My Castles & Crusades House Rules: Part 1 - Player Characters

"Party" by Angevere

Ensemble of Characters

• Each player can have up three PCs at his/her disposal. 
• 
  This three includes any fallen PCs hoped to return to the land of the living. 
• If a PC ever dies, the player has the option of reserving a slot for that PC or may create a new PC for that slot. 
• Players may choose any PC prior to the session as long as we are not starting the session mid-combat. In other words, if we end one session while the party is knee-deep in the undead, the PC that was involved must still be involved in the next session. However, if the session ends with the party making camp or simply out of danger, the player can choose to use a different PC the next session. 
• Please note, whatever items one PC carries are owned by that particular PC. On a case by case basis, the CK may allow players to have one PC give an item to another character so that character can give the item to another ensemble PC the next time that PC is played.
  

Character Level

• First level at campaign launch, afterwards 1d3 levels less than the highest level party member

Ability Scores

• Create 3 sets of stats rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest roll. The player picks the best of the three, but has to assign them in order.

Starting Hit Points

• Maximum HP for level 1; new levels: reroll once if the result it a one. If the second time is also a one, it was meant to be.

Races

• Standard races

Alignments

• No evil alignments (I ain't got time for player vs. player conflict).

Classes

• Any classes included in the sources below:
• Players Handbook 
• Adventurers Backpack
• Player Archive

Starting Wealth

• Standard

Supplemental Rules

• Advantages from the Castle Keepers Guide
• Secondary Skills from Castle Keepers Guide

Jocelyn Dawnseeker - Ranger/Horizon Walker

Continuing along with Honoring Dead PCs, (after an overly long delay) here is Grim Jim's Ranger/Horizon Walker, Jocelyn Dawnseeker. (For those who don't play D&D 3.5, a Horizon Walker is sort of an ultra-ranger-like prestige class. It allowed Jocelyn to specialize in various terrains and environments (such as "underground").

Unlike most (if not all) of the other PCs in the Rappan Athuk campaign, Jim's character actually had a background:

Jocelyn is searching for a childhood friend Templeton (who is dead in Rappan Athuk).

Templeton was Jim's first PC in the campaign. I don't mind that the other players didn't bother with backgrounds. We play a beer & pretzels game and the death rate is rather high (sort of sucks to make up an elaborate background only to have your PC snuffed out the next session).  Still, it was a nice touch for Jim to do this.

Here are some of Joclyen's career highlights.

• Being a critical hit machine. Seriously, he could produce them on demand. I never thought about it at the time, but being an archer lends itself to this.  Simply put, when you're rolling more d20s each round (i.e., one for each arrow), you simply have more chances to roll a crit. Jim made good use of the ol' Critical Hit Deck.
• Lighting up a troll with one flame arrow for a whopping 49 points of damage.
• A failed Survival check (ala Wilderness Lore) lead to one of the funniest, ongoing in-game jokes of the campaign. At one point, while exploring the wilderness around Rappan Athuk, the party encountered a stronghold of bugbears. Because the PCs start at 6th level in this campaign, I figured the ranger would have a chance to know what these creatures were.  More often than not, I would have just hand-waved it and said the ranger knows what they are, but I guess I was feeling sassy that evening.  Jim critical failed the Survival check, and so he, and thus the rest of the party, became convinced the bugbears were actually "gnolls."  Now, what do you think happened when the party first encountered gnolls?  I couldn't resist and called for another Survival check.  Yep, the ranger was damned sure these new, hyena-headed creatures were "bugbears."
• My personal favorite was when the party encountered a maiden in the bowels of Rappan Athuk. Naturally, she was a succubus.  Like everyone else who's played D&D more than a couple of times, Jim suspected as much and when the maiden came towards him, he started to roll for his volley of arrows.  
• Me: "Uhm, Jim, you're firing on the lady?" 
• Jim (matter-of-fact tone): "Yes." 
• Me (laughing): "Jim, you have to at least try to role play this."
• Naturally, she tried to kiss him next round, and then he brought the pain (although she did escape).

Race: Half-elf
Gender: Male
Class/Level: ranger/horizon walker/10th/1st

Initiative:  +4
Speed: 30 ft
HD: 11, HP: 72
BAB:+11/+6/+1
AC: 20 (22 with shield), Touch AC 14, Flat-footed 16 (18 with shield)

Attack: long sword +14/+9 (1d8+3), dagger +14/+9 (1d4+2), composite longbow +16/+11/+6, with point blank shot +16/+11/+6, with magic +1 arrows & point blank shot +17/+12/+7 (1d8 or 1d10 with broadhead arrows)

Attributes:
Strength 14
Dexterity 18
Intelligence 11
Constitution 12
Wisdom 14
Charisma 11

Saving Throws:  Fort +10, Reflex +11, Will +7

Alignment: Neutral Good

Skills: Climb +8(+10) [-2 AC Penalty], Concentration +2, Diplomancy +5, Jump +5-2AC penalty, Handle Animals +2, Hide +6, Listen +9, Knowledge (geography) +8, (nature) +7, (dungeoneering) +2, Move Silently +9, Ride +6, Search +8, Spot +10, Swim +8 -2 ac penalty, Use Rope +10, Survival +12(+2)(+2).

Languages: Common, Elvish, Giantish, & Abyssal.

Feats: Weapon Focus (longbow), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Iron Will.

