An Epic

Farland Alternate Rules and Miscellanea

Character Background

Your character did not spring out of sea foam on the day you rolled him up. He grew up in Farland, and as such has heard several legends that have to do with his race. How many legends he has heard depends on his class: druid, fighter, ranger, paladin, thief, and barbarian 1d2, wizard 1d4, ranger 1d2, cleric, Sorcerer, and monk 1d3, bard 1d4+1. Your GM will detail the legends to you. You may also be allowed to read a special piece of writing according to your race. This writing tells you how life has been for your character up to this point. It will help you get the flavor of the Farland campaign.

Critical Misses

When a character rolls a natural "1" he is in danger of a critical miss. He then rolls the d20 again and if he misses again (with a "1" or not) he has suffered a critical miss. Roll on the chart below. If a result doesn't make sense, simply look to the next one until it does. When a critical miss is rolled, a character suffers the penalty from the chart below. A character with multiple attacks is only in danger of suffering a critical fumble on his first attack. All other ones rolled are treated only as automatic misses.

1 The weapon suffers a severe blow and is in danger of becoming damaged or destroyed. Apply the opponent's weapon damage to the attacker's weapon (minus strength bonus), first to the hardness, then to the hp.
2 The attacker's armor or shield is in danger of losing AC points or being destroyed. Use rules above. Divide the hp of the armor by the bonus to AC it provides. When an increment of HPs are lost, the armor loses 1 AC point. Armor or shield must be repaired to regain lost AC points.
3 The attacker is knocked prone, spending a move equivalent action in the next round while getting to his feet.
4 The attacker injures himself in some manner suffering 1d4 points of nonlethal damage.
5-8 The attacker's weapon flies out of his hand in a random direction, landing 3-30 feet away.
9 The attacker becomes entangled in his equipment and/or disoriented. He must spend a single action (either move or standard) in the next round righting himself.
10 The attacker strikes the nearest random comrade or neutral party for normal melee damage, minus strength bonus. If it is a ranged attack, the damage is calculated as normal. All damage is non-lethal.
11 One random item (not a weapon) of the attacker is damaged by a wild swing from his opponent. Item is in danger of breaking/becoming unusable. Use rules in 1 above.
12 The attacker is thrown off balance. He loses his dexterity bonus to armor class for one round.

Death

If a player's character dies and is unable to be raised, a good method of handling this situation is to roll up a completely new character, but start the new character at the minimum experience points needed to match the level of the lowest-leveled member of the group.

Economy

The monetary system of Farland is based on silver, unlike gold, as in other standard Dungeons & Dragons worlds.

100 SP = 1 PP
10 SP = 1 GP
1 SP = 1 SP
1 SP = 10 CP
1 SP = 100 TP

*A TP stands for tin penny (a half copper/half tin coin)

The most valuable metal in Farland is called Mithril (MP), or Truesilver. It is only found deep inside a few mountains on the whole continent, and is usually mined by dwarves. A mithril piece generally ranges in value from 150 SP to 250 SP, depending on the buyer. The most common coin, and the one used by the average person, is the silver piece. This means the DM must change gold to silver in the treasure tables, raising gold to platinum and platinum to gems. There is the same chance to discover gems as there is magic. Mithril is a treasure that is delivered at GM discretion; it is generally only found in the hands of Elves or Dwarves, who would go to war to keep it. Tin Penny coins are found in the same amount as copper and with double the chance of existing in a given treasure trove. Prices in the PHB should also be converted to silver, with CP becoming TP.

In many kingdoms, the economy is damaged and subject to high inflation rates. This is due to poor ruling on the part of the evil Lords. Prices in the PHB are multiplied by 1.5 to 2 times. Your GM will give you specifics.

See currencies.

Half-Orcs

Half-orcs tend to be particularly intimidating because of their appearance and the attitude they have needed to develop in order to survive in society. They get a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. They are also very good at finding ways to survive. As such they get a +2 racial bonus on survival checks.

Sorcerers

By level two, sorcerers have fully learned how to tap into their inherent magical abilities. As such, they get the Eschew Materials feat for free at second level.

Spells

Polymorph has the following changes:

Polymorph

    Transmutation (Polymorph)
    Level: Sor/Wiz 4
    Components: V, S, M
    Casting Time: 1 standard action
    Range: Touch
    Target: Willing living creature touched
    Duration: 1 min./level (D)
    Saving Throw: None
    Spell Resistance: No

You change the willing subject into another form of living creature. The new form may be of the same type as the subject or any of the following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin. The assumed form can't have more Hit Dice than your caster level (or the subject's HD, whichever is lower), to a maximum of 15 HD at 15th level. You can't cause a subject to assume a form smaller than Fine, nor can you cause a subject to assume an incorporeal or gaseous form. The subject's creature type and subtype (if any) change to match the new form. Features of the polymorph spell are as follows:

  • Polymorph changes the target's form from one shape to another. The subject gains the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form but retains its own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. It also gains all extraordinary special attacks possessed by the form but does not gain the extraordinary special qualities possessed by the new form or any supernatural or spell-like abilities.
  • The target retains its own alignment and personality.
  • The target retains its own hit points.
  • The target is treated as has having its normal Hit Dice for purpose of adjudicating effects based on HD, such as the sleep spell, though it uses the new form's base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and all other statistics derived from Hit Dice.
  • The target retains the ability to understand the languages it understands in its normal form. If the new form is normally capable of speech, the target retains the ability to speak these languages as well. It can write in the languages it understands, but only if the new form is capable of writing in some manner (even a primitive manner, such as drawing in the dirt with a paw).

In all other ways, the target's normal game statistics are effectively replaced by those of the new form. The target loses all of the special abilities it has in its normal form, including its class features (even if the new form would normally be able to use these class features).

If the new form's size is different from the target's normal size, its new space must share as much of the original form's space as possible, squeezing into the available space (see PH 148) if necessary. If insufficient space exists for the new form, the spell fails.

Any gear worn or carried by the target melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the target reverts to its true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on its body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the target's feet.

The spellcaster can freely designate the new form's minor physical qualities (such as hair color and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind. The new form's significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under the spellcaster's control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form's kind. The target of a polymorph spell is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form, and gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise.

If the target of a polymorph spell is slain or rendered unconscious, the spell ends. Any part of the body that is separated from the whole remains polymorphed until the effect ends.

Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to polymorph spell, as are creatures of the plant type. A creature with the shapechanger subtype (such as a lycanthrope or doppelganger) can revert to its natural form as a standard action.

Material Component: An empty cocoon.

Fly, Teleport, and Greater Teleport

As these spells are rare in Farland, they may not be chosen by players as known/available spells when the players advances in level. They may only be given out by the GM.