My House Rules - Looking for Thoughts

[DeadlyReed]

I want to run a 3.5E game but I'm really concerned that my house rules are too much and that I am missing something. Please give me your thoughts. Without further ado...

The House Rules

System
3.5E

Premise
A 4th to 14th level Golarian campaign.

Setting
Golarian (Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting).

Books
Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, Monster Manual, Pathfinder Campaign Chronicles. Other books will become available as the game progresses; some of the rules listed below assume such allowance.

Character Creation
Starting Level: 4th level.
Ability Score Generation: 4d6, drop lowest, arrange to taste.
Hit Points: Maximum hit points at first level (see below), average hit points afterwards.
Starting Wealth: 5400 gold pieces.
Purchasing Guidelines: No custom items.

Classes
The following class changes are in effect for this campaign.

Barbarian
Use the Tome Barbarian (http://www.mediafire.com/?kztmmtyctyo).

Bard
Use the Tome Bard (http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=48650&highlight=bard).

Cleric
Skill Points: (4 + Int) x 4 skill points at 1st level. 4 + Int skill points thereafter.

Druid
Skill Points: (4 + Int) x 4 skill points at 1st level. 4 + Int skill points thereafter.

Fighter
Use the Tome Fighter (http://www.mediafire.com/?kztmmtyctyo).

Monk
Use the Tome Monk (http://www.mediafire.com/?kztmmtyctyo).

Ranger
Use the ZERO Ranger (http://www.tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=49226).

Rogue
Hit Dice: d8.
Saves: Good Will.
Weak Point (Ex): At 8th level, a rogue can use half of his sneak attack dice to creatures against
creatures normally immune to precision-based damage during the appropriate circumstances.

Paladin
Use the Kantian Paladin (http://www.mediafire.com/?kztmmtyctyo).

Sorcerer
Hit Dice: d6.
Saves: Good Fortitude.
Skill Points: (4 + Int) x 4 skill points at 1st level. 4 + Int skill points thereafter.

Wizard
Hit Dice: d6.
Saves: Good Reflex.
Skill Points: (4 + Int) x 4 skill points at 1st level. 4 + Int skill points thereafter.

Skills
Skill Challenges: I will be using something similar to that of the 4E system.
Concentration: Regarding casting defensively, the DC is now equal to the opponent's attack roll + the spell's level.
Diplomacy: I will be using Justin Alexander's rules in regards to this.
Tumble: The DC for normal movement is now the opponent's attack roll while the DC for movement through an occupied area is now opponent's attack roll + 10.

Feats
Great Fortitude, Iron Will, and Lightning Reflexes: These feats provide a +3 bonus to the appropriate save.
Natural Spell: This metamagic feat increases a spell's effective level by one.
Toughness: This feat provides 5 additional hit points.
Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, and Greater Weapon Specialization: These feats are not that great. Anyone who meets the prereqs can take them.

Combat
Additional Starting Hit Points: All characters start with an additional 6 hit points.
Death: Characters die at -10 or -Constitution score hit points, whichever is lower.
Diagonal Movement: It costs one square always, even when cutting corners.
Dying and Healing: When a dying character is healed, his hit points are first returned to 0 and then the healing is applied.
Save or Die Effects: When successful, these effects drop the target to zero hit points and then suffers the effect's level in additional damage. So, a 9th level save or die effect would die a target to -9 hit points.
Taking a Breather: After combat, characters can take a short 5-minute breather that will restore 1/4 of a character's maximum hit points. Any remaining damage not healed in this fashion however cannot be healed by future breathers and must be healed by other means.

Magic
Maximium Number of Effective Spell Instances: You can only have one instance of a spell affecting your person at any time.

