House Rules Etc

Bows are uncommon in the region and most ranged weapons are crossbows.

I use the "Armor as Damage Reduction" rule from Unearthed Arcana. This means that instead of armor making you less likely to be hit, it reduces the amount of dmg you take when you are hit.

Everyone starts with 1 standard Attack of Opportunity per round like normal. These will be called "Reactions" and can be used to Block or Parry an incomming attack as well as their normal use. The number of Reactions you have per round can be increased in the same way the number of maximum Attacks of Opportunity can be increased with the Combat Reflexes feat. The Shield Proficiency feat gives a +4 to your chance to block in addition to removing the armor check penalty to attack rolls. Because blocking is an reactive ability, instead of a passive bonus to AC it completely blocks the attack. Blocking or parrying can and will cause "wear and tear" on your shield/weapon.
There are some new feats -
Parry Proficiency: Requires 13 dex - Removes the -4 penalty to your attack rolls on a combat round after you parry;
Improved Parry: Requires 13 dex, Parry Proficiency - Gain a +4 bonus to parry attempts with a chosen weapon. May be taken multiple times, its effects do not stack but may be applied to an additional weapon.
Improved Counterattack: Requires 13 dex, Parry Proficiency, Improved Parry - After successfully parrying an attack, may immediately use another Reaction to attack the opponent. The opponent cannot attempt to parry this attack, but is otherwise treated as a normal attack at the attackers highest attack bonus. Must be using a weapon that was chosen with the Improved Parry feat.
All these feats are available to be selected as fighter bonus feats.

You may pick any class from any official book (except psionic) when you first make your character. You may also progress in any class you have at least one level in without seeking special training. However, after initial character creation, you must find someone of sufficient level (3 lvls in that specific class) to train you in order to take the first level in a different class. You must also convince them to train you (completing tasks, paying them, impressing them, etc.). At the start of the campaign, trainers for all standard classes from the Player's Handbook are reasonably available, but other classes might not be available, or might be difficult to find/convince to train.

Initial ability scores are created using the Standard Point Buy method (25 points) from the DMG.

Well known gods

Here are the major gods of this world. You might notice that they seem extremely small; that's because they are. The gods of this world would barely be considered divine on other worlds. There are no known powerful deities. Most of these are from the Book of Exalted Deeds.


Ayailla - The goddess of light, Ayailla is called the Bright Eagle or the Brilliant Mistress. She is the steward of celestial radiance, and she watches over the good creatures of the sky. She is depicted either as a phoenix bathed in brilliant light or as a beautiful red-skinned woman with large, feathered wings.
Ayailla claims many nonhumans among her worshippers, including giant eagles, giant owls, pegasi, lammasus, cloud and storm giants, and good dragons. Surprisingly, she is also revered by some dwarves, including paladins, who quest to bring light into the darkness of the deep regions, both literally and metaphorically. Her symbol is a pheonix, and the domains she is associated with are Glory, Good, and Sun. She is neutral good and her favored weapon is the spear.
Clerics of Ayailla are bearers of her celestial light. Some take that mission literally, such as the dwarves mentioned above, or clerics who use celestial radiance to combat plagues of undead. Others interpret their mission more metaphorically working to illuminate and educate people, teaching everything from basic literacy to abstract philosophy. Ayailla's temples are most commonly found in the cloud-castles of good giants or in subterranean dwarven strongholds, where they are beacons of light in the darkness.


Estanna - Goddess of hearth and home, Estanna is called the Hearthtender. She is depicted as a young woman dressed in commoner's garb, often cooking.
Estanna's faith teaches the simple virtues of home and family life. She is revered in many good households, honored at the lighting of the hearthfire even by people who are otherwise entirely devoted to a single diety or none at all. Her symbol is a hearth and her favored weapon is the dagger. The domains Estanna is assoiciated with are Community, Good, and Protection. She is neutral good.
Estenna has very few clerics, and needs no more than that. People worship her without any need for intermediaries, and she has no overarching agenda that requires a large force of mortal agents doing her work in the world. A very few clerics serve her exclusively, ministering to commoners in their homes and offering services from curing to midwifery, rather than any actual priestly function. There are no temples devoted to Estanna, since she is properly worshipped only in the home.


