset. 
  Th e GM should stick to encounters that are within the 
  group’s possible EL to handle, or at least give the players 
  the option to back down from more powerful encounters. 
  A party that decides to attack the avatar of an evil god at 
  4th level makes its own doom, yet if the same characters 
  are attacked out of thin air, it’s ridiculous.
  
  20
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  All that said, even the best and most fair adversarial GM 
  is likely to rub players the wrong way. It’s too easy for a 
  GM of this style to seem to be having fun at the players’ 
  expense, and no one likes a bully. Th e only legit use of 
  this style is to heighten the players’ excitement, and that 
  only works if they enjoy the high risk. Many players are 
  more interested in telling a good story or enjoying the 
  fruits of their labors than constantly risking the loss of 
  their characters to a pit full of basilisks.
  In most cases, the adversarial style should be reserved 
  for only the most epic of climaxes, and then it must 
  come with a warning. Fudging results and saving PCs 
  through deus ex machina means most of the time and 
  then throwing them to the wolves is unfair. If changing 
  tone for a dramatic moment, make sure the players 
  receive warning that this time there won’t be any divine 
  interventions, sudden changes of villain’s heart, or second 
  chances given for missed saving throws.
  Benevolent Dictator
  Th e benevolent dictator GM is an arbiter of the rules 
  who’s trying to make sure everything is both fun and fair. 
  Like the adversarial GM, the benevolent dictator tends to 
  play tight to the game rules, but she’s not looking to ﬁ nd 
  ways to create greater challenges for the players or to take 
  advantage when they do something stupid. Game rules 
  can be modiﬁ ed or even ignored if they conﬂ ict with logic, 
  but exceptions aren’t made just to help along a good story.
  Done well, this style of GMing produces fun and ﬂ exible 
  games in which everyone knows both how the world 
  works (as there are consistent rules) and that the rules 
  won’t be used to enforce an unreasonable outcome. 
  Benevolent dictators often fall prey to assumption clashes 
  (see page 23) if they bend a rule once but refuse to do 
  so under diﬀ erent circumstances. Th ese GMs also often 
  give their players too much free reign, allowing a game to 
  devolve into dead-end quests and aimless wandering.
  Director
  A director tries to get players to act as she feels is 
  appropriate to given situations and storylines. Most 
  adventures have a “right” course of action, and players are 
  rewarded if they ﬁ nd it. Th is style of play often puts the 
  needs of the story told ahead of the rules of the game.
  A director who successfully guides players without 
  limiting their free choice and opportunity to have fun 
  can produce the memorable story arcs and dramatic 
  moments many roleplayers love. Th is type of game often 
  has a very strong sense of style, setting it apart from less 
  focused campaigns and allowing it to recreate dramatic 
  moments form movies and other ﬁ ction. Heroic last 
  stands to guard bridges, redemption of foul villains, 
  martyred heroes inspiring their comrades to success, 
  and apparently unbeatable foes being brought low by 
  underdogs are all easier in games in which the GM gives 
  subtle hints and gentle nudges as to the direction the 
  story is going.
  On the negative side, a director can easily steamroll 
  players who are just trying to have some fun. A GM’s 
  biases become much more obvious in a director and 
  can impact how she reacts to PC actions. Bad directors 
  penalize players who take reasonable actions that simply 
  don’t ﬁ t into the GM’s plans.
  GM Biases
  Aside from styles of play, many GMs have biases about 
  how a game “should” work. A GM may not even be aware 
  of such a bias, but it aﬀ ects how she makes rules calls, 
  when she bends the rules, and under what circumstances 
  she fudges die results. Often, strong biases are the cause of 
  assumption clashes (see page 23), bringing players to feel 
  the GM is penalizing them for doing things she doesn’t 
  like. Th ough all GMs have biases, unless they are part 
  GM Biases
  1 
  “It’s the Th ought that Counts” — If the 
  PCs try their best, things will likely work 
  out for them.
  2 
  “Cruel World” — Every challenge is 
  extreme; PC death is a regular possibility.
  3 
  “Live by the Sword…” — Resorting to 
  violence is discouraged and punished.
  4 
  “Th ere Ain’t No Such Th ing as a Free 
  Lunch” — Th e PCs must earn or pay for 
  anything good; random events are never 
  happy surprises.
  5 
  “Only if it’s Funny” — Anything that can 
  happen to cause a funny situation, will.
  6 
  “Murphy Rules” — Anything that can go 
  wrong for the PCs, will.
  7 
  “Over-balanced” — All challenges are 
  within the range to be a threat to PCs, 
  without ever being overpowering.
  8 
  “No Kind Act” — Anything the PCs 
  do in an eﬀ ort to be nice, especially to 
  people they don’t know, will likely have 
  unfortunate consequences and/or costs.
  9 
  “Genius is Without Measure” — If the PCs 
  do something unexpected, the GM assumes 
  her NPCs, who are smarter than her, thought 
  of it and made speciﬁ c plans to counter it.
  10 
  “New is Good” — Anything that surprised 
  the GM, from a cunning plan to an 
  unusual character concept, is rewarded.
  
  21
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  of the feel of a campaign, the GM should try to make 
  rulings based on what’s supported by reason and rules, not 
  personal preference.
  Th e following are biases many GMs hold. None are 
  particularly good or bad, but a GM aware of her biases 
  can warn players what they are, both allowing them to 
  be used as campaign themes and helping to prevent later 
  assumption clashes. A GM who intends to run a gritty, 
  grim, and realistic game needs to warn players if violence 
  is not the expected solution to most problems.
  Knowing Your Group
  To create a world for PCs to crawl around in and 
  players to enjoy exploring, you need to know his players. 
  Understanding how they’re likely to react to situations, 
  what sorts of games they enjoy, and how they interact 
  with one another allows you to tailor the game world 
  and its challenges to match your preferences, giving 
  them foes they want to destroy and causes for which 
  they want to ﬁ ght. If that sounds a lot like being a 
  therapist, there’s a reason. Knowing a group of gamers 
  well enough to predict their reactions and build 
  adventures they’ll enjoy is both the hardest and most 
  important part of being a GM. With understanding of 
  the players, everything else gets easier.
  Th ere are no real short cuts for getting to know a group 
  of players. Although a few types of player personality 
  crop up a lot, every player is a unique person with his or 
  her own quirks and hot-button topics. You have to spend 
  time with players before you really get to know them, 
  leaving you with little to go on early in a group’s history. 
  Th e best route is to have initial games hit on common 
  tropes — evil wizards, towns in needs, apparent allies 
  actually having the PCs’ best interests at heart — and 
  save more complex plots for when you know your players 
  better. Engaging in non-roleplaying game activities, such 
  as seeing movies, can also be useful.
  Th e focus in the following list is on problem players, 
  because non-problem players are easy to deal with. 
  Problem players tend to fall into a few broad categories, 
  and these rough categories can help you understand how 
  to handle these kinds of players — but they’re just a 
  starting point. Most players have a smattering of several 
  diﬀ erent play styles. A player may be a rules-layer when 
  paired with a junior thespian, but become a motivator 
  when in a larger group of hack-n-slashers. You may need 
  to try many diﬀ erent solutions before ﬁ nding one that 
  works with a particular player.
  If one or more players are being disruptive, you must 
  discuss the matter with them. You should not penalize 
  PCs in-character for player transgressions made out-of-
  character. Instead, disruptive players should be talked 
  to, possibly privately, depending on your feelings and 
  your perception of the players’ group dynamic. A player 
  shouldn’t feel ganged up on, but sometimes a group 
  needs to discuss matters together.
  Avoid bullying or intimidating a player. Outside the 
  game world, you have no real authority. It’s your job 
  to talk to disruptive players because you’re essentially 
  the host of the game. If problems continue, involve 
  the whole group. No one should be lied to, ostracized, 
  or mistreated, but if a player is causing problems, 
  the group should address him directly and maturely. 
  Moving game nights and not telling the oﬀ ending 
  player may seem easier, but ultimately this tactic causes 
  bad feelings and more problems. Some people aren’t 
  meant to play together, and a mature group is willing 
  to say so.
  It’s also worthwhile for you to see if you fall into any of 
  these categories. A GM who knows his own biases and 
  preferences can often see potential conﬂ icts with players 
  of other types before they even occur. A GM who is 
  a hack-n-slash player can guess early on that a junior 
  thespian may be dissatisﬁ ed with his campaign unless 
  he adds numerous opportunities to roleplay and act out 
  scenes. A good GM ﬁ nds ways to accommodate his 
  player’s desires without sacriﬁ cing his own gaming style.
  Griefer
  A griefer enjoys upsetting other players and the GM. 
  Th ankfully, such players are rare. If a GM realizes he has 
  a griefer, a polite but ﬁ rm talk is needed. If the griefer 
  can moderate his ways to no longer aggravate other 
  players, allow him to stay. Otherwise, the gaming group 
  as a whole should disinvite him from playing.
  Hack-n-Slasher
  Th e hack-n-slash player is most interested in killing things. 
  Every challenge is likely seen in terms of what needs to be 
  killed and how best to kill it. Th is player often gets bored 
  with information encounters, expositions, traps, and pure 
  roleplaying opportunities. Th e upside of the hack-n-slasher 
  is that he enjoys something the game naturally focuses on, 
  ﬁ ghting, and that he’s easy to please. Th e downside is that 
  he may grow disinterested with anything else, talking to 
  and distracting other players or even complaining loudly 
  about any action that delays the next ﬁ ght.
  Sometimes the hack-n-slasher can be drawn out into 
  non-combat sequences by discovering what’s important to 
  player and character. An up-front and honest conversation 
  between GM and player about what sorts of non-combat 
  events interest the player can be fruitful, as can appealing 
  to his character’s history or having NPCs talk in terms of 
  how great a warrior the player’s PC is. If information must 
  be given in such a way the player pays attention, try having 
  a foe slip into witty banter during a ﬁ ght.
  Ultimately, if nothing but ﬁ ghting interests the player, 
  simply be sure to provide plenty of ﬁ ghts. Most players 
  
  22
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  understand that the game is for the enjoyment of all, so 
  interspersing ﬁ ghting encounters with things appealing 
  to other players can generally keep the hack-n-slasher 
  from being disruptive and keep his interest level high 
  enough to stay in touch with the campaign. Don’t 
  expect the hack-n-slasher to negotiate with NPCs, solve 
  riddles, or get involved in great romances unless the 
  player has indicated an interest in doing so. Setting up 
  such situations is likely a waste of time and may actually 
  annoy the player. Encourage roleplaying gently, but don’t 
  try to force it down the player’s throat.
   Hanger-On
  A hanger-on isn’t really interested in the game being run; 
  he’s just present to spend time with one or more other 
  people. Hangers-on are usually the friend or signiﬁ cant 
  other of another player. As long as a hanger-on isn’t 
  disruptive, simply leaving him alone is normally best.
  You may occasionally try to get a hanger-on more deeply 
  involved with the game, but if such eﬀ orts regularly fail, 
  there’s no point in trying harder. Check with a hanger-
  on to be sure he’s not actually a wallﬂ ower who’d like 
  to be more involved; otherwise, hangers-on are beyond 
  your ability to get involved. Roleplaying games aren’t 
  for everyone, and some people are willing to play for 
  convenience but just won’t get deeply involved. Th ere’s 
  no need to spend spare time and energy trying to change 
  his campaign to draw in these players — they just aren’t 
  interested enough.
  Junior Thespian
  Th e junior thespian is most interested in playing the 
  role of his character to the hilt. He may insist on acting 
  out his PC’s actions, talking through every conversation 
  of every day, and staying in character even when other 
  players don’t. If the junior thespian isn’t being disruptive, 
  leave him alone — he’s getting into the role and can add 
  ﬂ air and detail to a game world. Sometimes, however, 
  junior thespians take things too far. A player who insists 
  on responding to someone asking if the group wants 
  pizza with an in-character query about what pizza is has 
  gone too far. So has one who’s unwilling to skip through 
  an uneventful ten-day trek through the woods because 
  something important might be discussed.
  A GM can sometimes reach a junior thespian by 
  putting things in movie or television terms. Rather than 
  stating a journey will not be played out, the GM says 
  the scene cuts to ten days later. Explain minor events 
  must be skipped not to get to the ﬁ ght, but to allow for 
  the scenes of important drama. A player who acts out 
  everything may need boundaries about how much time 
  is appropriate to describe a single action. Demonstrating 
  how a fencer draws his sword with a ﬂ ourish is ﬁ ne, but 
  taking two minutes to decide exactly which weapon the 
  fencer puts in his oﬀ -hand is not.
  Motivator
  Th e motivator just wants to get things done. As long 
  as the PCs are on track to accomplishing some goal, 
  the motivator is happy, but side-treks, down time, 
  and gooﬁ ng oﬀ  annoy him. Some motivators restrict 
  themselves to keeping the PCs on track, while others 
  want the players and GM to stay focused on the game as 
  well. A motivator can be useful when a group strays too 
  far from a game’s plot (or gets distracted from gaming in 
  general). If too demanding, however, motivators are often 
  perceived as bossy, clashing with other players.
  A bothersome motivator may be handled by scheduling 
  down time, both in character and as a group of players. If 
  the GM states he intends for a band of PCs to winter in a 
  given city, the motivator knows there’s no need to encourage 
  everyone to get moving. If a group of players decides to 
  begin actually playing within an hour of getting together, 
  and the GM announces periodic breaks, the motivator 
  may be satisﬁ ed. Failing that, make sure the motivator isn’t 
  annoying other players and to encourage him to remain 
  polite and cordial when dealing with other players.
  Rules Lawyer
  Th e dreaded rules lawyer is one of the most common 
  problem player types. Th e rules lawyer uses the rules 
  of the game as a weapon. He abuses loopholes, designs 
  min-maxed characters, and corrects other players and 
  the GM when they make mistakes. Th e rules lawyer 
  
  23
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  often quotes rules and “oﬃ  cial” interpretations of them 
  as justiﬁ cation for his character’s actions, and argues 
  rules decisions he disagrees with.
  A player familiar with the rules of a d20 campaign can 
  be useful, helping you ﬁ nd relevant rules quickly and 
  possibly even answering basic rules questions from 
  other players to save you time. Th e problem comes when 
  a rules lawyer takes up game time arguing rules, abuses 
  rules to get away with something unreasonable or make 
  an unbalanced character, derailing the fun of playing 
  a game by bickering about the quality of other players’ 
  rules knowledge.
  Often, a rules lawyer’s motivation is one of fairness. If 
  a player has been in games run by a GM who favored 
  one or two players, the rules lawyer may see the even 
  application of rules to all situations as the only way to 
  keep a game fair. In this case, an evenhanded treatment 
  of all players, even when deviating from the rules, is a 
  good ﬁ rst step to dealing with the rules lawyer. Make 
  sure everyone knows what exceptions to the rules you’ve 
  made — if allowing a paladin to trade in his steed for a 
  familiar, for instance, tell the group so everyone knows 
  it’s an option in the campaign
  Other rules lawyers see knowledge of the rules as a way 
  to compete with the GM. By pointing out your mistakes, 
  these players try to score points and control the ﬂ ow of a 
  campaign. A roleplaying game is a cooperative eﬀ ort, and 
  you must work with players, but as the referee, you have 
  ﬁ nal say on how the rules work. If a rules lawyer attempts 
  to control how rules are interpreted, take ﬁ rm actions to 
  establish your authority without being rude or tyrannical.
  Th e best way to do this is to establish rules about handling 
  rules disagreements before they come up. Inform players 
  you will run your game based on the rules, but not 
  enslaved to them. A rules call should be made quickly to 
  keep the action and pacing of a game going. Allow anyone 
  who disagrees with a rules call one moment to explain his 
  or her objection. If you agree, there’s nothing wrong with 
  changing a ruling; if not, state discussion is ended, and 
  re-examine the matter after the session is over. If you later 
  decide to run the rule diﬀ erently, inform all players at the 
  beginning of the next game session.
  If a rules lawyer continues to be a problem, you are well 
  within your rights to insist all questions about rules wait 
  until the end of the session, when they can be handled 
  without making everyone wait. Th e rules lawyer can write 
  down any questions, and the two of you can hash them 
  out on your own time.
   Spotlight Hog
  A spotlight hog wants to be the one doing whatever is 
  being done. Spotlight hogs often want to play more than 
  one character or play characters with something that 
  deﬁ nitely sets them apart. Th ese players crave attention, 
  both for themselves and for their characters. Spotlight 
  hogs can be useful because they get excited and involved 
  in a campaign, and that excitement can positively aﬀ ect 
  other players. A spotlight hog that actually manages to 
  garner signiﬁ cantly more “on-screen” time than other 
  players may be a problem, however, preventing others 
  from enjoying the campaign fully.
  Th ere’s not much that can be done with a spotlight hog 
  who’s a problem other than talk to him. If necessary, you 
  can carefully craft plots to focus on other players’ characters, 
  but doing so is fair only if the spotlight hog gets his time 
  in the sun too. It’s also worthwhile to check with other 
  players to see if they mind the spotlight hog’s actions — a 
  group of hack-n-slashers and wallﬂ owers may be ﬁ ne with 
  a spotlight hog doing all the talking, for example.
  Wallflower
  A wallﬂ ower is the opposite of a spotlight hog. Th is 
  player doesn’t seem at all involved, barely speaks, and 
  allows others to plan everything. Wallﬂ owers are only 
  disruptive if they stall a game’s pacing by refusing to 
  answer questions, make initiative checks, or take their 
  turn. Th e most frustrating thing about such players is 
  they often claim they greatly enjoy a campaign even 
  though they hardly seem present when it’s run.
  If youcan discover the cause of a wallﬂ ower’s silence, 
  most wallﬂ owers become active participants. Some 
  wallﬂ owers simply don’t know the game rules well 
  (especially in a game with many alternate rules), in which 
  case assigning another player to help the wallﬂ ower 
  plan actions and respond to your input can be helpful 
  (this may be a great way to use a rules lawyer’s talents). 
  Other players of this type simply need time to become 
  comfortable with a campaign or a particular group of 
  players, while some never get more involved. Check 
  periodically to see if wallﬂ owers feel something is 
  missing from a campaign, but failing that just leave them 
  alone and make sure they don’t slow down a game.
  Assumption Clashes
  One of the greatest risks any GM faces when running a 
  game is that of an assumption clash. Th is problem occurs 
  when a player assumes one thing and you another. For 
  example, if a GM notes that ﬁ ve tough-looking men 
  threaten a PC, the character’s player may assume the 
  men are unarmed thugs — that the description “tough-
  looking” means they look like “tough” unarmed thugs. 
  Th e GM actually means the men look tough, like they 
  will be hard to defeat, and is envisioning them in heavy 
  armor and carrying masterwork weapons. Because 
  neither GM nor player realizes a miscommunication has 
  occurred, the player may make a decision about how to 
  react that seems baﬄ  ing to the GM and may lead to a 
  bad game event.
  
  24
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  Th e reason assumption clashes are so dangerous is 
  that they often aren’t recognized until long after they 
  occur. In fact, sometimes assumption clashes never 
  get ironed out, leaving hard feelings on both sides. In 
  the case above, if a ﬁ ght doesn’t break out, the player 
  may leave the encounter without ever realizing he had 
  mis-visualized his opponents. He discovers the men are 
  part of a large group of thugs holding the town hostage, 
  but continues to see them as unarmed toughs. Th e 
  player convinces his adventuring group to attack the 
  thug stronghold, since he’s sure the ﬁ ght is winnable. 
  Th e group plans and maneuvers for three game sessions 
  before attacking the stronghold, only to ﬁ nd it manned 
  by warriors in heavy armor and masterwork weapons. 
  Th e player cries foul, only to be told the men have 
  always been well armed and equipped. Th e player feels 
  the GM changed the reality of the game, and the GM 
  feels the player hasn’t been paying attention.
  Assumption clashes can happen on a larger scale as 
  well. If a GM describes a campaign as sword-and-
  sorcery, players may envision a game in which powerful 
  spellcasters are common, and most towns have a 
  high-level sorcerer available to cast spells and make 
  items. If the GM is actually thinking of classic pulp 
  fantasy stories, he may decide arcane spellcasters are 
  rare, and most are evil. Players who have designed 
  their characters around the idea that arcane casters are 
  common may not realize the error until many games 
  have passed, and be surprised and irritated when they 
  can’t buy custom-made magic items.
  Th ere’s no perfect way to avoid assumption clashes. 
  Giving examples whenever possible and checking to 
  see if your players understand the example helps. Also 
  helpful is to know that assumption clashes occur and 
  to keep a high degree of patience when a player seems 
  to assume something wildly untrue. An occasional 
  assumption clash can be ﬁ xed by allowing players to 
  change past actions when a reasonable assumption is 
  proved false. For minor issues, you can even change the 
  game reality to match the false assumption (especially if 
  you realize an assumption clash has occurred before the 
  players do). If such clashes become common, ﬁ nd a way 
  to communicate more clearly, possibly including using 
  illustrations, distributing handouts, describing things in 
  two diﬀ erent ways, and having a recap of events at the 
  beginning of each game session.
  Tricks of Pacing
  One of the advantages a roleplaying game has over other 
  games is that pacing can be controlled using numerous 
  techniques. You need not always keep a group together, 
  always play through every event, or focus on anything a 
  group doesn’t ﬁ nd interesting. Since the goal of the game 
  is deﬁ ned by the players (including you) rather than pre-
  set victory conditions, molding play to concentrate on 
  what entertains the group is possible. Many groups never 
  take advantage of these options and get bogged down 
  playing through every hour of every day, even when 
  nothing interesting is occurring in the story.
  Th ere’s nothing wrong with roleplaying mundane 
  encounters if everyone is enjoying it. Indeed, especially 
  early in a campaign, doing so can be a good idea to 
  give PCs time to establish themselves — talking to one 
  another, friendly villagers, slightly belligerent but not 
  hostile guards, and even known foes in areas of truce. 
  An occasional aside about entertainment available in a 
  town or what kind of food an inn serves can help make 
  a world seem real and stimulating. Yet if everyone has a 
  good idea what their characters and the world are like, 
  there’s no need to play through every day, or even every 
  week. A GM should try to hit the highlights of the 
  PCs’ lives, not the minutiae.
  Multiple  Action Points
  Th e idea of multiple action points is to have things 
  happening in more than one place at once. Adventuring 
  parties often break up to scout ahead, check on more than 
  one thing at a time, or take care of personal concerns. 
  GMs often feel they lose control of a game when PCs 
  split up, but the reverse is actually true. When PCs are 
  separated, they are more easily handled, as they’re more 
  easily outnumbered. Th e biggest advantage players have 
  over a GM is that they possess more brains running their 
  side of an encounter — the fewer players involved in a 
  scene, the fewer brains the GM must compete with.
  Until the action points involve conﬂ ict, it’s easy for a 
  GM to hop from group to group, spending a little time 
  with each. Th e GM can create mini-cliﬀ hangers this 
  way, letting a group get to a moment of drama (such as 
  opening a locked door), then moving to the next group 
  before resolving the drama.
  Fights in multiple action points can be run in many 
  diﬀ erent ways. A GM may run one turn of combat with 
  one group, switch to run another turn with a second 
  group, cycling through each section of PCs one at a 
  time until all action scenes are over. Th is tactic works 
  well with small groups, since each turn is fairly quick 
  and no one has to wait too long for their turn. It’s also 
  possible to run the scenes simultaneously, keeping track 
  of the initiative of all the characters as if they were 
  together, even though the characters are in diﬀ erent 
  locales. With larger groups, giving players something to 
  do in each action point is a good idea, so they remain 
  entertained and alert, and run each scene through 
  before moving to the next one.
  For example, a party hunts through a swamp with several 
  native guides for a lost child. Th ey break into three groups. 
  Th e GM decides each group will run into an action scene 
  separately (two ﬁ ghts, and one encounter with a suck 
  
  25
  Chapter One: Running a Game
  bog). Th e GM fears there are too many characters to cycle 
  through the scenes quickly, and his players may grow bored. 
  To maintain their interest, he gives each player a guide to 
  run in the groups they don’t have PCs in. Not only does 
  this give the players something to do in each group, it 
  relieves the GM from having to run all the native guides.
  Even if multiple action points are run simultaneously, 
  they may occur at diﬀ erent times. For example a GM 
  might run one group of PCs through two hours of dull 
  searching before they’re attacked, then leave them 
  before running the ﬁ ght to deal with a second 
  group. Th e second group is attacked immediately, 
  however, and the GM then runs the two ﬁ ghts at 
  the same time, even though they’re occurring at diﬀ erent 
  moments of game time. A GM can even keep the exact 
  time each scene occurs vague, allowing him to have them 
  interact if he wishes. For example, if one group wins its 
  conﬂ ict early on, the GM can have it join in the second 
  ﬁ ght, running to the rescue, explaining that the other 
  ﬁ ght actually took place an hour earlier.
   Cut Scenes
  Sometimes, something important needs to happen, but 
  you don’t want to play it out at all. In these cases, using a 
  cut scene (to borrow from video-game, and before that, 
  movie, terminology) may be necessary — an encounter 
  that takes place without much, if any, player involvement. 
  Th is technique is also sometimes referred to as a narrative 
  scene, as the GM describes what happens without using 
  game mechanics. A GM running an epic war as part of 
  his game, for example, might just declare to players, “Th e 
  army you’re with ﬁ ghts all night, and by morning you can 
  see your side is losing. Th e general orders a retreat and 
  asks you to help hold a ﬁ nal defense to give others time 
  to escape.” Th is kind of cut scene is designed to let the 
  players know how they got to a particular point, so the 
  fun part of the game can begin.
  Cut scenes are also sometimes used if a group runs out 
  of time, a campaign closes early, or everyone has grown 
  bored with the current adventure. In these cases, the 
  cut scene isn’t designed to tell players how something 
  started, but how it ended. Th is method allows the group 
  a sense of closure (when running out of time or ending 
  a campaign) or lets the players know how something 
  turned out if it’s no fun to play anymore. A group can, by 
  consent, simply skip over anything that isn’t fun, and let 
  the GM give a quick description of what happened.
  Two rules are key when deciding to use a cut scene: don’t 
  dictate the PCs’ actions without their consent, and don’t 
  let the cut scene be more important than the parts of the 
  game that get run. Th ere’s nothing wrong with telling 
  players the result of their character’s actions, but be sure 
  not to penalize them for trusting you to do that outside 
  the rules of the game. For example, if running the war 
  described above, the GM checks to ensure the players 
  intend to ﬁ ght through the night and that they have 
  no extraordinary plan to turn the tide of battle. Further, 
  even if they do plan to ﬁ ght through the night, having 
  them killed or maimed or lose valuable and irreplaceable 
  resources is unfair during the cut scene. When you run 
  a cut scene, the PCs are in your custody; treat them 
  with respect. (Of course, there’s nothing wrong with 
  getting player permission for something bad to happen 
  in a cut scene, even in secret. Many players enjoy 
  having characters with scars or near-death experiences 
  and happily allow a GM to arrange for such things in 
  narrative play, surprising other players.)
  By the same token, cut scenes should be used to 
  enhance pacing, not skip the best part of a story. In 
  the war example, the long ﬁ ght through the night is 
  little more than exchanges of weapon blows (which 
  eventually get dull) over hours and hours (which would 
  take forever to play through). Additionally, since the 
  PCs can’t really change the outcome (since they are 
  massively outnumbered and represent only a small 
  portion of the army as a whole).Th e cut scene gets to 
  the point (the desperate ﬁ ght to hold a ﬁ nal defense) 
  without wasting play time.
  Diﬀ erent groups of players have diﬀ erent tolerance levels 
  for cut scenes. Th e better players know each other and 
  the GM, the more likely they are to allow a cut scene to 
  cover unimportant events. Some players, especially early 
  in a campaign, don’t want long periods of time to pass 
  without roleplaying through them, because they need the 
  time to get to know other players and their characters.
  bog). Th e GM fears there are too many characters to cycle 
  through the scenes quickly, and his players may grow bored. 
  To maintain their interest, he gives each player a guide to 
  relieves the GM from having to run all the native guides.
  might run one group of PCs through two hours of dull 
  the same time, even though they’re occurring at diﬀ erent 
  moments of game time. A GM can even keep the exact 
  time each scene occurs vague, allowing him to have them 
  interact if he wishes. For example, if one group wins its 
  conﬂ ict early on, the GM can have it join in the second 
  Sometimes, something important needs to happen, but 
  you don’t want to play it out at all. In these cases, using a 
  cut scene (to borrow from video-game, and before that, 
  
  26
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  W
  hat a campaign rewards, it gets more of. Th is 
  tenet is true in both the simple meaning (games 
  that pass out experience points only for combat 
  encourage PCs to kill things, while games that pass out 
  experience points for roleplaying are likely to have more 
  sessions with nary a sword swung) and in a more esoteric 
  sense (house rules that make building castles and creating 
  kingdoms easy are more likely to have characters doing 
  so). If you want your d20 campaign to have a diﬀ erent 
  feel, you may need to alter, add, or eliminate standard 
  rules to encourage the tone you want. Th ese changes are 
  often referred to as house rules.
  House rules are new rules created by GMs for use in their 
  own campaigns. A GM may introduce  house rules to ﬁ x 
  something about the core rules that bothers her, to cover 
  an oversight in the core rules, or to change the ﬂ avor of 
  the game by altering its underlying assumptions. Th e best 
  house rules are those that match a group’s style of play and 
  support the kind of adventures the GM plans on running.
  House rules are very common with many groups and 
  have a bad reputation with others. No game can cover 
  every possible event and style of play, but bad house 
  rules make the game less fun. Rule changes need to be 
  carefully considered and playtested for balance. A new 
  house rule may have unexpected consequences, changing 
  a game in a way neither you nor your players like.
  Used well, however, house rules allow a gaming group 
  to change a campaign to match its style of play more 
  closely. In a game that deals mostly with diplomacy and 
  negotiation, you may want to simplify combat rules so 
  ﬁ ghts take up less time. Of course, if your group loves 
  getting into ﬁ ghts but doesn’t like complex rules, you may 
  also want to cut down on the combat rules you use.
  Designing your own rules is an important part of being 
  a GM. Even if you want to avoid changing the ﬂ avor of 
  a game by altering its core assumptions, you’ll eventually 
  be asked to handle a situation the rules don’t cover. 
  Roleplaying games are, by their very nature, dependent 
  on the GM to be ready to handle every possible 
  contingency. No published set of rules can possibly do 
  this, so eventually every GM must strike out on her own. 
  Th e new rule may be a one-time decision about what 
  to do if a goblin is convinced to drink oil and swallow 
  a tindertwig, or it may be a sweeping change to allow 
  socially inept players to have smooth, suave characters.
  Oﬀ -the-cuﬀ  decisions regarding unusual situations 
  can be rough, as they’re unlikely to come up again. 
  More permanent changes to the rules must be carefully 
  examined to see if they have side eﬀ ects you didn’t expect 
  and don’t want. Th e best way to do this is extensive 
  playtesting, but this often isn’t a practical answer for 
  casual gamers. Playtesting takes time, and most gamers 
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  Chapter Two:  Adjudicating Play
  
  27
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  would rather spend that time actually playing their game 
  than testing new rules for it. Failing a playtest, a rule 
  needs to be looked at very closely. Try to imagine every 
  possible use of the new rule, as well as consider who the 
  rule beneﬁ ts most.
  For example, a GM might decide she wants small, fast 
  weapons such as throwing knives to be more common 
  in his campaigns. If she makes a house rule that allows 
  characters to make twice as many attacks with light ranged 
  weapons, assuming that their ease of use allows faster 
  attacks, such weapons will certainly be most common. 
  Th ey’ll appeal most, however, to characters with big 
  Strength bonuses, since such characters can add that bonus 
  to every ranged attack. A character with a +6 Strength 
  bonus is better oﬀ  making two knife attacks, even if they 
  only deal 1–4 points of damage, than one spear attack. Th is 
  means the stronger a character gets, the more likely he is 
  to use a light throwing weapon, which is counter-intuitive. 
  Barbarian hordes with bandoleers of shuriken seem wrong 
  and likely aren’t what the GM intended.
  Further, a house rule must be well known to the players. 
  Even if a GM designed a perfectly functional house rule, 
  players will be understandably upset if they aren’t aware 
  of it before it comes into a play. Not only should you 
  be sure to mention the rule, you should probably give 
  everyone a handout with all new rules carefully explained. 
  Players need access to all the rules to plan their character 
  advancement and react reasonably to the events of 
  the campaign. Since house rules aren’t available in any 
  rulebook, it’s your job to disseminate them to players.
  Th e other reason this is key is that players may not like 
  a new rule. While it’s important you’re happy with how 
  your game goes, the players need to be happy as well. A 
  new proposed house rule is often well received by players, 
  but it’s a good idea for you to ask their input and make 
  sure they’re comfortable with new rules. Sometimes a 
  player’s style of play doesn’t match yours, and working 
  out such issues before they come up in game play is best.
  All the following rules are designed to be easily added 
  to a game, either to provide rules for situations that 
  come up regularly or to change the feel of a campaign 
  by altering the core d20 rule set. Th ey’re broken into 
  three broad categories: combat rules (those dealing 
  with ﬁ ghting on a personal- or mass-combat scale); 
  general (those dealing with simulating the world in one 
  way or another); and magic (those providing additions 
  and alterations to the normal rules of magic). Each 
  section presents a new rule, discusses what kinds of 
  campaigns it’s best for, and explores possible variants 
  and repercussions of the rule.
  Additional new rules can be found throughout the 
  Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide, especially in Chapter 
  Seven: Treasure and Magic Items. Th e rules found in 
  other chapters are not so much changes in the core rules 
  as additions to the normal set of options. Th ey are less 
  likely to have unexpected consequences and less likely 
  to require changes in related rules. Even so, all these 
  additions at least touch on how their inclusion will 
  probably change the feel of a campaign.
   -  Combat Rules - 
  Combat is a major element of most d20 campaigns. 
  Th e base combat rules are designed to encourage 
  heroic action, to keep play detailed enough players have 
  interesting choices in a ﬁ ght but abstract enough not to 
  bog down in details, and to allow players to face failure 
  without characters being killed. Hit points, one of the 
  most integrated elements of the rules, allow players to 
  enjoy the give-and-take of combat without characters 
  being quickly crippled (or constantly missed until a 
  single blow drops them), while a few combat maneuvers 
  and a slew of feats tweak the tactical concerns of a ﬁ ght.
  Since combat is so integral to most campaigns, it’s one of 
  the ﬁ rst things GMs seek to change when running certain 
  types of campaigns. Th e following rules are designed 
  to support a certain style of play as explained in the 
  descriptions. Use any or all of these rules independently to 
  create the style of combat your campaign theme demands.
   Bushwhacking Rules
  One common problem GMs have when trying to run 
  games with urban settings, espionage, or assassination as 
  major themes is the diﬃ  culty in dropping a foe in a single 
  blow when attacking from stealth. Obviously, characters 
  with sneak attack get their bonus dice when attacking a ﬂ at-
  footed foe and assassins have their death attack, but some 
  campaign styles require everyone to have a chance to drop a 
  foe in one shot from ambush. Vast pools of hit points work 
  well for general combat in such settings, but they make 
  assassination attempts problematic at best. To overcome this 
  drawback, try introducing the bushwhack rule.
  Th e bushwhack rule applies only when a target is 
  ﬂ at-footed and unaware of an attack against him. Th is 
  second part is very important. A thief jumping out of the 
  shadows to stab a guard in the chest isn’t bushwhacking 
  him — the guard sees the blade coming even if he doesn’t 
  have time to react to it. If the thief was stabbing the 
  guard in the back or attacking him under cover of total 
  darkness or while invisible, the situation would qualify 
  as a bushwhack. Since the d20 rules assume no facing, 
  a character must either declare he’s attacking a target 
  from behind (and reasonably be able to do so) or win an 
  opposed skill contest of the worst of his Move Silently 
  and Hide against the best of his victim’s Listen or Spot.
  
  28
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  If the target is both ﬂ at-footed and unaware, he must 
  make a Fortitude save if successfully damaged (DC 10 
  + damage dealt) or die. If the damage is non-lethal, the 
  target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage 
  dealt) or be knocked unconscious for 2d6 minutes. 
  Creatures immune to critical hits or sneak attacks are 
  immune to bushwhacks.
  Games with a bushwhack rule can be surprisingly deadly. 
  Characters have a fair chance to deal with foes far more 
  powerful than themselves if they can bushwhack them. 
  For the same reason, the PCs may ﬁ nd their characters 
  killed or captured by lesser threats if ambushed. Th is 
  possibility opens numerous potential plots (including 
  PCs sneaking around to ambush a foe they cannot beat 
  in a fair ﬁ ght or having to escape from minor foes who 
  managed to capture them from surprise). Yet it also 
  means that any character, no matter how tough or well 
  protected, can be killed in a single blow under the right 
  circumstances. Tension can increase as a result (especially 
  if PCs ﬁ nd themselves somewhere with low visibility or 
  a high level of cover); however, it also increases caution, 
  which can slow down a campaign and remove a level of 
  heroic action. Th e rule is best used in campaigns with a 
  gritty, life-is-cheap feel rather than over-the-top high 
  adventure, like Green Ronin’s Black Company Campaign 
  Setting, for instance.
   Class Dodge Bonus
  Th e idea behind the class dodge bonus is that as 
  characters get better at combat and hitting things 
  (represented by the increase in base attack bonus), they 
  also get better at avoiding damage. Each class gains a 
  dodge bonus based on level. Just like other class-based 
  numbers, a multiclass character adds his bonus from each 
  class to gain his total dodge bonus. Th is system works 
  well for GMs who want campaigns in which heavy 
  armor is less common and in which people have greater 
  survivability in plain clothes.
  To prevent this system from being too unbalancing, a 
  slight change is made to how dodge bonuses, Dexterity 
  bonuses to AC, and armor interact. A character’s total 
  dodge bonus is his dodge bonuses from all sources 
  (dodge bonuses stack, unlike most bonus types), plus his 
  Dexterity modiﬁ er. A suit of armor’s maximum Dexterity 
  bonus is changed to its maximum dodge bonus. Th us, a 
  character with a 14 Dexterity and a +3 dodge bonus is 
  considered to have a total dodge bonus of +5 (+2 Dex, +3 
  dodge). If wearing hide armor, however, he is limited by 
  its maximum dodge bonus of +4, giving him an AC of 18 
  (+4 armor, +4 dodge).
  Numerous things change when you add class dodge 
  bonuses. First and most obviously, characters become 
  harder to hit in combat. Combats take longer, and 
  combat-based characters become slightly more powerful 
  compared to non-combatants. Th is eﬀ ect works well 
  for GMs who feel spellcasters are slightly overpowered 
  normally, but other GMs may want to consider giving 
  them a slight power boost.
  Second, armor becomes less critical to character success. 
  Lightly armored ﬁ ghting concepts, such as swashbucklers 
  and savages, become more survivable. Fights that occur 
  when characters are unarmored (such as nighttime attacks 
  and ﬁ ghts in prisons or gladiatorial arenas) are less deadly, 
  as characters aren’t as penalized by a lack of armor. Since 
  fewer characters will wear heavy armor, physical skill checks 
  (those made with skills that suﬀ er an armor check penalty) 
  will be more easily made. Characters will generally be more 
  mobile, with higher land speeds and better ability to make 
  Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks.
  Items providing an additional armor bonus without a 
  higher maximum dodge bonus become more valuable 
  as well. A ranger might be more interested in bracers 
  of armor +6 than a wizard, and light armor with magic 
  enhancements to AC become more useful than mundane 
  armor with the same total AC bonus. A paladin with a 
  high Dexterity is better oﬀ  wearing a +3 breastplate than 
  masterwork full plate.
  Th e chart below gives the dodge progression for every 
  standard PC and NPC class, as well as classes found in 
  Green Ronin’s Advanced Player’s Manual and the Master 
  Class series. If using a class not listed here, give it the 
  progression of the class with the closest concept or role. 
  For example, most classes dependent on their divine 
  spellcasting abilities will have fair dodge progression, 
  
  29
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  Table 2-1: Class Dodge Bonuses
   Dodge Bonus by Progression
  Level/HD
  Amazing
  Good
  Fair
  Poor
  1st
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +0
  2nd
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +0
  3rd
  +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
  +4
  while warriors with heavy armor will have good and 
  warriors proﬁ cient with only light or medium armor will 
  have amazing dodge progression.
  Remember a good dodge progression is as much about 
  having the time to practice combat as it is about being 
  nimble. Of course, every character wants to have as 
  big a dodge bonus as possible, but ﬁ ghters simply have 
  more time to learn to avoid weapon blows than clerics. 
  Rogues, though less eﬀ ective in a fair ﬁ ght, are equally 
  likely to learn avoidance from the school of hard knocks. 
  Barbarians and rangers not only ﬁ ght on the front lines, 
  they often do so without the beneﬁ t of heavy armor. 
  Wizards also lack heavy armor, but do have defensive 
  spells that both protect them and take up time needed to 
  study and meditate.
  Altering which progression a class gets is another way 
  of changing the dynamics of a campaign. Th e assigned 
  progressions are designed to change the roles each class 
  plays as little as possible — ﬁ ghters are still front-line 
  combatants and bards are less likely to get into close 
  combat than rogues. If you want to run a game with 
  fewer front-line ﬁ ghters or with a preponderance of 
  arcane spellcasters, give better progressions to those 
  classes you want to see more of. You could also design a 
  new core class or a prestige class that grants a class dodge 
  bonus even if other classes don’t. Th is should always 
  be a good progression at best, as good and amazing 
  progressions are too unbalancing in a game with only a 
  few classes gaining them.
  Dodge Progressions By Class
  Progression Class
  Amazing
  Barbarian, duelist, elocater, ranger
  Good
  Aristocrat, assassin, blackguard, 
  cavalier, ﬁ ghter, holy/unholy 
  warrior, monk, noble, paladin, 
  psionic ﬁ st, rogue, scout, 
  shadowdancer, slayer, war mind, 
  warrior
  Fair
  Arcane archer, avatar, bard, 
  dragon disciple, druid, dwarven 
  defender, cleric, eldritch knight, 
  evangelist, expert, hierophant, 
  horizon walker, psychic, psychic 
  warrior, pyrokineticist, shaman, 
  slayer, soulknife, warpriest
  Poor
  Adept, arcane trickster, 
  archmage, cerebremancer, 
  commoner, eldritch weaver, 
  loremaster, metamind, mystic 
  theurge, psion, psion uncarnate, 
  sorcerer, spellmaster, thanemage, 
  thaumaturgist, thrallherd, wilder, 
  witch, wizard
  Th e same dodge bonuses should be given to NPCs as well. 
  Th ose with class levels ﬁ gure their dodge bonus just like 
  PCs. Characters with multiple HD gain a dodge bonus 
  based on their type, as noted below. Creature types that 
  frequently wear armor (humanoids, giants, monstrous 
  humanoids, and outsiders) have the same restrictions as 
  PCs — limiting their maximum dodge bonus by armor 
  type. Other creature types (aberrations, animals, constructs, 
  dragons, elementals, fey, magical beasts, oozes, plants, 
  undead, and vermin) are often balanced with natural 
  armor. Th ese types may not gain a dodge bonus greater 
  than their Dexterity modiﬁ er before bonuses and/or 
  penalties. Th us, a dire wolf, with a +2 Dexterity bonus, 
  cannot gain more than a +2 dodge bonus from its Hit 
  Dice, no matter how many Hit Dice it has.
  Dodge Progressions By Creature Type
  Creature Type
  Dodge Progression
  Dragons, magical beasts, 
  outsiders
  Amazing
  Aberrations, constructs, 
  elementals, giants, 
  monstrous humanoids
  Good
  Animals, humanoids, 
  oozes, plants, vermin
  Fair
  Fey, undead
  Poor
  
  30
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  Disabling  Critical Hits
  Critical hits in the core d20 rules are very 
  straightforward: each critical does a multiple of 
  damage based on the weapon used. Th is is easy, but not 
  particularly cinematic. One element missing from most 
  d20 combat is disabling blows and reduced eﬀ ectiveness. 
  Under the core rules, a character with 1 hit point is just 
  as eﬀ ective as one with 100 hit points. It’s easy to see 
  that a more ﬂ avorful (though more complicated) type of 
  combat can be created by giving critical hits a chance to 
  do more cinematic and disabling eﬀ ects.
  Th e normal process for determining critical hits remains 
  the same in this variant until it’s time to roll damage. 
  When damage is rolled, the base damage (what the 
  weapon would have done without the critical) is rolled 
  separately from the additional critical damage. Th e 
  target takes only the base damage in hit points. Th e total 
  additional damage (not including the base damage) is 
  used to determine which critical hit chart is rolled on. 
  Th e target makes a Fortitude save with a DC equal 
  to 5 + critical damage or take the eﬀ ect rolled on the 
  appropriate critical table.
  Eﬀ ects rolled as criticals last either a speciﬁ ed amount of 
  time (stated with each deﬁ nition) or until the character 
  is fully healed of all damage. If a target lacks the body 
  part mentioned, it ignores the result of the critical. For 
  example, an otyugh has no head and thus is immune to 
  the minor critical hit result “dazed.” Creatures immune to 
  critical hit damage are also immune to critical hit eﬀ ects.
  For a deadly combat variant, you could have critical 
  blows deal both additional hit point damage and a 
  disabling eﬀ ect.
  Representative Battles
  At its core, the d20 game is about heroic conﬂ ict on a 
  personal scale. Th e level of detail provided is too granular 
  to allow battles with hundreds or thousands of opponents 
  on each side without slowing the pace of a game to a 
  crawl. Sometimes, however, a campaign must deal with 
  larger battles. Epic conﬂ icts with huge armies are an 
  important part of the fantasy genre, and some campaigns 
  are based around military conﬂ icts, desperate sieges, 
  marauding hordes, and legendary battles. Options exist 
  to use  mass-combat rules to settle large-scale conﬂ icts 
  Table 2-2: 
  Minor Critical Hits
  (1-10 hp additional damage)
  1d100
  Result
  01–10
  Blow to leg. Target falls prone.
  11–20
  Blow to weapon arm. Attacker gets free 
  disarm or sunder attempt without 
  provoking an attack of opportunity.
  21–30
  Body blow. Target takes 1 point of Str 
  damage.
  31–40
  Body blow. Target takes 1 point of Dex 
  damage.
  41–50
  Body blow. Target takes 1 point of Con 
  damage.
  51–60
  Target knocked oﬀ  balance. –2 to AC 
  until next move.
  61–80
  Painful wound. Target shaken for 1d4 
  rounds.
  81–90
  Cut above eye. –4 to Spot checks, –2 to 
  ranged attack rolls, –1 to melee attack 
  rolls.
  91–100 Blow to the head. Target dazed for 1–4 
  rounds.
  Table 2-3: 
  Intermediate Critical Hits 
  (11-49 hp additional damage)
  1d100
  Result
  01–10
  Blow to weapon arm. Attacker gets free 
  disarm and sunder with a +4 bonus 
  to each attempt without provoking 
  an attack of opportunity.
  11–20
  Debilitating body blow. Target takes 
  1d6 Str damage.
  21–30
  Debilitating body blow. Target takes 
  1d6 Dex damage.
  31–40
  Debilitating body blow. Target takes 
  1d6 Con damage.
  41–50
  Hamstring to a leg, ﬁ n, or wing. Halve 
  the base speed of one mode of 
  movement.
  51–60
  Target knocked oﬀ  balance. Attacker 
  may make a free additional attack at 
  full attack bonus.
  61–70
  Blow to head. Target ﬂ at-footed until 
  its next move.
  71–80
  Blow to the head. Target takes 1d6 Int 
  damage.
  81–90
  Blow to the head. Target takes 1d6 Wis 
  damage.
  91–100
  Blow to the head. Target takes 1d6 Cha 
  damage.
  
  31
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  (such as that included in Green Ronin’s Advanced Player’s 
  Manual), but not all groups ﬁ nd such rules satisfying. 
  Th ey remove some of the personal, heroic focus that 
  appeals to many d20 gamers and refocus attention on 
  numerous other characters.
  An alternative to actually implementing and using 
  mass-combat rules is to resolve large battles through 
  representative conﬂ icts run on a smaller scale. A simple 
  set of skill checks is used to determine conditions 
  in the early, middle, and late portions of a large 
  battle, with climactic and important moments run 
  as skirmishes with just the PCs and nearby NPCs. 
  Th e results of these smaller-scale conﬂ icts modify the 
  rolls made to determine the conditions of the next 
  skirmish and ultimately the outcome of the whole 
  battle. Representative battles keep the focus on the PCs 
  and what they’re doing, rather than on the actions of 
  hundreds or thousands of NPCs.
  Th is system of battle resolution assumes that a 
  knowledge skill exists to cover the art and science of 
  warcraft. It may be Knowledge (tactics), Knowledge 
  (warcraft), or even Knowledge (military). If no such skill 
  exists (and you don’t wish to add one), use one of the 
  standard Knowledge skills instead. A force attacking 
  or defending a fortiﬁ cation can be commanded with 
  a Knowledge (architecture and engineering) check, 
  while a force ﬁ ghting in the open is commanded by a 
  Knowledge (nobility and royalty) check. Military advisors 
  can aid another on a command check using either the 
  Table 2-4: 
  Major Critical Hits
  (50+ hp additional damage)
  1d100
  Result
  01–10
  Blow to weapon arm, disabling it. 
  No attacks can be made with that 
  limb.
  11–20
  Debilitating body blow. Target 
  takes 2d8 Str damage.
  21–30
  Debilitating body blow. Target 
  takes 2d8 Dex damage.
  31–40
  Debilitating body blow. Target 
  takes 2d8 Con damage.
  41–50
  Gut wound. Target nauseated.
  51–60
  Blow to the head. Target takes 2d6 
  Int damage.
  61–70
  Blow to the head. Target takes 2d6 
  Wis damage.
  71–80
  Blow to the head. Target takes 2d6 
  Cha damage.
  81–90
  Cut across eyes. Blinded.
  91–95
  Severed tendon in leg, ﬁ n, or wing. 
  One movement rate dropped to 0.
  96–100
  Lethal blow. Target killed.
  
  32
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  appropriate skill for that battle or Knowledge (history), 
  which includes information on ancient wars.
  Each side in a conﬂ ict makes a command check using 
  the appropriate Knowledge skill. If the PCs are in 
  command, have one of them make the check; otherwise, 
  whatever ally is commanding the force they’re involved 
  with can make the check. Each command check is 
  modiﬁ ed by circumstances, as detailed below. Compare 
  the two checks to determine which side gains an 
  encounter level (EL) bonus. Th en determine the EL of 
  the PCs and a sample of their allies and run a skirmish 
  against an opposing force with the listed EL shift. Do 
  this three times, with each skirmish representing a stage 
  of the overall battle. Whoever wins the third skirmish is 
  considered to have won the whole battle.
  When ﬁ guring what forces are present during a key 
  skirmish, start with the PCs. If there’s an important 
  NPC ally who is likely to be the focus of an enemy 
  attack, place him near the PCs along with whatever 
  personal guard he has (which may well be the PCs). 
  Figure the EL of that group using the rules found 
  in the DMG. Th en apply an attacking force of the 
  EL determined by the command check. If there’s an 
  important NPC foe attacking, place him in at least one 
  of the skirmishes fought over the course of the battle if 
  the EL allows for it. 
  For example, assume four 9th-level PCs help defend 
  a keep, with 40 2nd-level soldiers, four 5th-level 
  knights, and one 7th-level commander against 1,800 
  hobgoblins warriors, 180 2nd-level hobgoblin barbarians 
  , 18 6th-level hobgoblin barbarian, one 9th-level 
  hobgoblin ﬁ ghter chieftain, and one 9th-level hobgoblin 
  adept shaman. Th e massive numbers of the attacking 
  hobgoblins negates the fortiﬁ cation advantage of the 
  defenders, and they manage a command check 11 higher 
  than the defenders, giving them a +2 EL shift.
  Th e GM decides to play out a skirmish for control of 
  the keep’s main gate. Neither the hobgoblin chieftain 
  nor the keep’s commander get involved in the battle 
  this early, but a knight and four soldiers are present. 
  Th e four PCs must be present as well, for a total of nine 
  defenders with an EL of roughly 14. Th is is ﬁ gured as 
  EL 13 for four 9th-level PCs. Th e 5th-level knight and 
  four 2nd-level soldiers qualify as an EL 7, which adds 
  +1 to the PC’s EL.
  Looking at the EL charts in the DMG, the GM ﬁ gures 
  he wants mostly 6th-level hobgoblin barbarians as foes. 
  Example Key Skirmishes
  • 
  Fight to kill a commander who’s cut oﬀ  
  from main forces.
  • 
  Fight over a defenses’ main entrance.
  • 
  Fight to control high ground.
  • 
  Fight to reach support units/supplies/
  civilians.
  • 
  Fight to hold a breach in defenses until it 
  can be patched.
  Table 2-5: 
  Command Check Modifiers
  Circumstance
  Modiﬁ er
  Modest fortiﬁ cations 
  (wooden palisade, high ground)
  +2
  Heavy fortiﬁ cations 
  (stone walls, keep)
  +4
  Superior numbers
  +2
  Overwhelmingly superior numbers
  +4
  Great leader (Leadership feat)
  +2
  Support of major spellcasters
  +2
  Unprepared for battle
  –4
  Poorly trained or equipped troops
  –4
  Won last stage of battle
  +2
  Won last two stages of battle
  +4
  Table 2-6: 
  Determining Skirmish EL
  Result
  Skirmish 
  EL
  Enemy check is 21 or more 
  below PCs’ or ally’s
  –4
  Enemy check is 16–20 below 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  –3
  Enemy check is 11–15 below 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  –2
  Enemy check is 6–10 below 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  –1
  Enemy check is within 5 of 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  0
  Enemy check is 6–10 above 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  +1
  Enemy check is 11–15 above 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  +2
  Enemy check is 16–20 above 
  PCs’ or ally’s
  +3
  Enemy check is 21 or more 
  above PCs’ or ally’s
  +4
  
  33
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  players should remain the masters of their characters’ 
  destinies. Instead, the GM should focus on events 
  beyond the PCs’ control: the ebb and ﬂ ow of battle, the 
  breaching of walls, the retreat of important allies, and so 
  on. Th e narrative periods are designed to bridge the gap 
  between key skirmishes, allowing players to have a sense 
  for how the battle as a whole proceeds.
  Th is is a very loose set of battle rules, but it allows for 
  conﬂ icts of thousands to be represented by the action going 
  on around the PCs. It also awards bonuses for characters 
  with high command skills, giving characters built around 
  the idea of being military commanders or tacticians the 
  chance to make a diﬀ erence. Play with the basic rules as 
  you wish — a truly overwhelming force, perhaps, might get 
  to ﬁ ght through ﬁ ve skirmishes before it’s defeated. Also, 
  PCs should be free to ﬂ ee in between skirmishes; indeed, 
  a tense story could be made out of an entire command 
  deciding it must ﬂ ee the ﬁ eld. Th is situation can even be 
  run by a skirmish, with success determining how many 
  defenders manage to ﬁ ght again another day.
  He sees that 12 6th-level hobgoblins is only EL 13, 
  which is 1 below what the command check calls for. He 
  doesn’t want to add more foes, since the battle will become 
  unwieldy. Instead, he decides the PCs don’t arrive until 
  after a group of hobgoblins have smashed the gate open, 
  with the knight and defenders still on the keep wall. Th is 
  option negates the EL advantage the defenders have for 
  the wall. To make up the additional +1 EL, the hobgoblins 
  all have potions of bull’s strength in eﬀ ect, making them 
  even more dangerous. If the PCs manage to hold the gate, 
  they win the skirmish and gain a +2 bonus to their side’s 
  next command check. If they are forced to ﬂ ee, they are 
  considered to have lost. Th is doesn’t mean the battle is over 
  — reserves from the keep manage to re-take the gate. Yet 
  the attacking hobgoblins gain a +2 bonus on their next 
  command check, making it even more likely they’ll have 
  an EL bonus for the next stage of the battle.
  Between each key skirmish are narrative periods, when 
  the GM describes the action to the players. Th e GM 
  should be sure not to describe the PCs’ actions — the 
   -  Speeding Play - 
  All the following variant rules are designed to increase 
  play speed. Th ey can be used for a group that simply 
  wants to get more done in an evening of play, or they can 
  be brought in only when a particularly large or complex 
  event occurs (such as a climactic battle with dozens of 
  foes). All of these rules sacriﬁ ce some other element of 
  game play, be it randomness, detail, or realism. Th e level 
  of sacriﬁ ce is kept low, but a game using these rules will 
  “feel diﬀ erent” from a standard d20 game.
  Keep this fact ﬁ rmly in mind: altering combat rules 
  inevitably changes the balance of power 
  between players and NPCs. For example, 
  anything reducing the level of randomness 
  in combat (such as the Set Damage rule 
  on page 34) tends to favor whoever has 
  more power in a combat. Since this is 
  generally the PCs, such a change works 
  in their favor. However, a ﬁ ght designed to 
  be a climactic ﬁ nal battle might involve foes 
  slightly more powerful than the PCs, who 
  would then have an even further advantage.
  Th ere’s no need to use all these rules, and in 
  fact doing so might well slow down a game 
  until everyone is used to the new way of 
  doing things. If you just want to speed 
  things up for a single evening, it’s best to 
  stick with variants eliminating die rolls (see 
  Set Criticals and Set Damage for example). 
  If you want to speed up an entire campaign, 
  experimenting with some of the other rules 
  long enough to see how well players adapt 
  to them becomes worthwhile.
  Set Criticals
  Th e Set Criticals variant does away with a conﬁ rmation 
  roll for  critical hits. Any attack within a weapon’s 
  threat range that hits a foe’s AC is a critical hit. Th is 
  rule speeds play in two ways. First, it removes the need 
  for a secondary attack roll whenever a threat is scored. 
  Secondly, it increases the total number of critical hits 
  scored during most ﬁ ghts, causing damage to be dealt 
  faster, and thus bringing the ﬁ ght to a close quickly.
  Preventing criticals from being too common or 
  devastating necessitates two changes to weapon 
  stats. First, all threat ranges are halved (with a 
  minimum of a natural 20 always being a threat). 
  Additionally, all weapons have their damage 
  multiple for a critical hit reduced by 
  1, to a minimum of x2. Both these 
  adjustments are made before all other 
  calculations, such as a weapon being 
  keen or a character having the Improved Critical 
  feat.
  For example, using these rules, a battleaxe 
  and a longsword both deal 1d8 points 
  of damage, have a threat range of 20 
  and a x2 critical multiplier. A +1 keen 
  scimitar deals 1d6+1 points of damage, 
  has a 17–20 threat range, and a x2 
  damage multiplier. Any blow with the 
  keen scimitar that actually hits its 
  target and is a natural 17 or higher 
  automatically deals double damage.
  
  34
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  Set Damage
  Th e Set Damage variant replaces all damage die rolls 
  with set numbers based on the average damage an 
  attack deals (rounded down). Damage done by weapons, 
  sneak attacks, spells, ﬂ aming enchantments, and any 
  other source becomes a ﬂ at number, recorded on a 
  character’s sheet. All other values, including attack 
  rolls, increased damage from a Strength bonus or 
  Power Attack and critical multiples, are kept the same. 
  Whenever an attack hits or a spell deals damage, the 
  ﬂ at, average damage is dealt. In the case of attacks that 
  do multiple dice of damage (such as a 10d6 ﬁ reball), 
  multiply the average damage per the number of dice 
  before rounding down. Th us, a longsword deals 4 points 
  per blow (1d8 deals 4.5 points of damage on average, 
  rounded down), while a greatsword deals 7 (each d6 of 
  damage does an average of 3.5, and 3.5 x 2 = 7).
  By reducing any damage rolls, game play speeds up 
  substantially. While some players love the feel of damage 
  dice or the chance of rolling maximum damage, the Set 
  Damage variant produces faster ﬁ ghts and no possibility 
  of rolling minimum damage. Additionally, tension is 
  maintained because critical hits can still aﬀ ect damage done, 
  as can various feats (especially Power Attack and Combat 
  Expertise). See the table below for average damage results.
  Set Damage
  Damage 
  Die
  Average 
  Damage
  1d2
  1.5
  1d3
  2
  1d4
  2.5
  1d6
  3.5
  1d8
  4.5
  1d10
  5.5
  1d12
  6.5
  1d20
  10.5
  Simplified Attacks 
  of Opportunity
   Attacks of Opportunity (AoOs) are an important 
  part of the tactical feel of the d20 game. Without 
  them, spellcasters can cast in the thick of combat, fast 
  characters easily maneuver to advantageous positions 
  (even running right by whole lines of foes), and many 
  skills and feats (especially Tumble and Spring Attack) 
  become signiﬁ cantly less useful. On the other hand, 
  ﬁ guring out what provokes an attack of opportunity can 
  slow down a game considerably.
  Th e Simpliﬁ ed Attacks of Opportunity variant reduces 
  AoOs to just two circumstances: when a character leaves 
  a threatened space, or when a character casts a spell in a 
  threatened space. Avoiding these AoOs is possible using 
  the normal methods — by making a Tumble check, 
  using Sneak Attack, taking only a 5-foot step, casting 
  defensively, and so forth.
  While this rule does not eliminate possible confusion 
  and slower play, it does eliminate a whole slew of possible 
  AoOs (such as standing from prone, ﬁ ring a ranged 
  weapon, making an unarmed attack, sheathing a weapon, 
  and so on). Th is rule balances the tactical nature of d20 
  combat against the time-consuming process of looking 
  up whether or not preparing material components for a 
  spell provokes an AoO (it doesn’t, even though retrieving 
  any other stored item does).
  Timed Turns
  No matter how many rules you simplify and rolls you 
  eliminate to increase speed of play, if a player takes 
  5 minutes to decide what he’s doing, game play gets 
  bogged down. Th ere’s nothing wrong with a player asking 
  questions on his turn (in fact, that’s the best time for him 
  to do it), and occasionally an unexpected answer forces 
  the player to re-think his plan, but in general a player 
  should be paying attention to what’s going on during the 
  rest of the combat round and already know what he plans 
  to do when his character gets to act.
  Th e idea of timed turns involves each player having 60 
  seconds to decide what to do. If a player hasn’t made 
  a decision by the end of that time, his character is 
  automatically assumed to delay his action. If the player 
  decides what to do later, he can take his delay (at the end 
  of the initiative he declares he’s ready). At the end of the 
  combat round, the player is given one last chance to take 
  his delayed action (another 60 seconds), and after that it’s 
  lost. 
  If 60 seconds seem too long or too short a time for your 
  group, change it. Many groups can easily make decisions 
  in 10 or 15 seconds, while others regularly need more 
  than a minute. Th e idea of the timed turn is to encourage 
  fast play, not to prevent people from getting to take an 
  action. If a player eats up too much time asking questions 
  to which he should know the answers (items that have 
  been covered by previous questions or in the GM’s 
  description), forcing him to have his character make a 
  Spot or Listen check as his action in order to get the 
  information again is not unreasonable.
  Never count time you take against a player. If a rules 
  question needs to be answered, or you have to consider 
  something, don’t penalize the player. Warn him you need 
  a moment, and his time isn’t elapsing. Similarly don’t 
  force yourself to act in 60 seconds if you really needs 
  extra time (after all, you normally run more characters 
  than the players), but having an NPC delay if you don’t 
  know what else to do with it is not a bad tactic.
  
  35
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  Th e following rules change some basic element of the 
  d20 core rules, such as how to handle experience loss, 
  movement and map grids, and what dice are rolled to 
  determine character successes. Each of these changes 
  produces a diﬀ erent feel of game, though most are 
  actually fairly minor changes. You can use these rules 
  just to shake up his group’s expectations or because they 
  better match her personal preferences. None of these 
  rules is “better” than others; each is simply a diﬀ erent way 
  of handling some game mechanic.
   Experience Debt
  Th e experience debt rule replaces normal experience costs 
  and  level losses. Instead of actually losing experience, 
  characters must pay back experience costs from future 
  experience gains. Any time a character would lose 
  experience (be it from item creation, spell casting, or 
  even death or level loss from a level drain), no actual 
  experience is lost (and the character’s level remains the 
  same). Instead, a debt is accrued equal to the experience 
  that would have been lost. Whenever that character gains 
  new experience, half of it goes to paying oﬀ  the debt.
  For example, Jason plays Grimfal, a 6th-level ﬁ ghter with 
  18,000 experience points. While facing a wight, Grimfal 
  suﬀ ers a level drain, losing one level. After 24 hours, 
  Grimfal must make a Fortitude save or have the loss be 
  permanent. Grimfal fails and thus should be at the mid-
  point for experience between 5th and 6th level (12,500 
  XP). Because experience debt rules are in place, Grimfal 
  doesn’t actually lose a level (he’s still 6th level), but he 
  does incur a debt of 5,500 XP (18,000 – 12,500). From 
  now on, half the experience Grimfal earns goes to pay 
  oﬀ  this debt, with only the remaining half adding to his 
  18,000. Once the 5,500 XP is paid oﬀ , Grimfal accrues 
  experience normally.
  Using this system, characters never lose experience and 
  thus never lose what they have earned. Th ey do pay a 
  price for anything that has an experience cost, but that 
  price is less painful. Th is system has several advantages. 
  First, remembering exactly how many hit points a 
  character gained at his last level is never necessary, since 
  he does not lose XP. Secondly, a character can make 
  magic items even if he just went up a level, since XP 
  spent doesn’t actually come oﬀ  his total.
  To keep things in check, a GM should disallow willing 
  expenditure of XP if a character has a debt greater than 
  half his current XP total. Th us, a character with 20,000 
  XP and a debt of 11,000 XP can’t spend experience 
  points to make items or cast spells, though if raised from 
  the dead or level drained those XP costs would still go to 
  his (now vast) debt.
  More Average Rolls
  In many d20 campaigns, the outcome of an encounter 
  seems determined more by good rolls on a d20 than 
  character skill, ability, or planning. Especially at low 
  levels, luck has more impact on success than skill. 
  Characters with a +4 attack bonus aren’t much more 
  accurate than those with +0, since the range on a d20 is 5 
  times greater than the value of the bonus.
  To make rolls hit middle-range numbers more often, a 
  GM can replace all 1d20 rolls (ability and skill checks, 
  attack rolls, saving throws, and any other d20 roll that 
  isn’t for damage) with 2d10 rolls. Th is method has close 
  to the same range of results (2–20, rather than 1–20), but 
  the results tend to fall closer to the middle range. Results 
  at the extreme high and low ends are less common and 
  so have less eﬀ ect on checks with low bonuses. Since 
  rolling a natural 1 is impossible, a combined result of 2 
  on the 2d10 roll acts as a natural 1. A result of 20 on the 
  2d10 is still treated as a natural 20.
  Anything that reduces randomness favors the more 
  powerful character in a d20 campaign — which is 
  normally the PCs, making their adventures easier. 
  However, an important side eﬀ ect of using this variant is 
  that more powerful foes become much more powerful. A 
  few points of AC and attack bonus can quickly push an 
  opponent from a reasonable encounter to a total party 
  killer. For example, consider a ﬁ ghter with a +8 attack 
  modiﬁ er facing an opponent with a 19 AC. With both 
  1d20 and 2d10 attack rolls, the ﬁ ghter will hit about half 
  the time. Against an AC of 24, the ﬁ ghter hits 25% of 
  the time on 1d20 — harsh but not unbeatable. Th e same 
  24 AC with a 2d10 roll results in hits only 15% of the 
  time — about one blow in 6. Th e ﬁ ghter must survive 
  50% longer in order to defeat his foe, who’s likely hitting 
  him considerably more often.
  Another eﬀ ect of this system is that extreme and wild 
  results are less common. Critical hits, fumbles, magic 
  items destroyed by fumbled saves, and improbable 
  results in skill checks all happen less often. For some 
  groups, this change produces more believable games in 
  which rare criticals are cherished for their occasional 
  appearance. For other groups, it unacceptably tones down 
  the wild action they crave.
  Cards
  Another possible resolution mechanic is to give players 
  cards instead of dice. Th e players decide when to use 
  what card in their hand, giving them more control over 
  the success and failure of their characters. Players can 
   - General Rules - 
  
  36
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  time dramatic speeches to coincide with success and 
  skew their character’s results to match their character 
  concept. For example, a player who wants her thief to 
  be hard to hurt or capture can save high cards for saving 
  throws and Escape Artist checks, spending lower cards 
  on attack rolls.
  Obviously, the GM must get a deck of cards that 
  produces an even distribution of numbers from 1 to 
  20. Th is can easily be done with a standard deck of 
  playing cards. Eliminate all jokers and face cards. Treat 
  an ace as a “1.” All red cards are worth the value shown; 
  all black cards are worth the value shown +10. Some 
  games designed around card mechanics have their own 
  numbered decks that also work well, as long as there are 
  enough cards for good, random distribution. A 52-card 
  deck culled of face cards produces 40 cards, which is 
  about right for 3 players and a GM. If more players are 
  present, two decks may need to be shuﬄ  ed together.
  All players are dealt a 5-card hand. Whenever a d20 roll 
  is called for, the player decides which card from his hand 
  to use instead. Th us, a player having her character make 
  an attack roll adds the value of one card played to the 
  character’s attack bonus to determine what AC is hit. 
  Once a player has spent all the cards in her hand, she’s 
  dealt a new hand. Th is rule forces players to use all the 
  cards in their hand, so characters don’t escape bad results 
  (though players have some control over when they do 
  well and when they do poorly).
  If players are allowed to spend cards whenever they want, 
  this system can be abused. Players simply expend hands 
  with lots of low cards on unimportant things (such as 
  Perform or Profession checks made to earn money) and 
  hoard hands with many high cards for combat and saving 
  throws. Th ere are three ways to handle these issues. Th e 
  ﬁ rst is to ignore them: warn players you don’t want to 
  see abuse and trust them to be mature enough to respect 
  that. Th e second is to forbid frivolous card spending: 
  anytime a character can take 10 on a check, she must, 
  and no card may be spent for unimportant actions (such 
  as target practice). Th e third option is to gather all hands 
  between scenes and deal out new ones — this way, there’s 
  no point in trying to get a good hand to save for a ﬁ ght, 
  as a new hand gets dealt out before each ﬁ ght anyway.
  Whatever system is used, it should apply to you and your 
  players equally. You may be given a slightly larger hand 
  (up to 8 cards), since you frequently run multiple NPCs 
  in each encounter, and allied NPCs may draw from a 
  separate deck than adversarial NPCs, but otherwise the 
  same rules apply. Be careful not to “pick on” a particular 
  PC, but otherwise play out your cards in whatever way 
  that seems appropriate.
  Th is system can be used to help set up a higher level of 
  drama: villains who need to escape are given high card 
  results to do so, and those designed as cannon fodder are 
  stuck with lower results, without players feeling the GM 
  decides everything by ﬁ at. Everyone is generally more 
  eﬀ ective, which tends to favor PCs since they have more 
  opportunity to maximize their card results than you. On 
  the other hand, the system also tends to favor whoever 
  is more powerful, so be careful if designing an extreme 
  encounter even just a few ELs higher than the PCs.
  A few other rules may be needed to deal with speciﬁ c 
  game mechanics (for example, a character who is allowed 
  to reroll a d20 roll should instead be allowed to turn in 
  his existing hand for a new one), but basic play remains 
  the same.
  Fortune Points
  In lieu of the Luck mechanic as presented in Green 
  Ronin’s Advanced Player’s Manual, you could use fortune 
  points, which allow PCs to aﬀ ect the die rolls that 
  determine how well their characters do in any given 
  activity. Th ey are designed as a fail-safe, a way for 
  players to overcome bad luck when doing so is really 
  important to them. Groups that ﬁ nd it frustrating for 
  characters to die as a result of a single failed save or 
  miss a telling blow after making a good speech often 
  enjoy the use of some dramatic device to prevent 
  embarrassing moments. Fortune points skew things in 
  favor of a good story, while placing more power over 
  fate in the players’ hands. While powerful, they are 
  limited in number. Th ey increase a character’s power, 
  but they also increase the number of risks players 
  are willing to take with their characters. Games are 
  more action-oriented and more cinematic in feel. 
  Fortune points are thus not appropriate for campaigns 
  attempting a high level of realism.
  Players get a very limited number of fortune points, and 
  they can use them only a limited number of times each 
  session. Cheating fate is all right occasionally, but doing 
  so too often takes the thrill of risk out of the game. For 
  a campaign in which really bad things rarely happen 
  to PCs, hand out a number of fortune points equal to 
  a character’s level each time the character gains a level. 
  For a campaign in which only the worst fates are to be 
  avoided, only give 1 fortune point at each level. In both 
  cases, giving out a bonus fortune point for particularly 
  heroic acts and as a reward for ﬁ nishing a major plotline 
  is appropriate.
  A player may use fortune points in the following ways:
  Avoid Death
  A player can spend fortune points to prevent his 
  character from being killed. Th is decision is made after 
  a character is already declared dead. Whatever killed 
  the character simply doesn’t quite manage to ﬁ nish 
  him oﬀ . A deadly spell ﬁ zzles a split second before it’s 
  done, a lethal blow falls short by an inch, or a fatal fall 
  
  37
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  is miraculously survived. Th e character loses half the hit 
  points he had before the lethal event and is injured badly 
  enough to be exhausted until fully healed. A character 
  may avoid death only once per game session.
  Avoiding death takes half a character’s remaining fortune 
  points, which must be at least two. Using fortune points 
  to make a saving throw or skill check than to wait until a 
  character is actually dead is better.
  Reroll an Attack or Check
  A fortune point may be spent before an attack roll, ability 
  check, skill check, saving throw, turning check, grapple 
  check, or nearly any other d20 roll, to allow the player 
  to roll twice. Th e better of the two rolls is then taken. A 
  player may reroll attacks or checks as often as he wishes, 
  until he runs out of fortune points.
  A player may spend 2 fortune points to reroll any d20 
  roll after it’s already failed. Th e second roll is used only if 
  it’s superior to the ﬁ rst (there’s no point in forcing players 
  to use fortune points to make matters worse). A player 
  may use a fortune point to reroll a failed check only once 
  per game session — using points before a roll is made if 
  the result is important to the player is better.
  Reroll Damage
  A player may spend one fortune point to reroll the 
  damage of one attack or spell his character makes. A 
  player cannot force a reroll of attacks made against his 
  Fortune Points and Drawbacks
  In a game using fortune points, a quick and easy option exists for allowing drawbacks. Rather than have a 
  limited number of possible drawbacks that give PCs speciﬁ c advantages, any drawback a GM doesn’t feel 
  damages the campaign’s feel is allowed. Some drawbacks may have game eﬀ ects (such as a character with 
  no legs, who has at best a 5-foot land speed), or some may be ﬂ aws with no speciﬁ c game eﬀ ect. A character 
  may be blind, a hedonist, take double damage from cold iron, cowardly, hunted by ninja, or have an irrational 
  attraction to chocolate.
  Th e PC gains no immediate advantage from these drawbacks, though they must be listed, deﬁ ned if necessary, 
  and approved by the GM. In play, whenever the drawback acts as a signiﬁ cant hindrance to the PC, the GM 
  awards a fortune point at the end of the game. No matter how many drawbacks come into play in a given 
  session, only 1 fortune point is awarded, and fortune points are awarded only when the drawback has a negative 
  eﬀ ect on the character with it.
  For example, Brooke plays a hedonistic druid named Farrow. Brooke okays the “hedonist” drawback with her 
  GM and deﬁ nes it as a desire to do anything that’s fun. Farrow can control herself, so no game mechanics are 
  involved — the drawback is just a character ﬂ aw. Farrow is left to guard the rooms at an inn she and her friends 
  are using to store their treasure. A handsome gypsy oﬀ ers to take Farrow to a party, with much music, dancing, 
  and revelry. Since Farrow is a hedonist, Brooke is tempted to have her go oﬀ  and leave the rooms. Th e inn seems 
  safe enough, and her friends are due back soon.
  If Brooke decides Farrow stays to guard the rooms, the drawback has no eﬀ ect. If Brooke decides Farrow gives 
  in and goes to the party, but nothing bad happens as a result, the drawback has no eﬀ ect. However, if Farrow 
  goes to the party and as a result the PCs’ rooms are robbed, the drawback has a negative eﬀ ect on Farrow. At the 
  end of that game session, Farrow receives 1 fortune point.
  Th e advantage of this system is that players have a reason to give their characters drawbacks, which are often 
  a fun part of character development, without acquiring additional powers that might unbalance the game. Th e 
  drawbacks only reward the players for taking them when they actually come into play. Even a blind character 
  might well not get any bonus fortune points if a game revolves around diplomacy rather than combat or if the 
  character ﬁ nds a way to compensate for the drawback.
  As with any drawback system, make sure the PCs don’t end up being freaks of nature who have no business 
  taking the roles of heroes (unless that’s the theme of the campaign). Since the drawbacks of fortune can even be 
  an advantage (giving a PC opportunities to gain additional fortune points), you could even require PCs to take 
  a feat in order to have a “useful” drawback, especially if it’s a character ﬂ aw or other drawback without speciﬁ c 
  game eﬀ ects (see Appendix One).
  Th e same idea can be used with action points, development points, or any other reward system. You could even 
  hand out bonus experience points to PCs who have a drawback come into play, though this type of reward 
  shouldn’t exceed 10%.
  
  38
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  character. Th e second damage roll is used only if it’s better 
  than the ﬁ rst. Rerolling damage costs 1 fortune point.
  Shrug It Off
  A fortune point can be spent to allow a character to 
  “shrug oﬀ ” half the hit point damage currently on him, 
  representing getting a second wind or even being driven 
  by emotions that overcome mere injuries. A character 
  may shrug oﬀ  damage only once per encounter, and only 
  on his move. A dead character can’t shrug oﬀ  damage 
  (though he may be able to avoid death).
  Hex-Based Movement
  Most d20 games assume movement is tracked on a grid 
  map. Because of this assumption, moving corner-to-
  corner to allow diagonal movement is often necessary. An 
  alternative is to use a  hex grid. Each hex is surrounded 
  by six other hexes, allowing movement in six directions 
  without resulting to moving from corner-to-corner. All 
  movement on a hex grid is counted by moving from 
  the starting hex to one sharing a side with it. Since 
  each hex of movement counts as 5 feet, counting every 
  other diagonal as 10 feet of movement is unnecessary, as 
  “diagonal” movement isn’t allowed.
  Many gamers ﬁ nd hex grids allow for more satisfying 
  tactical movement. Th ere are a few eﬀ ects upon how 
  combat works. Each space is surrounded by only six 
  spaces, rather than eight as on a square grid, meaning 
  that no more than six Medium targets can move to 
  attack a single Medium target, assuming no one has 
  reach. Flanking uses the same rule as in square grids: if a 
  line drawn between two attackers goes through opposite 
  sides of a target, it’s ﬂ anked.
  Areas must be re-mapped, of course. Th e basic rule 
  for mapping areas of eﬀ ect for hex grids is the same 
  as those for square grids. All areas are centered on the 
  intersection of three hexes, and count outward from 
  there. Th us, a 5-foot radius covers three hexes, and a 
  20-foot radius covers 48 hexes, forming a shape with 
  3 sides 4 hexes long and 3 sides 5 hexes long. Areas 
  thus cover a slightly diﬀ erent number of spaces than 
  on a square map, but in general the numbers are close 
  enough not to aﬀ ect game play. Hex-based areas do 
  tend to seem rounder than those mapped on a square 
  grid and are less easily used to strike foes on one side of 
  a melee conﬂ ict without striking allies on the other.
  Hexes vs. Squares for Area Effects
  Radius
  Squares 
  Covered
  Hexes 
  Covered
  5 ft.
  4
  3
  10 ft.
  12
  12
  20 ft.
  44
  48
  40 ft.
  172
  192
  Th e same rules aren’t used when determining the space 
  and reach of creatures. Space isn’t a radius in d20 games, 
  and the ability to turn a ﬁ gure in any direction without 
  changing its “footprint” on the grid is an important 
  consideration. As a result, space is essentially the length of 
  
  39
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  one side of the area the creature covers. Since creatures have 
  only 4 sides on a square grid and 6 on a hex grid, the space 
  of creatures is fudged a little, with a 10-foot space covering 
  just 3 hexes and a 15-foot space covering 7 hexes, making 
  a six-sided shape 10 feet on a side. Huge and Gargantuan 
  creatures make a six-sided shape 5 feet shorter per side 
  than their listed space, and Colossal creatures make a shape 
  10 feet shorter than their listed space. Most creatures cover 
  a slightly smaller number of spaces on a grid map, though 
  Gargantuan and Colossal creatures cover slightly more.
  Hexes vs. Squares for Creature Sizes
  Size
  Space
  Squares 
  Covered
  Hexes 
  Covered
  Medium
  5 ft.
  1
  1
  Large
  10 ft.
  4
  3
  Huge
  15 ft.
  9
  7
  Gargantuan
  20 ft.
  16
  19
  Colossal
  30 ft.
  36
  37
  Reach remains unchanged, with all creatures able to strike 
  opponents a number of hexes away equal to their reach 
  divided by 5. Since hex grids cover the same distance no 
  matter how you move along them (since corner-to-corner 
  movement isn’t allowed, just side-to-side, there’s no need 
  to worry about “gaps” in a creature’s reach).
  An alternative to hex maps is  oﬀ set squares. Th ese are 
  square-based grids with every other row oﬀ set by half 
  a square. Movement on an oﬀ set square grid works just 
  like one a hex grid (each square is surrounded by six 
  other squares, so there’s no need to worry about diagonal 
  movement). Th e advantage of an oﬀ set square grid is 
  that it has lots of right angles, making it easier to draw 
  dungeon corridors and most buildings. Th e drawbacks 
  are that some people don’t like the look of oﬀ set squares 
  and that not many oﬀ set square grids are commercially 
  available. A whiteboard can easily be turned into 
  an oﬀ set square grid with a ruler, straightedge, and 
  permanent markers. Use the rules for hex grids when 
  determining areas, space, and reach.
  Throwing
  How far can you throw a rock? What about a goblin?
  Th e only throwing rules in the standard d20 game are 
  for thrown weapons (or improvised thrown weapons), 
  which have a range increment. Th e farther you throw a 
  weapon, the less likely you are to hit, but there are no 
  rules for seeing how far you can throw it. All thrown 
  weapons have a maximum range of ﬁ ve range increments. 
  Improvised ranged weapons are given a range increment 
  of 10 feet, meaning anything your character can pick 
  up he can throw 50 feet. While that’s ﬁ ne for most 
  things a character might use as a weapon, it’s clearly not 
  reasonable for a ﬁ ghter with an 18 Strength to throw a 
  300-pound rock 50 feet.
  Since stronger characters should logically be able to 
  throw objects further, a minor change in maximum 
  range increments is needed. For most characters, ﬁ ve 
  range increments is ﬁ ne. For characters with a +6 or 
  greater Strength bonus, however, maximum range equals 
  their Strength bonus in range increments. For example, 
  a ﬁ ghter with a 22 Strength can throw a dagger a 
  maximum of 60 feet (six range increments).
  To ﬁ gure out how far a character can throw a non-
  standard, non-weapon object, use the rules below. 
  Th rown weapons ignore these rules and stick with their 
  standard range increments.
  Objects weighing less than half the character’s light 
  encumbrance are treated as standard improvised thrown 
  Hex Map
  Offset Square Map
  
  40
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  weapons, with a range increment of 10 feet with a –4 
  penalty to attack rolls. Objects weighing more than half 
  a character’s light encumbrance but less than his medium 
  encumbrance have a range increment of 5 feet and are 
  at an additional –2 penalty to attack rolls (for a total of 
  –6). In both cases, a character trying simply to throw 
  an object into a particular 5-foot space (as opposed to 
  hitting a creature or object) must make an attack roll 
  against an AC of 5 (base 10, –5 for 0 Dexterity). If the 
  attack fails, the object is one range increment short for 
  every 2 the attack roll failed by.
  For example, a wizard with a 6 Strength and a +6 ranged 
  attack bonus picks up an attacking rat and tries to throw 
  it over a cliﬀ  face 20 feet away. Th e GM decides the rat 
  weighs less than 10 pounds, and thus less than half the 
  wizard’s light encumbrance value. Th e wizard makes a 
  ranged attack roll at –6 (–4 for an improvised object, 
  –2 for range) and rolls a 12. Th at hits the AC of 5 for a 
  space, so the rat goes sailing over the edge.
  Anything heavier than a character’s light encumbrance 
  value is too heavy to be consistently thrown any 
  real distance. For objects in a character’s medium 
  encumbrance value, a Strength check is made. 
  Subtracting 5 from the total Strength check 
  determines the distance thrown in feet. For objects in a 
  character’s heavy encumbrance value, a Strength check 
  is made and 10 subtracted to determine the distance 
  thrown in feet. To determine if such objects can be 
  thrown somewhere speciﬁ c, make a ranged attack 
  roll at a –8 penalty with a 5-foot range increment. 
  Anything heavier than a character’s heavy encumbrance 
  can’t be thrown, though if a character can lift it, he can 
  drop it in any adjacent space.
  A character can throw an object up half the distance he 
  can throw it horizontally. It’s possible to take 10 on these 
  rolls when out of combat. Taking 10 on a throw check is 
  always a full-round action. A character can take 20 only 
  if he can retrieve the object if he misses a throw (such as 
  a grappling hook connected to a rope) or if he is willing 
  to waste 20 thrown objects (such as trying to break a 
  window by throwing a pile of rocks at it).
  Special  Throwing Maneuvers
  All the rules above assume a character simply throws an 
  object from a standing position. Increasing the distance 
  thrown through special maneuvers is possible.
  Running Throw
  A running throw is a full-round action that requires 
  the character to run at least 20 feet before his throw. A 
  running throw may only be attempted with standard 
  thrown weapons and objects that weight less than the 
  Table 2-7: Throwing Chart
  Object’s Weight Is…
  Attack 
  Penalty
  Range 
  Increment
  Distance Th rown
  1/2 light encumbrance
  –4
  10 ft.
  Up to 5* range increments, based on attack roll
  More than 1/2 light encumbrance, 
  but less than medium
  –6
  5 ft.
  Up to 5* range increments, based on attack roll
  Medium encumbrance
  –8
  5 ft.
  Strength check –5 in feet
  Heavy encumbrance
  –8
  5 ft.
  Strength check –10 in feet
  *Or a number of range increments equal to the character’s Strength bonus, if that is greater than +5.
  
