This page details rules applied to all games run in the world of Reverie.
Most classes have minor modifications applied. See Class Rules.
Choose two classes.
Take the best of either class for each of hit dice, skill points, each saving throw, and base attack bonus. Take the union of their class skills. Take all class features of each; they stack, except that any level-based progression (like the Barbarian's Improved Uncanny Dodge or the Rogue's Sneak Attack) is capped to the character's highest class level.
This is your gestalt class, and you continue to progress in it.
Modification
Gain a (non-gestalt) level in any NPC class (Warrior, Voyageur, Expert, Courtesan, Aristocrat, or Adept), such that at "level 1" you now have 2 HD and 2 class levels (level 1 remains the terminology to be used for these Infused characters, despite this). Only your HD from your gestalt class is maximised, and this class never progresses further. Do not count this NPC class level toward your character level, e.g. for the purposes of racial abilities, qualifying for feats, or for feats or traits that give you benefits intended to assist multiclassing characters (e.g. Magical Knack, Boon Companion); however, the benefits of the level (such as BAB and skill ranks) may be used to qualify for even your first feat.
You still gain feats at levels 1, 3, and 5 (for why 7+ are not mentioned, see Epic 6 below). You do not gain an ability point at 4 (but see Special Wealth below).
No multiclassing is allowed save that explicitly described above.
Notation
Denote class as Class1//Class2+NPCClass LV (ergo, Class: Fighter//Magus+Expert 1).
Epic 6
Epic 6, often referred to as E6, sets the maximum character level to sixth level. Players progress past sixth level via Capstone and Epic feats, and may also take one Prestige feat chain.
Whenever a character of sixth level would gain a step level, they instead gain a feat.
Modified Step Levels
Step levels are an alternative pattern for advancement. While traditional levels involve a "crossing-over point," where a character periodically becomes massively more powerful, step levels provide a more gradual rate of advancement. Each level is broken down into 6 parts, which the GM awards as he feels is appropriate.
A single step level confers one of the following benefits, although no duplicates can be taken until any particular "full" level is complete (at which point the cycle begins anew):
A: Class features from gestalt side 1 (including "class level")
B: Class features from gestalt side 2 (including "class level")
C: Hit dice, hit points, and base attack bonus
D: Saving throws
E: Skill points
F: Enhancement bonuses and wealth (see Legendary Items below)
In addition, once all above benefits have been selected, the letters are erased and the character's numerical level moves up. At this point, she receives a feat if she has just achieved an odd level, and are otherwise treated as having that character level. (Thus, one's character level might not be the same as one's class level.)
Character level is represented as a number followed by, optionally, some combination of the above letters. For example, a second level Fighter//Cleric who has chosen A and D from their two step levels might represent their level as Fighter//Cleric 2AD (terse) or as Fighter 3//Cleric 2 AD (expanded - note the A is redundant but listed). After acquiring B, C, E, and F, they would simply represent their level as 3 (and also acquire a new feat).
Conviction
Each Infused character has a pool of up to (4+CHA modifier) Conviction points, which are fully refreshed after a full night of rest. These can be spent as follows:
1 point. Before any d20 roll, spend a Conviction point to roll that die twice and take the better result.
2 points. After any d20 roll, spend two Conviction points to reroll that die and take the new result.
2 points. As a free action on your turn, spend two Conviction points to gain a move action. This action can be spent for move-equivalent actions or to move, as with other move actions.
3 points. As a free action on your turn, spend three Conviction points to gain a standard action.
Characters can only spend Conviction points in any of these manners once per round.
Rawness
The raw power of Conviction coursing through the bodies of the Infused inflicts physical trauma on them when harnessed. Whenever one of the Infused uses Conviction, the user rolls 1d6 on the following table for each point spent:
1-3: You suffer lethal damage equal to twice the roll. Maximum twice your class level.
4-5: You suffer nonlethal damage equal to twice the roll. Maximum thrice your class level.
6: You become shaken 1 round (stacking in duration).
These take effect immediately after the action completes.
