Kilgs' House Rules

All of these rules are placed here in order to make the game more friendly to PbP and smooth out some rough spots in either the rules or the implementation of the game. Some of the rules simply are there to make the game a bit more fitting to the thematic elements that I have in mind.

All of these rules are subject to change.

If you don’t like any of these rules or have ideas for new ones, please let me know. I retain the final say on any rules but am fully willing to contemplate changes to any rules in the game.

Stunting

‘Stunting’ is that moment when your character transcends the mundane and attempts something truly heroic! Whether it’s fighting with daggers while swaying on a rope ladder, casting spells while plummeting to the ground or even executing a double-flip during a particularly impressive dance performance for the Syrina of Turan. It’s those times when you and your character go the extra mile to not just accomplish a task but to do it with style.

All multiple actions receive a -5 penalty to subsequent actions. This can be mitigated by ‘Stunting’, which requires two things: 

1. An evocative and descriptive narrative of the events.
2. A Primary attribute that corresponds to the actions.

A character can only mitigate one Action per Round and the additional -5 bonus is added to any subsequent actions.

Example: 
Loratio, a Zandir Swordsman, runs along a narrow balcony to reach his enemy only to see his companion, Serina, in danger across the room. Like any good Zandir, he leaps off the balcony, snagging the chandelier, swinging across the room to land next to Serina and parry a thug’s attack. Loratio’s player writes…

”Seeing Serina imperiled, Loratio scans the room seeking for a solution, anything to assist her. As his gaze happens on the chandelier, his thoughts are liquid quicksilver and he sees the chance to swing across the room, executing a somersault that would place him directly in the path of the assassin’s blade that even now was seeking his companion’s heart. Thoughts and motion become one he leaps into mid-air towards the crystalled constellation hanging above the ballroom. A battle-cry sounded from his lips as his body arced out over the void, fingers grasping…”

His adrenalin-addicted Narrator looks at that series of events and thinks… yeah, that would be pretty kick-ass.

His actions are--
-Leap onto chandelier/swing across room/somersault off chandelier/land near assassin and parry attack

The Narrator, in his kind and magnanimous heart, decides that it is really three actions…
1-Leap onto chandelier (Dex/Acrobatics) 
2-Land near assassin (Dex/Acrobatics) 
3-Parry attack. (Combat Rating/Blade)

Even with this, Loratio is looking at a -5 penalty for (2) and -10 penalty for (3). And that just won’t do. So the Narrator allows Loratio to add his Speed (or Dex or whatever) to Action 2, reducing the penalty to -3, then the final action would only be at a -8.

Note: Stunting was not created so you can use it every single Round. Be heroic. Think big.

Combat Rules

I. Posting In Combat

Due to the delayed nature of PbP, the Narrator will end up describing most combat scenarios. I fully expect individuals to narrate their own actions but the results will, unfortunately, have to be described by yours truly. Please provide, as noted above, your Intent and your dice roll.

II. Initiative

The following rules apply to Initiative contests only.

Weapon Modifiers
The existing rules do not allow for the fact that certain weapons are faster or slower to use, or have superior or inferior reach. The following broad modifiers can be applied to a character's Initiative roll depending on what weapon they are using.
Type			Initiative Modifier
Unarmed (Da-Khar, Garde etc.)   -1
One-Handed/Staves                      +0
Two Handed Weapons                  -3

Spell-Casting

Casting a spell in combat imparts a -3 penalty to Initiative. Conjuration (Summon) has a -5 penalty per level of creature summoned.

III. Wounds

We are going to use an alternate Wound system for PCs and NPC characters; creatures and animals will use Hit Points as normal with added modifiers to equate with the below system.

This is experimental and, if people dislike it, we will remove it.

A. Attack Roll
The Attack Roll is unchanged except that Critical Hits now do double (2x) damage.

B. Defense Roll
Mishap—An Attacker Full Success is considered a Critical Hit
Failure—No change
Partial Success—Reduce Attacker’s success by one category (Full to Partial etc) 
Full/Critical Success—Attacker’s roll automatically fails.