  41
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  character’s light encumbrance. A running throw doubles 
  the thrown object’s range increment, and the character 
  takes a –2 AC penalty. A character can’t make a running 
  throw while balancing or tumbling or in terrain that 
  reduces his movement rate.
  Spin Throw
  A spin throw involves a character spinning in place before 
  throwing an object. A spin throw is a full-round action that 
  applies a –3 penalty to attack rolls and AC. Characters can 
  spin throw objects weighing up to their light encumbrance, 
  gaining a 50% increase to their range increment. An object 
  weighing as much as the character’s medium encumbrance 
  may also be spin thrown, adding a +4 circumstance bonus to 
  the Strength check made to determining throwing distance.
  Whirl Throw
  A whirl throw involves tying a rope or chain to an 
  object and whirling it above the character’s head before 
  throwing. A whirl throw is a full-round action that 
  applies a –2 penalty to the character’s attack roll and AC 
  (–1 for characters with 6 or more ranks in Use Rope). 
  Th e total weight of the object to be thrown and the rope 
  or chain it’s attached to must be less than the character’s 
  light encumbrance. Whirl throw doubles the object’s 
  range increment.
   - Magic Rules - 
  Next to combat, magic is the most common element in 
  fantasy d20 games. Th e feel of magic in a campaign has a 
  strong impact on a game’s overall tone. Th e more ﬂ exible 
  magic is the more high-fantasy feel a game has; the more 
  limited, the grittier the overall feel. In addition to the 
  rules here, some magic rules are presented in Chapter 
  Seven (especially Levin and Lystic Locales) and 
  Chapter Five (Magic Free or Low Magic Campaigns).
   Metamagic Points
  Metamagic feats allow spellcasters to modify and 
  improve the power of their spells at the cost of using 
  higher-level spell slots. Many players and GMs dislike 
  using metamagic feats, as they limit the number of more 
  powerful spells a character can use in a day. Metamagic 
  feats also require careful planning, making spellcasters 
  more thought-intensive. Characters with many weak 
  metamagic feats can also produce unexpected surprises 
  for GMs, by loading up low-level spells with many 
  metamagic abilities.
  An alternative to the normal metamagic system is the use 
  of metamagic points. Each metamagic feat the character 
  takes gives him one metamagic point. Whenever a 
  character wishes to cast a spell with a metamagic feat, the 
  level adjustment of the feat is taken from the metamagic 
  points. Th e spell is cast using its normal spell slot. Th e 
  character regains metamagic points at the same time 
  he regains spells (with the same requirements of rest, 
  study, and/or prayer). When the character runs out of 
  metamagic points, casting spells with metamagic feats is 
  no longer possible.
  Obviously, this system grants spellcasters more 
  versatility, as they can use any metamagic feat with any 
  spell, regardless of what they’ve prepared. It also allows 
  them to use metamagic feats with their most powerful 
  spells — a 6th-level sorcerer could cast a stilled ﬁ reball, 
  despite the fact that ﬁ reball takes a 3rd-level slot, the 
  highest he can cast.
  Th is additional versatility comes at a price, however. 
  Characters are severely limited on how often they can 
  use metamagic feats. A 6th-level human sorcerer has 4 
  total feats. If they’re all metamagic feats, she has only 4 
  metamagic points. If she does cast a quickened ﬁ reball, 
  that’s all the metamagic she can do for the whole day. 
  Characters that take only one metamagic feat will be able 
  to use it at best once a day, and some metamagic feats 
  are useless by themselves (for example, Quicken Spell 
  requires four metamagic points to use, but provides only 
  one). A GM may wish to give spellcasters access to feats 
  that add metamagic points (see Appendix One).
  Self-Limited Spells
  If magic is the force of will channeled through actions 
  and rituals, the spellcaster should be able to alter 
  his magic by an act of will. Metamagic feats allow 
  spellcasters to enhance their spells, but no rules exist to 
  allow spellcasters to limit them. While the idea at ﬁ rst 
  seems odd, there are dramatic and tactical reasons why 
  a spellcaster might wish his spells to be less eﬀ ective 
  than usual.
  Th e most obvious example of wanting a less eﬀ ective 
  spell is to avoid catching friends and allies in an area 
  attack. So common is this desire that it’s best handled 
  by a feat (see Single Target Spell, in Appendix One). 
  You can easily develop similar feats to deal with other 
  tactical reasons to reduce eﬀ ectiveness — feats to allow a 
  spellcaster to exclude friends, not aﬀ ect inanimate matter, 
  not aﬀ ect living matter, or even have an area reduced 
  but not quite to a single target. Anything a player ﬁ nds 
  himself wishing his spellcaster could do occasionally can 
  easily become a metamagic feat.
  However, a spellcaster might still wish to reduce his 
  spell’s eﬀ ectiveness against a given group for dramatic 
  reasons. For example, a dwarven wizard captured by 
  elves might promise his spells will never harm an elf 
  (to earn their goodwill). Th is is beyond the scope of a 
  
  42
  Chapter Two: Adjudicating Play
  metamagic feat, as such a vow must be permanent to 
  be eﬀ ective. It also doesn’t work well as a feat, since few 
  characters will take such a feat and advance or earn a 
  feat just as they need it.
  If you want to play with this option, you could include 
  mystic vows. A mystic vow is an oath a spellcaster takes 
  to limit his spell power. Th e vow is binding on an arcane 
  level, making it impossible for the spellcaster to break 
  it even if he wishes. Th e actual act of taking the vow 
  is simple and requires only a single standard action. 
  To be successful, the caster must succeed at a DC 15 
  Concentration check. Observing spellcasters can conﬁ rm 
  the vow is in place by making a DC 15 Spellcraft check. 
  Th is can also be done later, to conﬁ rm a vow not actually 
  witnessed, though it requires a DC 20 Spellcraft check.
  Th e details of a mystic vow are a bit more complicated. 
  Each vow must be all or nothing — a spellcaster can 
  swear to have his magic never aﬀ ect an individual or 
  group, but he can’t limit only some of his spells or just 
  reduce the power somewhat. Secondly, the group to be 
  made immune must be describable in absolute, objective 
  terms. For example a spellcaster could swear not to 
  aﬀ ect dwarves, or priests of the Church of Light, or 
  even creatures of neutral good alignment. A spellcaster 
  could even vow not to aﬀ ect a speciﬁ c individual. Th e 
  spellcaster can’t swear not to aﬀ ect thieves, since theft 
  is less concrete in its deﬁ nition. Once the vow is taken, 
  all members of the excluded condition act as if they had 
  unbeatable spell resistance against any spell the sworn 
  spellcaster casts, even harmless or beneﬁ cial spells.
  Once the vow is made, it’s nearly permanent. It can be 
  lifted only by the power of a wish, or by an atonement spell 
  cast after the spellcaster has gained the permission of those 
  he took the oath in front of to break it. Th us, our sample 
  dwarven wizard can never aﬀ ect elves with any of his spells 
  unless he gets a wish or gains the permission of the elves he 
  made the promise to and has atonement cast on him.
  Th is option opens up many interesting plotlines. Evil 
  overlords might capture spellcasters and force them to 
  swear not to aﬀ ect their forces in return of their lives. 
  Spellcasters convicted of crimes might have to swear 
  never again to aﬀ ect a class that includes their victims. 
  Kingdoms might require certain oaths from arcane 
  spellcasters, and churches might require them of clerics. 
  Of course, a spellcaster unable to aﬀ ect a group cannot 
  aid it in many ways, which could leave a cautious nation 
  open to attack by rebel wizards who are perfectly capable 
  of boosting the abilities of their own troops.
   Spell Points
  Spell points are a common idea in many fantasy 
  roleplaying games. Rather than have to prepare spells 
  in advance or only know a limited number of spells, a 
  spell point system allows spellcasters to know as many 
  spells as they wish and power them with a set of points. 
  From a story point of view, this kind of system carries 
  many advantages. Wizards and clerics using spell points 
  act more like their counterparts in most fantasy ﬁ ction, 
  able to produce the eﬀ ects they need whenever they 
  need them. Th is system limits the number of total spell 
  levels a caster can use per day (necessary to preserve 
  game balance), which also makes spellcasters less likely 
  to use magic frivolously — another common behavior 
  of mages in ﬁ ction.
  Some people feel no spell point system can be truly 
  balanced – that anything with more casting versatility 
  than a sorcerer and greater spell selection is inherently 
  overpowered. Th is is an issue GMs need to settle 
  for themselves. Th e following rules are reasonably 
  balanced, as such rules go, but are speciﬁ cally designed 
  to allow spellcasters with unlimited spell selection and 
  no need for preparation. Certainly, advanced GMs can 
  be trusted to know if the results are balanced within 
  their own campaigns.
  Th e system itself is simple. To cast a spell, a spellcaster 
  must expend its level in spell points. Spells of 0-level 
  cost 1/2 a spell point (just allow spellcasters to keep track 
  of 1/2 spell points, rather than rounding). Characters 
  that prepare their spells in advance still do so, but they 
  may prepare spells of any level they know, allocating 
  spell points to the spells they wish to cast. For example, 
  instead of preparing a 9th level spell, a wizard could 
  prepare 9 ﬁ rst level spells instead.
  Spontaneous spellcasters such as bards and sorcerers still 
  use spell slots for determining what spells they know, 
  but may expend spell points on the ﬂ y. Th ese spellcasters 
  can use any spell they knows as long as they have the 
  spell points and can meet all the normal requirements 
  (components, targeting, and so forth).
  To determine how many spell points a spellcaster has, total 
  the number of spell levels worth of spells he can cast in 
  a day, including bonus spells from ability score bonuses. 
  Treat 0-level spells as 1/2 a level each. Cut this total in 
  half. Th is is how many spell points the character gets. 
  Spell points are restored in the same way spells are for the 
  class (i.e., after 8 hours of rest, or at a set time each day, or 
  however the core class recovers spells normally).
  Spellcasting classes that don’t have spell preparation 
  (such as bards and sorcerers) don’t gain as much from 
  this system. To compensate, they need not take a full-
  round action to cast metamagic spells (allowing them 
  to use Quicken Spell, for example), and their spells 
  known are doubled. Th is change allows sorcerers and 
  wizards both to exist in a campaign, with sorcerers still 
  having fewer spells known but more total spell castings 
  compared to wizards.
  
  43
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  T
  he entire point of playing a roleplaying game is to 
  have adventures. Th e type of adventure can vary 
  wildly based on the group, GM, and campaign, 
  but be it political intrigue, heroic quests, academy high 
  jinks, or romantic courtship, some sort of interesting 
  event will take place. Th e GM must provide hooks to 
  get characters interested in such adventures, as well as 
  have the events, settings, and NPCs of the adventure 
  ready to interact with. Many options for being prepared 
  like this are available, several of which are discussed in 
  this chapter.
  In many campaigns, there comes a point at which the 
  adventures practically write themselves. PCs often have 
  to choose between diﬀ erent adventures and note down 
  the ones not taken to be “looked at later.” A group might 
  decide it wants to explore the Black Forest, seek the lost 
  Helm of Andracles, or hunt down two slavers who got 
  away to ensure they don’t start a new trade ring — once 
  they’ve taken care of other concerns. When a game 
  reaches this point, a GM doesn’t need to keep adding 
  new things: he can just let a lull hit and remind the PCs 
  there are concerns they want to address.
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  - The Basics - 
  Some basics of adventure preparation are relevant no 
  matter what type of adventures you plan to run. Th ese 
  tasks are often the easiest to describe in a few paragraphs, 
  but the hardest actually to implement. Th ey’re all variations 
  of a single theme: design adventures for players to have 
  fun. Th is theme applies diﬀ erently to diﬀ erent groups, as 
  some players enjoy challenges so tough their characters die 
  every few sessions, while others prefer to have characters 
  survive nearly anything. Th e only way to get better at 
  knowing what kinds of adventures a particular group 
  enjoys best is to get to know the players and to experiment 
  with diﬀ erent options. Th e following guidelines can be 
  helpful when going through this process.
  An adventure should revolve around the PCs. Even 
  if the adventure involves the problems and actions of 
  NPCs who are far more powerful and important to the 
  campaign world than the PCs, the PCs should be the 
  focus of the adventure. In this regard, keeping the overall 
  plot and the adventure separate is important.
  For example, the plot of an adventure might be the invasion 
  of the Widow Knight’s army of gargoyles into the Kingdom 
  of Ald, and the King of Ald’s desperate bid to stop the 
  Widow Knight at Dragonbone Pass. If the PCs are high 
  enough level to be directly involved in this conﬂ ict, making 
  them the focus is easy — they may stand with the King or 
  go to defeat the Widow Knight in a daring midnight raid.
  Chapter Three:  Preparing Adventures
  
  44
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  However, even if the PCs are 1st level, the actual adventure 
  should be focused on them, not the King. Having the PCs 
  be squires to mighty knights and heroes and thus watching 
  as NPCs do everything important is a bad idea. If the PCs 
  are squires, they should be entrusted with the defense of a 
  small keep no one expects to see any ﬁ ghting. Th en when a 
  force of minor gargoyles does attack, the adventure focuses 
  on how the PCs handle it. If the keep is important for 
  some reason (a supply depot, a signal tower, home to an 
  ailing but important wizard), the adventure becomes even 
  more heroic. Th e players know other events of note are 
  happening, but their own adventure is both exciting and 
  relevant to the larger context of events.
  An adventure should have a beginning (a way for 
  PCs to get involved), a middle (a series of challenges 
  and encounters), and an end (both a climactic ﬁ nal 
  encounter and a denouement — a ﬁ nal wrap-up 
  of any lose ends). Th ese elements help players keep 
  track of their adventures and gain the satisfaction of 
  accomplishment when a speciﬁ c plotline is over. Th ey 
  can be handled in ﬁ nite installments (like movies or 
  stand-alone books) or with a more ongoing episodic 
  structure (like a television or book series), but a regular 
  climax-and-denouement cycle is important to player 
  satisfaction.
   - Readying  Pre-Written Adventures - 
  A vast number of pre-written adventures are available. 
  In addition to full-length adventures published on 
  their own, there are magazines dedicated to adventures, 
  free adventures on game company web sites, and fan 
  adventures posted on various gaming web sites. Pre-
  written adventures are a great resource, and most GMs 
  begin their career running them. Th ey can’t be run 
  without some preparation, however, and some speciﬁ c 
  techniques will help a GM get the most out of them.
  Reading for Comprehension
  Th e ﬁ rst thing to do when preparing a pre-written 
  adventure is to read it thoroughly. You must be able to 
  handle situations the adventure’s author didn’t make 
  allowances for, and doing so requires a strong grasp of 
  where things are, what’s going on, and what motivates 
  NPCs and monsters. Th e best adventures cover the most 
  likely PC actions and provide guidelines for handling the 
  unexpected, but nothing can replace you knowing what’s 
  going on well enough to adjudicate how the adventure 
  responds to weird, unexpected, or brilliant PC actions.
  If the adventure doesn’t already cover NPC motivations 
  and a timeline of important events, creating one is useful. 
  You should also look for elements the adventure assumes 
  that may not be true for your group. For example, if 
  you’ve increased or decreased the amount of magic or 
  treasure in your game, characters may lack the weapons 
  needed to penetrate a tough foe’s damage reduction, or 
  they may be able to overcome easily something designed 
  to be a major challenge. A GM who has a group of PCs 
  who can ﬂ y or go ethereal should also see how those 
  abilities might aﬀ ect their approach to an adventure.
   Scaling Adventures
  Pre-written adventures are often set for a range of 
  levels and number of characters that do not match your 
  PCs. Re-scaling an adventure up or down to allow a 
  diﬀ erent group of PCs to be challenged without being 
  overwhelmed is not too diﬃ  cult, but it does require 
  some extra work. Scaling an adventure should always be 
  done before game time, and the changes can be noted on 
  sticky-notes within the adventure or kept on index cards 
  to be referenced as needed.
  When changing opponents to be more appropriate, 
  the easiest strategy is replacing monsters and NPCs 
  with appropriate CR opponents of the same type. 
  Th us, if an encounter involves four CR 9 undead, the 
  GM can scale the encounter down by using four CR 
  5 undead. Sometimes, creatures of the same type at 
  the appropriate CR are unavailable; generally, though, 
  ﬁ nding a combination that comes to roughly the right 
  EL for any PC level is possible. Adding or removing 
  a number of foes may prove necessary, but never take 
  multiple foes down to less than two or increase the 
  number of foes above 12.
  Especially when scaling an adventure up, creature size 
  can be an issue. Many higher-CR creatures are larger 
  than less dangerous monsters of the same type, and an 
  adventure’s map may not have room for them (or they 
  may not make sense in the context of the adventure). Th is 
  problem can usually be overcome by picking creatures 
  of the appropriate size and advancing their Hit Dice or 
  giving them class levels until they reach the right CR. 
  Templates can also boost a creature’s CR without making 
  it hard to ﬁ t into an adventure, but try to avoid templates 
  that change the creature’s type.
  If the adventure requires speciﬁ c abilities the PCs don’t 
  have, either remove the requirement or add the ability. 
  In some cases, the special ability can easily be ignored 
  by relocating things (placing treasure in an unlocked 
  chest rather than a highly secure vault; eliminating 
  underwater encounters or placing them in pools only 4 
  feet deep).
  Th e GM also needs to change the adventure’s rewards up 
  or down to match its new ELs. In most cases, just adding 
  or removing one or two items, or scaling up or down the 
  bonuses on major items, is easiest. If an adventure gets 
  
  45
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  changed to a wildly diﬀ erent EL, writing up new treasure 
  from scratch may be simpler.
  Personalizing 
   Pre-Written Adventures
  Most likely even if an adventure is written for exactly 
  the level and size of group you plan on running through 
  it, it won’t be set in your campaign world. (Obviously, if 
  you use a published campaign world, the adventure may 
  be set there, but even so it won’t take account of other 
  adventures the PCs have experienced.) Even if the your 
  campaign is not very involved, a few personalized touches 
  can greatly increase PC enjoyment without adding much 
  work on your part.
  Th e easiest of such touches is changing allies and 
  locations to match those PCs have encountered in the 
  past. In most adventures, the location isn’t particularly 
  important — one mountain range is as good as another 
  and so on. You can easily transplant these adventures to 
  the areas your players are already exploring (or nearby, 
  if you want to move on to a new area). For example, 
  an adventure set in a small keep on a borderland can 
  be moved to the edge of any civilized area. If no such 
  border exists near the campaign area, the GM can set 
  it in the center of a wilderness, explaining that it was a 
  border when the keep was built, but the area has since 
  been abandoned.
  Be careful, however, not to create an area so dangerous no 
  sane person would stay in it. After a certain number of orc 
  invasions, haunted castles, wandering mad wizards, and 
  evil cultists have been encountered in one town, it’s time 
  to move on for a bit. Th e alternative to this situation is to 
  provide some explanation for why the town is constantly 
  under siege and why people still live there. If it sits on an 
  important mystic nexus, is a major trading town on a river 
  and near a gold mine, or has a critical, strategic location, the 
  town can reasonably see more than its fair share of trouble.
  Villains can also be customized to match a campaign 
  better. Changing an NPC with class levels from one 
  race to another is a simple matter. If an adventure has 
  hobgoblins as the primary enemy and your campaign 
  generally uses gnomes as villains, the hobgoblins can be 
  replaced by gnome ﬁ ghters and rogues. Villains can also 
  have their motivations changed — the hobgoblins might 
  be the bad guys, but only because a gnome lord hired 
  them. Th is way, you can introduce a mastermind who 
  manipulates things behind the scenes, without making any 
  signiﬁ cant changes to an adventure’s game mechanics.
  Treasure is an easy and useful way to personalize 
  adventures. You can quickly calculate the treasure in 
  an adventure and replace it with items geared for your 
  players. For example, if everyone in the party has a +2 
  magic weapon, a masterwork longsword isn’t of much 
  use. Th e value for it can be changed to healing potions or 
  combined with other minor items to create a more major 
  treasure haul.
   -  Designing Adventures - 
  If you choose not to use pre-written adventures, you 
  must design your own. Doing so is time consuming and 
  often boring, but the results are worth it. An adventure 
  designed from scratch can more easily carry the themes 
  of a campaign forward, tie in to overarching plots, and 
  take advantage of the speciﬁ c composition of the PCs.
  At their heart, every adventure has three elements: the 
  introduction, when PCs are involved in the adventure; 
  the challenge, when PCs must overcome obstacles; and 
  the climax, when PCs defeat the source of the problem. 
  Th is structure is very simplistic, of course, but each 
  element presents its own challenges.
  Starting an Adventure
  It’s a running joke in fantasy roleplaying games that 
  most adventures start with a stranger approaching PCs 
  in a tavern and hiring them. Th is approach to starting 
  adventures actually holds a lot of advantages. It lets 
  the players know exactly what you intend for them to 
  be doing, and thus what you have prepared — there’s 
  no confusion about which trail to take and no time 
  wasted getting to “the good parts.” Th is method works 
  for many groups, and there’s nothing wrong with it if it 
  satisﬁ es everyone.
  It is, however, pretty silly. At the very least, if a 
  campaign world assumes there are so many potential 
  adventures PCs can consistently ﬁ nd work by hanging 
  out in bars, it stands to reason someone would put 
  together a better method of getting villages with stolen 
  damsels in touch with strapping heroes. Th is line of 
  thought leads to the adventuring guild, which is also 
  popular with many fantasy gaming groups. Instead of 
  meeting at a bar, heroes gather in halls designed for 
  them to meet people with problems. Th ere may be guild 
  dues, but they are easily paid out of a group’s recovered 
  treasure, and the guild oﬀ ers a safe place to sleep and 
  possibly other services such as sages, vaults, training, 
  and even magic shops.
  In fact, guilds and organizations for heroes make a fair 
  amount of sense in most fantasy campaigns. Groups 
  with talents that bring in a good income and specialized 
  needs are very likely to band together for companionship 
  and collective bargaining, though they may not describe 
  their goals in those terms. Wizard’s guilds, clerical 
  churches, ﬁ ghter schools, organized crime gangs, cults, 
  
  46
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  knighthoods, and explorer’s societies can all function 
  as “adventurer guilds,” providing an easy way for PCs 
  to hear about potential adventures as well as adding 
  roleplaying opportunities and campaign ﬂ avor.
  Of course, ruling nobles may want to control how, where, 
  and when powerful individuals gather. Th ey may even 
  set up royal academies and guilds that are the only legal 
  forums for such gatherings. Again, this direction steps up 
  the supposed realism by a degree (realism being a relative 
  term when dealing with any setting that includes magic 
  and heroes). You could even set up a game in which 
  adventurers are considered in the employ of a local noble 
  or king as enforcers of the peace. Because they tend to 
  be free spirits, the relationship is arms-length, but the 
  adventurers actually wield some authority as long as they 
  follow a code of conduct (no raiding of places or groups 
  under the lord’s protection, no setting up of strongholds 
  without the lord’s permission, no stealing from common 
  citizens, no ﬁ ghting in civilized areas, and so on).
  Short of some kind of oﬃ  cial organization, setting up a 
  series of contacts and information brokers the PCs begin 
  play already knowing is useful. A young PC sorcerer may 
  be recommended to a village in need by his old master, 
  or a budding paladin may be sent on minor quests by 
  his pastor to test his mettle. As the PCs gain success, 
  they become better known and more in touch with this 
  network of contacts. Bartenders oﬀ er to let them have 
  messages sent to the tavern for them to collect when 
  they’re in town; bards promote them as the people to go 
  to if you have a problem. An adventure may still begin 
  with the group being approached in a tavern, but at least 
  the players have some idea of how their prospective 
  employer found them.
  Many groups of adventurers don’t need to be approached 
  — their characters go out looking for trouble. A 
  combination of rumors and legends can allow you to put 
  several possible adventures in front of a group and let the 
  players pick what interests them. Th is is a more free-form 
  system, and it takes more work on your part as you must 
  be prepared to handle diﬀ erent possible responses.
  Sometimes, though, only the illusion of free choice is 
  needed. If a GM wants to set an adventure on a ship, 
  he can provide numerous interesting possibilities to 
  the players, all of which are overseas. Once the PCs 
  are on a boat, the real adventure begins. After the 
  initial adventure is ﬁ nished, the GM may prepare the 
  adventure the PCs were heading towards — or he may 
  reveal the rumor they followed is false. Th is last tactic 
  shouldn’t be pulled too often, as players get upset if they 
  regularly feel tricked.
  Th e simplest type of adventure to introduce when short 
  on ideas is a site-based adventure. Th is is an encounter 
  that doesn’t assume anything more than the PCs being 
  present. In a pinch, the site can be mobile and come to 
  where the PCs are (such as a ghost ship or abandoned 
  caravan still pulled by starving mules). Of course, PCs 
  don’t always investigate a new site, but most will show 
  some interest. An unusual occurrence or kidnapped 
  villager or two, along with the promise of reward, may 
  nudge otherwise reluctant groups.
  Don’t railroad players into an adventure that doesn’t 
  interest them or expect them to look for a particular 
  solution to the challenges you present. Be ready to deal 
  with unexpected responses from players: that’s the core 
  of being a good GM. Having one or two “ﬂ oating” 
  adventures ready can be handy — short and sudden 
  opportunities that can ﬁ ll a night’s gaming when the 
  PCs do something unexpected. An assassin trying to 
  kill a village girl for no apparent reason, a rampaging, 
  maddened monster, or a challenge by old foes the PCs 
  thought defeated are all are good examples. Whenever 
  you need time between games to ﬁ gure out what to 
  do next, you can turn to these “distractions.” Once the 
  ﬂ oating encounter is dealt with, you can plan your next 
  move between games.
  The Challenge
  Th e heart of an adventure is the challenge that the 
  players must overcome. Most of the time, you should 
  start with this challenge and work backward to ﬁ gure out 
  how it is most likely to be overcome and where the PCs 
  will encounter it. A good challenge can be summed up 
  in a single sentence, such as “A town is threatened by the 
  recent arrival of a dragon.” From this basic summation, 
  
  47
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  you can add complications and details. Why is the 
  dragon moving in? What have the townsfolk done about 
  it? Does the dragon have any agents or allies? Where has 
  it holed up? What used to be there? Why isn’t someone 
  else doing something about it?
  A good challenge should feel dangerous, but possible to 
  overcome. No 1st-level characters in their right mind will 
  take on a dragon. Th ey might, however, take on a 3-foot 
  long ﬂ ying lizard that’s started terrorizing sheep, even if 
  it’s already killed two town guards. If the lizard turns out 
  to be a hatchling dragon, so much the better (and if the 
  hatchling’s mother shows up in a year, when the PCs are 
  high enough level to face her, that’s yet better).
  Forty Basic  Plots
  Often what a GM needs most is a starting point. 
  Presented below are 40 basic plots to serve as the 
  skeletons on which adventures can be hung. Obviously, 
  not every campaign will be appropriate for all these plots, 
  but reading through them can spark your imagination for 
  other possible plots. Your style, the campaign’s themes, 
  the PCs’ power level, and the players’ styles all determine 
  the details on exactly how the PCs get involved and what 
  challenges they’ll face.
  In order to keep these plots generic, they’re simplistic. 
  Most GMs won’t use any exactly as-is. Changing, 
  mixing, and expanding on them is a good idea. Many 
  can be simpliﬁ ed to a single night’s entertainment 
  or stretched out to a long-term campaign arc. Th e 
  important goal is to match the aims and villains of any 
  adventure to a style appropriate to your players. A hack-
  and-slash group will not likely enjoy a plot of high 
  intrigue, unless they quickly ﬁ gure out who needs to be 
  beaten for them to win.
  If none of these plots seems appropriate, you can turn 
  to any story from any medium for a basic plot. Books, 
  movies, television shows, and even video games can 
  often provide a basic framework for adventures, though 
  changing enough details that friends playing in the game 
  don’t immediately recognize the source is important 
  (or if they do, they don’t feel they know the outcome 
  just because they recognize the source). Even a local 
  newspaper can provide a plot — most stories interesting 
  enough to be written up as news are interesting enough 
  for a plot to revolve around them. Just look at the sports 
  page: by changing referees to clergy, football teams to 
  rival clans, and mascots to relics, a simple high school 
  prank becomes a quest to steal a rival clan’s religious icon, 
  thus ending a long-standing rivalry.
  1. 
  A lord wants to expand his territory, but to do so 
  a dangerous place must be explored and tamed. It 
  may be a forest, an old castle, or an ancient city, but 
  wherever it is, the lord wants the PCs to scout it 
  out and clear away the greatest dangers.
  2. 
  A fortress the PCs operate out of is attacked 
  from an unexpected direction. It may be a 
  plague of wererats boiling up from the sewer, 
  unspeakable astral creatures springing forth from 
  every mirror in the city, or water elementals 
  emerging from the local wells and moats. Th e 
  PCs must ﬁ rst help hold the fortress against a 
  surprise foe, and then ﬁ nd and deal with the 
  source of the new attackers.
  3. 
  An ally or patron of the PCs is poisoned by a magic 
  substance that cannot be cured through normal 
  medicine or magic. Th e PCs must gather the only 
  material that can neutralize the poison, obtaining it 
  from a dangerous locale.
  4. 
  One of the PCs is the last of a bloodline that 
  defeated a great evil long ago. Now the evil prepares 
  to return and wants to ensure the destruction of the 
  bloodline that once overcame it.
  5. 
  A relative of someone the PCs killed seeks revenge. 
  Th is relative may decide to kill them or make their 
  friends and families suﬀ er. First, the PCs must 
  discover the identity of their enemy; then, they 
  must hunt him down and stop him.
  6. 
  A powerful and evil tyrant rules the lands the PCs 
  are in and has decided to kill all those with the 
  power to oppose him. He outlaws those with magic 
  power and weapons, forcing the PCs to escape 
  his realm while dodging his agents — or try to 
  overturn him.
  7. 
  An important personage is killed, and clues left 
  suggest the PCs killed him. Th e PCs must now 
  hide from authorities while trying to solve the 
  crime in order to prove their innocence.
  8. 
  A young and inexperienced ally or friend of the 
  PCs turns out to be the last legitimate heir of a 
  powerful throne. Th e PCs must take him to the 
  capital of his nation and see him crowned king, 
  while protecting him from usurpers who wish to 
  claim the kingdom.
  9. 
  A long-lost heirloom important to the PCs or their 
  patrons or allies is spotted in a dangerous locale. 
  Th e PCs must go ﬁ nd it and determine if it is real 
  or bait for some trap.
  10. 
  A town is constantly threatened by raiders or 
  creatures that attack it for food. Th e villagers 
  cannot defend themselves. Th ey need the PCs to 
  protect them from attack and eventually to defeat 
  the raiders.
  11. 
  An ancient prophecy states a great evil will arise in 
  a few weeks’ time if an object is not retrieved from 
  a place it was put for safekeeping. Th e PCs must 
  get the item, but they must contend with another 
  
  48
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  band of adventurers who wish to take the item to 
  control the evil when it arises.
  12. An ally or patron of the PCs wishes to end an 
  ancient feud and needs the PCs to carry her 
  message of treaty to her old enemy. Th e journey 
  is long and dangerous, and the PCs must deal 
  with those on both sides who would prefer the 
  feud continue.
  13. 
  Rebels ﬁ ghting against a tyrant have a plan to 
  overcome him and free his people, but they need 
  heroes able to defeat the champions guarding the 
  tyrant.
  14. 
  People have begun mysteriously disappearing from 
  their homes, and the PCs discover an old friend or 
  ally is among the missing. Any creature with high 
  Hide and Move Silently scores may be responsible, 
  from goblins with rogue levels to phase spiders.
  15. 
  One part of an artifact once believed mythic 
  is discovered, leading to a rush of adventurers 
  seeking the other parts. An ancient riddle may give 
  clues to their location, or the owner of one may 
  be magically guided to the next. Th e PCs could 
  stumble across a piece and be caught up in events, 
  or they could be hired to locate at least one piece.
  16. 
  A powerful foe tests a kingdom’s defenses to see 
  if it is ripe for conquest. Th e normal defenders of 
  the kingdom discount the attack as a minor raid, 
  leaving the PCs to hold one old fortress against the 
  probing attack with their home kingdom doomed 
  to years of warfare if they fail.
  17. 
  A natural disaster (an earthquake perhaps) 
  opens access to a long-lost tomb of an evil god 
  incarcerated there centuries before. Th e tomb is 
  supposedly ﬁ lled with riches that may draw the 
  PCs, or the PCs may be sent to deal with a cult 
  that wishes to restore the dead god to power.
  18. 
  A once peaceful and prosperous city is being 
  corrupted by organized crime. Murder and thievery 
  becomes widespread. Th e PCs must either ﬁ nd 
  the mastermind behind the new crime guild and 
  destroy him or convince the city’s people to stand 
  up for themselves.
  19. 
  A foolish wizard’s experiments accidentally created 
  monsters that wreak havoc on the countryside. Th e 
  PCs may stumble across his crossbreeds or be hired 
  to deal with them. Even after the immediate threat 
  is handled, the wizard must be convinced to stop or 
  forced to mend her ways.
  20. 
  Multiple competing factions move toward open 
  warfare. None of the factions are evil; they simply 
  compete for the same resources, or each believes it 
  has the best claim of ruling a contested area. Th e 
  PCs are asked by more than one side for support, 
  possibly as spies.
  21. 
  Someone kidnaps an important person. Th e 
  kidnappers may wish a ransom, or need his blood 
  for a dark ritual or for some other nefarious 
  purpose. In any event, the PCs are involved because 
  the victim is important to a friend or ally of theirs, 
  or they are hired to return him.
  22. 
  An ancient and evil artifact must be destroyed, 
  which can only be accomplished in one remote 
  locale. Th e PCs may not be able to trust anyone else 
  with the artifact, or they may actually be the best 
  people to take it to its destruction.
  23. 
  A trader from a far away land arrives with maps 
  revealing how to reach her homeland. She may hire 
  the PCs to escort her through dangerous places to 
  escort her home. Th e PCs may be asked to explore 
  this new land, or they might just go there in hopes 
  of ﬁ nding a proﬁ t.
  24. 
  One of the PCs bears a striking resemblance to 
  someone important who died long ago. An elven 
  or undead lord who loved that person may woo the 
  PC or even attempt to kidnap him.
  25. 
  A powerful ruler died with no heir, leaving a power 
  vacuum. Th e PCs may try to take over a kingdom 
  themselves, aid a patron or ally who wishes to do 
  so, or be swept up in events as factions start hiring 
  thugs to kill each other oﬀ .
  26. 
  A natural disaster strikes a locale at least one of 
  the PCs considers home. Earthquake, wildﬁ re, 
  or hurricane, it forces the PCs to try to save the 
  wounded, ﬁ ght oﬀ  looters, and earn enough money 
  to rebuild their home.
  27. 
  A minor outpost, distant from the kingdom that 
  theoretically protects it, has discovered something 
  of great value (gold, magic plants — any resource 
  will do). It is seized by foes of the PCs, who are 
  asked to free the captured outpost inhabitants and, 
  if possible, to reclaim the outpost.
  28. 
  While the PCs take a break from adventuring in 
  the middle of what is normally a peaceful land, a 
  haunted locale appears. It may be the burial city 
  of a dead demigod, a ship of the damned, or a 
  cursed tower that appears only for one month every 
  100 years. It’s dangerous and disrupts life nearby, 
  however, and the PCs are the only heroes close 
  enough to deal with it.
  29. 
  Normally friendly and peaceful creatures turn 
  dangerous because of possession, disease, or an evil 
  enchanter. Th e PCs must ﬁ nd the cause of this 
  sudden transformation, preferably without killing 
  any of the innocent attackers.
  
  49
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  30. 
  One of the treasures the PCs recover during an 
  adventure turns out to be a gateway to another 
  realm, possibly another whole plane, full of places 
  to explore and the potential for great riches.
  31. 
  Expansion and exploration into a new territory 
  has stumbled across a new and dangerous monster. 
  A variant on any of the creatures that petrify 
  (cockatrices, basilisks, or medusas), its victims do 
  not respond to the normal methods for restoring 
  ﬂ esh to those turned to stone. A PC’s friend or ally 
  may be a victim, or even one of the PCs. In order 
  to discover a cure, a live specimen must be captured 
  and transported to a wise sage too old to come look 
  for herself.
  32. 
  A traditional foe of the PCs comes to them, 
  claiming to have mended his ways. He oﬀ ers to 
  show them a way to defeat other foes once allied 
  with him. It may be a cunning trap, the foe may 
  have fallen in love with one of the PCs, or he has 
  been subjected to an atonement spell and truly 
  repented.
  33. 
  Th e keeper of something powerful (a secret magic, 
  an artifact, even a kingdom) has decided it’s time 
  to ﬁ nd a new keeper. One or more PCs are in the 
  running for this role, but they must ﬁ rst prove 
  their worth by undertaking and completing a 
  dangerous quest.
  34. 
  A trade route goes through very dangerous 
  territory. It may be beset by pirates or full of 
  intelligent monsters. Th e PCs may be hired to 
  guard a caravan or cargo ship, wish to ﬁ nd a new, 
  safer route and sell its secret, or need something 
  from the other end of the route to accomplish 
  another goal. If the PCs aren’t powerful enough to 
  survive the route on their own, they must convince 
  others to assist them, possibly talking their way 
  onto a merchant’s expedition.
  35. 
  A new ruler has taken over a land and needs brave, 
  honest agents. Even if the PCs are not powerful, 
  they have somehow earned this ruler’s trust. (He 
  may have adventured with them in disguise earlier 
  in his career or be a family friend.) Th e PCs must 
  assess his kingdom, determining who’s loyal, who’s 
  honest, and who needs royal help.
  36. 
  Th e PCs are stuck in an evil realm from which 
  only the ruler can release them. Unfortunately, 
  the ruler is long dead. Th e characters must ﬁ nd a 
  way to become rulers and then decide to release 
  themselves, or perhaps they can try to reclaim the 
  realm for the forces of good.
  37. 
  A supernatural threat begins attacking a town or 
  kingdom. Its only weakness is something one of 
  the PCs is talented at (a style of song or riddle, 
  a unique spell or tradition of magic, or even a 
  ﬁ ghting style). Th e threat may be far beyond the 
  PCs’ normal power level, but they must sneak their 
  one eﬀ ective member close to its stronghold so it 
  can be ultimately defeated.
  
  50
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  38. 
  A group is inspired by the actions of one or more of 
  the PCs and begins an organization to spread their 
  fame and glory. Th is organization may be a religion, 
  a knightly order, or just a popular movement. Th e 
  organization causes trouble (insulting allies of the 
  PCs, attacking foes they can’t defeat, and so forth). 
  Th e PCs must repair the damage done in their 
  name and either reform or disband the fanatics 
  who idolize them.
  39. 
  One of the PCs inherits a stronghold in a land rich 
  with natural resources. Th e stronghold is considered 
  cursed and haunted, however, and no one is willing 
  to live there. Th is may be true, or it may be a 
  myth spread by brigands or monsters that use the 
  stronghold as a base of operations.
  40. 
  A monster of power is discovered to have 
  something one or more PCs want. Th e monster 
  won’t surrender the thing while alive. (Essentially, 
  this plot is a variant on an orc holding a pie the 
  PCs’ desire.) If a PC has expressed a desire in a 
  particular spell, magic item, or volume of treasure, 
  these work well as incentive.
  Forty  Fight Scenes
  Fights are important parts of any d20 adventure. A 
  well-designed ﬁ ght scene is an opportunity for combat-
  oriented characters to shine, and good ﬁ ght scenes add 
  risk and drama to an adventure. Unfortunately, no matter 
  how creatively players describe their character’s actions 
  or how inventively you designed your villain’s tactics, all 
  too often the sense of adventure gets lost after a series of 
  ﬁ ghts in bars, forests, and buried temples. If the players 
  have lost their appetite for ﬁ ght scenes in your game, you 
  need to shake things up.
  Below are 40 ideas for unusual, diﬀ erent, dangerous, and 
  even bizarre ﬁ ght scenes. Many require extensive set-up 
  to arrange, but that’s a beneﬁ t rather than a drawback. 
  How to get PCs interested in coming close enough 
  to a cave of bats for a ﬁ ght to occur there marks the 
  beginning of plotting out an adventure. A scenario can 
  be made new and interesting by playing with the locale 
  (ﬁ ghting on a frozen lake), the goal (trying to capture a 
  foe alive), the opponents (jesters who want to humiliate 
  the PCs rather than hurt them), or the PCs’ resources (a 
  ﬁ ght in a royal chamber where weapons and magic items 
  are forbidden). Combined with the 40 plots, above, and 
  a villain (see Designing Antagonists in Chapter Four), 
  these ﬁ ght scenes can form a very basic adventure with 
  only one or two other elements.
  1. 
  Fights on ships can go very diﬀ erently than land-
  based battles. If a ship attacked by aquatic creatures 
  capsizes and traps the PCs inside, they must worry 
  about escaping before the ship sinks. Characters 
  falling overboard may be too heavily armored to 
  swim. Th ey might also need to consider sharks 
  being attracted to blood in the water. Make sure 
  you consult the DMG for details on underwater 
  ﬁ ghting before beginning this combat.
  2. 
  If a ﬁ ght takes place in the mouth of a bat cave, just as 
  the cloud of bats ﬂ ies out for the night, the characters 
  must deal with a zone of no visibility thanks to the 
  ﬂ ying horde, total negation of most ranged attacks, 
  and possibly even damage from the bats themselves.
  3. 
  In a similar vein, ﬁ ghts on airships, planes, and 
  ﬂ ying carpets can add excitement to a game. 
  Th e heroes might ﬁ nd themselves battling ﬂ ying 
  opponents while clinging to an airship’s rigging 
  hundreds or thousands of feet above the ground. 
  Be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules on 
  maneuverability for ﬂ ying creatures in addition to 
  climbing and falling rules.
  4. 
  A ﬁ ght against a much larger and more powerful 
  force can often add excitement to a game, but it 
  must be handled carefully to be fun. If the PCs 
  must defend a pass against an attacking army or 
  keep a boarding party from getting into the bridge 
  or control room, they might be able to hold at a 
  narrow point where the enemy can come at them 
  only two or three at a time.
  5. 
  Fighting outside during a massive rainstorm will 
  cut visibility (even darkvision) to half the normal 
  range and reduce damage from ﬁ re (be it ﬁ reballs 
  or ﬂ amethrowers, give everyone ﬁ re resistance 3). 
  Snowstorms, hurricanes, and even tornadoes will 
  all add a new element to a ﬁ ght as well. A blizzard 
  can drop visibility to zero and has the added risk of 
  characters freezing to death. Familiarize yourself with 
  the rules for environmental damage for these scenes.
  6. 
  Battling around or over a natural geyser with 
  an irregular schedule forces characters to worry 
  about when it goes oﬀ  next — and whom it scalds. 
  Beforehand, decide how big a radius the geyser has 
  (it may be variable) and how much damage it does.
  7. 
  Any ﬁ ght can be spiced up by an earthquake, 
  especially those involving volcanoes or sinking islands. 
  Although the exact eﬀ ects of an earthquake vary with 
  its size and locale, in general assume the shock lasts 
  1 round, during which time creatures on the ground 
  can’t move or attack. Spellcasters on the ground must 
  make Concentration checks (DC 20 + spell level) or 
  lose any spells they try to cast. Th e earthquake aﬀ ects 
  all terrain, vegetation, structures, and creatures in 
  the area. A DC 15 Reﬂ ex save is needed to remain 
  standing, and anyone caught in a collapsing building 
  or rockslide is likely to take 8d6 points of damage.
   
  A ﬁ ght in an area prone to mudslides or avalanches 
  could either force the PCs to try to be quiet and 
  
  51
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  avoid area-eﬀ ect spells and explosives (lest they set 
  oﬀ  a mudslide) or might result in characters ﬁ ghting 
  in a shack as it slides down the side of a mountain.
  8. 
  A ﬁ ght on the side of a volcano forces characters 
  to avoid streams of molten lava and may also 
  restrict the use of spells or equipment that could 
  aggravate or accelerate an eruption. Be familiar 
  with rules for extremely hot environments and 
  lava damage for this scene.
  9. 
  A ﬁ ght taking place in a slaughterhouse has many 
  complicating factors. Rows of meat hanging from 
  hooks provide cover and reduce visibility. Th e stench 
  might be overpowering. And, of course, there would 
  be lots of sharp implements laying around. A typical 
  beef carcass has a hardness of 1 and 8 hp.
  10. 
  A noble hires the PCs to make sure his coronation 
  ceremony at a local cathedral is not disturbed 
  under any circumstances. Just as the coronation 
  begins, in front of a crowd of hundreds of the 
  faithful, the PCs notice assassins sneaking forward 
  through the rafters of the church. Th e PCs must 
  stop these killers without distracting anyone from 
  the ceremony, possibly leading to a silent ﬁ ght in 
  the beams of the church above the oblivious crowd 
  below. Th e same idea can be used to protect a 
  senate before an important vote or even prevent a 
  stage production from being shut down.
  11. 
  If the PCs can’t ﬂ y and must climb down a tall cliﬀ  
  face, they might have a very diﬃ  cult time ﬁ ghting 
  an airborne opponent while halfway down. If they 
  can ﬂ y, forcing them to travel down a very narrow 
  ravine or trench (no more than 20 feet wide) might 
  allow creatures with natural climbing ability to 
  ﬁ ght the PCs without being airborne.
  12. 
  Any ﬁ ght that takes place in a town that’s slowly 
  ﬂ ooding could prove interesting. Some buildings 
  might already have 3 feet of water running through 
  them, while others are temporarily protected by 
  sandbagging. Of course, the sandbags won’t hold 
  out the water forever, and the nearby dam may 
  break with little or no warning. Characters should 
  be ﬁ ghting the water’s current, which can be 
  treated as a Strength 10 bull rush every round that 
  automatically hits.
  13. 
  PCs who stumble across some brigands in the 
  woods and easily defeat them are likely to run after 
  the stragglers who try to escape. In the process, 
  they could run smack into an ambush set up for 
  them, with rows of archers behind wall shields (or 
  gunmen behind riot shields), pit traps, trip wires, 
  and pre-set spells or explosives.
   
  Conversely, if the PCs ﬁ nd themselves needing to 
  take out a much more powerful opponent, they may 
  wish to set an ambush of their own. Allowing PCs 
  to pick the time and place for a ﬁ ght makes them 
  able to deal with creatures 2 or 3 CR higher than 
  usual (though look out for special abilities such as 
  damage reduction).
  
  52
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  14. 
  A ﬁ ght in an abandoned tower (or any ruined 
  structure) is complicated by weak ﬂ oors giving 
  way, walls toppling over, and ceilings caving 
  in. Th e same can be true of a ﬁ ght in a locale 
  still under construction. For variations on this 
  theme, have the ﬁ ght in an only partially marked 
  graveyard, with undead attacking anyone who 
  steps on their grave (the same idea can use an 
  unmarked mineﬁ eld instead).
  15. 
  Not every ﬁ ght is one the PCs must win. If they are 
  trapped in a room with an overpoweringly powerful 
  opponent, they may only need to hold it oﬀ  long 
  enough for the rogue to pick the locked door or 
  security expert to bypass the computer. Of course, 
  the rogue may need to take 20 to pick the lock, 
  which takes even longer.
  16. 
  Changing the goal of a ﬁ ght is often the best way 
  to spice it up. For example, if a wealthy weakling 
  hired the PCs to follow him around and make 
  him look heroic, they are forced to worry about 
  defeating enemies while keeping him alive and 
  making it look like he’s responsible for the victory.
  17. 
  If a ﬁ ght gets boring and the PCs are clearly going 
  to win, sometimes having the NPCs just give up is 
  best. Not only does it save time, but it can make the 
  PCs feel important, and it saddles them with the 
  problem of dealing with prisoners. If the PCs have 
  a powerful reputation, you might have a very large 
  group of opponents surrender to them, forcing 
  them to deal with hundreds of prisoners.
  18. 
  If the PCs are forced to ﬁ ght in a short and 
  narrow tunnel, they might ﬁ nd it diﬃ  cult to 
  swing weapons or even make the arm movements 
  required for spellcasting or using complicated 
  equipment. Th is could also be a wonderful 
  opportunity for smaller characters to enjoy an 
  advantage for once. An Escape Artist check might 
  allow larger characters to act more normally, 
  depending on how small a space you decide on.
  19. 
  You can spice up city ﬁ ghts by including some 
  weather and odd locales. A ﬁ ght taking place on 
  a dock at night in fog might have poor visibility, 
  lots of cover in barrels and crates, and the 
  possibility of falling oﬀ  the dock into the water. 
  In a more technological setting, thick smog and a 
  cesspool or water drainage ditch can have much 
  the same eﬀ ect.
  20. 
  Any situation from a disaster movie can make for 
  an interesting ﬁ ght scene. Imagine shooting it out 
  with a group of brigands in the middle of a forest 
  ﬁ re, with burning trees falling randomly, heat waves 
  singeing everyone, and all escapes quickly blocked 
  by the spreading conﬂ agration. Before the game, 
  ﬁ gure out the hardness and hit points of your 
  trees and how much damage the ﬁ re itself does 
  to those caught in it. For tips, see Chapter Th ree: 
  Adventures in the DMG.
  21. 
  Sometimes a powerful group of PCs needs to be 
  saddled with a problem in addition to its enemies. 
  Imagine a group charged with carrying the 8-foot-
  tall holy clay pots of an old temple to safety. Th e pots 
  must not be damaged under any circumstances or the 
  temple’s god will be angered (even if the PCs later 
  ﬁ x the pot). Even extremely competent characters 
  might have trouble winning a ﬁ ght if they’re trying to 
  protect a huge and breakable piece of pottery.
  22. 
  Confront the PCs with a charmed horde of 
  peasants loyal to one of the heroes or an angry mob 
  of innocent bystanders who have mistaken them for 
  the villains. Even if the PCs just kill them, there’ll 
  be repercussions for killing loyal or innocent 
  bystanders.
  23. 
  If you’re just looking for something diﬀ erent, 
  shrink the PCs down to the size of insects in their 
  own backyard. Suddenly, every bug they encounter 
  is a major threat. Use statistics for Gargantuan-
  sized vermin to simulate the eﬀ ect of normal bugs 
  ﬁ ghting the reduced heroes.
  24. 
  Set a ﬁ ght on top of a runaway carriage, speeding 
  train, or logs ﬂ oating down a river. Depending on 
  the game, this scene might work with stampeding 
  cattle, ﬂ ying dragons, runaway trucks, or small 
  prop planes. Th e characters have to jump from 
  conveyance to conveyance to ﬁ ght, may want to 
  take over a vehicle, and must worry about falling 
  and possibly avoiding oncoming obstacles. Since 
  all the vehicles are moving roughly the same speed 
  and direction, you need only concern yourself with 
  their relative positions, rather than moving them 
  each their full speed each turn.
  25. 
  A ﬁ ght in a crowded bazaar, marketplace, or mall 
  adds the complications of boxes, crates, baskets, 
  barrels, stalls, ﬂ ammable dry goods, valuable 
  breakables, sticky foodstuﬀ s, and hundreds of 
  innocent bystanders.
  26. 
  Using an old adventure standby, have a ﬁ ght occur 
  on a canoe, raft, or ship headed for a waterfall. 
  Swimming and balance are then important, made 
  even more dangerous by the limited time.
  27. 
  A ﬁ ght in a steamship’s engine room, a windmill, or 
  a giant clock adds the complication of avoiding the 
  moving, slicing, and grinding machine parts. Th e 
  ﬁ ght is complicated further if it’s important the 
  machine not be damaged.
  28. 
  Any subterranean setting can become more 
  dangerous by making it unstable. Characters must 
  avoid explosions or hitting the ancient braces 
  
  53
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  holding up the ceiling, and dust drifting down from 
  the roof may reduce visibility. If things get slow, 
  have a collapse start, and see how fast the characters 
  can get out of the mineshaft while ﬁ ghting.
  29. 
  If your players have become too used to employing 
  all their abilities to maximum eﬀ ect, put them 
  in a situation in which they must voluntarily 
  restrict their own options. For example, if the PCs 
  must inﬁ ltrate a band of beggars by disguising 
  themselves as cripples and unskilled vagrants, they 
  can hardly use their heroic skills and powers to 
  ﬁ ght oﬀ  a group of law oﬃ  cers trying to run them 
  out of town.
  30. 
  Rather than make the ﬁ ght the most important 
  thing, set up a scene in which getting somewhere 
  ﬁ rst is critical. Chariot races, mad dashes to a 
  hospital/temple, and escapes from collapsing 
  buildings are all good examples. Fighting is only 
  one way of trying to slow characters down, as 
  racers jockey for the best position and try to take 
  out their competitors.
  31. 
  If the opponent is nearly as tough as the heroes, 
  the ﬁ ght can be made more diﬃ  cult by requiring 
  the PCs to capture her alive. Th ey might be on 
  a zoological expedition, hunting down a refugee 
  who has critical information, or they may need a 
  criminal alive to collect the bounty on her head.
  32. 
  If a ﬁ ght becomes much too staid and boring, 
  have several black-clad assassins suddenly show up 
  and try to kill everyone on both sides. Assuming 
  they all have sneak attack, the assassins can 
  attack targets in pairs so they’re always ﬂ anking 
  opponents. For extra credit, you may even have 
  them relate to the ongoing plot somehow.
  33. 
  Set up situations in which the heroes must deal with 
  an entire organization of lower-power creatures. 
  Killing one goblin is easy. Killing a hundred is 
  time-consuming. Killing the entire 6,000-strong 
  Shadowstepper tribe of goblins (or guild of assassins, 
  or terrorist organization) is a challenge — especially 
  if it’s important that none escape.
  34. 
  Whether it’s a wizard’s tower, a petty dictator’s 
  fortress home, or a galactic crime lord’s hive of 
  scum and villainy, you can challenge characters 
  by making them assault a stronghold. A battle 
  against opponents with 75% cover is hard enough, 
  but adding giant rocks thrown from catapults (or 
  howitzers or blaster cannons) can really tip the scale.
  35. 
  Th e characters may be great at killing things, but 
  can they carry a pigskin across a line? If characters 
  need a prize that can only be won in a competition, 
  they may ﬁ nd themselves on a national sports 
  team, entered in a tournament, or competing in a 
  county fair. Th e important thing is, the goals they 
  must meet are non-lethal and likely not something 
  they’re used to.
  36. 
  Another common adventure trope is to have two 
  groups with members ﬁ lling similar niches come 
  into competition. Make up NPCs that are as 
  powerful and varied as the PCs, using the PCs 
  themselves as your guideline. Th en place them into 
  conﬂ ict, perhaps over who earns a valuable contract 
  or as agents of opposing empires vying for the same 
  relic. Th is works best if the NPC team isn’t evil, 
  just working for someone else, allowing them to 
  develop an ongoing rivalry with the PCs.
  37. 
  Th is one can take a lot of work on the part of the 
  GM, but it can also be a great climactic encounter 
  to end a long-running plot: instead of the PCs 
  being one of two sides in a conﬂ ict, have a 5-way 
  battle with each side trying to overcome the other 
  four. If you have more than one group of players in 
  diﬀ erent games, you might even be able to bring 
  them together to face oﬀ  with each other and 
  numerous groups of NPCs.
  38. 
  Set up a near-impossible ﬁ ght, but have the 
  consequences of losing be merely long-term 
  annoyance, rather than death or serious loss. 
  For example, have the PCs ﬁ ght from a set of 
  bamboo poles sticking out of a magic lake that 
  polymorphs anyone who touches it into a random 
  animal whenever they get wet, but allows them to 
  polymorph back automatically once dry. Th e PCs are 
  almost sure to touch the water, but that just gives 
  them further motivation to go adventuring (to seek 
  a cure to their curse).
  39. 
  Fantasy characters in an anti-magic zone or 
  high-tech characters right after an EMP are both 
  forced to deal with problems without their favorite 
  equipment. To tip the scales further, force them to 
  get past trained martial artists and psychics.
  40. 
  Th e ultimate diﬃ  cult environment is zero-g. 
  Whether the PCs fall into an unusual magic trap 
  or actually travel beyond the planet’s gravity ﬁ eld, 
  zero-g environments prevent walking without velcro 
  or magnetic aid (or a spider climb spell), make even a 
  small amount of recoil important, and give everyone 
  access to movement in three dimensions. Some 
  quick rules must be decided — such as jumping 
  giving characters velocity rather than just allowing 
  them to go a certain distance, and every time 
  characters hit a far wall their velocity translates to 
  damage (unless they make DC 15 Jump or Tumble 
  checks, each check negating 10 feet of velocity). In 
  general, though, let characters go everywhere, and 
  just keep the bullets (or magic missiles) ﬂ ying too fast 
  for anyone to worry about exact physics.
  
  54
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  Adding the Little Details
  A good GM adds little details to an adventure now 
  and then, just to keep things fresh and give PCs a 
  chance to deal with encounters that aren’t life-or-death 
  situations. Th ese details can be thought of as set dressing: 
  background details that help set the stage, not items of 
  importance. Use set dressings sparingly, adding one or 
  two in each evening of play, but so used they can add a 
  high level of interest.
  Set dressing for dungeons are well covered in other d20 
  products, but few have presented set dressing for urban 
  and wilderness settings. Below are 100 minor details that 
  can be dropped into the description of a town, city, forest, 
  or desert, either when PCs ﬁ rst reach (or travel through) 
  such areas or as a side-trip during an adventure set in one 
  of these environments.
  Urban  Set Dressings
  1 
  Abandoned merchant wagon
  2 
  Wishing fountain (with 1d100 cp at the bottom)
  3 
  Drinking fountain
  4 
  Public square
  5 
  Small park
  6 
  Large park
  7 
  Private, walled garden
  8 
  Beggar
  9 
  Street gutter for sewage
  10 
  Gazebo
  11 
  Wandering food vendor
  12 
  Wandering vendor of illicit narcotic plants
  13 
  Merchant selling out of a wagon
  14 
  Statue of local historical ﬁ gure
  15 
  Statue of local deity
  16 
  Statue of local folklore character
  17 
  Public shrine
  18 
  Alley concealed behind a banner
  19 
  Crier shouting out local laws
  20 
  Crier shouting out employment opportunities
  21 
  Priest publicly preaching
  22 
  Column with handwritten banners stuck on with tar
  23 
  Large sundial
  24 
  Lamplighter on stilts
  25 
  Walled and gated community of aﬄ  uent citizens
  26 
  Empty building for sale suitable for a business
  27 
  Empty house for sale
  28 
  Musicians or poets performing for donations
  29 
  Open market
  30 
  School (magic, unarmed combat, swordplay, 
  languages, or woodcraft)
  31 
  Orphanage
  32 
  Poorhouse
  33 
  Shipyard, cartwright, or wainwright
  34 
  Business that acts as “front” for an illegal activity 
  or guild
  35 
  Guardhouse or barracks
  36 
  Arena (fencing, sports, bear baiting pit, gladiatorial 
  games, possibly now defunct)
  37 
  Public stage
  38 
  Bank
  39 
  Food shop (bakery, butcher shop, brewery, dairy, 
  ﬁ sh monger)
  40 
  Craft shop (tannery, blacksmith’s, joiner, ceramics, 
  cooper’s, instrument maker’s, chandler’s)
  41 
  Tea house, coﬀ ee shop, or similar social gathering 
  place
  42 
  Warehouse
  43 
  Sewer entrance (fouled well, drain, open sewer pit)
  44 
  Public baths
  45 
  Public dump
  46 
  Public punishment (ﬂ ogging, execution)
  47 
  Criminals in iron cages
  48 
  Burned-out inn
  49 
  Lines of hung laundry
  50 
  Smokehouse
  51 
  Library (public, private, or associated with a guild)
  52 
  Stray cat
  53 
  People dumping sewage into the streets
  54 
  Small jail with lone guard
  55 
  Bell tower
  56 
  Docks
  57 
  Dock house
  58 
  Pack of rats
  59 
  Playhouse
  60 
  Professional courtesan
  61 
  Unmarked courtesan house
  62 
  Unconscious mugging victim
  63 
  Graveyard
  
  55
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  64 
  Sick house
  65 
  Dance hall
  66 
  Entertainment establishment (gambling house, 
  fortune teller, theater)
  67 
  Cistern
  68 
  Pack of wild dogs
  69 
  Street urchins seeking temporary employment
  70 
  Carnival performers
  71 
  Canal traveled by punts
  72 
  Street busker
  73 
  Vandalized shop
  74 
  Graﬃ  ti indicating gang boundary
  75 
  Landmark of local holy man
  76 
  Bridge (over canal, river, or lower street)
  77 
  Tunnel under poor section of town
  78 
  Tannery (smelly section of the town)
  79 
  Catacombs (for burial of citizens only)
  80 
  Cattle pens
  81 
  Crematorium
  82 
  Public auction
  83 
  Marble main road
  84 
  Ragman (buys and sells scrap fabric)
  85 
  Rubbish man (carts garbage away from town)
  86 
  Shepherd with ﬂ ock blocking path
  87 
  Guard post
  88 
  Building under construction
  89 
  Building being torn down
  90 
  Subterranean old city, ruined
  91 
  Icehouse
  92 
  House under quarantine for plague
  93 
  Crier declaring a new law
  94 
  Historical marker
  95 
  Statue of local ruler
  96 
  Windmill
  97 
  Water wheel
  98 
  Shop closed for foreign holiday
  99 
  Public art/murals
  100 
  Abandoned section of town (believed haunted or 
  cursed)
  Wilderness Set Dressing
  1 
  Blighted area of dead plants
  2 
  Hot spring
  3 
  Small stream
  4 
  Beehive (or termite hill, ant mound, or spider web)
  5 
  Animal not native to the terrain
  6 
  Old mine (long since mined out)
  7 
  Rabbit snare
  8 
  Tree stumps painted with targets and covered in 
  arrows
  9 
  Dry river bed (1% chance to have grounded 
  barge or canoe)
  10 
  Decrepit water mill and stone foundations of 
  other buildings
  11 
  Several rusting iron cages for Medium creatures, 
  hanging from limbs of a tree
  12 
  Tattered tents and dented, rusted cooking gear 
  scatter around clearing
  13 
  Decomposed bodies in rusting armor (site of old 
  skirmish)
  14 
  Broken-down wagon
  15 
  Carcass of Large or Huge native animal covered 
  by small scavengers
  16 
  Junk pile or refuse
  17 
  Rare or unusual plants of no real value (four-leaf 
  clover, black roses)
  18 
  Th orn bushes across path
  19 
  Old, hidden still
  20 
  Rainbow in the distance
  21 
  Stump of tree struck by lightning
  22 
  Hidden crop of illicit narcotic plants
  23 
  Cloud of Fine ﬂ ying, biting vermin (mosquitoes, 
  gnats, etc.)
  24 
  Pit trap (10% chance of animal caught in trap)
  25 
  Campﬁ re and roasting-spit scaled for a Large 
  creature
  26 
  Old stone border marker for long-lost kingdom
  27 
  Animal trail (leading to watering hole)
  28 
  Abandoned tree house
  29 
  Wounded Medium or Large animal native to 
  the terrain
  30 
  Slightly rusted steel bear-trap
  31 
  Small shrine to nature deity
  32 
  Stagnant pond
  33 
  Ragged topiary bushes
  34 
  Curious raccoon or similar creature (may 
  attempt to get into tents or packs)
  35 
  Oddly-shaped wall of stone (left over from a 
  wall of stone cast during a ﬁ ght)
  36 
  Pond formed by an animal dam (beaver or some 
  form of snake or vermin)
  37 
  Large evergreen tree with a hollow space within 
  its branches, with old ﬁ repit
  38 
  Broken well (75% likely to be dry)
  39 
  Angry native Small or Tiny venomous creature
  40 
  Den of deceased native creature
  41 
  Berry bush or fruit tree (may bear fruit even out 
  of season)
  42 
  Dead monstrous humanoids in a pile, obviously 
  looted
  43 
  Herd of passive local animals
  44 
  Rocks arranged to form an arrow
  45 
  Hunting blind
  46 
  Hammock
  47 
  Neatly stacked ﬁ rewood
  48 
  Skeleton hanging from a tree by a noose
  49 
  Hidden path
  50 
  Empty, broken chest
  51 
  Orphaned infant animal native to terrain
  52 
  Small river with old ﬁ shing net and bucket
  53 
  Large clearing with piles of rotting, cut lumber 
  (25% chance of incomplete construction, such 
  as houses or siege weapons)
  
  56
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  54 
  Initials within a heart carved into a tree
  55 
  Dried ﬂ ower garlands
  56 
  Circle of menhirs used for astrological calculations
  57 
  Fog bank
  58 
  Abandoned cabin (hunter, poacher, or outlaw)
  59 
  Small waterfall
  60 
  Natural cave system
  61 
  Ancient tomb or barrow
  62 
  Herd of native wild cattle
  63 
  Herd of local native riding beasts
  64 
  Ring of toadstools
  65 
  Mud pit or quicksand (likely too shallow to 
  threaten Medium creatures)
  66 
  Wetland (bog, swamp, ﬂ ooded river bank)
  67 
  Cliﬀ 
  68 
  Field of wildﬂ owers
  69 
  Local fey with indiﬀ erent attitude
  70 
  Ancient watchtower or signal tower
  71 
  Unusual raise in ground (lone hill or unusually 
  tall mountain)
  72 
  Mild storm
  73 
  Severe storm
  74 
  Deep chasm
  75 
  Small salt ﬂ at
  76 
  Small mesa with a single tree
  77 
  Volcano, hot spring or hot mud, or geyser
  78 
  Dense copse of vegetation surrounding a 
  clearing with spring (in desert, an oasis)
  79 
  Abandoned quarry of hard rock (basalt, granite, 
  marble, or slate)
  80 
  Rare herbs (10 gp worth if used as material 
  component; or one use of a healer’s kit if gathered 
  with a DC 15 Profession [herbalist] check)
  81 
  Ground breaking for a mill, never built
  82 
  Fishing poles at a pond (or hole in the ice)
  83 
  Natural spring feeding a small reﬂ ecting pool
  84 
  Vampire skeleton staked down atop a hill, facing 
  east
  85 
  Field of aromatic ﬂ owers
  86 
  Field ﬁ lled with butterﬂ ies (or old caterpillar 
  cocoons)
  87 
  Crop circles
  88 
  Cattle wallow (site where cattle roll in the dirt 
  or mud, ﬂ attening the area)
  89 
  Trail markers cut into tree
  90 
  Ancient stone road marker (no sign of road)
  91 
  Skunk
  92 
  Rotting heads on pikes
  93 
  Guts and unused sections of a large game animal
  94 
  Remains of a picnic
  95 
  Rock outcroppings in shape of people or animals
  96 
  Remains of a pyre, with humanoid bones within
  97 
  Edible mushrooms
  98 
  Shallow graves (of previous adventurers or 
  travelers)
  99 
  Vast area of silkworm-infested vegetation
  100 
  Injured predator in need of healing
  Wrapping it All Up
  At the end of an adventure, you need two things: a 
  climax of the adventure’s themes and plot threads, and a 
  denouement to allow players to settle down and get ready 
  for their next adventure.
  An adventure’s climax should bring with it a sense of 
  resolution, at least for the time being. Whatever the 
  main challenge of the adventure is, the PCs should deal 
  with it in the climax. If delving through a dungeon, the 
  most dangerous monster on the last level can serve as the 
  climax. If stealthily rescuing a princess, actually getting 
  her free from her cell without being spotted can serve 
  as the climax. In a game of political intrigue, the climax 
  might be a tense scene of negotiation in which secrets are 
  at last revealed and a rival faction loses face or is forced 
  to lend support to the PCs’ cause.
  Generally, a game’s climax should have the same tone 
  as the majority of the adventure (turned up a notch 
  of intensity) and successfully cover at least the most 
  important plot points. If the adventure has been combat 
  oriented, the climax should involve a ﬁ ght. If the adventure 
  has focused on stealth and espionage, the climax should 
  require particularly diﬃ  cult and critical sneaking around. 
  Sometimes, a climax shifts tone either accidentally (when 
  the PCs reach the princess they blunder their stealth, and 
  she ends up being held threateningly by her captor, who 
  demands the PCs negotiate her release) or intentionally 
  (while digging around for secrets to discredit the king’s 
  cousin, the PCs discover that an assassination plot against 
  the king is coming to a head in less than an hour and rush 
  to ﬁ ght oﬀ  the assassins). Th ere’s nothing wrong with 
  this development as an occasional change of pace, but 
  remember if the players are enjoying the type of adventure 
  being run, they probably don’t want a major shift in tone at 
  the most critical moment.
  Deciding how tough to make a climax is one of the 
  trickiest jobs a GM faces. If a climax isn’t harder than the 
  other challenges PCs faced in the adventure, it’s often 
  a letdown. If it’s too diﬃ  cult, the PCs may fail, and the 
  players become unhappy about all the time they’ve spent 
  on the adventure. Especially since it’s at the end of a 
  series of other encounters, knowing what resources and 
  health the PCs will have left by the time they reach a 
  climactic encounter is diﬃ  cult. A foe only slightly above 
  their normal diﬃ  culty might be much more than they can 
  handle after going through all the challenges to reach it.
  One solution is to have the ﬁ nal, climactic challenge 
  involve graduated levels of success. For example, if a band 
  of PCs tries to save a princess from a dragon, the GM 
  needn’t make sure the dragon is weak enough that the 
  PCs are sure to kill it. He might set things up so the PCs 
  only must hold oﬀ  the dragon for a few rounds of combat 
  while they free the princess, and then allow them to ﬂ ee 
  
  57
  Chapter Three: Preparing Adventures
  down a tunnel too small for the dragon to follow. Th is 
  is the minimum level of success for the encounter, and 
  if done properly the PCs feel they have overcome, just 
  barely, a much more powerful foe.
  If the PCs are determined to ﬁ ght the dragon and use 
  their resources well and work as a team, they might hurt 
  it badly. Th e GM could decide that after taking half or 
  more of its hit points, the dragon ﬂ ees. If it has an escape 
  route handy, the PCs are hard-pressed to follow it. Yet in 
  this case, they have managed a higher grade of success: 
  they’ve driven oﬀ  their foe and can collect at least some 
  of his treasure.
  At the highest level of success, the PCs actually manage 
  to kill the dragon. Doing so may require they burn all 
  their expendable resources, get a little lucky, and are 
  willing to pursue him if he ﬂ ees (likely continuing the 
  ﬁ ght while airborne or underwater, in circumstances 
  that favor the dragon’s size and speed). Th e GM doesn’t 
  need to pull any punches for this ﬁ ght — if the PCs 
  want the largest share of glory, they need to earn it. 
  Even if they begin to lose the ﬁ ght, at this point the 
  PCs can back out at any time simply by allowing the 
  dragon to escape. If they do defeat him, not only should 
  they earn greater prestige and experience, but also the 
  creature’s most valued possessions that it keeps with it 
  always.
  Another option is to set up the climax to be the most 
  dangerous encounter of the adventure, but make sure the 
  PCs have time to recoup their resources before facing it. 
  If the adventure is designed to make sure the heroes are 
  well rested and supplied when they face its conclusion, 
  judging how tough to make it is much easier. Indeed, 
  the heroes may even pick up items in the course of the 
  adventure that make the ﬁ nal encounter easier (potions 
  of healing, weapons that are bane against their foe, new 
  spells or lore that help them prepare). A prepared group 
  that knows what challenge lies ahead can handle a much 
  more powerful encounter, allowing them to gain a great 
  sense of accomplishment if they succeed.
  Always have some idea what to do if the climax of a 
  game doesn’t go as planned. An escape route for defeated 
  PCs or an idea of what happens if they’re defeated and 
  captured is helpful if die rolls and bad planning lead to 
  their defeat. Don’t make it impossible for PCs to fail 
  (there’s no sense of adventure if it becomes obvious 
  there’s no risk), but an opportunity to ﬂ ee rather than 
  everyone dying man can turn a total party kill into an 
  opportunity to rest, take stock, and try again.
  Similarly, if the PCs defeat the ﬁ nal foe too easily, you 
  should already have the next encounter ready. For the 
  most part, an easy victory shouldn’t be taken away from 
  the players (don’t suddenly decide the main bad guy had 
  two equally-tough brothers who unexpectedly burst in). 
  Just ﬁ le the information away for later and make sure 
  the next foe is more dangerous. However, if the players 
  seem unconvinced the adventure is truly over, you can 
  add a new climax as an additional encounter. Perhaps the 
  dragon who kidnapped the princess was actually taking 
  orders from an evil necromancer, or the plot to kill the 
  king was easily discovered because it was a distraction 
  from the real evil plot.
  The Denouement
  After the climactic ﬁ nal encounter, the PCs need a 
  moment or three to catch their breath and enjoy their 
  success. If they’ve gone on a mission for someone, this 
  is the time to announce success and receive praise and 
  rewards. If they’ve done something particularly public 
  and heroic, they should receive accolades and possibly 
  even a tickertape parade. While the main reward for the 
  players is the fun of facing and overcoming challenges, 
  most players also enjoy having their characters be 
  thanked and rewarded for doing something worthwhile 
  and dangerous. Arrange for praise, respect, and a 
  growing reputation to be part of the rewards, and make 
  the reaction of NPCs clearly demonstrate this rise in 
  status.
  Most importantly, you need to give the PCs a place 
  where they can feel safe. Players don’t want to worry 
  about their characters constantly, and a secure base of 
  operations — be it a tavern that they frequent regularly, 
  a church that respects them, or rooms at the castle of an 
  allied lord — allows both players and PCs to relax. Since 
  most d20 games have rules for activities that can be done 
  easily only when not adventuring (learning new skills 
  or spells, buying new equipment, or crafting weapons or 
  magic items), the players should be given an opportunity 
  to do these activities. A few days spent somewhere with a 
  large market (or mail-order service, or matter duplicators, 
  or whatever), a secure bed, and ample opportunity to 
  study or get work done allows players a chance to take 
  advantage of new wealth, skills, or ideas.
  It also serves as a good place for some less dramatic 
  roleplaying – heroes getting a chance to talk to 
  merchants and townsfolk and becoming acquainted 
  with some less heroic NPCs. If the players want more 
  than just combat and treasure, this is the time for them 
  to work on their PCs’ relationships with allies, rivals, 
  foppish dandies, and barmaids. You can also use this time 
  to set up threads for future adventures. Th e news and 
  rumors the PCs gather from a friendly port can easily 
  set the stage for problems they face in upcoming games. 
  You can also let the players know how their characters’ 
  actions have aﬀ ected the condition of the world. If the 
  PCs saved a princess, they might get invitations to her 
  wedding or learn she’s making alliances with strong 
  neighboring kingdoms to help keep the peace. Th e more 
  connected the players feel to the world of their PCs, the 
  more they’ll become involved with future adventures.
  
  58
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  N
  PCs are a GM’s main tool for all forms of 
  interaction. A GM who wants to give PCs someone 
  to love, hate, save, ﬁ ght, or just buy a fried piece 
  of bread from needs to have an  NPC ready to go. Most 
  GMs face two main challenges when designing NPCs: 
  one, lack of realistic details and interesting hooks for PCs 
  to remember them by; two, lack of time to do full write-
  ups of even the major NPCs that might be encountered.
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
   - Designing  Antagonists - 
  Although designing adventures pitting players against 
  challenges without any thinking motivation is possible, 
  such as survival against the elements or a search for 
  a lost city that’s now abandoned, most often a GM 
  needs to design antagonists to go along with the 
  adventures. A well-designed antagonist is one of a 
  GM’s greatest assets. An interesting, challenging, and 
  creative foe can capture players’ attention quickly, 
  getting them more involved in the campaign. Often, 
  the villains of the story are remembered long after other 
  details are forgotten.
  Th e design work on an antagonist should be well 
  underway before any game information gets decided 
  on. Race, class, skills, and feats aren’t even needed for 
  some foes. A dark god of hate who is trying to bring 
  about an age of fear, pain, and chaos may not need any 
  game information — he’s a god! Th e more important 
  questions are why does he want to bring about this 
  dark age; how are the PCs expected to stop him; and 
  if they do, why won’t he strike them down with divine 
  power? Similarly, an annoying court functionary who 
  tries to keep the PCs from speaking to the king may 
  not need much more than a Will save and Bluﬀ  and 
  Sense Motive values. If she isn’t supposed to ﬁ ght the 
  PCs, and couldn’t possibly win even if she did, her class 
  is irrelevant.
  Th inking about what an antagonist is supposed to do 
  and how he’ll go about trying to do it serves three 
  important purposes. One, it lets you design the NPC 
  to accomplish a speciﬁ c task in advance. Two, it gives 
  you a ﬁ rm grasp of how the NPC should act, allowing 
  you to make the character more memorable and 
  interesting. Th ree, it prevents you from doing unneeded 
  design work that wastes time and eﬀ ort. While these 
  recommendations are speciﬁ cally geared for antagonists 
  who oppose the PCs in one capacity or another, much 
  of the advice applies to major NPCs designed to be 
  neutral or even allied with the PCs.
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  
  59
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Role
  Th e ﬁ rst question that needs to be answered about any 
  antagonist is what role he or she ﬁ lls in a campaign. 
  An antagonist need not be a classic “villain” in the 
  sense of working to do evil or trying to take over the 
  world. Anyone you use to place obstacles in the PCs’ 
  path, from troublesome guards to annoying servants, 
  qualiﬁ es as an antagonist. Many antagonists make 
  trouble for PCs not out of malice, but from ignorance, 
  incompetence, or a desire to get ahead themselves. A 
  group of adventurers competing for the same fame and 
  fortune as the PCs are a potential threat to the PCs’ 
  long-term success, even though morally they may be on 
  the same side.
  Deﬁ ning an antagonist’s role helps you develop its other 
  traits. A foil need not have the same level of combat 
  ability as a level boss, and a living weapon can do without 
  the resources of a mastermind. Try to vary what kinds 
  of antagonists you throw at a group of PCs. Even if a 
  campaign is heavily combat oriented, the occasional 
  change of pace in foes is good. As a campaign develops, 
  some antagonists will prove more popular than will 
  others and can be reused or act as templates for future 
  adversaries. Even if a villain can’t possibly come back, she 
  may have a sister, old master, or ally who takes her place.
  An antagonist can combine roles. A foil might also 
  be a mastermind, such as the head of a Bardic Guild 
  that disapproves of the PCs and has his guild spread 
  songs painting them as buﬀ oons or idiots. Of course, a 
  multi-role antagonist will likely be more dangerous and 
  have access to more resources. Sometimes, antagonists 
  switch roles as a campaign moves on: for instance, an orc 
  shaman might be a lethal weapon early in a campaign, 
  but become a level boss after a demon enlists his service 
  to help deal with the increasingly powerful PCs. A few 
  common roles follow.
  Foil
  A foil is an adversary who’s only around to make the 
  PCs’ lives more diﬃ  cult, not to kill them or do them real 
  harm. A foil may be a person in a position of great power 
  who dislikes the PCs, a rival who tries to take jobs and 
  rewards from them, an annoying bard who follows them 
  around, or even a powerful goddess who thinks she’s 
  doing them a favor by making their lives interesting.
  A foil needs either not to mean the PCs real harm or 
  to be constrained from hurting them. For example, a 
  courtier who dislikes the PCs and speaks ill of them 
  to her king is troubling, but she doesn’t want the PCs 
  killed or even physically hurt — just disgraced and 
  embarrassed. A general might blame the PCs for his son’s 
  death and truly wish to kill them — but be ordered by 
  his king not to. Because the general is loyal to his king, 
  he won’t try actually to kill the PCs, but he will hinder 
  them whenever he can get away with it.
  A foil normally hinders PCs in just one aspect of their 
  lives. A romantic foil tries to steal loved ones away, but 
  doesn’t make trouble for them politically. A political foil 
  may spread rumors and lies, but isn’t actually physically 
  around the PCs much. A comedic foil may actually try 
  to be helpful, but is so incompetent his constant presence 
  causes problems.
  A foil will not likely be the focus of an adventure in 
  a combat-oriented game, but can take center stage in 
  games with more social or political interaction. A foil 
  works best as a consistent irritation rather than a serious 
  threat. If a foil does take center stage for an adventure, 
  the result should turn the foil into a neutral party (or 
  even an ally) or push him into true enemy status.
  Lethal Weapon
  A lethal weapon is an antagonist who is physically (or 
  magically) dangerous and accomplishes her goals through 
  direct action. Obviously, to be a threat to the PCs, she 
  must be at least as powerful as they are (and if there are 
  multiple PCs, the lethal weapon must be a threat to all 
  of them or have enough allies to make up the diﬀ erence). 
  Lethal weapons are a very common form of antagonist 
  and include anything the GM expects the PCs to 
  interact with primarily through combat. A lethal weapon 
  is essentially a superior version of a thug (see page 60).
  Lethal weapons may have a group of thugs to back them 
  up, which can work well when designing encounters 
  against PCs with a wide range of combat abilities. While 
  the most powerful characters face oﬀ  against the lethal 
  weapon, other characters mop up the thugs and keep 
  them from swarming the frontline ﬁ ghters. Everyone 
  thus has something to do during a ﬁ ght, and the PCs 
  are prevented from being able to gang up on the lethal 
  weapon all at once.
  Evil dragons are excellent examples of lethal weapon 
  adversaries. Th ey are strong, greedy, spellcasting 
  powerhouses that have both the motivation and the 
  ability to go gain wealth and power through direct force. 
  Th ere’s little hope of negotiating for an evil dragon to 
  leave its home (though other goals might be met through 
  diplomacy) — and no hope of threatening one. If PCs 
  want to get an evil dragon to leave a town alone, they’ll 
  have to ﬁ ght it.
  Level Boss
  A level boss is a sub-antagonist, someone who is a 
  credible threat to the PCs on his own but ultimately 
  works for another adversary. An evil baron working for 
  an evil emperor is a good example of a level boss, as is the 
  captain of a ship or a senior apprentice to a necromancer. 
  Th e important element of a level boss is that he takes 
  
  60
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  orders from and tries to further the goals of another 
  antagonist of the PCs. An evil baron who supposedly 
  works for a good king isn’t a level boss, since the baron 
  isn’t trying to further the king’s goals.
  PCs may not realize a level boss isn’t their ultimate 
  foe until they defeat him, and possibly not even then. 
  Indeed, a level boss’ master may not be aware of the PCs 
  until they defeat his servant, which brings them to his 
  attention. Turning a major foe into a level boss is a good 
  way to continue a plotline and move the PCs up to more 
  dangerous opponents. It’s also a great way for a GM to 
  deal with PCs killing oﬀ  a major NPC before he puts 
  into motion plans the GM has carefully designed for 
  further adventures.
  For example, a GM might have a series of adventures 
  planned that call for a necromancer to start raising all 
  the bodies from nearby cemeteries to form an army. 
  Th e GM has already written up warrior-zombies and 
  painted ﬁ gures for the encounters. Th e PCs ﬁ gure out 
  what’s going on before the GM expects them to and 
  confront the necromancer. A lucky critical hit does so 
  much damage the GM has to accept his necromancer 
  is dead. Rather than give up on the plot, the GM has 
  the necromancer gasp out that his master will make the 
  PCs pay for their interference. Now, the GM can design 
  a lich who was, it turns out, giving the necromancer 
  his marching orders. Th e plotline is saved, and the PCs 
  realize they have an even greater foe to face.
  Not using level bosses too often is important, or players 
  end up feeling nothing they do can make a diﬀ erence in 
  the world. Sometimes when a foe is defeated, the threat 
  he represented should just end. When a level boss seems 
  called for, letting players know early that he’s not their 
  ultimate adversary can be a good idea. A few references 
  to another master or a well-known relationship with a 
  greater power make obvious to players that even if they 
  overcome the dragon Ultheax, his infamous mother and 
  six brothers still present a problem.
  Mastermind
  A mastermind is a foe who is behind the schemes, plots, 
  and deathtraps PCs face rather than appearing as a direct 
  threat. Masterminds often have other people doing the 
  dirty work and may not be a match for their main foes 
  (likely the PCs) in direct combat. Characters can run 
  into a mastermind’s ongoing plans several times before 
  they realize one person organized them all. Masterminds 
  often run vast organizations that may be underground 
  (a thieves’ or assassins’ guild) or more out in the open 
  (a small but critical country or wizard’s school). Much 
  of the threat posed by this kind of mastermind is based 
  on the resources she can bring to bear and her ability to 
  strike from afar. Before the heroes can defeat her, they 
  must ﬁ nd out who she is and where she hides out.
  Of course, masterminds can also rule through sheer 
  might, and may be the most dangerous foe around. A 
  death cult’s chief necromancer may also be a mighty 
  lich, or an orc clan may be led by a powerful war chief. 
  Th is kind of mastermind doubles as a lethal weapon, 
  likely working through level bosses. Moreover, this kind 
  of structure works well for plots designed to take PCs 
  through many levels. A group of 1st-level PCs have no 
  chance of defeating a master assassin. Yet if they ﬁ rst run 
  into the assassin’s spy ring, run by beggars, then a thieves’ 
  guild, then a slaver ring, and only when they reach 12th 
  level uncover her assassin’s guild, they may be ready for 
  her by the time they encounter her. Since they defeat 
  smaller plots along the way, the PCs get the satisfaction 
  of defeating the master assassin (by proxy) before they 
  ever directly encounter her. Th is kind of mastermind is 
  normally eventually confronted directly.
  A mastermind may also work through agents because 
  she has no choice. A villain who’s in jail, or trapped 
  in a pocket dimension, or has dissolved into thinking 
  but inactive dust has little option but to work through 
  others. Such villains have a built-in goal (gain freedom/
  a new body), and likely still seek to accomplish 
  whatever got them put away in the ﬁ rst place (their 
  original motivation and crime). Even a god might fall 
  into this category, unable to take direct action because 
  it’s forbidden (so to prevent gods from coming into 
  direct conﬂ ict), or just because the god is too busy with 
  real problems to take that much eﬀ ort to make trouble 
  for PCs. (Poseidon’s vendetta against Odysseus is a 
  good example of a god-as-mastermind adversary, as 
  well as an untouchable.) While this mastermind may be 
  overcome in a direct confrontation, she’s equally likely 
  to be defeated by PCs destroying her organization or 
  forcing her to ﬂ ee.
  Thug
  A thug is any foe the GM expects the PCs to ﬁ ght 
  and defeat without much risk of losing. A thug may 
  be able to drain resources from PCs (spells, hit points, 
  healing, uses of special abilities), but has no real chance 
  of defeating them. In a typical d20 game, most combat 
  encounters are with one or more thugs, though obviously 
  enough thugs can start to present a more signiﬁ cant 
  threat. Despite the name, thugs need not be humanoids 
  or criminals. Animals, monsters, undead, and really any 
  ﬁ ghting threat qualiﬁ es as a thug.
  When using thugs, vary what kinds the PCs encounter 
  and how they react. Th e smarter a thug, the more 
  intelligently it should plan for combat and react to PC 
  actions. A giant scorpion is likely just to attack the 
  creature closest to it (though it might be drawn to sounds 
  of pain and the smell of blood, thus moving around 
  healthy opponents to attack wounded ones). Orcs are 
  more likely to try to drop spellcasters ﬁ rst, knowing 
  
  61
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  so can provide an excellent climax to the campaign. 
  An untouchable that the players have grown actually 
  to dislike — to the point that their enjoyment of the 
  campaign is diminished — may be made vulnerable just 
  so you can realistically get rid of him.
  Personality
  An antagonist’s personality has a great deal of inﬂ uence 
  on how he does what he does. A vengeful villain will 
  likely punish underlings that fail him and seek to harm 
  PCs who have foiled him, even if other goals are within 
  his grasp. A conservative, organized foe will probably 
  keep her eye on her goals, noting who has wronged her 
  to deal with later. An honest but blunt warlord sends 
  ultimatums to the kingdoms he plans to conquer, while 
  a sneaky, traitorous one makes alliances to get his troops 
  close enough to strike by surprise. Having at least a 
  sketch of the personalities of antagonists allows a GM 
  to set NPCs apart from each other and make them 
  seem more vivid.
  Portraying all villains as ﬁ lled with negative traits is an 
  easy trap. Th is method tends to produce two-dimensional 
  characters that no one cares about. An evil priest who 
  wants to take over a kingdom and is willing to lie, 
  steal, and betray to get his way, and who mistreats his 
  underlings and kicks puppies, is certainly villainous, but 
  who cares? He’s the kind of over-the-top foe that often 
  shows up in Saturday morning cartoons. If the same 
  priest is honest to a fault, happily declaring his intent 
  to take over, and a caring and considerate overlord who 
  they are less hardy and capable of great damage. More 
  intelligent foes are also likely to ﬂ ee if badly damaged 
  unless there’s some pressing reason not to — NPCs want 
  to live, too! Since a thug’s job is to be defeated, a GM 
  shouldn’t go to great lengths to prevent PCs from easily 
  overcoming one. If a thug proves too easy, letting it be 
  overcome and making the next one harder is better than 
  straining to challenge the PCs with thugs they already 
  have on the ropes.
  Always have some idea what intelligent thugs know 
  about the local area and the plans of their masters, and 
  what it’ll take to get that information out of them. 
  Since thugs are not as great a threat, they are more often 
  captured than other kinds of antagonists.
  Untouchable
  An untouchable antagonist is one the PCs can’t 
  realistically expect actually to defeat. Th ey can overcome 
  his level bosses, stop his plots, even destroy his 
  organizations, but the untouchable himself is beyond 
  their reach. An untouchable should be obvious in his 
  immunity, to prevent player frustration, though the 
  source of his immunity may be secret for some time. A 
  villain who reappears no matter how thoroughly he’s 
  killed may be some form of demigod or greater mummy, 
  but the ﬁ rst few times he’s brought down all the players 
  know is that he will come back eventually.
  Not having too many untouchable antagonists in a 
  campaign is important, or players will grow frustrated. 
  Th ere’s nothing wrong with having an evil god or two 
  and possibly even a king’s childhood friend who’s in fact 
  a psychopath, but such elements must be used sparingly. 
  An untouchable should have some drawbacks as well, 
  to explain why he hasn’t already taken over the world 
  (unless he has, which makes for a dark campaign). An 
  evil god might be banned from direct action by other 
  gods, or a king’s childhood friend might have to guard 
  his actions so the king never realizes how vile he is.
  Additionally, don’t have an untouchable be the source 
  of all the PCs’ troubles. An untouchable is best used 
  sparingly, as a reoccurring theme rather than the source 
  of all action. If PCs manage to defeat an untouchable’s 
  current plan, they should be able to rest easy for a few 
  games, knowing the untouchable was weakened or at 
  least inconvenienced. If nothing the PCs do ever seems 
  even to slow the untouchable, the players soon grow 
  weary of dealing with him, even indirectly.
  If a campaign goes on long enough, you may decide to 
  provide a chink in an untouchable’s armor. Perhaps an 
  evil god can be defeated with a special sword the PCs 
  must go on a quest to create, or the king’s advisor can 
  be revealed for what he is through a complex scheme. 
  If the untouchable has been presented well, players 
  will leap at the chance to bring him down, and doing 
  
  62
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  treats his underlings with compassion and respect, he 
  becomes more interesting and memorable. He may still 
  be evil, willing to kill innocents and to serve dark gods, 
  but his personality is basically genial and friendly, like a 
  twisted grandfather.
  Table 4–1 provides a list of possible personality traits — 
  each with an antonym — that a GM can use to design 
  memorable NPCs. A GM may select one or two traits 
  to be most obvious (an impatient, pragmatic sorcerer 
  who demands his underlings do whatever is needed to 
  follow his orders, and that they do so immediately), and 
  a few additional traits to keep in the background (though 
  vicious, the sorcerer is generous to those who serve him 
  well and honest to those he intends to punish).
  Motivation
  Motivation is an important part of any antagonist, 
  whether she is just the overbearing noble who doesn’t 
  like a band of merry adventurers or a dark necromancer 
  bent on the destruction of all living things. Without a 
  sense of an antagonist’s motivation, sustaining the actions 
  of the villain in a believable way can prove diﬃ  cult. An 
  antagonist’s motivation is the reason she does what she 
  does, the driving force behind her actions.
  Even GMs who are excellent at planning the foul plots 
  and heinous crimes of their master villains all too often 
  overlook a simple but important question: Why? Not why 
  as in “to make the king suﬀ er,” but as in “why does he want 
  to make the king suﬀ er?” Although many villains from 
  legend and literature may seem simply to be the epitome 
  of unspeakable evil, a close examination will usually reveal 
  that they have goals and desires just as the good guys do. 
  Th ose goals just tend to be more self-centered and placed 
  in higher importance to the villain than minor concerns 
  such as laws and the lives of other creatures.
  One useful tool for determining motivation is to deﬁ ne 
  the antagonist’s basic goals as stemming from one of 
  the seven deadly sins (avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, 
  sloth, and wrath). Th is tactic goes back to personality in 
  many ways, but is more of a driving force than a sense 
  of style. An antagonist can have a vicious, uncaring 
  personality and still be driven by gluttony more than 
  wrath (producing a villain who enjoys tearing down the 
  works of others violently). Knowing what a villain really 
  wants, even if it’s just to see others suﬀ er for her own sick 
  pleasure, helps a GM portray her consistently and gives 
  players a handle on trying to understand their enemy. A 
  foe that can be comprehended is often more interesting 
  than an unreasoning monstrosity.
  For a truly well-rounded antagonist, the GM may also 
  want to decide what drives the motivation. For example, 
  an antagonist might be driven by avarice because she 
  grew up poor, with even food being scarce. Having sworn 
  never to go hungry again and learning that the poor have 
  few friends, the antagonist decides she’s earned the right 
  to gain wealth and security through any means necessary. 
  Th is character is far more interesting (and potentially 
  sympathetic) than the rich lord who simply wants a 
  bigger palace and brighter gems.
  Th e classic seven deadly sins are deﬁ ned below, and the 
  nature of antagonists driven by each brieﬂ y explored.
  Avarice
  Inordinate desire for getting and hoarding wealth; an 
  insatiable longing or desire for items of value.
  Avarice, or greed, is a common motivation for 
  antagonists. Some creatures, such as dragons and 
  Table 4-1: 
  Common Personality Traits
  1
  Polite/insulting
  2
  Sneaky/blunt
  3
  Patient/impatient
  4
  Anxious/calm
  5
  Bold/cautious
  6
  Open minded/conservative 
  7
  Stubborn/compromising
  8
  Aﬀ ectionate/shy
  9
  Generous/stingy
  10
  Sensitive/inconsiderate
  11
  Honest/deceitful
  12
  Vengeful/forgiving
  13
  Assertive/reserved
  14
  Moody/constant
  15
  Critical/accepting
  16
  Decadent/chaste
  17
  Organized/disorganized
  18
  Romantic/pragmatic
  19
  Suave/coarse
  20
  Diligent/lazy
  21
  Secretive/open
  22
  Trusting/suspicious
  23
  Loyal/traitorous
  24
  Ambitious/satisﬁ ed
  25
  Witty/dry
  26
  Conﬁ dent/insecure
  27
  Social/solitary
  28
  Modest/aggrandizing
  29
  Brave/fearful
  30
  Curious/indiﬀ erent
  
  63
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  demons, may be purely motivated by avarice. Of course, 
  avarice can drive creatures to be diligent and thrifty, 
  depending on what course seems most likely to gain 
  wealth. An overzealous tax collector or workaholic 
  father may be driven by avarice. A truly evil sorcerer 
  might work as court magician for a good king if paid 
  well enough — but if made a better oﬀ er, his loyalty 
  would be to gold.
   Envy
  A longing for another’s advantages; ill-will caused by 
  contemplation of another’s superior advantages.
  Antagonists motivated by envy have two main 
  objectives: raise themselves up above the level of those 
  around them, and tear down the very people they 
  look up to. Th is is among the most mean-spirited of 
  motivations, as envy causes villains to hate the success 
  of others. Strong envy causes antagonists to be jealous 
  of anything that seems superior to what they possess — 
  for example, a rich prince envies the love a commoner 
  has from his wife, a powerful wizard hates that he can’t 
  heal despite being able to grant wishes.
  Envy is often less obvious than other sins, as an NPC 
  wishing to be well regarded by others may conceal all his 
  envious actions to ensure no one is better liked than he.
   Gluttony
  Th e vice of excessive consumption; the act of destroying objects 
  thoughtlessly for one’s own pleasure.
  While gluttony is normally seen as eating too much, it 
  is at its core a sin of consumption. In addition to food, 
  an antagonist might easily be gluttonous regarding 
  alcohol or drugs. Less obviously, an NPC could consume 
  resources thoughtlessly — for example, the pharaoh 
  who bankrupts his kingdom and drives slaves to the 
  death to construct a mighty tomb has consumed his 
  people’s wealth and labor for his own pleasure. On a 
  more primitive scale, a monster might literally eat the 
  landscape around it, despoiling forests and leaving a 
  wasteland in its eﬀ orts to ﬁ ll itself.
  Lust
  Desire, appetite, relish, or inclination for something; lawless 
  and passionate desire of or for some person, place, or thing.
  While lust can revolve around sex, any pleasure or 
  obsession can be involved. A demon who kidnaps the 
  maiden with the sweetest voice in the world may have 
  a lust for song, while a giant might take over a town 
  because it has a lust for pies baked in the way only local 
  halﬂ ings know how. Lust is separate from gluttony only 
  in that lust is about experiencing something at any cost, 
  and gluttony is about consumption. Th e two sins are 
  often connected (along with pride).
  Pride
  A high or overweening opinion of one’s own qualities, 
  attainments, or estate; inordinate self-esteem; the exhibition 
  of this quality in attitude, bearing, conduct, and so on; 
  arrogance, haughtiness.
  