The Death Flag
As an alternative to the Death Flag, see troupe play, below. Both have a primary goal of reducing the impact of character death on player involvement, but each have different secondary effects.
In addition, player characters have a Death Flag. This Death Flag indicates that they have a limited form of plot immunity, preventing them from dying even in the most unlikely of circumstances. For example, whenever one would die, the "camera" fails to reveal all the details, and one later turns out to have merely been injured. This extends to other forms of effective death, like being vacuumed into the Abyss, etc.
At any time, a player may raise his character's Death Flag. This temporarily removes his character's plot immunity, but instantly grants (4+CHA modifier) additional Conviction points, even beyond the maximum. The Death Flag remains up until it is lowered, as follows:
(4+CHA modifier) points. At any time, spend a day's Conviction points to lower your Death Flag.
The character does not gain additional Conviction points each day for leaving her Death Flag up, although she does gain her normal daily allotment up to her normal maximum. Thus, lowering the Death Flag means the character will have no further Conviction points that day.
The GM is encouraged to treat death as a serious affair. While resurrection might be possible, it would likely require a visit to Destiny's domain, or other similar supernatural adventure.
It's possible that, a player might buff their Charisma, raise the Flag, wait for the buff to run out, and lower the flag. This would grant them additional Conviction points. This is a relatively trivial issue, and fixing it would complicate the Death Flag more than it would ease play. Consider adding a minor house rule regarding the issue.
The traditional seven races and all psionic races are no longer available. Instead, the Aquan, Children of Destiny, Draconic, Isle Dwellers, Kami, Seeds, and Sheltered Ones are available for play. In games which allow Dissonant races, the Ardent, Golems, Rewound, and Stoic are also available for play.
In addition, all races are considered psionic races for the purpose of favoured class bonuses.
See the Races page for details.
The Good-Evil-Chaos-Law 3x3 matrix is not used. Instead, two attributes are given: Allegiance and Principle.
Allegiance
Either Loyalists, Citizenry, or Conspirators. The Allegiance Natural is an additional option not generally available to player characters. (Creatures with less than 3 Intelligence ("animal intelligence") generally have the Allegiance Natural. Other creatures may have the Allegiance Natural under limited circumstances.)
Most player characters will be Loyalists. Conspirators are those aligned with the Pristine cultists and subversive elements working against the Council of the Holy Arbitration.
Principle
For Loyalists, any one of Destiny, Discovery, Freedom, Order, or Power. All Loyalists have been devoted to a Principle. Those of the Citizenry or Conspirators may or may not have a Principle; if one does not, write "None." Conspirators receive the additional options of Reverie and the Tapestry.
Principles are those aspects of the Arbiters to which properly devoted characters are intrinsically connected. See the Deities page for details.
Once per day, a character may invoke their Principle. See the Deities page for details on when a Principle may be invoked, and the consequences of doing so. Invoking a Principle allows the character to roll a single attack roll, ability check, skill check, or saving throw three times and take the best of the three rolls.
The Wheel and traditional deities do not exist. See the Cosmology page for details.
Complete and Dissonant Energy
Positive energy and negative energy do not exist. Instead, complete and dissonant energy exist.
Complete energy soothes, sates, and reintegrates the twin vim and brio natures of complete creatures. When used to harm, it pulls at the nature of dissonant creatures, trying to connect their essence to a void.
Dissonant energy encourages the individuality of a dissonant creature's nature. When used to harm, it wracks and tears at the essences of complete creatures as their very being tries to divide.
When choosing ability scores, do not roll or use point buy. Instead, take one of the following arrays, allocate them amongst attributes as desired, then apply racial and other modifiers as if the player had rolled those ability scores (PB 15-equivalent):
If playing with the infusion of power character creation rules, choosing to empower ability scores allows a player to choose any of the following (PB 25-equivalent):
Add Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, Piranha Strike, Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, and Weapon Finesse to your list of feats known. This ignores prerequisites.
If you have any levels in Bard, add Lingering Performance to your list of feats known. This ignores prerequisites.
Finally, at 6th level, add Improved Two-Weapon Fighting to your list of feats known. This ignores prerequisites.
