[d20house]

Classes

Characters

Creation: Standard point buy preferred (25 points. Start abilities at 8. Each +1 costs 1 point up to 14, 2 points up to 16, and 3 points up to 18).

Otherwise, floating reroll: Roll 4d6, taking best 3 dice. Once per 6 attributes, reroll a single die.

Hit Points: Track the number of HPs you rolled at each level. When gaining a new level, a PC may gain 1/2 their HD rather than rolling it. For example, a fighter can gain 5+CON hps rather than rolling 1d10+CON.

EP: Instead of experience points, players earn Encounter Points (EPs): 2 EPs for an encounter approximately equal to the party power level; 1 EP for an easy encounter; 3 EPs for a challenging one. EPs can be earned for non-combat encounters. Characters gain a new level every 25 EPs. There are no more XP/EP costs for magic or item creation.

Spellcasters

There are 3 sources of magic in d20: divine (deity), divine (nature), and arcane. And there are 3 means of preparing and casting spells: inspired, inscribed, and innate/spontaneous. It is now possible to have a character of any combination of these two distinctions (traditional classes in bold):
Divine (deity)Divine (nature)Arcane
InspiredClericDruidWarlock
InscribedArchivistAlchemistWizard
InnateApostleWitchSorcerer

Except where noted elsewhere, class features besides magic follow the magical source. So, for example, Archivists and Apostles are otherwise like Clerics. Warlocks are like Sorcerers (not Wizards).

Inspired

Inspired casters receive their spells directly through communion with their magical source. Therefore, they may prepare any spell on their spell list. Inspired casters are powered by WIS.

Spells per day: As the Cleric/Druid/Wizard, depending on magic source. (Only Clerics get extra domain spell slots.)

Spells known: Entire spell list (though casting certain spells may have ramifications on alignment and/or deity affiliation).

Spell preparation: Inspired casters must spend their preparation time in prayer, communion, or contemplation with the greater forces from which their magic originates. This process requires some sort of focus, such as a holy symbol or natural focus. Arcane inspired casters often use a crystal ball, gemstone, staff, or similar object as a focus.

Restrictions: Inspireds are intimately tied to their personal source of magic: Inspired casters must sacrifice a prepared spell of >= spell level in order to use a scroll.

Clerics: Get 2 domains (complete with powers and 1 extra domain spell slot per level) and can spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells (all as normal).

Druids: Druids can spontaneously convert any prepared spell to an equivalent Summon Nature's Ally (as normal).

Alternately, a druid may select a single nature-based clerical domain (such as Animal, Plant, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, or Sun; others possible with DM approval). This grants the druid the associated domain power. (If this power grants a class skill that the druid already has, gain a Skill Focus feat in that skill instead. For Sun, the druid may turn undead as a cleric 1/day.) While the druid does not gain extra spell slots like a cleric, she can spontaneously convert any spell to an equivalent (or lower) domain spell.

Warlocks: A warlock may select a single Arcane Domain (see UnArc's wizard domain variant for domain list). This grants a +1 caster level when casting spells listed in the domain and the ability to spontaneously convert any prepared spell to an equivalent (or lower) domain spell. However, the warlock does not gain any extra spell slots from the domain.

Inscribed

Inscribed casters must record and prepare their spells from a spellbook. Inscribed casters are powered by INT. All inscribed casters receive the Scribe Scroll feat at first level (as the Wizard).

Spells per day: As the Wizard.

Spells known: As the Wizard (see Spellbooks below)

Spell Preparation: Inscribed casters must prepare their spells by reading them from a spellbook (as per the d20 wizard rules).

Spellbooks: All inscribed casters can prepare read magic from memory. Inscribed caster's spellbooks follow the wizard rules: all cantrips and 3+INT mod 1st lvl spells at lvl 1; 2 bonus spells each additional level.

These automatically gained spells can be rescribed from memory if the spellbook is lost, but cannot be prepared directly from memory (like read magic can be). The spellcaster can also scribe additional found spells (such as from scrolls and other spellbooks) into their spellbook.

Each spellbook contains 100 pages with spell takes up 1 page per spell level. A caster must first decipher a found spell with read magic or a Spellcraft check. He must then study it for 1 hour to understand it: Spellcraft DC 15+slvl. If successful, he can prepare or scribe the spell. If this check fails, the caster must find another instance of the spell to learn from. Scribing a found spell into the spellbook then takes 1 hour per page/spell level. This scribing costs no more than the normal writing costs of mundane ink and book.