  64
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Campaign Vignettes: Seven Deadly Foes
  Rather than simply using seven deadly sins as potential motivations, in this campaign world they are real 
  supernatural powers that drive certain kinds of creatures. Demons, devils, aberrations, magical beasts, and 
  dragons are all attuned to one of the seven sins and gain powers (and weaknesses) from their connection. In 
  fact, if you use Green Ronin’s Th e Book of Fiends, there are dozens of daemons whose essential nature builds 
  upon the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins. In addition to these game mechanical changes, these creatures are 
  all strongly motivated by their listed sin, though they may be driven by other sins as well.
  Most creatures can have only one supernatural sin connection, but creatures with multiple heads may have 
  one per head.
   Avarice
  Creatures of avarice have a 25% bonus to their typical equipment or treasure. Th ey suﬀ er a –4 penalty to all 
  Sense Motive checks made to oppose Bluﬀ  checks regarding making money or gaining wealth.
   Envy
  A creature of envy may choose to be ﬁ xated on an item of value if it’s not already. It gains a +2 bonus to all 
  checks made to gain the item of ﬁ xation (including attack rolls against someone who has it). If the creature fails 
  to acquire the item of ﬁ xation within one day per level or Hit Die, it suﬀ ers a –2 morale penalty for the same 
  time period. At the end of this time, the creature is no longer ﬁ xated and may ﬁ xate on a new object.
   Gluttony
  Creatures of gluttony are one size class larger than typical members of their species (as if they had gained 
  advanced Hit Dice and gained a size class with all the ability score adjustments that entails), but actually have 
  only 2/3 their normal base speed.
   Lust
  All those half-dragons have to come from somewhere, right? Creatures of lust all gain +2 bonus to Dexterity 
  and a +4 bonus to Charisma, and the ability to cast charm monster once per day per point of Charisma 
  modiﬁ er (minimum of 1). A creature that saves against this spell-like ability is immune to it for 24 hours.
  Lust creatures are not as powerful as others of their kind, taking a –2 penalty to Strength. Additionally, they 
  take a –2 penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill, checks, and saving checks against targets they have 
  unsuccessfully tried to charm in the past 24 hours.
   Pride
  Creatures of pride have a +4 bonus to Charisma and a –4 penalty to Wisdom. Th ey gain a +2 morale bonus to 
  all attacks, saves, and checks until they roll a natural 1 after which they suﬀ er a –2 penalty until the end of the 
  current encounter and for 1 hour afterwards.
   Sloth
  Creatures of sloth are lazy and indolent, but surprisingly tough. Th ey gain a +8 bonus to Constitution scores 
  and a +4 bonus to natural armor, but take a –4 penalty to Dexterity and a –2 penalty to all Listen, Search, and 
  Spot checks. Th ese creatures must sleep 50% more than typical members of their race or be fatigued. Th ey must 
  either rest for 1 minute or make a DC 15 Constitution check after being active a number of minutes equal 
  to their Constitution, or become fatigued. Creatures of sloth are never immune to sleep aﬀ ects, and take a –4 
  penalty to all saves against sleep.
   Wrath
  Creatures of wrath can go into a rage, just like a barbarian. Th ey may do this once per hour, and once the rage 
  ends, they remain fatigued until 1 hour has passed. Further, creatures of wrath must go into a rage if they can 
  when insulted or injured, unless they succeed at a DC 25 Will save.
  Th is campaign could have a diﬀ erent set of sins, potentially also adding cowardice, apathy, or malice as 
  supernatural forces. Heroes in this campaign do better against sin-driven foes if they can reveal their 
  supernatural connection and develop tactics designed to take advantage of each sin’s weakness.
  
  65
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Pride inﬂ uences all an NPC’s actions. Th e deﬁ ning trait 
  is a sense that the prideful NPC is better than everyone 
  else, which means her concerns should come before those 
  of others. Pride is often connected to gluttony and lust 
  (the prideful NPC sees no reason why her own pleasures 
  shouldn’t come at the cost of others), and crossing a 
  prideful NPC frequently leads to a wrath motivation. 
  Foes of pride often expect others to be able to see their 
  superiority and may not understand why others don’t 
  view them as entitled to whatever they want. Th ese are 
  the evil warlords who oﬀ er PCs jobs or positions within 
  their rising empire and are confused and insulted when 
  PCs decline.
   Sloth
  Physical or mental inactivity; disinclination to action, exertion, 
  or labor; a preference for leisure over rigorous activity.
  Being lazy may not seem like much of a motivation for 
  a character, but it can be great. A slothful wizard, for 
  instance, might be constantly using those “shortcut” 
  spells that are always forbidden. Demon summoning, 
  charm, necromancy: like the dark side of the arcane, 
  the “quick and easy path” may well lead an antagonist 
  into horrid villainy even if he was originally a nice guy. 
  Similarly, a king who can’t be bothered to pay attention 
  to the aﬀ airs of his kingdom or a guard captain who 
  doesn’t want to send out patrols into the wilderness 
  can be antagonists who cause trouble for PCs through 
  laziness. Sloth can also drive NPCs to violate the rights 
  of others to save themselves eﬀ ort — an enchanter who 
  charms entire towns to serve him is motivated by sloth, 
  for example.
  Wrath
  Vehement or violent anger; intense exasperation or 
  resentment; deep indignation; anger displayed in action; 
  the manifestation of anger or fury, especially by way of 
  retributive punishment; vengeance.
  Th ere are at least two possible takes on wrath. Th e 
  standard motivation of revenge is well represented in 
  literature, as villains seek retribution on those who they 
  believe have wronged them, rightly or not. Even if using 
  some other sin as the villain’s original motivation, the 
  desire for vengeance can easily be added on, especially 
  if the PCs have already thwarted her original plans. An 
  antagonist may have led such a harsh life that she’s angry 
  with the whole world, which is where many dark-god 
  worshiping cultists come from.
  Th e other option is simple madness. An NPC who 
  couldn’t control her anger could quickly become a 
  villain, and psychopaths are often portrayed as angry 
  at everything and everyone. Even if PCs can come to 
  understand such a foe, they can never calm or reason 
  with her, making her a particularly implacable foe.
   - Allies - 
  In many roleplaying games, the GM usually has an NPC 
  that is more powerful, or at least more important, than 
  the PCs. Th is character serves as a leader or advisor to the 
  PCs, guiding them to ﬁ nd the adventures the GM has 
  prepared. In some cases, the NPC is simply a trusted ally 
  who is well connected, perhaps a minor noble or guild 
  leader. Sometimes, the NPC is a powerful force in the 
  campaign world, knowing what evils are most dangerous 
  and sending the PCs to deal with matters he’s too busy 
  to handle personally.
  NPCs of this sort are a great GM tool. Th ey can guide 
  PCs to adventures, take care of problems the GM 
  doesn’t want to spend time on, and heap rewards on 
  PCs when they succeed. Th ey can also serve as fonts of 
  lore and information, resources for buying and selling 
  gear or getting specialist work done, and causes of PC 
  motivation. A well-liked NPC ally in need can often get 
  PCs to go places they’d never travel to for mere proﬁ t.
  Such NPCs can be problematic in some games, because 
  they represent a potential source of considerable power. If 
  the PCs do tasks at a patron’s behest, they can reasonably 
  expect him to do favors for them periodically. A powerful 
  wizard might be asked to cast analyze dweomer or a 
  baron used as an easy way to get rid of prisoners or sell 
  recovered treasure. Even worse, if the PCs decide they 
  really can’t handle a villain, they may expect their mentor 
  to take care of the problem.
  In some games, this development isn’t a problem. If the 
  PCs can’t defeat a villain, their patron gives them aid 
  and advice to increase their chances — or takes over 
  altogether. If you and all the players are satisﬁ ed with 
  this failsafe, don’t worry about it. Especially if the PCs 
  have earned a patron’s trust through extensive good 
  deeds, allow them to gain a beneﬁ t from their work if no 
  one is bothered by it. Yet for most players the idea that 
  their success or failure doesn’t matter because a powerful 
  friend will ﬁ x all their mistakes removes much of the 
  heroic storytelling and dramatic tension from the game. 
  In this case, ﬁ nd a way to restrict or make the patron a 
  less attractive option for the PCs to turn to.
  One common answer is to have the ally be tied to duties 
  and other allies that leave him little time to help PCs 
  (or at least prevent him from dealing with a speciﬁ c 
  problem). Th e baron of a land bordering a dangerous 
  wilderness may be so busy defending his people, meeting 
  with foreign dignitaries, and providing troops for his 
  liege, he simply can’t spare the time or resources to aid 
  the PCs if they fail at some task. He can oﬀ er them a safe 
  
  66
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  haven in which to rest and train, maps and lore about his 
  lands and neighboring regions, a thriving market to buy 
  and sell goods, and use of his court wizard to identify 
  magic items, but not troops or powerful magic if they get 
  in over their heads.
  Another possibility is to have allies be under the 
  constraints of some legal or mystic rules. An angel might 
  be able to give a group of crusaders advice and lore, 
  but be forbidden by the rules of outsiders to intervene 
  directly in mortal aﬀ airs. A bardic guild member might 
  be willing to act as a sage and information source, but 
  if her guild leader dislikes the PCs, she can hardly go 
  with them on adventures for fear of losing her position. 
  A paladin might be sworn to defend a particular temple 
  from all threats, and thus not be free to go deal with 
  problems elsewhere.
  Finally, allies might deal with the PCs’ failures — but 
  only at a cost. A retired mercenary might raise an army, 
  but the army must be paid. A king’s court wizard can 
  give the PCs minor aid, but if she helps them too much, 
  the king will claim anything they ﬁ nd as royal property. 
  Th is method is similar to the idea behind the planar ally 
  spells: help is available, but it isn’t free.
   Mentors
  A mentor is a powerful character that teaches and guides 
  a PC. Mentors are often old family friends, retired uncles 
  or aunts, or paid experts who value the PC as a favored 
  student. Th ey start at a higher level of expertise than the 
  PC they instruct, but not necessarily a higher power level. 
  As they generally aren’t adventuring anymore, mentors 
  are likely to fall behind the PC they assist. Th at’s not a 
  problem, for even a lower-level NPC can assist a PC by 
  teaching a few tricks up his sleeve, giving good advice, 
  and making introductions to important contacts.
  Any player can write a mentor into his character’s 
  history, and depending on the GM, may be able to 
  go back to such an NPC for advice. An exceptional 
  mentor is a valuable resource, however, and requires the 
  expenditure of a feat. A character with the Mentor feat 
  (see Appendix One) has access to a skilled, trustworthy 
  NPC to give advice, teach, and act as a contact. Th ough 
  the PC gets only one mentor when taking the feat, that 
  mentor can change as needed for the PC’s advancement. 
  Handling such transitions is up to the GM, but one 
  mentor will commonly pass the PC onto someone more 
  experienced or skilled in a diﬀ erent ﬁ eld if the PC needs 
  something else from a mentor.
  A PC can establish a mentor as part of his character 
  history or ﬁ nd a mentor later in his career. A common 
  saying is, “when the student is ready, the master will 
  appear,” and this is the case for PCs that take the Mentor 
  feat at later levels. A mentor may be drawn to a PC to 
  pass on secret skills, may see a PC in action and sense a 
  kindred spirit, or may simply be hired to teach advanced 
  techniques of the PC’s chosen path. A mentor doesn’t 
  take orders from the PC he’s associated with, but does 
  have a friendly attitude and feel a responsibility to advise 
  and train the PC.
  
  67
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  You should at least sketch out the mentor, though 
  frequently, exact game stats aren’t necessary. Th e 
  mentor should be appropriate to the chosen path 
  of the PC taking the feat, including future plans 
  the player may have. If the player has expressed 
  interest in a particular prestige class or multiclass 
  combination, make the mentor a member of that class 
  or combination if possible.
  Mentors,  Training, and Advice
  A mentor doesn’t go adventuring with PCs, instead 
  teaching them and training with them during their 
  downtime. In games that require training time and/or 
  costs to gain levels or special abilities, a mentor meets 
  those requirements (see Alternate Advancement in 
  Chapter Six).
  Mentors freely give advice and training to the PCs 
  they’re associated with (if using the training rules 
  presented in Chapter Six, a mentor provides training 
  for free and in 75% of the normal time). Mentors 
  should be considered to have an Intelligence of 14 or 
  greater and maximum ranks in one or two Knowledge 
  skills associated with a PC’s chosen path. For example, 
  a wizard’s mentor is likely to have Knowledge (arcana) 
  and Knowledge (the planes) at maximum ranks, while 
  a ﬁ ghter’s mentor has maximum cross-class ranks 
  in Knowledge (nobility and royalty). A mentor may 
  not know the answer to a question immediately (if a 
  Knowledge check is failed), but has access to archives 
  and contacts of his own. Given a month’s time, a mentor 
  can essentially “take 20” on a Knowledge check, gaining 
  information and passing on information to the PC.
  Mentors and Favors
  A mentor can also be expected to do minor favors for 
  a PC, as long as they don’t require risk or cost on the 
  mentor’s part. For example, a mentor might cast analyze 
  dweomer; watch over an orphaned child while the PC 
  seeks out another family member for the child; write a 
  letter of introduction to a member of nobility; or allow 
  the PC and her friends to rest in his stronghold, as long 
  as they aren’t hiding from authorities. A PC should be 
  able to count on gaining one minor favor from a mentor 
  at each character level.
  A PC can always ask for more major favors, which 
  you’re free to grant or not depending on the situation, 
  the relationship with the mentor, and the risk or 
  cost involved. If a PC abuses this privilege, a mentor 
  warns that another favor of any magnitude ends their 
  relationship. Th e mentor will grant another reasonable 
  request, but anything major causes the mentor to sever 
  ties with the PC (after the favor is granted), causing 
  the PC to lose the beneﬁ ts of the Mentor feat. No new 
  mentor is found, and the feat is lost.
  Mentors and Prestige Classes
  A mentor with a prestige class can train a PC to gain that 
  class more easily. Having a mentor with a given prestige 
  class qualiﬁ es as being accepted or trained by a member 
  of the prestige class (as required by some prestige classes). 
  Additionally, the mentor allows the PC to forgo one 
  skill or feat requirement of the class’s prerequisites. For 
  example, a hierophant mentor can train a druid to become 
  a hierophant without 15 ranks of Knowledge (religion) 
  or without a metamagic feat (though not both). Th e PC 
  still must be able to cast 7th-level divine spells, as that 
  prerequisite is not skill or feat based.
  A GM shouldn’t allow PCs to gain prestige classes at a 
  signiﬁ cantly lower level than would normally be possible, 
  even with a mentor’s help. As a general guideline, 
  characters shouldn’t be able to take prestige classes if they 
  couldn’t qualify for it at their level, even if a mentor allows 
  them to overcome a prerequisite. Th e mentor’s aid is 
  designed to allow PCs to enter classes they may not have 
  carefully prepared for, not to gain powerful classes earlier 
  in their career.
  Mentors and Secret Training
  Mentors should provide some secret training to PCs, 
  making new spells or feats available as a result of 
  their training. Th is can be an excellent opportunity 
  to introduce new elements into a campaign, and the 
  plethora of d20 rule books available are an excellent 
  resource for secret spells and feats. If a player seems to 
  want his character to do something the rules don’t quite 
  allow, a GM may decide to write a new feat or spell to 
  meet the player’s desire. Mentors are tools for allowing 
  PCs to gain such bonuses, and since they must expend 
  a feat to gain them, balance is preserved (as long as 
  the spells and feats granted through secret training are 
  themselves balanced).
  PCs should receive about one such secret every three 
  levels they have their mentor. Th e spell must be learned 
  and the feat taken with a free slot using the normal 
  rules. Secret training doesn’t provide “bonus” spells and 
  feats, just new options PCs can take or not at their next 
  opportunity.
  A GM who doesn’t want to go through the trouble of 
  writing up or adopting new feats or spells can instead 
  make available existing spells or feats for which a PC 
  wouldn’t normally qualify. Th is must be done carefully, 
  and no more than one secret should be revealed per 
  three levels gained after a PC takes the Mentor feat. For 
  example, a sorcerer with a wizard mentor might be given 
  access to an arcane version of detect undead, or a ranger 
  with a ﬁ ghter mentor might gain access to the Weapon 
  Specialization feat with a single weapon despite not 
  being a ﬁ ghter himself.
  
  68
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Mentors should not unbalance a game or steal the glory 
  of other PCs. A ranger with Weapon Specialization may 
  make a player with a ﬁ ghter character feel diminished 
  — make sure the ranger doesn’t get the opportunity to 
  outshine the ﬁ ghter. If the ﬁ ghter is specialized with the 
  greataxe, allow the ranger to specialize with longbows 
  but not greatswords is probably all right. Never give 
  spellcasters access to spells iconic to other classes: 
  wizards, for example, should never get cure spells, nor 
  should druids gain magic missile.
   Mentor Feat
  Th e Mentor feat appears in Appendix One, but the most 
  important rules for its use are presented here. A character 
  with the Mentor feat has a student rating, representing 
  how good a student she is, and thus how prestigious 
  a mentor she attracts. A character’s student rating is 
  equal to her character level (representing her overall 
  competence), plus her Intelligence modiﬁ er (representing 
  her ability to learn), plus her Charisma modiﬁ er 
  (representing likeability). Th is rating is compared to the 
  chart below to determine the mentor’s starting level. If 
  the mentor is not an adventurer, the PC should always 
  be able to get a hold of the mentor by going to his base 
  of operations, but the mentor gains only one level for 
  every three levels the student gains. If the mentor is still 
  adventuring, there’s only a 50% chance of getting a hold 
  of him on short notice, but the mentor gains one level for 
  every two the student gains.
  Obviously, a character may seem better oﬀ  taking the 
  Mentor feat later in her career. A 1st-level PC with 
  a student rating of 5 gets an 8th-level mentor. If the 
  mentor is not an adventurer, when the PC is 13th level, 
  the mentor will only be 12th level, while if the PC waited 
  until 12th level to take the Mentor feat (with a student 
  rating of 16, 11 better due to higher levels), the mentor 
  received would be 16th level. However, the character who 
  takes a mentor at lower levels gains the beneﬁ t of that 
  mentor — asking favors and receiving secret training 
  — for 11 more levels, balancing the beneﬁ t of a higher-
  level mentor later in life.
   - Simplified  NPC Design - 
  One of the constant problems a GM faces is generating 
  NPCs. Th ere are extensive aids to assist with this in 
  various books, ranging from pre-written NPCs to 
  character creation computer programs. Unfortunately, 
  no system can give exactly the right numbers for every 
  aspect of every conceivable character. Eventually, every 
  GM will run into a situation in which the game stats of 
  an NPC come into play and no pre-generated character 
  is close enough. Without taking time out from the game, 
  the GM has no way of running the character perfectly.
  Th e thing is, the players don’t get to see an NPC’s game 
  stats. As long as the results of interacting with the NPC 
  seem reasonable, the players have no way of knowing that 
  it wasn’t generated “correctly” in exact accordance to the 
  rules. Especially for NPCs that aren’t likely to be dealt with 
  extensively, approximating an NPC’s abilities is perfectly 
  appropriate and can be quite a time saver. Approximating 
  applies to the character’s saving throws, attack rolls, and 
  skills. Sketching out an NPC’s abilities in the roughest 
  form is good enough to run the character without taking 
  the time to make sure each number is perfectly accurate.
  Th e advantage this approach has over depending on pre-
  generated NPCs is that any class (including those you 
  take from unusual sources or make up yourself), at any 
  level, can be quickly approximated. Th is isn’t the best way 
  to create major foes for a party, but it does the trick if 
  the PCs unexpectedly pick a ﬁ ght or go oﬀ  the planned 
  course of your adventure. Th e main drawback is that the 
  numbers won’t be quite right, and rules-savvy players 
  may realize as much if they interact too much with the 
  sketched-out NPCs.
  Ability scores for sketched NPCs are one 16, two 14s, and 
  the rest 10s. Th is array isn’t realistic or exciting, but it does 
  well enough to make ability checks if needed and to ﬁ gure 
  save DCs for special abilities or spells. Th e ability bonuses 
  are ignored when ﬁ guring skills, saves, and attack bonuses. 
  Instead, these stats are all assigned a ﬂ at number based on 
  Table 4-2: Mentor Level
  Student 
  Rating
  Mentor 
  Starting 
  Level
  Student 
  Rating
  Mentor 
  Starting 
  Level
  0 or less
  5
  16
  16
  1
  6
  17
  16
  2
  6
  18
  17
  3
  7
  19
  17
  4
  7
  20
  17
  5
  8
  21
  18
  6
  8
  22
  18
  7
  9
  23
  18
  8
  9
  24
  19
  9
  10
  25
  19
  10
  11
  26
  19
  11
  12
  27
  10
  12
  13
  28
  20
  13
  14
  29
  20
  14
  15
  30+
  21
  15
  16
  
  69
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  being a major, intermediate, or minor focus of the NPC 
  (as determined by Table 4–3). Th is method saves time 
  adding all possible variables to the NPC’s ﬁ nal numbers 
  and produces results close enough to what’s believable.
  A sketched NPC gets a number of class skills equal to 
  one-half its skill points per level as major focuses; the 
  rest of its class skills are intermediate focuses, and cross-
  class skills are minor focuses. NPC with a good base 
  attack bonus progression (as a ﬁ ghter) are given a major 
  focus for their attack roll, while those with an average 
  progression (as a cleric or rogue) gain an intermediate 
  focus and those with a poor progression (as a wizard) 
  gain a minor focus.  
  If the NPC is multiclassed, just pick a number of major 
  focuses from all its class skills equal to half the skill 
  points per level of its most favorable class. All other skills 
  are treated as minor focuses. Its attack progression is 
  treated as major if all its classes have good progression, 
  minor if all its classes have poor progressions, and 
  otherwise intermediate.
  All characters gain two saves as intermediate focuses, 
  with the third save a minor focus.
  For example when sketching an 8th-level rogue, the NPC 
  gets 4 major focuses (half its 8 skill points per level). 
  Picking from it’s class skills list, Hide, Move Silently, Spot 
  and Tumble are chosen as major focuses, giving the NPC 
  a bonus of (8th level + 3) +11 to those skills. All remaining 
  class skills are treated as having a (2/3 of 8th level = 5 
  1/3) +5 bonus. Any other skill has a ([8th level / 2 = 4] 
  – 2) +2 bonus. As rogues have average base attack bonus 
  progression, the NPC gets a +5 bonus to all attack rolls. It 
  gets a major focus in two saves, obviously Reﬂ ex being one. 
  Making a quick assessment, the character ends up with +2 
  Fortitude, +5 Reﬂ ex, +5 Will.
  For a 4th-level ﬁ ghter/4th-level rogue, the NPC still 
  gets 4 major focuses (half the rogue’s more favorable 
  8 skill points/level). Choosing from the combined 
  skill lists, the NPC is given Balance, Disable Device, 
  Intimidate, and Search, which are major focuses (+11 
  bonus). All other skills are minor focuses (+2 bonus). 
  Table 4-3: 
  Sketched NPC Bonuses
  Character 
  Focus
  Sketched Bonus
  Major
  NPC level +3
  Intermediate
  2/3 NPC level
  Minor
  1/2 NPC focus –2 (minimum 0)
  No
  +0
  Table 4-4: 
  Sketched NPC Bonuses by Level
  Character 
  Level
  Major 
  Focus
  Intermediate 
  Focus
  Minor 
  Focus
  1st
  +4
  +0
  +0
  2nd
  +5
  +1
  +0
  3rd
  +6
  +2
  +0
  4th
  +7
  +2
  +0
  5th
  +8
  +3
  +0
  6th
  +9
  +4
  +1
  7th
  +10
  +4
  +1
  8th
  +11
  +5
  +2
  9th
  +12
  +6
  +2
  10th
  +13
  +6
  +3
  11th
  +14
  +7
  +3
  12th
  +15
  +8
  +4
  13th
  +16
  +8
  +4
  14th
  +17
  +9
  +5
  15th
  +18
  +10
  +5
  16th
  +19
  +10
  +6
  17th
  +20
  +11
  +6
  18th
  +21
  +12
  +7
  19th
  +22
  +12
  +7
  20th
  +23
  +13
  +8
  Table 4-5: 
  Sketched NPC Feats
  Character Type
  Feats
  Arcane spellcaster
  Combat Casting, 
  Heighten Spell, Spell 
  Focus
  Divine spellcaster
  Augment Summoning, 
  Combat Casting, Spell 
  Penetration
  Melee combatant 
  (Str)
  Cleave, Improved 
  Critical, Power Attack, 
  Weapon Focus, Weapon 
  Specialization (if a 
  ﬁ ghter)
  Melee combatant 
  (Dex)
  Combat Expertise, 
  Combat Reﬂ exes, Dodge, 
  Mobility, Spring Attack, 
  Weapon Finesse
  Ranged combatant
  Point Blank Shot, Precise 
  Shot, Rapid Fire
  Sneak
  Dodge, Improved 
  Initiative, Quick Draw
  
  70
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Since only one of the two classes has a good base attack 
  progression, the character has a +5 bonus to all attack 
  rolls. Since Fortitude and Reﬂ ex are the two best saves 
  of its two classes, the character ends up with +5 Fort, +5 
  Reﬂ ex, +2 Will.
  Assume that half a sketched NPC’s feats go to things 
  that don’t show up in an encounter. Th ese might 
  be feats that add to skills (already counted in their 
  sketched skill totals) or that apply to situations that 
  don’t come up. Suggested feats, in the order they should 
  be taken, are listed in Table 4–5 for typical character 
  types. In some cases, prerequisites are ignored — that’s 
  ﬁ ne, as players don’t need to know exactly how an NPC 
  got a particular feat.
  100  NPC Quirks
  Sometimes, all an NPC needs to be interesting and 
  memorable is a “hook” — a noticeable, unusual trait that 
  sets him apart from other NPCs. Anything can be a 
  hook: a style of dress, a mannerism, a deformity, or even 
  an attitude. A list of 100 potential hooks are listed below, 
  allowing you to search for a hook appropriate to a given 
  NPC or just to roll 1d100.
  Many of these hooks can be over-the-top or played 
  down. While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional 
  comic relief in a game, it’s not a good idea for all NPCs 
  to seem outlandish. Even if a trait suggests it is a major 
  part of an NPC’s make-up, alter it to be no more than 
  a quirk.
  1 
  Has multiple piercings (nose, ear, lip, etc.)
  2 
  Has unusual facial hair (split and braided beard, 
  huge moustache, or any if female)
  3 
  Unusual hair style (bald on half of head, tonsure, etc.)
  4 
  Falls in love with a random PC
  5 
  Dislikes a random PC
  6 
  Mistakes a random PC for someone known in 
  childhood
  7 
  Talks to a pet (without speaking pet’s language)
  8 
  Has an unusual pet (insect, monkey, baby basilisk, etc.)
  9 
  Has no interest in money (may be interested in 
  information, sexual favors, food, or some other 
  non-monetary recompense)
  10 
  Has an obvious or unusual sexual orientation
  11 
  Constantly hums or sings
  12 
  Constantly plays a game (cards, chess, or even a 
  drinking game)
  13 
  Constantly ﬁ ddles with a small object (coin, 
  dagger, wand, etc.)
  14 
  Constantly sharpens a weapon
  15 
  Constantly whispers and checks to make sure is 
  not being spied on
  16 
  Speaks only in rhyme
  17 
  Drunkard
  18 
  Drug addict
  19 
  Devoutly religious and pious
  20 
  Finds everything funny
  21 
  Makes threats with no intent of carrying them out
  22 
  Missing an eye (may have decorated eye patch)
  23 
  Wears cheap, obviously fake jewelry
  24 
  Wears clothing inappropriate to gender, station, 
  or job
  25 
  Smokes a pipe and blows smoke rings
  26 
  Chews tobacco
  27 
  Covered in scars
  28 
  Missing a hand (may have a hook)
  29 
  Missing a leg (may have a peg)
  20 
  Missing both legs
  31 
  Pretends to be missing both legs
  32 
  Kleptomaniac
  33 
  Delusional
  34 
  Sensitive to criticism
  35 
  Tells unfunny jokes
  36 
  Enjoys an unusual and potentially disgusting food 
  or drink
  37 
  Sleeps more than usual, and constantly looks tired
  38 
  Constantly complains
  39 
  Has a facial tick (nervous habit)
  40 
  Paranoid
  41 
  Speech impediment
  42 
  Th ick foreign accent
  42 
  Limps
  44 
  Has a humped back
  45 
  Talks to an imaginary friend
  46 
  Not symmetrical (one oversized or undersized 
  limb, eye, ear, etc.)
  47 
  Skin rash
  
  71
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  48 
  Missing several or all teeth
  49 
  Missing nose
  50 
  Extremely bad breath
  51 
  Has an animal-like appearance (big and burly as a 
  bear, thin and lispy as a snake, etc.)
  52 
  Wears a monocle
  53 
  Sensitive to light (possibly albino)
  54 
  Easily distracted
  55 
  Arrogant
  56 
  Air-headed
  57 
  Disgusted by the sight or smell of something 
  common (meat, ﬂ owers, etc.)
  58 
  Only wears a particular color (green, black, red, etc.)
  59 
  Constantly sweats
  60 
  Deaf (or nearly deaf)
  61 
  Odious personal habit (picks nose, cleans ear wax 
  with a splinter, bites ﬁ ngernails)
  62 
  Diseased (minor, unless the GM wants to turn it 
  into a more dangerous encounter)
  63 
  Has ﬁ ts
  64 
  Takes no responsibility for own actions, blames 
  everything wrong on others
  65 
  Distinctive birthmark or blemish
  66 
  Distant relative of one of the PCs
  67 
  Extremely old
  68 
  Surprisingly young
  69 
  Dresses provocatively
  70 
  Bowlegged
  71 
  Very chapped or scaly skin
  72 
  Oily skin and greasy, ﬂ aking scalp
  73 
  Pockmarked skin (acne scars or similar aﬄ  iction)
  74 
  Serious burn scars
  75 
  Distinctive nose (hook, broken, missing, long and 
  narrow, bulbous, always ruddy, always runny)
  76 
  Club footed
  77 
  Heavily calloused hands
  78 
  Wears metal ﬁ ner-caps
  79 
  Goes barefoot; has thick, calloused feet
  80 
  Pigeon-toed
  81 
  Bug-eyed
  82 
  Squints
  83 
  Lazy eye (wanders independently of its mate)
  84 
  Slack-jawed, constant dumbfounded expression
  85 
  Always tardy and easily distracted
  86 
  Constantly eating
  87 
  Disguises gender or species (not necessarily well)
  88 
  One obvious facial mole with a hair
  89 
  Th ickly freckled
  90 
  Knock-kneed
  91 
  Unusual eye color (yellow, red, bloodshot, black, 
  metallic, milky white), or false eyes (glass or 
  wood)
  92 
  Unusual hair color (blue, green, gold, dull red, 
  streaked, pink) or decoration (feathers, beads, 
  silver comb with jewels, etc.)
  93 
  Unusual skin color (alabaster white to midnight 
  black, grey, greenish, yellowish, bluish)
  94 
  Unusual teeth (wooden, gold, bejeweled, crooked, 
  huge canines)
  95 
  Smaller than normal for species (may even be a 
  smaller size category)
  96 
  Larger than normal for species (may even be a 
  larger size category)
  97 
  Has an imaginary friend
  98 
  Pyromaniac (constantly burning something)
  99 
  Poker-faced (apparently emotionless)
  100 Stunningly beautiful in a way that’s hard to 
  describe
  - NPCs with APM Classes -
  Th e Advanced Player’s Manual introduced six new core 
  character classes: eldritch weaver, evangelist, scout, 
  spellmaster, thanemage, and warpriest. GMs wishing 
  to use these classes in their games shouldn’t let players 
  have all the fun. NPCs of new classes are a great way to 
  surprise players used to standard classes and to provide 
  examples of how the new classes work in the GM’s 
  campaign. In general, NPCs of these classes can replace 
  any NPC with standard classes (replace clerics with 
  evangelists and warpriests, sorcerers and wizards with 
  eldritch weavers and spellmasters, ﬁ ghters and paladins 
  with thanemages, and rogues and rangers with scouts).
  Of course, writing up numerous NPCs is time-
  consuming. To assist GMs in introducing NPCs of these 
  new classes, a number of stat blocks are provided below. 
  Basic information (hit points, melee and ranged attack 
  bonuses, AC, saves, skill points, feats, and equipment) 
  is given for levels 1–20 of all six classes. You can use 
  these stat blocks to generate NPCs quickly and easily 
  by deﬁ ning skills and feats taken and details about 
  equipment. You still need to total up skill points spent 
  and modify the basic stats depending on the NPC’s race, 
  but most of the math is already done for you.
  Each class also has three full stat blocks, presenting 
  the class at 5th, 10th, and 15th level. Th ese complete 
  stat blocks can be used for quick encounters or as the 
  starting point for major, long-term NPCs. Th ough skills 
  and gear are selected for these NPCs, you can easily 
  personalize them with unspent gold or by swapping out 
  skill ranks or feats.
  Th e stat blocks are easily read, as deﬁ ned below.
  Hp: Typical hit points for the given class and level, 
  including Con modiﬁ ers and max hp at ﬁ rst level, but 
  otherwise based on average rolls.
  AC: Total AC, including special abilities, armor and 
  ability scores.
  
  72
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Melee and Ranged: Total attack bonus for a character 
  of the given class and level with the ability scores and 
  equipment listed.
  Saves: Th e total save bonuses for an NPC of the given 
  class and level with the ability scores and equipment listed.
  Skill Pts./Feats: Total number of skill points and feats 
  earned at each level.
  Gear: Th e gear listed at each level shows the gp unspent, 
  and the equipment change for that level. For example, a 
  7th level eldritch weaver has 2,800 unspent gp. By looking 
  at the equipment gained at each level before 7th, a GM 
  can determine the eldritch weaver has am mundane melee 
  weapon, a +1 magical ranged weapon, bracers of armor +1, 
  and a ring of protection +1. Upon reaching 8th level the 
  eldritch weaver’s unspent cash changes to 1,000 gp and he 
  gains a headband of intellect +2.
  Starting Ability Scores: Th ese are the ability scores the 
  character has at 1st level, not counting any modiﬁ ers for 
  race. Th ese are the ability scores of an elite character – a 
  more run of the mill character has 10s and 11s, and likely 
  doesn’t reach higher than 9th level.
  Increased Ability Scores: Th is shows what the 
  character’s ability scores increase to as he gains levels. 
  Increases from magical items (listed in the gear column) 
  are noted in parenthesis.
  NPC  Eldritch Weaver
  Starting Ability Scores: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 15, 
  Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Increased Ability Scores: 4th, 16 Int; 8th, 17 Int (19); 
  12th, 18 Int (20); 13th, 18 Int (22);16th, 19 Int 
  (25); 20th, 20 Int (26).
  Sample 5th-Level NPC Eldritch Weaver
  Human eldritch weaver 5; CR 5; Medium humanoid 
  (human); HD 5d4+8; hp 23; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 
  13, touch 12, ﬂ at-footed 11; Base Atk +2; Grap +1; 
  Atk +1 melee (1d8–1, morningstar) or +5 ranged 
  (1d10+1/19–20, +1 heavy crossbow); Full Atk +1 melee 
  (1d8–1, morningstar) or +5 ranged (1d10+1/19–20, 
  +1 heavy crossbow); SA eldritch weaving (caster level 
  increase—thread of the rogue), minor thread power 
  (evade foe, harmonic performance, lesser draconic adept, 
  ward against blows), spells; SQ summon familiar; AL 
  NG; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, 
  Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +9, Diplomacy +8, 
  Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (the planes) +11, 
  Listen +5, Spellcraft +15 (+17 deciphering spells on 
  scrolls), Spot +6 (+9 in bright light), Survival +1 (+3 on 
  other planes), Use Magic Device +10 (+12 using scrolls); 
  Combat Casting, Magical Aptitude, Toughness.
  
  73
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Th reads: Th read of cantrips, thread of the rogue, thread 
  of the skald, thread of wards, thread of the wyrm. 
  Eldritch Weaver Spells Prepared: (6/4/3/1; save DC 
  13 + spell level) 0 — detect magic (x2), detect poison, ﬂ are, 
  ghost sound, ray of frost; 1st — alarm, hypnotism, mage 
  armor, protection from evil; 2nd — blindness/deafness, 
  resist energy, see invisibility; 3rd — ﬂ y, protection from 
  energy.
  Spellbook: 0 — all; 1st — alarm, endure elements, 
  hypnotism, jump, mage armor, protection from evil, sleep, 
  slip bonds*, unseen servant; 2nd — blindness/deafness, cat’s 
  grace, eagle’s splendor, knock, protection from arrows, resist 
  Table 4-6: NPC Eldritch Weaver
  Level hp AC Melee Ranged
  Saves
  Skill pts./ 
  Feats
  Spells per Day
  Gear
  1st
  5
  12
  –1
  +3
  +1/+2/+3
  24/1
  5/2
  Mundane melee, mwk ranged, 500 gp
  2nd
  8
  12
  +0
  +4
  +1/+2/+4
  30/1
  6/3
  As 1st level, except 1,600 gp
  3rd
  12
  13
  +0
  +4
  +2/+3/+4
  36/2
  6/3/1
  Mundane melee, mwk ranged, bracers +1, 
  1,100 gp
  4th
  15
  13
  +1
  +5
  +2/+3/+5
  43/2
  6/3/2
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +1, 900 gp
  5th
  19
  13
  +1
  +5
  +2/+3/+5
  50/2
  6/4/3/1
  As 4th level, except 1,900 gp
  6th
  22
  14
  +2
  +6
  +3/+4/+6
  57/3
  6/4/3/2
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +1, 
  ring +1, 1,200 gp
  7th
  26
  14
  +2
  +6
  +3/+4/+6
  64/3
  6/4/3/3
  As 6th level, except 2,800 gp
  8th
  29
  14
  +3
  +7
  +3/+4/+7
  71/3
  6/5/4/3/2
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +1, 
  ring +1, headband +2, 1,000 gp
  9th
  33
  15
  +3
  +7
  +4/+5/+7
  78/4
  6/5/4/3/3
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +1, 
  amulet +1, ring +1, headband +2, 1,600 gp
  10th
  36
  15
  +4
  +8
  +5/+6/+9
  85/4
  6/5/4/4/3/1
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +1, amulet 
  +1, ring +1, headband +2, cloak +1,  4,600 gp
  11th
  40
  16
  +4
  +8
  +5/+6/+9
  92/4
  6/5/5/4/3/2
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, amulet 
  +1, ring +1, headband +2, cloak +1,  6,600 gp
  12th
  43
  16
  +5/+0
  +9/+4
  +6/+7/+10
  100/5
  6/6/5/4/4/3/1
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, 
  amulet +1, ring +1, headband +2, cloak +1,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 9,600 gp
  13th
  47
  16
  +5/+0
  +9/+4
  +6/+7/+10
  108/5
  6/6/6/5/4/4/3
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, 
  amulet +1, ring +1, headband +4, cloak +1,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 5,500 gp
  14th
  50
  18
  +6/+1
  +10/+5
  +6/+7/+11
  116/5
  6/6/6/5/4/4/3/1
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, 
  amulet +2, ring +2, headband +4, cloak +1,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 3,500 gp
  15th
  54
  18
  +6/+1
  +10/+5
  +9/+10/+13
  124/6
  6/6/6/5/5/4/4/2
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, 
  amulet +2, ring +2, headband +4, cloak +3,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 9,500 gp
  16th
  57
  18
  +7/+2
  +11/+6
  +9/+10/+14
  132/6
  6/6/6/6/5/5/4/4/1
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, 
  amulet +2, ring +2, headband +6, cloak +3,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 7,500 gp
  17th
  61
  20
  +7/+2
  +11/+6
  +9/+10/+14
  140/6
  6/6/6/6/5/5/4/4/2
  Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +2, 
  amulet +3, ring +3, headband +6, cloak +3,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 10,500 gp
  18th
  64
  24
  +8/+3
  +12/+7
  +10/+11/+15
  148/7
  6/6/6/6/5/5/5/5/3/1 Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +6, 
  amulet +3, ring +3, headband +6, cloak +3,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, 8,500 gp
  19th
  68
  26
  +8/+3
  +12/+7
  +10/+11/+15
  156/7
  6/6/6/6/5/5/5/5/3/2 Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +8, 
  amulet +3, ring +3, headband +6, cloak +3,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, winged boots, 
  4,500 gp
  20th
  71
  28
  +9/+4
  +13/+8
  +10/+11/+16
  165/7
  6/6/6/6/6/5/5/5/5/3 Mundane melee, +1 ranged, bracers +8, 
  amulet +4, ring +4, headband +6, cloak +3,  
  lesser Extend metamagic rod, winged boots,  
  26,500 gp
  
  74
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  energy, see invisibility, spider climb; 3rd — displacement, 
  ﬂ y, gaseous form, nondetection, protection from energy, 
  shrink item, tongues.
  *New spell, see Green Ronin’s Advanced Player’s Manual 
  for details.
  Hawk Familiar: CR —; Tiny magical beast; HD 1; 
  hp 11; Init +3; Spd 10 ft., ﬂ y 60 ft. (average); AC 20, 
  touch 15, ﬂ at-footed 17; Base Atk +0; Grap –10; Atk 
  +5 melee (1d4–2, talons); Full Atk +5 melee (1d4–2, 
  talons); Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.; SA deliver touch 
  spells; SQ alertness, empathic link, improved evasion, 
  low-light vision, share spells, speak with master; SV 
  Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 6, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 8, 
  Wis 14, Cha 6.
  Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +14; Weapon Finesse.
  Possessions: Morningstar, +1 heavy crossbow, 10 bolts, 
  bracers of armor +1, adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 10th-Level NPC Eldritch Weaver
  Elf eldritch weaver 10; CR 10; Medium humanoid 
  (elf); HD 10d4; hp 26; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16, 
  touch 14, ﬂ at-footed 13; Base Atk +5; Grap +4; Atk +4 
  melee (1d6–1/18–20, rapier) or +9 ranged (1d6+1/×3, +1 
  shortbow); Full Atk +4 melee (1d6–1/18–20, rapier) or 
  +9 ranged (1d6+1/×3, +1 shortbow); SA eldritch weaving 
  (caster level increase—thread of ﬁ re, spontaneous 
  casting—thread of ﬁ re), minor thread ability 2/day (call 
  air elemental, call ﬁ re elemental, enhance spell, heal self, 
  precision shot), spells; SQ elf traits, summon familiar*; 
  AL CG; SV Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +9; Str 8, Dex 16, Con 
  11, Int 17 (19), Wis 12, Cha 10.
  *Th is Eldritch Weaver does not have a familiar.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +13, Decipher Script 
  +17, Knowledge (arcana) +17, Knowledge (geography) 
  +17, Knowledge (nature) +17, Listen +5, Search +6, 
  Spellcraft +19 (+21 deciphering spells on scrolls), Spot 
  +5, Survival +1 (+3 avoid natural hazards and getting 
  lost, and in aboveground natural environments), Use 
  Magic Device +13 (+17 with scrolls);  Alertness, 
  Martial Weapon Proﬁ ciency (longbow, longsword, 
  rapier, shortbow)B, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, 
  Scribe Scroll.
  Th reads: Th read of air, thread of cantrips, thread of the 
  archer, thread of the thread of ﬁ re, thread of the healer, 
  thread of the mage
  Eldritch Weaver Spells Prepared: (6/5/4/4/3/1; save 
  DC 14 + spell level) 0 — daze, detect magic (x2), ﬂ are, 
  ghost sound, read magic; 1st — burning hands, cure light 
  wounds, identify, mage armor (x2); 2nd — cure moderate 
  wounds, acid arrow, protection from arrows, scorching ray; 
  3rd — arcane sight, dispel magic, ﬁ reball, greater magic 
  weapon; 4th — cure critical, mnemonic enhancer, wall of 
  ﬁ re; 5th — mass cure light wounds.
  Spellbook: 0 — all; 1st — burning hands, cure light 
  wounds, deathwatch, feather fall, identify, mage armor, 
  magic stone, magic weapon, produce ﬂ ame, shocking grasp; 
  2nd — cure moderate wounds, delay poison, fog cloud, gust 
  of wind, knock, lesser restoration, acid arrow, protection 
  from arrows, pyrotechnics, scorching ray; 3rd — arcane 
  sight, dispel magic, ﬁ reball, ﬂ ame arrow, ﬂ y, greater 
  magic weapon, quench, remove blindness/deafness, remove 
  disease, wind wall; 4th — cure critical, ﬁ re trap, ﬁ re shield, 
  locate creature, mnemonic enhancer, restoration, scrying, 
  searing light, wall of ﬁ re; 5th — baleful polymorph, break 
  enchantment, control winds, mass cure light wounds, 
  telekinesis.
  Possessions: Rapier, +1 shortbow, 20 arrows, ring of 
  protection +1, bracers of armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, 
  amulet of natural armor +1, headband of intellect +2, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack..
  Sample 15th-Level NPC Eldritch Weaver
  Dwarf eldritch weaver 15; CR 15; Medium humanoid 
  (dwarf); HD 15d4+30; hp 69; Init +2; Spd 20 ft.; 
  AC 16, touch 14, ﬂ at-footed 14; Base Atk +7; Grap 
  +6; Atk +6 melee (1d8, heavy mace) or +10 ranged 
  (1d8+1/19-20, +1 heavy repeating crossbow); Full Atk 
  +6/+1 melee (1d8, heavy mace) or +10/+5 ranged 
  (1d8+1/19-20, +1 heavy repeating crossbow); SA dwarf 
  traits, eldritch weaving (caster level increase, minor 
  metamagic, save DC increase, spontaneous casting), 
  major thread power (create/destroy earth, enhance/
  diminish items, ray of nausea, resist death, shadow 
  form), minor thread power (arcane creation, call earth 
  elemental, lesser shadow form, resist fear, sickening 
  touch); SQ dwarf traits, summon familiar; AL LE; SV 
  Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +13; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 
  18 (22), Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +6 (+8 weapons, +8 stone 
  or metal, +10 stone or metal weapons), Concentration 
  +20, Craft (weaponsmithing) +24 (+26 stone or metal 
  weapons), Decipher Script +24, Knowledge (arcana) +24, 
  Knowledge (religion) +24, Listen +12, Spellcraft +26, 
  Spot +12; Exotic Weapon Proﬁ ciency (heavy repeating 
  crossbow), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Silent Spell, 
  Spell Penetration, Still Spell.
  Th reads: Th read of the artisan, thread of blight, thread of 
  cantrips, thread of earth, thread of the executioner, thread 
  of shadows.
  Eldritch Weaver Spells Prepared: (6/6/6/5/5/4/4/2; 
  save DC 16 + spell level) 0 — daze, detect magic, ﬂ are, 
  ghost sound, ray of frost, read magic; 1st — cause fear, 
  chill touch, color spray, grease, pass without trace, sleep; 
  2nd— blindness/deafness, daze monster, earthmaw*, 
  invisibility, scare, touch of idiocy; 3rd — deep slumber, 
  displacement, hold person, meld into stone, still daze 
  monster; 4th — contagion, crushing despair, minor 
  creation, silent displacement, stoneskin; 5th — feeblemind, 
  
  75
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  slay living, wall of stone, waves of fatigue; 6th — circle of 
  death, disintegrate, harm, silent slay living; 7th — ﬁ nger 
  of death, insanity.
  Spellbook: 0 — all; 1st — aﬀ ect ﬂ ames*, cause fear, chill 
  touch, color spray, grease, magic weapon, pass without 
  trace, sleep; 2nd — blindness/deafness, darkness, daze 
  monster, earthmaw*, invisibility, make whole, scare, touch 
  of idiocy; 3rd — deep slumber, displacement, hold person, 
  meld into stone, slow, stone shape; 4th — contagion, 
  crushing despair, minor creation, phantasmal killer, shadow 
  conjuration, stoneskin; 5th — feeblemind, mind fog, 
  passwall, slay living, wall of stone, waves of fatigue; 6th 
  — circle of death, disintegrate, harm, move earth, shadow 
  walk, wall of iron; 7th — ﬁ nger of death, insanity, power 
  word blind, simulacrum. 
  *New spell, see Green Ronin’s Advanced Player’s Manual 
  for details.
  Rat Familiar: CR —; Tiny magical beast; HD 1/4; hp 
  34; Init +2; Spd 15 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.; AC 22, 
  touch 14, ﬂ at-footed 20; Base  Atk +0; Grap –12; Atk 
  +4 melee (1d3–4, bite); Full Atk +4 melee (1d3–4, bite); 
  Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.; SA deliver touch spells; SQ 
  alertness, empathic link, improved evasion, low-light 
  vision, scent, scry on familiar, share spells, speak with 
  animals of its kind, speak with master, spell resistance 20; 
  SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +10; Str 2, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 
  13, Wis 12, Cha 2.
  Skills and Feats: Balance +10, Climb +12, Hide +14, 
  Move Silently +10, Swim +10; Weapon Finesse.
  Possessions: Heavy mace, +1 heavy repeating crossbow, 
  20 bolts, ring of protection +2, amulet of natural armor+2, 
  bracers of armor +2, cloak of resistance +3, headbandof 
  intellect +4, lesser Extend metamagic rod, adventurer’s 
  outﬁ t, backpack.
  NPC  Evangelist
  Starting Ability Scores: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, 
  Wis 15, Cha 14.
  Increased Ability Scores: 4th, 16 Wis; 8th, 16 Wis (18), 
  15 Cha; 10th, 15 Cha (17); 12th, 16 Cha; 13th 16 
  Cha (18); 14th, 16 Wis (20); 16th, 17 Wis (21); 17th, 
  17 Wis (23); 18th, 16 Cha (22); 20th, 18 Wis (24).
  Sample 5th-Level NPC Evangelist
  Human evangelist 5; CR 5; Medium humanoid 
  (human); HD 5d6+5; hp 25; Init +1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 20, 
  touch 11, ﬂ at-footed 19; Base Atk +3; Grp +2; Atk +3 
  melee (1d6–1, masterwork quarterstaﬀ ) or +4 ranged 
  (1d10/19–20, heavy crossbow); Full Atk +3 melee (1d6–
  1, masterwork quarterstaﬀ ) or +4 ranged (1d10/19–20, 
  heavy crossbow); SA divine touch I, divine touch II, 
  rebuke undead (8/day, +4, 2d6+6), shake the inﬁ del; SQ 
  aura of evil, detect inﬁ del, embolden the faithful +1; AL 
  CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +6; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 
  13, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 14.
  Skills and Feats: Bluﬀ  +10, Concentration +12, 
  Diplomacy +14, Disguise +2 (+4 acting), Intimidate +12, 
  Knowledge (religion) +8, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft 
  +8; Combat Casting, Extra Turning, Skill Focus 
  (Concentration).
  Evangelist Spells Prepared: (3/4/2; save DC 12 + spell 
  level) 0 — cure minor wounds, detect magic, light; 1st 
  — bane, cure light wounds, inﬂ ict light wounds, sanctuary; 
  2ndd — hold person, owl’s wisdom.
  Possessions: Full plate armor, masterwork quarterstaﬀ , 
  heavy crossbow, 10 bolts, amulet of natural armor +1, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 10th-Level NPC Evangelist
  Half-Elf evangelist 10; CR 10; Medium humanoid 
  (elf); HD 10d6+10; hp 47; Init +1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 22, 
  touch 11, ﬂ at-footed 21; Base Atk +7; Grp +6; Atk +10 
  melee (1d6/18-20, +1 rapier) or +8 ranged (1d8/19-20, 
  light crossbow); Full Atk +10/+5 melee (1d6/18-20, +1 
  rapier) or +8 ranged (1d8/19-20, light crossbow); SA 
  divine touch I, divine touch II, divine touch III,  divine 
  voice (suggestion), shake the inﬁ del (daze), turn undead 
  (6/day, +5, 2d6+10); SQ aura of good, detect inﬁ del, 
  embolden the faithful +2, half-elf traits; AL NG; SV 
  Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +11; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, 
  Wis 16 (18), Cha 15 (17).
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +14, Diplomacy +18, 
  Gather Information +6, Jump –4, Knowledge (religion) 
  +13, Listen +7, Search +3, Spellcraft +13, Spot +7, Use 
  Rope +3; Combat Casting, Martial Weapon Proﬁ ciency 
  (rapier), Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier).
  Evangelist Spells Prepared: (3/4/4/3/1; save DC 14 + 
  spell level) 0 — cure minor wounds, detect magic, guidance; 
  1st — bless, cure light wounds (×2), weapon blessing; 2nd 
  — augury, bull’s strength, cure moderate wounds, resist energy; 
  3rd — cure serious wounds, dispel magic, magic circle against 
  evil; 4th — cure critical wounds.
  Possessions: +1 full plate, +1 rapier, light crossbow, 10 
  bolts, ring of protection +1, amulet of natural armor +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +2, periapt of Wisdom +2, adventurer’s 
  outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 15th-Level NPC Evangelist
  Elf evangelist 15; CR 15; Medium humanoid (elf); HD 
  15d6+15; hp 70; Init +1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 24, touch 13, 
  ﬂ at-footed 23; Base Atk +11; Grp +10; Atk +12 melee 
  (1d8+1/×3, +2 spear) or +14 ranged (1d8+1, +2 spear); Full 
  Atk +12/+7/+2 melee (1d8+1/×3, +2 spear) or +14 ranged 
  (1d8+1/×3, +2 spear); SA divine touch I, divine touch II, 
  divine touch III, divine touch IV, divine voice (greater 
  command, mass charm monster, suggestion), shake the 
  
  76
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  inﬁ del (blindness, daze), turn undead (8/day, +7, 2d6+17); 
  SQ aura of good, detect inﬁ del, elf traits, embolden the 
  faithful +3, shielding prayer (1/day); AL CG; SV Fort +8, 
  Ref +8, Will +14; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 16 
  (20), Cha 16 (20).
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +19, Decipher Script 
  +18, Knowledge (religion) +18, Listen +16, Search +2, 
  Spellcraft +20 (+22 to decipher scrolls), Spot +16, Use 
  Magic Device +25 (+29 scrolls); Augment Summoning, 
  Eschew Materials, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reﬂ exes, 
  Magical Aptitude, Martial Weapon Proﬁ ciency (longbow, 
  longsword, rapier, shortbow)B, Spell Focus (conjuration).
  Evangelist Spells Prepared: (4/6/4/4/4/3; save 
  DC 15 + spell level) 0 — cure minor wounds, detect 
  magic, detect poison, light; 1st — command (x2), cure 
  light wounds (x2), remove fear, weapon blessing†; 2nd 
  — aid, bear’s endurance, resist energy, zone of truth; 3rd 
  — daylight, dispel magic (x2), prayer; 4th — cure 
  critical wounds (x2), death ward, divination; 5th 
  — break enchantment, flame strike, mass cure light 
  wounds, true seeing; 6th — greater dispel magic, heal, 
  word of recall.
  †Spell described in the Advanced Player’s Manual.
  Table 4-7: NPC Evangelist
  Level hp AC
  Melee
  Ranged
  Saves
  Skill pts./ 
  Feats
  Spells per 
  Day
  Gear
  1st
  7
  16
  +0
  +0
  +1/+0/+4
  24/1
  2
  Splint mail, mwk melee, 300 gp
  2nd
  11
  17
  +1
  +1
  +1/+0/+5
  30/1
  3/1
  Half-plate, mwk melee, 1,000 gp
  3rd
  16
  19
  +2
  +3
  +2/+2/+5
  36/2
  3/2
  Full plate, mwk melee, 600 gp
  4th
  20
  20
  +3
  +4
  +2/+2/+7
  42/2
  3/3/1
  Full plate, mwk melee, amulet +1, 400 gp
  5th
  25
  20
  +3
  +4
  +2/+2/+7
  48/2
  3/4/2
  As 4th level, except 1,500 gp
  6th
  29
  21
  +4
  +5
  +3/+3/+8
  54/3
  3/4/3
  +1 full plate, mwk melee, amulet +1,  2,600 gp
  7th
  34
  22
  +5
  +6
  +3/+3/+8
  60/3
  3/4/3/1
  +1 full plate, mwk melee, amulet +1,  ring +1, 
  1,200 gp
  8th
  38
  22
  +6/+1
  +7/+2
  +3/+3/+10
  66/3
  3/4/4/2
  +1 full plate, mwk melee, amulet +1,  ring +1, 
  periapt +2, 200 gp
  9th
  43
  22
  +6/+1
  +7/+2
  +4/+4/+10
  72/4
  3/4/4/3
  +1 full plate, +1 melee, amulet +1,  ring +1, 
  periapt +2, 1,000 gp
  10th
  47
  22
  +7/+2
  +8/+3
  +4/+4/+11
  78/4
  3/4/4/3/1
  +1 full plate, +1 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +2, ring +1, periapt +2, 7,500 gp
  11th
  52
  22
  +9/+4
  +9/+4
  +4/+4/+11
  84/4
  3/4/4/4/2
  +1 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +2, ring +1, periapt +2, 10,000 gp
  12th
  56
  23
  +10/+5
  +10/+5
  +5/+5/+12
  90/5
  3/4/4/4/3
  +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +2, ring +1, periapt +2, 6,000 gp
  13th
  61
  23
  +10/+5
  +10/+5
  +5/+5/+12
  96/5
  3/4/4/4/3
  +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +2, ring +1, periapt +4, 8,000 gp
  14th
  65
  23
  +11/+6
  +11/+6
  +5/+5/+14
  102/5
  4/5/4/4/4/2
  +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +4, ring +1, periapt +4, 8,000 gp
  15th
  70
  24
  +12/+7/+2
  +12/+7/+2
  +6/+6/+14
  108/6
  4/6/4/4/4/3
  +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +4, ring +2, periapt +4, 16,000 gp
  16th
  74
  24
  +13/+8/+3
  +13/+8/+3
  +6/+6/+15
  114/6
  4/6/5/4/4/3
  +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +4, ring +2, ring of counterspells, 
  periapt +4, 27,000 gp
  17th
  79
  24
  +13/+8/+3
  +13/+8/+3
  +6/+6/+16
  120/6
  4/6/6/5/4/4/2 +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +4, ring +2, ring of counterspells, 
  periapt +6, 30,000 gp
  18th
  83
  24
  +14/+9/+4
  +14/+9/+4
  +7/+7/+17
  126/7
  4/6/6/5/5/4/3 +2 full plate, +2 melee, amulet +1,  cloak of 
  Charisma +6, ring +2, ring of counterspells, 
  periapt +6, 46,000 gp
  19th
  88
  24
  +15/+10/+5 +15/+10/+5
  +7/+7/+17
  132/7
  4/6/6/5/5/5/4 +2 adamantine full plate, +2 melee, 
  amulet +1,  cloak of Charisma +6, ring +2, 
  ring of counterspells, periapt +6, 61,000 gp
  20th
  92
  27
  +19/+14/+9 +16/+11/+6
  +7/+7/+19
  138/7
  4/6/6/6/5/5/5 +5 adamantine full plate, +5 melee, 
  amulet +1,  cloak of Charisma +6, ring +2, 
  ring of counterspells, periapt +6, 48,000 gp
  
  77
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Possessions: +2 full plate, +2 spear, ring of protection +2, 
  amulet of natural armor +1, cloak of Charisma +4, periapt of 
  Wisdom +4, adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  NPC  Scout
  Starting Ability Scores: Str 12, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 14, 
  Wis 10, Cha 8.
  Increased Ability Scores: 4th, Dex 16; 8th, Dex 17; 9th, 
  Dex 17 (19); 12th, Dex 18 (20); 13th, Dex 18 (22); 
  16th, Dex 19 (23); 20th, Dex 20 (24).
  Sample 5th-Level NPC Scout
  Halﬂ ing scout 5; CR 5; Small humanoid (halﬂ ing); 
  HD 5d6+5; hp 25; Init +3; Spd 20 ft.; AC 19, touch 
  14, ﬂ at-footed 16; Base Atk +3; Grap –1; Atk +5 melee 
  (1d6/19-20, Small masterwork longsword) or +10 
  ranged (1d6+1/19-20, +1 Small light crossbow); Full Atk 
  +5 melee (1d6/19-20, Small masterwork longsword) 
  or +10 ranged (1d6+1/19-20, +1 Small light crossbow); 
  SA favored weapon (light crossbow), halﬂ ing traits; SQ 
  greater wildcraft, improved sharp senses, sharp senses, 
  wildcraft; AL NG; SV Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +2; Str 10, 
  Dex 17, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Climb +7, Escape Artist +10, 
  Handle Animal +5, Hide +14, Jump +1, Knowledge 
  (nature) +10, Listen +12, Move Silently +10, Ride 
  +5, Search +4, Sense Motive +2, Spot +8, Survival +8 
  (+10 aboveground natural environments, +9 to follow 
  tracks), Use Rope +3 (+5 bindings); Track, Weapon 
  Focus (light crossbow).
  Possessions: +1 chain shirt, Small masterwork longsword, 
  +1 Small light crossbow, bolt case with 10 bolts, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  Table 4-8: NPC Scout
  Level hp AC
  Melee
  Ranged
  Saves
  Skill pts./ 
  Feats
  Gear
  1st
  7
  16
  +2
  +3
  +1/+4/+0
  32/1
  Mwk chain shirt, mwk melee, mwk ranged, 100 gp
  2nd
  11
  17
  +3
  +4
  +1/+5/+0
  40/1
  +1 chain shirt, mwk melee, mwk ranged, 200 gp
  3rd
  16
  17
  +4
  +5
  +2/+5/+1
  48/2
  As 2nd level, except 700 gp
  4th
  20
  18
  +5
  +7
  +2/+7/+1
  56/2
  As 2nd level, except 1,500 gp
  5th
  25
  18
  +5
  +7
  +2/+7/+1
  64/2
  +1 chain shirt, mwk melee, +1 ranged, 500 gp
  6th
  29
  18
  +6
  +8
  +3/+8/+2
  72/3
  +1 chain shirt, +1 melee, +1 ranged, 1,800 gp
  7th
  34
  18
  +7
  +9
  +3/+8/+2
  80/3
  As 6th level, except 1,400 gp
  8th
  38
  18
  +8/+3
  +10/+5
  +3/+9/+2
  88/3
  +1 chain shirt, +1 melee, +1 ranged, handy haversack, 
  1,600 gp
  9th
  43
  19
  +8/+3
  +11/+6
  +4/+10/+3
  96/4
  +1 chain shirt, +1 melee, +1 ranged, gloves of Dexterity +2, 
  handy haversack, 200 gp
  10th
  47
  19
  +9/+4
  +12/+7
  +4/+11/+3
  104/4
  As 9th level, except 4,200 gp
  11th
  52
  19
  +10/+5
  +13/+8
  +4/+11/+3
  112/4
  +1 mithral chain shirt, +1 melee, +1 ranged, 
  gloves of Dexterity +2, handy haversack, 8,200 gp
  12th
  56
  20
  +11/+6
  +16/+11
  +5/+13/+4
  120/5
  +1 mithral chain shirt, +1 melee, +2 ranged, 
  gloves of Dexterity +2, handy haversack, 8,200 gp
  13th
  61
  21
  +11/+6
  +17/+12
  +5/+14/+4
  128/5
  +1 mithral chain shirt, +1 melee, +2 ranged, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 4,200 gp
  14th
  65
  21
  +13/+8
  +18/+13
  +5/+15/+4
  136/5
  +1 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, +2 ranged, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 8,200 gp
  15th
  70
  24
  +14/+9/+4
  +19/+14/+9
  +6/+15/+5
  144/6
  +4 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, +2 ranged, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 7,200 gp
  16th
  74
  24
  +15/+10/+5
  +21/+16/+11
  +6/+16/+5
  152/6
  +4 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, +3 ranged, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 15,200 gp
  17th
  79
  27
  +15/+10/+5
  +21/+16/+11
  +6/+16/+5
  160/6
  +4 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, +3 ranged, ring +3, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 10,200 gp
  18th
  83
  27
  +16/+11/+6
  +23/+18/+13
  +7/+17/+6
  168/7
  +4 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, +4 ranged, ring +3, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 22,200  gp
  19th
  88
  27
  +17/+12/+7
  +25/+20/+15
  +7/+17/+6
  176/7
  +4 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, +5 ranged, ring +3, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 44,200  gp
  20th
  93
  28
  +20/+15/+10 +26/+21/+16
  +7/+18/+6
  184/7
  +5 mithral chain shirt, +4 melee, +5 ranged, ring +3, 
  gloves of Dexterity +4, handy haversack, 55,200 gp
  
  78
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Sample 10th-Level NPC Scout
  Human scout 10; CR 10; Medium humanoid (human); 
  HD 10d6+10; hp 47; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 19, 
  touch 14, ﬂ at-footed 19; Base Atk +7; Grap +8; Atk 
  +12 melee (1d12+3/×3, +1 greataxe) or +12 ranged 
  (1d8+2/×3, +1 composite [+1] longbow); Full Atk +12/+7 
  melee (1d12+3/×3, +1 greataxe) or +12/+7 ranged 
  (1d8+2/×3, +1 composite [+1] longbow); SA canny 
  ﬁ ghting, favored weapon (greataxe) +2, greater canny 
  ﬁ ghting; SQ greater sharp senses, improved sharp 
  senses, sharp senses, uncanny dodge; AL LG; SV Fort 
  +4, Ref +11, Will +3; Str 12, Dex 17 (19), Con 13, Int 
  14, Wis 10, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Balance +5, Diplomacy +12, Gather 
  Information +8, Heal +9, Hide +14, Jump +13, 
  Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +11, Listen +13, Move 
  Silently +14, Search +14, Sense Motive +10, Spot +10, 
  Survival +0 (+2 following tracks), Tumble +17; Combat 
  ExpertiseB, Dodge, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Rapid 
  Shot, Weapon Focus (greataxe).
  Possessions: +1 chain shirt, +1 greataxe, +1 composite 
  [+1] longbow, handy haversack, gloves of Dexterity +2, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, 50-ft. rope.
  Sample 15th-Level NPC Scout
  Half-Orc scout 15; CR 15; Medium humanoid 
  (orc); HD 15d6+15; hp 70; Init +6; Spd 40 ft.; AC 
  24, touch 16, ﬂ at-footed 24; Base Atk +11; Grap 
  +14; Atk +21 melee (2d4+6, +2 spiked chain) or +20 
  ranged (1d10+2/19-20, +2 heavy crossbow); Full Atk 
  +21/+16/+11 melee (2d4+6, +2 spiked chain) or +20 
  ranged (1d10+2/19-20, +2 heavy crossbow); SA canny 
  ﬁ ghting, favored weapon (heavy crossbow) +1, favored 
  weapon (spiked chain) +2; SQ greater sharp senses, 
  greater mobile ﬁ ghting, half-orc traits, improved sharp 
  senses, mobile ﬁ ghting, sharp senses, uncanny dodge; AL 
  NE; SV Fort +6, Ref +15, Will +6; Str 16, Dex 18 (22), 
  Con 13, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Balance +26, Climb +12, Gather 
  Information +10, Hide +14, Jump +23, Knowledge 
  (local) +8, Listen +3, Move Silently +14, Search +1, 
  Sense Motive +3, Spot +12, Tumble +26; Dodge, Exotic 
  Weapon Proﬁ ciency (spiked chain), Mobility, Power 
  Attack, Spring AttackB, StealthyB, Weapon Finesse, 
  Weapon Focus (spike chain).
  Possessions: +4 mithral chain shirt,+2 spiked chain, +2 
  heavy crossbow, 20 bolts, gloves of Dexterity +4, handy 
  haversack, adventurer’s outﬁ t, 50-ft. rope.
  NPC  Spellmaster
  Starting Ability Scores: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 13, 
  Wis 15, Cha 8.
  Increased Ability Scores: 4th, 16 Wis; 8th, 17 Wis (19); 
  12th, 18 Wis (20); 13th, 18 Wis (22);16th, 19 Wis 
  (25); 20th, 20 Wis (26).
  Sample 5th-Level NPC Spellmaster
  Gnome spellmaster 5; CR 5; Small humanoid (gnome); 
  HD 5d6+5; hp 25; Init +1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 13, touch 
  12, ﬂ at-footed 12; Base Atk +3; Grap +0; Atk +6 melee 
  (1d10+2/19-20, Small masterwork greatsword) or +6 
  ranged (1d6+2/×3, +1 Small composite [+1] longbow); 
  Full Atk +6 melee (1d10+2/19-20, Small masterwork 
  greatsword) or +6 ranged (1d6+2/×3, +1 Small composite 
  [+1] longbow); SA gnome traits, spells; SQ counterspell, 
  gnome traits, hold spell (1, 2), low-light vision, magic 
  savant, sense magic; AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will 
  +7; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +9, Knowledge (arcana) 
  +9, Knowledge (religion) +9, Listen +5, Spellcraft +11 
  (+13 to decipher scrolls), Use Magic Device +11 (+13 
  scrolls); Combat Casting, Spell Focus (illusion).
  Spellmaster Spell Slots: 3/3/1 (save DC 13 + spell level; 
  illusion save DC 15 + spell level).
  Base Spell Awareness: 0—acid splash, cure minor 
  wounds, detect magic, ﬂ are, light, read magic, resistance; 
  1st—burning hands, cause fear, charm person, color spray, 
  cure light wounds, doom, lesser confusion, mage armor, magic 
  missile, protection from good; 2nd—align weapon, barkskin, 
  blur, command undead, heat metal, inﬂ ict moderate wounds, 
  owl’s wisdom, rope trick, web.
  Possessions: Small masterwork greatsword, +1 Small 
  composite [+1] longbow, bracers of armor +1, adventurer’s 
  outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 10th-Level NPC Spellmaster
  Human spellmaster 10; Medium humanoid (human); 
  HD 10d6; hp 37; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 
  12, ﬂ at-footed 13; Base Atk +7; Grap +9; Atk +11 
  melee (1d8+3/×3, masterwork spear) or +9 ranged 
  (1d10+1/19-20, +1 heavy crossbow); Full Atk +11/+6 
  melee (1d8+3/×3, masterwork spear) or +9 ranged 
  (1d10+1/19-20, +1 heavy crossbow); SA spells; SQ 
  counterspell, hold spell (1, 2, 3), improved magic savant, 
  magic savant, sense magic, spell resistance 19; AL NE; 
  SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +11; Str 14, Dex 12, Con 10, 
  Int 13, Wis 17 (19), Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +13, Gather 
  Information +1, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge 
  (local) +14, Profession (scribe) +17, Spellcraft +16 (+18 
  decipher scrolls), Use Magic Device +17 (+19 scrolls); 
  Cleave, Combat Casting, Great Cleave, Power Attack, 
  Weapon Focus (glaive).
  Spellmaster Base Spells: 3/3/3/2/1 (save DC 14 + 
  spell level).
  