C. Damage Roll
This is the new step. The person who was wounded makes an Equipment test, which works just like a skill test. In this case, the person who was wounded rolls on the OMNI table, including the effective PR of armor - by type of damage inflicted, and location (if applicable) modified by CON. The Degree of Difficulty is the DR of the weapon that hit the target, modified by the STR of the person wielding it: 

Mishap: Grievous Injury - Target receives two wound levels and a permanent injury, ranging from a scar to Attribute reduction.
Failure: Wounded - Target receives one wound level
Partial Success: Stagger - Target receives 0 wound levels but has a -5 penalty to any action until their next turn.
Full Success: Flesh Wound - Target receives 0 wound levels, but any special effects requiring a hit are still effective.
Critical Success: Glance - Target receives 0 wound levels, and any special effects requiring a successful hit do NOT apply.

Injury Levels
Characters may receive three levels of Injury: Barely Wounded, Seriously Wounded and Mortally Wounded.
By default, a character who takes one wound level is Barely Wounded, two is Seriously Wounded, and three is Mortally Wounded. This is referred to as the Wound Status. Wound levels taken are cumulative, so someone who takes 2 wound levels in one round, and 1 more in the next has a total of 3.
Barely Wounded is an inconvenience, but not an excessive one. There are no wound penalties to action, but the character is one step closer to being dead.
Seriously Wounded characters incur a -5 Penalty to any actions taken (Death Checks not included).
Mortally Wounded characters have a very real chance of dying. Make a "Death Check": CON Attribute roll, with a Degree of Difficulty equal to the number of minutes the character has been Mortally Wounded: 

Mishap: The character is dead. No further rolls are necessary.
Failure: The character is unconscious, and must continue making a Death Checks every 10 rounds (1 minute).
Partial Success: The character is unconscious, and must continue making a Death Checks every 10 rounds (1 minute). The wound has stabilized to the point that the Degree of Difficulty for further check is 0.
Full Success: The character is unconscious, but doesn't need to make any further Death Checks unless wounded again.
Critical Success: The character is conscious, but incapacitated, suffering another 5 point penalty to any actions. (-10 total, including the Serious Wound penalty)

Additional Wound Levels
At 20 Hit Points a character has one of each level of Injury. For every +5 Hit Points, they receive an additional level as follows… 25 Hit Points provides an additional Barely Wounded, 30 Hit Points provides an additional Seriously Wounded etc.

Healing
Each morning after a full night of sleep, a character can make a CON Attribute test to reduce their Wound Level (not Wound Status) by one. The Degree of Difficulty when the Character is Barely Wounded is 0, Seriously Wounded is 5, and Mortally Wounded is 10.

Mishap--Take another wound Level of damage (no Resist Roll).
Failure--No change in Wound Level.
Partial Success--Reduce the Degree of Difficulty for the following day by 5.
Full Success--Reduce the Wound Level by one. No Healing roll on the following day.
Critical Success--Reduce the Wound Level by one. Normal Healing roll on the following day.

Using Skills To Heal
Anyone with the Medicine skill and the right equipment can make a second Healing roll for a character, replacing the CON Attribute test with a Medicine Skill test. The penalties and results are the same for the most part, but no character can regain two wound levels in a day (but the Full Success could be upgraded to a Critical Success). If the wounded person achieves a Full Success, and the Doctor a Mishap, the net result is no change in Wound Level. Multiple Medicine checks on a character within a 24 hour period apply the "Multiple Action" penalty of cumulative -5 per extra attempt.

The Heal skill is only effective on the "Barely Wounded" Wound Status, but unlike Medicine can be used by the person wounded on themselves.

Using Magic To Heal
The Transmutation Mode can be used to reduce Wound Levels. The Casting Modifier is 5 for Barely Wounded, 10 for Seriously Wounded, and 15 for Mortally Wounded. Any success reduces the Wound Level by one. Unlike natural healing, multiple Wound Levels may be restored in a 24 hour period, with the following caveat: 
In addition to the standard Spell Penalty for successfully casting spells, and additional 5 point "Multiple Action" penalty applies for EACH successful Healing spell used on the damage person within a 24 hour period.

