D20 House Rules

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Character Creation

Ability Score Point Buy

Ability scores are to be generated using the Point Buy system also presented in the DMG. Characters have 25 points to spend on ability scores. This is before racial modifiers are applied. Use the chart below for how much ability scores of different values cost:

Score	Cost
8	0
9	1
10	2
11	3
12	4
13	5
14	6
15	8
16	10
17	13
18	16

Characters With Fewer Scores

If for some reason you are playing a character with fewer than the standard six ability scores, you start with fewer points to spend on your ability scores. If starting with 5 ability scores, you get 21 points. If starting with 4 ability scores, you get 17 points. If starting with 3 ability scores, you get 13 points.

Random Ability Score Variants

Limited Rerolls

Randomly roll all ability scores. Don't like your scores? Mostly below average? Keep your lowest score, but reroll the other five. Still don't like your scores? Keep the lowest two, reroll the other four. Etc.

Justification: Provides randomness (if that's desired), and makes it less likely a character will be struck with all really crappy ability scores, while at the same time providing incentive not to just keep rerolling until you end up with an absurd set.

Reroll Highest & Lowest

Randomly roll ability scores. Don't like your set? You can reroll both the highest and lowest; if you choose to reroll, you have to reroll them both. Still don't like the set? You can choose to repeat this up to N times. (N ~= 10?)

Justification: The more you reroll in this manner, the more statistically likely your ability scores--other than the ones you last rerolled--are to be average. Presumably you'll choose to stop after a set where the last two scores rolled are pretty decent, so it increases the likelihood you'll have at least one or two decent stats. Allowing rerolling in this manner also decreases the likelihood you'll be stuck with mostly crappy stats, because presumably you'll reroll a few times and your stats as a whole will move towards average. Setting a maximum number of rerolls is necessary because otherwise a person could repeat until they eventually get the unlikely roll of two 18's. This method is probably best done with 3d6 rolls, not 4d6 (drop 1) rolls because the ability to choose when to stop already skews your set of ability scores to above average.

Average Hit Points

Instead of rolling for hit points at each level you instead get a number of hit points as per the chart below. Note that as a caveat, you still get maximum hit points at first level, and you still apply your Constitution modifier to the number of hit points you get each level.

Level	d4	d6	d8	d10	d12
Even	2	3	4	5	6
Odd	3	4	5	6	7

No Alignment

Characters do not have an alignment. Instead the rules for Taint (see below) are a replacement. Characters that are not tainted, or who have only Mild taint are treated as Good for the purposes of spells and effects. Characters that are Moderately tainted are treated as Neutral for the purposes of spells and effects. Finally, characters that are Severely tainted are treated as Evil for the purposes of spells and effects. There is no law-chaos axis of alignment, and all spells, abilities and class restrictions relating to it are no longer in play.

Traits

Characters may possess up to two different traits, as per the rules for Traits in Unearthed Arcana and here. A character does not have to have any traits. They are optional.

Flaws

A character may have up to two Flaws, mostly as per the rules on Unearthed Arcana and here. However, instead of each Flaw granting you a feat slot, each Flaw instead grants you one extra Luck point. (See the rules for Luck Points below.) Flaws are optional, you do not have to take any.

Multi-Class Saves

Normally when multi-classing saving throws can get kind of screwy. Because of this, when multi-classing you can only ever get the +2 bonus from a good saving throw once. If multi-classing into a class that has a good saving throw you already have the +2 bonus from, you continue to get the good saving throw progression, just not the +2 bonus.

Example: Bob is a 2nd level fighter who is now multi-classing to take a level of Barbarian. The Fighter has a good Fortitude save, which started at +2 (the +2 bonus) and is now at +3. The Barbarian also has a good Fortitude save, which also normally starts at +2. When Bob takes his level of Barbarian he doesn't gain the +2 to Fortitude again, since he already has it from fighter. But he does continue the good Fortitude progression as level 3 on that progression. At third level of that progression, his Fort bonus is still +3.

Single Prestige Class

Prestige classes are supposed to represent crucial niche archetypes in the game world. If you take them, they're supposed to be prestigious and have a significant impact on who you are as a character. Unfortunately, they have the tendency to become simple ability progressions to cherry pick from. To help circumvent this, the following house rule is in effect: A character may have only one prestige class, period. Choose one that helps shape your character; choose wisely. This restriction also applies to racial paragon classes, monster classes and all other manner of unusual classes. Multi-classes between the base classes is unrestricted.

Gameplay

Taint

Instead of alignment, characters possess a Taint score. Taint functions the way it does in Unearthed Arcana and here, with the following exceptions:

• Taint does not apply as a penalty to Constitution and Wisdom.
• Determining one's level of Taint is based off of Wisdom rather than Constitution.
• Taint can be gained both from tainted places/objects and from bad deeds. There is no save against taint from deeds you willing enact.
• Characters that are not tainted, or who have only Mild taint are treated as Good for the purposes of spells and effects. Characters that are Moderately tainted are treated as Neutral for the purposes of spells and effects. Characters that are Severely tainted are treated as Evil for the purposes of spells and effects.
• When a character's Taint score equals or surpasses her Wisdom score she does not die. Instead she has become so evil and bestial she is no longer a player character. This cannot be escaped by "embracing taint."
• Spells--with the exception of Atonement, Miracle and Wish--cannot remove Taint. Taint must be removed through good deeds and sacred springs.
• Taint-absorbing objects only protect from certain sources of taint, such as from tainted locations. They do not protect against tainted acts committed by one's character, and so on.

Luck Points

Each player will get a number of Luck Points. This number is determined by the following factors: Every player gets at least 1 point. If a journal entry was made for last session, you get an extra Luck Point. You get another Luck Point for each Weakness you have. Finally, the player who was chosen as MVP from last session is granted an additional Luck Point.

Luck points are refreshed periodically, as specified by the GM. This may or may not correspond with the beginning of a session. Luck points can be spent to reroll any roll made directly affecting your character. So, for example, you may spend a Luck Point to reroll a save your character just made, or may be spent to make a character attacking you reroll her attack roll.

XP & Advancement

All Player Characters advance in level at certain plot points determined by the GM. When a character advances in level, they set their "current XP" to a sum determined by their new level. When using spells or abilities that require the character to spend XP, the XP comes out of this pool. Characters may not reduce their pool of XP below 0 in this way, nor does unused XP carry between levels. The amount of XP a character gets to use in this way at each level is detailed below:

Level	XP
1	500
2	1000
3	1500
4	2000
5	2500
6	3000
7	3500
8	4000
9	4500
10	5000
11	5500
12	6000
13	6500
14	7000
15	7500
16	8000
17	8500
18	9000
19	9500
20	10000