  79
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Base Spell Awareness: 0 — acid splash, detect magic, 
  guidance, lullaby, ray of frost, read magic, resistance; 1st 
  — bane, cause fear, disguise self, divine favor, doom, entangle, 
  jump, longstrider, magic missile, obscuring mist, pass without 
  trace, sanctuary, summon monster I, summon nature’s ally I; 
  2nd — bear’s endurance, blindness/deafness, bull’s strength, 
  cure moderate wounds, daze monster, death knell, hold 
  person, invisibility, knock, owl’s wisdom, silence, sound burst, 
  web, whispering wind; 3rd — animate dead, blink, deeper 
  darkness, dispel magic, ﬁ reball, invisibility purge, lightning 
  bolt, protection from energy, slow, wind wall; 4th — cure 
  critical wounds, dimension door, ice storm, phantasmal killer, 
  stoneskin, tongues.
  Possessions: Masterwork spear, +1 heavy crossbow, 20 
  bolts, ring of protection +1, amulet of natural armor +1, 
  bracers of armor +1, periapt of Wisdom +2, adventurer’s 
  outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 15th-Level NPC Spellmaster
  Half-elf spellmaster 15; CR 15; Medium humanoid 
  (elf); HD 15d6; hp 54; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 
  13, ﬂ at-footed 16; Base Atk +11; Grp +13; Atk +15 
  melee (1d6+4/18-20, +2 rapier) or +13 ranged (1d8+3/×3, 
  +1 composite [+2] longbow); Full Atk +15/+10/+5 melee 
  (1d6+4/18-20, +2 rapier) or +13/+8/+3 ranged (1d8+3/×3, 
  +1 composite [+2] longbow); SA dispel magic, spells; SQ 
  counterspell, greater magic savant, half-elf traits, hold 
  spell (1, 2, 3, 4), improved magic savant, improved spell 
  resistance, magic savant, sense magic, spell resistance 26, 
  turn spell; AL NG; SV Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +18; Str 14, 
  Dex 12, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 18 (22), Cha 8.
  Table 4-9: NPC Spellmaster
  Level hp AC
  Melee
  Ranged
  Saves
  Skill pts./ 
  Feats
  Spells per 
  Day
  Gear
  1st
  6
  11
  +3
  +2
  +0/+1/+4
  20/1
  2/1
  Mwk melee, mwk ranged, 500 gp
  2nd
  9
  11
  +4
  +3
  +0/+1/+5
  25/1
  3/1
  As 1st level, except 1,600 gp
  3rd
  13
  12
  +5
  +4
  +1/+2/+5
  30/2
  3/2
  Mwk melee, mwk ranged, bracers +1, 
  1,100 gp
  4th
  16
  12
  +6
  +5
  +1/+2/+7
  35/2
  3/2/1
  Mwk melee, +1 ranged, bracers +1, 900 gp
  5th
  20
  12
  +6
  +5
  +1/+2/+7
  40/2
  3/3/1
  As 4th level, except 1,900 gp
  6th
  23
  13
  +7
  +6
  +2/+3/+8
  45/3
  3/3/2
  Mwk melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, bracers +1, 
  1,200 gp
  7th
  27
  13
  +8
  +7
  +2/+3/+8
  50/3
  3/3/2/1
  As 6th level, except 2,800 gp
  8th
  30
  13
  +9/+4
  +8/+3
  +2/+3/+10
  55/3
  3/3/3/1
  Mwk melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, bracers +1, 
  periapt +2, 1,000 gp
  9th
  34
  14
  +9/+4
  +8/+3
  +3/+4/+10
  60/4
  3/3/3/2
  Mwk melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  bracers +1, periapt +2, 1,600 gp
  10th
  37
  14
  +10/+5
  +9/+4
  +4/+5/+12
  65/4
  3/3/3/2/1
  Mwk melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak +1, bracers +1, periapt +2, 4,600 gp
  11th
  41
  15
  +11/+6
  +10/+5
  +4/+5/+12
  70/4
  3/3/3/3/1
  Mwk melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak +1, bracers +2, periapt +2, 6,600 gp
  12th
  44
  15
  +13/+8
  +11/+6
  +5/+6/+14
  75/5
  3/3/3/3/2/1
  +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak +1, bracers +2, periapt +2, 9,600 gp
  13th
  48
  15
  +13/+8
  +11/+6
  +5/+6/+15
  80/5
  3/3/3/3/3/1
  +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak +1, bracers +2, periapt +4, 5,500 gp
  14th
  51
  17
  +14/+9
  +12/+7
  +6/+6/+16
  85/5
  4/3/3/3/3/2/1 +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +2, amulet +2, 
  cloak +1, bracers +2, periapt +4, 3,500 gp
  15th
  55
  17
  +15/+10/+5
  +13/+8/+3
  +8/+9/+18
  90/6
  4/4/3/3/3/3/1 +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +2, amulet +2, 
  cloak +3, bracers +2, periapt +4, 9,500 gp
  16th
  58
  17
  +16/+11/+6
  +14/+9/+4
  +8/+9/+20
  95/6
  4/4/4/3/3/3/2 +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +2, amulet +2, 
  cloak +3, bracers +2, periapt +6, 7,500 gp
  17th
  62
  19
  +16/+11/+6
  +14/+9/+4
  +8/+9/+20
  100/6
  4/4/4/3/3/3/2 +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +3, amulet +3, 
  cloak +3, bracers +2, periapt +6, 10,500 gp
  18th
  65
  23
  +17/+12/+7
  +15/+10/+5 +9/+10/+21
  105/7
  4/4/4/4/3/3/3 +2 melee, +1 ranged, ring +3, amulet +3, 
  cloak +3, bracers +6, periapt +6, 8,500 gp
  19th
  69
  25
  +19/+14/+9
  +16/+11/+6 +9/+10/+21
  110/7
  4/4/4/4/4/4/3 +3 melee, +1 ranged, ring +3, amulet +3, 
  cloak +3, bracers +8, periapt +6, 4,500 gp
  20th
  72
  27
  +20/+15/+10 +17/+12/+7 +9/+10/+23
  115/7
  4/4/4/4/4/4/4 +3 melee, +1 ranged, ring +4, amulet +4, 
  cloak +3, bracers +8, periapt +6, 4,500 gp
  
  80
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +15, Diplomacy +16, 
  Gather Information +1, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Listen 
  +7, Search +2, Spellcraft +20 (+22 deciphering scrolls), 
  Spot +7, Use Magic Device +16 (+18 scrolls); Combat 
  Casting, Enlarge Spell, Heighten Spell, Silent Spell, 
  Spell Penetration, Still Spell.
  Spellmaster Base Spells: 4/4/3/3/3/1 (save DC 16 + 
  spell level).
  Base Spell Awareness: 0 — acid splash, arcane mark, 
  disrupt undead, mage hand, open/close, read magic, 
  resistance; 1st — bless, burning hands, color spray, 
  command, cure light wounds, divine favor, enlarge person, 
  expeditious retreat, feather fall, mage armor, magic missile, 
  reduce person, shield, summon monster I; 2nd — align 
  weapon, barkskin, continual ﬂ ame, cure moderate wounds, 
  daze monster, fog cloud, glitterdust, owl’s wisdom, resist 
  energy, scorching ray, spider climb, summon monster II, 
  summon swarm, web; 3rd — clairaudience/clairvoyance, 
  cure serious wounds, daylight, deep slumber, dispel magic, 
  displacement, ﬁ reball, haste, invisibility purge, lightning 
  bolt, protection from energy, suggestion, wind wall; 4th 
  — charm monster, confusion, cure critical wounds, divine 
  power, greater invisibility, greater magic weapon, ice storm, 
  polymorph, rusting grasp, shadow conjuration, tongues, wall 
  of ﬁ re; 5th — cloudkill, commune, cone of cold, dismissal, 
  ﬂ ame strike, insect plague, major creation, plane shift, 
  scrying, telekinesis, tree stride, wall of stone; 6th — acid 
  fog, banishment, blade barrier, disintegrate, ﬁ nd the path, 
  greater heroism, heal, mass cure light wounds, mass bull’s 
  strength, mass suggestion, repulsion, word of recall.
  +2 rapier, +1 composite [+2] longbow, 20 arrows, ring of 
  protection +2, amulet of natural armor +2, bracers of armor 
  +2, cloak of resistance +3, periapt of Wisdom +4, adventurer’s 
  outﬁ t, backpack.
  NPC  Thanemage
  Starting Ability Scores: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 15, 
  Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Increased Ability Scores: 4th, Dex 15; 8th, Dex 16; 
  12th, Dex 17; 16th, Dex 18; 20th, Str 14.
  Sample 5th-Level NPC Thanemage
  Half-Elf thanemage 5; CR 5; HD 5d8+3; hp 29; 
  Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 12, ﬂ at-footed 15; 
  Base Atk +5; Grap +6; Atk +7 melee (1d8+2/19-
  20, +1 longsword) or +7 ranged (1d8+1/×3, composite 
  [+1] longbow); Full Atk +7 melee (1d8+2/19-20, +1 
  longsword) or +7 ranged (1d8+1/×3, composite [+1] 
  longbow); SA initiate ability (spiritbolt), spells; SQ 
  evasion, half-elf traits; SV Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +5; Str 
  13, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +8, Decipher Script 
  +10, Diplomacy +1, Gather Information +1, Jump +8, 
  Knowledge (arcana) +10, Listen +2, Search +3, Spellcraft 
  +12, Spot +2, Survival +9; Combat Casting, Combat 
  ExpertiseB, Toughness.
  Th anemage Spells Prepared: (3/1; save DC 12 + spell 
  level, 20% arcane spell failure in armor) 0 — detect magic, 
  mage hand, ray of frost; 1st — shield.
  Spellbook: 0 — dancing lights, detect magic, detect 
  poison, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, open/close, 
  prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance; 1st 
  — identify, magic weapon, mount, protection from good, 
  shield, true strike.
  Possessions: +1 chain shirt, +1 longsword, composite [+1] 
  longbow, 10 arrows, adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 10th-Level NPC Thanemage
  Human thanemage 10; CR 10; Medium humanoid 
  (human); HD 10d8; hp 48; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 
  19, touch 13, ﬂ at-footed 16; Base Atk +10; Grap +11; 
  Atk +14 melee (1d12+3/×3, +2 greataxe) or +13 ranged 
  (1d10/19-20, heavy crossbow); Full Atk +14/+9 melee 
  (1d12+3/×3, +2 greataxe) or +13 ranged (1d10/19-20, 
  heavy crossbow); SA adept ability (scourging aura), 
  spells; SQ evasion, uncanny dodge; AL NG; SV Fort 
  +5, Ref +10, Will +8; Str 13, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 15, 
  Wis 12, Cha 8.
  Skills and Feats: Climb +13, Concentration +13, Heal 
  +14, Jump +13, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Spellcraft +17, 
  Survival +14; Blind-FightB, Cleave, Combat ExpertiseB, 
  Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Still SpellB, 
  Weapon Focus (greataxe).
  Th anemage Spells Prepared: (3/2/2; save DC 12 
  + spell level, 20% arcane spell failure in armor) 0 
  — dancing lights, detect magic, prestidigitation; 1st — 
  stilled ray of frost (x2); 2nd — stilled magic missile, 
  stilled true strike.
  Spellbook: 0 —– dancing lights, detect magic, detect 
  poison, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, open/close, 
  prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance; 1st — 
  burning hands, expeditious retreat, identify, magic missile, 
  protection from evil, ray of enfeeblement, shield, true strike; 
  2nd — acid arrow, cat’s grace, continual ﬂ ame, glitterdust, 
  invisibility, resist elements. 
  Possessions: +1 chain shirt, +2 greataxe, heavy crossbow, 
  10 bolts, amulet of natural armor +1, adventurer’s outﬁ t, 
  backpack.
  Sample 15th-Level NPC Thanemage
  Dwarf thanemage 15; CR 15; Medium humanoid 
  (dwarf); HD 15d8+15; hp 86; Init +3; Spd 20 ft.; AC 
  23, touch 13, ﬂ at-footed 20; Base Atk +15; Grap +16; 
  Atk +19 melee (1d10+4/19-20/×3, +3 dwarven waraxe) 
  or +18 ranged (1d10/19-20, heavy crossbow); Full Atk 
  +19/+14/+9 melee (1d10+4/19-20/×3, +3 dwarven 
  
  81
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  waraxe) or +18 ranged (1d10/19-20, heavy crossbow); 
  SA apprentice ability (aura of dread, spiritstrike), dwarf 
  traits, initiate ability (spiritshield), spells; SQ evasion, 
  improved evasion, uncanny dodge; AL LN; SV Fort +6, 
  Ref +12, Will +10; Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 
  12, Cha 6.
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +2 (+4 metal or stone objects, 
  +6 metal or stone weapons), Concentration +19, Craft 
  (weaponsmithing) +22, Escape Artist +3 (+5 bindings), 
  Knowledge (arcana) +20, Spellcraft +27, Survival +19, Use 
  Rope +21; Combat ExpertiseB, Craft Magic Arms and 
  ArmorB, Eschew Materials, Greater Spell Penetration, 
  Table 4-10: NPC Thanemage
  Level hp AC
  Melee
  Ranged
  Saves
  Skill pts./ 
  Feats
  Spells 
  per Day
  Gear
  1st
  8
  16
  +3
  +3
  +0/+2/+2
  24/1
  2
  Mwk chain shirt, mwk melee, 
  mundane ranged, 100 gp
  2nd
  12
  17
  +4
  +4
  +0/+3/+3
  30/1
  2
  +1 chain shirt, mwk melee,  
  mundane ranged, 200 gp
  3rd
  17
  17
  +5
  +5
  +1/+3/+3
  36/31
  2
  As 2nd level, except 700 gp
  4th
  21
  17
  +6
  +6
  +1/+4/+4
  42/3
  3/1
  As 2nd level, except 1,500 gp
  5th
  26
  17
  +7
  +7
  +1/+4/+4
  48/3
  3/1
  +1 chain shirt, +1 melee, 
  mundane ranged, 500 gp
  6th
  30
  17
  +8/+3
  +8/+3
  +2/+5/+5
  54/52
  3/2
  As 4th level, except 1,800 gp
  7th
  35
  17
  +9/+4
  +9/+4
  +2/+5/+5
  60/5
  3/2
  As 4th level, except 3,400 gp
  8th
  39
  18
  +10/+5
  +11/+6
  +2/+6/+6
  66/5
  3/2/1
  As 4th level, except 5,600 gp
  9th
  44
  19
  +12/+6
  +12/+7
  +3/+6/+6
  72/73
  3/2/1
  +1 chain shirt, +2 melee, 
  mundane ranged, amulet +1, 200 gp
  10th
  48
  19
  +13/+8
  +13/+8
  +3/+7/+7
  78/7
  3/2/2
  As 9th level, except 4,200 gp
  11th
  53
  19
  +14/+9/+4
  +14/+9/+4
  +3/+7/+7
  84/7
  3/2/2
  +1 mithral chain shirt, +2 melee, 
  mundane ranged, amulet +1, 8,200 gp
  12th
  57
  19
  +16/+11/+6
  +15/+10/+5
  +4/+8/+8
  90/94
  3/2/2/1
  +1 mithral chain shirt, +3 melee, 
  mundane ranged, amulet +1, 8,200 gp
  13th
  62
  21
  +17/+12/+7
  +16/+11/+6
  +4/+8/+8
  96/9
  3/2/2/1
  +3 mithral chain shirt, +3 melee, 
  mundane ranged, amulet +1, 4,200 gp
  14th
  66
  22
  +18/+13/+8
  +17/+12/+7
  +4/+9/+9
  102/9
  4/3/2/1
  +3 mithral chain shirt, +3 melee, 
  mundane ranged, amulet +2, 8,200 gp
  15th
  71
  23
  +19/+14/+9
  +18/+13/+8
  +5/+9/+9
  108/115
  4/3/2/1/1 +4 mithral chain shirt, +3 melee, 
  mundane ranged, amulet +2, 7,200 gp
  16th
  75
  26
  +20/+15/+10/+5
  +20/+15/+10/+5 +5/+10/+10
  114/11
  4/3/3/1/1 +4 mithral chain shirt, +3 melee, 
  mundane ranged,  amulet +4, 
  15,200 gp
  17th
  80
  29
  +21/+16/+11/+6
  +21/+16/+11/+6 +5/+10/+10
  120/11
  4/3/3/2/1 +4 mithral chain shirt, +3 melee, 
  mundane ranged, ring +3, amulet +4, 
  10,200 gp
  18th
  84
  29
  +23/+18/+13/+8
  +22/+17/+12/+7 +6/+11/+11
  126/136
  4/4/3/2/1 +4 mithral chain shirt, +4 melee, 
  mundane ranged, ring +3, amulet +4, 
  22,200 gp
  19th
  89
  29
  +25/+20/+15/+10 +23/+18/+13/+8 +6/+11/+11
  132/13
  4/4/4/3/2 +4 mithral chain shirt, +5 melee, 
  mundane ranged, ring +3, amulet +4, 
  44,200 gp
  20th
  93
  31
  +27/+22/+17/+12 +24/+19/+14/+9 +6/+12/+12
  138/13
  4/4/4/3/3 +5 mithral chain shirt, +5 melee, 
  mundane ranged, ring +4, amulet +4, 
  44,200 gp
  1 One of these feats must be Armored Caster* Combat Expertise, or Weapon Focus. *See Green Ronin’s Advanced Player’s 
  Manual for details on this feat.
  2 One of these feats must be Spell Penetration or Still Spell.
  3 One of these feats must be Blind-Fight or any item creation or metamagic feat.
  4 One of these feats must be Improved Counterspell or Improved Feint.
  5 One of these feats must be Spring Attack or any item creation or metamagic feat.
  6 One of these feats must be Whirlwind Attack or any item creation or metamagic feat.
  
  82
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Improved CounterspellB, Improved Critical (dwarven 
  waraxe), Magical Aptitude, Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Spell 
  PenetrationB, Spring AttackB, Still Spell.
  Th anemage Spells Prepared: (4/3/2/1/1; save DC 
  12 + spell level, 10% arcane spell failure in armor) 0 
  — dancing lights, detect magic, mage hand, open/close; 1st 
  — enlarge person, expeditious retreat, magic missile; 2nd 
  — invisibility, mirror image; 3rd — ﬁ reball; 4th — lesser 
  globe of invulnerability.
  Spellbook: 0 — dancing lights, detect magic, detect 
  poison, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, open/close, 
  prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance; 1st 
  — burning hands, comprehend languages, enlarge person, 
  expeditious retreat, identify, magic missile, shield, shocking 
  grasp; 2nd — acid arrow, fog cloud, invisibility, locate object, 
  mirror image, protection from arrows, resist elements, see 
  invisibility, web; 3rd — dispel magic, displacement, ﬁ reball, 
  ﬂ y, haste, lightning bolt; 4th — arcane eye, lesser globe of 
  invulnerability.
  Possessions: +4 mithral chain shirt, +3 dwarven waraxe, 
  heavy crossbow, 10 bolts, amulet of natural armor +2, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  NPC  Warpriest
  Starting Ability Scores: Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, 
  Wis 15, Cha 13.
  Increased Ability Scores: 4th, 16 Wis; 8th, 16 Wis (18), 14 
  Cha; 10th, 14 Cha (16); 12th, 17 Wis (19); 13th 17 
  Cha (21); 14th, 14 Cha (18); 16th, 18 Wis (22); 17th, 
  18 Wis (24); 18th, 14 Cha (20); 20th, 19 Wis (24).
  Sample 5th-Level NPC Warpriest
  Human Warpriest 5; CR 5; Medium humanoid (human); 
  HD 5d10+5; hp 37; Init –1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 18, touch 
  9, ﬂ at-footed 18; Base Atk +3; Grap +5; Atk +7 melee 
  (1d8+3/×3, masterwork battleaxe) or +2 ranged (1d10/19-
  20, heavy crossbow); Full Atk +7 melee (1d8+3/×3, 
  masterwork battleaxe) or +2 ranged (1d10/19-20, heavy 
  crossbow); SA divine power (light 2/day), spells; SQ divine 
  deﬂ ection +2; AL CE; SV Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +7; Str 14, 
  Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 13.
  Skills and Feats: Climb –1, Concentration +4, Handle 
  Animal +4, Heal +6, Jump –1, Knowledge (religion) +3, 
  Ride +2, Spellcraft +3;  Mounted Combat, Power Attack, 
  Weapon Focus (battleaxe).
  Warpriest Spells Known: (Spells per Day 4/5/3; save DC 
  13 + spell level) 0 —daze, detect magic, ﬂ are, message, read 
  magic, resistance, virtue; 1st — astute ﬁ ghting†, cause fear, 
  divine favor, expeditious retreat, magic weapon, missteps†; 
  2nd — bull’s strength, deathchant†, resist energy, spiritual 
  weapon, summon monster II.
  †Spell described in the Advanced Player’s Manual.
  Possessions: Full plate, masterwork battleaxe, 
  heavy crossbow, 10 bolts, amulet of natural armor +1, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 10th-Level NPC Warpriest
  Half-Elf Warpriest 10; CR 10; Medium humanoid 
  (elf); HD 10d10+10; hp 69; Init –1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 20, 
  touch 10, ﬂ at-footed 20; Base Atk +7; Grap +9; Atk +9 
  melee (1d8+6, +1 heavy mace) or +6 ranged (1d8/19-
  20, light crossbow); Full Atk +9/+4 melee (1d8+6, +1 
  heavy mace) or +6 ranged (1d8/19-20, light crossbow); 
  SA divine power (moderate 3/day), spells, turn undead 
  (6/day, +5, 2d6+7); SQ divine deﬂ ection +3; AL NG; 
  SV Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +10; Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, 
  Int 10, Wis 16 (18), Cha 14 (16).
  Skills and Feats: Climb +0, Concentration +4, Handle 
  Animal +6, Heal +7, Jump +0, Knowledge (religion) 
  +5, Ride +2, Spellcraft +3; Cleave, Mounted Combat, 
  Power Attack, Weapon Focus (heavy mace), Weapon 
  Specialization (heavy mace)B.
  Warpriest Spells Known: (Spells per Day 4/5/5/4/2; 
  save DC 14 + spell level) 0 — cure minor wounds, daze, 
  detect magic, disrupt undead, ﬂ are, guidance, resistance, 
  virtue; 1st — astute ﬁ ghting†, bless, bless weapon, 
  command, divine favor, missteps†, protection from evil; 
  2nd — aid, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, 
  lifechant†, resist energy; 3rd — crown of valor†, greater 
  magic weapon, magic vestment, prayer, smite foe†, wind 
  wall; 4th — divine power, furious assault†, restoration, 
  spell immunity.
  †Spell described in the Advanced Player’s Manual.
  Possessions: +1 full plate, +1 heavy mace, light crossbow, 
  10 bolts, ring of protection +1, amulet of natural 
  armor +1, cloak of Charisma +2, periapt of Wisdom +2, 
  adventurer’s outﬁ t, backpack.
  Sample 15th-Level NPC Warpriest
  Elf warpriest 15; CR 15; Medium humanoid (elf); 
  HD 15d10+15; hp 102; Init –1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 22, 
  touch 11, ﬂ at-footed 22; Base Atk +11; Grp +13; Atk 
  +16 melee (1d8+7/19-20, +2 longsword) or +12 ranged 
  (1d8+4/×3, +2 spear); Full Atk +16/+11/+6 melee 
  (1d8+7/19-20, +2 longsword) or +12 ranged (1d8+4/×3, 
  +2 spear); SA divine power (serious, 4/day), elf traits, 
  spells, turn undead (8/day, +7, 2d6+14); SQ divine 
  deﬂ ection +5, elf traits; AL CG; SV Fort +10, Ref +4, 
  Will +14; Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 18 (24), 
  Cha 14 (20).
  Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Concentration +6, Handle 
  Animal +10, Heal +12, Jump –1, Knowledge (religion) 
  +5, Ride +4, Spellcraft +5; Cleave, Combat Casting, 
  Great Cleave, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, 
  Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization 
  (longsword).
  
  83
  Chapter Four: Non-Player Characters
  Warpriest Spells Known: (Spells per Day 
  5/7/6/5/5/4/1; save DC 17 + spell level) 0 — cure 
  minor wounds, daze, detect poison, ﬂ are, guidance, 
  light, message, resistance; 1st — astute ﬁ ghting†, bless, 
  bless weapon, cause fear, divine favor, endure elements, 
  protection from evil, summon monster I; 2nd — bull’s 
  strength, cat’s grace, lifechant†, see invisibility, shield other, 
  spiritual weapon, true strike; 3rd — confusion, crown 
  of valor†, dispel magic, greater magic weapon, magic 
  vestment, summon monster III, wind wall; 4th — control 
  water, death ward, divine power, neutralize poison, status, 
  summon monster IV; 5th — battlelink†, greater crown of 
  valor†, ﬂ ame strike, righteous might, spell resistance, wall 
  of ﬁ re; 6th — animate objects, blade barrier, heal.
  †Spell described in the Advanced Player’s Manual.
  Possessions: +2 full plate, +2 longsword, +2 spear, ring 
  of protection +2, amulet of natural armor +1, cloak of 
  Charisma +4, periapt of Wisdom +4, adventurer’s outﬁ t, 
  backpack.
  Table 4-11: NPC Warpriest
  Level
  hp
  AC
  Melee
  Ranged
  Saves
  Skill pts./ 
  Feats
  Spells per 
  Day
  Gear
  1st
  11
  15
  +3
  –1
  +3/–1/+4
  8/1
  2/1
  Splint mail, mwk melee, 300 gp
  2nd
  17
  16
  +4
  +0
  +4/–1/+5
  10/1
  4/2
  Half plate, mwk melee, 1,000 gp
  3rd
  24
  17
  +5
  +1
  +4/+0/+5
  12/2
  4/3/1
  Plate, mwk melee, 600 gp
  4th
  30
  18
  +6
  +2
  +5/+0/+7
  14/2
  4/4/2
  Plate, mwk melee, amulet +1, 400 gp
  5th
  37
  18
  +6
  +2
  +5/+0/+7
  16/2
  4/5/3
  As 4th level, except 1,500 gp
  6th
  43
  19
  +7
  +3
  +6/+1/+8
  18/3
  4/5/4/1
  +1 plate, mwk melee, amulet +1, 2,600 gp
  7th
  50
  20
  +8
  +4
  +6/+1/+8
  20/3
  4/5/4/2
  +1 plate, mwk melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  1,200 gp
  8th
  56
  20
  +9/+4
  +5/+0
  +7/+1/+10
  22/3
  4/5/5/3
  +1 plate, mwk melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  periapt +2, 200 gp
  9th
  63
  20
  +9/+4
  +5/+0
  +7/+2/+10
  24/4
  4/5/5/4/1
  +1 plate, +1 melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  periapt +2, 1,000 gp
  10th
  69
  20
  +10/+5
  +6/+1
  +8/+2/+11
  26/4
  4/5/5/4/2
  +1 plate, +1 melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +2, periapt +2, 7,500 gp
  11th
  76
  20
  +12/+7
  +7/+2
  +8/+2/+11
  28/4
  4/5/5/5/3
  +1 plate, +2 melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +2, periapt +2, 10,000 gp
  12th
  82
  21
  +13/+8
  +8/+3
  +9/+3/+12
  30/5
  4/5/5/5/4
  +2 plate, +2 melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +2, periapt +2, 6,000 gp
  13th
  89
  21
  +13/+8
  +8/+3
  +9/+3/+12
  32/5
  4/5/5/5/4/1
  +2 plate, +2 melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +2, periapt +4, 8,000 gp
  14th
  95
  21
  +14/+9
  +9/+4
  +10/+3/+13
  34/5
  5/5/5/5/5/2
  +2 plate, +2 melee, ring +1, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +4, periapt +4, 8,000 gp
  15th
  102
  22
  +15/+10/+5
  +12/+7/+2
  +10/+4/+13
  36/6
  5/6/5/5/53
  +2 plate, +2 melee, +2 ranged, ring +2, 
  amulet +1, cloak of Charisma +4, periapt +4, 
  16,000 gp
  16th
  108
  22
  +16/+11/+6
  +13/+8/+3
  +11/+4/+16
  38/6
  5/7/7/5/5/4/2 +2 plate, +2 melee, +2 ranged, ring +2, 
  ring of counterspells, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +4, periapt +4, 27,000 gp
  17th
  115
  22
  +16/+11/+6
  +13/+8/+3
  +11/+4/+17
  40/6
  5/7/7/6/5/5/3 +2 plate, +2 melee, +2 ranged, ring +2, 
  ring of ounterspells, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +4, periapt +6, 30,000 gp
  18th
  121
  22
  +17/+12/+7
  +14/+9/+4
  +12/+5/+18
  42/7
  5/7/7/6/6/5/4 +2 plate, +2 melee, +2 ranged, ring +2, 
  ring of counterspells, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +6, periapt +6, 46,000 gp
  19th
  128
  22
  +18/+13/+8
  +15/+10/+5 +12/+5/+18
  44/7
  5/7/7/6/6/6/5 +2 adamantine plate, +2 melee, +2 ranged, 
  ring +2, ring of counterspells, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +6, periapt +6, 61,000 gp
  20th
  134
  25
  +23/+17/+12 +16/+11/+6 +13/+5/+20
  46/7
  5/7/7/7/6/6/6 +5 adamantine plate, +5 melee, +2 ranged, 
  ring +2, ring of counterspells, amulet +1, 
  cloak of Charisma +6, periapt +6, 80,000 gp
  
  84
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  A
  n adventure, even if it takes several game sessions, 
  is basically just a single event. A game world is 
  the backdrop in which the events (adventures) 
  take place. A campaign is more than either of them 
  individually. It’s a series, combining multiple adventures 
  and locations in an ongoing story. Where an adventure 
  can be seen as a movie, a campaign is more like a 
  television or book series, giving greater opportunities 
  for character development and growth, as well as for 
  complex stories and themes.
  Not every game group runs campaigns. Some prefer to see 
  each adventure as a separate event, changing characters, 
  players, and GMs in between each adventure. Th ere’s 
  nothing wrong with playing this way, but it limits the 
  kind of complications and consequences the group can 
  experience. Even if a campaign is little more than one 
  adventure coming on the heels of the last, maintaining 
  continuity allows for greater exploration of themes, PCs, 
  and the game rules. A campaign also takes some additional 
  work on the GM’s part, which we look at in this chapter.
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
   - Defining a Campaign - 
  A lot of the work that goes into running a campaign 
  involves deﬁ ning it in game terms (as opposed to 
  worldbuilding, which is covered in Chapter One). You 
  must decide what to allow in his game and how those 
  elements combine to make a play environment. 
  For example, if a GM decides he doesn’t want elves in 
  his game, he must either decide not to allow cloaks of 
  elvenkind or decide who else is allowed to make them. 
  If a GM decides undead are extremely common in 
  his campaign, he skews things in favor of clerics and 
  paladins, and away from rogues (since sneak attacks 
  don’t work on undead). Both decisions are valid, but they 
  strongly aﬀ ect the feel and balance of a campaign in ways 
  that may not be immediately obvious.
  Because campaigns are meant to last longer than just 
  one or two adventures, there are many uncommon issues 
  to consider. Questions of cosmology, technology, and 
  sociology are bound to arise at some point, and while you 
  can handle them when they do arise, having some solid 
  groundwork done in advance is best. Th e more you deﬁ ne 
  up front, the faster and easier it is to answer the bizarre 
  questions PCs inevitably ask.
  Choosing a  Campaign Theme
  A campaign can be as simple as a series of published 
  adventures run for roughly the same group of players 
  and characters over a span of time. For many groups, 
  this approach is all the eﬀ ort they have time for, and the 
  Chapter Five: Running a  Campaign
  
  85
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  opportunity to get together and kill some orcs is enough 
  to make the campaign time well spent.
  However, a campaign can be a great deal more 
  involved than a string of disconnected adventures. A 
  campaign can be an experience in worldbuilding, social 
  commentary, and exploration of themes and roles. Th ese 
  elements should never be allowed to overshadow the 
  most important function of a game — having fun — but 
  taken in moderation, they produce a more complex and 
  fulﬁ lling gaming experience.
  A campaign theme is an idea or element that reoccurs 
  in the adventures of the campaign. It is often introduced 
  early in a campaign and then explored by players and 
  GM alike in diﬀ erent forms. In many ways, a campaign 
  theme is like the melody of a piece of music: it’s not 
  all there is to the campaign, but variations of it recur 
  throughout the campaign. A theme helps set the tone of 
  a campaign and helps set it apart from campaigns with 
  similar physical trappings.
  A campaign theme needn’t be determined in advance. 
  Many campaigns develop themes naturally during play, the 
  types of adventures you prepare and the normal responses 
  of the players lead to themes that grow organically. Yet 
  when you know you’re interested in a given theme, support 
  it early on in world design. Many themes work best when 
  coupled with speciﬁ c kinds of societies, monsters, and 
  adventure plots, making them easiest to implement from 
  the start of a campaign. A good idea of the campaign 
  theme can also help you describe your new game world to 
  players, avoiding assumption clash.
  Nearly anything can be a theme, but some themes 
  work better than others. Below, you will ﬁ nd a list of 40 
  common and proven campaign themes. Pick one or two 
  themes, or use them as inspiration for developing your 
  own. As campaign themes often evolve or even change, 
  you might also wish to pick new themes to move a 
  campaign towards, changing its tone mid-stream to keep 
  it fresh and interesting.
  Forty Campaign Themes
  1 
  Good vs. Evil: A conﬂ ict game, in which evil is a 
  constant, tangible, overwhelming force. Evil must 
  be fought, and PCs must not turn to evil tactics 
  during their war. Th e forces of evil often have one 
  or more supernatural patrons, such as a wizard, 
  deity, or sentient prophecy to drive them, though 
  darkness itself may be a motivating force.
  2 
  Law vs. Chaos: A conﬂ ict game, with order and 
  anarchy opposing one another. Th is uses the same 
  basic set up as Good vs. Evil. Law is often cast as a 
  positive force and chaos a destructive one, but the 
  campaign could equally well cast law as tyrannical 
  and stagnant, with chaos being the power of 
  freedom and rebirth.
  3 
  Tyrants vs. Rebels: A handful of malevolent empires 
  hold a large part of the world in sway, and rebels ﬁ ght 
  against them. Th e campaign assumes the tyrannical 
  empires should be brought down or at least forced to 
  reform. Conﬂ ict is often with members of “civilized” 
  races, though certainly an empire of dragons or other 
  monsters could hold sway.
  4 
  Civilization vs. Barbarism: Th e reverse of Tyranny 
  vs. Rebellion, this theme assumes the empires are 
  a good thing to be defended from crude (often orc 
  or goblin) hordes of savages. Conﬂ ict is often with 
  members of races not normally allowed as PCs.
  5 
  Dungeon Stomp: Th e entire point of the game 
  is to ﬁ nd isolated areas with high concentrations 
  of monsters and treasure. PCs kill the former and 
  take the later. Th e campaign world may be set up 
  to explain carefully why dungeons are common, or 
  it may ignore the question in favor of getting in as 
  much combat and trap disabling as possible.
   
  A dungeon stomp need not always have “dungeons” 
  be underground complexes, nor is the motivation 
  always wealth. Any location rich in threats and rewards 
  with little nearby help counts as a dungeon, including 
  mysterious islands, haunted castles, dread forests, and 
  even evil kingdoms of supernatural horrors. Th e heroes 
  may undertake such missions to save loved ones, 
  ﬁ nd cures for curses, and stop powerful evils. Yet the 
  underlying action focuses on combat and exploration 
  of dangerous locales rather than political movements, 
  philosophical ideas, or romance.
  6 
  Exploration: Exploration games place an emphasis 
  on going to new places and surviving their dangers 
  while discovering what’s there. Th is campaign 
  can become similar to a Dungeon Stomp, but 
  in principle an exploration game is more about 
  discovery than combat. Finding new trade routes, 
  learning to operate in foreign cultures, and enjoying 
  the strangeness of new lands is the focus of an 
  exploration game, rather than killing things.
  7 
  Destined Heroes: In this campaign, the heroes 
  really are something diﬀ erent. Th ey have destinies 
  that set them apart from even major NPCs of 
  the same level. Destined heroes often have a 
  long period of self-discovery, followed by power 
  accumulation, and then a showdown with whatever 
  they are destined to overcome. Special heritages, 
  powers, and bloodlines are common elements of 
  destined hero games, which often use one or more 
  of the rules for boosting power levels (see Boosting 
  Power Levels in Chapter Six).
  8 
  Conversion: Th e focus of a conversion campaign is 
  to bring others to the PCs’ way of thinking. Th is is 
  the kind of game in which baby orcs are taken in and 
  raised properly by allied monks, good churches face 
  
  86
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  oﬀ  against corrupt kings (and the reverse is true), 
  and convincing arguments and opportunities for 
  atonement are as important as combat and monetary 
  rewards. Th ese campaigns work best if the players and 
  GM can share a philosophy to espouse or at least be 
  comfortable enough with to roleplay espousing it.
  9 
  Accumulation of Power: Th is theme encourages 
  PCs to gain as much power as possible. Finding rare 
  magic items and artifacts, making friends and allies, 
  commanding vast armies, and serving deities directly 
  are all common elements of this kind of campaign. 
  Th e action can be as much political as physical, and 
  rewards tend to escalate as the campaign continues. 
  Accumulation of power campaigns are common in 
  games with evil, or at best non-good, PCs.
  10 
  Keeping the Peace: Often set in a city or very 
  civilized territory, the thrust of the campaign is 
  not to establish or save civilization, but to patrol it. 
  Solving crimes, capturing convicts, and uncovering 
  corruption are more common than ﬁ ghting dragons 
  or delving through dungeons. Conﬂ ict may be 
  much more social than physical, though ﬁ ghting is 
  certainly possible, and problem solving is focused 
  on resolving crimes and social ills rather than 
  running armies and disabling traps.
  11 
  Uncovering Conspiracy: A secret is hinted at 
  early in the campaign, and investigation suggests it 
  is vast in scope. Enemies are hidden and sly, with 
  many lairs of contacts and agents taking secret 
  orders. Suspicion and caution are kept at high 
  levels, and even allies may be suspected. Often the 
  ultimate goal is to steal power from a rightful ruler 
  or bring about a terrible mystic ritual.
  12 
  Dambusters: In this kind of campaign, one moderate 
  act can lead to major changes in the world. Th e 
  PCs ﬁ nd that taking out a single enemy fortress can 
  open an entire border to expansion by a kingdom 
  friendly to their cause, and destroying one evil wizard 
  frees whole communities from his inﬂ uence. In a 
  dambusters campaign, the heroes’ actions cause ripples 
  that can improve (or worsen) a much larger area.
  13 
  Great Romance: Th e main element of a great 
  romance game is to ﬁ nd true love, overcome 
  whatever challenges keep lovers from being 
  together, protect loved ones, and eventually Live 
  Happily Ever After. Th ough the action may be 
  similar to other campaigns, the motivations and 
  rewards can be very diﬀ erent.
  14 
  Horror: A horror-themed game is designed to 
  frighten both players and their characters. Th reats 
  are often unspeakable monsters from beyond human 
  experience, and may well be beyond the ability of 
  any PC to overcome. Th e most important element 
  is a threat that cannot be defeated, regardless of its 
  source. Action often revolves around discovering 
  just what the threat is and how to prevent it from 
  coming about (since it’s beyond defeat once it has 
  fully materialized). Games with a horror theme may 
  include gruesome details and disturbing descriptions 
  of bloody events, or they may try to heighten fear 
  by keeping details oﬀ -stage to allow the players’ 
  imaginations to ﬁ ll in any details.
   
  Horror themes are very unpopular with some 
  players and should not be run without some 
  warning to the nature of the game and the kind of 
  horror it tries to emulate. Some games take horror 
  elements, such as Lovecraftian elder gods and 
  zombies, but run them as more a Good-vs.-Evil 
  game with gritty undertones.
  15 
  Suspense: Suspense-themed games are similar 
  to Horror games, in that they involve delving 
  into the unknown and dealing with the fear 
  and trepidation uncertainty brings. A theme of 
  suspense doesn’t necessarily mean dealing with 
  something horrid, evil, and otherworldly, however. 
  Players might ﬁ nd themselves trying to unravel 
  a murder mystery before a killer strikes again or 
  investigating unusual occurrences that turn out to 
  have a purely mundane explanation.
  16 
  Espionage: An espionage game assumes the PCs 
  are gathering information and undertaking covert 
  operations more than opposing foes directly or 
  stomping through dungeons. Such games may 
  promote the well-being of a single nation the PCs 
  
  87
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  work for, or the PCs may be freelance sneaks and 
  assassins working for anyone. Espionage games are 
  more about getting in and getting out than killing 
  things and taking their stuﬀ , and they have many 
  opportunities for witty banter and double entendre.
  17 
  Comedy: Th e most important element of a 
  comedy-themed campaign is making people laugh. 
  Th e comedy can be understated, with wry in-
  jokes and humorous situations, or it may be more 
  over-the-top with silly names, comic parodies 
  of common fantasy elements, and anachronistic 
  items added for comedy value. Th e most important 
  consideration when running a comedy theme 
  campaign is to make sure the players are all aware 
  of and interested in the plans for humor.
  18 
  Beer-and-Pretzels: A beer-and-pretzels game is 
  simply something to pass the time in a friendly and 
  entertaining manner. Its main theme is a lack of a 
  theme, with no serious eﬀ ort to maintain continuity 
  or have things make sense. It’s an “anything goes” 
  environment in which players feel free to do anything, 
  including getting their characters killed, and the GM’s 
  main function is to come up with new things for them 
  to face, no matter how oﬀ -the-wall challenges may be. 
  Like comedy games, everyone should be aware of the 
  nature of a beer-and-pretzels game.
  19 
  Philosophical Exploration: Th is is a theme of 
  mental exploration, with players encountering 
  moral and ethical challenges and deciding how 
  their characters resolve them. Such issues as 
  the nature of evil, the end justifying the means, 
  and the moral authority of vigilantes (or lack 
  thereof) are common areas for a philosophical 
  exploration campaign to dwell on. Games often 
  involve considerable debate between players, and 
  sometimes NPCs, and experience rewards are more 
  focused on roleplaying than defeating challenges. 
  Some players hate this kind of game, and it can 
  more readily lead to out-of-game arguments, so a 
  GM thinking of adding such a theme should be 
  well aware of his players’ temperaments.
  20 
  Genre Emulation: Some games try to recreate the 
  kinds of stories and characters common to a particular 
  genre or even a speciﬁ c line of stories. Such games 
  are often explicitly billed by the GM as being like a 
  particular author’s works and may include extensive 
  house rules to help emulate the desired genre. Not 
  all such games attempt to emulate common fantasy 
  dramas — drawing themes from westerns, ﬁ lm noir, 
  horror, and drama series and placing the elements in a 
  fantasy setting are perfectly possible.
  21 
  Th e Quest: A quest game presents a major, world-
  shattering undertaking that must be accomplished 
  despite great trials and challenges preventing it. If 
  beginning at low levels, it often has a minor quest 
  (the recovery of a holy relic) lead to a major quest 
  (returning the relic to its ancestral home, in the center 
  of an evil overlord’s territory) and then to an epic 
  quest (using the boons granted when returning the 
  relic to ﬁ nd an even older relic that can destroy the 
  evil overlord). Th e strength of quest games is that PCs 
  have a clear direction to guide them; the drawback is 
  that constantly striving for a single goal can eventually 
  get dull. A quest theme can be taken to cover multiple 
  smaller quests, which at least breaks up the monotony.
  22 
  Gritty Realism: A campaign with gritty realism 
  minimizes over-the-top cinematic action in favor 
  of realistic limitations and consequences. Even if 
  fantastic elements such as magic and monsters are 
  present, they are handled in a realistic way. Injuries 
  can easily be fatal, people are often fearful and/or 
  greedy, and making a signiﬁ cant, permanent, or 
  noticeable diﬀ erence to the world is very diﬃ  cult.
   
  Games of gritty realism often focus on the cost of 
  heroism and the struggle to survive. Many groups 
  feel the harder it is for characters to take a stand, 
  the more heroic they are for doing so (and the more 
  interesting playing them is).
   
  Th ese games aren’t for everyone. Many players 
  ﬁ nd them oppressive and too realistic to serve as 
  good escapism. Gritty games are also usually more 
  lethal, leading to higher character turnover and 
  failure. Many players dislike losing frequently and 
  thus dislike games with both high diﬃ  culty and 
  serious consequences.
  23 
  Technological Revolution: Th is theme places 
  change and advancement at center stage. 
  Technological advancement need not be a game 
  with science-ﬁ ction elements, though it certainly 
  can be. Any advance in technology or science 
  brings change to the political balance of power and 
  the societies involved. In a Bronze Age game, the 
  discovery of methods for working iron, or even steel, 
  is a technological advancement. Th e development 
  of ﬂ intlock weapons is a common advance for this 
  theme, as is the entire evolution of a renaissance.
  24 
  Survival: A survival theme regularly pits PCs 
  against elements, environments, and conditions that 
  threaten them. Games set in deserts or frozen wastes 
  fall into this category, as do games set in areas where 
  civilization has broken down and an existence must 
  be carved out of the wilderness. Th reats should be 
  more than the attack of dangerous creatures (though 
  that’s certainly part of a survival theme) and have an 
  emphasis on gathering and maintaining resources 
  and creative problem solving.
  25 
  Historical: A historical theme tries to bring 
  in elements of real-world history to a game. 
  
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  A campaign may actually be set in a period 
  of our history or a close approximation of our 
  history (such as Green Ronin’s Eternal Rome 
  and Testament), or it may simply have analogs to 
  recognizable historical periods (such as Green 
  Ronin’s Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra). Th e 
  game may even replay historic events or use them 
  as inspiration for adventures, allowing PCs to take 
  part in the Crusades or try to prevent their own 
  religion from beginning an Inquisition.
  26 
  Nature’s Way: Th is theme focuses on the cycle of 
  nature and civilization’s balance with it. Conﬂ icts 
  between any civilization and the natural resources 
  it consumes are common elements, as are talking 
  animals and councils of wise druids.
  27 
  Free-for-All: A mixed theme drawing from any 
  element that seems interesting. Games with portals 
  to other times and places, dimension- or plane-
  hopping, and elements from any genre or theme 
  the GM and players ﬁ nd interesting is a free-for-
  all. If not carefully monitored, a free-for-all is likely 
  to become a beer-and-pretzels game.
  28 
  War: A war-themed campaign has a major conﬂ ict 
  that everyone is aware of and that aﬀ ects most 
  people’s lives. Th e PCs may be soldiers or mercenaries 
  involved in the war, or they may simply experience the 
  social upheavals and uncertainty that war brings.
  29 
  Mature: A mature-themed game takes an 
  unﬂ inching look at what happens during war, what 
  kinds of things villains and madmen do to their 
  victims, drug use, prostitution, and where half-orcs 
  come from. A mature-themed game need not dwell 
  on these subjects, but it doesn’t avoid them either. 
  A GM should make sure everyone is comfortable 
  with a mature-themed game and watch for players 
  becoming uncomfortable. Mature games must 
  be closely monitored or they may in fact become 
  extremely immature.
  30 
  Lost Empires: A lost empires game includes in its 
  history ancient kingdoms with wonders (and possibly 
  magic or technologies) now lost. Th e empires may 
  be gone, but they still impact the world around 
  them. Ancient bloodlines can be traced back to these 
  kingdoms, adventurers seek out their buried cities, 
  and scholars try to unlock their secrets. Ancient evils 
  may come back, or new villains and rulers may base 
  their plans on the examples of the past.
  31 
  Dark Comedy: A dark comedy campaign includes 
  elements that are both funny and dreadful. Th is is a 
  tricky line to walk, and not something most groups 
  try, but a skilled GM can create a memorable 
  campaign with these elements. Wars fought for 
  stupid reasons, horrid demons that are somehow 
  also ridiculous, and things going cartoonishly awry 
  without a cartoon’s happy ending are all examples 
  of dark comedy.
  32 
  Adventure: Most roleplaying game campaigns 
  include an adventure element (indeed, the whole 
  hobby is often referred to as adventure gaming), 
  but it’s worth mentioning and exploring. Adventure 
  themes focus on doing noteworthy, diﬃ  cult, and 
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  exciting deeds. Elements include ﬁ ghts, exotic 
  locales, heroic ﬁ gures, death-defying stunts, and 
  driven foes. Adventure campaigns often overlook 
  the possible problems of heroic plans and possible 
  consequences of bold actions, or at least have a 
  tendency for everything to work out in the end.
  33 
  Th riller: A thriller campaign strives for excitement 
  and tension, often focusing on games revolving 
  around a race against time. Often the challenge is 
  not simply to accomplish something, but to do so 
  before timed consequences hit. A group of heroes 
  may have no fear of dying if they go into the Black 
  Marsh, but can they get in and ﬁ nd a rare herb 
  before the queen dies of a mystic poison?
   
  Th riller games usually have hidden agendas and 
  secretive foes, leaving PCs unsure of who are their 
  real enemies and allies until late in a particular 
  plot. Such information is eventually revealed, 
  but perhaps not in time for the PCs to act on it. 
  Th riller-themed games require downtime between 
  plots set at breakneck speed, so both players and 
  characters have a chance to catch their breath.
  34 
  Dialectical: Th ese campaigns, in theory similar to 
  Good vs. Evil or Tyranny vs. Rebellion,  but focuses 
  on any two competing forces or beliefs, and the 
  birth of something new. PCs may be bystanders as 
  the world changes, undergoing another campaign 
  style adventure, and placing the change in the 
  background, or take part in the resistance to the 
  change, or as agents of change. In this campaign, 
  the players may have an active role in the 
  development of an altogether new era.
  35 
  Redemption: A redemption theme revolves around 
  a person or group who either is truly fallen or is 
  viewed as fallen by society as a whole. PCs may 
  be convicted criminals given a chance to prove 
  their worth or members of a race/bloodline/nation 
  mistrusted by the rest of the world. In this case, 
  the PCs are examples, and their actions have 
  repercussions not just for them but for the entire 
  class of people they represent.
   
  A redemption-themed game may also have PCs 
  trying to redeem a fallen NPC. Th e blackguard 
  villain who still has a mote of good, the lich who 
  was once a magician of life and love, the cultist who 
  made a deal with the devil without knowing what 
  he was doing are all good examples of NPCs that 
  could potentially be redeemed — if the PCs are 
  willing to have faith and take risks. An NPC might 
  also simply have failed at something important, 
  such as the guard who allowed his king to be 
  assassinated or the priest who lost faith.
   
  In a particularly dark campaign, redemption may 
  be needed for everyone. Th e whole world may 
  have been abandoned by the gods themselves 
  as hopeless, until and unless some group proves 
  noble, brave, loyal, and kind. Th e PCs aren’t just 
  redeeming themselves — they have a chance to 
  redeem everyone.
  36 
  High Seas: A high seas theme places much of the 
  action on ships. Often swashbuckling and/or pirate 
  elements are included, along with a ﬂ intlock level 
  of technology (or magic simulating it). For ideas, 
  see Green Ronin’s Freeport: City of Adventure or for 
  a historical example, see Skull & Bones.
  37 
  Lost Worlds: Essentially a hollow earth, dinosaurs 
  on a giant plateau pulp-style game. Similar to 
  both exploration and lost empires, a lost worlds 
  game assumes that there are secret and hidden 
  places were things thought long gone are present. 
  In addition to dinosaurs, such games often have 
  forgotten empires of lizardmen, temples to dead 
  gods, and stores of dangerous magic or technology.
  38 
  Vengeance: A vengeance game is all about getting 
  even. Wrongs are remembered and much of the action 
  is an eﬀ ort to punish wrongdoers. Both heroes and 
  villains can be driven by vengeance, and the entire plot 
  of a campaign can revolve around a person’s or even 
  an entire kingdom’s desire to see justice done.
  39 
  In the Rafters: Th is theme shows players what’s 
  going on behind the scenes, in places that wouldn’t 
  be obvious to most folks. Such an approach often 
  appears in games with unusual player characters, such 
  as children, barnyard animals, familiars, or fairies who 
  ﬁ nd themselves having secretly to aid more “normal” 
  protagonists who may not even be aware of them. It 
  can also become a “power behind the throne” kind of 
  game, where the real action is the struggle of secret 
  societies and power brokers who make deals and wage 
  underground wars in the shadows of normal society.
  40 
  Apocalypse: Th is theme looks at what happens 
  in a devastated world (or region), be it by natural 
  disaster, arcane explosions, divine wrath, or war. Th e 
  ravages of a fallen civilization form the backdrop, 
  and the campaign can focus on survival, rebuilding, 
  or exploration. An apocalypse theme need not be 
  all-encompassing; a game could include just one 
  recently-ruined region (such as the broken continent 
  of Atlantis) or be set so far after the holocaust that 
  its only impact is felt when old ruins are discovered.
  Choosing a  Cosmology
  A cosmology is a set of rules that deﬁ ne and run the 
  universe. In the context of a campaign, the cosmology 
  decides how the world was created, where diﬀ erent races 
  and monsters came from, how and why (and if) magic 
  and psionics work, who and what are the deities and 
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  outsiders, and what other planes of existence are out 
  there and how they can be reached and traveled through.
  Most d20 campaign rulebooks have an assumed 
  cosmology. Th e names of the inner and outer planes, the 
  spells that use and manipulate the planes, what deities exist 
  and what powers they grant their priests are all part of that 
  cosmology. You can take parts of cosmologies you like and 
  weave them together (or even just stick with one) or make 
  up your own cosmology whole cloth. Be careful about 
  taking too much mythology from current real-world faiths 
  (see Sensitive Subjects in Chapter One for why this 
  could be oﬀ ensive), but in general borrowing interesting 
  bits from other sources is a great way to build a cosmology.
  A campaign’s cosmology can inﬂ uence what kinds of 
  plots make sense for the game, as well as how many spells 
  and abilities work in speciﬁ c circumstances. For example, 
  many clerical spells allow the caster to ask questions of 
  an outsider or deity. In some campaigns, it’s assumed 
  the answers given are absolutely correct, no matter how 
  they aﬀ ect a deity’s interests. Th us, if a cleric of a god 
  of poverty asked if his party would do well to look for 
  secret doors, and a vast treasure is hidden behind one, 
  the answer given is yes. In other campaigns, it’s assumed 
  that deities give answers designed to promote their own 
  interests. Not only may gods of poverty steer the faithful 
  away from riches, a god of war might get his clerics into 
  more battles for his own glory, even if the result kills the 
  clerics. Th ese are important cosmological diﬀ erences, 
  and a cleric with a +15 or greater modiﬁ er in Knowledge 
  (religion) has a right to know which is closer to the truth.
  Other bits of cosmology are unlikely to have any impact 
  on the campaign unless the GM goes out of her way 
  to use them. For example, the source of magic isn’t 
  important as long as it works in a consistent way. A GM 
  could decide it’s the leftover energy from the creation of 
  the universe, mystic radiation given oﬀ  by certain rocks, 
  the power of dead gods long since dissolved, or a kind 
  of science that ﬁ nds loopholes in the physical rules of 
  the universe. As long as a ﬁ reball is a ﬁ reball, the power 
  source doesn’t matter much (though players may be 
  interested in knowing the details).
  However, a solid cosmology allows a GM to introduce 
  plots using it when and if she feels the need. If magic 
  is mystic radiation from certain rocks, what happens 
  if a lot of that rock is gathered in one place? Th e GM 
  can then introduce areas of no magic and zones of 
  powerful spell boosts (see Mystic Locales in Chapter 
  Seven) based on how much rock lays in the area. A 
  villain could even start gathering vast quantities of the 
  rock, becoming an increasingly powerful wizard with no 
  upper limit in sight. If magic is the power of a dead god, 
  what happens when a cult tries to restore that god to 
  power? If PCs know the risks of these plots in advance 
  because they’re familiar with the campaign’s cosmology, 
  they’re more motivated to get involved.
  Arcane Power
  Th e source of magic can be anything, since it need not 
  follow any laws of science. Th is doesn’t mean you can’t try 
  to make magic logical, you’re just not restricted to things 
  that match players’ real-world experiences. People don’t 
  throw ﬁ reballs or cast wishes in the real world, so players 
  have fewer expectations on how such things “really” work.
  Common cosmologies include magic drawing from 
  the power of nature (making druids and sorcerers close 
  cousins), ﬂ owing through the world in invisible rivers 
  (ley lines or geomantic ﬂ ows), leaking from the gods 
  (making clerics and wizards natural enemies), coming 
  from other planes (leading mages to seek power from 
  outsiders, especially ﬁ ends), the stars (making astrology 
  popular whether or not it actually works), or being a 
  mystery even wizards don’t understand (causing most 
  arcane spellcasters to hoard carefully any secrets they do 
  master and avoid answering questions that would reveal 
  their own ignorance). A GM wanting to drive home the 
  source of magic can do so in little ways, such as changing 
  material components to be crystals for geomancy or 
  fetishes for nature magic.
  Another important question is who can learn magic. 
  While there’s no need to restrict PC choices, many 
  cosmologies present arcane magic as a gift that only a 
  few possess. You might not allow characters to multiclass 
  into arcane classes if they don’t start in one at 1st 
  level. Many games also restrict magic to certain races, 
  forbidding dwarven wizards or halﬂ ing sorcerers. If you 
  take this route, consider the implications for the societies 
  she builds. If dwarves can’t be arcane spellcasters, 
  they’re likely to lean heavily on divine classes (needing 
  magic power to compete, and leaning to more religious 
  societies) and mistrust wizards and sorcerers.
  Divine Power
  A very basic question is, “Where do the gods get their 
  power from?” Some cosmologies dispense with deities 
  entirely. Clerics draw power from the force of an 
  ethos, which may be nothing more than Good or Evil. 
  Campaigns may also replace deities with great spirits or 
  even a bureaucracy of outsiders who are charged with 
  keeping the universe running smoothly. Regardless of 
  what form divine powers take, a good cosmology at least 
  gives some clues to how and why they operate.
  Deities are often presented as gaining power from 
  worshipers. Th e more worshipers a deity has, the more 
  power it gains. In this cosmology, the most popular 
  deities are the most powerful. Th is situation creates a 
  lot of incentive for deities to protect and guide their 
  churches and for those churches to expand their 
  membership. If all a deity needs is for a worshiper 
  to give service and obey the rules of worship, many 
  churches are likely to convert new worshipers through 
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  force. Th eocracies and state-mandated religions become 
  common, as do crusades of conversion. In fact, attacks on 
  the faithful become direct attacks on their gods, one of 
  the few ways mortals could threaten deities.
  A related idea is that deities draw power from actions 
  within their domains of inﬂ uence and lose power 
  from actions opposed to their domains. Th us, a god 
  of smithing gains power whenever anyone smiths 
  something, and a god of deception gains power whenever 
  anyone lies. In this cosmology, each religion deﬁ nes those 
  things that give power to its god as virtues and those 
  things that take away power as sins. A church dedicated 
  to a god of law and community might forbid pre-marital 
  sex because it’s a chaotic act that can lead to children 
  with just one parent; a church devoted to a goddess of 
  freedom and love will promote the same act as a virtue.
  Situational ethics will be common in such a cosmology. 
  Even good-aligned churches are frequently in 
  disagreement about sin and virtue, but have less incentive 
  to attack each other (except for a church of war). Since 
  acts themselves empower the deities, unfaithful worshipers 
  aren’t particularly useful. Th is system also has the 
  advantage that evil or distasteful deities need not have 
  organized churches — a god of murder draws power from 
  all murderers, without them speciﬁ cally revering him.
  In both these cosmologies, new deities may be created 
  and old ones fade away if their sources of power are 
  grown or shrunk, respectively. If mathematics becomes 
  commonplace, a new god of math might be born. If 
  Bronze Age technology ends, the god of bronze may fade 
  away. Th is process allows for cults of “forgotten gods” 
  to be found in ruined shrines or even for fallen gods 
  themselves to be found wandering the world. Of course, 
  even if no longer a god, the fallen lord of dinosaurs may 
  be quite powerful by mortal standards.
  If gods draw power from worship, belief, and action, 
  so too can philosophies. If many people believe in any 
  particular ethos, it draws enough power to allow its 
  clerics and priests to access the same kind of powers as 
  deities rant. A campaign can have both ethos-driven and 
  god-driven religions, though the two groups will not 
  likely see eye-to-eye.
  Another common idea is that deities are primal forces of 
  the universe, with no need for external sources of power. 
  Th e domains of inﬂ uence deities choose are either their 
  private interests or simply part of the universe’s natural 
  order. Th ese deities have less incentive to be directly 
  involved with their worshipers (though if they care 
  about some particular ethos or activity, they’re likely to 
  defend those who promote it). In this case, churches and 
  religions are much more than petitioners, trying to do a 
  god’s will in return for protection or favor. Th is condition 
  produces more churches with at most an arm’s-length 
  relationship to their gods and is perfect for monolithic 
  religions ﬁ lled with priests who care more for their own 
  power than the good of their ﬂ ock. Even schisms and 
  holy wars may not draw a deity’s attention, since they has 
  no impact on his or her power.
  Some cosmologies allow mortals to become deities under 
  the right circumstances. Th e mortals may have to be 
  elevated by existing deities as a reward for great service, earn 
  enough worshipers to focus divine energy onto themselves, 
  or discover some secret that sets deities apart from mortals. 
  Any system can be used, but allowing mortals to become 
  deities provides a great incentive for all sorts of villains.
  Finally, setting up a game so there truly are no gods nor 
  anything to replace them is possible. Divine magic is 
  simply a diﬀ erent tradition than arcane magic, but in 
  principle, it works the same way. Any spell that claims to 
  be contacting an outsider is in fact just another instance 
  of divination or summoning magic. Mortals may or may 
  not know deities aren’t real, but if it’s a secret, it’s one 
  even a basically good church might kill to keep from 
  becoming common knowledge.
  Monsters
  A cosmology that deﬁ nes the origins of some monsters 
  can have an eﬀ ect on what monsters get used in the 
  campaign (see Choosing Monsters, page 93). For 
  example, if each race of monsters was created by a deity, 
  be prepared to deﬁ ne what the god of chimeras is. 
  Th ough this is a lot of work, it also gives you a built-in 
  rogues’ gallery of mastermind villains and allies in the 
  form of priests of the many racial gods.
  
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  Monsters can also come from wild magic. Th is 
  cosmology assumes some force (possibly transstorms; 
  see Chapter Eight) blends and combines diﬀ erent 
  “mundane” races to create most monsters. Th us, centaurs 
  are actually descended from a blending of humans and 
  horses, while chimeras combine multiple creatures. Any 
  magical creature can be extrapolated from the eﬀ ects of 
  arcane power on a normal creature — snakes become 
  dragons, lions become sphinxes, and rock itself becomes 
  xorns. One advantage of this idea is that ecologies are 
  constantly in ﬂ ux. Since PCs know new monsters can be 
  created at any time, they aren’t surprised if they run into 
  a laundry list of creatures over the course of their careers, 
  or if a new horror overruns a once-safe wilderness.
  Another common idea is to have many races be descended 
  from deities and outsiders. Th ese otherworldly creatures 
  can take on any form and imbue their crossbreed oﬀ spring 
  with various powers. All giants may trace their heritage 
  back to one titan who spread his blood widely, resulting in 
  many diﬀ erent species of children. A similar idea is to have 
  many breeds descend from some mythic super-creature, 
  such as the mother of all dragons or the ﬁ rst aberration.
  Cosmologies can easily combine these elements for 
  diﬀ erent races. Th e core groups of humanoids and a few 
  intelligent monsters may each have been created by their 
  own deities, while other creatures come from a combination 
  of crossbreeding and wild magic alterations. Th is kind of 
  set-up can lead to races without deities, bigotry between 
  the god-born and the mystically evolved, and still have 
  new monsters show up suddenly where needed.
   Psionic Power
  Th e most important question regarding psionics in a 
  cosmology is whether it exists at all. Many groups dislike 
  psionics, considering it more appropriate for modern and 
  science ﬁ ction games than fantasy. Excluding psionics 
  generally produces a more traditional fantasy feel. However, 
  psionics can be included in a game without sacriﬁ cing 
  fantasy trappings. For example, many settings include 
  mystics and wise ones from far oﬀ  (often eastern) lands 
  with strange and unique powers. Psionics can easily be used 
  to ﬁ ll this role, making it a rare power from foreign lands. 
  Especially if psionics are deﬁ ned as just another form of 
  magic, they need not bring a sci-ﬁ  tone to a game.
  If psionics is included, it must be deﬁ ned as being 
  the same as or diﬀ erent from other magic. Th e easiest 
  cosmology treats psionics as mind-magic, and like divine 
  magic and arcane magic, it operates in essentially the 
  same way despite having a diﬀ erent source. For example, 
  dispel magic cast as a divine or arcane spell has the same 
  chance of success, and if psionics are treated as magic, 
  the spell can aﬀ ect those powers as well. Used this way, 
  psionics can even be given a diﬀ erent name (theurgy, 
  shamanism, mind magic, chi, occultism, eastern magic, 
  mysticism, and so on) to help maintain a fantasy theme.
  If psionics is treated as non-magical, it has a greater 
  aﬀ ect on the campaign. Defenses designed to aid against 
  magic attacks and divinations designed to locate magic 
  threats won’t work on psionics, making it more powerful. 
  Of course, logically, psionics cannot aﬀ ect magic either 
  in this case, which can lead to very violent conﬂ icts with 
  powerful attacks and few defenses.
  Most cosmologies assume psionics (whatever it’s called) 
  is powered by force of will, but this need not be the case. 
  Psionics can draw on the same kinds of sources as arcane 
  magic (see Arcane Power), though most campaigns give 
  arcane and psionic power diﬀ erent sources. Psionics can 
  also draw their power from crystals or lines of psychic 
  force ﬂ owing freely from all living things. Th e more 
  esoteric the power source for psionics is, the less like a 
  traditional fantasy setting a campaign feels.
  Choosing  Monsters
  Most GMs don’t give much thought to what monsters 
  exist in their campaign worlds (and how common each 
  is). Hundreds of monsters are detailed in the various d20 
  rulebooks, but few campaigns make use of all of them. 
  One reason is a simple matter of time: few games go 
  through enough sessions to use each possible foe even 
  once. Many GMs also feel a game world with too many 
  diﬀ erent monsters in it isn’t believable. Since few games 
  use more than a fraction of the total monsters available 
  to them anyway, giving some thought to what will be 
  common in advance can be useful.
  A game in which certain monsters are more common 
  can give PCs an edge, because they can take steps to be 
  prepared for those creatures. For example, if red dragons 
  are the only common evil dragon and they show up a 
  lot, not only can PCs arm themselves with weapons that 
  are eﬀ ective against dragons, they know that magical 
  defenses against ﬁ re will be unusually useful. Rangers are 
  likely to take dragons as favored enemies, and everyone 
  probably carries a ranged weapon of some kind.
  Th is kind of campaign has some advantages. First, it 
  tends to feel more uniﬁ ed than a game world in which 
  everything goes. Red dragons are the most powerful of 
  evil dragons, and it seems reasonable they’d spread to ﬁ ll 
  numerous positions of power. Second, allowing classes 
  such as rangers know at least one monster type that’s will 
  be common allows players to gear their characters’ class 
  abilities to be useful at least some of the time. A ranger 
  who takes animals as a favored enemy and then never 
  runs into an animal is likely to feel cheated.
  Also, a campaign with a few iconic monsters can be more 
  fun, as players get to see how they mach up against the 
  same kinds of enemies multiple times. A game in which 
  ogres and ogre magi rule an evil empire trying to conquer 
  the world has a strong theme to it, and as PCs gain levels 
  they go from dealing with a single ogre scout, to squads 
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  of ogre soldiers, to facing down elite ogre mage warlords. 
  On top of using ogres as a benchmark for players to 
  measure their PCs with, the campaign has a unique spin 
  that sets it apart from other games.
  Some creature types have a greater impact on play than 
  others. In particular, carefully consider the balance issues 
  of having higher or lower than normal numbers of 
  constructs, giants, oozes, plants, undead, and vermin. Th e 
  reasons why aren’t always obvious. For example, dwarves 
  and gnomes gain a +4 AC bonus against giants, making 
  them far more eﬀ ective in games with lots of giants.
  Constructs, oozes, plants, and undead are immune to sneak 
  attack and critical damage, which makes them tougher 
  for rogues to deal with, as well as for ﬁ ghters who depend 
  on a weapon with a high critical threat range (such as a 
  rapier) rather than a weapon that uses a larger damage die. 
  Undead are particularly vulnerable to clerics and paladins, 
  which means those characters get more spotlight time in 
  games featuring hordes of the walking dead.
  Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, and vermin are 
  immune to mind-aﬀ ecting eﬀ ects. Th is makes them 
  diﬃ  cult for bards, illusionists, and enchanters to deal 
  with. Most are also immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, 
  stunning and polymorphing, but few classes depend on 
  these abilities to be eﬀ ective.
  Numerous spells and magical items are geared to deal 
  with plants and undead, so while including a large 
  number of them in a campaign makes some classes 
  (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) more useful than 
  normal, it doesn’t make life diﬃ  cult for PCs in general. 
  Other creatures immune to both critical hits and mind-
  aﬀ ecting attacks (constructs and oozes) don’t have as 
  broad a selection of vulnerabilities. Although their CRs 
  are balanced for their immunities, a game that uses a 
  lot of these creatures is frustrating for players whose 
  characters can’t aﬀ ect them. It’s best to use constructs and 
  oozes in moderation, or to include feats, spells, or magic 
  items to help PCs deal with them.
  Choosing  PC Races
  Most campaigns focus on a few core races that are 
  common as PC races, with a few additional races 
  that may be taken as a PC race only occasionally. 
  GMs, however, can restrict PC races for any number 
  of reasons. A GM might dislike a race (if you have 
  halﬂ ings and dwarves, do you really need gnomes?), 
  wish to restrict a race to villains (perhaps gnomes are 
  evil dwarves, steeped in necromancy and demonology, 
  who rule their own vile empire), not like the idea of 
  a race (half-elves and half-orcs may seem to blur the 
  lines between races too much — why aren’t there half-
  gnomes if crossbreeds exist?), or just not want to deal 
  with developing anything for a given race (humans, 
  dwarves, elves, half-elves, half-orcs, halﬂ ings, and 
  gnomes come with a fair amount of material for use as 
  PCs; centaurs, kobolds, goblins, and blink dogs don’t).
  One matter you should keep in mind is how a PC of a 
  given race will be treated in the areas in which you plan 
  to run games. A dwarven kingdom constantly struggling 
  against giant clans will not look kindly on a half-ogre 
  barbarian. As a result, the game’s tone game may be 
  changed by allowing one. Time will be taken up dealing 
  with the prejudice and fear the half-ogre faces, leaving less 
  time to delve into dungeons and ﬁ ght evil raiders. If that’s 
  something you want to explore, ﬁ ne; if not, the campaign 
  is better oﬀ  disallowing the half-ogre as a PC race.
  Power level is another potential concern. Most games 
  focus on races with no ECL shift, allowing 1st-level 
  characters to start a game together. Adding ECL races 
  can make early levels diﬃ  cult (though there are ways 
  to handle this by boosting the entire power level of the 
  game; see Boosting Power Levels in Chapter Six). A 
  game starting at higher than 1st level can more easily 
  incorporate ECL races, but as a general rule, no race 
  should be allowed with an ECL of more than half the 
  starting game level (i.e., if beginning a game at 6th level, 
  allow no races with an ECL higher than +3).
  Also consider the eﬀ ect of unusual or bizarre PC races on 
  the tone of your campaign. Th e further from traditional 
  races the campaign gets, the more trouble players have 
  understanding how the races act and interact. Th e attitudes 
  of dwarves, elves, and orcs are well understood by most 
  players (and even if you change those attitudes, you need 
  describe only how the race is diﬀ erent in your games). 
  Few players have experience with non-humanoids, and 
  allowing monsters, giant insects, or slime molds as PCs 
  will provoke a lot more questions from players.
  You can modify races by using the background rules (see 
  Chapter Six) . You can “sell” racial abilities and buy new 
  background abilities to create a new race or sub-race. 
  Ability score modiﬁ ers can be changed as well, as long 
  as the total bonuses and penalties balance (Strength, 
  Dexterity, and Constitution are considered to be worth 
  twice what Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are, so 
  a +2 Strength needs a –2 Dexterity or Constitution, or a 
  total of –4 to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma), and 
  all ability score modiﬁ ers are even numbers.
  For example, you could decide that in addition to traditional 
  dwarves, your game will include desert dwarves, a slightly 
  smaller and more cordial sub-race of surface dwellers. You 
  eliminates darkvision, the ability to treat dwarven exotic 
  weapons as martial weapons, and the +4 AC bonus against 
  giants, gaining 8 background points. You then give desert 
  dwarves low-light vision, Survival as a permanent class 
  skill, immunity to sleep eﬀ ects, and a +2 racial bonus to 
  saves against enchantment spells or eﬀ ects. You change the 
  favored class to sorcerer and the ability score adjustments 
  to –2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, and +2 Charisma. All other 
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  particulars remain the same. (Some racial abilities aren’t on 
  the background element list; give them a cost based on their 
  usefulness compared to other background elements).
  Choosing  Technology
  A campaign should have a logical and consistent level 
  of technology. Th e rules assume a roughly medieval tech 
  base, with steel and sailing common, but few clockworks 
  and no gunpowder. Many fantasy settings play with this 
  assumption, adding steam engines, gear-based machines, 
  wind power, ﬂ intlocks, modern clothing, advanced 
  architecture designs or even giant spring-driven robots. 
  Others prefer to maintain a classic level of technology, 
  with bronze or iron the metal of choice and steel 
  unknown, or a prehistoric Stone Age technology.
  In some cases, changing a game’s tech level has game 
  consequences. For example, a game set in the Bronze Age is 
  unlikely to have cold-iron weapons, making creatures with 
  damage reduction vulnerable to that material particularly 
  powerful. Similarly, a game eliminating crossbows as too 
  high-tech removes the most eﬀ ective ranged weapon for 
  sorcerers and wizards. To maintain game balance, replace 
  anything eliminated with a lower-tech equivalent (ash 
  wood for cold iron, atl-atls for crossbows, and so on).
  A consistent level of technology need not be a uniform 
  level of technology. You can set up a campaign in 
  numerous ways so a particular group or region has a 
  higher tech base than others. Th e technology could 
  depend on natural resources not available elsewhere (such 
  as needing particular metals or minerals). It could be 
  new to a region, and thus not have spread too extensively 
  yet. Isolated groups can simply have a diﬀ erent tech base 
  because they don’t trade or communicate much with 
  outsiders (an isolated group having a lower tech base 
  rather than a higher one is just as easy to justify). Come 
  up with some reason why diﬀ ering tech levels exist if 
  you want to maintain them, however. Otherwise, players 
  are sure to carry high tech to lower tech areas and set up 
  shop making and selling it.
  When deciding on one or more tech levels, look at 
  what you can easily support. Unless writing up dozens 
  of higher-tech gadgets sounds like fun, stick with a 
  technology level you have rules to deﬁ ne. Luckily, rules for 
  everything from the Stone Age to futuristic technology 
  are available, so you will have little diﬃ  culty getting rules 
  for what you want. Th e second potential problem is players 
  who wish to push the level of technology higher than 
  you’re comfortable with. Many players, when faced with 
  ﬂ intlocks, decide their gnome inventor should be able to 
  invent fully automatic machine riﬂ es for instance.
  If you allow these kinds of advances, all you need is to 
  modify some set of rules to cover invention. Spell research 
  and Craft rules are both likely candidates, assigning an 
  eﬀ ective “spell level” or Craft (inventor) DC and gold piece 
  value to various designs. You’re well within your rights, 
  however, to forbid major advances in technology. Although 
  things advance quite quickly in our modern world, 
  progress is much slower at lower technology levels. Th e 
  prevalence and power of magic also draws resources away 
  from technology. (Why would a noble spend his money 
  on researching guns when he can just hire wizards?)
  Another option is to have the trappings of a more advanced 
  technology without actually advancing the overall tech level. 
  For example, if you want to allow ﬂ intlock ﬁ rearms, you 
  may not want the rest of the advances present in real-world 
  history during the period when ﬂ intlocks were common. 
  Rather than decide your campaign has all the technology 
  ﬂ intlocks need, you may opt to have the weapons be special 
  magical devices built by dwarves. Instead of black powder, 
  the weapons use a powdered magic rock (boompowder) 
  only dwarves know how to mine, and the barrels may 
  need to be made of adamantine to withstand the force of 
  the boompowder charge. Not only does this choice avoid 
  real-world advances of chemistry and metallurgy, it allows 
  limitations of the weapons to a few numbers and speciﬁ c 
  regions. (Also, the weapons logically wouldn’t work in an 
  antimagic ﬁ eld, since boompowder is magic — giving high-
  level wizards some defense against the technology.)
  Similarly, the role of technology can be ﬁ lled by 
  obviously magical devices. Bracelets that tell time, wands 
  of magic missile that can be used by anyone, amulets that 
  allow those holding them to communicate over great 
  distances, and magic books that store and manipulate 
  information can all replace watches, guns, cell phones, 
  and computers. In fact, you could create a campaign 
  world with no advanced technology per se, but full of 
  magical equivalents. Such a game might have a very 
  modern or futuristic look, with democracy spreading 
  (driven by the fact most peasants don’t need to work all 
  day nor require a lord’s direct protection, and information 
  can be freely and quickly disseminated) and kingdoms 
  forced to use diplomacy to settle their diﬀ erences to 
  avoid the use of weapons of magical destruction. Th is 
  campaign could follow the model of anything from gritty 
  noir detective ﬁ lms (with hard-luck adventurers hired by 
  fat merchants to ﬁ nd their missing torch-singer wives, 
  who just happen to be cultists) to cyberpunk games, with 
  mega-guilds wielding more power than kingdoms and 
  golem-like replacement limbs commonplace.
  Finally, you could opt to have just a few pieces of high 
  tech exist and treat them like rare magic items. Indeed, 
  characters in worlds with a single laser pistol may well 
  treat it like a minor artifact — a wand used by anyone 
  that cannot be dispelled. Such items might come from 
  dimensional travelers from other realities, crashed starships 
  from other worlds, or leftovers from advanced civilizations 
  that destroyed themselves. As long as the items are rare 
  and so advanced that they can’t be duplicated, they should 
  have little more impact than powerful magic items.
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  Campaign Vignettes: Technology Zones
  Th e technology zones campaign lets the GM and players both play with higher-tech items without having 
  them run rampant throughout the campaign world. Essentially, diﬀ erent areas of the campaign have 
  diﬀ ering maximum levels of technology, and powerful magic from the gods keeps it that way. Most games 
  may take place in a middle-zone that follows traditional tech guidelines, but for a change of pace, players 
  may have adventures with clockwork robots, primitive stone spears, or even plasma riﬂ es.
  Th us in the primitive jungles of evil humanoids, nothing more advanced than Stone Age technology 
  functions. Steel weapons simply cannot be brought in (striking an impenetrable barrier and just staying 
  behind if someone teleports there), and advanced weapons don’t function. Th e humanoids’ deities 
  wish their worshipers to grow stronger by pitting themselves against the environment with little aid. 
  Th e primitive humanoids aren’t much of a threat to more advanced kingdoms (though they may make 
  occasional raids), but more advanced nations are unwilling to march into the jungles without their 
  technology to aid them, keeping the humanoids safe.
  Most lands are stuck at the default fantasy medieval tech level, though the god of one land may allow 
  steam engines while another encourages clockworks. Yet if these things are taken to lower-technology 
  lands, they simply stop working. Dwarves have mountain kingdoms with extremely advanced clockwork 
  and steam technologies, but cannot progress beyond this level of tech, leading perhaps to crude tanks 
  and robots that can’t leave the dwarven homelands. Races living in the subterranean kingdoms may have 
  access to psionic technologies that don’t work elsewhere, as well as biotech based on breeding specialized 
  creatures to serve as weapons (acid-spitting slugs and living knives), armor, and appliances — but only at 
  certain depths.
  Adventures in this world often include foes who have a home-turf advantage. PCs become experts at 
  dealing without their own tech and getting their hands on local devices quickly. Th e PCs may even be 
  exceptions to these rules. Th ey could be the chosen of the gods, allowed to carry any tech anywhere; or 
  they might get hold of minor artifacts, such as a ﬂ intlock riﬂ e that works in all technology zones.
  
