What is this website?

This is my player-facing resource for all things related to the mechanics of player characters. Please refer to this site instead of official sources. Please note that the conversion of my notes and external content is still in progress and existing webpage content may change.

General Character Building Guidelines

1. Use the Character Sheet file I made on Google Sheets. BW Sheet or Color Sheet
2. Your build should make sense for your character. This does not mean that it cannot be silly or unexpected!
3. You can multi-class up to two times, so long as you meet requirements. If you want to gain a new class, you need to have an in-game reason for your new abilities.
4. If you are not enojoying your build or just wish it were different, we can always change or modify things!
5. The selection of homebrew classes I have is vetted and extensive. Please do not ask for more unless it is not covered by something else in the list. Especially from the DND Homebrew wiki... gross.
6. You can use the standard array, point buy, or roll 3d6s (reroll a 1 per stat).
7. If you want something or need help, please ask!

Combat Guide

This is a quick reference to the basics of combat. For more depth, go to Roll20's Combat Compendium.

Takedowns

It is possible to perform an instant takedown on a target within your core tier or lower. This can be done lethaly or non-lethaly. This cannot be done while in combat.

Leveling Up

We will be using EXP because I want to have it as a reward for completing difficult challenges. I really mean challenges, which can be combat, social encounters, deadly, peaceful, and so-on so-forth. Grinding level 1 enemies as a level 10 party probably won't give you any EXP. You can also train for a long period of time to gain EXP.

EXP is tracked on the character sheet and shows you how much you need until your next level up. EXP will only be shared by party members who contribute to a challenge. Don't feel bad for missing out sometimes. Try to involve the other party members in your shenanigans.

The Tiers of Ascension

At certain character levels, character's body will begin to change to reflect their powers and their soul. Thier core evolves and deepens their connection to their body, soul, and magic itself. This is a phenominon that applies to all powerful sentient creature in the world.

Follow the path of tiers you have a majority of class levels in. Half-caster classes can count toward either path. The caster path is weaker for balancing purposes.

Weapons

Physical damage types (pierce, bludge, slash) and lame restrictions and abilities are the basic whatevers of normal dnd weapons. I SAY NAY! I know this section looks long but its actually very simple and allows for way more mechanical expression for martials!

A weapon has four parts that contribute to its whole: its statistics, types, attributes, and special. Statistics are things like weapon damage and range. Type is a semantic categorization of the weapon. Attributes are how the weapon is designed to be used. A weapon's special can be a passive ability gained while weilding the weapon or a special attack that can replace a normal one.

Statistics

These are the typical aspects you might think of as a DND weapon. Here, we only care about weapon damage (dice and type: piercing / slashing / bluedgeoning), range, and weather it is melee or ranged, and if it requires ammunition.

Types

Types are mostly used semantically and to help categorize the weapon. It also allows certain nebulous actions to be made with a weapon, such as breaching a door with a war axe or smashing a skeleton to dust with a club before a necromancer can animate it. Some weapons may have multiple types. Please note that the pros and cons are do not perfectly fit every weapon of its type. Use your best judgement.

Attributes

Attributes are all about how a wepon handles and its uses. Most weapons will have 3-4 attributes (Must have only one handling attribute and then choose from the main attributes).

Special

Each weapon has a special move or passive effect more or less based on its types and attributes. The effect of the special is the core design priciple of the weapon; what it was built to excell at.

Examples

Lets make some weapons!

Injuries

After being put through the ringer, your characters may end up having lasting injuries. Injuries are long lastign and hard to remove conditions that negatively impact your character. They can be physical - ex. lost limb, magical - ex. mana deficiency, or mental - ex. insanity.

Gaining an Injury

An injury is gained after your character is reduced to 0 HP. Certain rare and powerful effects may also cause immediate injuries.

The kind of injury gained is dependent on the circumstances on how the injury was gained and with some randomness on my part as the DM. Players can infuence what inmjury they recieve with sugguestions if desired.

Removing an Injury

Unlike HP, resting does not heal injuries. Injuries have their own requirements for healing, but most can also be healed quickly with expensive medical treatment or powerful magic. Over time, certain injuries may change to lower, or higher tiers.

Lasting Injuries (as described in the next section) cannot be healed except by powerful magic. The effects of lasting injuries can be negated by items like prosthetics.

Tiers and Effects

There are four tiers of injury: Mild, Severe, Fatal, and Lasting.

You can have two mild injuries and one severe injury at a time. If a lower tier is full when you gain a new injury, it is pushed to the next tier. After severe, flip a coin to decide whether the injury if fatal or lasting.

Mild injuries cause a character to perform noteably worse in contexts related to the injury (examples: infected wound, elemental aversion).

Severe injuries impact all apects of the character (examples: shattered bone, insomnia).

Fatal injuries place a timer on the life of your character (examples: bleeding out, cracked core).

Lasting injuries are permanent and have a specific negative effect (example: lost limb, blindness).