Wizards: Wizards (but not other inscribers) may specialize in a school as per the normal rules: choose prohibited schools, gain 1 extra slot per day for specialty spells, and gain a +2 Spellcraft(school) bonus. This does not grant any extra automatically-known spells.

Alternately, wizards may be Generalists: gain +1 extra automatically-known spell at each level and a +2 Knowledge(Arcana) bonus.

Wizards may not take the UnArc Domain Wizard variant.

Archivists: Archivists may select a single clerical domain, gaining the associated power and automatically gaining the spells known. The archivist does not gain bonus spell slots, but can spontaneously cast any spell in the chosen domain by sacrificing a prepared spell of greater or equal spell level. Since the archivist does not gain spells directly from a deity, he does not have the alignment restrictions of a cleric. He can still spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells, as a cleric.

Archivists are often Cloistered Clerics (from UnArc), which would grant them a second domain they could also spontaneously cast from.

Alchemists: Like the Archivist and Druid, an Alchemist can select a single nature-based domain, granting an associated power and a list of spells to spontaneously convert spells to, but without granting bonus spells per day.

Innate

Innate casters carry their spell knowledge within and so need no external aids. While they may know fewer spells, they can instantly prepare and cast any spell they know. Innate casters are powered by CHA.

Spells per day: As the Sorcerer.

Spells known: As the Sorcerer.

Spell Preparation: Instantly as a free action. (Thus, cast spell slots must be refreshed before they can be "prepared" and cast again, just like the other caster classes.)

Domains: All Innate casters have the option of selecting a domain. In all cases, this grants extra spells-per-day domain slots as for a cleric: An extra lvl 1 spell slot at lvl 1, a lvl 2 spell slot at lvl 3, a lvl 3 spell slot at lvl 5, etc. This means an Innate caster with a domain can cast the next lvl of spells one level sooner than normal--but only that single domain spell.

The domain does not grant extra spells known. That is, an Innate domain caster must still purchase the spells known from the domain list using his normal allotment. If he chooses not to do so for any particular spell level, the domain spell slot for that level will be unusable.

Domain slot spells are still technically cast spontaneously, though usually there is only a single possible spell that can be cast using that slot (but see Apostles). Domains cannot be reselected later, though spells known can be slowly swapped out every couple levels as per the normal Sorcerer rules.

Sorcerers: Sorcerers can select a single Arcane Domain (from UnArc's Wizard Domains variant) that suggests the source of their magical power. (Other custom domains may be possible with DM approval.)

Apostles: Can select 2 domains, gaining both powers. They may then purchase one or both domain spells at each spell level. If both are selected, their domain slot can be used to cast either one.

Shamans: Can select a single nature-based clerical domain, gaining the associated power.

Classes

Multiclassing: BABs and Saves: Instead of simply adding the BAB or saves from each class together, first add the levels that have the same progression rate together. For example, the Ftr and Rgr both have good Fort saves. Instead of a lvl 2 Ftr/Rgr getting a +4 base Fort save, he gets +3 for having 2 levels of a Good Fort progression. Similarly, a lvl 2 Clr/Rog would have a +1 BAB (since both classes have a Fair BAB progression).

Barbarian

May spend 1 skill point to gain literacy. Does not gain literacy simply by multi-classing.

Cleric (etc)

Archivist: Skills changes: -Diplomacy, +Gather Information, +Language

Apostle: Skill changes: +Intimidate, -Knowledge: Arcana

Druid (etc)

Alchemist: Skills changes: -Handle Animal, +Knowledge (all), +Language

Shaman:

Monk

Clarification: Two-Weapon Fighting will stack with Flurry of Blows.

Sorcerer (etc)

Summon Familiar: At first level, can exchange the familiar ability for any item creation, metamagic, or similar DM-approved magic-related feat (such as Spell Mastery, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, [Battle Caster, one of the "innate spell abilities" feats, Collegiate Wizard, Precocious Apprentice], etc)

Use Magic Device: Due to their intuitive (rather than studied) understanding of magic, Sorcerers gain this skill.

Warlock:

Wizard

Familiar: As sorcerer.