Class Abilities:
Ranger: Track, Wild Empathy, Endurance, Distracting Shot, Woodland Stride, Swift Tracker, Evasion.
His favored enemies are: Giants (1st), Constructs (2nd), and Undead (3rd).

Horizon Walker: Dark Vision 60';  +1 to hit & damage against creatures with Underground as their terrain location.

Equipment:
Elven Chain +1, Light wooden shield +1, Keen Adamantine Long sword +1, composite longbow +1 w/ +2 Str Bonus, Quiver (magic, 300 arrow capacity) with 75 regular arrow, 45 broadhead arrows, 14 silver arrows, 2 fountain head arrows, 1 sleep arrow, 10 cold iron arrows, 3 subdual arrows, dagger, 2 sunroads, Rations 10days, waterskin, 50' silk rope, flint & steel, 2 vials holy water, 1 everburning torch, 1 piece of chalk, potion remove fear, Ring of Sustenance, potion neutralize poison, potion water breathing, Helm Comp Language, Amulet Vermin Summoning (Centipede).

Plum Blossom - Rogue/Monk

artwork by the player, Dave "the Knave" White

Plum Blossum was Dave the Knave's second character (his first being a warlock that died fairly early on).  Plum started off as a cat burglar with questionable fighting prowess, but by the end she was kicking ass with the best of them. 

Plum, however, was known more for her seemingly endless supply of DM annoyances. And thus, let's begin her career highlights:

• Repeatedly used mundane magic items to thwart supposedly uber tough villains.  Cashe in point: she all but nullified a high priest of Orcus during a temple battle with a freakin' tanglefoot bag.
• Used a Quaal's feather token to drop an anchor on an evil centaur's back (while riding said centaur).
• Freakin' tumbled unscathed through a blade barrier cast by a rather high level goblin wizard.
• Impersonated the Great El Goblino.
• Became an alcoholism enabler to the party's resident faerie dragon.
• Was at ground zero for a Necklace of Fireballs malfunction (she was resurrected, but lost just about all her gear in the fire. It was glorious.)
• Pinned a black skeleton to the ground with an immovable rod.
• After years of heckling by the DM and fellow party members for use of shurikens (keep in mind his PC had a strength penalty), scored a triple critical with a shruriken, burying it in a bugbear barbarian's kidney (we use the Critical Hit Deck).

Race: Human
Gender: Female
Class/Level: Rogue/Monk/6/5

Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft.
HD: 11, hp: 55
BAB: +7/2
AC: 21, touch 18, 22/19 vs. dodge target, 23/20 vs. traps, 25/22 vs. AOOs provoked by movement, 26/23 vs. dodge target AOOs provoked by movement

Attack: unarmed strike +10/5 1d10-1 (20/x2), or flurry of blows +9/9/4 1d10-1 (20/x2) or masterwork shortsword +11/6 1d6-1 (19/x2)

Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 8

Saving Throws: Fort +7, Ref +12/14 vs. traps, Will +10/12 vs. enchantments

Alignment: Lawful Neutral (Evil)

Skills: Balance +18, Climb +10 (+12 with climbing kit), Disable Device +16 (+18 with masterwork tools); Disguse -1 (+9 with cloak of chameleon power), Escape Artist +16, Hide +14 (+24 with cloak of chameleon power), Jump +18, Listen +15, Move Silently +16, Open Lock +16 (+18 with masterwork tools), Search +16, Sleight-of-Hand +4, Spot +10, Survival +3 (+5 to follow tracks), Tumble +18, Use Magic Device +1, Use Rope +3 (+5 to bind person)

Class Abilities: Evasion, Flurry of Blows, Ki Strike (magic), Purity of Body, Slow Fall (20 ft.), Sneak Attack (+3d6), Still Mind, Trapfinding, Trapsense (+2), Unarmored Speed Bonus (+10 ft.), Uncanny Dodge (never flat-footed)

Feats: Ascetic Rogue, Combat Reflexes*, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike*, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist*, Weapon Finesse

Equipment:
bracers of armor +3, brawler gauntlets, cloak of chameleon power, Heward's handy haversack, immovable rod, masterwork short sword (cold iron), masterwork short sword (silver), periapt of wisdom +2, ring of protection +1, robe of eyes, rust monster gauntlet

In Haversack: flask of acid (x2), flask of alchemist's fire, flask of ghostoil, flask of gravebane, flask of holy water (x4), flask of oil (x3), potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of flying, smokestick (x3), sunrod (x3), tanglefoot bag (x3), thunderstone (x2), climbing kit, pitons (x9), chalk (x10), fish hooks (x3), fishing net, flare stones (x3), sling, magnet, money pouch (350 gp), masterwork thieves' tools, signal whistle, small steel mirror, snorkel, soap (x2), torches (x10), flint and steel, block and tackle, iron pot, portable winch, silk rope (100'), trail rations (x10), waterskin, wine and cheese (x3), winter blanket

On Heavy Horse: bit and bridle, courtier's outfit, entertainer's outfit, feed (x10), riding saddle, saddlebags

Honoring Some Dead PCs

Let's face it – no matter how tough of a player you claim to be, it blows when your character bites the dust. The pain increases exponentially based on the character's longevity. My next few posts will detail a few of the veteran characters from my Rappan Athuk campaign that recently went to their final rest. These adventurers lasted for years, and that is saying something (just ask my players ).

I know not everyone will find the stats interesting or useful (though these would make some sweet NPCs if you do play D&D 3.5), so I’ll be including a list of some of their career highlights as well.