Spells
Animate Undead and Deathwatch: These are not Evil spells.
Celerity: This spell is no longer on anyone's spell list and is not accessible by any other means.
Dimension Door: You must have line of sight to where you are teleporting to.
Discern Location, Locate Object/Creature, Scrying, Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, Find the Path: Sites of high entropy can thwart these spells. You will typically need to make a caster check against a DC of 20 + the site's entropy rating (equal to the area's highest level inhabitant's challenge rating) in order for the spell to function normally.
Gate: This is no longer on anyone's spell list and is not accessible by any other means.
Fly: This is now a 5th level spell.
Overland Flight: This is now a 7th level spell.
Planar Binding: This is no longer on anyone's spell list and is not accessible by other means.
Rope Trick: The duration of this spell is 10 minutes per level.
Scrying, Greater Scrying: For clerics, druids, sorcerers, and wizards, these are now 6th and 9th level spells respectively.
Shapechange: This spell is not available.
Teleport, Greater Teleport: These are now 7th and 9th level spells respectively. Sites of high entropy can thwart these spells. Typically, a spellcaster will need to make a caster check against a DC of 20 + the site's entropy level (equal to the area's highest level inhabitant's challenge rating) in order for the spell to function normally. Furthermore, you cannot teleport somewhere you have never physically been before.
True Seeing: This spell does not beat illusion spells instantly but instead allows for opposed caster level checks for each perceived illusion. If the spell recipient's caster level check beats out the illusion's caster level check then the illusion is thwarted.
Wind Walk: For clerics, this is a 7th level spell.

Magic Items
The following items are simply not available: Candles of Invocation. Thought Bottles.

Experience
Rewarding: Experience will only given for completing expedition, quest, or mission goals, accomplishing exceptional tasks, reaching particular milestones, and obtaining noteworthy treasures.

Miscellaneous
Please avoid the following when making characters:
Like Something Else, Only Better (e.g. The Skeleton and Zombie Dragon templates from Draconomicon).
Someone Was Asleep At the Wheel (e.g. The Planar Shephard).
Theoretically Broken (e.g. Risen Matyr).
Stuff That Doesn't Fit The Campaign Setting.

[IGTN]

You moved Flight up in levels; you also have to get the items that do it.

Any reason to not use Tome feats?

Also, the Taking a Breather rule is unnecessary; a Wand of Cure Light Wounds seriously costs 750 GP and lasts an adventure.

What are your players looking like?

[DeadlyReed]

Get the magic items? Absolutely.

Tome feats? No reason. I'll probably add them in.

Taking a breather rule unnecessary? Yeah. You're right.

My players? I haven't sprung it on anyone yet (my group is currently playing 4E) but, in my experience, they run the gamut of rules expert (the cleric player) to rules retarded (the fighter and rogue players).

Edit: To elaborate, in the last campaign, the gap of play between the cleric player and the other players was staggering with the cleric cavorting with power players on the planes while everyone else was tooling around with custodianship of a newly converted barbarian village once the party reached double digit levels.

[Avoraciopoctules]

I think sorcerers could use a mild boost. Maybe give them upped skill points and the ability to cast in light armor.

[MfA]

Concentration: Regarding casting defensively, the DC is now equal to the opponent's attack roll + the spell's level.

How does this work with the counterspelling fireball? (ie. a readied action to cast fireball when someone tries to cast a spell.)

Tumble: The DC for normal movement is now the opponent's attack roll while the DC for movement through an occupied area is now opponent's attack roll + 10.

Are you really really sure you want to do this with opposed rolls?

Dimension Door: You must have line of sight to where you are teleporting to.

Why? The DD leap of faith was fun and potentially lethal. This won't make them go and find the blue key to the blue door if they don't want to ... plenty of other ways to bypass obstacles

Teleport, Greater Teleport: These are now 7th and 9th level spells respectively. Sites of high entropy can thwart these spells. Typically, a spellcaster will need to make a caster check against a DC of 20 + the site's entropy level (equal to the area's highest level inhabitant's challenge rating) in order for the spell to function normally. Furthermore, you cannot teleport somewhere you have never physically been before.

Hope your wizard players are smart enough to write a metropolis into their background What about traveling via the shadow plane and transport via plant?

Some other potentially ruinous core spells :
Polymorph
Telekinesis
Holy Word/Blasphemy/Word of Chaos/Dictum
Wish
Glibness

Broken core mechanics :
Falling object damage (D20 modern is better)
Fear

etc. etc.

[CatharzGodfoot]

I think sorcerers could use a mild boost. Maybe give them upped skill points and the ability to cast in light armor.

Just push them forwards a caster level.