You gain the Infuse Abilities benefit, the Infuse Ages and the Infuse Essence benefit:
Infuse Abilities. At 1st level, improve your ability scores:
If using rolled dice (including pools), take your lowest roll and treat it as instead being an 16.
If using point buy, add 10 points to your points total given by the GM.
If using ability arrays, choose an empowered array instead of a standard array.
If using the 3x3 grid, you may use one of the provided squares for both associated abilities.
Infuse Ages. At 1st level, you gain an additional feat. When you reach 2nd level and at every even level thereafter, you may retrain this feat as if it were gained at your new level.
Infuse Essence. When you reach 6th level, you gain one spell or power from the following list, usable a number of times per day as described. Treat this as a spell-like ability or psi-like ability, using character level as the caster or manifester level and associated with your highest mental attribute. (Powers with the notation (A) treat the greater of your character level and their power point cost as your manifester level, and may be so augmented (which has no power point cost as a psi-like ability). Other powers use the minimum manifester level for manifestation, and may not be augmented.)
Thrice per day
Force screen (A), metaphysical weapon (A), inevitable strike (A).
Once per day
Eradicate invisibility (A), hustle, sharpened edge, graft weapon.
Or any one of:
Destiny, once per day
As still silent lesser geas, but they receive the benefit of animal affinity for the duration, affecting the target's highest ability score.
Whenever you activate this spell-like ability, your physical or mental attributes (pick one) are reduced by -4 for the duration of the geas plus 1 day.
Discovery, once per day
As true seeing.
Whenever you activate this spell-like ability, your vision range is reduced to 45' for 1 hour, and the only language you can speak or understand during that time becomes Aklo. (You cannot understand other languages, even with a Linguistics check or with tongues, but you can understand scrolls and other magic script as you would if not under this effect. If you cannot normally speak or understand Aklo, you temporarily gain it as a known language.)
Freedom, once per day
As fold space, but you may then take a full round of actions. (This is not the same as having an additional round.)
Whenever you activate this psi-like ability, you are paralysed and unable to cast or manifest for one round after ending your turn. This effect allows no save.
Order, once per day
As memory modification, but use a number of minutes equal to your character level plus two.
Whenever you activate this psi-like ability, the ten minutes of your memory before activation are eliminated after you complete the memory modification, except that you may remember one descriptive sentence (spoken aloud) in their place. Other than this sentence, you are unable to remember the erased memories for any reason, including when reminded; the knowledge quickly slips away.
Power, once per day
As energy cone, but use a number of dice equal to your character level plus three, and half of the damage dealt by this psi-like ability is force damage. It cannot be augmented and always deals either fire or cold damage (choose at character creation).
Whenever you activate this psi-like ability, you take an amount equal to your character level plus three in untyped damage that ignores damage resistance.
Most magical items that grant enhancement bonuses are unavailable. Instead, Vim and Brio empowers all of the chosen elite.
Enhancement Bonuses
Each character chooses two primary attributes. At levels 1, 2, 4, and 6, these attributes increase by 1. After gaining 12 post-epic feats, these attributes increase by +1 once more.
In addition, all attributes (including primary attributes) increase by 1 at levels 1 and 4. After gaining 5 post-epic feats, these attributes increase once more.
At levels 1 and 3, all characters receive a +1 enhancement bonus to Shield AC while wielding a shield. After gaining 5 post-epic feats, this enhancement bonus increases again by +1. Shields they imbue with special qualities are treated as having a proportional enhancement bonus.
At levels 1 and 3, all characters receive a +1 resistance bonus to all saving throws. After gaining 5 post-epic feats, this resistance bonus increases again by +1.
At levels 1 and 4, all characters receive a +1 enhancement bonus to Armour AC while wearing armour. After gaining 12 post-epic feats, this enhancement bonus increases again by +1. Alternatively, a set of specially treated bracers (gp cost 5) may be treated as AC +0 armour for this purpose, though they are treated as a shield for determining what special qualities they can have. Armours they imbue with special qualities are treated as having a proportional enhancement bonus.
At levels 1 and 5, all characters receive a +1 enhancement bonus to Natural Armour AC.
