These are the modifications or additions to the rules. If something is in one of the rule books and not mentioned here, the normal rules apply.

Starting Characters
Characters are created using a point buy system that uses 28 points, each attribute starts at a score of 8 (before racial modifications), and then can be increased at a cost of 1 point per +1 to an attribute score, up to +6 to the attribute score, and then 2 points per +1 to an attribute score, up to a maximum of +10 to the attribute score. Characters have gold (as per PHB for first level, or per chart on p135 of DMG for higher levels) to spend on any equipment. The maximum value of any single item is limited by character level squared times 200gp. Keep any gold you don't spend.

Advanced Characters
Every 4 levels, characters get 2 points to spend as per the point buy system (without the limit of +10) rather than +1 to a STAT.

Prestige classes are formed around groups of people, and if you don't learn how from that group, you can't get into the prestige class. For this reason, prestige classes will be limited to what can be worked into game play.

Character Alterations or Replacements
At any time (such as after character death) you can make a new character and I'll work with you to get it into the next game. If you don't like your current build, lets talk and I'll help make your character enjoyable to you. Game mechanics are not as important as enjoyment. Character replacements are most likely going to be a higher level than the starting characters. They should be built as per the starting character rules above, and then advanced to the appropriate level.

Races
The races allowed for players are those listed on the races page. These supersede any race rules in other books, though you may want to consult the original source material for role playing tips, racial descriptions, etc.

Classes
Players are only allowed to have one prestige class during the course of their advancement, regardless of how many levels the class has or how many levels are taken.

Languages
For all the normal languages there is a type, which is the general language. There then can be regional or racial dialects. For example, you could have "draconic", "black draconic", "dwarven", and "iron mountains dwarven". There is a lot of overlap between dialects, so with effort most things can be understood by knowing one of them. In addition, rather than having a common, it is called "trade", which also leaves room for regional trade dialects, such as "underworld trade" and "sea trade".

Skills
Cross class skills do not go up by 0.5 for each skill point put in to them. All skills are raised the same: 1 point raises the score by 1 rank. Each level, characters are given 3 additional skill points (not modified by INT or the x4 for first level) to apply only to in-class skills.

Hide and Move Silently are condensed into one Stealth skill. Listen and Spot are condensed into one Awareness skill. Things that would normally modify one of the components to these condensed skills modify the condensed skill. If something would modify both component skills in the same way (penalty or bonus), use the most extreme modifier. If something would modify both component skills in opposite ways, use the sum of the bonuses (i.e. a penalty of 3 and a bonus of 5 would grand a bonus of 2 (-3 + +5 = +2). If a class normally has one of the component skills in class, then the condensed skill is in class.

At rank 1, and then each 4 ranks there after in a knowledge skill, a character gains a Field. Knowledge checks outside of a character's fields are made at a -5 penalty. A character with access to an appropriate information source can make a knowledge check to research. The skill doesn't have to be trained, and the DC of the check depends on the rarity of the information.

The following fields for knowledge skills are available:

• Arcana: ancient mysteries, arcane symbols, constructs, dragons, magical beasts, magic theory, magic traditions
• Architecture and Engineering: buildings, aqueducts, bridges, fortifications, mathematics, physics, seige engines
• Dungeoneering: aberrations, famous adventurers, famous dungeons, oozes, puzzles, spelunking, traps
• Geography: climate, landmarks, navigation, northern terrain, political borders, southern terrain, waterways
• History: artifacts, kingdoms, leaders, legends, northern culture, southern culture, wars
• Local: humanoids, northern culture, personalities, laws, politics, southern culture, traditions
• Nature: animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, phenomena, plants, vermin
• Nobility and Royalty: etiquette, heraldry, honorifics, leaders, lineages, mottoes, politics
• Planes: elementals, Inner Planes, Outer Planes, outsiders, planar magic, portals, Transitive Planes
• Religion: deities, divine outsiders, holy orders, relics, religions, saints, undead

When selling or buying goods in town, the profit or loss are based on a barter score. The barter score is the average of an appraise check and either a diplomacy or intimidate check, with both checks taking 10. For example, if the highest appraise skill of those handling the bartering is 5 and the highest diplomacy or intimidate skill of those handling the bartering is 8, the barter score would be 17 ((5 + 8) / 2 + 10). For every point under 25, items cost 5% more or items sell for 5% less. For every point over 25, items cost 5% less or sell for 5% more. Magical bonuses for calculating a barter score only count if they last for 5 minutes or more.

Feats
You can take feats that you don't qualify for, but you can only use them once you've met the prerequisites. All clerics gain a bonus weapon proficiency feat in the favored weapon for their deity. Wizards have the option to gain the eschew materials feat instead of the scribe scroll feat at first level.

Magic Items
With the fall of the Magecrafters, a closed guild of NPCs that used to control magic item commerce and creation, the secrets to creating magic items have spread. However, the process of binding magic items to the soul has been lost. Due to the rarity of magic items, they are typically only traded or sold on the black market, and finding someone who will craft one is rare.

Creation of magic items requires significantly less time than in the book, but has the same monetary cost. The number of hours to create a magic item is equal the gold * 876 / 100,000 plus 15 hours. Days are typically 10 hours of work. Weapons and armor prices are based on medium size values and they resize to fit the characters just like rings and other magic items.

Magic items can be "upgraded" to increase the bonuses or effects on them as per standard rules. A maximum of 4 magical effects can be on any one non-epic magical item. Increasing the size of an item's natural form costs 300gp and takes a day.