  96
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  Even beyond the choices of what to include in a campaign, 
  a GM can alter the type of game he runs by changing core 
  assumptions common to the d20 rules. Th e alignment of 
  the heroes, the accessibility of magic, and the availability of 
  various feats, spells, and prestige classes can all be tweaked 
  to give a campaign its own unique feel.
  The  Evil Campaign
  One obvious idea for an unusual campaign with a strong 
  theme is to play evil vs. good, with the PCs taking the 
  roles of villains and the GM running the heroic forces 
  trying to oppose them. Th e game-mechanical beneﬁ ts 
  for a diﬀ erent feel are obvious: PCs are suddenly ﬁ ghting 
  creatures classically deﬁ ned as good and allying themselves 
  with those normally reserved as antagonists. Th is sort of 
  campaign allows the GM to access a whole range of foes 
  the players may never have fought against. Additionally, 
  plotting such a game seems straightforward: if the PCs are 
  the bad guys, they need little incentive to steal, raid, and 
  kill — they are, after all, evil.
  Evil campaigns have numerous pitfalls, however; so 
  many, actually, that most players and GMs consider them 
  a universally bad idea. A number of GM’s guides and 
  articles have looked at the main arguments for and against 
  evil characters in roleplaying game campaigns. Th e most 
  common conclusions are that evil PCs should be avoided 
  altogether, or that evil characters can work for one-shot or 
  short-run scenarios but cannot be integrated into long-
  running campaigns without creating ill will and player strife.
  If players are interested in exploring the heroic fantasy 
  genre, heroes and heroic actions should be at the heart 
  of roleplaying games. Certainly, there are a number 
  of heroic games on the market, and their popularity 
  suggests a fair number of gamers agree with this idea. 
  Yet a number of games are not as obviously designed 
  around a heroic ideal. In fact, books dealing with some of 
  the least heroic creatures, vampires, seem most popular. 
  Obviously, many vampire games are based on long-term 
  campaigns ﬁ lled with PCs that could safely be described 
  as evil without resulting in endless player conﬂ ict. Th e 
  reason evil PCs don’t regularly disrupt the darker games 
  in which they are common is that all the players expect 
  other PCs to be evil. With that level of acceptance of evil 
  within a game, a character dedicated to wiping out all 
  foulness everywhere might actually be more disruptive 
  and likely to result in hard feelings.
  Like so many problems in long-term roleplaying game 
  campaigns, the main problem with evil characters in 
  heroic settings seems to be one of clashing expectations. 
  If most of the players want a game that revolves around 
  noble characters and heroic actions, a single player who 
  prefers grim intrigue and treachery even among his 
  allies will be unhappy, make the other players unhappy, 
  or both. A good GM can avoid many of these problems 
  by outlining what he’s looking for in his game in 
  advance and have players go over their desires as well. 
  Not everyone may be able to agree on how they want 
  the game to run, but if the issue has been discussed, the 
  chances of the game running smoothly are much higher.
  Even the question of evil characters may sometimes 
  be resolved in this way. Most players who enjoy heroic 
  games don’t want to deal with another player stealing 
  from them or slipping poison into their drinks. Yet not 
  every evil character is a thief or a murderer, and not every 
  player who prefers them is looking to do his companions 
  wrong. Some players want to be free to treat NPCs 
  harshly, but assume their character is still human enough 
  to have the PCs be his friends or smart enough to realize 
  the usefulness a group that will defend you. Often, the 
  evil anti-heroes so popular in fantasy ﬁ ction ﬁ t this 
  second category, with loyalties and codes of conduct no 
  less rigid than their good counterparts.
  Of course, some players really do want their characters 
  to be blackhearts who will happily kill, maim, or enslave 
  their fellows if it gains them even a minor momentary 
  advantage. Characters of this kind are more like sociopaths 
  than anti-heroes and should rightly be banned from any 
  game not speciﬁ cally designed to accommodate them. 
  Yet their evil does not so much make them undesirable as 
  characters, rather it’s their lack of consideration to other 
  party members and PCs. In many ways, a tremendously 
  narrow-minded crusader for good who insists on everyone 
  obeying his gods and following his moral code is just as 
  disruptive to long-term group play, and should also be 
  disallowed if he causes problems among the players.
  In a healthy, long-running roleplaying game campaign, 
  no one player tries to have fun with his character at the 
  expense of other players — even if his character is evil.
  Th e second main concern for running evil games is how to 
  handle acts of evil and player discomfort with describing 
  unpleasant acts. While some of this can come up in any 
  campaign (see Sensitive Subjects in Chapter One), 
  some of it also must be handled through campaign goals. 
  Evil characters need not be vile. Th ey can just be greedy 
  or unprincipled, and no more willing to resort to torture 
  than the good guys. A single evil character can actually be 
  a realistic ally, an individual who lacks the morals of his 
  fellow, but otherwise agrees with their goals.
  Evil campaigns are suﬃ  ciently uncomfortable for many 
  players that you should carefully discuss your plans 
  for one before doing any other work on it. Since most 
  roleplaying game supplements are geared towards good 
   - Campaign Styles - 
  
  97
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  characters, you actually set out to do a lot of work to 
  run such a game. If even one player is unhappy with the 
  idea, giving up the idea for something more traditional is 
  best. Even if all players seem comfortable initially, your 
  job is to make sure they don’t become too uncomfortable 
  during the course of the campaign. If anyone thinks 
  an evil character or game has gone too far, it’s time to 
  reconsider running it.
  If you just want access to traditionally good-aligned 
  creatures to use as foes, try setting up a world with 
  corrupting inﬂ uences that can change good creatures 
  to evil, providing him with black unicorns and fallen 
  angles to use as villains against good or neutral PCs. For 
  example, see the Fallen Angel template in Green Ronin’s 
  Th e Book of Fiends.
   Magic-Free or 
  Low-Magic Campaigns
  Th e core d20 fantasy rules assume a certain level of 
  magic, both in power and in availability. Th is assumed 
  level works with many other assumptions, including 
  what level PCs get access to magic items, what kinds 
  of abilities foes have at various CRs, and how classes 
  maintain balance with each other. You can alter the 
  power, frequency, or cost of magic to decrease its eﬀ ect 
  on the campaign, focusing more attention on combat 
  styles, skills, and good planning.
  Requiring Spellcasters to Multiclass
  One way to allow spellcasters in a low-magic game 
  without doing a lot of redesign work is simply to require 
  all spellcasters to multiclass, with no more than half their 
  levels going into any one spellcasting class (or possibly 
  no more than half their levels in any spellcasting class). 
  Th is rule allows spellcasters to exist, but limits their spells 
  per day and access to higher level spells. Such limitation 
  is partially alleviated by the fact the spellcaster has the 
  abilities of another class to fall back on: for instance, a 
  4th-level ﬁ ghter/4th-level wizard may only have 2nd-
  level spells, but she also has the option to take Weapon 
  Specialization; similarly, a 3rd-level sorcerer/3rd-level 
  wizard can’t cast ﬁ reballs, but has access to a fair number 
  of 1st- and 2nd-level spells.
  Th is option works, but only if magic items are equally 
  rare. A spellcaster who multiclasses half her levels is not 
  an optimal character design using the standard game 
  assumptions, so to maintain balance her magic abilities 
  must be more useful than usual. If magic items remain 
  as common, characters can more easily depend on them 
  for magic power. Instead, a multiclass campaign should 
  increase the cost of magic items (generally to double the 
  listed values), automatically making them less common. 
  Alternatively, use-activated magic items can be priced 
  at 150% standard, and items requiring the user to have 
  appropriate spells on her spell list left at normal prices. 
  Th is rule allows characters with spellcasting levels access 
  to additional power in the form of wands and staves, 
  helping to oﬀ set their limited spell power.
  Changing Spell Lists
  Another simple way to lower the impact of magic on a 
  campaign is to alter spell lists to make ﬂ ashy spells higher 
  level or even remove them entirely. Doing so reduces the 
  obvious impact of magic in a game, but permits spellcasters 
  to remain balanced by having them rely more heavily 
  on other spells. Magic items using such spells should be 
  increased in price using the formula for the spell’s new level.
  A few categories of spells that can be boosted in level or 
  eliminated are discussed below.
  Damage
  Spells that deal direct damage are the least subtle and 
  the least interesting. Raising them a level or two forces 
  spellcasters to become more creative, while eliminating 
  them entirely is a much more serious blow. Spellcasters 
  can still be balanced, but need to be given a wide range of 
  non-damaging spells (thus, combining this option with 
  other spell-limiting options described in this section will 
  likely cripple spellcasters). If damaging spells are entirely 
  eliminated, spells with durations of 1 minute per level 
  should be boosted to 10 minutes per level, to allow more 
  varied use of remaining magic.
  Divination
  Any divination can be removed without making 
  spellcasters useless, though doing so requires a GM to 
  be ready to deal with bardic lore, Knowledge checks, 
  and research eﬀ orts designed to gain the same kind 
  of information. On the other hand, eliminating the 
  alignment-detecting spells from a campaign world opens 
  a broad range of possible plots, as evil NPCs can more 
  easily hide in the open.
  Force
  Spells with the force descriptor are both particularly 
  eﬀ ective and particularly ﬂ ashy. Raising their level or 
  even eliminating them causes few problems except when 
  dealing with ethereal or incorporeal foes (which should 
  gain a new weakness, similar to those used to balance 
  damage reduction, below).
  Healing
  Eliminating healing makes a game much more dangerous 
  and reduces the number and diﬃ  culty of encounters 
  a group can take on. Even just making healing spells 
  higher level signiﬁ cantly impacts play. A somewhat less 
  severe route is to change magic healing so it converts 
  lethal damage to nonlethal damage. Another option is 
  
  98
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  Th is rule creates mythic-feeling monsters, which must 
  be lured into traps or hunted down during certain times. 
  Th ey’re nearly invulnerable when at their strength, but 
  cunning heroes can ﬁ nd a way to defeat them.
  Increased CR
  Rather than weakening the creature’s DR, increase it’s CR. 
  As a guideline, increase the creature’s CR by 1 for every 3 
  points of DR it has that can’t be bypassed. Th us, a gargoyle 
  with DR 10/magic goes from CR 4 to CR 7. Th is rule can 
  also be used in high-magic campaigns if a creature’s DR 
  is changed to be resistant to all attacks, though access to 
  magic (allowing more damaging attacks and spell attacks) 
  means the CR boost should be only +1 per 5 points of DR.
  Material DR
  Change all DR that requires a magic element to DR 
  bypassed by some material. All DR ends up being 
  vulnerable to alchemical silver, cold iron, or a similar 
  material. DR against alignments is bypassed by any 
  attack from someone with the appropriate alignment, 
  regardless of what weapon they use.
  Th e potential side eﬀ ect of using this variant is that it 
  encourages characters to carry a “golf bag” of diﬀ erent 
  weapons to use against diﬀ erent monsters. You can 
  overcome this issue by limiting the number of diﬀ erent 
  materials that bypass DR (only wood, cold iron, and 
  silver, for example) or by using a few special materials 
  that qualify against multiple DR types (see Sovereign 
  Materials in Chapter Seven).
  Reduced DR
  Rather than make DR more easily bypassed, just reduce 
  its value. Th is means DR creatures are among the 
  toughest to beat in the campaign (as they reduce the 
  damage dealt by almost every blow), but that can give 
  the game a harsh, dangerous feel that some groups enjoy. 
  Th e DR reduction must account for both the fact it 
  can’t be readily bypassed and that there are no magical 
  augmentations that help combatants deal more damage.
  Reduced DR
  Old DR
  New DR
  1
  1
  2–5
  2
  6–10
  3
  11–15
  5
  16+
  8
  Weaknesses
  Th is rule is similar to conditional DR, except it’s not 
  only the DR that applies under certain circumstances 
  but some other weakness you add to the monster. Th e 
  weakness should be at least as common and eﬀ ective as 
  to limit characters to receiving the beneﬁ ts of one of a 
  particular type of healing each day. Under this option, a 
  character who receives a cure light wounds can’t gain more 
  hit points from that particular spell until 24 hours have 
  passed, though other cure spells, as well as potions or a 
  paladin’s lay on hands, still work.
  Transportation
  Spells that allows characters to run quickly, ﬂ y, teleport, 
  or go to other dimensions can easily be cut from a game, 
  as long as adventures don’t require their use. Th is change 
  tends to increase the time spent traveling at higher levels, 
  but rarely in a disruptive way. Being unable to go to 
  diﬀ erent dimensions limits adventure options somewhat 
  and can make ethereal or incorporeal creatures more 
  diﬃ  cult to defeat, but not severely so.
  Resources
  Without magic, the resources available to characters are 
  greatly reduced. Th e GM must either accept characters 
  will have fewer options or provide additional nonmagical 
  resources for PCs to draw on and players to plot with. 
  (A number of nonmagical materials and qualities are 
  presented in Chapter Seven to help with this issue.) With 
  fewer resources, characters have fewer options during 
  game play, which can make a game less exciting. You can 
  add in new resources (such as psionics, new and unusually 
  powerful feats, or rules variants such as the fortune points 
  presented in Chapter Two), or try to create situations 
  providing multiple options naturally (a ﬁ ght taking place 
  in a tavern, for example, has more things for characters to 
  throw, jump over, and hide behind than a ﬁ ght in a desert).
   Damage Reduction
  Damage reduction (DR) is one of the trickiest elements 
  to handle in a low-magic game. Most damage reduction 
  is bypassed with magic or aligned weapon, and aligned 
  weapons normally require magic to create. Simply 
  eliminating DR makes many creatures too easily killed, 
  but leaving it as-is (requiring items not in the campaign) 
  is unbalancing as well. A number of potential options for 
  altering DR for low-magic games are presented below. 
  In most cases, creatures with DR that can’t be bypassed 
  need not be changed. Creatures that have DR bypassed 
  by something still available in the campaign (such as cold 
  iron, silver, or adamantine) also need not be changed.
  Conditional DR
  Conditional DR changes the creature’s defenses to work 
  only in certain circumstances. For example, an iron golem 
  might have a shield that worked only against attacks 
  from a 180-degree arc, or a gargoyle might have DR 
  that worked only at night. An appropriate Knowledge 
  check (DC 13 + creature’s CR) reveals under what 
  circumstances its DR doesn’t apply.
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  those of a vampire (garlic aversion, daylight, running 
  water), and allow the heroes to harm or weaken the 
  creature without weapon blows or spells. For example, 
  a pit ﬁ end might be left with its DR intact, making 
  it nearly invulnerable in games lacking aligned magic 
  weapons. If the pit ﬁ end cannot stand to hear the name 
  of a particular deity, however, the PCs still have options 
  for dealing with it. Th e name might actually harm the pit 
  ﬁ end (characters do 1d4 hit points per two levels when 
  they speak the word, the ﬁ end getting a Will save for half 
  damage) or maybe just stun it for a round.
   High-Magic Campaigns
  You may decide you want magic to be more common than 
  the standard rules assume, making spellcasters and magic 
  items powerful forces in your campaign. Most options for 
  expanding the role of magic also boost a game’s overall 
  power level and are covered in Chapter Six (see Bonus 
  Special Abilities). A few other options are presented here.
  Increased  Magic Items
  Th e easiest way to make a high-magic campaign is to 
  increase the number of magic items in it. Th ere are two 
  basic ways to do this: expand which characters can make 
  magic items, and decrease the cost of magic items.
  To expand who can make magic items, you could give 
  two item creation feats for every feat slot expended (as 
  well as doubling bonus item creation feats, giving wizards 
  both Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion, for example). 
  You can eliminate caster level prerequisites for items 
  (though maintaining other prerequisites). You can allow 
  non-spellcasters to make magic items, granting them 
  one spell-like prerequisite for each rank of Knowledge 
  (arcana) they possess. (Th us, for example, a ﬁ ghter with 
  the Brew Potion feat and 6 ranks of Knowledge [arcana] 
  could pick six spells he would use only for the purpose of 
  making potions.)
  You can also make magic items cheaper. One-shot 
  items are generally cheap enough even for a high-magic 
  campaign, but you can cut the price of other magic items 
  by –25% or even –50%, just as long as the same costs are 
  used when ﬁ guring NPC gear. Th is adjustment results in 
  a high-powered but balanced campaign and expands the 
  total options each character has available.
  Spells as  Feats and  Skills
  If you want to make magic more common, allow 
  characters to gain access to it through skills and feats. 
  Doing so maintains game balance (as the characters 
  could use the skill points and feats for non-magic 
  beneﬁ ts) and increases options for characters.
  To run spells as skills, you need to create a new skill for 
  each path of magic listed in the eldritch weaver class 
  description in the Advanced Player’s Manual. Th ese are 
  cross-class skills for every class. A character can have a 
  total number of spell levels prepared equal to his ranks 
  in the appropriate path of magic, uses his total ranks as 
  his caster level, and must make a successful skill check 
  (DC 10 + spell level) actually to cast a spell. On a failed 
  roll, the spell is lost. All spells are Intelligence based, 
  and characters have normal chances arcane spell failure 
  chances for wearing armor. A character must get 8 hours 
  of rest before preparing spells again and must take 1 hour 
  to prepare his allotment of spells.
  For example, Jayne the Small is a 7th-level halﬂ ing bard 
  with a 14 Intelligence. She buys 5 ranks of the skill 
  Th read of Destruction, allowing her to prepare up to 5 
  levels worth of spells as a 5th-level caster (limiting her to 
  3rd-level spells). She takes 1 hour to prepare scorching ray 
  and ﬁ reball. When she decides to cast ﬁ reball, she must 
  make a Th read of Destruction skill check with a DC of 
  (10 + 3) 13.
  Th is rule allows non-spellcasters a limited level of magic 
  ability and allows spellcasting classes to augment their 
  existing selection of spells. Since the additional spell 
  power is so limited, game balance is preserved.
  Adding spells as feats can be done one of two ways. You 
  can allow spellcasting characters to gain new spells by 
  taking a feat (see the Expanded Spell Choice feat in 
  Appendix One), or allow any character to gain limited 
  spellcasting ability by expending multiple feat slots (see 
  the Spell Power feat in Appendix One).
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  A campaign is a discrete environment. Once you deﬁ ne 
  what elements are present within your game, you 
  can work within the rules to create character options 
  balanced for your game. Th e most common elements to 
  add are new feats and prestige classes, which are among 
  the most powerful tools for customization in the d20 
  rules. By adding and creating feats and prestige classes, 
  you can ﬁ ne-tune the feel and tone of your game.
  When adding and designing these elements, ensure they 
  are balanced for your speciﬁ c campaign. Often, powers 
  and options that would be out of place in a typical game 
  are perfectly reasonable within a speciﬁ c campaign. For 
  example, if undead are very rare, creating a feat that adds 
  +10 to turn checks may be balanced. Although wildly 
  overpowered for a typical game, in a low-undead setting, 
  this feat may simply make turn abilities worth having.
   Feats in a Campaign
  Feats constitute one of the most eﬀ ective means to 
  personalize and give a campaign a unique feel. Th ey 
  are designed to allow characters to bend the rules, to 
  ignore restrictions, and to improve various abilities. By 
  controlling what feats players have access to, you can 
  heavily encourage the type of characters and action you 
  wants for your game. Th ere are two main ways to do this: 
  carefully considering what existing feats to allow, and 
  create altogether new feats.
  Allowing Feats in a Campaign
  A dizzying number of feats are available in scores of 
  supplements and rulebooks for d20 roleplaying games. 
  While this wealth of choice allows players a great variety 
  of options when building and personalizing PCs, it 
  also provides numerous opportunities for unbalancing 
  combinations and adding poorly designed mechanics. 
  Keep strict control of what feats are allowed in your 
  games. As long as players are warned ahead of time, 
  there’s no reason any given feat must be included. Players 
  expect all the feats from the core rules of a campaign to 
  be available, and generally they should be, but the ﬁ nal 
  decision rests with you. Part of your job as adjudicator of 
  a campaign involves deciding which rules are appropriate 
  for your setting and theme. Never give in to a player 
  trying to bully him into allowing a feat that’s unbalanced, 
  badly deﬁ ned, or just inappropriate for the game.
  If possible, make a master list of the feats you intend 
  to allow into a campaign before character creation 
  occurs. Th is list gives all players equal access to the feats 
  and allows them to design characters around useful or 
  powerful feats that have extensive prerequisites. When 
  deciding what feats to accept, consider the goals and 
  themes of your campaign. Feats are the best way to 
  modify a campaign’s feel simply and easily. To encourage 
  social interaction, ﬁ nd social-based feats and make them 
  easily accessible. In addition to skill bonus feats and the 
  Leadership feat, the GM may want to allow feats that 
  represent titles, such as knighthood or nobility, and those 
  producing social favors or symbolizing membership in 
  guilds and political groups or social standing. Likewise, if 
  designing a campaign to focus on battle and exploration, 
  concentrate on combat options and survival feats.
  Eventually a player will ask to allow a new feat from 
  some sourcebook he owns. If you wish to consider new 
  feats from new sources, certain steps should be taken. 
  First, insist on getting a copy of the feat and being 
  allowed to consider it outside of game time. A player 
  doesn’t need to provide a whole sourcebook, but he 
  should loan out his copy or jot down the feat’s details. 
  Your job is not to keep track of every d20 product on the 
  market; realistically, doing so is not even possible. While 
  a character cannot normally “save” a feat for later, telling 
  a player to wait one game before choosing a new feat is 
  ﬁ ne, so you can decide whether or not to approve it.
  Compare any proposed feat to existing feats to ensure 
  it’s not signiﬁ cantly more powerful. A feat that gives a 
  character 5 bonus hit points may not seem unreasonable, 
  but if a campaign already has Toughness, the new feat 
  is universally better. Players who gave their characters 
  Toughness or assumed there were no better options 
   - Campaign Rules - 
  
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  than Toughness will likely be annoyed if a superior feat 
  suddenly shows up. Also, see how the feat interacts with 
  existing feats. Start by checking the character’s feats— 
  there may be a particular reason he wants a seemingly 
  innocuous feat. Compare the power level of the new feat 
  to that of existing feats, and then compare prerequisites 
  and special notes. If the new feat seems too powerful or 
  too easily attainable, it likely needs to be changed.
  If you decide a feat is too good or too dangerous, either 
  disallow it or modify it. Often, a minor change to how a 
  bonus is deﬁ ned (or isn’t) and under what circumstances it 
  applies can change an overpowered feat into a reasonable 
  option for a campaign. A feat that adds +1 damage to all 
  damage a character deals theoretically applies to spells, 
  weapons, and possibly even attacks with siege weapons. 
  Redeﬁ ning the feat to apply to a speciﬁ c weapon or a class 
  of weapons limits the damage it can do to a campaign. 
  Sometimes, a feat needs prerequisites to fall in line with 
  existing feats. Our theoretical +1 damage feat might 
  require a character to have Weapon Specialization, 
  allowing him to deal +2 damage with one weapon and 
  +1 damage with all other weapons in the same class. Th is 
  prerequisite also restricts the feat to ﬁ ghters, which helps 
  preserve their role as primary combatants.
  Once you approve a new feat, each of a campaign’s 
  players should be made aware of it. A feat that only 
  seems appropriate for one character probably isn’t a good 
  feat, unless its limited appeal is a result of reasonable 
  General Design Concerns
  Many of the concerns and issues about feats also apply to other elements of the game. When considering 
  new spells, equipment, base or prestige classes, skills, or races, you should go through much the same process 
  as described for adding new feats. Use the advice presented here for adding and creating feats whenever he 
  creates any new element for his campaign. Th e sections on adding and creating feats are the largest in this 
  chapter because they are used to address concerns common to many aspects of the d20 game. Because feats 
  are among the most common elements GMs add to campaigns, they receive the most attention, but the 
  advice applies equally well to other elements.
  For example, the advice for naming a feat applies equally well to naming a spell or prestige class. Using 
  anything that has a game mechanical deﬁ nition or anything a GM may want to use when describing a 
  situation is not a good idea. An archery-based prestige class shouldn’t be called an archer, for example, 
  because then if you want to tell players there are four men with bows on a hill, he can’t just say “You see four 
  archers” without the players wondering if he means members of the prestige class, much as if he’d said “You 
  see four blackguards.” If the class is “archers of the true way,” however, no confusion is likely to occur.
  Remembering that any element of the d20 game can become unbalancing if it isn’t carefully compared to 
  similar items and checked to see how it combines with other items is important. If possible, try to duplicate 
  the eﬀ ect of your new game element with existing rules, to see if the new item is too good. For example, you 
  might decide a race of evil humanoid raiders needs a new weapon. In general, this is a good idea, as it makes 
  the humanoids memorable and interesting foes. Inspired by a curved sword-like weapon from a science-
  ﬁ ction television show, the GM decides this new weapon is called a kaeleth and combines the best features of 
  a longsword and a battleaxe; it deals 1d8 points of damage, has a threat range of 19–20, a ×3 critical multiplier, 
  and weighs 10 pounds. Since it’s obviously an unusual weapon, the GM decides to have it require the Exotic 
  Weapon Proﬁ ciency feat and assumes that the feat requirement makes it balanced against less eﬀ ective weapons.
  However, this weapon has some striking advantages. It’s eﬀ ectively a battleaxe with double the threat range. 
  Th is means the same eﬀ ect can be gained by taking Improved Critical with a battleaxe, something that can’t 
  be done until a character gets a +8 base attack bonus. Th is new weapon can be used by a 1st-level ﬁ ghter, who 
  also needs to spend only one feat but can do so well before gaining a +8 base attack bonus. Further, once the 
  ﬁ ghter does qualify for Improved Critical, she can take it as well, giving her a weapon with a threat range 
  of 17–20 and a ×3 critical multiplier, which can’t be done with a battleaxe. Th e kaeleth is thus superior to a 
  battleaxe when closely examined.
  You can take any of a number of steps to solve this problem. He may decide the kaeleth is a two-handed 
  weapon, but still just deals 1d8 points of damage. Now it compares to greatswords and greataxes, which 
  don’t have as good a critical value, but deals more damage. Or you might decide to keep it as a one-handed 
  weapon, but reduce its damage to 1d6. You might even decide the awkward kaeleth has an inherent –2 
  penalty to attack rolls, but otherwise leave it unchanged. Any of these steps makes it more balanced — able 
  to produce savage criticals with some frequency, but not clearly superior to any other weapon.
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  prerequisites. Allowing “secret” feats only one or two 
  players get to know about is unfair. Even if characters 
  are unaware of feats limited to members of a particular 
  organization, the players should know about them. If a feat 
  is taken by everyone shortly after being made available, it’s 
  probably too good, and you should consider modifying it.
  Designing Feats
  In addition to choosing feats to set a game’s tone, you 
  can design new feats. You may ﬁ nd a hole in the core 
  rules of a game, wish to expand play into new areas, or 
  want to change the entire feel of a game by making new 
  options available. Trying to balance feats is important, 
  but remember that a feat may be balanced for one style 
  of game but totally inappropriate for another. Always 
  check new feats against the abilities and standard spells 
  and equipment of the campaign’s core classes, and look to 
  see if they combine in unexpected ways.
  Feat Concepts
  Any aspect of a character that can be deﬁ ned in either 
  plain speech or game mechanical terms is appropriate 
  for augmentation by or change as a feat. Most feats 
  revolve around skills or combat because those are obvious 
  areas to adjust. When looking to design a feat, try to 
  visualize what kinds of characters you want in your game 
  and create feats appropriate for them. For example, if 
  you want to encourage PCs to consider seriously their 
  religious beliefs and moral duties, even if not playing 
  clerics and priests, having some feats based on religious 
  doctrine and ethical considerations is a good idea. A feat 
  that grants a +1 morale bonus to all saves for a week after 
  a character confesses her sins (in the manner her religion 
  requires) forces a player to consider her character’s sins 
  and look for appropriate locations to confess them.
  One of the core uses of feats for players is to set their 
  characters apart from those of other players. Th us, never 
  create feats that will likely make characters more similar 
  or generic. For example, the evasion ability is extremely 
  useful and could easily be added to a line of speed- 
  and Dexterity-based feats that included Dodge and 
  Improved Initiative. Th is is a bad idea, however, because 
  only characters who don’t get evasion already would be 
  attracted to the feat. Moreover, they would become more 
  similar to the rogues and monks, who get evasion as part 
  of their class abilities, and so decrease rather than increase 
  diﬀ erentiation among characters. As benchmarks, try not 
  to turn class abilities into feats or create feats that aﬀ ect 
  more than one or two closely related things, even if the 
  new feats have diﬃ  cult prerequisites.
  As examples, we’ll design two diﬀ erent ideas for feats 
  from concept to ﬁ nal form. Th e ﬁ rst idea is to represent 
  the ways that diﬀ erent ﬁ ghting styles use weapons. Th e 
  feat is speciﬁ cally geared to be useful for monks, since 
  ﬁ ghting styles seem very much a part of monk characters, 
  but it should be at least potentially useful to other classes 
  as well. Th e second idea is a social feat that minor nobles 
  take to represent their legal standing in society and 
  potential advantages in social settings.
  Once you have an idea for a feat, you need to deﬁ ne its 
  name, prerequisites, beneﬁ ts, and any special notes.
  Feat Names
  Often a name for a new feat comes at the same time 
  as the basic concept, but there are some guidelines to 
  keep in mind. First, a name should be both short and 
  evocative. Feats often need to be brought up during play, 
  and no one wants to say she is using her Great Crane 
  Flying Th rough the Willows Kick every other round of 
  combat. On the other hand, names that are too generic 
  or too boring don’t help set the atmosphere, so Improved 
  Kick or Big Kick aren’t much better. A short, evocative 
  name such as Great Crane Kick strikes a good balance 
  between game feel and practicality. When in doubt, err 
  on the side of simple, descriptive feat names.
  Try not to use a name similar to any other feat, special 
  ability, or spell if at all possible. Th e d20 rules have 
  game-related meanings for many terms, and if you create 
  a Mental Dodge feat that has nothing to do with dodge 
  bonuses, it may lead to confusion. Similarly, you don’t 
  want to have Skill Focus, Skill Emphasis, Skill Synergy, 
  and Skill Bonus feats in the same game — no one will 
  remember which feat does what. On the other hand, 
  when modifying an existing feat, a related name can 
  remind players what the new feat replaces. If you decide 
  to disallow Power Attack and replace it with a feat that 
  allows character to subtract 5 (and only 5) from attack 
  rolls and add 5 to damage rolls, there’s nothing wrong 
  with calling the new feat Power Strike.
  For our ﬁ rst example feat, we’ll use the name Weapon 
  Kata. It’s certainly descriptive, since the feat is supposed 
  to represent speciﬁ c weapon ﬁ ghting styles. It also 
  avoids any game-related terms that might lead to 
  confusion. It’s not the most evocative name in the 
  world, but that’s okay since it meets our most important 
  criteria. Certainly, anyone designing a character with 
  a martial arts concept should ﬁ nd the name intriguing 
  enough to look up.
  For our second example feat, we have a lot of options. Th e 
  more general the feat, the more useful it is, but also the 
  more carefully it needs to be named. A name like Noble 
  or Lord doesn’t make the feat appealing to commoner 
  politicos, guild leaders, and senators even if the campaign 
  allows for them. It also seems likely the feat will be a 
  gateway feat much like Dodge — not that useful by itself, 
  but the prerequisite for a broad range of feats. Looking 
  through a thesaurus at Noble, we come across Peer, which 
  has a nice ring to it and is more generic.
  
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  Type
  Feats fall into a few broad categories. General, 
  metamagic, special, and item creation are the most 
  common; some rules add background, bloodline, ﬁ ghter, 
  martial, social, and similar categories. Th e advantage of 
  categorizing similar feats is that other rules can easily 
  refer to them. If you want to ensure a new prestige class 
  is available only to serious spellcasters, you can simply 
  make any two metamagic feats prerequisites. You don’t 
  need to list every feat, and if you add a new metamagic 
  feat, it’s automatically included as a possible prerequisite 
  just because of its category. On the other hand, having 
  too many categories can create confusion.
  Th e most useful additional categories are those for which 
  you already have rules. For example, you could deﬁ ne 
  all feats that ﬁ ghters can take as bonus feat as ﬁ ghter 
  feats. If he then creates a new ﬁ ghter feat, players with 
  ﬁ ghters automatically know they can take it as a bonus, 
  without having to re-write the ﬁ ghter’s list. You can then 
  also create a prestige class that gains access to bonus 
  feats taken from the ﬁ ghter feats, making the classes 
  compatible without compiling a whole new list of feats. 
  If you design a new set of feats that may be chosen only 
  at 1st level, calling them background feats separates them 
  neatly. Th ere’s also nothing wrong with a feat having 
  more than one category — Weapon Focus, for instance, 
  can be both a ﬁ ghter and general feat.
  For simplicity, we’ll restrict our examples to the four 
  normal categories and add combat feats, deﬁ ned as 
  those from which a ﬁ ghter may select bonus feats. 
  Weapon Kata becomes a ﬁ ghter and general feat, 
  while Peer is just a general feat. In a campaign with an 
  emphasis on social interaction, deﬁ ning a set of social 
  feats would be a good idea, in which case the Peer feat 
  would fall into that category.
  Prerequisites
  Prerequisites serve three main functions: they keep a feat 
  from being too common; they prevent feats from being 
  taken until mid or high levels; and they make powerful 
  feats less attractive by saddling them with numerous 
  less useful feats. Th e more useful and powerful a feat is, 
  the more prerequisites it needs. No feat should be so 
  powerful every character wants it, but feats with many 
  prerequisites can certainly give more beneﬁ t than those 
  available at 1st level or with little eﬀ ort.
  If a feat has a minimum ability score as a prerequisite, 
  the score should be at least 13 and always be an odd-
  numbered value. Feats should reward high ability 
  scores, and a score lower than 13 doesn’t qualify as 
  notably high. Th e score should be odd, because ability 
  modiﬁ ers all occur at even values; by making all feat 
  ability prerequisites odd, a distinction is made between 
  a 12 Intelligence (a +1 modiﬁ er, but not smart enough 
  for Combat Expertise) and a 13 Intelligence (still a +1 
  modiﬁ er, but now qualifying for the feat).
  A single ability score of 13 or more is a mild prerequisite, 
  but requiring multiple high scores or scores of 15, 17, or 
  even 19 or higher is much more restrictive. Unless you 
  intend for a feat to be taken only by epic level characters, 
  a feat shouldn’t require an ability score higher than 19 
  as a prerequisite and no more than two ability scores at 
  any level. A feat requiring Strength and Intelligence of 
  19 or greater will be taken so rarely, there’s little point in 
  designing it.
  Having other feats as prerequisites is ﬁ ne, but 
  considering how useful those feats are is important, 
  especially when depending on them to make a new 
  feat less attractive. If you design a feat that’s useful for 
  ﬁ ghters wielding large weapons with a high damage 
  output, requiring Power Attack, Cleave, and Great 
  Cleave doesn’t make the feat much less appealing, since 
  those are feats the target characters are very likely to 
  want anyway. On the other hand, if the feat requires 
  Toughness and Improved Initiative, it isn’t as easily taken 
  by heavy combat characters. Toughness and Improved 
  Initiative are acceptable feats, but they have little to 
  do with big weapons in particular and are much less 
  common choices for character who wield them.
  Of course, a feat’s prerequisites may not be designed to 
  force players to make a major investment. Prerequisites can 
  include a large number of feats just to delay how soon a 
  character can take a feat. A feat designed to allow wizards 
  to get more out of their spells when using magic items 
  
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  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  may well just require any two metamagic feats and any 
  two item creation feats. Certainly such broad requirements 
  will likely be easily met by any character interested in the 
  new feat, but not until 6th level or so at the earliest. When 
  deciding what ability to make a feat’s prerequisite, think 
  about what kinds of characters you want to take the feat.
  You can also use minimum scores for attributes other 
  than abilities. A combat feat with a minimum base attack 
  bonus of +5 won’t be taken by anyone before 5th level, 
  and characters with less combat ability will be a much 
  higher level. Th is is a useful way of delaying a feat until 
  its power level won’t unbalance a campaign. Similarly, 
  requiring a minimum base save bonus or a minimum 
  number of ranks in a skill are sure-ﬁ re ways to delay feats. 
  Just make sure your prerequisites make some kind of sense. 
  Th ere’s nothing wrong with having a combat feat require 
  a minimum base attack bonus or an item creation feat 
  require a minimum number of Craft ranks, but having a 
  feat designed to make the character harder to hit require 8 
  ranks of Appraise just doesn’t make any sense.
  Using skills and similar elements as prerequisites 
  can both help make a feat limited in scope and more 
  ﬂ avorful. For example, an Improved Dodge feat that 
  grants a +1 dodge bonus against all attacks is fairly dull, 
  though if it has Dex 17, Tumble 8 ranks, and Dodge as 
  prerequisites, it may well be balanced. On the other hand, 
  a feat called Dance of Avoidance with the same beneﬁ t 
  but prerequisites of Dex 15, Tumble 5 ranks, Perform 
  (dance) 5 ranks, and Dodge is far more interesting.
  Prerequisites can also be purely roleplaying concerns. 
  A feat might only be available to characters of good 
  alignment or those that have been faithful to their 
  deity. If using the alternate alignment rules in Green 
  Ronin’s Advanced Player’s Manual, a feat might require a 
  minimum Good or Law value. Feats restricted to people 
  raised in a particular country, or those that have killed a 
  dragon, or those that have been knighted by a recognized 
  king are all perfectly reasonable. Again, the key is to 
  make sure your prerequisites make sense. Is a feat 
  really only available to characters raised in a particular 
  kingdom, or is it just most common there? If there’s a 
  good reason for a prerequisite, add it, but don’t make 
  absolute requirements that aren’t necessary.
  For our example feats, Weapon Kata and Peer, we 
  have two very diﬀ erent sets of needs. Weapon Kata is 
  supposed to represent martial arts styles and their use of 
  weapons. To indicate a level of mastery, Weapon Focus 
  with the weapon in question is a good idea. To make it 
  martial arts relevant, we also add Improved Unarmed 
  Strike. Since a ﬁ ghting style would probably take a high 
  level of Intelligence to master, we tack on a minimum 
  Intelligence of 15. Th at’s three requirements, but all ones 
  that could be met at 1st level. To keep it at higher levels, 
  we ﬁ nally add a base attack bonus of +4. Now ﬁ ghters 
  can take the feat at 4th level and monks at 6th level.
  For the Peer feat, it should not be too hard to get. A 
  young noble or well-loved artisan could certainly have 
  a position in society while being at best a 1st-level 
  character. On the other hand, the character should 
  be likeable, have leadership potential, and have a 
  community. For game mechanics, a minimum Charisma 
  of 15 seems reasonable. As a roleplaying concern, we 
  add a requirement that the character have a community 
  that considers him a native. Th at doesn’t do anything but 
  prevent character concepts of hermits, loners, or the last 
  survivor of Atlantis taking the feat, but that’s okay. We 
  want any high-Charisma character with an appropriate 
  character concept to be able to take Peer.
  Benefit
  Th e crux of a feat is the beneﬁ t it oﬀ ers. Feats range 
  from those granting minor beneﬁ ts to those that have 
  major eﬀ ects on the way a character performs. Th ere 
  are no hard-and-fast rules on feat balance — there are 
  simply too many variables for any formula to produce 
  accurate results. Additionally, not all feat concepts will 
  give beneﬁ ts that can be easily measured in any objective 
  way. Th e most important factors regarding feat beneﬁ ts 
  are that they should be balanced with existing feats and 
  should be well deﬁ ned.
  A feat can reasonably be seen as part of a class level. If 
  adding to something common and useful (such as an 
  attack roll or hit points), it should grant less beneﬁ t than 
  a single level in a class strong in that area. For example, 
  adding to attack rolls is very useful and powerful. 
  Th erefore, a feat should add less beneﬁ t than taking a level 
  in a ﬁ ghting class. Since the ﬁ ghter class already increases a 
  character’s base attack bonus by +1 at every level, Weapon 
  Focus must be less useful than that. Th us, the Weapon 
  Focus feat adds a +1 bonus to only a single weapon chosen 
  by the character. Th is is useful, but less so than an increase 
  in base attack bonus that applies to all weapons. Similarly, 
  the Toughness feat adds 3 hit points, close to the average 
  amount a character will likely get when gaining a level.
  Feats granting beneﬁ ts that aren’t as powerful or aren’t 
  as likely to come into play regularly may need to provide 
  multiple levels’ worth of beneﬁ t, though rarely more 
  than four. Improved Grapple grants a bonus to a speciﬁ c 
  maneuver, but only comes into play when that speciﬁ c 
  attack is a good idea. It removes a drawback (negating the 
  attack of opportunity a grapple attempt normally provokes) 
  and gives a +4 bonus to the grapple check — about the 
  amount that would be gained by 4 levels in a ﬁ ghting class. 
  Similarly, the Extra Turning feat adds to a useful ability, 
  but only comes into play when the GM decides to use 
  undead. Its bonus of +4 turn/rebuke attempts a day is high, 
  but not likely to come up all that often. Th ese are all good 
  benchmarks of appropriately powered feat beneﬁ ts.
  When deﬁ ning a feat’s beneﬁ ts, try to come up with 
  a clear deﬁ nition of what bonuses or abilities it grants 
  
  105
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  or augments, and when they apply. A feat that sounds 
  impressive, but doesn’t deﬁ ne its application exactly, leads to 
  assumption clashes between GMs and players. If possible, 
  design the feat so the player decides when it applies, rather 
  than the GM. For example, a feat called Born Lucky could 
  be deﬁ ned as having things work out well for the character 
  when the GM determines is appropriate. Th e GM expects 
  he’ll allow the PC with this feat to ﬁ nd things by pure 
  chance occasionally, while the player thinks his character 
  can wander though the wilderness alone, since he’s too 
  lucky to run into random encounters. Eventually, this 
  diﬀ erence in opinions will lead to an argument or at least 
  dissatisfaction on the player’s part.
  If instead Born Lucky allows a player to require the GM 
  to re-roll any one roll made regarding the player’s PC each 
  game session, the beneﬁ ts are both clearly deﬁ ned and 
  in the player’s hands. Th e player’s character can avoid a 
  critical hit (at least possibly) or even dodge a poor random 
  encounter roll, but only once per game. Th is feat makes the 
  character lucky (possibly too lucky — to be balanced, there 
  must be more limitations or high prerequisites) and avoids 
  potential misunderstandings about how the feat works.
  Looking at the Weapon Kata feat, it obviously needs 
  to allow characters to do something with weapons they 
  normally can’t. Since it’s designed to be most appealing 
  to monks, the feat’s main beneﬁ t is to allow a character 
  to deal his unarmed damage with the selected weapon, 
  as well as deliver ranged touch attacks with it. To make 
  the feat useful to other characters, it also allows a PC to 
  make trip and grapple attacks with the selected weapon.
  For the Peer feat, we need two minor beneﬁ ts. To 
  represent the increased ability to lead, it grants a bonus 
  to a character’s leadership score (relevant when and if he 
  takes the Leadership feat). To make the feat useful by 
  itself, a bonus to some skills when used on a member of 
  the character’s community seems reasonable. Charisma-
  based feats are certainly appropriate, and Sense Motive 
  is added to help the character when negotiating with his 
  own people. Th e Peer feat doesn’t do much by itself, but 
  it’s not useless and can easily be a lead-in to a whole tree 
  of social, leader-type feats.
  Additional Notes
  If there’s anything else that needs to be noted about your 
  new feat, it should be covered in the Special or Normal 
  entries. Special notes include such things as the ability to 
  take the feat more than once (and what beneﬁ t is gained 
  by doing so), whether a given class may take the feat as a 
  bonus feat (though this may be covered by the feat’s type; see 
  above), whether the feat won’t work in speciﬁ c circumstances 
  (such as a bard’s inability to augment spells with Silent 
  Spell), and notes on any character class that begins with 
  the feat for free. Anything else a GM feels is important to 
  mention regarding the feat can be noted here as well.
  Th e Normal entry in a feat’s description is a place to 
  note down how the campaign’s rules work for characters 
  without the feat. For example, our Weapon Kata feat allows 
  characters to use weapons to make various forms of attack. 
  It’s worth noting that these attacks can’t be made with 
  weapons normally, so a player looking at the feat knows 
  why he might want it. Since the Peer feat is supposed to be 
  for all sorts of well-liked people, the Normal section is used 
  to note that the feat can represent being a minor noble, a 
  junior knight, or even a local celebrity.
   -  Prestige Classes - 
  Prestige classes (PrCs) are character classes with 
  prerequisites designed to simulate a level of 
  specialization, a particular group or style, or an advanced 
  level of skill. Characters shouldn’t qualify for prestige 
  classes before 5th level (or possibly 3rd level for 3- to 5-
  level classes), because they haven’t learned enough really 
  to distinguish themselves from the core character classes.
  PrCs are wonderful tools for GMs to personalize 
  campaigns and reward PCs. Any group a GM wishes to 
  distinguish from the norm — especially if it has access 
  to resources, secrets, training, or techniques not available 
  to others — can be given its own PrC. Doing so helps 
  deﬁ ne the important groups within a campaign and gives 
  PCs a tangible clue that a given group is special. Since 
  PrCs can be designed to grant nearly any power, you can 
  use them to deﬁ ne groups that are diﬃ  cult to create with 
  the core classes of the campaign. For example, a group of 
  shapeshifting arcane mages isn’t easily done with the core 
  rules; a multiclass druid/sorcerer might qualify, but is a 
  poor design choice. Instead, the GM can ﬁ nd or create a 
  new PrC (perhaps the skin-shifter), which is most easily 
  qualiﬁ ed for by wizards and grants shapeshifting abilities.
  PrCs can also be used to cover characters that are more 
  specialized than the core classes. For example, a GM 
  might wish to have an archer PrC that has less woodcraft 
  and magic than the ranger and less versatility than the 
  ﬁ ghter. Such a class need not represent any particular 
  group and may be common in many diﬀ erent lands. 
  Th is kind of PrC helps support the themes and style of 
  the campaign. A GM who wants many characters to be 
  specialized in speciﬁ c military-style roles can make scout, 
  heavy infantry, and siege engineer PrCs available, giving 
  players speciﬁ c ways to ﬁ ll roles he wishes to promote.
  When looking for PrCs to ﬁ ll any of these roles, you 
  can turn to nearly any d20 sourcebook and ﬁ nd options. 
  PrCs are perhaps even more common than feats, and 
  thousands are available in game books and online sources. 
  Th e good news is that you have lots of options. Th e bad 
  
  106
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  news is that many PrCs are poorly designed, geared for a 
  speciﬁ c campaign style, or ill-deﬁ ned. Many GMs either 
  limit their games to a few PrCs from publishers they 
  trust or those they design themselves.
  Allowing Prestige Classes in a Game
  Most of the concerns regarding PrCs are the same as 
  those regarding feats. Consider the implications of a new 
  prestige class, how it works with rules already allowed, 
  and how it might unbalance a game. Many of these issues 
  are addressed under Allowing New Feats.
  Designing Prestige Classes
  You must be comfortable determining the balance of 
  PrCs, both so you can vet existing PrCs and so you can 
  design your own (or radically redesign one that is close 
  to what you want, but not quite right). A PrC should 
  be good enough to be worth waiting for and not so 
  good, it invalidates base classes. As with feats, the more 
  prerequisites a PrC has, the more power it can grant; 
  however, a PrC should never be better than a core 
  class in all regards. Creating a PrC that grants slightly 
  better spellcasting ability than a wizard is ﬁ ne, but it 
  should lack the core class’s familiar and bonus feats. If a 
  character is always better oﬀ  taking a PrC than sticking 
  with a core class, the PrC is too good.
  Th e same basic rules of design apply to new base classes. 
  If you feel a PrC you’re designing should be available to 
  1st-level characters, it’s really a new base class. New base 
  classes must be at least as carefully balanced as PrCs and 
  should be able to model more than one character concept 
  (otherwise, the class is too limited and should in fact be a 
  PrC and not available to beginning characters).
  Spellcasting Prestige Classes
  One of the trickiest issues to deal with when designing 
  prestige classes is how to handle spell progression. 
  Most spellcasting classes have little other than their 
  spells to support them. Th is situation causes a twofold 
  problem. Th ere’s not much you can take away from such 
  classes other than spells, so giving spellcasting PrCs 
  neat abilities without making them overpowered is 
  diﬃ  cult, unless you do restrict spell ability. Since they’re 
  so dependent on their spells, however, restricting their 
  spellcasting advancement even a little can seriously 
  undermine a prestige class’s power and appeal.
  Spellcaster Level
  A +1 spellcaster level in a PrC essentially means you 
  add the levels of the core spellcasting class and the PrC 
  together to determine everything about the character’s 
  spells. Essentially, gaining +1 spellcaster level in a PrC 
  acts exactly like gaining a level of the core spellcasting 
  class in regards to spells. You use the combined number 
  to determine the spells the caster knows, what level spells 
  she can cast, and what her caster level is. If the character is 
  a bard or sorcerer, she gains both spells known and spells 
  per day; if a wizard, she may select two new spells to add 
  to her spellbook; if a cleric or druid, she gains access to 
  all the spells of the level she can cast. Non-spellcasting 
  features — such as turning or rebuking undead, animal 
  companions, familiar progression, wild shape, and bardic 
  lore — are unaﬀ ected by an increase in spellcaster level.
  Most published spellcasting PrCs grant +1 spellcasting 
  level at every level or every other level. Th ese two extremes 
  are most appropriate for PrCs that have few other beneﬁ ts 
  and those that grant extensive beneﬁ ts, but the balancing 
  act is diﬃ  cult. A PrC with a +1 spellcasting level at every 
  PrC level should have other beneﬁ ts not signiﬁ cantly 
  more useful than familiars or turning undead, as that’s the 
  majority of what’s given up. A class designed to work only 
  for wizards might be slightly more powerful, since it also 
  excludes a few bonus feats. A PrC that gives a spellcasting 
  level only half the time needs to have extensive other 
  beneﬁ ts, as it cuts out ﬁ ve spellcasting levels. For example, 
  an 11th-level character with 5 wizard levels and 6 levels of 
  a PrC with +1 spellcasting level only at 2nd, 4th, and 6th 
  casts as an 8th-level wizard. Compared to an 11th-level 
  wizard, she’s lost 3 spellcasting levels (meaning her ﬁ reballs 
  do 8d6 rather than 10d6, for example) and is missing a 
  number of spells (one 6th-level, two 5th-level, one 4th-
  level, one 3rd-level, and one 2nd-level). If the PrC doesn’t 
  have some pretty extensive bonuses, the character will be 
  seriously underpowered.
  
  107
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  If a PrC will have gaps in its spellcaster level 
  progression, the ﬁ rst gap should preferably be at 
  1st level. A character taking the class thus has an 
  immediate cost to pay — the loss of a spellcasting level 
  compared to her peers who remain in the base class. 
  Characters are prevented from taking a single level 
  in the PrC to gain a small beneﬁ t without losing any 
  spell ability and then leaving the class. If a PrC has 
  few other beneﬁ ts, losing a single spellcasting level 
  may be enough to balance it. More powerful PrCs may 
  need to grant a spellcasting level increase only three 
  out of four, two out of three, or every other level. Th ese 
  increases should be evenly spaced, as shown in Table 
  5–1: Spellcasting Progressions. If a class won’t grant a 
  spellcasting increase in at least half its levels, it probably 
  shouldn’t grant any, instead using some other method to 
  increase spellcaster power.
  Some spellcasting classes, including the bard and druid, 
  have more special abilities than clerics, sorcerers, and 
  wizards. For example, the loremaster PrC makes a poor 
  choice for a bard despite the obvious appeal. Th e bard 
  loses advancement in all his special abilities in return 
  for a few modest abilities. Even if the Lore ability is 
  considered to stack with bardic lore (allowing the bard 
  to add his loremaster and bard levels when determining 
  his bonus), the bard doesn’t gain additional uses of 
  bardic abilities or access to higher-level abilities.
  One way to make PrCs more attractive to bards and 
  druids is to specify new spells they gain access to by 
  taking the PrC. If the loremaster class gave the bard 
  access to spells from the sorcerer/wizard list (which 
  includes many more oﬀ ense-oriented spells), the PrC 
  would be much more appealing. Th e bard could choose 
  from either bard or sorcerer/wizard lists when selecting 
  spells gained upon taking loremaster levels. A druid 
  would be allowed to swap out a single druid spell for a 
  sorcerer/wizard spell for each level of loremaster taken.
  If designing a PrC speciﬁ cally for spellcasting classes with 
  many special abilities, either grant an advance in class 
  abilities (wild shape and bardic music are good examples) 
  or give enough other bonuses to make up for the loss.
  Caster Level
  Rather than gain access to a full spellcaster level, a PrC 
  can give characters an increase in caster level. Th is option 
  does not increase the character’s spell access, but when 
  casting spells she already has, her caster level is ﬁ gured 
  by adding her core spellcasting class levels to the caster 
  level increase granted by the PrC. Th us, an 11th-level 
  character with 5 wizard levels and 6 levels in a PrC that 
  grants +1 caster level each level gained casts scorching ray 
  as an 11th-level wizard, gaining three rays. She doesn’t 
  have access to 4th- or higher-level spells, but she can still 
  deal damage and penetrate spell resistance as a higher-
  level spellcaster.
  Increases to caster level are a good way to design a 
  PrC class with many special abilities that would be too 
  powerful if it gave any increase to spellcaster level. By 
  adding to a character’s caster level, the class prevents the 
  spells a character already has from becoming useless. An 
  11th-level character casting magic missile at 5th level of 
  eﬀ ect almost might as well not bother, but if she casts at 
  11th level, it’s still a useful spell.
  Th ere’s no need to have too many diﬀ erent caster level 
  progressions — they’re already much weaker than a 
  full spellcaster level. PrCs that grant caster level boosts 
  should do so either at every level or every other level. 
  While combining spellcaster levels and caster levels in 
  the same prestige class is possible, doing so is also pretty 
  confusing. Unless there’s a pressing reason to do so, stick 
  with one or the other.
  New Spell Progression
  Rather than add anything to spell access, a prestige class 
  can add a new progression with its own spell list. Th is 
  Table 5-1:
  Spellcasting Progressions
  Distribution of Spellcasting Levels
  PrC Level
  9/10
  4/5
  3/4
  2/3
  1/2
  1st
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  2nd
  1
  1
  1
  1
  1
  3rd
  1
  1
  1
  1
  0
  4th
  1
  1
  1
  0
  1
  5th
  1
  1
  0
  1
  0
  6th
  1
  0
  1
  1
  1
  7th
  1
  1
  1
  0
  0
  8th
  1
  1
  1
  1
  1
  9th
  1
  1
  0
  0*
  0
  10th
  1
  1
  1
  1*
  1
  11th
  0
  0
  1
  1
  0
  12th
  1
  1
  1
  1
  1
  13th
  1
  1
  0
  0
  0
  14th
  1
  1
  1
  1
  1
  15th
  1
  1
  1
  1
  0
  * Th e normal progression would have a spellcaster 
  increase at 9th level and not at 10th level. Yet this 
  progression makes the very last level of a 10-level PrC 
  less appealing, which often discourages players from 
  taking it. Th is “hiccup” in the normal progression has 
  the same number of spellcasting levels, but delays 
  one to 10th level. In a PrC with more levels, or one 
  with a very powerful 10th-level ability, going ahead 
  and using the normal progression rather than the one 
  shown here makes sense.
  
  108
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  option works well for PrCs designed for non-spellcasters 
  or classes with minor spell ability (such as paladins and 
  rangers). Such classes should have a progression similar 
  to a ranger or paladin: a caster level based on its own 
  levels (rather than adding to a previous class’s CL) and 
  spells of no more than 4th or 5th level.
  Alternatively, a PrC could have its own spell list that 
  replaces or adds to the list of a spellcaster that takes the 
  class. For example, a storm lord PrC could require the 
  ability to cast 2nd-level spells as a prerequisite. Th e PrC 
  grants +1 spellcaster level at each level, but instead of 
  gaining new spells of the original spellcasting class, the 
  character gains access to a mix of 3rd- to 7th-level druid 
  and wizard spells dealing with storm and weather-related 
  subjects. Alternatively, a PrC might give access to a 
  small list of additional spells (such as a cleric’s domains 
  or an eldritch weaver’s paths) that the caster adds to her 
  normal spell list.
  Bonuses and Abilities
  A PrC needs to have progressions for attack bonus, skill 
  points, and saving throws, which should follow the same 
  basic progressions of core classes. Th ese progressions are 
  standardized, and all classes should conform to them to 
  keep game balance preserved. Classes with good attack 
  progression ﬁ ght as well as the primary ﬁ ghter classes 
  and thus must be balanced against them. A ﬁ ghter, for 
  example, has few skill points, only one good saving throw, 
  and basically a feat every other level. If a ﬁ ghting prestige 
  class is notably better than this, it overshadows characters 
  who stick with ﬁ ghter class levels.
  Giving sub-par progressions is one way to balance a PrC 
  against core classes. For example, a GM making an archer 
  PrC might decide to give it a speciﬁ c bonus feat (relating 
  to ranged attacks) at every odd level and a special ability 
  every even level. If the class has even d8 Hit Dice and 
  only 2 skill points per level, it’s pushing the eﬀ ectiveness 
  of ﬁ ghters and rangers, who don’t get as many combined 
  feats and abilities. If the class progresses at only an average 
  attack bonus, however, it’s clearly inferior to both ﬁ ghters 
  and rangers in one regard (base attack bonus) and can 
  grant feats and abilities — and possibly even d10 Hit Dice 
  and 4 skill points per level — without being unbalanced.
  Th ere’s no hard and fast rule for what abilities a PrC 
  should grant. Look at the general level the PrC will likely 
  be taken at and base powers oﬀ  what base classes gain 
  at similar levels. Th us, a PrC that can’t be taken until 
  6th level can begin with powers similar to what base 
  classes gain at 6th level. A PrC should never be simply 
  a better version of a base class, though it may be better 
  in one or two limited areas. Players can be encouraged 
  to take PrCs, but should never feel that sticking to core 
  classes isn’t a viable design choice. PrCs that are popular 
  with everyone are likely overpowered and should be 
  downgraded. Beyond these guidelines, you should eyeball 
  balance and suitability based on your own campaign.
   - Bringing It All Together - 
  Once you know what a campaign will be like, 
  communicate that information to your players, along 
  with any other important game details.
   Campaign Worksheets
  A campaign worksheet is a reference for you and players 
  alike that deﬁ nes how a speciﬁ c campaign diﬀ ers from 
  the core d20 rules. Ideally, a campaign worksheet lists 
  everything players need to know about a campaign, 
  allowing them a glimpse into what you have in mind and 
  make plans for their characters’ advancement.
  Obviously, a worksheet needs to cover rules diﬀ erences 
  from typical d20 books. Th ese diﬀ erences should include 
  variant rules, allowed races, core classes, feats, prestige 
  classes, backgrounds, spells, and equipment, and any 
  restrictions on who within the campaign has access to 
  each. For example, certain classes and spells may be 
  available only to starting characters from one race, guild, 
  or nation. Even if you plan to allow PCs to be exceptions 
  to some of these limitations, listing them is a good 
  idea. If dwarves normally aren’t arcane spellcasters in a 
  campaign, a player thinking of playing a dwarf sorcerer 
  needs to know his character will stand apart.
  Basic information about the world itself should also 
  be included. A map can help players visualize the new 
  world, and a brief description of major areas saves you a 
  lot of questions. A game with a ﬁ rm theme tells players 
  what kind of game you’re planning and helps them make 
  appropriate PCs. If you want PCs to be linked in some 
  way, such as all being in a given town at the beginning of 
  the game or all working for the same organization, the 
  worksheet is the place to say so.
  If there are any table rules (see Table Rules on page 109 
  they deﬁ nitely ought to be included in the campaign 
  worksheet, especially those dictated by the play space. 
  A schedule of when the game is supposed to happen is 
  useful, along with what you intend to do if someone can’t 
  show up for a game. Having these matters in a written 
  format can save a lot of grief later on.
  A campaign worksheet is often a living document, 
  changing as the campaign evolves and new sourcebooks 
  come out. Update the worksheet any time a major 
  change is made, so players are aware of the current state 
  of the game. You may also want to keep note of rules 
  calls and changes to the game world as they happen, 
  so when you do pass out an updated worksheet it’s 
  complete and up-to-date.
  
  109
  Chapter Five: Running a Campaign
  While a campaign worksheet sounds like a lot of work, 
  it’s not too bad if you design it as you make the decisions 
  it’s based on. As you consider the tone of your campaign 
  and choose appropriate feats and so on, write them 
  down in a ﬁ rst draft of the worksheet. You may well 
  wish to have more extensive notes you don’t share with 
  the players, but the worksheet can be culled of any such 
  information before it’s passed out.
   Table Rules
  Table rules are guidelines on how players should act during 
  a game, rather than rules related to game mechanics. For 
  example, some groups limit out-of-character conversations, 
  require everyone to sit at the same table, and take food 
  and bathroom breaks at set intervals, restrict smoking to 
  outside the house, and demand anyone who will be more 
  than 15 minutes late should call to warn the GM. Usually, 
  table rules are codiﬁ cations of common sense and common 
  courtesy, and some groups never spell out any table rules. 
  Groups that have played together often likely don’t need 
  codiﬁ ed table rules, but a GM putting together a new 
  group may want to discuss such rules to avoid unpleasant 
  disagreements later on.
  Some common table rules include requiring dice to be 
  rolled in clear view (just for PCs, or for both PCs and GM), 
  requiring die rolls to be observed by the GM (or observed 
  by another player) to count (including Hit Die rolls), 
  forbidding players from accessing any book other than the 
  PHB during a game session, or even deciding players may 
  not access any rules without the GM’s permission.
  While you should take the initiative on outlining table 
  rules, all the players in a group should agree to them as 
  well. Flexibility and reasonable trust are requirements of 
  having fun. If someone dislikes a rule, discuss why and 
  see if a compromise can be found. Some rules, especially 
  regarding die rolling requirements and limitations on 
  accessing rules, can slow down game play.
  Table rules may also be rules of the playing space. If 
  playing at someone’s house, the group may need to 
  respect the owner’s rules about smoking, drinking, eating, 
  being loud, or a curfew. Rules of this type should be 
  taken seriously and outlined occasionally (or written 
  down) to make sure the gaming space isn’t lost.
  References
  If there are any sources you used for inspiration of tone 
  and theme, make players aware of them (as opposed 
  to sources used for plotlines, which you should keep to 
  yourself). If you want to recreate the feel of a particular 
  movie, television series, or book line, giving players a list 
  of such sources can help. Even if there are only elements 
  taken from each source (“Th e world and characters tend to 
  look like those from the Barbarian King movies, while the 
  actual action and politics are more similar to the Lord of 
  Swords books”), players can be inspired to help you manage 
  the campaign you want if they’re in on its inspirations. Th is 
  knowledge can help avoid assumption clashes (see Chapter 
  One page 4) and demonstrate campaign themes better 
  than can any loose descriptions. For a sample campaign 
  worksheet to get you started, see page 188.
  
  110
  Chapter Six: Characters
  C
  haracters are the focus of any good roleplaying 
  game. Th e rules a campaign uses to create and 
  advance characters determine a great deal about the 
  feel and themes of its games. Th ough you don’t control 
  the  PCs’ actions, you do decide what rules are used 
  to create them (and in some cases, do the write-ups 
  yourself). Changing just how character rules work is 
  the most obvious way of making a campaign distinct, as 
  players deal with their characters more than any other 
  part of the rules system.
  Th e most important consideration to keep in mind 
  when developing character rules is to strike a balance 
  between giving players what they want and giving 
  them a reason to go on adventures. Players who can’t 
  make characters they like won’t enjoy playing in your 
  game, while those who can make characters already 
  matching their ultimate vision have little incentive to 
  go on adventures, since they have no need to improve.
  Th is is an extremely tricky balance to maintain. 
  Often players claim they want something, but if it’s 
  given to them, they don’t actually enjoy having it. 
  Distinguishing between what a player wants (as 
  elements of a fun game) and what a character would 
  realistically want is frequently important. To take 
  matters to an extreme, a player whose character is 
  oﬀ ered a weapon that makes the character invincible 
  and allows him to dispatch any foe with a thought 
  might well accept it; however, while the character will 
  likely be pleased with his newfound power, the player 
  will quickly grow bored with no real challenges.
  As a guideline, strive to allow any appropriate character 
  concept, but be ready to enforce a lower level of 
  competence or power than the player wants. For 
  example, if a character wants to play the son of a god in 
  a game of ancient Greek themed fantasy, accommodate 
  him. Having a god for a father is very appropriate 
  to such settings and a reasonable character concept. 
  Th at doesn’t mean the PC must be a half-celestial, 
  however. A normal human can be the son of a god, 
  especially if the god wants to have his son grow up with 
  the experiences of common people. You may wish to 
  make a special background available (see Character 
  Backgrounds on page 116) or design a prestige class 
  later that plays on the character’s divine blood, but 
  for starters, the character gets no power-boost for his 
  concept, even though the concept is allowed.
  Th is chapter outlines various ways you can use characters 
  to promote a particular kind of gaming experience. 
  Some are ideas for plots and organizations, while others 
  are game mechanical ideas to promote diﬀ erentiation 
  between characters and allow for a broad range of 
  character and campaign ideas.
  Chapter Six: Characters
  Chapter Six:  Characters
  
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  Chapter Six: Characters
  A roleplaying game is a social activity, and you are 
  essentially the activity director. Like a chipper counselor 
  at a good summer camp, you give the group direction 
  on what’s happening and deals with potential problems 
  (preferably before anyone notices them). If this sounds 
  like a big responsibility, it gets worse — you must juggle 
  two sets of related, but diﬀ erent group dynamics. You 
  must deal with the players in your group (with advice for 
  doing so starting in Chapter One) and with the PCs, 
  who may have totally diﬀ erent relationships.
  Yet a GM who understands why PC groups are 
  put together the way they are is already part way to 
  keeping everyone happy. Th e core d20 rules encourage 
  diﬀ erentiation through specialization. No one class is 
  good (or even fair) at everything, instead focusing on 
  one or two categories of ability. As a result, a PC has 
  holes in certain areas of competence and must work with 
  other PCs to overcome the wide variety of obstacles a 
  typical adventure includes. Not only does this situation 
  encourage cooperation, it gives each character that takes 
  a diﬀ erent class a protected niche within the group. 
  Th e wizard knows the most arcane spells; the sorcerer 
  has the most arcane ﬁ repower. Th e cleric is best when 
  dealing with undead; the druid is best against creatures 
  of nature. Fighters can master the most combat methods; 
  barbarians can crank out the most damage; paladins do 
  the most harm to evil foes; rangers handle speciﬁ c foes 
  the best. Th e bard has access to the most information; the 
  monk is the most mobile; the rogue is the sneakiest. As 
  long as the PCs are all if the same level, the class system 
  goes a long way to ensuring they’re all equally useful to a 
  group, though each in diﬀ erent ways.
  If dealing with a smaller group, each character is called 
  on to do more. Multi-classing becomes more common, 
  and you can be more relaxed when giving out abilities 
  that are similar to other classes. With more characters, 
  niches are less protected, and you need to be more 
  cautious about crossing class lines. Groups are most 
  powerful when they have multiple abilities to draw upon, 
  so larger groups are often more potent than raw numbers 
  might suggest. In a group of four PCs, a druid may have 
  to double as a healer, in which case he has fewer spell 
  slots available to augment other characters. In a group 
  of eight PCs, the same druid can more likely cast spells 
  on himself and heavy combatants to produce a more 
  eﬀ ective ﬁ ghting line.
  As PCs ﬁ nd niches, consider ways to let them develop 
  those niches. A ﬁ ghter who focuses on heavy armor and 
  shields and maximizing hit points is obviously looking 
  to soak damage. Th is is a useful function and makes the 
  ﬁ ghter diﬀ erent from the greataxe-wielding barbarian 
  who just wants to kill things quickly. If you invent a 
  feat that allows barbarians to get a higher AC when 
  raging is making it easier for the barbarian to steal 
  the ﬁ ghter’s niche. (Th e same idea applies to treasure: 
  giving the barbarian a +3 defending greataxe is just 
  about as bad.) When looking at what rules and options 
  to allow, or when designing your own, constantly 
  consider the eﬀ ect the rule has on the PCs’ ability to be 
  diﬀ erent from one another.
  Characters with 
  Disparate  Power Levels
  In a typical gaming group, each player runs one or more 
  characters, all of which are at approximately the same 
  power level. Th is system has many advantages, including 
  preventing jealousy among players, ease of developing 
  challenges for all players, and having the same treasure 
  items be appropriate for whichever characters want them. 
  Th e adventuring party develops naturally out of this 
  organization — since each character is of the same power 
  level, the PCs naturally gravitate toward diﬀ erent roles, 
  so each character is best at something but needs other 
  characters to be well-rounded.
  Yet this organization is far from the most common in 
  adventure ﬁ ction. In fact, it’s far more common for one 
  or more characters to be notably more powerful than 
  the rest, and several characters to take the same roles at 
  diﬀ ering power levels. Wizards who guide troops of less 
  powerful adventurers, masters training young apprentices, 
  supernatural guardians with powers unmatched by 
  their allies, and lone heroes with abilities far in excess 
  of anyone they know are all more common group 
  compositions in ﬁ ction.
  If you want to try a more unbalanced group, you have 
  several options. If the players are not prone to jealousy, 
  simply suggest one player gets to run the higher-level 
  character. If going this route, either have the position 
  rotate (playing multiple games, for example, and giving 
  a diﬀ erent player the more powerful PC each time, or 
  literally having a diﬀ erent player run the high-level 
  PC every few games). You can also make lower-level 
  characters more important for in-game reasons. For 
  example, a group of 1st-level PCs might be destined 
  to save the world in a few years, and a 9th-level PC is 
  tasked with getting them trained and keeping them 
  alive. Th e 9th-level PC has more power, but NPCs of all 
  stripes are more interested in the lower-level characters.
  You can also develop some compensating advantage 
  for players of lower-level characters. If a single PC is a 
  legendary slayer of undead, with a powerful template that 
  gives her much more power than other characters of her 
  level, the remaining PCs can be given an extra fortune 
   - Group Dynamics - 
  
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  Chapter Six: Characters
  points (see Chapter Two). Th e less powerful PCs can’t 
  compete with the legendary slayer in terms of raw power, 
  but they have more favorable turns of good fortune, 
  allowing the players to have as much fun, even if their 
  characters feel constantly in over their heads.
  You can also make the overpowered character an NPC, 
  but focus on the actions of the PCs for adventures. A 
  mighty king might have many young lords and ladies 
  fostered with him. While the king goes oﬀ  to deal with 
  dragons and demon lords, the PCs play fostered youths 
  dealing with the intrigues and betrayals of his court when 
  he’s away (see Chapter Th ree for more information on 
  the focus of adventures).
   - Playing with  Power Levels - 
  A d20 campaign that starts PCs at 1st level automatically 
  takes as one of its themes the growth of young heroes 
  into more powerful champions. Th is path is inherent to 
  the system, and it’s a compelling and popular theme. It 
  can become tiresome, however. Many popular characters 
  from ﬁ ction are already noteworthy heroes by the time 
  we’re introduced to them, and players often want to 
  emulate these characters. Th e struggle to survive lower 
  character levels can also reduce the fun of playing 
  exceptional, heroic individuals.
  Even if a group does want to play through the 
  accumulation of power, they may not want to hit exactly 
  the power levels the game normally supports. Groups 
  often wish to have more or less powerful characters as a 
  change of pace. You can make changes to a campaign’s 
  rules to support characters of diﬀ ering power levels.
  Regardless of a campaign’s power level, you must balance 
  encounters to provide a challenge to players without 
  overwhelming them and killing an entire group of PCs. 
  While guidelines are given below, every group is unique 
  in the kinds and number of encounters it can handle. 
  Learn your group’s ability through trial and error. Th e 
  CR system is very useful for this, even if it doesn’t apply 
  directly to the PCs’ levels. A GM who has boosted the 
  power level of a group of 5th-level characters may not 
  know what they can handle, but she can be conﬁ dent a 
  CR 5 monster or EL 5 encounter won’t be too much for 
  them. If she starts with CR 6 monsters, she can judge the 
  PCs’ results and decide whether or not to move up to CR 
  7. Even though the CRs don’t correspond exactly to her 
  group’s level, she can use them to gauge relative threat.
  Boosting Power Levels
  Playing more powerful characters can open new themes 
  to a campaign. If the PCs are bar none the most powerful 
  mortals in existence, they can explore the moral and 
  ethical uses of their great power and the consequences 
  of each of their actions. Th ey may even explore the 
  diﬀ erences between mortals and gods. At a less extreme 
  level of power, the heroes are themselves patrons and 
  allies of note, powerful enough to change the course of 
  history without being able to dictate it.
  Th e simplest way to increase the power level of a game 
  is to begin at higher than 1st level. Nothing restricts 
  campaigns from beginning at 5th, 9th, or even 16th 
  level. Th e higher the starting level, however, the more 
  work it is for both players and GM to create a fulﬁ lling 
  backstory for the campaign and its major characters. 
  And no matter what level a campaign starts at, all 
  the characters are essentially balanced against every 
  other character of the same level, including NPCs 
  and characters played in other campaigns. Sometimes, 
  you need a way to boost the PCs’ power without just 
  pumping up their starting level.
  Th ere are a number of options for doing just this. 
  Combined with options such as heroic ability score 
  arrays (see Ability Scores on page 118), you can 
  set a campaign’s power level anywhere from slightly 
  above normal to staggeringly higher than a standard 
  d20 campaign. If the PCs are supposed to be truly 
  exceptional heroes, these rules should be reserved 
  for the PCs and NPCs on a similar level of heroic 
  (or villainous) importance. If the campaign assumes 
  everyone is heroic, the rules should apply to all PCs and 
  NPCs.
  Bonus  Effective Character Levels
  A campaign can grant a bonus ECL shift to all 
  characters, allowing them to play powerful races without 
  being lower level. Th is option allows half-dragons, and 
  half-celestials — even giants, fey, and outsiders — to 
  become viable PC races. If all players are interested in 
  races with the same ECL shift, this is easy; ignore the 
  shift and have the players make characters normally. Th e 
  characters are considered to have no ECL shift despite 
  their extensive powers. In a game like this, a 1st-level 
  half-dragon needs only 1,000 XP to become second level, 
  despite a level adjustment of +3.
  Usually, however, players wish to play races with diﬀ erent 
  level adjustments. In this situation, two options exist. You 
  could simply begin the game at some higher level and 
  allow characters to subtract a race’s level shift from their 
  starting level. Th e problem with this option is that many 
  players want to be as high level as possible, so they’ll 
  take races with no level adjustment, invalidating the 
  whole point of making it available. Alternatively, you can 
  declare a set level adjustment to be in eﬀ ect and grant 
  generic level adjustments to characters that play lower-
  powered races.
  
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  Generic level adjustments are boosts to a character’s 
  power that aren’t dependent on race. For every +1 level 
  adjustment, a character gains three of the following 
  bonuses: +4 bonus to one ability, +2 bonus to two 
  abilities, +2 natural armor bonus, darkvision, low-light 
  vision, scent, a bonus feat, or +8 bonus divided among 
  your skills. Th us, if the campaign has a level adjustment 
  of +3, a character can either be a half-dragon or play a 
  human and take a +3 generic level adjustment and gain 
  (for example) +4 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, 
  +2 Wisdom, three bonus feats, low-light vision, +2 
  natural armor, and +8 bonus to Climb checks.
  Bonus  Special Abilities
  An easy way to run a higher-powered game is to grant all 
  characters bonus special abilities. Th is option can be as 
  simple as giving characters access to powerful races (see 
  Bonus Eﬀ ective Character Levels) or a number of bonus 
  starting feats, or it can involve a more complex set of 
  rules taking on new class abilities.
  In a high-magic campaign, all characters can gain the 
  spellcasting ability of a spellcasting class of half their 
  character level. For example, an 8th-level ﬁ ghter can 
  choose to cast as a 4th-level bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, 
  or wizard (though once this decision is made, it cannot 
  ever be changed). Even spellcasting classes are given 
  access to another spellcasting class’s power at half their 
  level, though their caster level and spell slots must 
  be tracked separately. Since many special abilities are 
  linked to skills, such characters get the skill points and 
  class skills of both their core characters class and their 
  spellcasting class.
  As an alternative, any special abilities can be granted at 
  half the character’s level. For example, a new character 
  can choose to gain a monk’s special abilities. When the 
  character is 12th-level, regardless of what classes she 
  takes, she gains all the abilities listed under the “special” 
  column of a 6th-level monk. Characters shouldn’t be 
  allowed to gain the exact same ability twice (e.g., a 
  character can’t decide to play a paladin who gains the 
  special abilities of another paladin, gaining additional 
  bonuses to saving throws and lay on hands healing), and 
  all normal restrictions to the special abilities granted 
  apply (e.g., a ﬁ ghter who can cast as a wizard still faces 
  arcane spell failure in armor).
  Characters of this kind are signiﬁ cantly more powerful 
  than standard characters, but not as much as 50% more 
  powerful. Each has access to far more abilities, but none 
  have abilities restricted to higher-level characters. As a 
  guideline, assume a group can face encounters one or 
  two ELs higher than usual without making it an extreme 
  encounter, but don’t try to make extreme encounters with 
  higher CR monsters. Instead, increase the number of 
  lower-CR foes such groups face or grant foes their own 
  set of additional special abilities.
  You can also simply grant special abilities that function 
  similarly to magic items, but are innate powers (see Innate 
  Abilities on page 132 of Chapter Seven). A group that 
  has extra innate abilities worth no more than their average 
  gold per level (see Table: Character Wealth by Level in 
  the DMG) are about as powerful as those with additional 
  special abilities from a secondary class.
  Combined  Ability 
  and  Feat Progression
  Rather than grant a character a feat every three levels 
  and an increase to an ability score, a campaign can give 
  players the choice of either. Whenever a character would 
  normally receive a feat or ability score increase, the 
  player may choose one or the other option (not both). 
  Th is option has the advantage of increasing character 
  ﬂ exibility, without radically increasing total power level. 
  Th e progression can either be left the same (resulting in a 
  pick at 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, two at 12th, and so on), 
  or it can be smoothed out to granting an increase two 
  out of every three levels (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 
  11th, and so on).
  Feats and ability scores gained from classes, templates, or 
  other sources are not aﬀ ected by this change. A ﬁ ghter 
  must still choose ﬁ ghter feats for her bonus feats granted 
  by class, and half-dragons can’t choose to gain 8 bonus 
  feats rather than +8 Strength.
  Th is change has two potential side eﬀ ects that may not 
  be obvious. First, it allows for very high ability scores at 
  mid- and high levels. For example, a wizard who begins 
  
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  with an 18 Intelligence at 1st level can increase it up to 
  26 by 12th level. While she has done this at the cost of 
  any additional feats, if combined with an Intelligence-
  increasing item (such as a headband of intellect +6), she 
  can get a staggeringly high Intelligence score (32), 
  making her spells extremely diﬃ  cult to resist and 
  receiving numerous bonus spells.
  Second, characters may gain access to prestige classes 
  more quickly, as they can select needed feats more easily. 
  While it would be rare for a character to access a class 
  before 3rd or 4th level as a result of this rules change, 
  characters in classes that normally wouldn’t qualify for a 
  class until 9th level might well access it by 5th level.
  Increased  Feat Progression
  With the proliferation of feats in d20 products, many 
  GMs and players want more opportunities to explore 
  feat combinations. Feat progression can be increased to 
  one feat every odd level (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and so on). If 
  used with the Combined Ability and Feat Progression 
  options, this change results in gaining a feat or ability 
  increase at every character level, and two such increases 
  every third level (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 
  and so on).
  Th e highest rate of feat acquisition that should be 
  considered is granting a feat at every level. While this 
  rate does make characters more powerful, ﬂ exible, and 
  complex, it still prevents them from gaining the most 
  powerful feats at low levels (as their base attack bonuses 
  and caster levels are still restricted). If used with the 
  Combined Ability and Feat Progression options, this 
  change results in gaining a feat or ability increase at every 
  character level, and two such increases every other level 
  (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th, and so on).
  Increased  Skill Points
  Character classes are designed to have a limited number 
  of skill points, forcing GMs and players alike to 
  consider carefully what skills to buy. Th is element works 
  well in standard d20 campaigns, as it forces players to 
  work as a team. Since no single character has enough 
  skill points to be good at everything, characters have 
  protected niches of skill.
  However, this limitation is frustrating for gamers who 
  want to buy numerous skills to represent backgrounds, 
  hobbies, and areas of secondary study. Especially given 
  that such skills are cross-class to a majority of classes, 
  having a character learn to play a ﬁ ddle or cook at even 
  a mediocre level of mastery is very expensive. One 
  solution for this problem is to increase the skill points 
  characters receive.
  One method is to give all characters an additional 16 
  skill points at 1st level. Doing so allows characters to 
  buy skills representing full and varied backgrounds, 
  without allowing them to buy up those skills to heroic 
  levels later in life.
  Another option is to give all classes an additional 2 skill 
  points per level. Doing so adds 8 skill points to 1st-level 
  characters (as initial skill points are multiplied by 4) and 
  allows them at least partially to maintain those skills at 
  higher levels.
  A more extreme option is to increase skill points per level 
  by 50%, with a minimum of +2. Doing so gives some 
  classes as many as 12 skill points per level, but those 
  classes often have more than twelve class skills.
  If the only desired eﬀ ect is to increase non-combat skills, 
  characters can be given a number of skill points per level 
  to spend only on Craft, Knowledge, Perform, Profession, 
  and Speak Language. To keep scholarly characters from 
  being outwitted by ﬁ ghters and rogues, characters with 
  a poor Will save progression should receive 2 limited 
  skill points per level, while those with a good Will save 
  progression gain 4 limited skill points per level.
  Reduced  Power Levels
  Sometimes, you might want to play a game set below 
  the default power level. Th ere are several fairly easy 
  ways to do this (cut treasure values in half or double 
  magic items costs; require characters to use only NPC 
  classes; reduce magic item chakras or ability scores, 
  or both; eliminate the most eﬀ ective feats, spells, and 
  magic items), each of which requires some trial-and-
  error balancing of challenges. If you’re looking for a very 
  grim and lethal game, you can run encounters of the 
  same EL, but generally you’ll have to run encounters 
  between 1 to 4 ELs lower in order not to overwhelm 
  the reduced PCs.
  Strive not to limit diversity or creativity while reducing 
  power level. For example, reducing the skill points or 
  feats characters receive is a bad idea, as this pushes all 
  characters closer to the same core useful abilities. With 
  some work, other character stats can be reduced to make 
  a game lower in overall power, as described below.
  Reduced  Bonus Types
  You can downplay the eﬀ ects of magic and special abilities 
  in a campaign by reducing the number of bonus types 
  in existence. Because bonuses of the same type don’t 
  stack, ruling all bonuses not speciﬁ cally unnamed to be 
  enchantment bonuses reduces the characters’ overall power 
  level dramatically. Suddenly, characters can’t gain the 
  beneﬁ ts of an enlarge and a bull’s strength or, for that matter, 
  both a bless and a prayer. Nor will the AC gained from a 
  ring of protection stack with the magic bonuses of armor.
  Keep two main issues in mind when going this route. 
  First, some bonuses logically must stack: armor and shield 
  bonuses, and at least one form of magic. You may decide to 
  
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  lump natural armor bonuses in with either enhancement 
  or armor bonuses, for example, but circumstance bonuses 
  should remain separate. Th e second issue is that whatever 
  bonus rules the PCs follow should also be used by monsters 
  and NPCs — everyone should be on a level playing ﬁ eld.
  Th e fewer bonus types, the more the overall power 
  level is reduced. Changing deﬂ ection bonuses to shield 
  bonuses has little aﬀ ect, but changing deﬂ ection and 
  natural armor to shield bonuses, and then morale, 
  divine, profane, equipment and nearly everything else to 
  enhancement bonuses has a much more serious eﬀ ect, 
  especially at middle and higher levels. It also encourages 
  characters to acquire more varied spells and magic items, 
  since so many “standard” choices don’t work together.
  Reduced Hit Points
  One common complaint with the d20 rules revolves 
  around hit points, and the way they increase as characters 
  gain levels. Hit points are not supposed to represent 
  actual ability to suck up more damage and survive, 
  but that’s how they act. Many groups ﬁ nd this gets 
  ridiculous, as high-level characters grow unafraid of great 
  falls or being stabbed multiple times by minor opponents. 
  Many suggest that anything beyond 1 Hit Die is simply 
  unreasonable for Medium creatures.
  Running games in which hit points are kept much lower 
  is possible, but it requires some work. Each character 
  gets maximum hit points at 1st level and rolls a Hit Die 
  normally at second level. Afterward, characters gain a 
  hit point only when their base attack bonus goes up by 
  one (thus, ﬁ ghters gain 1 hit point every level, while 
  wizards gain one hit point only every other level). 
  Moreover, after 2nd level, characters do not gain 
  additional hit points for their Constitution bonus. 
  Under this system, even a 20th-level ﬁ ghter will 
  likely have only 38 or so hit points. 
  Anything that grants bonus Hit 
  Dice instead grants +1 hit point 
  per die normally granted.
  With this method, all creatures 
  with racial Hit Dice (as opposed 
  to class Hit Dice) have their 
  total hit points chopped in half. 
  Creatures that have advanced in Hit 
  Dice gain 1 hit point per additional 
  die. If a creature actually advances up a 
  size category, it gets one additional full 
  HD (since it is actually bigger). Th us, 
  a winter wolf has 26 hit points (half its 
  normal 52), and a winter wolf that’s advanced 
  to have 9 HD has 29 hit points (1 
  additional hit point for its 3 new 
  HD). A 10-HD winter wolf is size 
  Huge and gets another full HD, 
  which on average means it’ll have 33 
  hit points.
  To oﬀ set this reduction in hit points, damage must also 
  be reduced. All non-weapon damage automatically deals 
  its minimum. Th us, an 8d6 ﬁ reball does only 8 hp. All 
  healing is also reduced to its minimum, and all healing 
  valued in points rather than dice (such as a paladin’s 
  lay on hands) is halved. All weapon damage (including 
  natural weapons) is limited to damage bonuses no greater 
  than one-half a weapon’s maximum base damage. Th us, a 
  longsword dealing 1d8 can’t have more than a +4 damage 
  bonus, regardless of what modiﬁ ers and bonus types 
  are added to it. All damage reduction is cut in half. Th is 
  change may seem restrictive, but considering that an 8th-
  level ﬁ ghter is likely to have just 26 hit points, losing 8 to 
  a ﬁ reball is a serious blow.
  In this system, hit points really do represent how much 
  damage a character can take. Most monsters end up with 
  considerably more hit points than heroes, and you should 
  be very cautious about using high-CR creatures even 
  against PCs of the appropriate level. Despite the changes 
  to damage, this is a lower-powered, grittier rules set 
  that’s likely to result in more frequent character death. 
  Critical hits in particular become far more devastating. If 
  you’re kind, you may decide to allow characters with high 
  Constitutions to live until they reach negative hit points 
  equal to their Constitution score.
  Non-Heroic Characters
  As an extreme option, you could run a game in which all 
  players are restricted to making characters using non-
  heroic classes (adept, aristocrat, expert, and warrior). 
  While characters with these classes still gain hit points 
  and increased bonuses, they lack the special abilities 
  of normal PC classes. Because such characters 
  are so much less powerful, consider them 2 
  levels lower than their true rank when 
  ﬁ guring ELs for them. For example, 
  a group of four 5th-level non-heroic 
  characters can take an EL 3 encounter 
  with little diﬃ  culty, but an EL 6 encounter 
  will likely present an extreme encounter.
  A similar idea is artiﬁ cially to create 
  non-heroic classes by limiting characters 
  to the special abilities of half their class 
  level. Th us, a 6th-level wizard casts spells 
  and has a familiar as if 3rd level (though 
  his caster level is still 6th), and he has 
  not yet earned the bonus feat normally 
  gained at 5th level, while a ﬁ ghter 
  must be 8th level before he can take 
  Weapon Specialization. Th is change 
  allows classes with no good non-
  heroic counterpart (such as bards and 
  monks), but still lowers the overall 
  power of characters.
  
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  Chapter Six: Characters
  6 to gain 1 or 2 additional modiﬁ er points, but these 
  points can’t be used during the auction. No ability score 
  bought after the auctions may have a base higher than 
  14 (though racial modiﬁ ers could raise an ability to a 
  15 or more).
  For example, Marc, Tom, Ian, and Jacob are making 
  new characters for a game Jane is starting. Jane begins 
  the auction with Strength, oﬀ ering up an 18. Marc and 
  Ian both plan on playing ﬁ ghting characters, so they 
  begin bidding. Ian is willing to pay 4 auction points, 
  while Marc is only willing to spend 3, so Ian gets the 18 
  Strength. Jane now repeats the process for a 16 Strength. 
  Since Jacob and Tom don’t care to have Strength scores 
  that high, Marc manages to spend just 1 auction point 
  for his 16. Now Ian has 6 auction points left, Marc has 9, 
  and Tom and Jacob both still have 10.
  Jane repeats the auction process for all ﬁ ve remaining 
  ability scores. When all is said and done, Marc bought 
  a 16 Strength for 1 point and a 16 Constitution for 2 
  points. Th at leaves him 7 auction points with which to 
  buy ability scores. He can’t buy anything above a 14, 
  so he spends 2 points on Dexterity (a +2 modiﬁ er is 
  a 14 score), 2 points on Intelligence, and 2 points on 
  Charisma, leaving 1 point for Wisdom. His ﬁ nal scores 
  are Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 10, and Cha 12.
  Ian spent 4 auction points on an 18 Strength and 5 
  auction points on an 18 Dexterity. Th at leaves him only 1 
  auction point for his remaining 4 abilities, but he knows 
  no one else will have 18’s in his two primary stats. He 
  gives himself a 14 , 10 Int, 10 Wis and 8 Cha, totalling 
  his +1 remaining auction point.
  Heroic Arrays
  Many groups prefer characters to have even more heroic 
  scores than provided by any of the standard ability 
  generation methods, but are unhappy when one or 
  two players’ characters end up with signiﬁ cantly better 
  ability scores. Groups such as this should consider using 
  the two heroic arrays, a set of pre-determined ability 
  scores the players may arrange as they see ﬁ t. Th e heroic 
  arrays are much more powerful than standard ability 
  Ability score generation is one of the most inﬂ uential 
  parts of character creation. Nearly all a character’s 
  abilities, and all her skills and combat options, are 
  inﬂ uenced by ability scores. How you allow players to 
  generate their ability scores not only aﬀ ects the power 
  level of the characters, it sets the tone for the campaign 
  as a whole. Players given more say over their characters’ 
  ability scores expect more input in other aspects of the 
  game and are more likely to get involved in other aspects 
  of the game. Players given more options are also more 
  likely to come up with more original (and potentially 
  more powerful) character concepts.
  Auction
  An  ability score auction ensures one character has the 
  highest rating in any given ability score. For some groups, 
  this kind of deﬁ nitive role and inter-player competition is 
  considered helpful in determining character roles, while 
  other groups ﬁ nd it antagonistic and disruptive.
  Each player is given 10 auction points. Th e GM names 
  each ability in turn, auctioning oﬀ  an 18 value and then 
  a 16 value for that ability. Players bid auction points, 
  with the highest in each round getting that score. Once 
  all the abilities have been auctioned oﬀ , players may 
  buy scores for abilities they didn’t win auctions for, 
  with 1 unspent auction point equaling a +1 modiﬁ er. 
  Players may grant themselves an ability score of 8 or 
   -  Ability Scores - 
  Table 6-1: 
  The Heroic Arrays
  Heroic Array 1
  18, 16, 16, 12, 12, 10
  Heroic Array 2
  18, 18, 16, 14, 10, 8
  Heroic Array 3
  14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14
  
  117
  Chapter Six: Characters
  generation methods, but still within the range of what’s 
  theoretically possible. 
  When using the heroic arrays, each player decides which 
  set of ability scores she wishes to use, then assigns each 
  score to an ability of her choice. Racial modiﬁ ers are 
  added in after the ability scores have been assigned. 
  Resulting characters are powerful, but not so much 
  to unbalance a game. Feel free to use more extreme 
  encounters when running a group using the heroic arrays, 
  which is exactly what such groups generally prefer.
  Rather than require players to use one of the listed heroic 
  arrays, you may allow them to determine any stats that 
  have a total modiﬁ er of +12, as long as no ability score is 
  lower than 8.
  Player"s Choice
  You can opt to allow players to decide what ability scores 
  their characters start with. Th is method tends to result in 
  very powerful characters, but that’s not a problem with all 
  groups. Obviously, characters need to have some limits, 
  but you may allow any ability scores possible for starting 
  characters (i.e., any score of 18 modiﬁ ed by race).
  Th e advantage of this method is players get exactly 
  the kind of characters they wanted. Th e drawback is 
  that there’s no penalty for deciding you want to play a 
  character with straight 18’s (and if anyone actually does 
  this, it’s a good sign that player doesn’t get the point). Yet 
  among mature groups that are more interested in playing 
  speciﬁ c roles than struggling to maximize characters, this 
  can be a very fulﬁ lling option.
  Random Rolls by Class
  Th e idea behind random rolls by class is to ensure a 
  player making a ﬁ ghter has a good chance at getting 
  high Strength and Constitution scores without allowing 
  him to determine exactly what scores he gets. Th is 
  option allows the unexpected results that many groups 
  prefer, while maintaining player choice and inﬂ uence 
  over character type. It’s also useful for GMs wanting 
  to determine NPC ability scores randomly — using 
  this system, most NPC ﬁ ghters are stronger than NPC 
  wizards, but occasional exceptions do occur.
  For each class, players roll the indicated number of dice 
  and take the highest three results, discarding the rest. 
  Table 6-2:  Ability Score Rolls by Class
  Barbarian
  Bard, Sorcerer, 
  or Wilder
  Cleric, Druid, 
  or Warpriest
  Fighter
  Monk
  Evangelist 
  or Spellmaster
  Str
  7d6
  3d6
  4d6
  7d6
  4d6
  3d6
  Dex
  5d6
  6d6
  3d6
  5d6
  6d6
  5d6
  Con
  6d6
  4d6
  4d6
  5d6
  4d6
  5d6
  Int
  3d6
  5d6
  4d6
  4d6
  4d6
  4d6
  Wis
  4d6
  3d6
  7d6
  3d6
  5d6
  7d6
  Cha
  3d6
  7d6
  6d6
  4d6
  5d6
  4d6
  Paladin or 
  Th anemage
  Psion
  Psychic 
  Warrior or 
  Soulknife
  Ranger
  Rogue 
  or Scout
  Eldritch 
  Weaver or 
  Wizard
  Str
  6d6
  3d6
  6d6
  5d6
  4d6
  3d6
  Dex
  3d6
  5d6
  4d6
  6d6
  7d6
  6d6
  Con
  4d6
  5d6
  6d6
  4d6
  4d6
  5d6
  Int
  4d6
  5d6
  4d6
  4d6
  5d6
  7d6
  Wis
  5d6
  5d6
  4d6
  5d6
  4d6
  4d6
  Cha
  6d6
  5d6
  4d6
  4d6
  4d6
  3d6
  Adept
  Aristocrat
  Commoner
  Expert
  Warrior
  Str
  3d6
  4d6
  3d6
  3d6
  5d6
  Dex
  4d6
  3d6
  3d6
  4d6
  4d6
  Con
  3d6
  4d6
  4d6
  3d6
  4d6
  Int
  4d6
  4d6
  3d6
  5d6
  3d6
  Wis
  5d6
  4d6
  4d6
  4d6
  3d6
  Cha
  4d6
  4d6
  3d6
  4d6
  4d6
  
  118
  Chapter Six: Characters
  Th us, a player making a ﬁ ghter rolls 7d6 for his Strength 
  score. If his results were 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, he takes the 
  highest three and ends up with a 16 Strength.
  Characters made using this system end up being 
  slightly more powerful than those of the standard 
  method of roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die. Th is 
  diﬀ erence is intentional, as it helps produce a more 
  extreme range of ability scores, which helps diﬀ erentiate 
  characters. Players also have no choice over assigning 
  their ability scores: whatever is rolled for a given stat 
  must be taken, making it more diﬃ  cult for players to 
  min/max characters and encouraging roleplaying the 
  unusual combinations that result. If a set of ability 
  scores doesn’t have at least one ability score of 14 or 
  higher, or has a total combined modiﬁ er of +2 or less, 
  the player may re-roll all the ability scores.
  Th ough dice are given for NPC classes as well, they 
  produce less exceptional results. If you want more heroic 
  NPC-classed character, use one of the die combinations 
  for a related heroic class (rolling ﬁ ghter dice for a warrior, 
  for example).
  If you use classes from Green Ronin’s Master Class™ 
  series, treat shamans as clerics, assassins as rogues, 
  witches as sorcerers, avatars as sorcerers, unholy warriors 
  as paladins, nobles as bards, psychics as psions, and 
  cavaliers as paladins.
  -  Character Backgrounds -
  A character’s background is a representation of things 
  he learned as a child and apprentice, the inﬂ uence of his 
  culture and bloodline, and the natural tendencies that set 
  all thinking creatures apart. It is both more and less than a 
  class, as the changes made by a background are permanent, 
  but they never improve. Often everyone from a given 
  region shares similar backgrounds, and GMs may require 
  characters from some kingdoms or regions to choose from 
  a selection of appropriate backgrounds.
  Backgrounds can also represent inherited traits, special 
  destinies, or physical changes between sub-races. For 
  example, humans living in a kingdom ruled by dragons 
  might have darkvision as part of their backgrounds. Th is 
  is not a learned skill, but the result of a tiny trace of 
  draconic blood running through their veins. Alternatively, 
  it might be that only certain bloodlines, perhaps the 
  human noble houses that rule under the dragon lords, 
  have the draconic blood.
  Backgrounds are not tools for players to make their 
  characters more powerful. Instead, they are a tool, 
  designed to set regions of a campaign apart. Th ey’re 
  of great use to players, but that’s a side eﬀ ect of their 
  ability to make a campaign more interesting. Ideally, 
  you shouldn’t allow players to write up their own 
  backgrounds; rather, provide a number of background 
  options for players to choose from. At the very least, 
  approve all backgrounds after careful examination, and 
  any background approved for one character should be 
  made available to all players.
  As well, backgrounds allow characters to take skills 
  as permanent class skills, regardless of class. When 
  designing backgrounds, provide a list of beneﬁ ts, 
  allowing players to select which ones a character with 
  that particular background takes. To help balance 
  backgrounds, a list of common background elements and 
  a point cost for each are provided below. A background 
  should have approximately ten to twelve points of 
  elements, though those may be selected from a broad list.
  Sample Backgrounds
  A number of sample backgrounds are presented here. Each 
  allows players with the background a number of options 
  totaling approximately 10 background points. Th ese 
  backgrounds include career-based (apprentice, squire, and 
  so forth), region-based (river folk, rovers, steppes nomads, 
  and the like), and bloodlines (blessed blood, dragon 
  kith, and so forth) themes. You can make all of these 
  backgrounds available to all characters or restrict them to 
  certain regions, races, or even certain starting classes.
  Apprentice
  An apprentice has studied to be an arcane spellcaster. 
  Most apprentices are wizards-in-training or bards-in-
  training, but rarely an academy is set up to teach sorcerers 
  how to use their natural talents better.
  • 
  Choose any three 0-level arcane spells. You may 
  cast each 1/day as a 1st-level bard or sorcerer 
  (player’s choice).
  • 
  Take Concentration, Spellcraft, and Use Magic 
  Device as permanent class skills; or gain a +1 racial 
  bonus to those three skills and start with 4 ranks in 
  Concentration and Use Magic Device.
  Blessed Blood
  A character with blessed blood is a member of a holy 
  bloodline, descended from a saint, holy man, or even 
  deity. Th ough the bloodline is not strong enough to 
  change the character’s type, it does provide an innate 
  talent for divinely oriented activities.
  • 
  Choose any three 0-level divine spells. You may 
  cast each 1/day as a 1st-level cleric, or take Extra 
  Turning as a bonus feat if you qualify for it.
  • 
  Take Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the 
  planes), and Sense Motive as permanent class skills.
  