At levels 2 and 6, all characters receive a +1 enhancement bonus to Deflection AC.
At levels 2 and 6, all characters receive a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls with manufactured weapons, unarmed attacks, and natural attacks, and treat all attacks they make as if their manufactured weapon, unarmed attack, or natural attack was magic. Weapons they imbue with special qualities are treated as having a proportional enhancement bonus.
Legendary Item Boons
Finally, rather than gathering unimaginable wealth, characters collect and familiarise themselves with magic items during their adventures. A character is expected to have 1 such magic item at level 1, plus another such item for every level after level 2, to a maximum of 5 at level 6 (see table). However, rather than being an individual item, this is instead a property of the character; a weapon they wield or armour they wear gains this quality, by the favour of the Arbiters.
(The enhancement bonuses defined previously do not constitute a "magic item" for these purposes; magic items are defined by wondrous effects and special qualities, not numerical effect.)
Armours, shields, and weapons so selected receive a special quality (see below) rather than a wondrous effect.
A wondrous item receives the effect of any Minor wondrous item or ring. These items must occupy the same slot as the original, and lose any bonuses, such as enhancement bonuses, otherwise granted to ability scores, attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, armour class, and so on, except that bonuses to skill checks and ability checks are retained.
Special Qualities
An armour, shield, or weapon often carries a special quality. Different Infused often choose to carry magic items of different special qualities. An item with a special quality gains unique and powerful effects. Though there exist occasional magic weapons and armours without special qualities, they are prevalent enough that players may choose one special quality for each such item they gain as a boon.
These boons manifest in such ways as a sword lighting up in ancient runes when raised, or bursting into flame, or newly-donned armour lining itself with veins of adamantine. Note that only one boon can be active per item at a time; although you can select two different weapon abilities by taking two magic weapons, only one can be active per weapon at a time. On the other hand, note that you are not restricted to applying a boon to only a single weapon at a time.
An armour may carry a special quality from the below list (or, with GM permission, another quality similarly defined):
Adamantine. This armour is constructed out of a durable metal bourne from the great cavernous excavations of the Sheltered Ones. This armour grants DR 1/— per +1 enhancement bonus of the armour and gains 5 additional hardness.
Dragonhide. This armour, whether typically metal or hide, is constructed from the remains of the most legendary of animals. It grants energy resistance against the energy associated with the dragon at an additive rate of resistance 5 per +1 enhancement bonus.
Fortified. This armour is specially enchanted to prevent disastrous events. At +1 enhancement bonus, the character receives a 25% chance to ignore a critical strike or a sneak attack, as the fortification enchantment. At +2 enhancement bonus, this raises to 50%. At +3 enhancement bonus, this raises to 75%.
Mithral, Blessed. This armour is constructed out of a lightweight material set into the deep earth by the Pristines and blessed by the Council of the Holy Arbitration. It requires the proficiency of its original weight but is treated as one class lower for all other purposes, eg. a mithral breastplate requires medium armour proficiency, but like light armour, does not restrict movement. In addition, spell failure chances are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonuses are increased by 2, and armor check penalties are decreased by 3 (to a minimum of 0). Finally, a wearer gains 1 additional daily Conviction point after attuning to the armour (normally accomplished by wearing the armour for at least 8 hours a day over 3 days), though they lose this bonus if they wear any other armour.
Mystifying. This armour continually scintillates with mindboggling patterns. Attacks against the wearer, including touch attacks, suffer from a 20% miss chance as if the wearer were concealed (although the wearer is not otherwise considered concealed).
Wild. This armour always seems to be made from hide, though this is not always actually the case. The wearer benefits from its armour bonus (including the enhancement bonus) while under the effects of wild shape.
A shield may have any special quality from the armour list above except the following: Adamantine, Blessed Mithral, Wild. Alternatively, they may have any special quality from the weapon list below except the following: Wyroot. Finally, they may carry a special quality from the below list (or, with GM permission, another quality similarly defined):
Warning. This shield augments the senses of its wielder. It grants a +5 sacred bonus to initiative rolls.