Magic weapons, armor, and shields can not have more than a total +10 value unless they are epic. Special abilities on armor or shields that have a cost listed in gold, rather than as a + value, use the following conversion: <= 1000 is +1, 1001-4000 is +2, 4001-9000 is +3, 9001-16000 is +4, >=16001 is +5. For weapons, these thresholds are doubled (2000, 8000, 18000, 32000).

Identifying Items
Downtime experimentation with magic weapons and armor will reveal their enhancement bonus. All other magical items require identification through a spell such as identify. Magical effects do not normally have game mechanics until those effects are identified. The idenify spell no longer has a material component, works on any number of items within 15 feet, and allows the caster (or a participant) to use a knowledge arcana check to identify item effects. One effect is learned for every point the knowledge arcana check is above 10, and the character can take 10 for this check.

Attuned Items
Each level after the first that a character has that doesn't grant spell casting capabilities, add a single point to a pool of points called Attunement Points. Attunement points can be used to increase the enchantment on a weapon, suit of armor, or shield that the character has made use of, or at least trained with, for a week or more. Six hours must then be spent in meditation to (re)allocate attunement points. The number of points spent on a single item count as the total + of the item. These pluses do not stack with or overwrite permanent magical enchantments. Items must have an enhancement bonus equal to or greater than the + from special abilities. A single item can not have more than a +5 enhancement bonus and +5 worth of special abilities, and also can not be attuned with more points than half the character's level. Attunement points can be split among multiple items. Attuned items only grant the benefit of attunement to the character that performed the attunement. Attuned items are affected by magic canceling effects in the same way as other magic items.

For example, a 7th level fighter has 6 attunement points. He has had a +2 sword for over a week, a normal shield which 3 of his attunement points are currently invested in, making it a +2 blinding shield, and a normal breastplate which 3 of his attunement points are currently invested in, making it a +3 breastplate. He spends 6 hours in meditation with his sword, shield and armor, and is able to reallocate his attunement points. He puts 3 points in the sword and chooses to make it a +2 frost sword, and keeps the 3 points in his armor, leaving his shield as non-magical.

Spells
As a replacement for the XP cost for spells, special material components are to be used that are directly applicable to the use. This will be worked into game on a case-by-case basis. Also, when purchasing scrolls of spells that require XP costs, the cost of the scroll is increased by 20 times the XP cost.

A character must have their casting ability score high enough to cast spells, as per their class. The ability score may be raised, through magical or other means, to facilitate casting.

Unless specifically approved, only spells out of the Players' Handbook are allowed. Even from that book, the following spells are altered:

• Animate Dead does not have the evil descriptor.
• The extra attack from Haste comes last.
• Heroes Feast provides 1 poison immunity and 1 fear immunity per caster level. These are distributed on an as-needed basis by the caster to any of the original participants in the Heroes Feast. Using an immunity is done after the save on an effect is failed and counts as though the character had passed the save. Each character rolls temporary hit points seperately.

The following spells have been approved from the Spell Compendium for use:

• Brambles
• Brilliant Blade (1r/lvl)
• Night Shield
• Recitation
• Spell Resistance, mass
• Spikes
• Veil of Shadow
• Vigor
• Vigor, Greater
• Vigor, Lesser

The following spells have been approved from the Players Handbook II for use:

• Animalistic Power
• Blade of Blood
• Blessing of the Righteous (not stacking with other holy effects)
• Crown of Might
• Crown of Smiting (not your alignment)
• Meteoric Strike (maximum 1 round)
• Stretch Weapon

Resurrection
The power to raise the dead is extremely rare. Spells with this effect lower than the 7th level do not exist. Lesser and Greater Resurrection spells have mishap changes, using the "Resurrection Mishaps" table on page 80 of Heroes of Horror.

The Gods
Worshiping a god is not required. There are a total of 14 gods in the current pantheon. Clerics that do not worship a god are restricted to selecting at least one domain not covered by the gods.

Hit Points
Characters automatically get an additional 4 hit points at creation. Each level, rather than rolling for hit points, the maximum number for the hit die is used.

Massive or Unfortunate Damage
If a character takes 50 or more points of damage in a single blow, or for certain accidental damage occurrences (usually out of combat), a character must make a Fort save DC 20 or become hobbled. Some non-physical damage sources may not cause this affect at DM's discretion. A hobbled character has his movement speeds (all forms) reduced by half, has a +20% miss chance when attacking (stacks with other miss chances), and must make a concentration check DC 14 to cast spells. This status can stack up to 4 times (+4 to the concentration check DC each). From a role playing perspective, this if from a limb that is no longer functional, or serious mangling of the torso and/or face. The hobbled status can be healed with a cure spell of at least cure serious wounds magnitude, Heal, Restoration (or greater), or a heal skill check DC 15 and a full night's rest. Treatment like this will remove all hobbled status effects. Note that if a limb was severed, it will still be severed, and must be dealt with separately. A regenerate spell will cure both the status and regrow missing limbs.

Movement and Reach
When calculating battle movement and reach, every other diagonal counts as 10 feet (assuming no other modifiers).

Initiative
When multiple characters have the same combat initiative, PCs can choose their order among themselves, but if NPCs are involved the order is based on DEX score, with further ties going to initiative modifier, with further ties going to PCs.

Grappling
When an individual initiates a grapple against another target (or set of targets if joining an existing grapple), and the initiator is larger size than the target (or each target in a set), the initiator doesn't need to move into the target's square (assuming the initiator threatens the target). Instead, on a successful grapple initiation, the target moves to the closest square(s) occupied by the initiator.