  119
  Chapter Six: Characters
  • 
  Add one of the following classes as a favored class: 
  cleric, druid, paladin.
   Dragon Kith
  Dragon kith have the blood of dragons in their veins. 
  Th ey’re not half-dragons or even quarter-dragons, but a 
  trace of draconic heritage still ﬂ ows through their ancestry. 
  Dragon kith have at most a single feature that reveals their 
  dragon blood, such as yellow eyes or a black tongue.
  • 
  Racial Blood — Dragon: Count as being of the 
  dragon type, in addition to starting type, for all 
  magical eﬀ ects and prerequisites.
  • 
  Choose either Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft 
  (as one pick) or Use Magic Device as permanent 
  class skills.
  • 
  Choose either darkvision 60 ft. or low-light vision.
  • 
  Choose three 0-level arcane or druid spells, casting 
  each of these spells 1/day as a 1st-level sorcerer or 
  druid; or add +1 to Strength.
   Giant Kith
  Giant kith have giant or troll blood in their distant 
  ancestry. Giant kith tend to be tall and broad compared 
  to others of their kind (though not big enough to be a 
  diﬀ erent size).
  • 
  Gain +1 to starting Strength.
  • 
  Choose either darkvision or 4 starting skill points 
  in Climb and Intimidate.
  • 
  Racial Blood — Giant: Count as being of the giant 
  type, in addition to starting type, for all magical 
  eﬀ ects and prerequisites.
  Noble
  Th ough likely lacking a title or lands of their own, noble 
  characters were raised in a noble’s house and trained 
  to serve as noble warriors. While their later career may 
  have strayed from that path, their early years were spent 
  preparing for jousts and ruling (or at least aiding an elder 
  sibling or cousin to rule).
  • 
  Begin with double gp for 1st level or an extra 
  100 gp.
  • 
  Treat the bastard sword as a martial instead of 
  exotic weapon.
  • 
  Gain +1 to attacks with bastard swords and light 
  crossbows.
  • 
  Either gain all Knowledge skills as permanent 
  class skills, or select two of Climb, Diplomacy, 
  Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Ride, or 
  Survival as permanent class skills.
  
  120
  Chapter Six: Characters
  River Folk
  River folk are simple country people who live and work 
  along the banks of a great, well-traveled and secure 
  river. Th ey are an open and caring folk who enjoy 
  pleasant lives with little risk. Th e blood of several races 
  has mingled in river folk families, until they’re nearly a 
  race onto themselves.
  • 
  Gain Elven and Halﬂ ing as bonus languages.
  • 
  Choose any three 0-level arcane or druid spells. You 
  may cast each of these spells 1/day as a 1st-level 
  sorcerer or druid (player’s choice).
  • 
  Gain Use Rope as a permanent class skill.
  • 
  Add two of the following bloodlines as racial blood: 
  elf, halﬂ ing, or human.
  Rover
  Rovers are wanderers and traders who journey vast 
  distances in caravans of brightly-colored wagons. Each 
  rover caravan is a mobile town, moving from place to 
  place and trading goods, oﬀ ering entertainment, and 
  doing simple repairs. Rovers are critical to the economic 
  survival of many towns, but are often mistrusted as 
  thieves and layabouts.
  • 
  Gain rogue or wizard as a favored class.
  • 
  Choose three of the following skills to be 
  permanent class skills: Appraise, Bluﬀ , Diplomacy, 
  Forgery, Handle Animal, Gather Information, 
  Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Ride, 
  Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, 
  Spellcraft, or Survival.
  • 
  Gain Knowledge (geography) and Knowledge 
  (nature) as permanent class skills, or gain weapon 
  proﬁ ciency with the short sword, longsword, 
  shortbow, and whip.
  Squire
  A squire has spent time training to be a knight and 
  serving in a knight or lord’s household (possibly as a 
  page or stable boy prior to being a squire). A squire may 
  be a professional knight’s aid, or he may be a young lord 
  expected to achieve knighthood himself. Not all squires 
  become warriors, but they all have some familiarity with 
  the art of war.
  • 
  Take Knowledge (architecture and engineering) and 
  Knowledge (nobility and royalty) as permanent class 
  skills.
  • 
  Take one of Climb, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, 
  Intimidate, or Ride as a permanent class skill.
  • 
  Familiarity with four of the following weapons: 
  battleaxe; crossbow, light; crossbow, heavy; 
  Table 6-3: Background Element Costs
  Background Trait
  Cost
  Take one Knowledge skill as a permanent 
  class skill
  1 pt.
  Take all Knowledge skills as a permanent 
  class skills
  3 pts.
  Take any other skill as a permanent class skill
  2 pts.
  Additional automatic language
  1 pt.
  Start with 4 skill points in a skill (4 ranks if 
  a class skill, 2 ranks if cross-class)
  2 pts.
  Gain an additional +1 skill point per class 
  level (total of +4 at 1st level)
  8 pts.
  Start with a bonus feat that has no 
  prerequisites
  4 pts.
  Start with a bonus feat for which you qualify
  6 pts.
  Wield a particular exotic weapon as a 
  martial weapon
  2 pts.
  Weapon proﬁ ciency with 4 speciﬁ c martial 
  or simple weapons
  2 pts.
  Change favored class
  1 pt.
  Add a favored class
  2 pts.
  Ability to cast three 0-level spells, 1/day 
  each as a 1st-level caster
  5 pts.
  Increase a starting ability score by +1
  6 pts.
  Darkvision out to 60 ft.
  4 pts.
  Low-light vision
  3 pts.
  Immunity to sleep magic and a +2 racial bonus 
  to saves vs. enchantment spells or eﬀ ects
  3 pts.
  +2 racial bonus on three speciﬁ c skills
  5 pts.
  +1 racial bonus on three speciﬁ c skills, or +2 
  to one speciﬁ c skill
  2 pts.
  Ability to make a Search check to ﬁ nd a 
  secret door just for passing within 5 feet
  5 pts.
  +1 to the DC of spells the character casts 
  from one speciﬁ c school
  5 pts.
  +1 attack bonus against creatures of one type 
  (or two humanoid subtypes)
  2 pts.
  +1 to attack with one or two speciﬁ c weapons
  2 pts.
  +4 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made 
  by creatures of one racial type
  2 pts.
  Racial blood (count as a member of a 
  speciﬁ c other race for all prerequisites)
  1 pt.
  Extra starting gp (+100 gp or double class 
  starting gp)
  3 pts.
  
  121
  Chapter Six: Characters
  ﬂ ail; ﬂ ail, heavy; hammer, light; handaxe; lance; 
  longsword; mace, light; mace, heavy; warhammer. 
  Or wield bastard sword as a martial weapon 
  one-handed.
  • 
  Choose one feat you qualify for: Armor Proﬁ ciency 
  (light), Cleave, Endurance, Great Fortitude, 
  Mounted Combat, Power Attack, or Toughness.
   Steppes Nomad
  Steppes nomads are wandering horsemen clans 
  that survive in a land of harsh conditions. Many are 
  barbarians, but even those who follow other paths learn 
  something of ﬁ ghting and surviving in the wilderness.
  • 
  Take Survival as a permanent class skill.
  • 
  Choose two of the following skills as permanent 
  class skills: Climb, Handle Animal, Heal, 
  Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (geography) and 
  Knowledge (nature) (together as one pick), 
  Listen, Ride, Spot, Swim. Or take one of the 
  following feats: Endurance, Run, Self-Suﬃ  cient, 
  Toughness, or Track.
  • 
  Gain a +1 attack bonus with one of the following 
  weapons: javelin, longspear, punching dagger, 
  shortspear, sling, or shortbow.
   Yeoman
  A yeoman is a commoner, but not a serf. A free man who 
  may own his own land, a yeoman is a respected member 
  of society, trusted to act honestly, and expected to aid 
  in his nation’s defense. Th e weapon of choice for most 
  yeoman is the longbow, which allows them to engage 
  heavily armed foes from range, as well as hunt for food 
  outside of war time.
  • 
  Gain Point Blank Shot as a bonus feat.
  • 
  Pick any three of the following skills as 
  permanent class skills: Appraise, Climb, Gather 
  Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, 
  Knowledge (local) and Knowledge (nature)(both 
  as one pick), Listen, Ride, Sense Motive, or 
  Survival. Or take one of the following feats you 
  qualify for: Far Shot, Martial Weapon Proﬁ ciency 
  (longbow), Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Run, 
  Stealthy, or Track.
  Allowing Unusual 
  Backgrounds
  For many players, a roleplaying game is most fun when 
  they get a lot of  “spotlight time.” Being powerful 
  or successful is less important than having attention 
  paid to the player and her PC. Th is type of player 
  often wants to have unusual features for a character 
  (silver eyes, great height or girth, unusual accent, six 
  ﬁ ngers, whatever) or an unusual history (son of a saint, 
  raised by wolves), even if there’s no game mechanical 
  advantage to doing so. Indeed, many players enjoy 
  playing characters with distinct disadvantages, as their 
  failings and foibles draw even more attention. Th ere’s 
  nothing wrong with allowing such things (see Fortune 
  Points and Drawbacks in Chapter Two), but too many 
  unusual characters can both steal the feeling of being 
  unusual and make a campaign seem like a collection of 
  freaks rather than realistic people.
  One way to handle this matter is to require players to 
  take a feat to be distinctive. Th e feat can be allowed as 
  part of any background if the GM is using backgrounds, 
  or it can be required as the character’s ﬁ rst normal 
  feat. Th e Distinctive feat (see Appendix One) allows 
  characters to be odd and unique, but at a price. Players 
  with more traditional character concepts are less likely 
  to feel cheated when the unusual characters take up 
  roleplaying time, since the bonus to spotlight time has 
  been paid for.
  Alternatively, you may decide to write speciﬁ c 
  backgrounds that anyone can take which include 
  unusual elements. For example, a dragon kith may well 
  have red or yellow eyes as normal for their kind. Th is 
  option puts more pressure on you to provide interesting 
  backgrounds, but it also encourages players to stick to 
  concepts you’ve approved for your campaign.
  
  122
  Chapter Six: Characters
  PCs don’t generally spend all their time on adventures. 
  Th ey periodically need downtime, an opportunity to rest, 
  make Craft goods and magic items, study and research 
  spells, and learn about current events. Characters may 
  take a few days oﬀ  between each adventure or may decide 
  to spend their whole winter in some friendly town. Most 
  downtime can be handled in a single game session — 
  everyone agrees how much time passes uneventfully and 
  calculate how they spend that time. Many groups spend 
  considerable time roleplaying conversations (catching up 
  with allied NPCs, discussing future plans, or even going 
  to see a play), none of which needs special rules for you 
  to handle. Th ere are game elements, however, that come 
  up during downtime.
  Downtime involves three main game aspects: creating 
  or researching things; earning or spending money; and 
  advancing levels and training. Th e rules for creating and 
  researching are well covered in the core d20 rulebooks. 
  New rules for earning money through resources and 
  advancing levels and training are presented here.
   Calendars
  Th ough a calendar is not a requirement of a campaign, 
  it’s a useful way to keep track of how much time has 
  passed. Not only is it useful when PCs take downtime, 
  it’s a good way to keep track of how long NPCs need 
  to build castles, craft magic items, deliver messages, and 
  gain their own levels. A calendar also makes keeping 
  track of holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and the seasons 
  easy. Even an occasional mention of such events tends to 
  give a campaign a more realistic feeling and expands the 
  roleplaying opportunities for PCs.
  Th e simplest way to use a calendar is to pick one up at an 
  oﬃ  ce supply store. It need not even be for the current year. 
  Th en pick a date and make up a year (since the campaign 
  likely doesn’t occur in the 2000’s), and mark oﬀ  days as 
  the campaign’s timeline advances. Important dates can 
  be noted in advance (having PCs choose birthdays, for 
  example), and any time something will take several days 
  (such as making magic items), the completion date can be 
  marked down once work has begun.
  You can also make up his own calendar, naming your 
  own months and even days of the week. It’s easiest 
  if your calendar is 365 days long and broken into 12 
  months, since that’s what players are used to, but it’s not 
  mandatory. As long as players get a copy of the calendar 
  (so they don’t have to remember 12 imaginary months), 
  you can do anything you want with it. Naming months 
  after emperors in the campaign’s history, noting the holy 
  days of major religions, and even charting out the phases 
  of the moon all add a level of depth to a campaign and 
  can easily be worked into future adventures. If the players 
  have a resource that tells them when the next full moon 
  is, they take werewolf hunting more seriously.
   - The Passage of Time - 
  
  123
  Chapter Six: Characters
   Resources
  When PCs are in downtime, they often turn their 
  attention to their income or lack of it. PCs are often 
  important people (at least eventually) who have little 
  means of support other than killing foes and taking 
  their valuables. Eventually, most wish to know if being 
  a knight or a king’s ranger or a prelate of the church 
  carries any ﬁ nancial beneﬁ ts. Th is is a reasonable 
  question and one most GMs are unprepared for. Th e 
  following resource rules are designed to allow you to 
  handle such issues quickly without taking too much 
  time or eﬀ ort.
  Th ese resource rules are extremely simple. Th ey rate 
  resources based not on what they are, how they work, 
  or what costs are incurred running them, but purely on 
  how much proﬁ t they earn the PC that possesses them. 
  Th is system is intentionally simple, as most players don’t 
  want to spend their leisure time balancing a budget. 
  Th e system allows you to hand out resources (rated by 
  rank and value) simply and allows PCs to gather their 
  weekly proﬁ ts. As a general rule, characters should have 
  resources of a rank no higher than their level, but you can 
  make exceptions if you want.
  A resource can be deﬁ ned as anything you desire. A small 
  business, a farm or barony, a share of church donations, a 
  noble’s stipend, a patronage, a toll road, a brewery, town 
  taxes, or even a royal commission to keep an area safe are 
  all examples of resources. Many of these resources have 
  real estate as well, which you should value separately only 
  if useful. For example, a knight PC is given a small stone 
  tower as a reward by his king. Th e stone tower has a real 
  value (it’s a stronghold), so you ﬁ gure its value based on 
  the rules in the d20 core rulebooks. It also has a working 
  farm and a few ﬁ elds, and controls a toll road. You rule 
  that these features make it a rank 5 resource, earning 
  the PC 30 gp a week. A wizard who buys into a trading 
  company gains no real tangible beneﬁ ts from the real 
  estate involved (the company isn’t going to let him use its 
  resources for personal gain anyway), so its value is purely 
  based on its weekly proﬁ t.
  You can pass out resources as treasure, counting the 
  value against treasure the PCs have earned. Th is method 
  works well for adventures with little tangible treasure, 
  such as clearing a wilderness of dangerous animals and 
  minor undead (which generally don’t have valuables). You 
  may also refer to these rules if a PC asks about buying a 
  resource. For example, if a rogue’s player decides he wants 
  Table 6-4 : 
  Income and Value of Resources
  Resource 
  Rank
  Income/
  Week
  Value
  1–2
  20 gp
  1,000 gp
  3–4
  25 gp
  1,250 gp
  5–6
  30 gp
  1,500 gp
  7–8
  35 gp
  1,750 gp
  9
  40 gp
  2,000 gp
  10
  45 gp
  2,250 gp
  11–12
  50 gp
  2,500 gp
  13
  55 gp
  2,750 gp
  14
  60 gp
  3,000 gp
  15
  65 gp
  3,250 gp
  16–17
  70 gp
  3,500 gp
  18
  75 gp
  3,750 gp
  19
  80 gp
  4,000 gp
  20
  85 gp
  4,250 gp
  21
  90 gp
  4,500 gp
  22
  95 gp
  4,750 gp
  23
  100 gp
  5,000 gp
  Table 6-5: 
  Resource Events
  1d100
  Event
  01–03
  Major setback. Resource produces no 
  proﬁ t for 2d4 weeks and loses half 
  its value.
  04–08
  Intermediate setback. Resource 
  produces no proﬁ t for 1d4 weeks 
  and loses 10% of its value.
  09–15
  Minor setback. Resource produces 
  half its normal proﬁ t for 1d4 weeks
  16–25
  Unexpected cost. Resource requires 
  105% of its value to keep running. 
  (Th is may be taken out of weekly 
  proﬁ ts if they’re great enough).
  26–75
  Normal operations.
  76–85
  Minor opportunity. Resource can 
  grow by +25% value if money equal 
  to its new value is added. 
  86–92
  Major opportunity. Resource can 
  grow by +50% value if money 
  equal to its new value is added. If 
  investment is made, resource gains 
  a +20 to resource event rolls for 1d4 
  weeks.
  93–97
  Good week. Resource produces +50% 
  more proﬁ t than usual.
  98–100 Good fortune. Resource produces 
  double proﬁ t for 1d4 weeks.
  
  124
  Chapter Six: Characters
  Behind the Screen: Calculating Resources
  When looking at resources, the deﬁ ning rule used as a guideline is the Craft skill, because it already allows a PC to 
  “create” wealth. Keeping the resource rules in line with Craft helps preserve game balance. Making major changes to how 
   Craft works may necessitate changing the numbers for resource income per week.
  When using the Craft skill to make an item, a week’s progress is measured as the skill check multiplied by the Craft DC. 
  Th is progress is rated in silver pieces (sp). With the ability to make high-DC items and make multiple items if the ﬁ rst one is 
  ﬁ nished quickly, a character can essentially always make things in a week as expensive as his Craft check’s maximum take – 10 
  DC. A character must spend one-third the cost of an item to make it. Th us, a character is capable of making wealth equal to 
  two-thirds of the result of his Craft check squared.
  If we assume characters max their ranks in Craft as a class skill and gain a +3 bonus from some source (ability score 
  modiﬁ ers, Skill Focus, masterwork tools, or circumstance bonus), that produces a Craft check ranging from 7 to 26 (as 
  shown on Table 6–6). Two-thirds of that value is potential proﬁ t. Th is tells us how much a character of the given level 
  could reasonably expect to make in a week of work. Of course there are some variables we’re not taking into account 
  (high ability scores combined with Craft-enhancing feats, cost of living, ﬂ ooding the market, rashes of good or bad luck), 
  but the numbers below are a reasonable baseline.
  Table 6-6: Typical Weekly Wealth from Craft
  Level
  Typical Craft Bonus
  Take 10 DC
  Sp/Week *
  2/3 **
  1st
  7
  17
  289
  193 (19.3 gp)
  2nd
  8
  18
  324
  216 (21.6 gp)
  3rd
  9
  19
  361
  240 (24 gp)
  4th
  10
  20
  400
  267 (26.7 gp)
  5th
  11
  21
  441
  294 (29.4 gp)
  6th
  12
  22
  484
  323 (32.3 gp)
  7th
  13
  23
  529
  353 (35.3 gp)
  8th
  14
  24
  576
  384 (38.4 gp)
  9th
  15
  25
  625
  417 (41.7 gp)
  10th
  16
  26
  676
  451 (45.1 gp)
  11th
  17
  27
  729
  486 (48.6 gp)
  12th
  18
  28
  784
  523 (52.3 gp)
  13th
  19
  29
  841
  561 (56.1 gp)
  14th
  20
  30
  900
  600 (60 gp)
  15th
  21
  31
  961
  641 (64.1 gp)
  16th
  22
  32
  1,024
  683 (68.3 gp)
  17th
  23
  33
  1,089
  726 (72.6)
  18th
  24
  34
  1,156
  771 (77.1 gp)
  19th
  25
  35
  1,225
  817 (81.7 gp)
  20th
  26
  36
  1,296
  864 (86.4 gp)
  * Check Squared
  ** Equal to Proﬁ t, Rounded Down
  Th e ﬁ nal numbers in gp/week were rounded to make math easy, then placed on Table 6–6. Th is calculation allows a 
  resource of the same rating as the character’s level to make as much money in a week as the PC could by himself (if he 
  was designed to do so). Of course, the PC couldn’t go adventuring if he stayed at home and did Craft all day, but that’s 
  why the resource is a beneﬁ t and gains a value as potential treasure.
  Th e values of these resources were calculated as 50 times the weekly income, based on the idea that most campaigns 
  don’t last all that long and likely don’t cover much more than a year (52 weeks) of campaign time. Th us, a resource pays 
  for itself over the course of a campaign. Th is is a good thing, as otherwise a character is always better oﬀ  keeping money 
  rather than investing in a resource. It is, however, a ridiculously high rate of return for realistic economics. While this is 
  rarely an issue (few d20 campaigns have anything like realistic economies), a GM interested in greater realism should 
  likely value resources at 500 times the weekly income, which produces a 10% annual return on investment — a far more 
  believable ﬁ gure, though still high.
  
  125
  Chapter Six: Characters
  to buy a tavern, simply ﬁ gure the cost of the building 
  (since a rogue can use it as a base of operations), plus the 
  resource value for its rank, and charge the rogue the total 
  of those two costs.
  You may decide to allow all PCs to buy resources 
  whenever they want, in which case income per week is 
  always 1/50 of the money invested. However, you could 
  also decide resources are hard to come by and restrict when 
  PCs can invest, even in resources they already own. (You 
  might also mix these rules, depending on the resource. A 
  monthly stipend for the king can’t be “invested in,” while 
  a bakery potentially could be.) If you restrict when PCs 
  may invest in resources, you can use Table 6–5: Resource 
  Events, rolling once each month for each resource, to 
  determine how it’s doing and if new opportunities arise.
  It’s important to note resources have no associated 
  costs (except as allowed for on Table 6–5). Costs such 
  as repairs to buildings, materials, taxes, and payroll are 
  covered automatically, with the listed weekly income 
  representing proﬁ t. Of course you can play with this 
  assumption as the focus of an adventure — a cleric’s 
  church donations might be way down because a new cult 
  has moved into town. Don’t vary resources too much, 
  however, unless they are the focus of an adventure, as 
  PCs are likely to investigate immediately any threat 
  to their income. It’s also important to note the money 
  earned doesn’t magically teleport into a PC’s pocket; 
  rather, it sits at whatever location the resource is based 
  until the PC comes and gets it.
   -  Character Advancement - 
  One of the linchpins of any d20 campaign is character 
  advancement. As characters gain experience, they go up 
  in levels, improving old abilities and gaining new ones. 
  Th ough each level is only a small improvement over the 
  one before it, by the time a character has gained ﬁ ve or 
  more levels, she’s at a whole new tier of power. A 1st-
  level party rightly trembles at a single ogre, but four 
  6th-level characters scoﬀ  at such a threat. Th is is part 
  of the heroic advancement built into the system, and it 
  helps make the game interesting, but it also drives home 
  the cinematic style of the base d20 rules. Th e following 
  section provides rules to change the basic assumption of 
  character advancement, allowing you to tone down or rev 
  up the eﬀ ect of gaining levels on your campaign.
   Activating Potential
  Level advancement is normally seen as characters gaining 
  new skills and abilities. It can, however, be viewed as 
  activating powers that already existed, but were lying 
  dormant. Characters may be considered all to come from 
  powerful bloodlines that grant them their abilities or 
  to have some special spark or bright soul that common 
  people lack. In this kind of game, characters need not 
  train or even wait for downtime to gain a level. You 
  could end a game in the middle of a day and hand out 
  experience, and characters that gain a level have full 
  access to their new abilities, feats, and spells at the next 
  game. You could even give out experience after each 
  encounter, allowing characters to level up during a game 
  session (though only if you can calculate the experience 
  quickly; otherwise, doing this slows game pacing).
  One side eﬀ ect of this idea is that anyone without this 
  potential simply doesn’t gain levels. You set a “ceiling” for 
  normal creatures, and no matter how much experience 
  they accumulate they cannot gain more levels than the 
  ceiling. For example, you could decide there’s a 5-level 
  ceiling for normal folk. A common town wizard, even 
  one who’s gone on dozens of adventures over the years, 
  can’t be higher than 5th level. Th is restriction works 
  well for campaigns in which the PCs are supposed to be 
  special and super-heroic. Of course, you can make major 
  NPCs be of the same special origin as the PCs, allowing 
  them to gain as many levels as their experience allows. 
  (Alternatively, you may decide NPCs can gain unlimited 
  levels, but place a ceiling on how many levels grant hit 
  points and special abilities. Th us the town wizard could 
  be 9th level and cast spells at caster level 9th, but only 
  have 5 HD and access to 3rd-level spells.)
  Faneways
  A faneway is a mystic location with a connection to 
  some source of power (see Mystic Locales in Chapter 
  Seven, for more ideas along these lines). In order to 
  gain the powers of their new level, characters must go 
  to a faneway appropriate to their class and undergo a 
  mental journey or test. Unless faneways are extremely 
  common (which tends to lower the impact of having 
  them at all), characters shouldn’t be forced to go to 
  faneways more than every odd level, and every three or 
  four levels is even better.
  Essentially, going to a faneway represents the character 
  trying to attune herself to the powers of her class through 
  a vision quest. Th is process depends on a cosmology 
  in which the powers of every class have at least some 
  spiritual or mystic element to them. Going to a faneway 
  periodically can be the basis for adventures in their own 
  right, especially if some faneways are more eﬃ  cient than 
  others (granting bonuses to the checks needed to gain 
  the powers of a level).
  When a character reaches a level that requires a faneway, 
  she gains the saving throws, hit points, and skill points 
  of her new level, but nothing else. Feats, spells, and 
  special abilities are not gained until the mental journey 
  at a faneway is complete. Once a character is ready for 
  
  126
  Chapter Six: Characters
  a faneway, she knows the direction to the nearest one 
  that will suit her purposes (though not the distance or 
  power of the faneway). Depending on the campaign, 
  you may make faneways well-known permanent places 
  of pilgrimage or ever-changing locales never used by the 
  same character more than once.
  When a character reaches a faneway, she must undergo a 
  vision quest, which takes a day (8 hours) of uninterrupted 
  meditation. What happens during the vision quest varies, 
  as each spiritual journey is unique. Make up visions to 
  give the character (a great opportunity to slip in hints of 
  future adventures) or roll on Table 6–7.
  Campaign Vignette: Sinners and Saints
  In a sinners and saints game, characters must go to a faneway every third level (as they qualify for a new 
  feat). As they pass faneway tests, they gain visible auras, and eventually even halos, marking them as 
  creatures of greater spiritual power. Th ese auras are distinctive and impossible to reproduce; even a high-
  level illusion is not up to the task of properly duplicating the spiritual aura of an ascended character (it’ll 
  always be obviously fake).
  After going to a faneway once, a character has a light nimbus that’s only obvious in dark environments. A 
  second time results in the nimbus being bright enough to see in dim light, and a third time makes it as bright 
  as a candle — a distinctive aura that’s clear even in daylight. A fourth time results in a halo forming around 
  the character’s head that sheds light as a light spell. Th e ﬁ fth and sixth times add a halo each, resulting in the 
  character walking around with three bright halos. A character that goes to a faneway seven times has a pair 
  of light-wings and is marked as an epic level character (though she can’t actually ﬂ y). While all epic level 
  characters look the same to those below 21st level, among themselves the brightness and intensity of the 
  light-wings is a clear sign of how many additional trips to a faneway they have taken. Characters with a good 
  alignment have silver auras and halos; those of neutral alignment have green, and evil alignment red.
  In this campaign, power level and at least some alignment information are obvious among higher-level 
  characters. Heroes can be spotted walking down the street and are treated as something more than mortal. 
  Not all threats can be gauged by the light they give oﬀ  (dragons have no need for faneways, nor do most 
  monsters, though outsiders might match the glow of a character with levels equal to their Hit Dice). Subtlety 
  is low in a game of this kind, but it can be a refreshing change, allowing white-hats and black-hats to be 
  obvious in a fantasy setting.
  
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  Chapter Six: Characters
  If a character’s vision quest fails, she cannot try again 
  until she has earned an amount of experience equal to 
  100 x her current level. Once that moment comes, the 
  character again feels drawn to the nearest faneway and 
  gains a +20 bonus to her vision-quest roll. Only after 
  a successful vision quest does a character gain all the 
  beneﬁ ts of her new level.
  One of the advantages of using faneways is that they 
  make a clear distinction between lower-level and 
  higher-level characters. People who have gone to a 
  faneway several times are clearly more powerful, having 
  achieved a higher state of spiritual power. A society 
  might even have ways of marking those who have 
  experienced faneway rituals more than once — tattoos, 
  special clothing, or particular decorations may be 
  reserved for those who have been to a faneway a given 
  number of times. Th is element allows you to give PCs 
  direct information regarding an NPC’s level and thus 
  his potential threat level. Of course, unless the markings 
  are somehow automatic and impossible to duplicate, 
  people can attempt to disguise their true power (up 
  or down) by claiming marks they haven’t earned or by 
  leaving oﬀ  some they have.
  Pick a Level, Any Level
  One option is to do away with traditional level 
  advancement entirely. Instead, set the game at a particular 
  starting level, and it stays there. Rather than gain 
  experience points and go up a level, characters buy skills 
  and feats directly with their experience. Th is method leads 
  to characters being much broader (as they can continue 
  to buy into new skills and take feats), but not a lot more 
  powerful. Th e exact cost of skills and feats should be based 
  on how quickly you wants character to advance. As a basic 
  guideline, a feat should cost as much as 5 ranks of a class 
  skill, and a character should pick up between 1 and 3 skill 
  ranks’ worth of experience each game session.
  Th e advantage of this system is that power creep is kept 
  to a minimum. Characters starting the game worried 
  about ogres are still worried by them ten sessions later. 
  Characters do gain in power (as they can gain new 
  skills and augment existing abilities with feats), but do 
  so more slowly, and with an upper limit. Base attack 
  bonuses, spells per day, save bonuses, hit points, and 
  max skill ranks never increase, so characters are limited 
  to a given range of power
  Th e system has two major drawbacks, however. First, 
  characters tend to become more similar over time. 
  Since they max out their most important skills early, 
  characters soon begin overlapping on secondary skills, 
  leading to ﬁ ghters having a few ranks of Spellcraft 
  and wizards picking up Disable Device. As skills 
  overlap, so do roles, and many players prefer to have a 
  game in which their speciﬁ c contribution to a group is 
  something no one else can match.
  Second, there’s less reward, and thus less incentive to 
  play. A player who knows his ﬁ ghter can’t get a better 
  attack bonus may feel there’s not much reason to keep 
  playing. You may be able to oﬀ set this limitation by 
  occasionally upping the game’s “default” level (granting 
  everyone the beneﬁ ts of one more level in their chosen 
  class). He may also be able to provide enough other 
  options to keep players interested (even if the ﬁ ghter 
  can’t increase his attack bonus, he can learn new 
  weapons and ﬁ ghting techniques, making him more 
  eﬀ ective even with the same bonus).
  Training
  You may decide to require PCs to train before they 
  gain the beneﬁ ts of a new level. Training helps 
  prevent characters from gaining levels in the middle 
  of an adventure (which can skew the challenge of the 
  adventure, especially at low levels), helps control PC 
  funds (as you can tweak the training cost up or down as 
  Table 6-7: 
  Faneway Vision Quests
  1d100
  Quest
  01–10
  Character is given a quest by a dead 
  relative. If it is not completed before the 
  character again visits a faneway, the next 
  vision quest automatically fails.
  11–40
  Character faces a spirit-foe, a creature 
  of the same CR as his previous level. 
  Th ough the combat seems real, no actual 
  resources are used, nor is any real damage 
  done. If the character beats his foe, he 
  ascends; if not, his vision quest fails.
  41–60
  Character ﬁ nds himself in a maze. 
  He must make a Will save (DC 5 + 
  character level) to ﬁ nd his way out. Each 
  save represents a day of real time. If he 
  hasn’t succeeded after three tries, his 
  vision quest fails.
  61–80
  Character has a religious experience. He 
  may choose to change alignment with 
  no penalties (even if a cleric) or gain the 
  beneﬁ ts of an atonement spell if needed. 
  Th e character may choose to make his 
  next level monk or paladin, even if he 
  previously left those classes. Th e vision 
  quest automatically succeeds.
  91–100 Character feels a great peace settle 
  over him and awakes with no need 
  to sleep for a week. Th e vision quest 
  automatically succeeds.
  
  128
  Chapter Six: Characters
  needed to balance available treasure), and places a more 
  obvious mechanism in place for you to control what 
  skills, feats, and classes the PCs gain. It also provides 
  another roleplaying opportunity, as PCs must ﬁ nd 
  instructors and convince them to teach speciﬁ c skills. 
  Convincing instructors may require a proof of talent, 
  and possibly even the giving of gifts and doing of favors. 
  A cunning GM can turn a quest to learn a valuable feat 
  into an adventure in its own right.
  Common Complaints 
  about Training Rules
  It’s worth noting many players hate training rules. 
  In some cases, they object to being limited in what 
  they can do with their characters — they feel their 
  character is their purview, and anything legal within 
  the rules should be allowed. Th is kind of attitude 
  doesn’t help keep a game fun or balanced and should 
  be discouraged. While you shouldn’t take over PCs, 
  it’s perfectly reasonable for you to ask players to avoid 
  certain decisions or to disallow some options. A good 
  d20 campaign is a cooperative venture, and players must 
  trust you to know what will and won’t work for the 
  adventures you have planned.
  A second complaint is that training rules are boring and 
  time consuming. Certainly, few groups ﬁ nd it exciting to 
  calculate time and money needed to learn a new feat or 
  gain another rank of a skill. Th e following rules are kept 
  simple for exactly this reason, but even so, they may take 
  the fun out of a campaign. If you decides to use training 
  rules, keep them from being too obtrusive. If a character 
  won’t be able to ﬁ nd a trainer in a given locale, simply 
  inform the player of that — don’t waste time asking 
  where and how he looks.
  Training Options
  Th ere a number of approaches for introducing training 
  concepts to your campaign. 
  Linear Class Training
  Basic training rules require a character be taught by a 
  member of the same class at least 1 level higher than his 
  newly gained level, or a character of a related class (one 
  with some similar abilities) at least 4 levels higher than 
  his new level. Th us, a character who just became a 5th-
  level ﬁ ghter can learn from a 6th-level ﬁ ghter or a 9th-
  level barbarian, ranger, or paladin. Training takes 1 day 
  per level and costs 1,000 gp per level (so, our 5th-level 
  ﬁ ghter must train for 5 days and spend 5,000 gp). Until 
  a character has trained, he cannot use any of the things 
  gained at the new level, not even hit points or saving 
  throw bonuses.
  Open Training
  A more realistic, but more complex, system is to allow 
  a character to gain training from anyone who has what 
  he wants to learn. A 5th-level ﬁ ghter can learn ﬁ ghting 
  from anyone with a +5 or greater base attack bonus and 
  learn Power Attack from anyone who has that feat. Th e 
  cost for training is still 1,000 gp per level, but is divided 
  into skills, feats, attack bonus, and hit points, as well as 
  
  129
  Chapter Six: Characters
  all saving throws, special abilities, and spells. A class that 
  has all these features must spend 167 gp per level gained 
  to increase one area (such as learning new skills). A class 
  lacking some of these features divides the 1,000 gp base 
  cost per level by the number of features the class has. 
  Th us, our 5th-level ﬁ ghter has these features: skills, feats, 
  attack bonus, hit points, and all saving throws. Learning 
  his feats for the level cost ([1,000 / 4 = 250] x 5 = 1,250) 
  1,250 gp. Training time is also reduced by the number of 
  features that must be learned.
  As a compromise, you may decide to require training 
  only when PCs are picking up new abilities, skills, or 
  feats. Th us, characters need not spend money to buy up 
  skills they have at least one rank in or for increased attack 
  bonuses, hit points, saving throws, or spells of a class they 
  already have one level in. Th is method reduces how often 
  training must be undertaken and allows characters stuck 
  far from civilization to advance in their existing abilities 
  even if they can’t gain new ones.
  In this case, training costs and times vary by the skills 
  or abilities gained. Skills cost 100 gp and take half a 
  day per rank, and can only be taught by characters who 
  have more ranks in the skill. For example, a character 
  wanting to buy 5 ranks in Spot must spend 500 gp 
  and 2 1/2 days training. Feats cost 500 gp + 100 gp per 
  prerequisite, take half a day per 100 gp cost, and can 
  only be taught by someone who has the feat. Picking up 
  the spells of a new class costs 1,000 gp and takes 5 days, 
  and may only be taught by someone of at least caster 
  level 5th. Special abilities (such as a monk’s quivering 
  palm) should not normally require special training, 
  since it represents a natural development of previous 
  abilities (stunning blow). If you want to require training 
  for such abilities should treat each special ability as 
  a feat with a number of prerequisites equal to one-
  third of the level the ability is gained at (thus, learning 
  quivering palm is the same as gaining a feat with 5 
  prerequisites: 1,000 gp and 5 days).
  Under this system, characters may have to keep unspent 
  skill points and feat slots as they look for a trainer. 
  Require the player to assign unspent development and 
  not change what he wishes to gain later.
  New Class Training
  At the least intrusive level, decide to require training only 
  for characters gaining a new class. Be it a new base class 
  or a prestige class, you can require PCs to pay a character 
  who already has the desired class for training. Th is 
  training costs 2,000 gp and takes 2 weeks for a base class, 
  and 5,000 gp and 4 weeks for a prestige class. A character 
  may do half the training for a prestige class before he 
  qualiﬁ es for it, but the ﬁ nal cost and 2 weeks must be 
  taken after the character qualiﬁ es.
  In any of these systems, you may allow another PC who 
  qualiﬁ es to do the training. Successfully training another 
  PC requires a DC 15 Profession (instructor) check or a 
  DC 20 Intelligence check. Also, you may decide to have 
  characters learning something as part of their favored 
  class be able to pick it up more easily, dividing cost and 
  training time in half.
  Training as Experience
  A diﬀ erent way to handle training is to allow characters 
  to earn experience points by spending time and money 
  training. While this method goes counter to normal 
  experience rules, which requires risk and accomplishment 
  to gain reward, it does allow characters to learn things by 
  spending time under a teacher. Not only does this make 
  sense, it gives characters other than spellcasters and item 
  creators something to do during downtime.
  Costs and teacher requirements are the same as for the 
  standard training rules (above). Time is considerably 
  diﬀ erent, however. For each 8-hour day spent training, 
  a character gains experience points equal to 5 x 
  character level x Intelligence modiﬁ er (minimum 1). 
  At a given level, a character can’t earn more experience 
  training than 200 x his level. (Alternatively, simply cut 
  experience earned per day in half after this much has 
  been earned, cutting it in half again after another 200/
  level has been earned, then in half again, and so on, not 
  resetting until a new level is gained.)
  Players must choose what their characters are training 
  for, and characters must take those choices as soon 
  as they legally can. For example, a 1st-level ﬁ ghter 
  with a 14 Intelligence trains to learn Exotic Weapon 
  Proﬁ ciency with spiked chains. He spends 600 gp (500 
  for a feat, +100 for one prerequisite) and spends 10 
  days training. He earns 10 XP per day (5 x 2 for his 
  Intelligence modiﬁ er), earning 100 XP (half his legal 
  maximum for this level). When the character reaches 
  2nd-level, he earns a bonus ﬁ ghter feat and must take 
  Exotic Weapon Proﬁ ciency with spiked chain. If the 
  ﬁ ghter had been 4th level, he wouldn’t have gained a 
  feat at 5th level and would have been forced to take the 
  feat when he reached 6th level.
  You may decide to allow a character to gain the beneﬁ ts 
  of training before reaching the next level. A character 
  can gain a single feat or as many skill points as his 
  Intelligence modiﬁ er (+1 if human) in this way. Th e feat 
  or skills aren’t free, as the character is still required to 
  buy them normally at the next level, but the character 
  gains the beneﬁ ts of them immediately after earning 
  a number of XP equal to 200 x character level. Using 
  this system, characters can learn the orc language while 
  staying with a tribe of orcs or pick up Profession (sailor) 
  while traveling on a ship.
  
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  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Chapter Seven: 
  Treasure and Magic Items
  Chapter Seven: 
   Treasure and  Magic Items
  T
  reasure and magic items are the primary forms of 
  reward in a d20 campaign other than experience 
  points. Th e treasure that PCs gather has a strong 
  eﬀ ect on their development and capabilities, and thus on 
  a campaign’s tone. Players enjoy gaining new and unique 
  treasures, driving GMs into searches for new wonders 
  not drawn from the core d20 rules. Numerous new 
  treasures are presented here, designed to expand your 
  options and to help build a campaign with a diﬀ erent 
  and entertaining feel.
  Th e new treasures and magic items are divided into 
  several categories. Th ey can be mixed in with standard 
  items or can replace them to create campaigns with a 
  totally diﬀ erent tone. Rules are provided for creating 
  all the eﬀ ects within the realm of mortals. Additional 
  rules to add to standard magic items are also provided, 
  including artifact creation rules. Use as much or as little 
  of this chapter as he wishes, adding only those treasures 
  appropriate for your campaign.
  -  Magic Chakras -
  In the context of the d20 rules, a chakra is a point of 
  power on a creature that allows it to access the power of 
  magic items. Most magical items that are worn require a 
  chakra to work, including rings, clothing, armor, bracers, 
  gloves, helms, headbands, and so on. Each chakra can be 
  accessed only by a single magical item, which is why a 
  character cannot use more than one magical ring on each 
  hand — only a single chakra exists on each hand.
  Not every item requires chakras — swords, rods, wands, 
  and staves, along with numerous hand-held wondrous 
  items, function without chakras. However, even these 
  items must normally be held to function, limiting the 
  number a character can realistically use. A very few items, 
  such as ioun stones, don’t need to be held or linked to a 
  chakra to function.
  Th e core rules assume a character has 12 chakras spread 
  across the body. Th ese chakras are listed below, along 
  with the types of items that normally access each chakra. 
  Since the deﬁ ning trait of a magic item is what chakra it 
  uses, not what form it takes, there’s no diﬀ erence between 
  
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  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  a mantle and a cap from a mystic standpoint — each 
  accesses the chakra of the shoulders, and thus a character 
  can use only one such item.
  You can alter both the power level and tone of a game 
  by playing with chakras. In simple terms, increasing 
  available chakras boosts a game’s power level (and the 
  overall level of magic), while decreasing character chakras 
  lowers both magic level and power level.
  Changing Chakras
  Adding chakras is a quick and easy way to increase a 
  game’s power level. However, additional chakras are 
  useful mostly to high-level characters (as lower-level 
  characters rarely have more items than they can wear 
  anyway). You could grant an additional chakra every 
  ﬁ ve levels, for example, allowing players to decide what 
  additional chakra to take. Th is option boosts a game’s 
  power level only slightly, but does grant an additional 
  level of personalization among characters.
  Alternatively, you may allow characters to add chakras as 
  they gain levels by taking a feat. A new chakra feat forces 
  players to decide if additional magic items are worth the 
  price of not having more directly useful feats. A chakra-
  related feat might also allow a player to change where 
  his character’s chakras are, without changing the total 
  number. Two such feats, Additional Chakra and Change 
  Chakra, are presented in Appendix One.
  Characters who have multiple chakras can use multiple 
  items of the same type, within the limits of realism. A 
  character can reasonably wear both a suit of light armor 
  and a suit of heavier armor, or a suit of armor and a robe, 
  but wearing two medium or heavier armors, or even light 
  armor with medium armor, is not possible. When wearing 
  two suits of armor, the armor bonus of the suits does not 
  stack, the worst maximum Dexterity bonus is used, and the 
  armor check penalties and arcane spell failures do stack.
  For most other items, wearing two of the same kind 
  of thing (but no more) if chakras allow is reasonable. 
  A character can easily put on three or even four belts, 
  and one ring per ﬁ nger is reasonable, but no more than 
  two pairs of gloves or two pieces of footwear should be 
  allowed at once. Having multiple chakras of the same 
  type does not aﬀ ect stacking rules; bonuses of the same 
  type still don’t stack.
  A game can also limit the total chakras available to 
  characters. If you wish to run a lower-magic game, you 
  could set total chakras at any number below 12. A game 
  could even restrict characters to one chakra each, severely 
  limiting the eﬀ ect magic items have on game play without 
  needing to change the eﬀ ectiveness of individual items.
  To give characters more control over chakras without 
  aﬀ ecting game balance, allow characters to assign chakras 
  as they go up in levels. Characters start with one chakra 
  and gain an additional chakra at every even-numbered 
  character level. Characters may assign the chakras 
  however they wish as they are gained (or leave chakras 
  unassigned until they gain an item that needs one). 
  Th is method has little eﬀ ect on low- and mid-level play, 
  since characters often have fewer than 12 magic items 
  at these levels anyway. While higher-level characters 
  do have less access to items with chakras, they can gear 
  their characters to use the items most useful to them, 
  preserving game balance.
  Chakras by Class
  One way to make classes more distinctive is to give each 
  its own set of chakras. While these sets overlap quite a 
  bit, and each still has a total of 12 location-speciﬁ c item 
  slots available (except the commoner), each class has a 
  diﬀ erent speciﬁ c set. Arcane spellcasters can thus use 
  more rings, for example, at the cost of belts and boots.
  If a character multiclasses or takes a prestige class, he does 
  not gain additional chakras (though he may qualify for 
  the Additional Chakra feat). Instead, he gains the ability 
  to change one of his existing chakras to one normally 
  accessed by the new class. Th us, a ﬁ ghter who takes a level 
  of rogue may change one of his existing chakras to an extra 
  hand chakra. Classes marked with an “*” can be found in 
  Green Ronin’s Advanced Player’s Manual. Classes marked 
  with a “†” are from Green Ronin’s Master Class series.
  Table 7-1: Standard Chakras
  Chakra
  Typical Magical Items
  Crown 
  (of Head)
  Headband, hat, helmet, 
  phylactery, or tiara
  Face
  Goggles, masks
  Neck
  Necklace, amulet, brooch, 
  periapt, scarab, or cameo
  Sternum
  Shirt, vest, or vestment
  Back
  Armor or robe
  Shoulders
  Cloak, cape, or mantle
  Navel
  Belt or belly gem
  Wrists
  Bracers or bracelets (weak 
  chakras, normally takes a 
  matched pair to access)
  Hands
  Gloves or gauntlets (weak 
  chakras, normally takes a 
  matched pair to access)
  Fingers
  Rings (one per hand)
  Feet
  Boots, shoes, sandals, stockings 
  (weak chakras, normally takes 
  a matched pair to access)
  
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  Archmage, cerebremancer, eldritch weaver*, loremaster, 
  metamind, mystic theurge, psion, psionic uncarnate, 
  psychic†, spellmaster*, sorcerer, thaumaturgist, 
  thrallherd, wilder, witch†, wizard: Crown, face, neck, 
  sternum, back, shoulders, wrists, hands, ﬁ ngers x4.
  Aristocrat, dwarven defender, ﬁ ghter, noble†, thanemage*, 
  warrior: Crown x2, face, neck, sternum, back, navel, 
  wrists x2, hands, ﬁ nger, feet.
  Avatar†, blackguard, cavalier†, eldritch knight, paladin, 
  pyrokineticist, unholy warrior†: Crown, neck, 
  sternum, back, shoulders x2, navel x2, hands, 
  ﬁ ngers x2, feet.
  Cleric, evangelist*, psychic warrior, slayer, war mind, 
  warpriest*: Crown, neck, sternum x2, back x2, 
  shoulders, wrists, hands, ﬁ ngers x2, feet.
  Commoner: Neck, back, shoulders, hands, feet.
  Dragon disciple, monk, psionic ﬁ st: Crown, neck, shoulders, 
  navel x2, wrists, hands, ﬁ ngers x4, feet.
  Chakras as Treasure
  A magic item can grant additional chakras as one of its 
  powers. As long as a character wears or holds the items 
  in question, he gains additional chakras. An item that 
  grants bonus chakras of the same type as it uses has a 
  base price of (bonus chakras granted x bonus chakras 
  granted x 20,000 gp). An item that grants bonus chakras 
  of a diﬀ erent type than it uses costs twice as much. 
  Th us, a ring that grants two additional ﬁ nger chakras 
  costs (2 x 2 x 20,000) 80,000 gp, while a ring that grants 
  two additional navel chakras costs (2 x 2 x 40,000 gp) 
  160,000 gp.
  Th e total number of additional chakras a character has 
  count as enhancement bonuses, and thus they don’t stack. 
  For example, a character wearing a ring that grants +2 
  ﬁ nger chakras and a belt that grants +1 navel chakra 
  may choose to use two additional items on his ﬁ ngers 
  or one on his navel and one on a ﬁ nger, but not two 
  on his ﬁ ngers and one in his navel. His total number 
  of additional chakras is limited to the highest bonus 
  he receives (two, from his ring). While he can mix and 
  match from his bonus chakras, he cannot exceed the 
  highest bonus in total chakras used.
  Adept, druid, hierophant, shaman†: Crown, face, neck x2, 
  back, shoulders, wrists x2, hands, ﬁ ngers x2, feet.
  Arcane trickster, assassin, assassin†, bard, duelist, elocater, expert, 
  rogue, shadow dancer, slayer, soulknife: Face x2, neck x2, 
  sternum, shoulders, navel, hands x2, ﬁ ngers x2, feet.
  Arcane archer, barbarian, horizon walker, ranger, scout*: 
  Neck x2, sternum, back x2, shoulders x2, navel, 
  wrists, hands, feet x2.
  Table 7-2: Chakra Costs
  Additional Chakra
  Base Cost
  Of the same type as 
  item granting
  Bonus chakras x bonus 
  chakras x 20,000 gp
  Of diﬀ erent type than 
  item granting
  Bonus chakras x bonus 
  chakras x  40,000 gp
  -  Innate Abilities -
  Innate abilities can be granted as treasure, allowing 
  characters to pick up special powers that require no 
  item or spell to use. Th ese abilities can be as simple as 
  bonus feats (see Ars Vitae following) or as complex 
  as suites of powers that are nearly the match of true 
  spellcasting. A character may be granted a special boon 
  as a reward for serving her deity, gain amazing powers 
  after performing intricate rituals, be imbued with 
  magical talents as a result of some arcane accident, or 
  be transformed into something not-quite-mortal after 
  defeating a demon lord. 
  Innate abilities are a fun way for you to change a game’s 
  feel, and they are a reward the players feel truly become 
  part of their characters. A cool magic item can be lost, 
  sold, or destroyed — an innate power is much less likely 
  to go away.
  
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  As a guideline, innate abilities should be priced two to 
  three times more expensive than an item acting similarly. 
  (Essentially, double the cost for not taking up an item 
  chakra, and double it again for not being removable or 
  even obvious to search, for a total of ×3 cost. You can 
  modify this cost for abilities with limited usefulness, but 
  it’s a good starting point.) Innate abilities should rarely 
  be charged, since that violates the whole concept of a 
  permanent change. Never allow PCs to gain the power 
  to grant unlimited innate abilities (there should not be a 
  Craft Innate Ability feat for instance), since it can quickly 
  become unbalancing. 
   Ars Vitae
  Ars vitae is a magical material that contains the mystic 
  essence of craft and cunning. Appearing to be a glowing 
  ﬂ uid similar to levin (see page 140), ars vitae grants 
  bonus feats to characters that drink it. Drinking a dose 
  of ars vitae grants a character an additional bonus feat to 
  the total number of feats gained from her character levels 
  (from seven feats to eight) or to her number of bonus 
  feats gained from a class such as a ﬁ ghter or wizard. Th e 
  character immediately gains this feat. Th e feat must be a 
  feat for which the character qualiﬁ es. 
  Characters with bonus feats from classes may qualify 
  to gain a bonus feat to the number of bonus feats 
  they ordinarily receive. If the character has received 
  at least two bonus feats from a class, and those feats 
  were selected from a speciﬁ c list (rather than being any 
  possible feat or only one speciﬁ c feat), that character may 
  take a bonus feat on top of the number of bonus feats she 
  receives from that class. Th is bonus feat must be taken 
  from the class’s list of bonus feats.
  Feats gained through ars vitae are permanent, 
  extraordinary abilities. Characters can receive only a 
  single bonus feat of each type (total character level or 
  class bonus feats) from ars vitae.
  For example, a 5th-level rogue drinking one dose of 
  ars vitae gains a bonus feat to her total number of feats 
  according to her character level. Drinking a second 
  dose does her no good, for she gains just a single 
  bonus feat from ars vitae in this manner. A 5th-level 
  ﬁ ghter drinking a dose may take either a bonus feat on 
  top of his total number of feats for his character level 
  or take a bonus feat on top of the number of bonus 
  ﬁ ghter feats he gains. Assuming the ﬁ ghter takes a 
  bonus feat for his character level, he could still beneﬁ t 
  from another dose of ars vitae by taking a bonus feat 
  for his ﬁ ghter bonus feats. A 5th-level wizard doesn’t 
  qualify to take a bonus feat to his bonus wizard feats, 
  as one of his two class bonus feats is Scribe Scroll, 
  rather than selected from a list. A 10th-level wizard, 
  however, would qualify to take a bonus feat to his 
  bonus wizard feats.
  Strong transmutation; CL 13th; Craft Wondrous Item, 
  limited wish; Price 10,000 gp per dose.
  Boons
  Boons are special powers faithful worshipers gain 
  through dedication, ritual, and sacriﬁ ce. A character’s 
  class does not matter when taking a boon, only her 
  adherence to the precepts of her religion and proper 
  performance of the required rituals. Many boons 
  require a character have a minimum rank within her 
  church, though ultimately a deity may grant a boon 
  to anyone. Boons grant special abilities relating to 
  a religion’s goals and domains. Most boons operate 
  constantly or can be invoked at will by the priest; a 
  few work only once per day or so many times each 
  week (as deﬁ ned in their description).
  Boons are a useful way to diﬀ erentiate priests from 
  lay folk without resorting to using a cleric/priest class. 
  Even in settings with low or no magic, low-rank boons 
  can be taken to represent the power of faith and mind-
  over-matter training some churches give their priests. 
  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with clerics gaining 
  boons as well, augmenting their existing granted 
  powers and domain abilities with talents restricted to 
  their own religion.
  Gaining a boon requires a timely and expensive ritual, 
  but the power of the boon doesn’t come from the ritual. 
  Th e ritual merely prepares the recipient for the boon 
  and channels the power of the boon into her. Th e boon 
  itself comes from the power of a deity and is only 
  granted to the deity’s faithful servants. Not all such 
  servants need be priests; paladins and monks frequently 
  receive boons as well, as might a priest who was a 
  ﬁ ghter or wizard. Boons are powerful rewards granted 
  by gods and are excellent treasure for church-aﬃ  liated 
  PCs who undertake dangerous and lengthy quests 
  against foes with few valuables.
  A church can focus on an inﬁ nite number of possible 
  themes, so only a few boons are presented below. While 
  an eﬀ ort is made to cover several major archetypes, 
  you may well wish to create your own boons, either 
  to augment those available to a powerful church or to 
  custom ﬁ t a few for an unusual church.
  Boons are magic eﬀ ects, and any character with a 
  boon has a magic aura of the transmutation school. 
  Boon abilities work at the character’s level or 8th level, 
  whichever is greater. If a boon includes the ability to 
  cast a spell that has an expensive material component 
  or XP cost, that cost must be paid each time the spell is 
  cast. Boons can be suppressed with a dispel magic spell, 
  much as magic items can. A disjunction can negate a 
  boon permanently, though the recipient of the boon is 
  allowed a Will save to have his boon merely repressed 
  for 1d4 rounds.
  
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  Behind the Curtain: Pricing Boons
  Th e rituals needed to receive a boon are priced as if the boon was a magic item with ×3 the gold piece cost 
  and no XP cost. Th e ritual is deﬁ ned as not being the source of the boon, so PCs can’t expect to grant the 
  same boon to other characters — a boon only comes when a god decides to give it out. Th e pricing is kept 
  the same as for other innate abilities both to maintain game balance and to allow you to know when to 
  grant what level of boon as treasure. If the boon is a reward, simply treat the ritual cost as treasure value and 
  assume the church of the god granting the boon pays the gold piece cost. You could allow a character access 
  to a boon ritual before a diﬃ  cult adventure, but require her to pay for it, essentially allowing her to take the 
  boon if you feel it’s more desirous than an equal value in magic items.
  Many of the boons grant a number of power points, which recharge monthly. Th is feature is designed to 
  allow a boon to have limited resources without ever running out. Th ese prices assume that 20 uses per 
  month is worth the same as 50 charges; eventually, the monthly uses will result in more than 50 total times 
  the power is used, but the character doesn’t have the option to burn 10 charges on 3 consecutive days 
  during a particularly rough adventure. Pricing is triple that of a staﬀ  with the same spells, multiplied by 
  the number of uses above or below 20 (i.e., 50% cost if only giving 10 uses per month, 150% if giving 30 
  uses per month).
  Boons are priced with a caster level 8, even though they function at the level of the character with the boon. 
  Th is ﬁ gure is also based on staﬀ  pricing, which allows characters to use their own ability scores and level but 
  can be priced as low as CL 8. Boons for which no caster level is relevant are priced at the minimum caster 
  level for creating the listed eﬀ ect.
  When giving boons to NPCs, simply count their value against an NPC’s starting wealth. Generally, not 
  granting an NPC a boon worth more than the standard starting wealth used in your campaign is best, even if 
  that particular NPC is rich. Th is limit helps keep boons within reasonable power levels and allows you to use 
  boons to grant very powerful NPC priests and crusaders special powers.
  If you wish to turn boons into rites, the XP cost is easily calculated as half the boon’s “ritual cost,” and the rite 
  materials cost half the same cost. A boon turned into a rite takes 1 day to perform per 1,000 gp of the boon’s 
  ritual cost.
  
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  Minor Boons
  Minor boons are common among the faithful of many 
  gods. Th ey’re powers that can only be used once in a 
  while or are extremely minor. Gods often grant them 
  to minor clergy and faithful non-priests as rewards for 
  good service.
   Divine Gift
  Th e divine gift is a minor boon granted to non-clerics 
  in the service of a god — often, for examples, ﬁ ghters, 
  monks, and wizards as ordained priests or trusted agents 
  of the church.
   
  • cure minor wounds (1 point)
   
  • guidance (1 point)
   
  • mending (1 point)
  Ritual Cost: 5,063 gp
   Forgemaster
  Th is minor boon is granted to smiths and forge-priests of 
  craft gods. It grants ﬁ re resistance 1.
  Ritual Cost: 3,600 gp
   Minor Arcana
  Th e minor arcana boon imbues the recipient with slight 
  mystic powers. Th is ritual is often given to priests of gods 
  of magic, as well as witch-hunters working for gods who 
  distrust arcane spellcasters.
  Th e boon gives the recipient 10 points of arcane power 
  each month (normally recharging at each new moon, 
  though the time varies by religion). Th ese points can be 
  used to perform a number of arcane spells, each using 
  1 point, as detailed below. Th e spells are as cast by a 
  sorcerer of the same level as the character’s total level.
   
  • detect magic (1 point)
   
  • mage hand (1 point)
   
  • ray of frost (1 point)
  Ritual Cost: 5,063 gp
   Tongues
  Th e gift of tongues is generally given to missionaries 
  and monks serving a god of information or rulership. It 
  gives the recipient the power to speak and understand 
  one to four speciﬁ c additional languages (and, if literate, 
  read them).
  Ritual Cost: 300 gp (1 language), 1,200 gp (2 languages), 
  1,800 gp (3 languages), 4,800 gp (4 languages)
   Vigor
  Warriors who uphold the safety of the faithful, as well 
  as ﬁ ghting priests and monks, are often rewarded with a 
  boon of vigor, which grants them 1 additional hit point.
  Ritual Cost: 3,600 gp
  Witchlight
  Th is minor boon is often used among druidic circles 
  and covens of witches. It’s most common in human 
  religions, though gods of other races certainly have been 
  known to grant it. Th e boon allows a character to create, 
  as a standard action, a light that sheds illumination as a 
  torch. Th e light remains with the character and lasts for a 
  number of minutes equal to his Charisma score before it 
  must be summoned again.
  Ritual Cost: 900 gp
  Moderate Boons
  Moderate boons are reserved for the most faithful and 
  most trusted of the faithful, as well as individuals with 
  similar ethical outlooks (an alignment no more than one 
  step away from the god granting the boon) who perform 
  great services for a god.
  In addition to the moderate boons listed, feats and 
  the granted powers of domains are frequently given as 
  boons. Moderate boons of this kind have a ritual cost 
  of 15,000 gp.
  Ascetic
  Th e ascetic boon is most often given to monks and 
  missionaries to aid them in their meditations and harsh 
  journeys. In rare cases, crusaders and guards are also 
  given access to this boon. Th e boon continually provides 
  its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. Th e recipient 
  needs no food or water and must sleep only 2 hours per 
  day to gain the beneﬁ t of 8 hours of sleep.
  Ritual Cost: 7,500 gp
  Shadowwalker
  Th is boon is most common among churches closely allied 
  with rangers or those that have druids. It is whispered 
  that some death cults also have access to this boon. As a 
  free action, the recipient of this boon can gain the ability 
  to blend in with the surroundings. Th is eﬀ ect provides 
  a +10 competence bonus on Hide checks. As a standard 
  action, the character can also utilize the spell disguise self 
  at will as a spell-like ability.
  Ritual Cost: 38,100 gp
   Spell Armor
  Th e boon of spell armor is common among churches 
  with access to the Magic domain and is given to the 
  most active members of its upper echelons. Th e recipient 
  of this boon may have a single spell of 1st through 6th 
  level to be cast onto her. Should that spell ever be cast 
  upon the recipient, the spell is immediately countered 
  as a counterspell action, requiring no action (or even 
  
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  knowledge) on the recipient’s part. Once so used, the 
  spell cast onto the recipient is gone. A new spell (or 
  the same one as before) may be cast on the recipient to 
  protect her again.
  Ritual Cost: 12,000 gp
   Witchhunter"s Touch
  Th is boon is most common among religions that mistrust 
  and fear arcane spellcasters. It is given out more freely 
  than most moderate boons, as its use can only further the 
  cause of reducing the total available magic.
  Th is boon allows the recipient to touch magic items and 
  drain them of all magical properties. Th e item touched 
  must make a DC 23 Will save to prevent the drain. If 
  a creature is holding it at the time, then the item can 
  use the holder’s Will save bonus in place of its own if 
  the holder’s is better. In such cases, contact is made by 
  making a melee touch attack roll. Unlike most boons, the 
  witchhunter’s touch can be used only once — the boon is 
  then lost.
  Ritual Cost: 33,000 gp.
  Epic Boons
  Epic boons are extremely rare, and most religions don’t 
  have access to any epic boon rituals. A single epic boon 
  makes a character signiﬁ cantly more powerful, and you 
  should never give an epic boon to an NPC of less than 
  10th level. Characters cannot beneﬁ t from more than 
  one epic boon; in the rare instances a character gets hold 
  of and performs two epic boon rituals, the beneﬁ ts of the 
  ﬁ rst are lost when the second is completed.
  Additionally, only one member of an organized religion 
  can hold a given epic boon at a time. Th is person is 
  generally either the head of the church or the master of 
  some segment of the church. Th ese boons are the most 
  closely guarded secrets, often kept hidden even from 
  other senior priests within a church. Th e death of a priest 
  with an epic boon often sparks an internal power struggle 
  as potential successors strive to learn the secrets of the 
  boon’s ritual and perform it for themselves.
  Legendary miracles and mighty heroes are often the 
  result of epic boons. Th ese rituals are too complex 
  for a mortal to develop individually and are either 
  gifts from the gods or the result of groups of scholars 
  working together for years. Th e ritual of an epic boon 
  is an appropriate subject for major quests, and it’s not 
  unknown for all the knights of an entire kingdom to seek 
  such a ritual over the course of generations.
  To make a new epic boon, put together a number of 
  spells with a common theme appropriate to the god 
  granting it. Normally, the boon grants 20 power points 
  per month and gives access to two 1st-level spells, 
  two 2nd-level spells, two 3rd-level spells (all costing 
  1 power point), and four 5th-level spells (all costing 2 
  power points).
  Archmage
  Th e boon of the archmage is among the most powerful 
  boons ever granted. It is generally given to only one 
  creature at a time, and that creature is the chosen of 
  the deity of magic. Th e power is much sought after, and 
  many who worship the deity of magic do so purely in 
  hopes of someday becoming the archmage.
  Th is boon is useful only to spellcasters. Th e recipient’s 
  1st-level and 2nd-level spells per day are doubled. Bonus 
  spells from high ability scores or school specialization are 
  not doubled, nor are domain spells.
  Ritual Cost: 240,000 gp
  Hand of Darkness
  Th e hand of darkness epic boon is granted by gods of 
  chaos, evil, and destruction. Generally, the ﬁ rst priest 
  of such a god able to perform the ritual is granted this 
  boon, as he has proven his ability to overcome enemies. 
  Blackguards also commonly gain this boon, often after 
  killing the priest who possessed it.
  Th e boon gives the recipient 20 points of divine power 
  each month (normally recharging on the ﬁ rst day of each 
  month, though this date varies by religion). Th ese points 
  can be used to perform a number of divine spells, each 
  using 1 or 2 points, as detailed below. Th e spells are as 
  cast by a cleric of the character’s total level.
   
  • bane (1 point)
   
  • death knell (1 point)
   
  • desecrate (1point)
   
  • bestow curse (1 point)
   
  • magic circle against good (1 point)
   
  • mass inﬂ ict light wounds (2 points)
   
  • slay living (2 points)
   
  • symbol of pain (2 points)
   
  • unhallow (2 points)
  Ritual Cost: 77,250 gp
  Major Arcana
  Th e boon of major arcana imbues the recipient with great 
  mystic powers. Th is ritual is normally known only to 
  religions with a strong tie to arcane magic, such as gods 
  of wizards and sorcerers.
  Th e boon gives the recipient 20 points of arcane power 
  each month (normally recharging at each new moon, 
  though this date varies by religion). Th ese points can 
  be used to cast a number of arcane spells, each using 1 
  or 2 points, as detailed below. Th e spells are as cast by a 
  sorcerer of the character’s total level.
   
  • magic missile (1 point)
   
  • ray of enfeeblement (1 point)
  
  137
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
   
  • continual ﬂ ame (1point)
   
  • detect thoughts (1 point)
   
  • ﬂ y (1 point)
   
  • lightning bolt or ﬁ reball (1 point)
   
  • teleport (2 points)
   
  • hold monster (2 points)
   
  • wall of force (2 points)
   
  • greater dispel magic (2 points)
  Ritual Cost: 77,250 gp
   Mercy"s Touch
  Th is epic boon is granted by gods of healing, peace, and 
  harmony. Rather than grant this boon to the highest 
  ranking member of a church, these gods often give the 
  boon to a faithful priest in a land ravaged by plague 
  and war.
  Th e boon gives the recipient 20 points of divine power 
  each month (normally recharging on the ﬁ rst day of 
  each month, though this date varies by religion). Th ese 
  points can be used to cast a number of divine spells, 
  each using 1 or 2 points, as detailed below. Th e spells 
  are as cast by a cleric of the character’s total level.
   
  • aid (1 point)
   
  • bless (1 point)
   
  • cure light wounds (maximized) (1 point)
   
  • remove blindness/deafness (1 point)
   
  • remove disease (1 point)
   
  • remove paralysis (1 point)
   
  • heal (2 points)
   
  • mass cure light wounds (2 points)
   
  • neutralize poison (2 points)
   
  • raise dead (requires material component)
   
  (2 points)
  Ritual Cost: 77,250 gp
  Storm Lord
  A storm lord is normally a powerful druid or priest of a 
  storm god. Th e storm lord is granted vast powers over the 
  weather and often controls a large area with lightning, 
  sleet, and even tornados.
  Th e boon gives the recipient 20 points of divine power 
  each month (normally recharging at each full moon, 
  though this date varies by religion). Th ese points can be 
  used to perform a number of divine spells, each using 1 
  or 2 points, as detailed below. Th e spells are as cast by a 
  cleric of the character’s total level.
   
  • call lightning (1 point)
   
  • faerie ﬁ re (1 point)
   
  • fog cloud (1point)
   
  • gust of wind (1 point)
   
  • obscuring mist (widened) (1 point)
   
  • sleet storm (1 point)
   
  • air walk (2 point)
   
  • control weather (2 points)
   
  • control winds (2 points)
   
  • ice storm (2 points)
  Ritual Cost: 77,250 gp
  
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  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Rites are special rituals that grant power to those who 
  perform them. Essentially, rites are boons (see page 133) 
  driven by arcane power rather than divine will. A 
  rite must be designed to grant a particular power to 
  a creature, after which the rite is useless. A rite takes 
  three times the time, money, and XP cost as creating a 
  magic item with the same power. Th e powers granted by 
  rites are permanent and can be destroyed or suppressed 
  only by things that can destroy or suppress magic items 
  (disjunction, for example). Rites are often the focus of 
  quests by wizards and powerful lords as a way for them 
  to gain additional powers.
  Researching an entirely new rite is a time consuming 
  and expensive process undertaken by only the most 
  skilled scholars. A rite takes a base time of 4 weeks to 
  research, plus an additional week per caster level of the 
  rite. Research costs 1,000 gp per week, which is spent on 
  experiments, access to libraries, and experts. A character 
  cannot research a rite unless he has access to these things, 
  which are normally available in any city. At the end of 
  the research period, the researcher makes a Spellcraft 
  check against a DC 20 + caster level of the rite. If the 
  check is successful, a new rite has been created; if not, the 
  research process must be started anew.
  Rites only work once; that is their nature. Once 
  performed, the exact same set of incantations, gestures, 
  and sacriﬁ ces produce nothing. However, modifying a 
  known rite to work for a new target is reasonably easy. 
  A character wishing to re-use a rite he’s successfully 
  understood before must take 1 week and pay 1,000 gp 
  to research the rite’s new requirements. At the end of 
  the week, the researcher must make a DC 20 Spellcraft 
  check. On a successful check, he has re-created the rite; 
  on a failed check, the research must be started anew.
  Like creating magic items, a rite has requirements 
  that must be met by the character to perform the rite. 
  Generally, this requirement is a spell the performer 
  must be able to cast during the rite. Th ere is also a 
  cost in gold pieces and experience points that must 
  be paid by the character performing the rite. Th ough 
  a rite must be performed by a character that meets its 
  requirements, it can beneﬁ t anyone. Th e beneﬁ ciary 
  is known as the recipient, and the power gained is his 
  to command. Th e character performing the rite must 
  pay the listed XP cost and then may grant the powers 
  to any other character present, and the decision is 
  permanent once it is made. All powers granted by a rite 
  operate at the stated character level. A recipient cannot 
  gain the powers of a rite that operate at a higher caster 
  level than his own level or Hit Dice — any such rite 
  fails (though it is not expended and can still be used for 
  another character).
  Th e price of a rite is the payment demanded by an NPC 
  caster to perform it for a character (as well as its value 
  for purposes of determining a character’s total wealth). 
  Th e cost is the amount of material and XP expended by a 
  character casting the rite himself.
  You may decide rites also require speciﬁ c levin (see page 
  140) or can be performed only at particular mystic locales 
  (see Chapter Eight).
  Common Rites
  Blessed Touch
  Th is rite grants a character able to turn undead the ability 
  to do so one additional time per day.
  Faint conjuration; CL 1st; disrupt undead; Price 4,500; 
  Cost 1,875 gp, 150 XP.
  Bloodhound
  Th e recipient of the bloodhound rite gains the scent 
  ability.
  Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; alter self; Price 18,000; Cost 
  7,500 gp, 600 XP.
  Elf-Eyed
  Th e recipient of the elf-eyed rite gains low-light vision.
  Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; alter self; Price 18,000; Cost 
  7,500 gp, 600 XP.
  Dwarf-Eyed
  Th e recipient of the dwarf-eyed rite gains darkvision out 
  to 60 feet. If the character already has darkvision, the 
  range is increased by +30 feet.
  Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; alter self; Price 18,000; Cost 
  7,500 gp, 600 XP.
  Fey Style
  A character receiving a rite of fey style may change his 
  clothing to be of any style and type he wishes, including 
  cleric’s vestments, or an artisan’s, cold weather, courtier’s, 
  entertainer’s, explorer’s, monk’s, noble’s, peasant’s, royal, 
  scholar’s, or traveler’s outﬁ t. Jewelry and similar non-
  clothing items are not added or changed, but the style, 
  cut, color, and decoration of the clothes are entirely at the 
  will of the rite’s recipient. If an item is put in a pocket that 
  ceases to exist, it falls to the ground. Th ough this process 
  does not add any bonus to a character’s Disguise check, it 
  may prevent the character from taking any penalties.
  Faint conjuration; CL 1st; alter self; Price 6,480 gp; Cost 
  2,700 gp, 216 XP.
  -  Rites - 
  
  139
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
   Firestarter
  As a standard action, the recipient of a ﬁ restarter rite can 
  cause a tiny spark of ﬁ re to appear at his ﬁ ngertip. Th is 
  spark can be used to light easily ﬂ ammable materials 
  (such as prepared ﬁ res, candles, torches, and lanterns). 
  A character may use the spark to make a touch attack, 
  which deals 1d4 points of ﬁ re damage.
  Faint evocation; CL 1st; burning hands; Price 3,240 gp; 
  Cost 1,350 gp, 108 XP.
   Heartiness
  Th e natural heal rate of the recipient of a rite of heartiness 
  is increased as if she were one level higher. Th us, the 
  character recovers 1 additional hit point after 8 hours of 
  rest, and 1 additional point of nonlethal damage per hour. 
  If the character gets 24 hours of bed rest, she gains 2 
  additional hit points.
  Faint conjuration; CL 1st; Heal 5 ranks; Price 1,620 gp; 
  Cost 775 gp, 54 XP.
   Master Crafter
  Th is rite grants the recipient a competence bonus to one 
  Craft or Profession skill of the recipient’s choice. Most rites 
  grant only a +1 bonus, but some grant a +2 bonus instead.
  Faint transmutation; CL 1st; guidance; Price 360 gp, Cost 
  150 gp/12 XP. (+1 to one skill); 1,200 gp/48 exp 
  (+2 to one skill).
   Porter
  Th e recipient of a porter rite has his carrying capacity 
  increased as if his Strength were 3 higher. Th is is an 
  enhancement bonus, and does not stack with additional 
  carry capacity gained by a standard enhancement bonus 
  to Strength.
  Faint conjuration; CL 1st; bull’s strength; Price 9,000 gp; 
  Cost 3,750 gp, 300 XP.
   Spans
  Th e recipient of a rite of spans always knows what time it 
  is (to the nearest second), how many hours it is to dawn 
  or sundown (whichever is next), and the date (according 
  to the calendar of the spellcaster who cast the rite). Th e 
  recipient may choose to be alerted when a set amount of 
  time has passed. Th is alert is silent to anyone except the 
  recipient, though it is loud enough to awaken him from 
  mundane slumber.
  Faint divination; CL 1st; Wis 15; Price 1,570 gp; Cost 
  675 gp, 54 XP.
   Spell Power
  A character beneﬁ ting from a rite of spell power gains a 
  +1 inherent bonus to her total number of spell slots at 
  a given level. Th e character must be able to cast spells 
  of the given level in order to gain an additional slot at 
  that level. (For example, a 5th-level sorcerer gains an 
  additional 0-, 1st-, or 2nd-level spell slot, but not a 3rd-
  level or higher as she cannot cast spells of that level.) 
  Strong transmutation; CL 17th; must be able to cast 
  spells of the level to be granted; Price 3,600 gp 
  (1st level), 14,400 gp (2nd level), 32,400 gp (3rd 
  level), 57,900 gp (4th level), 90,000 gp (5th level), 
  129,600 gp (6th level), 176,400 gp (7th level), 
  230,400 gp (8th level), 291,600 gp (9th level); Cost 
  1,500 gp/120 XP (1st level), 6,000 gp/480 XP 
  (2nd level), 13,500 gp/1,080 XP (3rd level), 24,000 
  gp/1,920 XP (4th level), 37,500 gp/3,000 XP (5th 
  level), 54,000 gp/4,320 XP (6th level), 73,500 
  gp/5,880 XP (7th level), 91,000 gp/7,680 XP (8th 
  level), 121,500 gp/9,720 XP (9th level).
  Stoutheart
  Th e recipient of this rite gains a +1 inherent bonus to the 
  following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist 
  nonlethal damage; Constitution checks made to continue 
  running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal 
  damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made 
  to hold his breath; Constitution checks made to avoid 
  nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude 
  saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold 
  environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage 
  from suﬀ ocation. 
  Faint abjuration; CL 3rd, bear’s endurance; Price 4,500; 
  Cost 1,875 gp, 150 XP.
  Swift
  Th e recipient of this rite gains a +10-foot bonus to one 
  movement type it already possesses.
  Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; alter self; Price 18,000; 
  Cost 7,500 gp, 600 XP.
  Tainted Touch
  Th is rite allows the recipient to ascertain if a creature or 
  object touched is poisonous.
  Faint divination; CL 1st; detect poison; Price 3,240 gp; 
  Cost 1,350 gp, 108 XP.
  Watersniffer
  Th e recipient of a watersniﬀ er rite may smell out water 
  within 440 feet (including underground springs, but only 
  if the actual water of the spring is within range). If no 
  natural source of potable water is within range, he sniﬀ s 
  out the largest concentration of potable water in range 
  (including water in barrels, waterskins, and so on).
  Faint divination; CL 1st, create water; Price 3,240 gp; 
  Cost 1,350 gp, 108 XP.
  