MAGIC IN THIS GAME

Spells (Fourth Edition Rules) 

Talislanta has always been about the presence of magic in large and small quantities. Many of the cultures utilize magic for cosmetic as well as practical uses. Because this game will not have the downtime required to learn spells and will not provide magic-users the opportunity to discover new magics, we are going to use the 4th edition rules for spell knowledge.

Essentially, any spell-caster is assumed to know hundreds of different spells for different occasions. These spells are part and parcel of their trade and may be called upon in a myriad of situations. The effect on game mechanics is that spell-casters will essentially be able to come up with a spell on the fly. The theory being that they already know the spell and must simply recall it. A spell-caster does not have to determine their spells at the start of the game. This will allow them flexibility without penalizing them for the type of game that we are playing. This allows the Cymrillian to whiten his teeth, straighten his hair with a breath of fresh air and draw lightning down on his enemies all in the same day! That’s Talislantan magic.

As always, in-story descriptions of spells should be used and all comments in “Creative Cantrips” should be used in describing the spell. (Player’s Guide, p135). Secondary effects are still applicable and subject to Narrator and Player interpretation.

Grimoires
Because certain spells will be used more frequently, new spells may be learned and each character has the option of starting with legendary spells, a Grimoire thread will be posted for these characters. It is the player who must determine whether to use it. It is essentially there for ease of play and allowing you to reference spells that are commonly used or learned during course of play or for legendary spells.

SPELL CASTING PENALTIES

To provide for a more magic-rich environment, a spellcaster may utilize 1+ (WIL) spells before being penalized (-1) per additional spell. Resetting this penalty requires eight hours of rest.

ORDER CHANGES
The Magical Orders are altered as below.

Natural Magic
Conjuration: Natural Magicians can summon entities from the Green World, in addition to spirits from non-aligned planes.
Transmutation: Natural Magicians may transform living things into any other natural thing (animal, mineral, plant etc.).

Necromancy
Conjuration: Summoning the spirit of a deceased individual requires only that the caster know their true name, possess something of great value to them, possess part of the body or cast the spell at the location of their death.

Shamanism
Bonuses: Divination +3, Transmutation +3, Ward +2
Conjuration: Shamans are able to summon nature spirits, local spirit entities and any entity associated with their totem.
Enchantment: A Shaman may use the spirit forms of animals, individuals and entities to trap a particular quality into an object. This object must always be of natural origin even if shaped in a particular way. Trapping the spirit requires the sacrifice of the animal and generally, the Shaman must appease the animal prior to doing so.

Witchcraft
Conjuration: A witch can summon minor spirit forms and elementals to perform simple tasks. These entities are rarely over Ability Level 7 and are generally incapable of combat. Only a full Coven is capable of summoning beings of greater strength although this capability is unfettered in the presence of 13 Witches. Witches may not conjure mundane materials.
Special: Witches may work together on spells granting them a +1 per Witch involved (max. 13).

Wizardry
Bonuses: +3 to any one Mode
Penalties: -3 to any one Mode
Conjuration: No restrictions but Wizard must have Name of entity
Transmutation: Wizards are unable to Heal/Harm through the use of this Mode. However, they are very skilled at the transformation of other beings/objects.

Hero Points

Hero Points are that little extra something that you all have. Each character will have five (5) points. These will reset at the end of each adventure (item) unless I determine they recharge sooner.* A maximum of two (2) Hero Points may be spent in a single Action unless otherwise noted below. They may be used for the following:

-A Hero Point may be expended to gain +2 on a roll. This can be done after the roll has been made.
-A Hero Point may be used to negate one Mishap/Critical Failure result.
-A Hero Point will add +4 to any damage inflicted on a successful attack.
-Hero Points may be used to negate 4pts of damage inflicted on the character. The Hero can spend their entire remaining pool in this fashion.
-A Hero Point may be spent to gain an extra Action without the Multiple Action Penalty of -5.
-Two points can be used to negate a Critical Hit.

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Kilgs- The House Rules are not mine except for the changes to the Magical Orders. Colin Chapman provided the initiative rules and the Damage rules are from Omniverse. They were apparently written by someone named Tyson. The Hero Points are stolen from Hellas. Credit where credit is due ;-)
Drohem- These House Rules were compiled from Kilgs’ PbP Talislanta game on RPoL called A Plethora of Wondrous Bygones.