Any there are a huge number of ways to get flight at low levels. Small wizard + reduce person + flying familiar, for example. And druid + dire bat companion.

[DeadlyReed]

Counterspelling fireball? As normal, if fireball damages the spellcaster, he rolls a Concentration skill check against a DC of 10 + the fireball's damage. The house rule for Concentration checks is in regards to casting defensively.

Tumble? You're probably right. Too much dice rolling and swing.

Dimension Door? You're probably right that this change is not necessary.

Shadow Walk and Transport Via Plants? I'm cool with them. They're a lot less convenient than teleport and greater teleport and much more flavorful.

[DeadlyReed]

CartharzGodfoot, I have never encountered that before but thinking about it, I actually have no problem with either of those methods since I like the idea of player characters using flying mounts. Are there any other different methods of early flight that I should be aware of?

[Avoraciopoctules]

Flying mounts such as pegasi and gryphons allow for early flight. However, that's pretty easy to avoid simply by controlling the supply and ease of purchasing/encountering and befriending them.

[JonSetanta]

You're leaving Druid and Cleric spell lists fairly unmolested by nerfage?

Wow. Brave or foolish, I can't tell.

[Judging__Eagle]

You're leaving Druid and Cleric spell lists fairly unmolested by nerfage?

Wow. Brave or foolish, I can't tell.

Hmm, yeah, but Druids have Natural Spell changed into a +1 spell level metamagic feat.

[CatharzGodfoot]

I can't think of any other low-level flying tricks, although I'm sure they exist. If you haven't changed alter self, there's that plus starting as an LA+0 outsider.


Just for fun, I force wizards to be focused specialists (drop three schools, lose one spell per spell level, gain two (total three) specialist spells per spell level).

[Judging__Eagle]

I can't think of any other low-level flying tricks, although I'm sure they exist. If you haven't changed alter self, there's that plus starting as an LA+0 outsider.


Just for fun, I force wizards to be focused specialists (drop three schools, lose one spell per spell level, gain two (total three) specialist spells per spell level).

Ew.

I'd just play a Cleric if that was the case. I like wizards for their options. Because I'm indecisive and a perfectionist. So I want to have the most awesome solution to every problem.

[JonSetanta]

I'd just play a Cleric if that was the case. I like wizards for their options. Because I'm indecisive and a perfectionist. So I want to have the most awesome solution to every problem.

Same. Playing Fire Mage revealed to me a year ago that I don't actually enjoy specialists. At all.

"Generalist Wizard" would be preferred.

[CatharzGodfoot]

I'd just play a Cleric if that was the case. I like wizards for their options. Because I'm indecisive and a perfectionist. So I want to have the most awesome solution to every problem.

Same. Playing Fire Mage revealed to me a year ago that I don't actually enjoy specialists. At all.

"Generalist Wizard" would be preferred.

Getting by on 5 schools isn't much of a challenge, but it provides a bit more interest and less analysis paralysis than the generalist. And it differentiates wizards a bit, as opposed to everyone using pretty much the same killer lineup.

Comparing a fire mage to a specialist wizard in that way is flat-out retarded.

[JonSetanta]

Comparing a fire mage to a specialist wizard in that way is flat-out retarded.

Objection. They represent the extreme end of specialization.
Would you have preferred if I mention an equal displeasure with Domain sorcerers and Favored Souls?

[CatharzGodfoot]

Comparing a fire mage to a specialist wizard in that way is flat-out retarded.

Objection. They represent the extreme end of specialization.
Would you have preferred if I mention an equal displeasure with Domain sorcerers and Favored Souls?

A fire mage is based around a few at-will fire themed abilities.

A (focused specialist) transmuter is based around having a decent amount of telekinesis, shapechanging, buffing, flight, lock opening, demiplane creation, teleportation, sculpting, destruction, and various other utility powers. And then you get a little bit of scrying, identifying, detection, and looking into the future. And you also get your choice of a little bit of three of charming/dominating, undead creating/killing/frightening, battlefield control/teleportation/summoning, warding/anti-magic, blasting/telekinesis/wall-making, or illusions/shadow magic.

Do you see the difference???

[Judging__Eagle]

Yeah, analysis paralysis can be a problem.