  140
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Levin is magical material that can be used in place of 
  experience point costs when casting spells or making 
  magic items. It can best be described as potential magical 
  energy, dormant by itself but able to empower rituals 
  and ceremonies in much the same way a spellcaster’s 
  own life-energies can. Levin is measured in points, with 
  1 point of levin able to replace 1 experience point of 
  cost for item creation or spellcasting. Levin isn’t actually 
  character experience — “absorbing” levin to gain more 
  experience points is not possible. Levin also can’t be used 
  to replace XP lost as a result of losing a level. It only 
  replaces the XP cost for item creation or those spells that 
  have an XP cost. Th ese costs are referred to as mystic 
  experience costs.
  Levin comes from magically infused places, creatures, 
  and items. Levin is never common, though exactly how 
  rare it is depends on what version of levin you decide to 
  add to your campaign. A game can use unlimited levin, 
  speciﬁ c levin, scavenged levin, or a combination of the 
  three depending on the feel you want.
  Unlimited levin means that any levin can be used for any 
  purpose — levin is generic and can replace any mystic 
  experience cost. Th is is the simplest levin rule, but also 
  the least interesting. Such games normally allow levin to 
  be taken only from creatures, though it can be combined 
  with scavenged levin easily. Th e exact rules for taking 
  levin from a creature are detailed below. In unlimited 
  levin games, levin is actually a thick, bluish liquid that 
  glows dimly which is distilled from creatures with mystic 
  energies. Levin can be carried in vials, with 500 points of 
  levin taking up and weighing 1 ounce.
  Speciﬁ c levin means that levin from any given source can 
  be used only for speciﬁ c mystic experience costs. Decide 
  what sources of levin work for each mystic experience 
  cost, and then PCs must research this information. For 
  example, when making a phylactery of faithfulness, levin 
  taken from a speciﬁ c kind of outsider or gathered on a 
  speciﬁ c holy day could fulﬁ ll the mystic experience cost, 
  but not levin from any other source. In games with only 
  speciﬁ c levin, levin tends to retain a crude appearance 
  taken from the source. For example, levin taken from 
  a dragon might be in the form of a few teeth and one 
  eye. In this type of campaign, the weight of levin varies 
  wildly, but it is generally 1% of the weight of the creature 
  it is taken from, or 1 pound per 500 points of levin for 
  material taken from other sources.
  Scavenged levin is taken from existing magic items, 
  destroying them in the process. Levin scavenged is equal 
  to half the mystic experience cost paid to create an item, 
  times the percentage of charges the item has left (if 
  charged). For example, a character decides to scavenge 
  levin from a staﬀ  of ﬁ re with 27 charges left. It took 686 
  XP to make the staﬀ , so the most that could be scavenged 
  is half that amount, or 343 levin. However, the staﬀ  only 
  has 27 charges left, which is 54% of its total. Th us, the 
  most levin that could be scavenged is 54% of 343, or 185 
  points. Levin can never be scavenged from artifacts.
  You can use several methods to allow characters to 
  scavenge levin. Th e simplest is to allow any character 
  with the feat and prerequisites necessary to make an item 
  scavenge levin from it. Th is method allows characters to 
  scavenge levin easily from items they have made in order 
  to upgrade to better magic equipment. It also prevents 
  characters from trying to destroy powerful magic items 
  used by their enemies, unless the characters are so 
  powerful they could make such items themselves.
  Allowing levin scavenging only by characters that take 
  an appropriate feat is also possible. Rather than require a 
  feat for each type of magic item, the scavenging feats are 
  broken into one-shot magic items (potions, scrolls, and 
  similar items), charged magic items (staﬀ s, wands, and 
  the like), and permanent magic items (including most 
  rings, rods, and wondrous items). See Appendix One for 
  example feats.
  Taking Levin from Creatures
  Taking levin from a creature requires that it be dead. Only 
  creatures of the aberration, dragon, elemental, fey, giant, 
   -  Levin - 
  
  141
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, outsider, and 
  undead types produce levin. Th e amount of unlimited levin 
  drawn from a creature is equal to its CR multiplied by 5.
  For speciﬁ c levin campaigns, levin is taken from creatures 
  using the same rules, but particular conditions must 
  be met. You decide the limits of these conditions, but 
  generally they include levin for a given purpose coming 
  from only one speciﬁ c creature (i.e., only hill giants) and 
  requiring the creature to be killed in a speciﬁ c manner 
  (i.e., by a silver sword or by drowning). Once this is done, 
  Table 7-3: Example Levin Sources
  School or Descriptor
  Creature
  Death Requirement
  Abjuration
  Outsider, archon
  Natural causes, from an attack of opportunity
  Acid
  Black dragon, ooze
  Smothered, stone weapon
  Air
  Fey, sprite
  While grappled, net or whip
  Calling
  Outsider, demon
  When blinded
  Chaotic
  Aberration, athach
  While bound
  Charm
  Fey, dryad
  When mute
  Cold
  Elemental, water
  Without ﬁ re, acid, or spells
  Compulsion
  Outsider, devil
  On its home plane
  Conjuration
  Outsider (any)
  While away from its home plane
  Creation
  Phase spider
  While grappled
  Darkness
  Night hag
  Fire
  Death
  Undead, ghoul
  Freezing, bludgeoning weapons
  Divination
  Naga
  Sneak attack
  Earth
  Xorn
  While not in contract with the ground
  Electricity
  Blue dragon
  While in contact with the ground
  Enchantment
  Hag, nymph
  Cold iron weapon
  Evil
  Outsider (good)
  While helpless
  Evocation
  Elemental
  Non-magic weapon
  Fear
  Mummy
  Place it was mummiﬁ ed
  Figment
  Shadow
  In sunlight
  Fire
  Red dragon, salamander
  Drowned
  Force
  Any incorporeal
  On its home plane
  Glamer
  Dryad, hag
  In front of a mirror
  Good
  Outsider (evil)
  In one-on-one combat
  Healing
  Troll, unicorn
  Without magic
  Illusion
  Gnome, rogue
  In broad daylight
  Language
  Any dragon
  While silenced
  Lawful
  Outsider (chaotic)
  While in chains
  Light
  Fire elemental
  In darkness
  Mind-Aﬀ ecting
  Any fey
  While blinded
  Necromancy
  Wight, wraith
  In a graveyard
  Pattern
  Sphinx, minotaur
  In a maze
  Phantasm
  Invisible stalker
  Death magic
  Scrying
  Eagle
  While ﬂ ying
  Shadow
  Shadow
  With silver
  Sonic
  Banshee
  While able to make noise
  Summoning
  Fey, satyr
  By sonic attacks
  Teleportation
  Magic beast, blink dog
  In a magic circle vs. its alignment
  Transmutation
  Shapeshifter, doppleganger
  In its true form
  Water
  Dragon, dragon turtle
  Out of the water
  
  142
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  the levin is removed in the form of trophies, such as 
  bones, eyes, scales, or blood. Speciﬁ c levin taken from a 
  creature is equal to its CR squared multiplied by 5. A list 
  of possible creature types and speciﬁ c creatures, as well as 
  methods for killing them, follows to give GMs a starting 
  point for speciﬁ c levin requirements.
  In both cases, successfully removing levin from creatures 
  requires a Spellcraft check, with a DC of 10 + the creature’s 
  CR. Each failed try ruins half the potential levin a creature 
  has. Killing a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or more 
  solely to gain levin from it is an evil act, just as killing such 
  creatures purely for proﬁ t or experience is evil. By the same 
  token, a group that chooses what evil to oppose based in 
  part on their levin value is mercenary, but not explicitly evil.
  Taking Levin from Places
  You may decide to allow levin to be gathered from a 
  location. Th e location may have something to do with the 
  magic type (a sacred glade for druid spells, a volcano for 
  ﬁ re magic; see Mystic Locales in Chapter Eight for more 
  suggestions on what kinds of places are attuned to speciﬁ c 
  magic types). Such locations are almost always both 
  isolated and guarded by powerful wards and creatures.
  Once a character has managed to get to the location 
  and secure it, he can go about gathering speciﬁ c levin 
  from it. Th e ritual includes such acts as gathering 
  mistletoe by moonlight, ﬁ nding mushrooms growing 
  in rings, chipping oﬀ  particular crystals, and gathering 
  rare herbs and minerals. Doing so requires a ritual that 
  takes 8 hours of preparation and another 16 hours 
  undisturbed to be complete. On the ﬁ rst day it is 
  performed, the ritual gathers speciﬁ c levin equal to the 
  character’s Spellcraft check multiplied by his Wisdom 
  bonus (minimum of 1). Th us, a character with a 16 
  Wisdom and a Spellcraft modiﬁ er of +10 rolls a 15 and 
  gathers ([10 + 15 = 25] × 3) 75 points of speciﬁ c levin 
  on the ﬁ rst day.
  Th e ritual may be performed additional times, but each 
  time the Spellcraft check takes a cumulative –3 penalty. 
  Th us, on the fourth day performing the ritual, if the 
  same character rolled a 15, he’d gather only ([10 + 15] 
  – 9 = 16 x 3) 48 points of speciﬁ c levin. If the character 
  ever rolls a natural 1 on his Spellcraft check or gets a 
  total Spellcraft result of 0 or less, the location’s supply 
  of levin is tapped. No new levin can be gathered from 
  that site for at least a season.
   - Mundane  Item Characteristics - 
  GMs expand on the variety and usefulness of mundane 
  objects for many reasons. If running a campaign with 
  low access to magic, a wider range of mundane objects 
  both gives PCs something to spend their money on and 
  adds bonuses that would normally be gained from magic. 
  While this change doesn’t entirely replace the role of 
  magic, it reduces the amount of re-balancing one must 
  do for mid-level adventures. Alternatively, you might also 
  want to use high quality or unusual mundane items to 
  diﬀ erentiate cultures. If masterwork winter blankets are 
  made only in a single city, that city is likely to be more 
  memorable to players, even if their characters don’t end 
  up getting new blankets.
  Qualities
  Weapons, armor, and some other items already have 
  two qualities: standard and masterwork. To add to the 
  diversity of a world, try adding superior qualities beyond 
  masterwork, allow for lower quality items (perhaps made 
  in a rush, from questionable materials, or by primitive 
  cultures), and embrace a range of diﬀ erent design 
  philosophies. Th ese options are all handled as a range 
  of qualities that work like masterwork items but give 
  diﬀ erent beneﬁ ts or impose minor penalties.
  Th e drawbacks of adding such items are increased 
  bookkeeping and complexity. A character with a 
  renowned dwarven rope must keep track of not only 
  its potential beneﬁ ts (+3 to Climb checks), but also its 
  increased hardness and hit points. For some groups, this 
  extra bookkeeping is a minor eﬀ ort, but for others it’s 
  a major slow-down to game pacing. Campaigns with 
  few or no magic items likely won’t suﬀ er as much, as 
  the qualities of mundane items replace the shopping 
  list of arcana found in typical games. In games already 
  tracking magic items, think carefully about how well 
  your players manage character notes before adding a 
  slew of new qualities.
  One way to minimize the disruption new qualities can add 
  is to keep their numbers low. If there’s only one legendary 
  item in a game, keeping track of what it is and does is not 
  too diﬃ  cult. Since most PCs won’t take the time to craft 
  such items themselves, you need only limit the number for 
  sale. Since the proﬁ t margin for these items is no greater 
  than anything else, and the increased price keeps demand 
  low, it stands to reason that few items with valuable 
  qualities exist. Even if a PC has the money to buy such 
  items, he may not be able to ﬁ nd one for sale.
  Another way to keep down quality item numbers 
  is to require that characters take a feat to be able to 
  make them. With this option, each quality has an 
  associated feat (for instance, Proﬁ ciency with Dwarven 
  Craft, Proﬁ ciency with Elven Craft, Proﬁ ciency with 
  Legendary Craft, and Proﬁ ciency with Renowned 
  Craft). Th ese feats have no prerequisites, but a character 
  can’t craft items with the given quality without taking 
  the appropriate feat. In such a game, these qualities 
  are the result of carefully hidden techniques, which 
  
  143
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  must be learned from a master before work on items 
  incorporating them may even be attempted.
  An item can include multiple qualities, though the 
  beneﬁ ts do not stack (there’s no point in an object being 
  both renowned and legendary). Price multiples are 
  ﬁ gured separately, so a dwarven legendary portable ram 
  costs 520 gp.
   Balanced
  Balanced weapons are those carefully weighted to 
  allow them to be swung easily or thrown precisely and 
  forcefully. A balanced weapon doesn’t take as much 
  strength to attack with despite its weight, and thus it 
  allows a more powerful blow to be landed. Balanced 
  weapons gain a +1 enhancement bonus to damage rolls. 
  Since this is an enhancement bonus, it doesn’t stack with 
  the damage bonus granted by magic weapons. Only 
  melee weapons and thrown weapons may be balanced.
  Balanced weapons cost 300 gp more than normal 
  weapons of the same type. Th e Craft DC for the 
  balanced quality is 20, and a separate Craft check is made 
  for constructing this quality.
   Barbed
  Only piercing ranged 
  weapons (including 
  thrown weapons) may 
  be barbed. A barded 
  weapon has multiple 
  points, designed 
  to damage a target 
  both when entering 
  and when leaving or 
  being removed. Barbs 
  break oﬀ , so a weapon 
  loses this quality 
  after one attack. As 
  a result, mostly only arrows and bolts 
  are barbed. A barbed weapon gains a +1 
  enhancement bonus to damage rolls. Since 
  this is an enhancement bonus, it doesn’t 
  stack with the damage bonus granted by 
  magic weapons.
  Barbed weapons cost 100 gp more than 
  normal weapons of the same type. Th is price 
  covers one thrown weapon or 50 bolts or 
  arrows. Th e Craft DC for the barbed 
  quality is 15, and a separate Craft check 
  is made for constructing this quality.
   Blunt
  A slashing or piercing weapon may 
  be made blunt. Th is quality causes 
  it to do bludgeoning damage 
  rather than its normal damage type. Blunt weapons 
  may be used to deal nonlethal damage with only a –1 
  attack penalty (rather than the normal –4). However, 
  blunt weapons are –1 to hit on all attacks (a total of –2 
  if dealing nonlethal damage) and have their damage dice 
  reduced by two steps (see the following chart). Blunt 
  weapons are normally used for practice or by characters 
  who have some beneﬁ t when using a speciﬁ c slashing or 
  piercing weapon (such as Weapon Focus), but want to 
  have a bludgeoning weapon as well.
  Blunt Weapon Damage
  Original Damage
  Blunt Damage
  1d3
  1
  1d4
  1d2
  1d6
  1d3
  1d8
  1d4
  2d4
  1d4
  1d10
  1d6
  1d12
  1d8
  2d6
  2d4
  Blunt weapons cost 25 
  gp more than normal 
  weapons of the same type. 
  Th e Craft DC for the 
  blunt quality is 15, and 
  a separate Craft check is 
  made for constructing this 
  quality.
   Crude
  Crude items are 
  constructed or 
  designed poorly, 
  so they do not 
  perform as well as typical versions 
  of the same items. Crude weapons take a 
  –1 penalty to attack and damage rolls, and 
  crude armor oﬀ ers 1 less armor bonus and 
  has 1 lower max Dexterity than normal armor 
  of the same type. Any other crude object weighs 
  +25% more than a normal item and has 1 less 
  hardness (minimum of 1).
  Crude quality items cost only 75% of a normal 
  item’s cost, and the Craft DC for constructing 
  them is 3 lower. An item cannot be crude and 
  have any other quality.
   Dwarven
  Dwarven items are built to a more 
  rugged standard. Th ough no more 
  functional than a typical item, 
  
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  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  something with the dwarven quality gains +1 hardness 
  and +25% hit points (minimum of +1). Anything can 
  be made dwarven, which has no aﬀ ect on the object’s 
  function — dwarven weapons do no more damage, 
  and dwarven armor does not give any additional armor 
  bonus. Only when an object is subjected to damage 
  does its dwarven quality come into play.
  Change the name of this quality to any race or group 
  portrayed as tough and stout. You can also change 
  it to “sturdy,” making the quality a generic design of 
  increased hardiness that anyone can attempt.
  Dwarven items cost twice the base cost of an object. Th e 
  Craft DC for the dwarven quality is 20, and a separate 
  Craft check is made for constructing this quality.
   Elven
  Elven items are made of tough, light materials and 
  cunningly designed to reduce unneeded weight without 
  reducing function. Objects with the elven quality weigh 
  –15% less than standard versions. Anything can be 
  made elven, which has no eﬀ ect on the object’s function 
  — elven weapons do no less damage, and elven armor 
  does not have a reduced armor check.
  You can change the name of this quality to any race 
  or group you wish to portray as clever, nimble, and 
  concerned by equipment weight. You may also change 
  it to “light,” making the quality a generic design of 
  decreased mass that anyone can attempt.
  Elven items cost twice the base cost of an object. Th e 
  Craft DC for the elven quality is 25, and a separate 
  Craft check is made for constructing this quality.
   Masterwork
  Masterwork items are those that have been designed 
  and constructed at a high level of quality, giving them 
  advantages over regular equipment. Rules already exist 
  for masterwork weapons and armor, as well as artisan’s 
  tools, musical instruments, tools, and thieves’ tools.
  Using these rules, anything can be made masterwork. 
  A masterwork item grants a +1 enhancement bonus 
  to skill or ability checks made with it. For example, 
  a masterwork rope adds +1 to Climb checks, and a 
  masterwork spyglass adds +1 to Spot checks. Some 
  items are clear about when they apply to skill checks: 
  a masterwork crowbar adds a +3 bonus to Strength 
  checks, for example, and a masterwork grappling hook 
  adds +1 to Use Rope checks.
  Obviously, some items are only involved in skill checks 
  under speciﬁ c circumstances (i.e., masterwork ﬂ int and 
  steel adds +1 to Survival checks to start a ﬁ re in rainy or 
  wet conditions), and others are almost never involved in 
  a skill check (i.e., a masterwork clay pitcher). You should 
  decide if an item is the primary thing being used for a skill 
  check, in which case the +1 enhancement bonus applies. 
  If an item is secondary, or merely present, no bonus is 
  granted. It’s reasonable for a masterwork winter blanket 
  to add +1 to Constitution checks made to rest in cold or 
  uncomfortable situations or even to Fortitude saves against 
  the eﬀ ects of severe weather, but not to Balance checks 
  made as a result of a sleet storm spell, even if it’s worn.
  Additionally, some items have special features when 
  made as masterwork items, as described below.
  Backpack: A masterwork backpack halves the weight 
  of up to 20 pounds of materials placed in it, for 
  purposes of encumbrance. Th us, a masterwork 
  backpack with 32 pounds of equipment only counts 
  as 22 pounds of gear when ﬁ guring encumbrance.
  Bell: A masterwork bell adds +1 to the Listen check of 
  characters trying to hear it.
  Block and Tackle: A masterwork block and tackle 
  allows up to four characters to aid another 
  character trying to lift or move something. 
  If lifting, add their combined maximum 
  encumbrance to determine how much they can 
  lift. If making a Strength check, each character 
  able to make a DC 10 Strength check adds +2 to 
  the primary character’s Strength check.
  Candle: A masterwork candle illuminates a 10-foot 
  radius for 2 hours.
  Case, Map, or Scroll: Items within a masterwork case 
  gain a +1 enhancement bonus to Fortitude saves.
  Ink: Masterwork ink adds a +1 enhancement bonus to 
  Forgery checks.
  Lantern, Bullseye: A masterwork lantern of this type 
  illuminates clearly in a 70-foot cone and sends 
  shadowy illumination out to 140 feet. It burns for 
  7 hours on a pint of oil.
  Lantern, Hooded: A masterwork lantern of this type 
  illuminates clearly in a 40-foot radius and sends 
  shadowy illumination out to 80 feet. It burns for 7 
  hours on a pint of oil.
  Oil: Th ere is a 75% chance masterwork oil lights 
  when thrown as a weapon with a fuse. A pint of 
  masterwork oil burns 1/6th longer than standard oil.
  Pouch, Belt: Removing an object from a masterwork 
  belt pouch does not provoke an attack of 
  opportunity.
  Signal Whistle: A masterwork signal whistle adds a 
  +2 enhancement bonus to the Listen checks of 
  characters trying to hear it.
  Torch: A masterwork torch illuminates clearly in a 30-
  foot radius and sends shadowy illumination out to 
  60 feet. It burns for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
  
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  Th e Craft DC for making a masterwork item is always 
  20. Th is is treated as a separate Craft check against 
  the additional cost to make the item masterwork. Th e 
  additional cost is 50 gp or 400% of the item’s base cost, 
  whichever is greater. Th is additional cost makes many 
  masterwork items too expensive for practical use (i.e., 
  masterwork oil at 50 gp and 1 sp per pint). Of course, 
  you may design adventures or monsters that require 
  such materials (a vampire that is immune to daylight, 
  but takes the same eﬀ ect from holy lanterns lit with 
  masterwork oil).
   Renowned
  Renowned items are non-magical items crafted to an 
  amazing degree. In many ways, these are items that are 
  to masterwork as masterwork is to standard quality. 
  Renowned items give double the beneﬁ ts as a masterwork 
  item of the same type (see masterwork items). Th us, a 
  renowned weapon grants a +2 enhancement bonus to 
  attack rolls, but none to damage, and a renowned set of 
  artisan’s tool grants a +4 circumstance bonus to appropriate 
  Craft checks. Renowned items are extremely diﬃ  cult to 
  make and generally only crafted by the most skilled and 
  famous of artisans.
  Renowned armor is an exception to the normal rule. 
  Instead of giving double the bonus of masterwork 
  armor, it increases an armor’s maximum Dexterity 
  bonus by +1 in addition to the normal masterwork 
  bonus (lowering the armor check penalty by –1). 
  Renowned armor costs 1,000 gp more than a typical 
  suit. Th us, a renowned chain shirt costs 1,100 gp, gives 
  an armor bonus to AC of +4, has a maximum Dexterity 
  bonus of +5, and an armor check penalty of –1.
  When crafting a renowned item, treat the renowned 
  component as a separate item that is constructed after 
  the base element of the item is made. Th e Craft DC 
  for a renowned item is 30. Renowned items other than 
  armor cost as much as an average item, plus 4 times 
  what it costs to make that item masterwork. Th us, a 
  renowned longsword costs 1,215 gp, and a renowned 
  silk rope costs 210 gp.
  Legendary
  Legendary items are non-magical items crafted to a 
  truly astounding degree. Legendary items normally 
  give triple the beneﬁ ts a masterwork item of the same 
  type would give (see masterwork items), though some 
  legendary arms and armor have diﬀ erent beneﬁ ts. 
  Legendary items are extremely diﬃ  cult to make, often 
  beyond the skill of living artisans. Only the very best 
  smiths, weavers, and armorers can ever hope to make 
  legendary items. 
  Legendary armor is an exception to the normal rule. 
  Instead of giving double the bonus of masterwork 
  armor, it increases an armor’s maximum Dexterity 
  bonus by +2 in addition to lowering the armor check 
  penalty by –2. Legendary armor costs 4,000 gp more 
  than a typical suit. Th us, a legendary suit of full plate 
  costs 5,500 gp, gives an armor bonus to AC of +8, has 
  a maximum Dexterity bonus of +3, and an armor check 
  penalty of –4.
  Rather than the normal legendary bonus, legendary 
  weapons and armor can gain the beneﬁ ts equal to 
  masterwork armor and a +1 magic enchantment 
  without being magic. Legendary weapons can be bane 
  (only against creatures with a vulnerability to materials 
  it is made from, such as a cold iron weapon being 
  bane against fey), distance, keen, ﬂ aming (requiring 
  a standard action and a pint of oil to light, and a 
  standard action to put out), ki focus, mighty cleaving, 
  or throwing. Legendary armor can be bashing or have 
  light fortiﬁ cation. Th ese are all considered enhancement 
  bonuses and do not stack with magical versions of the 
  same enhancements.
  When crafting a legendary item, treat the legendary 
  component as a separate item that is constructed after 
  the base element of the item is made. Th e Craft DC 
  for a legendary item is 35. Legendary items other than 
  armor cost as much as an average item, plus 10 times 
  what it costs to make that item masterwork. Th us, a 
  legendary greatsword costs 3,050 gp, and a legendary 
  bell costs 501 gp.
  Sovereign materials are presented to allow for truly 
  powerful, best-possible weapons and armor. Th ey are 
  designed to be the very best of their category, superior to 
  cold iron, silver, mithral, and even adamantine. Rare and 
  expensive, sovereign materials are used to make only the 
  most important and most powerful of items. As a result, 
  they are very expensive, but more importantly they are 
  seen as symbols of great power and authority. A player 
  character with a weapon made of a sovereign material 
  is more than just wealthy: he’s declaring himself to be a 
  hero of the highest standards.
  Always consider the eﬀ ects of sovereign materials 
  carefully before adding them to your campaign. Th eir 
  beneﬁ ts are extensive and may cause balance problems. 
  For the most part, the cost of these materials is so 
  high they’ll only ever aﬀ ect high-level play, but even 
  then these materials give characters options they did 
  not possess before. A character with a dragonsteel 
  blade, for instance, can cut through practically 
  anything and has no need to fear any creature’s 
  damage resistance (DR).
  -  Sovereign Materials -
  
  146
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Adding these materials carry some beneﬁ ts, however. 
  Without them, no one weapon can be the “best” weapon 
  against any creature (no matter its DR), and characters 
  with limited material or weapon selections (such as 
  druids) often have no way to beat DR. Many GMs and 
  players don’t like the idea of a hero carrying a “golf bag” 
  of back-up weapons to deal with every possible foe, but 
  the existing DR rules, combined with magic that can 
  either easily store items or increase a character’s Strength 
  to the point where weight isn’t an issue, encourage just 
  this kind of multiple-weapon mentality. By adding 
  sovereign materials, you can run a game in which a true 
  hero, rather than seek ﬁ ve diﬀ erent longswords, strives to 
  earn some day a dragonsteel sword, knowing it will serve 
  him equally well against any foe.
  Sovereign materials are used to make the armor of 
  grand champions, the swords and scepters of kings, and 
  the staﬀ s of archdruids. Th ey are too rare and far too 
  expensive to be available to commoners, and no shop, 
  sorcerer, or smith can make items from these materials 
  to order just because a PC happens to have the money. 
  Prices are given for these materials so a GM knows their 
  value as treasure and how diﬃ  cult they are to craft into 
  items, but these prices should never be used to determine 
  “market value.” Raw sovereign materials may be used 
  in mid- and high-level treasure hoards, and ﬁ nished 
  sovereign material items may be taken from arch-villains 
  or oﬀ ered as epic rewards, but simply buying them 
  should never be possible.
  Sovereign materials can be enchanted or have qualities 
  added to them, as with any other material. In addition to 
  giving the game eﬀ ects of using sovereign material, each 
  entry below describes where these materials can be found 
  and in what amounts.
  Celestrum
  Celestrum is a holy metal smelted from the raw stuﬀ  
  of the good-aligned planes. It can be silver or gold in 
  color, though it is vastly more valuable than either metal. 
  Celestrum is extremely light and strong, allowing armors 
  made of it to be thin without losing strength and easily 
  maneuvered in. Angels and messengers of the gods are 
  often clad in full suits of celestrum, but it’s much rarer 
  for any mortal to acquire a suit. Silver celestrum has 40 
  hit points per inch and hardness 15. Gold celestrum has 
  45 hit points per inch and hardness 18.
  Armor made of silver celestrum has a maximum Dexterity 
  bonus +6 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –3 
  lower (to a minimum of 0), and arcane spell failure –15% 
  lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs half as much 
  as normal armor. Armor made of gold celestrum has a 
  maximum Dexterity bonus +8 higher than normal, an 
  armor check penalty –4 lower (to a minimum of 0), and an 
  arcane spell failure –20% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and 
  it weighs a quarter as much as normal armor.
  
  147
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Armor made of celestrum acts as one category lighter 
  (light armor as no armor, medium armor as light armor, 
  and so forth) and can appear to be two categories lighter 
  (medium armor can be concealed under clothes and 
  appear unarmored; heavy armor can be thin and light 
  enough to conceal most of it, resulting in the appearance 
  of light armor).
  Weapons made of celestrum are holy and weigh half 
  as much (if silver) or one-quarter as much (if gold) as 
  normal weapons of the same type. Items without metal 
  parts cannot be made from celestrum. An arrow could be 
  made of celestrum, but a quarterstaﬀ  could not. Weapons 
  made of celestrum are good-aligned. Gold celestrum 
  weapons also act as both silver and cold iron when used 
  against outsiders (but not against other targets).
  Only good-aligned characters may work, reﬁ ne, forge, 
  or enchant celestrum. Non-good characters that hold or 
  wear celestrum gain one negative level. Th e negative level 
  remains as long as the weapon is in hand or the armor is 
  worn, and it disappears when this condition is no longer 
  the case. Th is negative level never results in actual level 
  loss, but it cannot be overcome in any way (including 
  restoration spells) while the weapon is wielded or the 
  armor worn.
  Celestrum is found only on the planes that serve as the 
  home of good-aligned gods. Even there, the material 
  is rare, existing only where the plane has a natural 
  portal to the plane of earth or in areas where the plane 
  itself has been damaged. A vein of celestrum is thin 
  and small, and the material must be removed without 
  being broken or it becomes tainted by the tools used 
  to retrieve it. It must also be constantly surrounded by 
  holy scripts and song, in order that its removal from the 
  plane that made it does not taint it. (Tainted celestrum 
  is much less valuable, and acts as mithral). Doing this 
  requires a DC 30 Craft (blacksmith) check and a 
  DC 35 Knowledge (religion) check. Once celestrum 
  has been safely removed, it can be forged and moved 
  without risk of taint.
   Dragonsteel
  Th is black, nearly indestructible but very light metal adds 
  to the quality of a weapon or suit of armor. Dragonsteel 
  weighs half as much as steel, but is harder than even 
  adamantine. It is an arcane material that always detects 
  as magic (overwhelming abjuration and transmutation) 
  and is extremely diﬃ  cult to work into usable objects. 
  Objects made of dragonsteel cost signiﬁ cantly more 
  than their normal counterparts (as detailed in Table 
  7–6). Also, any magical enhancements cost an additional 
  5,000 gp. Th us, making a +1 keen dragonsteel longsword, 
  for example, would cost 30,000gp base, +8,000 gp for the 
  enchantment, +5,000 gp for enchanting dragonsteel, for a 
  total of 43,000 gp.
  Weapons fashioned from dragonsteel have a natural 
  ability to bypass hardness and penetrate DR. Dragonsteel 
  weapons ignore the ﬁ rst 30 points of hardness of any 
  object and penetrate any DR that can be bypassed, 
  even if it requires a speciﬁ c material (such as cold 
  iron), an alignment (such as good), or a weapon type 
  (such as bludgeoning). Even DR with no weakness is 
  halved against dragonsteel weapon attacks. So light and 
  perfectly balanced are dragonsteel weapons that they act 
  as one class lighter (i.e., one-handed weapons as light 
  weapons, two-handed weapons as one-handed weapons, 
  and weapons normally one size too large to wield as two-
  handed weapons).
  Table 7-4: 
  Silver Celestrum Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +60 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +5,000 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +10,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +15,000 gp
  Weapon
  +6,000 gp
  Other Item
  +1,000 gp/lb.
  Table 7-5: 
  Gold Celestrum Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +90 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +7,500 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +15,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +22,500 gp
  Weapon
  +9,000 gp
  Other Item
  +1,500 gp/lb.
  Table 7-6: 
  Dragonsteel Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +600 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +50,000 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +100,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +150,000 gp
  Weapon
  +30,000 gp
  Other Item
  +10,000 gp/lb.
  
  148
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Armor made from dragonsteel grants DR to the wearer 
  and has an innate level of fortiﬁ cation (allowing it to 
  negate critical hits and sneak attack damage). Light 
  armor made from dragonsteel grants its wearer damage 
  reduction of 2/– and has 25% fortiﬁ cation; medium 
  armor has a DR of 4/– and 50% fortiﬁ cation; and 
  heavy armor has a DR of 6/– and 75% fortiﬁ cation. 
  Dragonsteel armor is one category lighter than normal 
  for purposes of movement and other limitations — heavy 
  armors are treated as medium, and medium armors 
  are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as 
  light. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made 
  from dragonsteel are decreased by –15%, the maximum 
  Dexterity bonus is increased by +3, and armor check 
  penalties are lessened by –4 (to a minimum of 0).
  Dragonsteel is so costly that weapons and armor 
  made from it are always of masterwork quality (the 
  masterwork cost is included in the prices given). Th us, 
  dragonsteel weapons 
  and ammunition have 
  a +1 enhancement 
  bonus on attack rolls. 
  (While dragonsteel 
  armor does have 
  the check penalty 
  lessened by –1 compared 
  to ordinary masterwork 
  armor, that’s already 
  included in the eﬀ ects of 
  dragonsteel armor.). Items 
  without metal parts cannot 
  be made from dragonsteel. 
  An arrow could be made 
  of dragonsteel, but a 
  quarterstaﬀ  could not. Only 
  weapons, armor, and shields 
  normally made of metal 
  can be fashioned from 
  dragonsteel. Weapons, 
  armor, and shields normally 
  made of steel that are made 
  of dragonsteel have twice as 
  many hit points as normal. 
  Dragonsteel has 60 hit points per inch of 
  thickness and hardness 30.
  Dragonsteel can be found only under very 
  speciﬁ c circumstances. Raw iron ore that is exposed to 
  the ﬁ re of an ancient dragon’s breath weapon before 
  being excavated has a small chance of becoming 
  dragonsteel. For ore to absorb enough innate dragon 
  magic and be annealed with trace elements from the 
  ﬁ ery breath to become dragonsteel takes decades at 
  least. Only the highest quality iron ore veins manage 
  this transformation, and those are rarely exposed to 
  enough ancient dragon’s ﬁ re to be changed. Normally, 
  this happens only if a dwarven iron mine is taken by a 
  dragon as a lair and then kept for a long period of time. 
  Obviously, even then, only small amounts of dragonsteel 
  are produced, and the material cannot be retrieved 
  without dealing with the dragon that produced it. 
  Since only a little of a vein is exposed under the best of 
  circumstances, no more than 10–20 pounds of it is ever 
  found in one locale (enough to make a greataxe or a suit 
  of chainmail or banded mail, but not enough for a suit of 
  full plate).
  Heartwood
  Heartwood comes in four main varieties (blue, grey, 
  red, and white), each mimicking the mystic qualities 
  of a special metal. Blue heartwood has the same 
  mystic qualities as alchemical silver, grey heartwood 
  as adamantine, red heartwood as cold iron, and white 
  heartwood as mithral. Th is quality allows these woods to 
  penetrate DR and hardness as if they were the metal in 
  question. Th us, a red heartwood staﬀ  penetrates the DR 
  of fey with DR against cold iron, 
  while blue heartwood works against 
  lycanthropes. White heartwood 
  weights half as much as 
  normal wood, and grey 
  heartwood ignores 20 points 
  of object hardness. Despite 
  these properties, heartwoods 
  have the same hardness and 
  hit points per inch as normal 
  wood. Heartwood also 
  always qualiﬁ es as wood for 
  all DR and mystic purposes.
  When treated with the 
  ironwood spell, heartwood 
  actually gains all the properties 
  of the metal it mimics, including 
  gaining the hardness and 
  hit points of that metal. An 
  ironwood spell cast on heartwood 
  can be made permanent with a 
  permanency or miracle, at a cost of 
  2,000 XP.
  Th ere also exists golden 
  heartwood, a far rarer 
  material that duplicates the 
  eﬀ ects of orichalcum (see below). Golden heartwood 
  always has the full properties of orichalcum, but is very 
  diﬃ  cult to work with, increasing all wood-related Craft 
  DCs by +15.
  Heartwood of any kind is rare. It is literally the center 
  wood of a particularly ancient tree brought to thinking 
  life with the awaken spell cast by a druid of at least 
  16th level. Th e creature must have at least 32 Hit Dice 
  at the time it is animated. For blue heartwood, the 
  creature must go on to be a cleric and have a 15 or 
  
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  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  better Wisdom; for red heartwood, the creature must 
  be a ﬁ ghter with a 15 or better Charisma; for white 
  heartwood, the creature must become a wizard with an 
  18 Intelligence; and for grey heartwood, the creature 
  must have an 18 in Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, 
  though it can pursue any life-path. If such an awakened 
  tree is allowed to live to the end of its natural life span, it 
  may, if it wishes, generate 1 pound of heartwood per HD 
  it has upon its death. Th is act is one of selﬂ ess generosity 
  and is taken only to make a gift to an old friend or to 
  help an ally overcome some great foe. Th e cost of each of 
  these heartwoods is given in Tables 7–7 to 7–9.
  Golden heartwood comes only from the most massive 
  and ancient of trees, which must have been awakened 
  through the direct action of a creature of at least 
  demigod status. It is far rarer than other heartwoods 
  and is jealously guarded by those few archdruids and fey 
  kings who possess it.
  Blue and red heartwood items cost 10 times as much 
  as regular items. Grey, white, and golden heartwoods 
  cost signiﬁ cantly more than other kinds and have their 
  own tables.
   Orichalcum
  Orichalcum, also known as blood-silver, is a mystic 
  combination of cold iron, alchemical silver, and 
  adamantine. Th e crimson red metal is literally an alloy 
  of these metals, as well as gold and tin, and combines 
  the beneﬁ ts of these materials. Orichalcum weighs half 
  as much as iron and is as hard as adamantine. Objects 
  made of orichalcum cost more to make than their 
  normal counterparts (see Table 7–10). Also, any magical 
  enhancements cost an additional 2,000 gp. Th us, making 
  a suit of +1 slick orichalcum full plate, for example, would 
  cost 30,000 gp base, +1,000 gp for the enchantment, 
  +3,750 to be slick, and +2,000 gp for enchanting 
  orichalcum, for a total of 39,750 gp.
  Weapons fashioned from orichalcum have a natural 
  ability to bypass hardness, ignoring the ﬁ rst 20 points of 
  hardness of any object. Additionally, orichalcum weapons 
  penetrate DR as if they were alchemical silver, cold iron, 
  or adamantine.
  Armor made from orichalcum grants DR to the wearer, 
  has a –10% reduction in arcane spell failure (minimum 
  of 0%), has a maximum Dexterity bonus increased by +2, 
  has armor check penalties reduced by –3 (minimum 0), 
  and counts as one class lighter for purposes of movement, 
  encumbrance, and special abilities. Light armor made 
  from orichalcum grants its wearer damage reduction 
  of 1/– and still qualiﬁ es as light armor, medium armor 
  grants DR 2/– and qualiﬁ es as light armor, and heavy 
  armor grants DR 3/– and qualiﬁ es as medium armor.
  Orichalcum must be cold-forged to retain its special 
  abilities and is so diﬃ  cult to work with that weapons and 
  armor made from it are always of masterwork quality 
  (the masterwork cost is included in the prices given in 
  Table 7–10). Th us, orichalcum weapons and ammunition 
  have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls. (While 
  orichalcum armor does have the check penalty lessened 
  by –1 compared to ordinary armor, that’s already added 
  in to the eﬀ ects of orichalcum armor.). Items without 
  metal parts cannot be made from orichalcum. An arrow 
  could be made of orichalcum, but a quarterstaﬀ  could not. 
  Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal 
  can be fashioned from orichalcum. Weapons, armor, and 
  shields normally made of steel that are made of orichalcum 
  have +50% more hit points than normal. Orichalcum has 
  40 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 20.
  Table 7 -7: 
  Grey Heartwood Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +90 gp
  Weapon
  +4,500 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +7,500 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +15,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +22,500 gp
  Other Item
  +1,000 gp/lb.
  Table 7-8: 
  White Heartwood Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +40 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +1,500 gp
  Weapon
  +4,500 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +6,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +13,500 gp
  Other Item
  +200 gp/lb.
  Table 7-9: 
  Golden Heartwood Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +160 gp
  Weapon
  +7,500 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +12,500 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +25,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +37,500 gp
  Other Item
  +2,550 gp/lb.
  
  150
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  disintegrate an object that it touches, as the spell, but 
  requiring a melee touch attack.
  Strong transmutation; CL 17th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, disintegrate; Price +49,000 gp.
  Animated, Greater
  A greater animated shield automatically hovers near 
  its owner while in eﬀ ect, protecting him as if he was 
  carrying it. Th e shield does this even if the owner 
  is asleep or incapacitated, and prevents him from 
  qualifying as “helpless.”
   Th e greater animated shield hovers at a suﬃ  cient 
  distance such that the owner does not suﬀ er the 
  penalties for carrying a shield, including armor check 
  penalty, arcane spell failure, and any non-proﬁ ciency 
  penalties.
  A character must wear a greater animated shield for a 
  full 24 hours, suﬀ ering all normal penalties for it, before 
  he is considered its owner. If anyone else puts it on, the 
  shield doesn’t function for anyone until that person has 
  worn it for 24 hours.
  Only shields can have the greater animated quality.
  Strong transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, telekinesis; Price +4 bonus.
  Aquatic
  Th e wearer of aquatic armor is treated as unarmored 
  for purposes of Swim checks. Th e wearer can breathe 
  underwater and can converse with any creature with a 
  language that breathes water.
  Shields may not have aquatic quality.
  Moderate abjuration; CL 11th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, freedom of movement, water breathing, 
  tongues; Price +22,000 gp.
  Making orichalcum is very tricky. It requires a DC 
  35 Craft (alchemy) check in conjunction with a 
  DC 30 Craft (smelting) check. To make one pound 
  of orichalcum, raw materials of cold iron, mithral, 
  adamantine, gold, and tin totaling 2,000 gp must be 
  obtained (400 gp worth of each material), rather than 
  the normal 1/3 raw material cost. Additionally, the 
  crafting must be ﬁ nished on a week with a full moon, 
  and the item must be worked on continuously until that 
  time. Th us, the crafters must estimate how long it will 
  take to alloy the materials into orichalcum and ensure 
  they complete the process on a speciﬁ c week. Failure 
  to do so ruins the alloying and wastes 1/3 of the raw 
  materials. At the end of this process, a pound of raw 
  orichalcum is created, ready to then itself be crafted 
  into another item.
   - Armor and Shields - 
  Some of the armor and shield properties listed here 
  are taken from speciﬁ c magic armors and shields in 
  Chapter Seven of the DMG. Th ey are presented in this 
  format to make them easy for you to add to other armor 
  types, rather than being restricted to a few rare items. 
  Others are new properties designed to open new plot 
  possibilities and heighten player interest with non-
  standard magic.
   Absorbing
  Absorbing armor or shield is ﬂ at black and seems to 
  absorb light. Once every two days, on command, it can 
  Table 7-10: 
  Orichalcum Weapons and Armor
  Type of Item
  Item Cost 
  Modiﬁ er
  Ammunition
  +120 gp
  Weapon
  +6,000 gp
  Light armor or shield
  +10,000 gp
  Medium armor or tower shield
  +20,000 gp
  Heavy armor
  +30,000 gp
  Other Item
  +2,000 gp/lb.
  
  151
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
   Attacking, Melee
  Th e ornate suits of armor and shields of this type always 
  have some form of weapon or creature worked into them 
  as part of the design. Th ree times per day as a free action, 
  the weapon or creature can be commanded to attack with 
  a 5-foot reach (independently of the wearer), slashing, 
  stabbing, smashing, or biting with the wielder’s base 
  attack bonus (including multiple attacks, if available) and 
  dealing 2d6 points of damage. Th is attack is in addition 
  to any actions performed by the wielder.
  Moderate conjuration; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, summon nature’s ally IV; Price +1 bonus.
   Attacking, Ranged
  Th ese suits of armor and shields have spines and sharp 
  blades protruding from their surface and must be part 
  of a suit with armor spikes or a spiked buckler. On 
  command up to three times per day, the wearer can ﬁ re 
  one of the shield’s or armor’s spines. A ﬁ red spine has a 
  +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage, a range 
  increment of 120 feet, and deals 1d10 points of damage 
  (19–20/×2). Fired spines regenerate each day.
  Moderate evocation; CL 6th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, magic missile; Price +1 bonus.
  Charging
  Charging armor and shields add +2d6 points of damage 
  to a wearer’s charge, including mounted charges. A 
  charging shield only adds this bonus to damage done 
  with a shield bash while charging, but does add +6 to all 
  Strength checks the wielder makes when initiating or 
  defending against a bull rush.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, bull’s strength; Price +1 bonus.
  Minor Medium Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  01–10
  01–04
  01–03
  Attacking, melee
  +1 bonus
  11–20
  05–08
  04–06
  Attacking, ranged
  +1 bonus
  21–30
  09–12
  07–09
  Fortiﬁ cation, light
  +1 bonus
  31–52
  13–15
  10–12
  Glamered
  +2,000 gp.
  53–62
  16–19
  13–15
  Lucky
  +2,500 gp
  63–72
  20–23
  —
  Slick
  +3,750 gp
  73–82
  24–27
  —
  Shadow
  +3,750 gp
  83–92
  28–31
  —
  Silent moves
  +3,750 gp
  93–96
  32–35
  —
  Spell resistance (13)
  +2 bonus
  97
  36–39
  16–18
  Slick, improved
  +15,000 gp
  98
  40–43
  19–21
  Shadow, improved
  +15,000 gp
  99
  44–47
  22–24
  Silent moves, 
  improved
  +15,000 gp
  —
  48–51
  25–27
  Flying
  +16,200 gp
  —
  52–55
  28–30
  Acid resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  56–59
  31–33
  Cold resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  60–63
  34–36
  Electricity resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  64–67
  37–39
  Fire resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  68–71
  40–42
  Sonic resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  72–75
  43–45
  Command
  +19,050 gp
  —
  76–79
  46–48
  Aquatic
  +22,000 gp
  —
  80–83
  49–51
  Speed
  +22,000 gp
  —
  84–86
  52–54
  Ghost touch
  +3 bonus
  —
  87–89
  55–57
  Invulnerability
  +3 bonus
  —
  90–93
  58–60
  Fortiﬁ cation, moderate
  +3 bonus
  —
  94–96
  61–63
  Spell resistance (15)
  +3 bonus
  —
  97–99
  64–66
  Wild
  +3 bonus
  Minor Medium Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  —
  —
  67–69
  Slick, greater
  +33,750 gp
  —
  —
  70–72
  Shadow, greater
  +33,750 gp
  —
  —
  73–75
  Silent moves, greater
  +33,750 gp
  —
  —
  76–77
  Acid resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  78–79
  Cold resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  80–81
  Electricity resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  82–83
  Fire resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  84–85
  Sonic resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  86–87
  Spell resistance (17)
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  88–89
  Absorbing
  +49,000 gp
  —
  —
  90–91
  Etherealness
  +49,000 gp
  —
  —
  92
  Undead controlling
  +49,000 gp
  —
  —
  93
  Fortiﬁ cation, heavy
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  94
  Spell resistance (19)
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  95
  Acid resistance, greater +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  96
  Cold resistance, 
  greater
  +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  97
  Electricity resistance, 
  greater
  +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  98
  Fire resistance, greater +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  99
  Sonic resistance, 
  greater
  +66,000 gp
  100
  100
  100
  Roll again twice
  —
  Table 7-11: Armor Special Abilities*
  * Italicized special abilities are detailed in Chapter Seven of the DMG.
  
  152
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
   Command
  When used, the armor or shield bestows a digniﬁ ed and 
  commanding aura upon its owner. Th e user gains a +2 
  competence bonus on all Charisma checks, including 
  turning checks and Charisma-based skill checks. Th e 
  user also gains a +2 competence bonus to her Leadership 
  score. Friendly troops within 360 feet of the user become 
  braver than normal, gaining a +4 morale bonus against all 
  fear and spell aﬀ ects.
  Since the eﬀ ect arises in great part from the distinctiveness 
  of the armor or shield, the wearer cannot hide or conceal 
  herself in any way and still have the eﬀ ect function.
  Strong enchantment; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, mass charm monster; Price +19,050 gp.
   Flying
  Th is armor or shield allows the wearer to ﬂ y on command 
  (as the spell) once per day. Because the power of ﬂ ight 
  comes from the armor or shield itself, the wearer does 
  not count the weight of the armor or shield against his 
  encumbrance for the purposes of ﬂ ying speed and ﬂ ies as 
  if wearing light armor.
  Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, ﬂ y; Price +16,200 gp.
  Lucky
  Lucky armor or shield allows the wearer to force an 
  attack roll against her to be re-rolled once each week. Th is 
  decision must be made before damage is rolled for the 
  attack, and the second roll’s result is used even if it is worse.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, bless; Price +2,500.
  Speed
  Armor or shield of speed allows its wearer, when 
  activated as a free action, to act as though aﬀ ected by a 
  haste spell for up to 10 rounds each day. Th e duration of 
  the haste eﬀ ect need not be consecutive rounds.
  Minor Medium Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  01–11
  01–05
  01–04
  Arrow catching
  +1 bonus
  12–22
  06–10
  05–09
  Bashing
  +1 bonus
  23–33
  11–15
  10–13
  Blinding
  +1 bonus
  34–44
  16–20
  14–17
  Fortiﬁ cation, light
  +1 bonus
  45–60
  21–25
  18–21
  Lucky
  +2,500 gp
  61–72
  26–30
  22–25
  Animated
  +2 bonus
  73–87
  31–40
  26–28
  Arrow deﬂ ection
  +2 bonus
  88–98
  41–45
  —
  Spell resistance (13)
  +2 bonus
  99
  46–50
  29–32
  Flying
  +16,200 gp
  —
  51–55
  33–36
  Acid resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  56–60
  37–40
  Cold resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  61–65
  41–44
  Electricity resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  66–70
  45–48
  Fire resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  71–75
  49–52
  Sonic resistance
  +18,000 gp
  —
  76–80
  53–56
  Command
  +19,050 gp
  —
  81–85
  57–60
  Aquatic
  +22,000 gp
  —
  86–90
  61–63
  Speed
  +22,000 gp
  —
  91–93
  64–66
  Ghost touch
  +3 bonus
  —
  94–95
  67–69
  Fortiﬁ cation, moderate
  +3 bonus
  —
  96–97
  70–72
  Spell resistance (15)
  +3 bonus
  —
  98–99
  73–74
  Wild
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  75–76
  Acid resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  77–78
  Cold resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  Minor Medium Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  —
  —
  79–80
  Electricity resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  81–82
  Fire resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  83–84
  Sonic resistance, 
  improved
  +42,000 gp
  —
  —
  85–86
  Animated, greater
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  87–88
  Spell resistance (17)
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  89
  Absorbing
  +49,000 gp
  —
  —
  90
  Etherealness
  +49,000 gp
  —
  —
  91
  Undead controlling
  +49,000 gp
  —
  —
  92
  Fortiﬁ cation, heavy
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  93
  Reﬂ ecting
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  94
  Spell resistance (19)
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  95
  Acid resistance, greater +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  96
  Cold resistance, 
  greater
  +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  97
  Electricity resistance, 
  greater
  +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  98
  Fire resistance, greater +66,000 gp
  —
  —
  99
  Sonic resistance, 
  greater
  +66,000 gp
  100
  100
  100
  Roll again twice
  —
  Table 7-12: Shield Special Abilities*
  * Italicized special abilities are detailed in Chapter Seven of the DMG.
  
  153
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, haste; Price +22,000 gp.
   Specific Armors 
  Th e following speciﬁ c armors have all been made with 
  the rules in this chapter and those found in Chapter 
  Seven of the DMG.
  Archmage"s Bulwark
  Th is +1 greater animated tower shield is 7 feet tall and 
  etched in the image of an actual wizard’s tower.
  Strong transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, telekinesis; Price 25,180 gp.
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Speciﬁ c Armor
  Market 
  Price
  01–35
  01–15
  —
  Mithral shirt
  1,100 gp
  36–55
  16–25
  —
  Dragonhide plate
  3,300 gp
  56–69
  26–37
  —
  Elven chain
  4,150 gp
  70–84
  38–47
  —
  Bear hide
  4,175 gp
  85–100
  48–58
  —
  Chain of charging
  4,250 gp
  —
  59–67
  —
  Rhino hide
  5,165 gp
  —
  68–75
  —
  Safe skin
  6,655 gp
  —
  76–83
  01–06
  Adamantine 
  breastplate
  10,200 gp
  —
  84–90
  07–13
  Dwarven plate
  16,500 gp
  —
  91–97
  14–21
  Sky defender
  17,950 gp
  —
  98–100
  22–28
  Banded mail of luck
  18,900 gp
  —
  —
  29–35
  Celestial armor
  22,400 gp
  —
  —
  36–42
  Plate armor 
  of the deep
  24,650 gp
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Speciﬁ c Armor
  Market 
  Price
  —
  —
  43–49 Armor of command
  24,700 gp
  —
  —
  50–56
  Archmage’s 
  bulwark
  25,180 gp
  —
  —
  57–63
  Armor of the 
  merman
  25,350 gp
  —
  —
  64–70
  Breastplate of 
  command
  25,400 gp
  —
  —
  71–76
  Swift justice
  26,170 gp
  —
  —
  77–82
  Mithral full 
  plate of speed
  26,500 gp
  —
  —
  83–88
  Swift skin
  31,165 gp
  —
  —
  89–93
  Silent warrior
  36,180 gp
  —
  —
  94–97
  Demon armor
  52,260 gp
  —
  —
  98–99
  Armor of doom
  53,300 gp
  —
  —
  100
  Golden champion
  169,250 gp
  Table 7-13: Specific Armors
  * Italicized special abilities are detailed in Chapter Seven of the DMG.
  
  154
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Armor of Command
  Th is suit of +2 full plate of command is distinctive and 
  impressive, though each suit is unique and usually tells 
  a story.
  Strong enchantment; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, mass charm monster, Price 24,700 gp.
  Armor of Doom
  Th e armor of doom is a black suit of +2 absorbing ranged 
  attacking chainmail, covered in jagged spikes and 
  bones.
  Strong transmutation, moderate evocation; CL 17th; 
  Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disintegrate, magic 
  missile; Price 53,300 gp.
  Armor of the Merman
  Th is +1 aquatic glamered breastplate is constructed of blue 
  steel and etched with wave and shell patterns.
  Moderate abjuration and illusion; CL 11th; Craft Magic 
  Arms and Armor, disguise self, freedom of movement, 
  water breathing, tongues; Price 25,350 gp.
  Bear Hide
  Th is suit of +1 melee attacking studded leather is made of 
  bear fur and studded with bear teeth and claws.
  Moderate conjuration; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, summon nature’s ally IV; Price 4,175 gp.
  Chain of Charging
  Th is +1 charging chain shirt is made of steel rings edged 
  with brass or copper rings at the arms, neck, and skirt 
  edge.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, bull’s strength; Price 4,250 gp.
  Golden Champion
  Th e golden champion is a suit of +5 ﬂ ying legendary 
  dragonsteel full plate of command. Th ough made of 
  dragonsteel, it has been gold-washed to give it a gleaming, 
  heroic appearance. It grants DR 6/– and 75% fortiﬁ cation.
  Medium armor; armor bonus +5; max Dexterity bonus 
  +6; armor check penalty –1; arcane spell failure 10%.
  Strong enchantment; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, ﬂ y, mass charm monster; Price: 169,250.
  Safe Skin
  Th is suit of +2 lucky leather armor is ﬁ nely tailored and 
  trimmed. It has the appearance of a nice suit that a noble 
  might wear.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, bless; Price 6,655 gp.
  The Silent Warrior
  Th e Silent Warrior is a +1 greater animated tower shield of 
  bashing. It is a large plate of iron bearing a bas relief of a 
  ﬁ erce, mace-wielding warrior.
  Strong and moderate transmutation; CL 15th; Craft 
  Magic Arms and Armor, bull’s strength, telekinesis; 
  Price 36,180 gp.
  Sky Defender
  Th is gleaming silver suit of +1 ﬂ ying half-plate produces a 
  set of translucent white wings on command.
  Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, ﬂ y; Price 17,950 gp.
  Swift Justice
  Swift Justice is a +1 charging heavy steel shield of speed. Th e 
  surface of this teardrop-shaped shield changes to match 
  the heraldry of the wielder (remaining black when no 
  heraldry is appropriate).
  Moderate and faint transmutation; CL 12th; Craft 
  Magic Arms and Armor, bull’s strength, haste; Price 
  26,170 gp.
  Swift Skin
  Th is spotted animal pelt is +3 hide armor of speed.
  Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, haste; Price 31,165 gp.
   - Weapons - 
  Th e following special abilities are designed to allow you to 
  model speciﬁ c weapons from the DMG, as well as some 
  magic weapons from popular fantasy literature. Many 
  of the abilities added in this chapter are very powerful, 
  and you should think twice before allowing them in her 
  campaign. Th ough designed to be balanced against other 
  weapon bonuses, they do expand the kinds of abilities 
  available to magic weapons, which can make both NPCs 
  and PCs more versatile and thus harder to predict.
  Magic Weapon Special Abilities
  Desiccated
  A weapon with the desiccated property is surrounded 
  in a dull mist of dehydrating magic. Th is mist has 
  no eﬀ ect on damage dealt to most creatures, but the 
  magic can penetrate oozes when the weapon deals 
  a particularly well-placed blow. Th is eﬀ ect dries out 
  
  155
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  part of an ooze’s mass, damaging it greatly. As a result, 
  oozes are vulnerable to critical hits from desiccated 
  weapons.
  Desiccated weapons destroy mundane, non-magic liquids 
  within which they are placed, to a limit of 11 gallons 
  each day.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Moderate conjuration; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, death ward; Price +1 bonus.
  Elemental
  Once per day, an elemental weapon can blast forth a magic 
  ray at any target within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. Th e 
  ray deals 4d6 points of acid, cold, electricity, or ﬁ re damage 
  on a successful hit. Th e type of damage done by the ray is 
  chosen when the weapon is made and cannot be changed.
  Minor Medium
  Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  01
  01
  01
  Racefriend**
  +200 gp
  02–06
  02–03
  02–03
  Bane
  +1 bonus
  07–12
  04–06
  — 
  Defending
  +1 bonus
  13–17
  07–08
  04–05
  Desiccated
  +1 bonus
  18–22
  09–10
  — 
  Enhancing, +1
  +1 bonus
  23–27
  11–12
  06–07
  Featherlight
  +1 bonus
  28–34
  13–15
  08–09
  Flaming
  +1 bonus
  35–41
  16–18
  10–11
  Frost
  +1 bonus
  42–48
  19–21
  12–13
  Shock
  +1 bonus
  49–53
  22–24
  14–15
  Ghost touch
  +1 bonus
  54–60
  25–27
  — 
  Keen
  +1 bonus
  61–63
  28–30
  16–17
  Ki focus
  +1 bonus
  64–66
  31–32
  — 
  Merciful
  +1 bonus
  67–71
  33
  18–19
  Mighty cleaving
  +1 bonus
  72–76
  34–35
  20–21
  Shieldbreaker
  +1 bonus
  77–81
  36–38
  22–23
  Spell storing
  +1 bonus
  82–86
  39–41
  24–25
  Th rowing
  +1 bonus
  87–90
  42–44
  26–27
  Th undering
  +1 bonus
  91–94
  45–46
  28–29
  Vicious
  +1 bonus
  95–97
  47–48
  30–31
  Skilled
  +2,000 gp
  98
  49–51
  32–33
  Elemental
  +2,400 gp
  99
  52–54
  34–35
  Potent
  +1 bonus, 
  +4,000 gp
  —
  55–57
  36–37
  Anarchic
  +2 bonus
  —
  58–60
  38–39
  Axiomatic
  +2 bonus
  —
  61–63
  40–41
  Disruption
  +2 bonus
  —
  64–65
  —
  Enhancing, +2
  +2 bonus
  —
  66–68
  42
  Flaming burst
  +2 bonus
  —
  69–71
  43–44
  Force
  +2 bonus
  —
  72–75
  45
  Icy burst
  +2 bonus
  —
  76–77
  —
  Infectious, mildly
  +2 bonus
  —
  78–80
  46–47
  Holy
  +2 bonus
  —
  81–83
  48–49
  Shieldbreaker, 
  greater
  +2 bonus
  —
  84–86
  50–51
  Shining
  +2 bonus
  Minor Medium
  Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  —
  87–88
  52
  Shocking burst
  +2 bonus
  —
  89–90
  53–54
  Unholy
  +2 bonus
  —
  90–91
  55–56
  Wounding
  +2 bonus
  —
  92–93
  57–58
  Fortune
  +14,000 gp
  —
  94–95
  59–60
  Sworn
  +17,000 gp
  —
  —
  61
  Enhancing, +3
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  62
  Infectious, 
  moderately
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  63
  Spectral, minor
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  64–65
  Speed
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  66
  Venomous, mildly
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  67–68
  Smiting
  +3 bonus, 
  +3,000 gp
  —
  —
  69
  Subtle
  +20,000 gp
  —
  —
  70
  Iced
  +22,000 gp
  —
  —
  71
  Terror
  +30,000 gp
  —
  —
  72–73
  Brilliant energy
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  74
  Dancing
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  75
  Infectious, extremely
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  76
  Venomous, 
  moderately
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  77
  Fortune, 1 wish
  +54,000 gp
  —
  —
  78–79
  Invincible
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  80–81
  Spectral, major
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  82–83
  Venomous, 
  extremely
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  84–85
  Vorpal
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  86
  Soul stealing
  +5 bonus, 
  +6,000 gp
  —
  —
  87
  Fortune, 2 wishes
  +94,000 gp
  —
  —
  88
  Slaying
  +111,750 gp
  —
  —
  89
  Fortune, 3 wishes
  +134,000 gp
  —
  —
  90
  Greater slaying
  +200,500 gp
  100
  96–100
  91–100
  Roll again twice
  —
  Table 7-14: Melee Weapon Special Abilities*
  * Italicized special abilities are detailed in Chapter Seven of the DMG.
  ** Roll again for a minor special ability to which the racefriend trait applies.
  
  156
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Moderate evocation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, any spell of at least 2nd level that deals 
  damage of the chosen type; Price +2,400 gp.
   Enhancing
  An enhancing weapon increases the DC (by +1, +2, 
  or +3) of a speciﬁ c special ability that can be delivered 
  through it with a successful attack. For example, a +1 
  enhancing (quivering palm) quarterstaﬀ  increases the save 
  DC of a quivering palm attack a monk makes through 
  it. It has no eﬀ ect on any attack other than a quivering 
  palm and does not grant the ability to make a quivering 
  palm attack. Attacks that cannot be delivered through a 
  weapon blow or that do not have a save DC cannot be 
  aided with an enhancing weapon.
  Alternatively, an enhancing weapon can enhance the 
  DC of another of its magic properties. For example, a 
  +2 enhancing (disruption) mace of disruption has a DC 16 
  Will save.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red and applies only to special attacks 
  made at range and to abilities of the weapon itself.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, permanency; Price +1 bonus (+1 enhancing), 
  +2 bonus (+2 enhancing), +3 bonus (+3 enhancing).
  Featherlight
  A featherlight weapon can be used as the weapon type 
  it is or as a single weapon that deals the same kind 
  of damage one category lighter (i.e., a two-handed 
  featherlight weapon can also be used as a speciﬁ c one-
  handed weapon, and a featherlight one-handed weapon 
  can also be used as a speciﬁ c light melee weapon).
  For example, a +1 featherlight bastard sword can be made 
  to act as a short sword with respect to weight and ease 
  of use. Th e weapon appears to all viewers to be a bastard 
  sword and deals bastard sword damage, but the wielder 
  feels and reacts as if the weapon were a short sword. 
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  01
  01
  01
  Racefriend**
  +200 gp
  02–09
  02–04
  02–03
  Bane
  +1 bonus
  10–17
  05–08
  —
  Distance
  +1 bonus
  18–25
  09–11
  04–05
  Desiccated
  +1 bonus
  26–34
  12–14
  —
  Enhancing, +1
  +1 bonus
  35–42
  15–18
  06–08
  Flaming
  +1 bonus
  43–50
  19–22
  9–11
  Frost
  +1 bonus
  51–58
  23–25
  12–15
  Returning
  +1 bonus
  59–66
  26–29
  16–18
  Shock
  +1 bonus
  67–84
  30–33
  19–21
  Seeking
  +1 bonus
  85–90
  34–36
  22–24 
  Merciful
  +1 bonus
  91–98
  37–40
  25–27
  Th undering
  +1 bonus
  99
  41–43
  28–30
  Potent
  +1 bonus, 
  +4,000 gp
  —
  44–47
  31–34
  Anarchic
  +2 bonus
  —
  48–50
  35–38
  Axiomatic
  +2 bonus
  —
  51–54
  39–41 
  Enhancing, +2
  +2 bonus
  —
  55–60
  42
  Flaming burst
  +2 bonus
  —
  61–65
  43–44
  Force
  +2 bonus
  —
  66–70
  45
  Icy burst
  +2 bonus
  —
  71–75
  46–47 
  Infectious, mildly
  +2 bonus
  —
  76–80
  48–49
  Holy
  +2 bonus
  —
  81–85
  50–51
  Shocking burst
  +2 bonus
  —
  86–90
  52–53
  Unholy
  +2 bonus
  Minor
  Medium
  Major
  Special Ability
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  —
  94–95
  54–55
  Sworn
  +17,000 gp
  —
  —
  56–57
  Enhancing, +3
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  58–59
  Infectious, 
  moderately
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  60–61
  Spectral, minor
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  62–63
  Speed
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  64–65
  Venomous, mildly
  +3 bonus
  —
  —
  66–67
  Smiting
  +3 bonus, 
  +3,000 gp
  —
  —
  68–69
  Subtle
  +20,000 gp
  —
  —
  70–71
  Brilliant energy
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  72–75
  Infectious, extremely
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  76–79
  Venomous, 
  moderately
  +4 bonus
  —
  —
  80
  Fortune, 1 wish
  +54,000 gp
  —
  —
  81–82
  Invincible
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  83–84
  Spectral, major
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  85–86
  Venomous, 
  extremely
  +5 bonus
  —
  —
  87
  Fortune, 2 wishes
  +94,000 gp
  —
  —
  88
  Slaying
  +111,750 gp
  —
  —
  89
  Fortune, 3 wishes
  +134,000 gp
  —
  —
  90
  Greater slaying
  +200,500 gp
  100
  96–100
  91–100
  Roll again twice
  —
  Table 7-15: Ranged Weapon Special Abilities*
  * Italicized special abilities are detailed in Chapter Seven of the DMG.
  ** Roll again for a minor special ability to which the racefriend trait applies.
  
  157
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Any individual able to use either a bastard sword or a 
  short sword with proﬁ ciency is proﬁ cient in the use of a 
  +1 featherlight bastard sword. Likewise, Weapon Focus and 
  Weapon Specialization in short sword and bastard sword 
  apply equally, but the beneﬁ ts of those feats do not stack.
  If using weapon size rules, rather than the light melee, 
  one-handed melee, and two-handed melee categories, a 
  featherlight weapon acts as if one size category smaller 
  for purposes of how it is wielded, but not for damage or 
  any other reason.
  Only melee weapons may be featherlight.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, feather fall; Price +1 bonus.
   Force
  A weapon with the force ability is covered in a ﬁ eld of 
  force energy. Damage from the weapon is treated as if it 
  had the [Force] descriptor, allowing it to aﬀ ect creatures 
  on the Ethereal Plane. Th e ﬁ eld also protects the weapon, 
  giving it +20 hardness.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Moderate evocation; CL 11th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, wall of force; Price +2 bonus.
   Fortune
  A weapon of fortune gives its possessor a +1 luck bonus 
  on all saving throws. Its possessor also gains the power 
  of good fortune, usable once per day. Th is extraordinary 
  ability allows its possessor to reroll one roll that she just 
  made. She must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s 
  worse than the original roll.
  Rarely, a weapon of good fortune also contains one, two, 
  or three wishes. Once the wishes are used, the weapon 
  retains its other magic properties.
  Moderate evocation; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, heroism or prayer; Price +14,000 gp. (If 
  containing wishes: Strong evocation; Craft Magic 
  Arms and Armor, wish, heroism or prayer; Price 
  +40,000 gp for 1 wish, +80,000 gp for 2 wishes, 
  +120,000 gp for 3 wishes.)
   Iced
  An iced weapon sheds light as a torch when the 
  temperature drops below 0°F. At such times, it cannot be 
  concealed when drawn, nor can its light be shut oﬀ . Its 
  wielder is protected from ﬁ re: the weapon absorbs the 
  ﬁ rst 10 points of ﬁ re damage each round that the wielder 
  would otherwise suﬀ er.
  An iced weapon extinguishes all nonmagical ﬁ res in its 
  area. As a standard action, it can also dispel lasting ﬁ re 
  spells, but not instantaneous eﬀ ects, though the wielder 
  must succeed on a dispel check (1d20 +14) against each 
  spell to dispel it. Th e DC to dispel such spells is 11 + the 
  caster level of the ﬁ re spell.
  Strong evocation; CL 14th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, ice storm, dispel magic, protection from energy; 
  Price +22,000 gp.
  Infectious
  A weapon with this ability infects those injured by it 
  with a disease. Th ere is no incubation period for the 
  disease of an infectious weapon — targets must make 
  a Fortitude save every time they are dealt damage by 
  it. If the save is failed, the target immediately takes the 
  listed damage and is now diseased. (Diseased characters 
  must make an additional save every day or take the listed 
  damage again. If a successful save is made two days in a 
  row, the disease is cured.)
  Once a character is diseased, the infectious weapon just 
  deals normal damage. It is not possible to suﬀ er the 
  same disease more than once. A remove disease spell cast 
  on an infectious weapon requires a caster level check. If 
  the check exceeds the weapon’s caster level, it loses its 
  infectious ability for 1d4 hours.
  An infectious weapon cannot also be defending, merciful, 
  or holy. A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Infectioous Effects
  Infectious 
  Type
  Fort 
  DC
  Disease 
  Eﬀ ects
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  Mildly
  14
  1d4 Con
  +2
  Moderately
  19
  1d4 Con
  +3
  Extremely
  22
  1d6 Con
  +4
  Strong necromancy; CL 6th (mildly infectious), CL 
  11th (moderately infectious), CL 16th (extremely 
  infectious); Craft Magic Arms and Armor, 
  contagion; Price +2 bonus, +3 bonus, or +4 bonus.
   Invincible
  An invincible weapon has at least a chance to harm 
  any creature. It ignores 10 points of hardness and DR 
  (even DR without a vulnerability); half the damage 
  done with it is always lethal (even against creatures 
  with regeneration); and if it misses a target because of a 
  percentile roll (regardless of what forced the percentile 
  roll, including being incorporeal or having cover), the 
  weapon’s wielder is allowed a second percentile roll to 
  determine success. An invincible weapon even has a 
  50% chance of striking an ethereal target (though this 
  percentile roll is not checked twice).
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  
  158
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  Strong transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, miracle or wish; Price +5 bonus.
   Potent
  A potent weapon deals an additional 1d8 points of 
  damage with every blow. Th is damage acts as weapon 
  damage, but is not multiplied by a critical hit.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Moderate evocation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor; Price +1 bonus and +4,000 gp.
   Racefriend
  A racefriend weapon has one or more special abilities 
  that can be used only by a member of a particular race. 
  For example, a +2 elﬀ riend orc bane longsword might act as 
  only a +1 longsword in the hands of anyone except an elf. 
  At least a +1 enhancement bonus must be left available 
  to anyone, but any other bonus or property of the weapon 
  can be limited to a single race.
  Rarer are classfriend weapons, which act in the same way 
  except only members of a given class (with at least one 
  level in the class) may access their limited powers.
  Moderate evocation; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, creator must be of the race or class the 
  weapon is friend to or of at least 10th level; Price 
  +200 gp per property limited to a single race.
  Shieldbreaker
  A weapon with the shieldbreaker property can 
  damage any magic weapon or armor with a +5 or 
  less enhancement bonus. Normally, magic weapons 
  and armor are damaged only by weapons with an 
  enhancement bonus at least equal to their own. A greater 
  shieldbreaker weapon can damage any weapon, regardless 
  of its enhancement bonus. Only melee weapons may be 
  shieldbreakers or greater shieldbreakers.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, disintegrate; Price +1 bonus (shieldbreaker), 
  +2 bonus (epic shieldbreaker).
  Shining
  A weapon with the shining property is surrounded 
  in a bright nimbus of positive energy. Th is energy has 
  no eﬀ ect on damage dealt to most creatures, but the 
  energy can penetrate undead when the weapon deals a 
  particularly well-placed blow. Th is eﬀ ect burns out part 
  of the dark energies that drive undead, damaging them 
  greatly. As a result, undead are vulnerable to critical hits 
  from shining weapons.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Additionally, any character holding a shining weapon 
  is treated as two levels higher when attempting to turn 
  (but not rebuke) undead. Th is eﬀ ect both increases the 
  highest level undead she can turn and adds to her turning 
  damage. Shining weapons automatically illuminate 
  brightly out to a 30-foot radius when drawn and cast 
  shadowed illumination out to a 60-foot radius. A shining 
  weapon cannot also be vicious; ﬂ aming, icy, or shocking 
  burst unholy; or wounding.
  Strong conjuration; CL 7th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, death ward; Price +2 bonus.
  Skilled
  A skilled weapon is keyed to one of the following feats: 
  Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip. 
  When used by a wielder without the keyed feat, the 
  skilled weapon has no special property. In the hands of a 
  wielder with the keyed feat, the weapon gives the bonus 
  listed below.
  • 
  Improved Disarm: +4 to opposed attack rolls 
  made to disarm an opponent.
  • 
  Improved Sunder: +4 to attacks made to strike a 
  foe’s weapon, +4 to damage dealt to weapons.
  • 
  Improved Trip: +4 to Strength checks made to trip 
  an opponent.
  Strong evocation; CL 13th; Strength 13, Craft Arms and 
  Armor, keyed feat; Price +2,000 gp.
  
  159
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
   Slaying
  A slaying weapon is keyed to a particular type or subtype 
  of creature, just like a bane weapon. If it strikes such a 
  creature, the target must make a DC 20 Fortitude save 
  or die (or, in the case of unliving targets, be destroyed) 
  instantly. Note that even creatures normally exempt from 
  Fortitude saves (undead and constructs) are subject to 
  this attack. When keyed to a living creature, this is a 
  death eﬀ ect (and thus death ward protects a target).
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  A greater slaying weapon functions just like a normal 
  slaying weapon, but the DC to avoid the death eﬀ ect 
  is 23.
  Strong necromancy; CL 13th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, ﬁ nger of death (slaying weapon) or 
  heightened ﬁ nger of death (greater slaying weapon); 
  Price +111,750 gp (slaying weapon) or +200,500 
  bonus (greater slaying weapon).
   Smiting
  A weapon of smiting acts as an adamantine weapon for 
  all purposes. It also gains an additional +2 enhancement 
  bonus against constructs, and any critical hit dealt to a 
  construct completely destroys it (no saving throw). A 
  critical hit dealt to an outsider has its multiplier increased 
  by +2 (i.e., from x2 to x4, x3 to x5, or x4 to x6).
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, disintegrate; Price +3 bonus and +3,000 gp.
   Spectral, Major
  A major spectral weapon is imbued with the powers of 
  undeath and darkness. Any creature struck by a major 
  spectral weapon must make a DC 18 Will save or take 
  energy drain, gaining one negative level. After 24 hours, 
  the creature must make a DC 18 Fortitude save. If the 
  save is successful the negative level goes away; if not, the 
  creature permanently loses one level. A character who 
  takes one more negative level than he has levels or Hit 
  Dice is killed and has a 10% chance to rise immediately 
  as a wraith under the control of the creature wielding the 
  major spectral weapon.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  A creature immune to energy drains is immune to the 
  eﬀ ects of a major spectral weapon. A creature must save 
  against a major spectral weapon ever time the weapon 
  deals damage to it and can suﬀ er multiple negative levels 
  and multiple lost levels. Each negative level forces its 
  own Fortitude save 24 hours after it is gained.
  A character who loses a level to a major spectral weapon 
  has a scar that never heals and can always feel the wound 
  on the anniversary of its inﬂ iction. A spectral weapon 
  cannot also be defending, merciful, or holy.
  Strong necromancy; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, energy drain; Price +5 bonus.
  Spectral, Minor
  A minor spectral weapon is imbued with the powers of 
  undeath and darkness. Any creature struck by a minor 
  spectral weapon on a natural attack roll of 19 or 20 
  must make a DC 15 Will save or take energy drain, 
  gaining one negative level. After 24 hours, the negative 
  level goes away (there’s no chance of the negative level 
  being permanent).
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  A creature immune to energy drains is immune to the 
  eﬀ ects of a minor spectral weapon. A creature must save 
  against a minor spectral weapon every time the weapon 
  deals damage on a natural attack roll of 19 or 20 and 
  can take multiple negative levels. Each negative level 
  fades 24 hours after it is gained.
  Strong necromancy; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, energy drain; Price +3 bonus.
  Soul Stealing
  A soul stealing weapon drinks in the immortal spirit of 
  any creature it kills. If the blow that ends a creature’s life 
  comes from the soul stealing weapon, that creature’s soul 
  is stolen. Th e creature cannot be restored to life through 
  any means (including clone, miracle, raise dead, resurrection, 
  reincarnation, true resurrection, or wish), and its body is 
  immune to the speak with dead spell.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Once per day, the wielder of a soul stealing weapon can 
  name one creature killed by the weapon and ask it two 
  questions, as if casting speak with dead on the creature’s 
  complete corpse.
  If the soul stealing weapon is broken, those killed by it 
  can be restored to life through all normal means, and their 
  bodies become vulnerable to the speak with dead spell.
  A soul stealing weapon cannot also be defending, 
  merciful, or holy.
  Strong necromancy; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, soul bind; Price +5 bonus and +6,000 gp.
  Subtle
  A subtle weapon grants a +4 bonus on its wielder’s attack 
  and damage rolls when making a sneak attack with it.
  
  160
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Moderate illusion; CL 7th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, blur; Price +20,000 gp.
   Sworn
  A sworn weapon makes a whispered oath each time it 
  is drawn or ﬁ red. Th e oath varies by weapon, but it is 
  generally a promise to kill the wielder’s enemies. 
  Once per day as a free action, if the wielder swears 
  aloud to slay her target, the weapon’s whisper becomes 
  a low shout.
  Against such a sworn enemy, the weapon has a +2 
  enhancement bonus and deals an +2d6 points of damage 
  (and critical multipliers are increased by +1). However, 
  the weapon is treated as only a masterwork weapon 
  against all foes other than the sworn enemy, and the 
  wielder takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls with any 
  weapon other than the sworn weapon. Th ese bonuses 
  and penalties last for 7 days or until the sworn enemy is 
  slain or destroyed by the wielder of the sworn weapon, 
  whichever comes ﬁ rst.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  A sworn weapon may have only one sworn enemy at a 
  time. Once the wielder swears to slay a target, she cannot 
  make a new oath until she has slain that target or 7 days 
  have passed, whichever occurs ﬁ rst. Even if the wielder 
  slays the sworn enemy on the same day that she makes 
  the oath, she cannot activate the sworn weapon’s special 
  power again until 24 hours have passed from the time 
  she made the oath.
  Strong evocation; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, creator must be an elf; Price +17,000 gp.
  Terror
  A terror weapon causes the wielder’s clothes and 
  appearance to transform into an illusion of darkest 
  horror such that living creatures in a 30-foot cone must 
  succeed on a DC 16 Will save or become panicked as 
  if by a fear spell. Th e wielder may use this ability up to 
  three times per day. 
  Strong necromancy; CL 13th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, fear; Price +30,000 gp.
  Venomous
  A weapon with this ability is always envenomed, 
  poisoning those injured by it. Th e poison acts as normal 
  injury poisons do and deals initial damage after a failed 
  Fortitude save and secondary damage 1 minute later 
  after a second failed save. Th e exact details of the poison 
  vary, as listed in the table below. A target can take the 
  eﬀ ects of a venomous weapon several times.
  A venomous weapon cannot also be defending, merciful, 
  or holy. Some venomous weapons can invoke their 
  poison only once each day, rather than with every blow. 
  Th e wielder may decide to invoke the poison of such a 
  weapon as a free action after any successful hit.
  A ranged weapon with this ability confers it on 
  ammunition ﬁ red.
  Venemous Weapon Damage
  Poisonous 
  Type
  Fort 
  DC
  Initial 
  Damage
  Secondary 
  Damage
  Base Price 
  Modiﬁ er
  Mildly
  12
  1d2 Con
  1d2 Dex
  +3
  Moderately
  17
  1d4 Str
  1d4 Con
  +4
  Extremely
  20
  1d6 Dex Unconsciousness*
  +5
   
  * Unconsciousness lasts for 1d3 hours.
  Strong necromancy; CL 6th (mildly poisonous), CL 
  11th (moderately poisonous), CL 16th (extremely 
  poisonous); Craft Magic Arms and Armor, 
  contagion; Price +3 bonus, +4 bonus, or +5 bonus. A 
  venomous weapon that can use its power only once 
  a day has a bonus price 2 lower (i.e., +1, +2, or +3).
   Specific Weapons
  Th e following weapons have all been made with the 
  rules in this chapter and those found in Chapter Seven 
  of the DMG.
  
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  Arrows of the Assassin
  Th is sheaf of 50 arrows is full of +1 invincible subtle 
  arrows. Each arrow is ﬂ at black and ﬂ etched with raven 
  feathers.
  Strong transmutation, moderate illusion; CL 15th; Craft 
  Magic Arms and Armor, blur and either miracle or 
  wish; Price 92,350 gp. 
  Bow of Balance
  Th is red wood +1 composite longbow of smiting is strung 
  with ﬁ ne steel strings and strikes a single, clear note each 
  time an arrow is ﬁ red.
  Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Craft Magic Arms 
  and Armor, disintegrate; Price 35,400 gp.
  Demonbane
  Demonbane swords are often carried by angels and other 
  good-aligned outsiders, though one occasionally ﬁ nds 
  its way to the hands of a mortal paladin or cleric. Made 
  of gold celestrum, they are ﬁ nely crafted longswords 
  with white-wrapped hilts. Demonbane weapons are +1 
  featherlight holy evil outsider bane bastard swords that can 
  be wielded as either bastard swords or short swords.
  Moderate conjuration, evocation, and transmutation; 
  CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, feather 
  fall, holy smite, summon monster I, must be good; 
  Price 59,035 gp.
  Dwarven Guardhammer
  Th ese ﬁ nely crafted weapons are commonly given 
  to dwarven guards who hold the entrances to their 
  mountain fortresses. Th ey are almost never made for or 
  sold to outsiders.
  No aura (nonmagical); Balanced dwarven masterwork 
  warhammer (1d8+1; 5 lb.; hardness 6; 6 hp); Price 
  624 gp.
  Dwarven Lordhammer
  Th ese ﬁ nely crafted orichalcum weapons are commonly 
  made for dwarven nobles and kings when they take their 
  title. Th ey are almost never made for or sold to outsiders.
  A guardhammer is a warhammer that deals 2d8+3 points 
  of damage, weighs 5 lb., has hardness 21, and has 8 hit 
  points. In the hands of a non-dwarf it deals only 1d8+3 
  points of damage.
  Moderate evocation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, must be a dwarf; Price 40,524 gp.
  Ghost Killer
  Th is weapon is a +1 undead bane  light crossbow of force 
  that appears to be slightly out of time, shifting in the 
  wielder’s hand as if it were somehow out of phase.
  Moderate conjuration and evocation; CL 11th; Craft 
  Magic Arms and Armor, summon monster I, wall of 
  force; Price 32,335 gp.
  Nagaunt Blade
  A nagaunt blade is a terrible and dark weapon 
  approaching the power of a minor artifact. Carried by 
  the most powerful undead, half-dragons, and avatars of 
  evil gods, a nagaunt blade attacks ﬂ esh and soul equally, 
  striking fear into the hearts of even the noblest heroes. 
  Th e ﬂ at black weapon seems to glow with evil energy, 
  and it actually negates the eﬀ ects of a light spell (though 
  no other forms of illumination).
  A nagaunt blade is an orichalcum +3 unholy slaying soul-
  stealing longsword. Most are slaying against some kind of 
  humanoid, usually humans, elves, or dwarves.
  Strong necromancy; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, ﬁ nger of death, soul bind; Price 326,065 gp.
  Shattershield
  Th is +2 shieldbreaker heavy mace of fortune is strait-lined 
  and sturdy. It is ﬂ anged with simple triangular pieces and 
  has only a plain, leather-wrapped handle. Th e wishes that 
  were once attached are long since used.
  Moderate evocation and transmutation; CL 9th; Craft 
  Magic Arms and Armor, disintegrate, and either 
  heroism or prayer; Price 32,312 gp.
  Slime Stalker
  Th e slime stalker is a +1 ooze bane desiccated guisarme, with 
  a long haft of black wood and a heavy steel blade swirling 
  with etched green patterns.
  
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  Moderate conjuration; CL 8th; Craft Magic Arms and 
  Armor, death ward, summon monster I; Price 18,309 gp.
  Spear of Retribution
  Th e spear of retribution is a +2 potent javelin of 
  returning with a long, reddish wooden haft and a 
  gold-washed blade.
  Moderate evocation and transmutation; CL 12th; Craft 
  Magic Arms and Armor, telekinesis; Price 32,300 
  gp + 5 sp.
  Thinsword
  Th e thinsword is an elven weapon similar to a human 
  rapier. Carried only by nobles and holy champions, 
  thinswords are marks of high status. A single thinsword 
  can take months to craft and is generally kept as a 
  family heirloom.
  No aura (nonmagical); Legendary balanced elven 
  longsword (+3 bonus to attack; 1d8+1 Medium, 
  1d6+1 Small; 19–20/x2; 4 lb.); Price 3,330 gp.
  Viper Tooth
  Th is leaf-shaped +1 anarchic extremely venomous dagger is 
  incredibly thin and easy to conceal. 
  Strong necromancy, moderate evocation [chaotic]; CL 
  16th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, chaos hammer, 
  contagion; Price 128,302 gp.
   -  Spell Lenses - 
  A spell lens is a magic item that allows a spellcaster to 
  convert energy from a prepared spell or open spell slot 
  into a spell stored within the spell focus. Th is eﬀ ect 
  works much like a cleric or druid’s spontaneous casting 
  ability, but rather than convert a prepared spell into a 
  healing or summoning spell, the energy is converted 
  into whatever magic is within the spell lens. Th ere are 
  two types of spell lenses, set and bonded, and a small 
  percentage of spell lenses are also open.
  Physical Description
  All types of spell lenses are small gems, generally 
  translucent, to which loops of silver, gold, or rarely iron 
  have been connected by ﬁ ne chains. Th ey are worn on 
  the hand, with the gemstone ﬁ tting snugly against the 
  palm. Wearing rings and carrying items normally is 
  possible while using a spell lens, but no other magic 
  glove or gauntlet may be worn. (Characters can wear 
  two diﬀ erent spell lenses, however, one on each hand.) 
  Spell lenses weigh between a 1/10th and 1/2 a pound. 
  A spell lens has AC 13, 5 hp, hardness 10, and a break 
  DC of 26.
  Activation
  A spell lens is activated by casting a spell that fuels 
  the magic of the lens. All vocal, somatic, and material 
  components of the spell within the spell lens must be 
  completed, and any required spell focus must be present. 
  Using a spell lens acts exactly as if the user was actually 
  casting the spell within the lens, and provokes and 
  attack of opportunity.
  Special Qualities
  Roll 1d100. A result of 69–78 indicates the spell lens 
  is open (see below); 79–98 indicates the spell lens has 
  a design, rune, or lettering that gives some clue to the 
  spells contained within it. A roll of 99–100 indicates 
  the spell lens is intelligent (see the rules for intelligent 
  items in Chapter Seven of the DMG). A roll of 01–68 
  indicates nothing unusual about the spell lens.
  Set Spell Lenses
  A set spell lens is essentially a spell trigger item that 
  has one or more spells stored in it with a casting level 
  already determined. Only characters that have the spells 
  stored within the lens on their class spell list may activate 
  them. A character must expend a spell slot of the same 
  or higher level to trigger the stored spell, which is cast at 
  its set level. For example, a lens of ﬁ re is a set spell focus 
  item with burning hands (CL 1st) and ﬁ reball (CL 7th). 
  Wizards and sorcerers can use the lens, as both those 
  spells are on their spell lists. Regardless of a wizard’s 
  or sorcerer’s level, if a 1st-level spell slot is expended to 
  activate burning hands, the spell is cast at 1st level; as 
  well, if a 3rd-level or higher spell slot is expended to cast 
  ﬁ reball, the spell is cast at 7th level.
  Th e cost of a set spell lens is spell level x caster level x 
  500 gp. Th e second spell in the same spell lens costs 75% 
  of the full cost, and each additional spell costs 50% of 
  the full cost. Th us, the lens of ﬁ re costs (3 x 7 = 21 x 500 
  =10,500 for the ﬁ reball, plus 1 x 1 x 500 x 0.75 = 375 for 
  the burning hands) 10,875 gp.
  Bonded Spell Lenses
  A bonded spell lens is a spell trigger item that casts 
  all spells at the caster level of the character activating 
  it. Bonded lenses must be worn for 24 hours before 
  they begin to function, and if removed, they must be 
  worn for another 24 hours before working again. For 
  example, a lens of storms is a bonded spell lens with call 
  lightning storm and control weather. A druid may expend 
  
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  a 3rd-level or higher prepared spell to cast call lightning 
  at her caster level and a 7th-level or higher prepared 
  spell to cast control weather at her level.
  Th e cost of a bonded spell lens is spell level x 4,000 gp. 
  Th e second spell in the same spell focus item costs 75% 
  of the full cost, and each additional spell costs 50% of the 
  full cost. Th us the lens of storms costs (7 x 4,000 =28,000 
  for the control weather, plus 3 x 4,000 =12,000 x .75 = 
  8,000 for the call lightning) 36,000 gp.
  One in ten spell lenses are open, and both set and 
  bonded spell lenses can be open. Th ese spell lenses are 
  not spell trigger items, in that any caster may expend a 
  spell to activate the stored spell, rather than just those 
  character with access to those spells on their spell lists. 
  Open spell lenses otherwise function as normal. An open 
  spell lens has double the cost of a normal spell lens.
  Creation
  Spell lenses may be treated as wondrous items, in which 
  case any character with the Craft Wondrous Item feat 
  and access to the spells to be stored within the spell lens 
  may create one, using the normal magic item creation 
  rules. Alternatively, you may decide to require a character 
  take the Attune Spell Lens feat (see Appendix One) 
  before making spell lens items.
  Since a spell lens requires any material components or 
  spell focuses to be present when it is used, the cost of 
  these items is paid only once as part of item creation.
  Specific Lenses
  Th e following lenses are examples of what can be done 
  with the spell lens rules.
  Battle Lens
  Th ese simple bonded lenses have a sliver of sapphire 
  cat’s-eye set in a collection of hinged rings. Th ese lenses 
  give access to the following spells:
   
  • magic missile (1st)
   
  • shield (1st)
   
  • shocking grasp (1st)
   
  • true strike (1st)
  Minor divination; CL 1st; Attune Spell Lens or Craft 
  Wondrous Item (depending on campaign), magic 
  missile, shield, shocking grasp, true strike; Price 
  11,000 gp.
  Lens of Fire
  Th ese set lenses have a bright red agate with streaks of 
  yellow running through them, set in wire loops of iron 
  connected to ﬁ nger-caps. Th ese lenses give access to the 
  following spells, cast at the listed levels:
   
  • burning hands, cast at 1st level (1st)
   
  • ﬁ reball, cast at 7th level (3rd)
  Moderate evocation; CL 7th; Attune Spell Lens or Craft 
  Wondrous Item (depending on campaign), burning 
  hands, ﬁ reball; Price 10,875 gp.
  Lens of Peace
  Th ese set lenses have a polished white marble button 
  run through with golden veins, hooked to hinges and 
  rings. Th ey give access to the following spells, cast at the 
  listed levels:
   
  • lesser restoration, cast at 3rd level (2nd)
   
  • remove disease, cast at 5th level (3rd)
   
  • neutralize poison, cast at 7th level (4th)
  Moderate conjuration; CL 7th; Attune Spell Lens or 
  Craft Wondrous Item (depending on campaign), 
  lesser restoration, neutralize poison, remove disease; 
  Price 21,125 gp.
  Lens of Sages
  Th ese bonded lenses have a cat’s-eye set in a web of steel 
  chains. Th ey give access to the following spells:
   
  • identify (1st)
   
  • augury (2nd)
   
  • zone of truth (2nd)
  Minor divination; CL 3rd; Attune Spell Lens or Craft 
  Wondrous Item (depending on campaign), augury, 
  identify, zone of truth; Price 18,000 gp.
  Lens of Storms
  Th ese bonded lenses have a cloudy quartz crystal with 
  chains and ﬁ nger-rings of etched silver. Th ey give access 
  to the following spells:
   
  • call lightning (3rd)
   
  • control weather (7th)
  Moderate evocation; CL 13th; Attune Spell Lens or 
  Craft Wondrous Item (depending on campaign), 
  call lightning, control weather; Price 36,000 gp.
  Lens of the Wanderer
  Th ese set lenses have a cluster of several gem chips 
  mounted in a bronze disk, which is attached to the 
  ﬁ ngers by leather straps with bronze buckles. Th ese 
  lenses give access to the following spells, cast at the 
  listed levels:
   
  • plane shift, cast at 9th level (5th)
   
  • teleport, cast at 9th level (5th)
  Strong conjuration; CL 9th; Attune Spell Lens or Craft 
  Wondrous Item (depending on campaign), plane 
  shift, teleport; Price 39,375 gp.
  