Phieran - called the Tortured God, is a deity of suffering, endurance, and perseverance. He is usually depicted as a strong man whose body has been broken and twisted on the rack, leaving him with a limp and covered with scars.
Phieran gives strength in suffering, eases pain, and exalts martyrs. He is popular among the desperately poor, and he is often called upon by those who must endure torture as well as others in great pain (including women in childbirth). His symbol is a broken chain or a shattered rack. His favored weapon is an unarmed strike. The domains he is associated with are Endurance, Good, Law, and Protection. He is lawful good.
Clerics of Phieran are martyrs in the best possible sense: completely giving, willing to aid virtually anyone in any situation, and happy to take on another's burdens. They are often found ministering among the poor or in prisons. Phieran's temples are usually humble shrines found in the poor quarters of large cities.


Valarian - Called the Dusk Unicorn, Valarian is a god of the forests and its creatures. His particular domain is good-aligned magical beasts: unicorns, blink dogs, and pegasi in particular. Some lammasus and androsphinxes revere him as well. He is always portrayed as a unicorn stallion with a silvery-gray coat that shimmers in moonlight.
Valarian teaches the protection of natural woodlands and proper respect and reverence for the good-aligned magical beasts that dwell in them. He is a fierce enemy of evil magical beasts such as manticores, worgs, and chimeras, and he particularly despises lamias. His symbol is the silhouette of a unicorn rampant in front of a full moon, and his favored weapon is a unicorn horn. The domains he is associated with are Animal, Fey, and Good. He is neutral good.

There are other deities, but these dark and disturbing entities are usually only known by their worshippers. It is said, that by the time you seek them out... they have already found you.

Some Examples

In case you are wondering, here is a few examples of races I would consider allowing as a playable race. Each would have some sorts of problems, but if someone understands what they would be getting into and still wants to play one its fine with me. I dont mind working with someone to make a race fit the power level of the campaign.

Ogre
Sprite
Changeling
Jaebrin
Gnoll
Half-Fey
Diopsid
Silver Dragon
Gnome
Feytouched
Goliath
Treant
Troglodyte
Centaur
Worg
Elf

Most Common Races

This is a list of some of the more common races in the area. It is by no means exhaustive, and just because a race isnt on here, doesnt mean that there arent any in the area. Any on this list are definately available for play. All other races available for play are a small minority with only maybe a handful anywhere near.

Humans
Mongrelfolk
Halflings
Dwarves
Skulk
Orcs
Hobgoblins
Underfolk
Kobolds
Lizardfolk
Kenku
Shifter
Dvati
Warforged

Some things your characters probably know...

The largest town you know, Kingsrich, is a coastal port city that was formerly part of a distant kingdom, but the people threw out the old King's men and appointed their own leaders.

There has been a war with the local elves for longer than you've been alive. Most people say that it started because the elves refused to allow anyone access to the lumber from their forests.

Dwarves are something you had never heard of as a child, and when the first of them came down from the mountain, no one knew what to think. But all of them have been very friendly and helpful, and have an amazing affinity with stone and earth.

You havent seen a Gnome since you were a kid. Your parents also gave you a good lashing for telling them that THEY were the ones that made such a huge mess in your bedroom.

Kobolds are smelly little rat men, who usually live in abandoned mines and caves. Probably a lot of them in city sewers too. You know better than to go to the old silver mines because they are completely overrun by Kobolds.

The Starting Town

You've lived in Minenburgh for a while now, and even though you had been contemplating leaving ever since the old silver mines shut down it is still the place you call home. The quarentine happened before you even heard rumors of a plague. The only bridge leading back to civilization is the Dragon's Pass, and one day the guards simply stopped allowing people through. Their orders are to kill anyone attempting to get through to Minenburgh, and to strongly caution the townspeople that once they cross, they can not come back until the plague has passed. Although somewhat trapped with the threat of plague on one side, and only a rough mountain pass on the other, morale is fairly high ever since the discovery of adamantite near the town. The Endeavour Mining Co. has been rationing food to the townspeople, and offering shares of stock in the company to anyone who donates food to the storehouse. Things seem like they will be really good as long as the townspeople can outlast the plague.

Hello

This blog is where I will be posting information about my D&D 3.5 campaign that I am running on OpenRPG. Please feel free to leave comments, and thanks for stopping by.