A weapon may carry a special quality from the below list (or, with GM permission, another quality similarly defined):
Conductive. This weapon is covered with arcane, divine, and psionic runes. Once per round, when a conductive weapon is used in a successful attack, its wielder may expend 2 uses of any spell-like or supernatural ability which would require a standard action touch attack. If they do, the target suffers the effects of the weapon attack as well as the special ability. (An ability with unlimited uses can be used with this ability.)
Corrosive. This weapon drips with vile toxins on command. It deals +1d6 acid damage for every +1 enhancement bonus of the weapon.
Flaming. This weapon bursts into flame on command. It deals +1d6 fire damage for every +1 enhancement bonus of the weapon.
Guided. This weapon moves in tune with the wielder's intuition. Its wielder may use their Wisdom bonus in place of their Strength or Dexterity bonuses on attack rolls and damage rolls on attacks with this weapon.
Icy. This weapon forms an icy sheen on command around it and the wounds it causes. It deals +1d6 cold damage for every +1 enhancement bonus of the weapon.
Impact. This weapon's weight swings itself on command. It deals +1d4 damage of the weapon's damage type for every +1 enhancement bonus of the weapon. Unlike other magic bonuses, this damage is multiplied on a critical hit.
Keen. This weapon seeks out vital targets. Its critical range is doubled, to a maximum of +1 to its critical range for every +1 enhancement bonus of the weapon. This does not stack with improved critical or other critical range enhancement effects.
Wyroot. This weapon with a wyroot core siphons the life force of its targets. When a wyroot weapon is used in a confirmed critical hit (whether the target was Complete or Dissonant), it gains 1 life point. A wielder with a ki pool, an arcane pool, an arcane reservoir, or motes of time can consume 1 life point from the weapon as a swift action to gain 1 unit of any single such pool. A wyroot weapon may hold up to 3 life points, which are dismissed at dusk or every 24 hours, whichever comes first.
Replace the Equipment chapter from the Core Rulebook with the Equipment chapter from the Kirthfinder Roleplaying Game. (Distributed on request.)
The official Gunslinger class created by Paizo is not available, the firearm rules provided by Paizo are not applied, and all associated archetypes are not allowed. However, the Gunslinger class for Heroes of Alvena (v. 1.2.6) is allowed, as are the respective firearm rules. (For benefits of exotic expertise in firearms, see your GM.)
The official Summoner class created by Paizo is not available to player characters.
The attack action and the charge action are treated as the full attack action for the purpose of iterative attacks by characters with class levels. (This means characters may make iterative attacks with standard actions and on charges.)
The armour check penalty (ACP) for wearing armour for Disable Device and Ride is removed if using appropriate gear. (For Ride, this would entail using a saddle. For most uses of Disable Device, this would entail removing gauntlets or gloves. Removing gauntlets and/or gloves is a free action; donning gloves is a free action; donning gauntlets is a move action.)
The armour check penalty (ACP) for wearing armour is halved (rounded up) for Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, and Sleight of Hand.
Skill checks and ability checks are made by rolling 3d6+bonuses, not 1d20+bonuses. Other rolls (such as saving throws and attack rolls) are still made with 1d20+bonuses.
If troupe play is in use, do not use the Death Flag rule. Both have a primary goal of reducing the impact of character death on player involvement, but each have different secondary effects.
In this variant, each player creates two characters instead of one. However, at each game session, they only treat one of these characters as their active character. Inactive characters are busy handling other tasks, like guarding camp, delivering speeches to the citizenry, training the guard, researching spells, finding good prices on magic items for the party, investigating another path down into the ruins, ...
Characters of a particular player share experience totals. A player with a dead character may only play the remaining character until a new character is introduced or their old character is brought back from the dead.
The GM is encouraged to use troupe play to abstract away "split the party" missions, and to tell a more epic tale akin to that of Tolkien's famous works. Increased interaction with other groups, like the city in which the players live, is encouraged.
Troupe play is appropriate for longer, epic campaigns. A single story arc of a few sessions almost certainly doesn't need the added complexity of troupe play; the Death Flag would be much more appropriate.