  164
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  In most d20 games certain objects of magic exceed 
  the power limits of normal magic items. Known as 
  artifacts, these incredibly potent devices are beyond the 
  capabilities of normal mortals to create. No matter how 
  powerful a wizard, regardless of a cleric’s devotion or the 
  size of his congregation, irrespective of a psion’s mental 
  acuity, no normal mortal can make an artifact.
  Th ere do exist, however, beings able to craft artifacts. Th ey 
  are rare, with often no more than one per world. Th e price 
  for such creation is high, even for these powerful beings, so 
  they create artifacts very infrequently. Not even demigods 
  and demon princes can aﬀ ord to make such items lightly, 
  and those they do create are often closely guarded tools. 
  Rarely, a mortal manages to reach the levels of cosmic power 
  needed to create artifacts, though never easily or quickly.
  You can use the artifact creation rules in one of two 
  common ways. Most commonly, they are guidelines for 
  how powerful an NPC must be in order to create such 
  objects. For example, a famous half-dragon, half-dwarven 
  artiﬁ cer might be legendary for having forged two 
  hammers of thunderbolts. Because of the great personal cost 
  involved in doing so, the artiﬁ cer isn’t likely ever to do so 
  again, but PCs may seek him out for advice or be hired 
  by him to recover the weapons he forged a century ago. 
  Because you have solid rules for what it takes to create the 
  hammers, he can present a consistent and believable NPC 
  to his players. If the players are aware of these rules, they 
  have a sense of the powers such a character must wield.
  Th e second, and much less common, use for artifact 
  creation rules is to allow PCs to make such items. 
  Obviously, this use is relevant only in the most epic of 
  campaigns. Even in such high-powered games, making 
  artifacts is a costly, time-consuming, and dangerous 
  endeavor. Th e most appropriate use for PC artifacts is to 
  change the tone of a campaign from one of heroic action 
  to behind-the-scenes manipulations and the construction 
  of a legendary object for one speciﬁ c purpose.
  If you allow PC artifact creation just because you feels it 
  adds to the cosmic powered feel of his campaign, limit 
  creation to minor artifacts. Minor artifacts are far and 
  away more powerful than even epic magic items, but they 
  have powers and abilities in keeping with the general 
  capabilities of epic characters. An archwizard with a staﬀ  
  of the magi is extremely powerful, but he’s still in the same 
  ballpark as other 21st-level and higher characters. Major 
  artifacts are not only more potent, but the requirements for 
  making them are so restrictive no PC should ever want to 
  do so just for power gain. Besides, allowing epic characters 
  to make minor but not major artifacts is a nice way of 
  diﬀ erentiating between the two.
  If using artifact creation as a way to allow PCs to do 
  something normally beyond them, make sure that the 
  process of creation is as much of a quest as what will be done 
  with the artifact. In games such as this, the entire theme of 
  the campaign may revolve around seeking out the means to 
  create an artifact as the only possible way to achieve a goal. 
  Th ere may be an actual evil god ruling a land as a despot, 
  and only an artifact sword can kill him; or perhaps it reduces 
  his power to that of a mere 30th-level mortal, making him 
  at best theoretically vulnerable. A cursed land might require 
  its king be given a holy artifact to be cleansed, or a dead god 
  might be resurrected with an artifact crown.
  In essence, this is the basic quest game, jumped up a level 
  of diﬃ  culty. Rather than simply ﬁ nd a lost artifact, the 
  PCs must make one. Doing so may involve a reforging 
  of an old artifact or the creation of a brand new object 
  that is only theoretically possible. Th e GM should draw 
  out the creation process as an adventure of high-level 
  characters. Don’t allow the feats needed to be taken until 
  ancient tomes of lore and lost masters are consulted, 
  requiring that a certain amount of speciﬁ c levin (see page 
  140) be gathered from various sources, and have foes try 
  to stop the heroes at every turn. Under these conditions, 
  allowing epic characters actually make a major artifact is 
  not unreasonable, but it should certainly be the most epic 
  event to occur within the campaign.
  Artifact Rules
  Artifacts have a few universal powers. Th ey are immune 
  to divination spells and spell-like abilities of 9th level or 
  less. Eﬀ orts to use identify, detect magic, or even locate object 
  on an artifact simply fail. Minor artifacts are extremely 
  resilient, with hardness ranging from 10 to 50 and 10 
  times the hit points of mundane objects of the same size 
  and manufacture. Major artifacts are nearly indestructible, 
  with only one speciﬁ c method available to destroy such 
  an item; the method is always decided by you (never the 
  player, even if a PC creates the artifact), and it should be 
  related to the artifact’s theme or the method of its creation.
  Numerous spells and magic eﬀ ects specify they do not 
  function on artifacts — this condition is true of both 
  major and minor artifacts. If scavenged levin rules are 
  being used, artifacts are immune to them. Minor artifacts 
  are the most powerful of magic items, and major artifacts 
  are essentially mindless gods. If in doubt about a spell’s 
  or power’s ability to aﬀ ect an artifact, give it a power level 
  check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 40 for minor 
  artifacts and a DC of 50 for major artifacts.
  Artifact Creation
  To create a minor artifact, a character must take the Create 
  Minor Artifact feat (see Appendix One). Th is feat allows 
  her to make one speciﬁ c kind of minor artifact, which you 
  must approve. Th e character may make this minor artifact 
   - Making  Artifacts - 
  
  165
  Chapter Seven: Treasure and Magic Items
  multiple times, though the personal cost is huge. If the 
  character cannot meet the prerequisites for the feat after 
  taking it (if she loses too many levels as a result of making 
  artifacts, for example), she cannot make minor artifacts 
  until she once more meets the prerequisites. You may 
  require half the XP cost of minor artifacts be paid with 
  speciﬁ c levin, often location and creature levin.
  A character creating a minor artifact must spend gold 
  pieces equal to the artifact’s caster level multiplied by 
  50,000. (Th e minimum CL for a minor artifact is 16th.) 
  She must work on the artifact for one day per 10,000 
  gp spent. Th is working time may be interrupted for 
  one day per week (i.e., the work must be done in six-
  day increments, and only a day may pass between work 
  periods), but any further interruption causes the artifact 
  to be ruined. Half the money spent is lost, and all work 
  must begin anew. Additionally, the character must make 
  an appropriate DC 30 Craft check at the end of the 
  creation process. If the check fails, half the money spent 
  is lost, and the time to create is extended by 50%.
  Normally, making a minor artifact requires the creator 
  to cast either miracle or wish, or use the psionic power 
  genesis. Th e creator must do this herself; she cannot have 
  someone else do it for her. Additionally, a 9th-level spell 
  or power of the same school as the minor artifact must 
  be cast, again by the creator. Th ese spells or abilities can 
  come from items used by the creator. You can allow these 
  two requirements to be bypassed in favor of the creator 
  undertaking a quest appropriate to the theme of the 
  artifact to be created. Th e quest isn’t completed until the 
  creator has earned experience points equal to one-quarter 
  those expended creating the artifact.
  Th e personal cost for creating an artifact is signiﬁ cant. 
  Upon completion, the creator loses 2,000 XP per CL of 
  the artifact. As well, the character takes a permanent loss 
  of 1 point of Constitution, and 1 point of Intelligence 
  or Wisdom or Charisma (whichever of these abilities is 
  highest). Nothing can prevent these ability losses (if they 
  are somehow prevented, the minor artifact is not created 
  and all money and work is lost), nor can these losses be 
  restored by any means, including miracle or wish. Th e 
  magic that makes artifacts, even minor ones, goes beyond 
  the power of even the most powerful spells to restore.
  Th us, the creator of a deck of many things must spend 
  1,000,000 gp and devote 100 days to working on it. If she 
  fails her Craft check, she must spend another 500,000 gp 
  and 100 days, at the end of which she must make another 
  Craft check. She must be able to cast or manifest miracle, 
  wish, or genesis, as well as one 9th-level spell or power of 
  every school (as the deck of many things radiates magic of 
  all schools). Once these requirements are all met, she loses 
  40,000 XP, 1 point of Constitution, and 1 point of the 
  highest of her Intelligence or Wisdom or Charisma. After 
  all that, the minor artifact is successfully created.
  Creating a major artifact is an even lengthier and more 
  dangerous undertaking. Firstly, a character must take the 
  Create Major Artifact feat for each major artifact she wishes 
  to make (not for each type but for each individual artifact, as 
  all major artifacts are unique; see Appendix One). Secondly, 
  she must go through the process described above, treating 
  the major artifact as a minor artifact with a CL of 30th.  Th e 
  Craft check has a DC of 40; failing the check leads to the 
  setbacks as listed for minor artifacts.
  Once the major artifact is created, the creator loses 60,000 
  XP and 1 point of all six ability scores. Nothing can prevent 
  these losses (if the losses are somehow prevented, the 
  artifact is not created and all money and work is lost), nor 
  can these losses be restored by any means, including miracle 
  or wish. Further, the creator must make DC 30 Fortitude 
  and Will saves, with failure resulting in her permanent, 
  irreversible destruction (though her destruction does not 
  prevent the artifact from being completed).
  Even taking the Create Major Artifact feat can change a 
  creature. Any character who dies after taking the Create 
  Major Artifact feat but before using it to create an artifact 
  may, if it wishes, turn itself into an artifact. If the creature 
  does this, it is permanently destroyed forever and cannot 
  be restored through any means. Th e creature makes DC 
  30 Fortitude and Will saves (using the bonuses it had 
  while alive). If the saves are successful, a major artifact is 
  created out of the creature’s remains (often a hand or eye, 
  but sometimes some other object on her body is imbued 
  with the artifact’s power). If either save fails, only a minor 
  artifact is created.
  
  166
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  C
  onditions and environments are the basic tools 
  from which the rest of a campaign is built. You 
  need deﬁ nitions for eﬀ ects, places, and even 
  biological needs in order to use them to craft more 
  three-dimensional adventures. Th e basic terms and 
  settings deﬁ ned in the core rules handle most common 
  possibilities, but this chapter adds new possibilities to 
  help you expand your options.
  Most of the ideas in this chapter run a little further 
  oﬀ  the beaten track of adventure themes. Th ey should 
  either be highlighted as major elements of the campaign 
  (speciﬁ cally mentioned to players as well-known 
  possibilities before they’re encountered) or used sparingly. 
  Th ere’s nothing wrong with having a transstorm show up 
  without warning once or even having some plot revolve 
  around such a phenomenon’s sudden appearance, but you 
  should not just randomly begin adding them to a game 
  without reason. Players need to feel they can come to 
  understand a campaign world, and sudden shifts in how 
  things work can be jarring.
  Chapter Eight: 
  Conditions and Environments
   - New  Conditions - 
  One of the ways a d20 campaign keeps its rules 
  consistent is to have a set of conditions with speciﬁ c 
  game mechanical meanings.  If a spell or situation states a 
  character is dazed, dazzled, or dying, those terms refer to a 
  particular condition that’s deﬁ ned in advance. Regardless 
  of the source of a condition, the result on the character is 
  the same. Th e conditions are designed to be consistent, so 
  a character that is blinded has the same diﬃ  culty hitting 
  a foe as one striking at an invisible target. Nor are all of 
  the conditions purely physical. Mental states ranging from 
  fear-based conditions (cowering, frightened, panicked, 
  and shaken) to confusion and being fascinated are covered, 
  allowing related mind-aﬀ ecting spells to remain as 
  consistent as physical eﬀ ects. 
  If you wish to explore a physical or mental theme 
  regularly, you may ﬁ nd deﬁ ning new conditions and 
  making your players aware of them worthwhile. New 
  conditions can be used in many ways. If you expect 
  to deal with angst and worry regularly in your games, 
  create the worried condition and then refer to it when 
  Chapter Eight: 
  Conditions and Environments
  
  167
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  writing up other rules. You may decide to use it just for 
  NPCs, or he may give players the option to decide if 
  their characters are “worried” in the game mechanical 
  sense. He can even then create poisons that cause worry, 
  worry-based-spells, and magic items that can be used 
  only when a character is worried (encouraging players to 
  self-penalize their characters with the worried condition).
  A number of new conditions are presented below for you to 
  add to your games as needed. Th ese conditions are referred 
  to by other rules in this chapter (see New Environments 
  and Hazards starting on page 168). Rules elsewhere in 
  the Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide also occasionally refer 
  to them, but only as an option (so you don’t need to use 
  these rules to use anything else in the book). You can also 
  use these conditions when designing new spells, poisons, 
  diseases, and magic items, or as a benchmark when 
  designing your own conditions.
  Th e only real drawbacks to new conditions are questions of 
  complexity. If every descriptive word is a form of condition, 
  it becomes diﬃ  cult to describe character emotions without 
  stepping into rule mechanics (see the General Design 
  Concerns sidebar and the Feat Names section in Chapter 
  Five, pages 101 and 102 respectively). Too many conditions 
  can also add confusion and make players lose track of their 
  total bonuses and penalties. A character who is shaken, 
  stupeﬁ ed, groggy, and starving is a lot for a player to 
  manage. In general, use only those conditions that advance 
  the themes, plot, and storyline of your campaign, and try 
  not to mix too many conditions into one encounter.
   Besotted
  A character that is besotted has strong positive feelings 
  toward another creature. If the creature is of the 
  appropriate type and gender, the besotted character feels 
  romantically interested. If not, the besotted character 
  treats the creature as a close and trusted friend (the 
  character’s attitude toward the creature is friendly).
  Being besotted does not mean the character obeys any order 
  from the object of his aﬀ ections, but the character perceives 
  the creature’s words and actions in the most favorable 
  way. Th e creature can try to give the character orders, 
  but it must win an opposed Charisma check to convince 
  the character to do anything he wouldn’t ordinarily do. 
  (Retries are not allowed.) A besotted creature never obeys 
  suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be 
  convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing.
   Bewildered
  A bewildered character is perplexed and has diﬃ  culty 
  thinking and acting clearly. Bewildered characters take a 
  –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and 
  ability checks.
  A bewildered character that suﬀ ers an eﬀ ect that would 
  normally cause him to become bewildered is stupeﬁ ed.
  Enamored
  A character that is enamored has positive feeling toward 
  a creature and is at a disadvantage when interacting with 
  that creature. An enamored character is considered to have 
  a friendly attitude toward the creature, and suﬀ ers a –2 
  penalty to all opposed Bluﬀ , Diplomacy, and Sense Motive 
  checks made against the object of his infatuation, as well as 
  to attack rolls and AC if attacking or being attacked by the 
  creature (even to nonlethal attacks made in self-defense).
  An enamored character that suﬀ ers another enamoring 
  aﬀ ect toward the same creature is instead besotted.
  Furious
  A furious character is overtaken with anger, no longer able 
  to think or act rationally. A furious character gains a +2 
  morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to 
  Armor Class. While furious, a character cannot use any 
  Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except 
  for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the 
  Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience 
  or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic 
  items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as 
  a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. 
  He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item 
  creation feats, and metamagic feats.
  After 1 round of being furious, a character with the 
  rage ability may make a DC 15 Will save to stop being 
  furious. When a character stops being furious, he 
  becomes fatigued (see Condition Summary in Chapter 
  Eight of the DMG) for the duration of the current 
  encounter (unless he is a 17th-level barbarian, at which 
  point this limitation no longer applies).
  Groggy
  A groggy character is sleepy, but far from fatigued. A 
  groggy character takes a –2 penalty to Dexterity and to 
  all saves against sleep eﬀ ects.
  Starving
  A starving character is suﬀ ering from malnutrition and 
  is constantly exhausted. Th e character additionally must 
  make a DC 20 Concentration check to cast spells or use 
  any extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural abilities.
  A starving character that suﬀ ers an eﬀ ect that would 
  normally cause him to become starving is wasted.
  Stupefied
  A stupeﬁ ed character is so overwhelmed with disarray 
  that others cannot depend on him to act rationally. A 
  stupeﬁ ed character cannot cast spells or use any skill, feat, 
  or extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural ability that 
  uses Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, or has them 
  as prerequisites, or any abilities that require patience or 
  concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic 
  
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  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as 
  a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. 
  A stupeﬁ ed character that suﬀ ers an eﬀ ect that would 
  normally cause him to become stupeﬁ ed is confused (see 
  Condition Summary in Chapter Eight of the DMG).
   Wasted
  A wasted character is on the verge of death from 
  starvation or wasting magic or disease. Th e character 
  is so enfeebled, she cannot use innate abilities and is 
  vulnerable to all other eﬀ ects. A wasted character takes a 
  –5 penalty to all checks (including all skill checks, saving 
  throws, turn checks, and ability checks), as well as attack 
  and weapon damage rolls. Th e character cannot use any 
  spell-like, supernatural, or extraordinary abilities and 
  must make a DC 25 Concentration check to cast a spell 
  successfully.
  A wasted character is always exhausted and falls 
  unconscious if she takes any action that would normally 
  result in being fatigued or exhausted. Any time a wasted 
  character takes damage, she becomes staggered regardless 
  of her hit point total and remains staggered until all 
  damage is healed.
  A wasted character that suﬀ ers an eﬀ ect that would 
  normally cause her to become starving or wasted is dead.
   - New  Environments and  Hazards - 
  Challenges and threats need not always take the form 
  of thinking foes. Striking stories can be built pitting 
  characters against the elements. Struggles to survive 
  crossing a desert may focus more on conserving water than 
  ﬁ ghting giant scorpions. Even more traditional threats can 
  be given a new twist with an interesting environment — a 
  ﬁ ght with a troll during a rainstorm, for instance, has a 
  diﬀ erent set of potential problems and solutions.
  Some of the environments and hazards listed below 
  are designed to allow you to have characters suﬀ er in 
  ways that aren’t easily healed. An NPC found in the 
  bottom of a dungeon may well have received so little care 
  he’s starving or possibly wasted. Even fairly powerful 
  characters cannot simply wave their hands and ﬁ x him 
  (though a miracle or wish certainly has the power to 
  do so). Th is situation opens a number of possible plots, 
  including having characters rescue NPCs much more 
  powerful than themselves, without having the option of 
  drawing upon such an NPC’s resources once he’s found.
  Be cautious about applying many of these hazards to PCs. 
  Certainly, the risk of starvation should be spelled out before 
  a party is allowed to set out on a trek across a vast desert 
  without the proper preparation. Starvation is a realistic 
  threat in the adventure genre, but it’s not much fun.
  Inconveniences
  Much like random encounters, inconveniences are 
  events you may periodically roll for. Unlike random 
  encounters, inconveniences are unlikely to take much 
  time or seriously hinder a group of adventurers. Th ey do, 
  however, bring a new level to the lives of adventurers and 
  encourage creative planning and on-the-ﬂ y solutions. 
  Don’t overuse inconveniences, but they make a ﬁ ne 
  interlude between more threatening problems.
  As a general rule, check for inconveniences no more 
  than once per week of travel or staying away from 
  home. Th e rougher the terrain, the more serious an 
  inconvenience will likely be. Characters staying in a 
  foreign city won’t likely ﬁ nd their food spoiled (though 
  it’s possible), while those crossing a murky swamp are 
  plagued by numerous small problems.
  Starvation
  Starvation does more than make characters easily knocked 
  unconscious. Characters require food and water daily to 
  avoid starving. A character that goes 24 hours without 
  food and water is automatically fatigued. Every additional 
  24 hours that a character goes without water (or food high 
  
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  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  in moisture) requires a DC 15 Constitution check. Th e 
  DC of the check increases by 5 every 24 hours without 
  water. A character that fails this check is starving.
  A character with ample access to water but no food 
  makes a DC 15 Constitution check every 3 days. 
  Th e DC increases by 5 with each successive check. A 
  character that fails this check is starving.
  A starving character must continue to make saves 
  if without food and/or water. A second failed save 
  indicates the character is wasted, and a third indicates 
  the character is dead.
  A character that receives some food and water, but not 
  enough to sustain him, makes checks half as often (every 
  2 days if without enough water; every 6 days if without 
  enough food).
  A starving or wasted character cannot be healed of these 
  conditions magically; instead, he must be given access 
  to food and water and time to recuperate. Once the 
  character has access to the proper sustenance, he may 
  make a DC 20 Fortitude save once every 24 hours. Each 
  successful save improves the character’s condition by one 
  step (from wasted to starving, from starving to normal).
  Roll Result
  1
  Bad hair day. Despite all eﬀ orts, one or more 
  members of the party can’t manage to look 
  presentable. Mud gets on cloaks, birds drop 
  waste on shirts from above, and/or hair simply 
  snarls or falls limp and lifeless.
  2
  1d4 × 10% of the group’s food has spoiled, due 
  to mildew, mice, vermin, mold, or rot.
  3
  1d4 × 10% of the group’s water supply has 
  become infected, likely from rodent droppings 
  or poorly-cured storage items.
  4
  Group pestered by a non-dangerous 
  annoyance such as a raccoon, a cloud of 
  gnats, a pushy salesman, an impish fairy, or a 
  nosy bard wanting to write bad poetry in the 
  group’s honor.
  5
  One randomly determined minor mundane item 
  has been damaged (strap breaks on a shield, glass 
  in a lantern cracks, a sack develops a small whole, 
  and the like).
  6
  A familiar, animal companion, hunting beast, 
  or steed comes down with a minor illness, 
  resulting in a –2 penalty to all its actions and 
  half speed until it is cured (DC 15 Handle 
  Animal check and a week of care, or magic to 
  remove disease).
  Roll Result
  7
  Trail, path, or street is blocked. A river may 
  have ﬂ ooded, a cart overturned, a tree fallen, a 
  rockslide happened, or even a jam of traﬃ  c may 
  have slowed progress to a standstill.
  8
  Inclement but not dangerous weather — light 
  rain or snow, thunder without ground-strike 
  lightning, fog, or even an unseasonable heat 
  wave or cold front.
  9
  One randomly determined minor mundane item 
  kept on a pack animal has been misplaced in the 
  past 24 hours.
  10
  Small biting vermin (gnats, ticks, ﬂ eas, 
  mosquitoes, leaches). Th ough these creatures 
  can’t do more than a total of 1 point of damage 
  per day, they have a 25% chance of being 
  diseased (see below for potential injury-based 
  diseases, or choose one from the core rules).
  11
  A danger not meant for the group threatens 
  them anyway. A hunter’s pit trap or bear trap 
  may be stumbled across; a spell or ranged 
  attack from a battle hundreds of feet away may 
  strike a PC; an old spell, rune, or symbol may 
  be discovered (possibly in something basically 
  harmless, such as a recently bought book).
  12
  Really bad day. Roll twice, and use both results.
  Table 8-2: Inconveniences
  Table 8-1: Determining Inconveniences
  Environment
  Inconveniences
  Friendly city
  10% chance per week, roll 1d6 on Table 8–2.
  Unfriendly city
  10% chance per week, roll 1d8 on Table 8–2.
  Settled outdoors
  20% chance per week, roll 1d8 on Table 8–2.
  Minor wilderness
  20% chance per week, roll 1d10 on Table 8–2.
  Major wilderness
  20% chance per week, roll 1d12 on Table 8–2.
  Extreme wilderness
  30% chance per week, roll 1d12 on Table 8–2.
  
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  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
   Transstorms
  Transstorms are terrible, arcane storms infused with 
  transmutation magic. Th ey may be caused by rituals 
  gone awry, stagnating pools of ancient magic, overuse 
  of powerful spells by legions of mages, or simply be a 
  natural part of a world with magic. Transstorms must be 
  rare in any campaign that will have normal civilizations, 
  or at least limited to areas of wastelands and wilderness 
  (possibly as a result of a mountain range or other 
  weather-inﬂ uencing terrain).
  A transstorm appears to be a technicolor thunderstorm. 
  Multicolored lightning strikes, clouds of metallic-tinted 
  gas, and pearlescent hailstones make a transstorm 
  visible and obviously magical from miles away. Th inking 
  creatures ﬂ ee the sight, as the power of a transstorm 
  can change any creature, place, or thing into a twisted 
  or altered version of itself. Th e changes wrecked by 
  a transstorm are permanent, and while incorporeal 
  and gaseous creatures are immune, creatures with the 
  shapechanger subtype cannot automatically revert to 
  their true form (the change is apparent in all their 
  possible forms).
  When a creature ﬁ rst enters a transstorm, and after each 
  hour of exposure, it must make a Fortitude save. Th e 
  DC varies by the power of the transstorm, from 13 (a 
  weak change-rain) to 33 (the most powerful transstorm 
  hurricanes), with an average transstorm having a DC of 23. 
  On a failed save, the creature suﬀ ers one or more changes 
  (major or minor, as determined on Table 8–3). Seventy-ﬁ ve 
  percent of all changes are harmful, with only 25% being 
  beneﬁ cial. Even beneﬁ cial changes are often of little use, 
  though at least they don’t make trouble for the target.
  A transstorm can be used as a plot device even if the 
  PCs aren’t caught by it. In the wake of a transstorm, 
  monstrous humanoids, magical beasts, and aberrations 
  are common, for example, turning a safe wilderness into 
  a dangerous land of twisted rocks, horrid monsters, and 
  ruined ecology.
  A change is permanent and cannot be dispelled. It 
  can be removed with a successful break enchantment or 
  disjunction spell. In the case of break enchantment, the 
  change is treated as being cast at the same level as its 
  save DC. Disjunction has a ﬂ at 2% chance per level of the 
  caster to reverse all changes on the target successfully.
  Minor Harmful Changes
  Th e following section details the results of minor 
  harmful changes on a character. 
  Twisted Form
  Th e target has been twisted into an unrecognizable form 
  that doesn’t match any existing creature. One arm may be 
  too long, features aren’t symmetrical, and elements from 
  other creatures (such as bug eyes or dog ears) are present. 
  Th e target gains no beneﬁ t from these changes and takes 
  a –4 circumstance penalty to initial Diplomacy checks to 
  determine NPC attitudes. Additionally, the target takes a 
  –4 penalty to all Disguise checks.
  Frail
  Th e target becomes impossibly thin, appearing as though 
  starved. Th e target takes a –2 penalty on all Fortitude saves.
  Clumsy
  Th e target’s form morphs to be gangly and 
  uncoordinated. Th ough the target can manage most tasks 
  with experience, it always suﬀ ers a bit when forced to 
  move quickly, taking a –2 penalty to all Reﬂ ex saves.
  Susceptible
  Th ough physically unchanged, the target’s mind becomes 
  more easily inﬂ uenced. Th e target takes a –2 penalty to 
  all Will saves.
  Phobia
  Th e target gains a phobia, as determined below. Th e ﬁ rst 
  time each day the target is forced to face the subject of its 
  phobia, it must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or become 
  shaken for 1d6 × 10 minutes. On a natural roll of 1 on 
  the save, the target is panicked for 1d6 minutes.
  Table 8-3: Transstorm Qualities
  Transstorm Power EL DC
  Eﬀ ect
  Change-rain
  3
  13
  1 minor change
  Minor transstorm
  6
  18
  1–3 minor 
  changes
  Moderate 
  transstorm
  9
  23
  1 major change
  Major transstorm
  12
  28
  1–4 minor 
  changes, 1–3 
  major changes
  Transstorm 
  hurricane
  15
  33
  1–6 major 
  changes
  Table 8-4: Minor Harmful Changes
  1d100
  Result
  01–30
  Twisted Form
  31–45
  Frail
  46–60
  Clumsy
  61–75
  Susceptible
  76–90
  Phobia
  91–100
  Unnatural Attraction
  
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  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  Phobias
  1d4 Result
  1
  Fear of some creature type. Randomly determine 
  one type (and subtype, if appropriate) or 
  creature that causes fear in the target.
  2
  Fear of some magic type. Randomly 
  determine one school of magic that causes 
  fear in the target.
  3
  Terrain. Randomly determine one type of 
  terrain that causes fear in the target.
  4
  Object. Randomly determine one piece of 
  common adventurer’s equipment that causes 
  fear in the target.
  Unnatural Attraction
  Th e target is drawn to a type of creature. randomly 
  determine species, class and gender. Whenever the 
  target is in the presence of a creature that matches this 
  combination, it must make a DC 15 Will save or act as 
  though the creature had cast a charm person on the target.
  Minor Beneficial Changes
  Th e following section details the results of minor 
  beneﬁ cial changes on a character. 
   Bite
  A character with this change has its teeth grow sharper, 
  acquiring either tusks or fangs as well. Th e target gains 
  a natural weapon attack. Using this attack replaces a 
  weapon attack or unarmed attack and is made at the 
  character’s full attack bonus. A character may add a bite 
  attack to a full attack action, but all attacks including 
  the bite suﬀ er a –4 penalty. Th e damage done by bite 
  attacks is based on the character’s size, as listed below.
  Bite
  Character Size
  Claw Damage
  Fine
  1d2
  Diminutive
  1d3
  Tiny
  1d4
  Small
  1d6
  Medium
  1d8
  Large
  1d10
  Huge
  2d6
  Gargantuan
  2d8
  Colossal
  2d10
   Claw
  A character with this change has long sharp claws 
  grow out of her hands. Th e target gains a natural 
  weapon attack. Th e target may make two claw attacks 
  instead of her normal attack routine, and such 
  attacks are made at the character’s full attack bonus. 
  Th e damage done by claw attacks is based on the 
  character’s size, as listed below.
  Claw
  Character Size
  Claw Damage
  Fine
  1
  Diminutive
  1d2
  Tiny
  1d3
  Small
  1d4
  Medium
  1d6
  Large
  1d8
  Huge
  1d10
  Gargantuan
  2d6
  Colossal
  2d8
  Minor Adaptation (Ex)
  Th e target has a minor physical change that makes a 
  skill easier for her. Such chances include changing color 
  to match surrounding materials, lengthened ﬁ ngers to 
  ﬁ nd better climbing grips, growing a tail to improve 
  balance, or even enlarged ears to catch a faint sound. A 
  target gains a +2 circumstance bonus to any one of the 
  following skills (determined randomly): Balance, Climb, 
  Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Search, 
  Sleight of Hand, Spot, and Swim.
  New Type (Ex)
  Th e creature’s appearance changes to be closer to that 
  of another type of creature (determined randomly). 
  Although the target does not gain any of the abilities or 
  weaknesses of that type, it does qualify as a creature of 
  that type for spell, feat, and prestige class prerequisites, as 
  well as magic item use.
  Size Change (Ex)
  Th e creature is shifted up or down one size (50% chance 
  of either). A creature that gets larger gains +2 bonus 
  Table 8-5: 
  Minor Beneficial Changes
  1d100
  Result
  01–20
  Bite
  21–40
  Claw
  41–60
  Minor Adaptation
  61–80
  New Type
  81–100
  Size Change
  
  172
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  to Strength and Constitution and takes a –2 penalty 
  to Dexterity. A creature that gets smaller takes a –2 
  penalty to Strength, but gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity. 
  Movement is not aﬀ ect in either case.
  Major Harmful Changes
  Th e following section details the results of major 
  harmful changes on a character. 
   Deficiency (Ex)
  Randomly lower one ability score by –1d6. Th e 
  target’s appearance changes to match the lowered 
  ability score. A target that has its Intelligence lowered 
  to 3 or less becomes animalistic, driven by nothing but 
  primal urges.
  Sensory Reduction (Ex)
  Th e target is morphed such that one or more senses are 
  weakened. Th e target takes a –4 penalty to Listen, Search, 
  or Spot (determined randomly).
  Sense Loss (Ex)
  Th e target loses its eyes or ears, becoming blind or deaf 
  (determine randomly).
  Mismatched (Ex)
  Th e target grows mismatched features, such as one long 
  horse leg or a single large wing. All its natural movement 
  rates are halved.
  Poor Adaptation (Ex)
  Th e target changes to appear to be a creature native to 
  a diﬀ erent environment (such as growing gills or thick, 
  burrowing claws). Although the target can now exist in 
  that environment (breathing underwater and gaining 
  a Swim rate, for example), in any other environment it 
  suﬀ ers a –4 circumstance penalty to all skill and ability 
  checks and attack rolls and saving throws.
  GM"s Choice
  Th e GM may make any change he wishes to the target, 
  drawing from the harmful and beneﬁ cial changes listed 
  or anything in a similar vein. Th is option is often used 
  to create half-breeds, aberrations, and magical beasts, or 
  monstrous humanoids.
  Major Beneficial Changes
  Th e following section details the results of major 
  beneﬁ cial changes on a character. 
  Animal Skin (Ex)
  Th e target’s skin is covered in thick fur. He gains a +2 
  natural armor bonus to AC. If the target already has 
  Table 8-6: 
  Major Harmful Changes
  1d100
  Result
  1–20
  Deﬁ ciency
  21–40
  Sensory Reduction
  41–60
  Sense Loss
  61–80
  Mismatched
  81–99
  Poor Adaptation
  100
  GM’s Choice
  Table 8-7: 
  Major Beneficial Changes
  1d100
  Result
  01–15
  Animal Skin
  16–30
  Fox Cunning
  31–40
  Full Body Change
  41–50
  Monster Hide
  51–65
  Partial Body Change
  66–70
  Primitive Rage
  71–85
  Scent
  86–100
  Form Shift
  
  173
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  natural armor on his own (not as the result of a magic 
  item or spell), his natural armor bonus increases by +1.
   Fox Cunning (Ex)
  Th e target takes on a fox-like appearance, including ears 
  and a tail. Th e target also gains a +2 racial bonus to Bluﬀ , 
  Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Survival checks. Th is 
  change may be gained only once.
   Full Body Change (Ex)
  Th e target’s whole body changes to be that of another 
  species, as if the target had been reincarnated.
   Monster Hide (Ex)
  Th e target’s skin becomes thick and tough, similar to either 
  a lizard or rhino. Th is change grants the target DR 1/–. If 
  the target already has natural DR on its own (not as the 
  result of a magic item or spell), the DR increases by +1/–.
   Partial Body Change (Ex)
  Th e target gains the features of some other creature. 
  Randomly determine one creature with no more Hit 
  Dice than the target, and grant the target one feature and 
  one extraordinary ability of that creature.
   Primitive Rage (Ex)
  Th e target gains a thick ridge on its forehead and 
  generally has thicker features. Once per day, the target 
  can ﬂ y into a rage, but only when wounded (suﬀ ering 
  damage). Th e rage lasts 1 round per level of the target. 
  Th e target cannot willingly end the rage early, though 
  it ends immediately if the target is fully healed. During 
  the rage, the target gains a +4 bonus to Strength and 
  Constitution, and takes a –2 penalty to AC. Th e target is 
  fatigued for 1 hour after the rage ends.
  Th is change may be gained more than once, with each 
  additional time increasing the number of times per day 
  the target may enter a rage by +1.
  Scent (Ex)
  Th e target gains an animalistic nose, granting it the 
  scent ability. If it already has the scent ability, it gains 
  improved scent, receiving a +4 bonus to all Search 
  and Spot checks in which smell might play a part. A 
  creature that already has improved scent can’t gain this 
  change again.
  Form Shift (Ex)
  Th e target’s body and even its mind are twisted into a 
  new form. Randomly determine an ability score from 
  which to remove 1d6 points. Add these points to a 
  diﬀ erent randomly determined ability of the target. Th e 
  target’s appearance changes to match the new ability 
  scores.
  Waking Up
  Waking up to loud stimulation (the sounds of combat, 
  people yelling, thunderstorms, and so forth) can be 
  disorienting. A sleeping character subject to conditions 
  that clearly preclude sleep must make a DC 18 Will save. 
  On a successful check, the character may roll initiative (if 
  appropriate) and take a full action on her turn. On a failed 
  save, the character may still make an initiative check, but 
  she may take only a move action on her ﬁ rst turn, and is 
  groggy (see New Conditions page 166) for 2d6 rounds.
   -  Diseases & Poisons - 
  New Diseases 
  Th ere are a bewildering number of magical diseases 
  found in fantasy literature, but the core d20 rules 
  provide only for diseases with incubation periods of 
  a day or more and that deal ability damage or drain, 
  and that may cause blindness. Th e following diseases 
  give more options and include numerous supernatural 
  diseases. Th ese new diseases can be used to spice up 
  existing encounters, give healers more to do (and 
  players more to fear), or actually become the center of 
  a plotline. By having more ways to weaken characters, 
  you can incapacitate powerful NPCs, knock down 
  PC power levels, and require heroes to ﬁ nd cures to 
  esoteric ailments.
  Many of these diseases have “damage” stated in the form 
  of some limitation or condition that aﬀ ects the target 
  until it’s cured of the disease. For example, the black 
  waste prevents its victims from gaining any beneﬁ t 
  from food or water; until the victim is cured, he risks 
  starvation (see New Conditions page 166).
  Diseases listed as extraordinary are essentially “mundane,” 
  while supernatural diseases are magical and radiate a 
  moderate universal magic aura (and may aﬀ ect characters 
  immune to mundane disease).
  New  Poisons
  Th e poisons available in the core d20 rules all deal 
  ability drains or damage (or rarely hit point damage) or 
  cause unconsciousness. Th ose interested in more varied 
  poisons can choose from one of those listed below or use 
  them as a guideline for creating new poisons. Many of 
  these poisons produce conditions, either those standard 
  to the core d20 rules or new conditions deﬁ ned earlier 
  in this chapter. Unless speciﬁ ed otherwise, conditions 
  last 2d6 minutes (except unconsciousness, which lasts 
  
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  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  1d3 hours). Ability damage is temporary, while ability 
  drains are permanent. Poisons listed as extraordinary are 
  essentially “mundane” poisons, while supernatural poisons 
  are magical and radiate a moderate universal magic aura.
  Most of these poisons are a complex combination of 
  oils, extracts, and alchemical substances — they cannot 
  be simply taken from the poison sacks of a monster 
  or found growing in dense forests, though their core 
  ingredient may come from such a locale. Th ey’re also 
  illegal in most civilizations, though apothecaries still 
  sometimes carry them clandestinely.
  Special Poisons
  Two new poisons need special rules, described below.
  Succubus Venom
  A target that fails his Fortitude save is enamored (see 
  New Conditions page 166) of the ﬁ rst member of the 
  same creature type (but not subtype) of the opposite sex 
  he sees. If the target fails his second save, he is instead 
  besotted by that same creature. For example, an elven 
  lady who failed her save would be enamored of the ﬁ rst 
  Table 8-8: Diseases
  Disease
  Infection
  DC
  Incubation
  Damage
  Black waste (Su)
  Contact
  18
  1d3 days
  Gain nothing from food or water*
  Chills (Ex)
  All
  15
  1 day
  Sickened
  Devil’s shakes (Ex)
  Contact
  17
  1 day
  Cannot cast divine spells
  Ear mold (Ex)
  Contact
  23
  6 hours
  Deafened
  Eye blight (Ex)
  Injury
  16
  1 day
  Blinded
  Fey aﬄ  iction (Ex)
  Ingested
  21
  6 hours
  Cannot cast arcane spells
  Grave rot (Su)
  Injury
  18
  6 hours
  1d4 Con**
  Green plague (Ex)
  Inhaled
  11
  1 hour
  1 point Con
  Health bane (Ex)
  Contact
  21
  12 hours
  Nauseated
  Ravenous fever (Ex)
  Inhaled
  16
  1 day
  Gain nothing from food*
  Red scale (Ex)
  Ingested
  16
  1 day
  Exhausted
  Scab rash (Ex)
  Contact
  17
  4 hours
  1d6 hp†
  Sleep sores (Su)
  Inhaled
  17
  1 hour
  Unconscious
  Th ought scourge (Su)
  Injury
  18
  1 day
  Confused
  * A character that gains nothing from food, or from both food and water, must deal with the rules for 
  starvation presented earlier in this chapter.
  ** A character that dies of grave rot rises as zombie, gaining the zombie template. Th e character is a carrier of 
  grave rot, and can infect victims it injures.
  † After incubation, character must make a fort save every 4 hours or suﬀ er 1d6 hp of damage. Two successful 
  saves in a row indicate the character is cured.
  Table 8-9: Poisons
  Poison
  Type
  Initial Damage
  Secondary Damage
  Price
  Blue lotus extract (Ex)
  Contact DC 20
  Bewildered
  Stupeﬁ ed
  2,500 gp
  Veroshia (Ex)
  Contact DC 30
  1d6 Int and Cha drain
  Cannot cast spells 
  (1d6 hours)
  5,000 gp
  Coward’s ale (Su)
  Ingested DC 16
  1d6 Wis drain
  Cowering (1d6 hours)
  300 gp
  Guthole (Su)
  Ingested DC 20
  Starving
  Wasted (1d3 hours)
  500 gp
  Succubus venom (Su)
  Ingested DC 23
  Enamored (1d4 days)
  Charmed (1d4 days)
  1,500 gp
  Midnight fungus (Ex)
  Ingested DC 26
  Groggy (2d4 hours)
  Exhausted (2d4 hours)
  2,250 gp
  Glitter sand
  Inhaled DC 21
  Dazzled
  Blinded
  400 gp
  Red rage (Su)
  Inhaled DC 18
  1d6 Int drain
  Furious
  2,100 gp
  Bloodﬁ re (Ex)
  Injury DC 17
  1d6 hp
  2d6 hp
  50 gp
  Mind block (Ex)
  Injury DC 25
  1d4 Int, Wis, and Cha drain
  Cannot use psionics
  3,500 gp
  Stone blood (Ex)
  Injury DC 25
  1d4 Dex drain
  Dazed
  500 gp
  
  175
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  male humanoid she saw, even if it was a dwarf or orc. 
  She would not be enamored with a minotaur, as it’s a 
  monstrous humanoid.
  Th e exception to this rule is that if a target rolls a natural 
  1 on its saving throw, it becomes enamored of the ﬁ rst 
  creature of the opposite gender it sees, regardless of type.
  Veroshia
  A target that fails its secondary save against this poison 
  cannot cast spells, use spell-like abilities, or spell-
  completion items for the rolled duration.
  Detecting Poisons
  Th ough many magical means to detect poisons exist, 
  poisons may also be revealed through mundane means. 
  It’s possible to detect poisons with a Craft (alchemy), 
  Craft (poison) or Heal check if the poisoned instrument 
  (a weapon for injury poison, food or drink for ingested 
  poison, and nearly anything for contact or inhaled 
  poison) can be carefully examined. Th e DC to determine 
  a poison is present equals the save DC of the poison 
  minus 5. If the Heal check beats the save DC, the 
  character can identify the exact poison used. For example, 
  a priest examines a cup for poison. Th e cup is laced with 
  veroshia, so the Heal check to detect some poison is 30. 
  If the priest manages a DC 30 Heal check, he identiﬁ es 
  the exact poison and is aware of its properties.
  Identifying a poison carries a risk. A character has a ﬂ at 5% 
  chance of poisoning himself when investigating a poison. 
  A character that has no chance of poisoning himself when 
  preparing a poison (such as an assassin) may ignore this 
  chance. Characters who do run the 5% risk cannot take 20 
  when identifying poisons, since there is a potential penalty.
  You may wish to determine what a given poison looks or 
  tastes like, especially if will be used more than once. A 
  guild of assassins that uses four diﬀ erent poisons can be 
  made even more interesting if one tastes like cinnamon, 
  one has a smoky smell, one is oily and black, and one 
  is clear but feels cool to the touch. Even if players don’t 
  know exactly what the poisons do, they can learn how 
  to react to the sensory information you give them when 
  attacked with the same poisons repeatedly.
   -  Mystic Locales - 
  In a world of magic spells, creatures, and items, it stands to 
  reason mystic locales would exist as well. Such places might 
  be the nexus of natural magic (perhaps the crossroads 
  between multiple ley lines), the site of an ancient rite 
  designed to create a magical location, or a somewhere 
  permanently marked by powerful spells once released 
  there. Th e use of magic locations allows you to change the 
  EL a party can face, either by giving foes an advantage or 
  allowing PCs to take on enemies in a place where their 
  own magic is strong. Th ey also serve as interesting surprises 
  (a sorcerer casting ﬁ reball in the smoking ruins of a wizard 
  school and being told to roll 3 extra dice) and possible 
  plot points (a group of PCs may need to reach a magical 
  location before accomplishing some otherwise simple goal, 
  such as destroying a magic item or removing a curse).
  In many cases, a magical location is actually an event, 
  though normally either a rare event or an event that attunes 
  only a particular location. For example, blizzards can be 
  attuned to cold spells. Not every blizzard will actually have 
  an eﬀ ect on cold magic, however. You may decide to have a 
  particularly epic blizzard (perhaps a famous, named blizzard 
  that occurs only once every 7 years and is at its worst every 
  seventh time it comes), or she may decide that a particular 
  rocky outcropping high up in a mountain is attuned when 
  hit by a blizzard, but not at other times.
  Magic Locations
  Magical locations come in three power levels: minor, 
  moderate, and major. Th e standard powers of each are 
  listed below, but feel free to grant additional powers to 
  a particular location. For example, a major location of 
  healing might give all who come there an additional save 
  against any disease they suﬀ er from, or a minor site of 
  necromancy might allow the creation of zombies with 
  an Intelligence score of 2. Th is kind of customization is 
  good for future plot lines, expanding the adventures you 
  can run for your group.
  
  176
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  Th ough the energies that power a magic location are not 
  divine in nature, they do aﬀ ect arcane and divine spells of 
  the appropriate type or subtype equally. Clerics are less likely 
  to make use of such sites, as churches are often suspicious 
  of power not granted by their own god, but they have equal 
  access to their powers. Any character can detect a magic 
  location by taking a full-round action to make a Spellcraft 
  check. Th e more powerful the site, the more easily it can 
  be detected. Th e DC is 30 for a minor location, 25 for a 
  moderate location, and only 20 for a major location. Each 
  additional power you give such a site lowers the DC by 2.
  A minor magical location acts as a Heighten Spell feat 
  for all spells of the appropriate type, increasing their 
  eﬀ ective level by +2. Th is eﬀ ect increases the save DCs 
  of such spells, as well as possibly allows them to bypass 
  some defenses (such as minor globe of invulnerability). It 
  has no eﬀ ect on spells prepared there but cast elsewhere.
  A moderate magical location increases the caster level 
  of all spells by +3. Th us, a 6th-level wizard casting 
  a lightning bolt at a location attuned to evocation or 
  lightning magic does 9d6 rather than 6d6 points of 
  School/
  Descriptor
  Attuned Locations and Events
  Abjuration
  Old mountains, old fortiﬁ cations 
  that have never fallen, heroes’ tombs
  Acid
  Swamps, stagnant lakes, acid 
  rainstorms
  Air
  Eye of a hurricane, treetops, 
  windstorms
  Calling
  Cliﬀ s, the moments of dusk
  Charm
  Forests at night, old cities, pleasure 
  houses
  Chaotic
  Ocean storms, ancient battleﬁ elds
  Cold
  Glaciers, icebergs, blizzards
  Compulsion
  Ancient prisons, borders of 
  subjugated kingdoms
  Conjuration
  Geysers, ancient military training 
  grounds
  Creation
  Forges, lava ﬂ ows, the moments of 
  dawn
  Darkness
  Dense forest, deep caves, midnight
  Death
  Slaughterhouses, evil temples, 
  the lairs of ancient and mighty 
  predators
  Divination
  Th e tallest point in an area (from 
  which nothing taller can be seen)
  Electricity
  Mountaintops during storms, 
  lightning storms, reefs
  Enchantment
  Underground, in the center of 
  ancient inhabited cities
  Evil
  Ancient temples to evil gods, 
  abandoned ruins, portals to lower 
  planes
  Evocation
  Ancient but still functioning 
  wizard schools, locations hit by 
  lightning
  Fear
  Th e center of dark forests, 
  underground, leading edge of a 
  severe storm
  School/
  Descriptor
  Attuned Locations and Events
  Figment
  Fog banks, dust storms
  Fire
  Volcanoes, wildﬁ res
  Force
  Portals to nearby planes, ruins of 
  wizard schools
  Glamer
  Th e far edge of civilization, 
  colonies, major trading posts and 
  sea ports
  Good
  Groves, lone and old trees, ancient 
  temples to good gods
  Healing
  Springs, waterfalls, anyplace 
  growing back after a wildﬁ re
  Illusion
  Deserts
  Language-
  dependent
  Ancient libraries, tombs of holy 
  missionaries, ancient bardic 
  schools
  Lawful
  Ancient courts, tilled ﬁ elds, the 
  solstices and equinoxes
  Light
  Plains and grasslands, noon
  Mind-aﬀ ecting Mines of valuable metals 
  (especially gold)
  Necromancy
  Unhallowed graveyards, moors, 
  lairs of powerful undead
  Pattern
  Ancient craft halls and guilds, 
  spider webs
  Phantasm
  Abandoned towns and villages, 
  dusk
  Scrying
  Calm lakes, mines of gems and 
  crystals
  Shadow
  Eclipses, the hours of twilight and 
  false dawn
  Sonic
  Breakwaters, thunderstorms
  Summoning
  Highlands, islands
  Teleportation
  Crossroads, natural trails
  Transmutation
  Anywhere two types of terrain 
  meet, especially beaches
  Table 8-10: Magic Locations
  
  177
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  electricity damage. It has no eﬀ ect on spells prepared 
  there but cast elsewhere.
  A major magical location allows spells of the appropriate 
  type to be cast or prepared as if they were one spell level 
  lower. Th us, a sorcerer in a location attuned to ﬁ re magic 
  could cast a ﬁ reball as a 2nd-level spell, and a wizard at such 
  a location could prepare ﬁ reball with a 2nd-level spell slot, 
  even if he doesn’t cast it until later. A major location has so 
  much power, however, that any spell cast within it (whether 
  cast at the location or prepared there and cast later) has a 
  chance of getting out of control. Th e caster must make a 
  Concentration check (DC 20 + double spell level) to control 
  this power. If the check fails by 5 or less, the spell is cast, but 
  the caster takes 1d4 points of magic damage per level of the 
  spell. If the check is missed by 6 or more, the spell is wasted 
  without creating the desired eﬀ ect, and the caster still takes 
  1d4 points of magic damage per level of the spell.
  All these beneﬁ ts are cumulative (i.e., a ﬁ reball prepared 
  at a major magical location attuned to ﬁ re acts as a 
  2nd-level spell, with a caster level increased by +3 and 
  heightened by 2 levels).
  Alternatively, in a low-magic campaign you may decide 
  some spells can be cast only at attuned magical locations. 
  Sorcerers and clerics may have long lists of spells available, 
  from burning hands to raise dead, but they cannot use any of 
  them except at speciﬁ c locations. Be sure that these locations 
  are fairly common, that spellcasters have other options, 
  or that all players know spellcasters are an underpowered 
  option to make such a game balanced and fair (see Magic-
  Free or Low-Magic Campaigns in Chapter Five).
  A list of possible attuned magical locations is given 
  below. Th ese are only possibilities; not every location 
  need be attuned to a type of spell. You can decide to 
  place an attuned location anywhere, and to attune spells 
  by some category other than school or descriptor. Th e 
  site where an ocean god once stopped a forest ﬁ re may be 
  attuned to all spells of the water domain, even though it’s 
  miles from the nearest body of water.
   Holy Sites
  A holy site is similar to a magic location, but its power 
  is tied directly to some divine source, and its eﬀ ects may 
  be used even by non-spellcasters (depending on the site). 
  Holy sites are often places where important events of 
  a religion occurred (the place where a saint was born, 
  the location of a battle between good and evil gods, 
  the mountain where a martyr was executed, the forest 
  where elves were created, and so forth), or areas that 
  have special meaning to a deity (the holy swamp of an 
  orc god, the blessed river of a kingdom’s patron deity, the 
  mountain that serves as a dwarf forge god’s holy symbol).
  Holy sites are frequently the home of a shrine, church, 
  or cathedral of an associated god. Occasionally, a holy 
  site is held by a church opposing its associated god, such 
  as a church of healing holding a plain that is a holy site 
  of death to prevent its use by a death god’s worshipers. 
  Ownership of a holy site is often in contention, with 
  jihads and crusades mounted regularly to reclaim some 
  holy land or divine emplacement.
  A holy site may be minor, moderate, or major. Th e 
  powers of each stack, with a major site oﬀ ering all the 
  beneﬁ ts (and hindrances) of minor and moderate sites 
  as well. Th e powers of a holy site are generally tied to a 
  single ethos or philosophy, granting bonuses to related 
  creatures and powers and penalties those opposed to 
  it. For simplicity, the holy site powers listed below are 
  deﬁ ned by the same domains available to clerics in the 
  core d20 rules, but you can easily use these examples as 
  the basis for developing holy sites attuned to any idea, 
  philosophy, or god appropriate to your campaign.
  Holy sites can be attuned to more than one concept, 
  possibly at diﬀ erent power levels. An ancient and holy 
  druid’s tree might be a moderate animal site and a major 
  plant site. Holy sites can also be of any size, depending 
  on your needs. Anything from a single stone with room 
  for a single person to stand to an entire continent can 
  be deﬁ ned as a holy site. Additionally, holy sites may 
  be empowered only on certain days (often annual or 
  quarterly holidays) or have their power level and size 
  ﬂ uctuate. Th e holy tree might have the power to aﬀ ect a 
  small clearing most days, but spread its power through a 
  whole forest on the solstices and equinoxes.
  Like magical locations, holy sites make good plot devices. 
  Especially when dealing with creatures, curses, or objects 
  created by or devoted to a particular deity, PCs may be 
  required to ﬁ nd an opposing holy site to rid themselves 
  permanently of some encumbrance. For example, a 
  ghost cleric that worships a god of death may not be 
  permanently destroyed unless the PCs can ﬁ nd its body 
  and bury it in a holy site attuned to good.
  A list of potential powers for holy sites is presented below.
  Air
  Minor: All spells with the Air descriptor are cast at +2 
  caster level.
  Moderate: All creatures’ ﬂ ying abilities have their 
  maneuverability increased by one class. Creatures 
  that already have perfect maneuverability have their 
  ﬂ y speed increased by +10 feet.
  Major: All creatures with the Earth descriptor take a –2 
  morale penalty to attack and damage rolls, skill and 
  ability checks, and saving throws.
  Animal
  Minor: All animal-related skill checks (Handle Animal 
  and Ride for example) and wild empathy checks 
  gain a +1 bonus.
  
  178
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
  Moderate: All creatures of the animal type increase their 
  natural armor bonus by +1.
  Major: All creatures of the animal type gain a +2 bonus 
  to all attack and damage rolls, skill and ability 
  checks, and saving throws.
   Chaos
  Minor: All spells and abilities that have a listed 
  percentile chance to be eﬀ ective (such as 
  displacement or confusion) add +10% to all 
  percentile rolls.
  Moderate: All creatures with lawful alignments take a –1 
  morale penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill 
  and ability checks, and saving throws.
  Major: All spells cast from magic items (including 
  wands and staves) have a +10% chance of acting 
  like an ability from a rod of wonders instead.
   Death
  Minor: All spells of the necromancy school are cast at +1 
  caster level.
  Moderate: All creatures of the undead type gain a +1 
  bonus to all attack and damage rolls, skill and 
  ability checks, and saving throws.
  Major: All undead gain turn resistance +4 against 
  turning checks, but not rebuke checks.
   Destruction
  Minor: All objects have their hardness reduced by –2.
  Moderate: All saving throws made to avoid hit point 
  damage take a –1 penalty.
  Major: All weapon damage rolls gain a +1 bonus.
   Earth
  Minor: Creatures with the earth descriptor and worshipers 
  of an earth god have their DR increased by 2/–. Such 
  creatures with no existing DR gain DR 1/–.
  Moderate: All creatures’ burrowing movement rate is 
  increased by 50%.
  Major: All creatures with the Air descriptor take a –2 
  morale penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill 
  and ability checks, and saving throws.
   Evil
  Minor: All spells with the evil descriptor are cast at +1 
  caster level.
  Moderate: All good-aligned creatures take a –1 morale 
  penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill and 
  ability checks, and saving throws.
  Major: All evil-aligned creatures gain a +2 morale bonus 
  to all attack and damage rolls, skill and ability 
  checks, and saving throws.
  Fire
  Minor: All spells with the Fire descriptor are cast at +1 
  caster level.
  Moderate: Existing ﬁ res take twice the normal time 
  to extinguish, to a maximum of an additional 10 
  minutes.
  Major: All mundane and magic ﬁ re attacks deal +2 
  points of damage.
  Good
  Minor: All spells with the good descriptor are cast at +1 
  caster level.
  Moderate: All evil-aligned creatures take a –1 morale 
  penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill and 
  ability checks, and saving throws.
  Major: All good-aligned creatures gain a +2 morale 
  bonus to all attack and damage rolls, skill and 
  ability checks, and saving throws.
  Healing
  Minor: All creatures’ chance to stabilize when bleeding 
  to death is increased to 50%.
  Moderate: All cure spells heal an additional +1 hit point 
  per die, and all saves against poison and disease 
  gain a +2 circumstance bonus.
  Major: All inﬂ ict spells deal –2 points of damage per die 
  (minimum 1 point of damage per die).
  Knowledge
  Minor: All divination school spells are cast at +2 caster 
  level.
  Moderate: All Knowledge skill checks and bardic 
  knowledge checks gain a +2 bonus.
  Major: All research done on this day (including 
  researching and learning spells) counts as 2 days 
  worth of work.
  Law
  Minor: All skill checks made in furtherance of a crime 
  (potentially including Hide, Move Silently, and 
  Sleight of Hand for instance) take a –1 penalty.
  Moderate: All chaotic-aligned creatures take a –1 morale 
  penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill and 
  ability checks, and saving throws.
  Major: All mind-aﬀ ecting spells are cast at –2 caster level, 
  and all saving throws against them gain a +2 bonus.
  
  179
  Chapter Eight: Conditions and Environments
   Luck
  Minor: All creatures may add a +1 luck bonus to one roll 
  made that day.
  Moderate: All luck bonuses are increased by +1.
  Major: All creatures may reroll a single d20 roll made on 
  this day, taking the better of the two rolls.
   Magic
  Minor: All castings of detect magic have double normal 
  range and duration.
  Moderate: All caster level checks made to bypass spell 
  resistance gain a +2 bonus.
  Major: All spells are cast at +1 caster level.
   Plant
  Minor: All plant-related skill checks (including Profession 
  [herbalist] and Survival) gain a +1 bonus.
  Moderate: All creatures of the plant type increase their 
  natural armor bonus by +1.
  Major: All creatures of the plant type gain a +2 bonus to 
  all attack and damage rolls, skill and ability checks, 
  and saving throws.
   Protection
  Minor: All objects have their hardness increased by +2.
  Moderate: All saving throws gain a +1 morale bonus.
  Major: All forms of energy resistance, DR, and SR, are 
  increased by +2.
   Strength
  Minor: All Strength ability checks (but not skill checks) 
  gain a +4 bonus.
  Moderate: All Strength-based skill checks gain a +2 bonus.
  Major: All creatures with a 16 or greater Strength gain a 
  +2 enhancement bonus to Strength.
   Sun
  Minor: All light sources shed light in a +25% larger area.
  Moderate: All saves against spells with the Fire 
  descriptor take a –1 penalty.
  Major: All spells with sun, light, ﬁ re, or ﬂ ame in the 
  name, that produce ﬁ re or light, are cast a +3 caster 
  level.
   Travel
  Minor: All Constitution checks made for a forced march 
  gain a +2 bonus.
  Moderate: All overland movement is increased by +25%.
  Major: All terrain penalties to overland travel are 
  reduced by one step (from trackless to road or trail, 
  and from road or trail to highway).
  Trickery
  Minor: All illusion school spells are cast at +2 caster level.
  Moderate: All Charisma-based skill checks gain a +2 
  morale bonus.
  Major: All Wisdom-based skill checks take a –2 morale 
  penalty.
  War
  Minor: All weapon damage rolls gain a +1 bonus.
  Moderate: All creatures ﬁ ghting with an ally adjacent to 
  them gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC.
  Major: All morale bonuses are increased by +1.
  Water
  Minor: Creatures with the water descriptor and 
  worshipers of a water god gain a +2 bonus to all 
  Reﬂ ex saves.
  Moderate: All creatures’ swim movement rate is 
  increased by +20 feet.
  Major: All creatures with the Fire descriptor take a –2 
  morale penalty to all attack and damage rolls, skill 
  and ability checks, and saving throws.
  
  180
  Appendix One: Compiled Feats
  N
  umerous options presented throughout the Advanced 
  Gamemaster’s Guide suggest adding feats to allow 
  characters to access new abilities. Rather than having 
  you search through the entire book for each feat reference, 
  all the proposed feats are collected here. Each feat also 
  references the chapter and section regarding it, so the full 
  text of new rules need not be duplicated.
  Th e following feats should be added to the bonus list of 
  any class that gains bonus item creation feats: Attune 
  Spell Lens, Scavenge Charged Items, Scavenge One-
  Shot Items, Scavenge Permanent Items.
  Classes that gain bonus combat feats (such as the ﬁ ghter) 
  should have the Weapon Kata feat added to their bonus 
  feat list.
   Additional Chakra (General)
  You have more mystic power points than normal.
  Prerequisite: Cha 13.
  Beneﬁ t: Choose one chakra location. You have an 
  additional chakra at this location, allowing you to use 
  another magic item linked to the location.
  Special: Th is feat may be taken more than once. However, 
  the prerequisite for each additional chakra is 2 Cha higher.
  Reference: See Changing Chakras on page 131.
  Attune Spell Lens (Item Creation)
  You have learned the art of creating spell lenses.
  Prerequisites: Caster level 10th.
  Beneﬁ t: You can create spell lenses of all types. You must 
  pay half the market value of the spell lens and expend 
  a number of experience points equal to its market price 
  divided by 25. Attuning a spell lens takes one day per 
  1,000 gp of its market price, and each spell to be stored 
  within the lens must be cast once during this time.
  Reference: See Spell Lenses on page 162.
  Change Chakra (General)
  Your mystic power points are arranged diﬀ erently than 
  those of others.
  Beneﬁ t: You may assign your chakras to any chakra 
  locations. You may have no more than four chakras of the 
  same type. Once you have rearranged your chakras, the 
  change is permanent.
  Special: Th is feat may be taken more than once. Each 
  time it allows the character to rearrange his chakras. It 
  never grants additional chakras.
  Reference: See Changing Chakras on page 131.
  Appendix One: Compiled Feats
  Appendix One: Compiled  Feats
  
  181
  Appendix One: Compiled Feats
   Create Major Artifact (Epic)
  You have the power and ability to forge one major 
  artifact.
  Prerequisites: Int, Wis, or Cha of 27, dragon, fey, 
  elemental, outsider, or undead type, Craft 21 ranks, any 5 
  item creation feats, character level 31st.
  Beneﬁ t: You can create one major artifact, using the rules 
  described in Chapter Seven.
  Special: Once you have created the major artifact, you 
  must take this feat again to make a second one.
  Reference: See Making Artifacts on page 164.
   Create Minor Artifact (Epic)
  You have the power and ability to forge a speciﬁ c kind of 
  minor artifact.
  Prerequisites: Int, Wis, or Cha 25, dragon, fey, elemental, 
  outsider, or undead type, Craft 21 ranks, any 5 item 
  creation feats, character level 21st.
  Beneﬁ t: You can create one type of minor artifact, using 
  the rules described in Chapter Seven.
  Special: Th is feat can be taken multiple times. Each time 
  you take the feat, it applies to a diﬀ erent type of minor 
  artifact.
  Reference: See Making Artifacts on page 164.
  Drawbacks of Fortune (General)
  You have a drawback that leads to fortune smiling on you 
  occasionally.
  Beneﬁ t: Select one or more drawbacks with your GM’s 
  approval. If one of those drawbacks has a negative eﬀ ect 
  on you during a game session, you gain 1 additional 
  fortune point at the end of that session. You never gain 
  more than 1 extra fortune point for a single session, no 
  matter how many times each drawback comes up.
  Reference: See Fortune Points and Drawbacks on 
  page 37. 
  Distinctive (General)
  You are unusual in some minor way.
  Beneﬁ t: Select something unusual to be part of your 
  character’s description. You may have silver eyes, been 
  Table A-1: Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide Feats
  Feat
  Chapter Prerequisites
  Additional Chakra
  7
  Cha 13
  Attune Spell Lens
  7
  Caster level 10th
  Change Chakra2
  7
  — 
  Create Major Artifact2
  7
  Int, Wis, or Cha of 27, dragon, fey, elemental, outsider, or undead 
  type, Craft 21 ranks, any 5 item creation feats, character level 31st 
  Create Minor Artifact2
  7
  Int, Wis, or Cha 25, dragon, fey, elemental, outsider, or undead type, 
  Craft 21 ranks, any 5 item creation feats, character level 21st
  Distinctive
  6
  —
  Drawbacks of Fortune
  2
  —
  Expanded Spell Choice2
  5
  Ability to cast 1st-level spells
  Mentor
  4
  —
  Metamage1
  2
  One or more metamagic feats
  Peer
  5
  Cha 15, must have a community that considers you a native
  Scavenge Charged Items
  7
  Any item creation feat, Scavenge One-Shot Items
  Scavenge One-Shot Items
  7
  Any item creation feat
  Scavenge Permanent Items
  7
  Any item creation feat, Scavenge One-Shot Items
  Single Target Spell
  2
  —
  Spell Power2
  5
  Key ability 15
  Weapon Kata3
  5
  Int 15, Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus, base attack 
  bonus +1
  1 
  A ﬁ ghter may select this feat as one of his ﬁ ghter bonus feats.
  2 
  You may select this feat multiple times. Its eﬀ ects do not stack. Each time you select this feat, it applies 
  to a new weapon, skill, school of magic, or selection of spells.
  3 
  You may select this feat multiple times. Its eﬀ ects stack.
  
  182
  Appendix One: Compiled Feats
  raised by ghosts, or be the last member of the royal 
  bloodline of a lost empire. Your distinctive feature gains 
  you no game mechanical beneﬁ ts, but the feat allows 
  you to break from the norm in a way your GM wouldn’t 
  normally allow.
  Reference: See Character Backgrounds on page 116. 
   Expanded Spell Choice (General)
  You have mastered spells normally beyond the reach of 
  those who practice your kind of magic.
  Prerequisite: Ability to cast 1st-level spells.
  Beneﬁ t: You gain access to a spell not normally on 
  your class spell list. Th is access has no aﬀ ect on your 
  spells per day or how you prepare spells. Th e new spell 
  is simply treated as if it was on your spell list. If you 
  must learn spells (such as a wizard), you must still scribe 
  the spell into your spellbook before use. If you gain 
  access to all spells on your list (such as a cleric), you 
  automatically gain access to the new spell. If you have 
  a limited number of spells known (such as a bard), you 
  must select the new spell as one of your spells known 
  before you can cast it.
  Th e maximum level the new spell may be is based on 
  the similarity of the spellcasting class it’s taken from, as 
  deﬁ ned below. Type refers to arcane, divine, or psionic. 
  Th us, a sorcerer selecting a bard spell is choosing one 
  of the same type (arcane), while a sorcerer selecting a 
  druid spell is selecting one of a diﬀ erent type (divine). 
  Ability refers to the key ability used to determine the 
  spell DC of the class. A sorcerer (a Charisma-based 
  caster) selecting a bard spell is selecting one of the 
  same ability, while a sorcerer selecting a druid spell (a 
  Wisdom-based caster) is selecting one of a diﬀ erent 
  ability. Th us, an 8th-level sorcerer could choose a 4th-
  level bard spell to add to his list, but only a 2nd-level 
  druid spell.
  Expanded Spell Choice
  Spell’s Class is…
  Maximum Level 
  of Spell Choice
  Same type, same ability
  Half caster level
  Same type, diﬀ erent 
  ability
  One-third caster level
  Diﬀ erent type, same 
  ability
  One-third caster level
  Diﬀ erent type, diﬀ erent 
  ability
  One-quarter caster level
  Special: Th is feat may be selected more than once; each 
  time, it adds a new spell to the character’s spell list.
  Reference: See Spells as Feats and Skills on page 99.
  Mentor (General)
  You have attracted a loyal mentor to train and guide you.
  Beneﬁ t: You have a mentor who is appropriate to your 
  chosen path and who gives you training and advice. Th e 
  mentor’s level is determined by your student rating (see 
  Mentors in Chapter Four for more information).
  Reference: See Allies on page 64. 
  Metamage (Metamagic)
  You are an expert in the use of metamagic feats.
  Prerequisites: One or more metamagic feats
  Beneﬁ t: You gain +2 metamagic points.
  Special: Th is feat may be taken more than once, and its 
  beneﬁ ts stack. However, a character must have one other 
  metamagic feat for each Metamage feat taken.
  Reference: See Metamagic Points on page 41.
  Peer (General)
  You are a well-regarded leader in your community.
  Prerequisites: Cha 15, must have a community that 
  considers you a native.
  Beneﬁ t: Your leadership score is increased by +2 (see the 
  Leadership feat in the DMG). Additionally, you gain a 
  +2 bonus to all Charisma-based skills and Sense Motive 
  checks made with members of your community.
  Normal: A character with this feat can be a minor noble, 
  a junior knight, or even a local celebrity.
  Reference: See Designing Feats on page 102.
  Scavenge Charged Items (General)
  You have mastered the art of extracting levin from typical 
  magic items.
  Prerequisites: Any item creation feat, Scavenge One-
  Shot Items.
  Beneﬁ t: You can scavenge levin from charged items. 
  Th ese are all items that have one or more abilities that 
  can be used a multiple but speciﬁ c number of times and 
  then cease to be magic (such as staves).
  Reference: See Levin on page 140.
  Scavenge One-Shot Items (General)
  You have mastered the art of extracting levin from the 
  simplest of magic items.
  Prerequisites: Any item creation feat.
  Beneﬁ t: You can scavenge levin from one-shot items. 
  Th ese are all items that allow a single use of an ability 
  
  183
  Appendix One: Compiled Feats
  (such as potions and scrolls), including items that have 
  one charge of multiple abilities (such as a scroll with 
  three diﬀ erent spells on it).
  Reference: See Levin on page 140.
   Scavenge Permanent Items (General)
  You have mastered the art of extracting levin from 
  permanent magic items.
  Prerequisites: Any item creation feat, Scavenge One-
  Shot Items.
  Beneﬁ t: You can scavenge levin from permanent magic 
  items. Th ese are all items that have one or more abilities 
  that can be used an unlimited number of times without 
  becoming mundane (though they may only be used a 
  certain number of times each day), including most rings, 
  rods, and wondrous items.
  Reference: See Levin on page 140.
   Single Target Spell (Metamagic)
  You have learned to cast area spells on a single target
  Beneﬁ t: Only spells with a listed area may be cast as 
  single-target spells. Such spells aﬀ ect only a single target, 
  which must be within the spell’s normal range. All other 
  aspects of the spell work normally. A single-target spell 
  takes up a spell slot of the same spell level.
  Reference: See Self-Limited Spells on page 41.
   Spell Power (General)
  Choose a spellcasting class. You’ve learned a small 
  amount of spellcasting ability from that class.
  Prerequisites: Key ability 15.
  Beneﬁ t: Select one spell from your chosen spellcasting 
  class. Th is spell must be no more than 1 level higher than 
  the highest level spell you’ve gained with this feat, and no 
  higher than half your character level. You may cast this 
  spell once per day as a member of your chosen class. You 
  may never have more spells of a higher level than you do 
  the level below it.
  For example, a ﬁ ghter with a 15 or higher Wisdom could 
  take this feat and choose cleric as his spellcasting class. 
  Since he’s never taken this feat before, he can only select 
  a 1st-level spell, which he may cast once per day as a 
  cleric of his level.
  If the ﬁ ghter is at least 2nd-level and takes this feat 
  again, he may select either another 0-level spell or a 1st-
  level spell. If he takes it a third time, he cannot choose 
  another 1st-level spell as he has only one 0-level spell. 
  He could select another 0-level spell, or if 4th level or 
  higher a 2nd-level spell.
  Special: Th is feat may be taken more than once, as 
  outlined in the beneﬁ ts section.
  Reference: See Spells as Feats and Skills on page 99. 
  Weapon Kata (General)
  Select one weapon with which you have Weapon Focus. 
  You have learned to use this weapon as part of your 
  unarmed combat style.
  Prerequisites: Int 15, Improved Unarmed Strike, 
  Weapon Focus, base attack bonus +1.
  Beneﬁ t: You may deal your unarmed damage with a 
  weapon with which you have taken the Weapon Focus 
  feat, as well as make grapple and trip attacks with it. Th e 
  type of damage done is based on the weapon used, rather 
  than your unarmed attack.
  Normal: Characters normally cannot make grapple and 
  trip attacks with weapons except for a speciﬁ c few.
  Reference: See Designing Feats on page 102. 
  
  184
  Appendix Two: Initiative Cards
  TN
  Brown Bear
  14
  10
  15
  27
  13
  19
  2
  12
  6
  +9
  +6
  +3
  +16
  40
  Claw (2)
  +11
  M
  1d8+8
  Bite
  +6
  M
  2d8+4
  51
  Improved Grab
  Scent
  Listen
  Spot
  Swim
  +4
  +7
  +14
  By JD Wiker 
  Keeping track of initiative in games using the d20 
  System can get complicated. Every GM has a method 
  that he or she favors, but which sometimes lacks in 
  versatility or utility. Th ese Initiative Cards provide GMs 
  both with an easy way to keep track of initiative, and a 
  handy reference for all the sorts of information a GM 
  sometimes needs during a game session.
  Th ere are two types of Initiative Cards: 
  • 
  Character cards—which contain information 
  about the player characters and the occasional 
  non-player character. You can use these cards for 
  familiars as well.
  • 
  Monster cards—which contain information about 
  monsters (though it’s best to use character cards for 
  monsters that have class levels). You can use these 
  cards for most animal companions as well.
  Initiative Cards in Play
  Before beginning play, ﬁ ll out one Initiative Card for 
  each opponent the heroes are likely to face during the 
  coming session. If you have a current copy of the heroes’ 
  character sheets, ﬁ ll one out for each hero; if not ask each 
  player to ﬁ ll one out at the start of the game.
  When combat begins, ask the players to roll initiative 
  while you roll initiative for any opponents and non-
  player characters. Set aside any cards for characters or 
  creatures who are surprised. One by one, go around 
  the table and ask each player for his or her character’s 
  initiative result. Write their initiative numbers down in 
  the space marked “INIT” on the cards; do the same for 
  all the initiative rolls you make. Use a pencil; you’ll be 
  erasing and rewriting these numbers fairly often. Sort the 
  stack of cards by initiative total with the highest on top.
  Th en simply begin at the top of the stack, moving each 
  card to the bottom when that character or creature has 
  concluded its turn. If you have characters or creatures 
  joining combat who have not yet rolled initiative, ask them 
  to roll for initiative, jot down their initiative numbers, and 
  place their cards in the proper place in the initiative order.
  If a character or creature delays, or readies an action, turn 
  that Initiative Card sideways, with the “Delay/Ready” 
  box showing. If a character or creature falls unconscious, 
  simply turn the card sideways facing the other direction, 
  with the word “Unconscious” visible. 
  Character Cards
  Use character cards for player characters, non-player 
  characters, familiars, and monsters that have classes 
  and levels.
  NAME: Record the character’s name here.
  ALIGN/RACE: Record the character’s alignment 
  and race here. Th e former may be useful for spells 
  that work oﬀ  of a character’s alignment, such as 
  protection from good; the latter is useful for spells, 
  eﬀ ects, and situations that take the character’s race 
  into consideration. If you’re using the character card 
  to represent a familiar, record the animal’s species (cat, 
  hawk, rat, weasel, etc.) here.
  INIT: Leave this space blank at ﬁ rst. When combat 
  begins, use it to record the character’s initiative 
  roll.
  AC: Record the character’s base armor class 
  here, including AC for touch attacks (TCH)—
  attacks that disregard armor—and for attacks 
  when the character is ﬂ atfooted (FLT). Th ere is 
  also a box in which you can mark any temporary 
  changes to the character’s AC (TMP) that 
  occur during the course of the game.
  CLS/LVL: Record the character’s classes and 
  levels here. If the character has several classes, 
  you might want to use abbreviations: Brb for 
  Barbarian, Clr for Cleric, or Wiz for Wizard, 
  for example. 
  Appendix Two: Initiative Cards 
  Appendix Two:  Initiative Cards 
  
  185
  Appendix Two: Initiative Cards
  Delay or Ready: Turning the card so this space is 
  showing indicates the character is delaying or has readied 
  an action.
  STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, and CHA: Record the 
  character’s ability scores and ability modiﬁ ers here.
  FORT, REF, and WILL: Record the character’s 
  Fortitude, Reﬂ ex, and Will saving throws here.
  SPD: Record the character’s base movement here. 
  VIS: Record any special vision modes the character 
  might have, such as low-light vision, darkvision, or 
  blindsight. If the vision mode has a range, make sure you 
  note that, such as “Dark 60.”
  Skills: Record the total skill modiﬁ ers (skill rank + 
  ability modiﬁ er + miscellaneous modiﬁ ers) here. Th is 
  area lists only those skills for which the GM should 
  regularly make skill checks on the player’s behalf. (See 
  the DMG, Chapter 1, Determining Outcomes.) In 
  addition to their use for recording skills that are not 
  already included, the blank skill spaces can be used to 
  record other score-based information, such as Spell 
  Resistance.
  Languages: Record the languages the character knows 
  here. Th is could come in handy when the characters 
  encounter speech or writing in a language other than 
  Common. (You can check which of the characters might 
  understand without having to ask the players which 
  languages each character knows.)
  Special/Notes: Use this space to record any temporary 
  eﬀ ects on the character, such as spells or the special 
  attacks of monsters, and to keep track of the duration of 
  such eﬀ ects.
  Unconscious: Turning the card so this space is showing 
  indicates that the character is unconscious.
  Monster Cards
  Use monster cards for monsters that don’t have classes 
  and levels. You can use one card to represent multiple 
  monsters of the same type (one card to stand for three 
  ogres, for example), or you can use individual cards for 
  individual monsters.
  NAME: Record the monster’s name here. You can use 
  one card to represent a number of identical monsters, 
  or use separate cards for each according to your own 
  preferences.
  ALIGN: Record the monster’s alignment here. Knowing 
  the monster’s alignment could be important for spells 
  that key oﬀ  of a character’s alignment, such as protection 
  from evil.
  INIT: Leave this space blank at ﬁ rst. When combat 
  begins, use it to record the character’s initiative roll.
  Delay or Ready: Turning the card so this space is 
  showing indicates the character is delaying or has readied 
  an action.
  AC: Record the monster’s base armor class here, 
  including AC for touch attacks (TCH)—attacks that 
  disregard armor—and for attacks when the character 
  is ﬂ atfooted (FLT). Th ere is also a box in which you 
  can mark any temporary changes to the monster’s AC 
  (TMP) that occur during the course of the game.
  INIT: Record the monster’s initiative modiﬁ er here.
  FORT, REF, and WILL: Record the monster’s 
  Fortitude, Reﬂ ex, and Will saving throws here.
  SPD: Record the monster’s base movement here. If the 
  monster has other movement modes, record those as 
  well, with a brief notation such as “Fly 50/Swim 40.”
  VIS: Record any special vision modes the character 
  might have, such as low-light vision, darkvision, or 
  blindsight. If the vision mode has a range, make sure you 
  note that, such as “Dark 60.”
  GRAP: Record the monster’s grapple bonus here.
  Skills: Record skills and total skill modiﬁ ers (skill rank + 
  ability modiﬁ er + miscellaneous modiﬁ ers) here. Unlike 
  Character Cards, no speciﬁ c skills are listed in this area.  
  In addition to their use for recording skills, these spaces 
  can be used to record other score-based information, 
  such as Spell Resistance.
  Attacks: Record the monster’s attacks here. Spaces are 
  included for Attack (#) (the method of attack, such 
  as “Bite,” “2 Claws,” or “Sword”); Bonus (the attack 
  modiﬁ er); Type (the type of damage: “P” for piercing, 
  “B” for bludgeoning, and “S” for slashing); and Damage 
  (the damage caused by the attack).
  HP: Use this space to keep track of the monster’s hit 
  points.
  Special/Notes: Use this space to record any temporary 
  eﬀ ects on the monster, such as spells or the special 
  attacks of other monsters, and to keep track of the 
  duration of such eﬀ ects.
  Unconscious: Turning the card so this space is showing 
  indicates the character is unconscious.
  Getting the Cards
  Th e following pages contain a set of blank Initiative 
  Cards with permission to photocopy for personal use. 
  Blank Initiative Cards are also available at Th e Game 
  Mechanics website (http://www.thegamemechanics.com) 
  in .pdf format. 
  Th e Game Mechanics also oﬀ er a free version of blank 
  Initiative Cards for modern d20 System games and sets 
  of pre-completed cards for fantasy campaigns. 
  
  186
  Appendix Two: Initiative Cards
  Character Cards
  Permission granted to photocopy for personal use.
  Original found at http://www.thegamemechanics.com/
  
  187
  Appendix Two: Initiative Cards
  Monster Cards
  Permission granted to photocopy for personal use.
  Original found at http://www.thegamemechanics.com/
  
  Permission is granted to reproduce this page for personal use only. 
  
  Permission is granted to reproduce this page for personal use only. 
  
  190
  Index
  Index
  Index
  A
  Abilities  113
  Ability Scores  116
  Ability Score Auction  116
  Ability Score Rolls  117
  Action Points  24
  Activating Potential  125
  Adjudicating Play  26
  Adventures
  Designing  45
  Pre-written  44, 45
  Preparing  43
  Scaling  44
  Antagonists  58
  Apprentice  119
  Ars Vitae  133
  Artifacts  164
  Attacks Of Opportunity  34
  Augmented Stat Blocks  15
  Avarice  62, 64
  B
  Battlemats  17, 18
  Betrayal  10
  Bigotry  10
  Blessed Blood  119
  Bonus Types  114
  Boons  133
  Archmage  136
  Ascetic  135
  Divine Gift  135
  Forgemaster  135
  Hand Of Darkness  136
  Major Arcana  136
  Mercy”s Touch  137
  Minor Arcana  135
  Shadowwalker  135
  Spell Armor  135
  Storm Lord  137
  Tongues  135
  Vigor  135
  Witchhunter”s Touch  136
  Witchlight  135
  Breaks  14
  Bushwhacking Rules  27
  C
  Calendars  122
  Campaigns  84
  Themes  84
  Campaign Worksheets  108, 188
  Cannibalism  10
  Cards  35
  Cardstock Figures  18
  Celestrum  146
  Chalkboards  17, 18
  Characters  110
  Character Advancement  125
  Character Backgrounds  118
  Class Dodge Bonus  28
  Combat  50
  Combat Rules  27
  Conditions  166
  Besotted  167
  Bewildered  167
  Enamored  167
  Furious  167
  Groggy  167
  Starving  167
  Stupefied  167
  Wasted  168
  Cosmology  89
  Counters  16
  Craft  124
  Critical Hits  30, 33
  Cut Scenes  25
  D
  Damage Reduction  98
  Dice
  Coded  17
  Diseases  173
  Dragonsteel  147
  Dragon Kith  119
  Drug Use  10
  E
  Effective Character Levels  112
  Eldritch Weaver  72
  Environments  168
  Envy  63, 64
  Evangelist  75
  Evil Campaigns  96
  Experience Debt  35
  F
  Faneways  125
  Feats  99, 100, 113, 180
  Additional Chakra  180
  Change Chakra  180
  Create Major Artifact  181
  Create Minor Artifact  181
  Distinctive  181
  Drawbacks Of Fortune  181
  Expanded Spell Choice  182
  Mentor  68, 182
  Metamage  182
  Peer  182
  Scavenge Charged Items  182
  Scavenge One-shot Items  182
  Scavenge Permanent Items  183
  Single Target Spell  183
  Spell Power  183
  Weapon Kata  183
  Feat Progression  114
  Fortune Points  36
  G
  Giant Kith  119
  Gluttony  63, 64
  Gming Styles
  Adversarial Opponent  19
  Benevolent Dictator  20
  Director  20
  Gm Biases  20
  Gm Screens  14
  H
  Hazards  168
  Heartwood  148
  Hea Maps  38
  Heroic Arrays  116
  High-magic Campaigns  99
  Holy Sites  177
  Air  177
  Animal  177
  Chaos  178
  Death  178
  Destruction  178
  Earth  178
  Evil  178
  Fire  178
  Good  178
  Healing  178
  Knowledge  178
  Law  178
  Luck  179
  Magic  179
  Plant  179
  Protection  179
  Strength  179
  Sun  179
  Travel  179
  Trickery  179
  War  179
  Water  179
  Horror Games  14
  House Rules  26
  I
  Information Management  15
  Initiative Cards  16, 184
  Innate Abilities  132
  Item Characteristics  142
  Balanced  143
  Barbed  143
  Blunt  143
  Crude  143
  Dwarven  144
  Elven  144
  Legendary  145
  Masterwork  144
  Renowned  145
  J
  Journals  15
  L
  Level Loss  35
  Levin  140
  Lighting  14
  
  191
  Index
  Low-magic Campaigns  97
  Lust  63, 64
  M
  Magic-free Campaigns  97
  Magic Armor  153
  Magic Armor Properties
  Absorbing  150
  Animated, Greater  150
  Aquatic  150
  Attacking, Melee  151
  Attacking, Ranged  151
  Charging  151
  Command  152
  Flying  152
  Lucky  152
  Speed  152
  Magic Chakras  130
  Magic Items  99, 130
  Magic Weapons  160
  Magic Weapon Properties
  Desiccated  154
  Elemental  155
  Enhancing  156
  Featherlight  156
  Force  157
  Fortune  157
  Iced  157
  Infectious  157
  Invincible  157
  Potent  158
  Racefriend  158
  Shieldbreaker  158
  Shining  158
  Skilled  158
  Slaying  159
  Smiting  159
  Soul Stealing  159
  Spectral, Major  159
  Spectral, Minor  159
  Subtle  159
  Sworn  160
  Terror  160
  Venomous  160
  Maps  14, 18
  Mass-combat Rules  30
  Mentors  66
  Metamagic Points  41
  Miniatures  18
  Miniatures  14
  Modifier Charts  17
  Monsters  91, 92
  Music  13
  Mystic Locales  175
  N
  Nobles  119
  Noir Games  14
  Non-heroic Characters  115
  Notebooks  15
  Npcs  15, 58
  Npc Design  68
  Npc Quirks  70
  O
  Offset Square Maps  39
  Orichalcum  149
  P
  Pcs  110
  Pc Races  93
  Player Styles
  Griefer  21
  Hack-n-slasher  21
  Hanger-on  22
  Junior Thespian  22
  Motivator  22
  Rules Lawyer  22
  Spotlight Hog  23
  Wallflower  23
  Play Environment  13
  Play Space  13
  Play Styles  19
  Plots  47
  Poisons  174
  Posters  14
  Power Levels  111, 112, 114
  Prestige Classes  105
  Pride  64
  Props  13, 18
  Psionics  92
  R
  Religion  10
  Resources  123
  Rites  138
  Blessed Touch  138
  Bloodhound  138
  Dwarf-eyed  138
  Elf-eyed  138
  Fey Style  138
  Firestarter  139
  Heartiness  139
  Master Crafter  139
  Porter  139
  Spans  139
  Spell Power  139
  Stoutheart  139
  Swift  139
  Tainted Touch  139
  Watersniffer  139
  River Folk  120
  Rovers  120
  Running The Game  13
  S
  Scout  77
  Self-limited Spells  41
  Set Dressings  54
  Seven Wonders  6
  Sex  10
  Skills  99
  Skill Points  114
  Slavery  10
  Sloth  64, 65
  Sovereign Materials  145
  Special Abilities  113
  Speeding Play  33
  Spellmaster  78
  Spell Lenses  162
  Spell Points  42
  Squires  120
  Starvation  168
  Steppes Nomads  121
  Suspense Games  14
  T
  Table Rules  109
  Technology  94
  Templates  16
  Thanemage  80
  Throwing  39
  Throwing Maneuvers  40
  Torture  10
  Training  67, 127
  Transstorms  170
  Transstorm Changes
  Animal Skin  173
  Bite  171
  Claw  171
  Clumsy  170
  Deficiency  172
  Form Shift  173
  Fox Cunning  173
  Frail  170
  Full Body Change  173
  Minor Adaptation  171
  Mismatched  172
  Monster Hide  173
  New Type  171
  Partial Body Change  173
  Phobia  170
  Poor Adaptation  172
  Primitive Rage  173
  Scent  173
  Sense Loss  172
  Sensory Reduction  172
  Size Change  172
  Susceptible  170
  Twisted Form  170
  Treasure  130
  W
  Warpriest  82
  White Boards  18
  White Boards  17
  World Design  4
  Wrath  64, 65
  Y
  Yeomen  121
  Index
  Index
  
  192
  License
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
   
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich 
  Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
   
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  Initiative Cards v2.0 Copyright 2003, Th e Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author JD Wiker.
   
  Advanced Player’s Manual, Copyright 2004, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Skip Williams.
   
  Advanced Gamemaster’s Guide, Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Owen K.C. Stephens.
    
  Mutants and Masterminds, Copyright 2002, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Steve Kenson. 
   
  Swords of Our Fathers, Copyright 2003, Th e Game Mechanics.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/Books/3p/GRP - DM - Advanced Gamemaster's Guide.pdf