Any world is subject to the rules, trials, and tribulations in which any soul must adhere to whilst in its bounds. Especially for those who wish to engage with its story or be involved in such journeys. Before any such rule, there is one among all else that supersedes *any other;* **I love bending rules and creating homebrew under any circumstance**, but only when given reason and true effort for why we should do so. Especially for homebrewed races, spells, items, or even sub-classes. We value individuality and control above all else! <br> ## Sources of Importance Before all else, below is a repertoire of sources for you to draw upon in creating a character, combat, spellcasting, or anything else you may need. - [[Racial Traits]]: A repertoire of traits adhering to the many races in Syphora, many of which differ from official racial traits. <br> ## Character Creation A story is incomplete without its characters. For those who wish to cement themselves into the world, here is how to create just that... For starters, I request that all players communicate with me during the creation of their characters and character sheets. I love being involved, especially so that we can work together to create the perfect features and traits to suit the character's needs. But also so that there are no miscommunications between player and working in line with the many aspects of a character, such as their race, class, background, and stats. #### Stats Roll 6 pairs of 4d6 *twice* and remove the lowest roll of each pair to determine your final stats (or !randchar twice with Avrae). If both of these rolls are under a 70 base total, you may roll until you get a total above a 70. You may choose any of these options. For example, if you roll 5, 2, 4, and 1, you remove the 1 to make 11. There is also an optional mechanic called 'Gamble Distribution'. This is where you are allowed to subtract from one of your stats (**specified before rolling**) by 1d4. You may then distribute these points however you wish among your stat array. Through this you cannot reduce a stat below 6 through the subtraction, and you cannot go above an 18 when distributing these points. I have created this rule purely for those who wish to have more diversity in their stats. #### Choosing your Race There are a limited amount of [[Races of Syphora|races]] in Syphora. You will not find the likes of many races that exist in other realms, and even those that persist between those and this one may differ in abilities and nature. Choose from any race found on the [[Racial Traits]] page and add such traits to your character sheet. **Do not use any racial traits outside of this page**, including any official race. Many races have been reworked for Syphora, but if something is missing or lackluster, let me know and we can work on it! Alternatively, if your character has parentage of two different races, look upon the [[Mixed Ancestry]] page in order to create one. Upon this page it will explain the method in which you can do so. #### Picking your Class Turn your mind to [5etools Classes](https://5e.tools/classes.html#barbarian_phb) page, click on "Filter" on the left bar, and click the red "Reprinted" filter to view any class under the "PHB'14" source. Though I would prefer focusing solely upon base 5e, you are allowed view any class under "PHB'24," or 5.5e, and if there is a differing aspect between the two versions that you would like more, **speak to me directly**, and we can work out whether or not to use it! For example, I have no qualms with a barbarian choosing the 5.5e feature "Brutal Strike" at level 9 instead of the 5e feature "Brutal Critical." But this is a case-to-case basis in which you must communicate with me directly. A class can be a fickle beast, but not as much as a subclass... I am open not only to helping one decide upon a subclass, even those that differ from 5e to 5.5e, but also to rework any existing that may be lackluster or, in many cases, create one ourselves to perfectly align with one's goals! Classes can feel restrictive and far too oddly specific. I understand personally when a subclass begins to feel less like an extension of one's character, but an aspect that holds back what their true purpose should be. Suffice to say, talk to me, work with me, and we will figure out what best represents a character's true strengths and ideals. #### Final Duties You are allowed to roll for equipment if you desire, but please inform me if you wish to do so. If you find yourself simply not finding something you vibe with in comparison to the character idea you're attempting to pursue, I am more than happy homebrewing something for you. Although I will not allow every concept under the sun, especially those deeply rooted in complexity, I want to create things for you to use that will best represent your character. And please, once all is set and done, share your creation with me, especially upon each level up! I want to know what your character is capable of, where their strengths lie, and be able to look upon them on the fly so that I may best adhere to what they can do, whether that be to their benefit or bane. Thus, the final duty I ask of you is thus... Bring your character to life; draw upon any and all inspirations to create a soul for you to love, to cherish, or even endearingly hate. Go simple, go crazy, go wild (not too wild, though). And of course, have fun doing so! <br> ## Leveling Up My campaign will be run via milestone level ups. Therefore, there is no experience. Every time the party achieves something incredible or completes a great mission or adventure, they will acquire a level up to show that they have grown in some way. This may not always be in the form of a boss fight, but rather something that pushes beyond the characters' current boundaries or capabilities. I will be treating level ups very intimately. They aren't just some number that grows, but instead your character truly learning something new. Level ups are something to indicate a character's growth and strength over many obstacles that they push past; The time between one level to the next is the representation of a slow growth over time into an event that pushes them past their current self to spark an incredible feat of growth in the form of a level up. I request that hit points are rolled instead of choosing average, as I believe the luck of reality comes before mere mechanics. You may also reroll 1's when rolling hit points. But if you truly would prefer taking an average, you are welcome to do so. <br> ## Rolling the Dice In this game, I will be treating dice a little differently than some might. I also will elaborate and specify other rules in regards to rolling that some might be unaware of, or simply don't speak about. Most other rules concerning rolling are as normal, unless specified otherwise here. #### The Natural 20 & 1 *A natural 20 or natural 1 may not always count as an instant success or failure*. This may sound scary, but both rolls still hold great significance. By no means are either meaningless; both still bear the same power as it may in other worlds. In combat they are still critical hits or failures, but in story... It may find itself different. In most cases, either will still result in a great success or failure, but depending on the circumstance, it might not. When rolling a skill or stat check, you must still add or subtract your modifier to the roll. This means if you have a +9 modifier to your Nature checks, you will then have a 29 total with a natural 20. But this also means if you have a -2 modifier to your Athletics checks, you will only have an 18 total with a natural 20. This is not to dissuade any attempts in a character pursuing something they are not well-versed in! There will always be margin for success for those who otherwise may not ever find it. This rule is mostly set in place to subdue critical or too realism-breaking events that may result in narrative breaks or outright ruin situations in a deeply unrealistic manner. Even still, the impossible can still be possible by the roll of the dice—you just may not find a 7 charisma barbarian convincing an evil warlord that he's secretly a pig by just means of the dice. By no means will I *ever* tell you that you cannot do something. It is always possible to achieve an impossible feat, even if you have to step around, improvise, or problem solve to do so. Always attempt what you wish to achieve. <br> #### Story-Based Checks Depending upon discussion prior to these rolls, I may have a character make a skill check or saving throw in response to an occurrence completely separate to creature abilities or combat scenarios. These can range between multiple different things, to nothing at all, depending entirely upon what You (the player) prefer. For example, if a wizard is deeply scarred by witnessing his entire family burn alive at a young age, I may have that wizard roll a Wisdom saving throw when seeing people burn alive. *These are only applicable if it is consented and agreed upon for me to do so.* <br> #### Group Checks Occasionally, I will require the entire party to perform a group check. These may range from Wisdom (Survival) checks when navigating a forest to Dexterity (Stealth) checks when attempting to stealth past something as a group. If *at least half* of the group succeeds, then the entire group succeeds. Otherwise, they all fail. <br> ## Combat There are a *lot* of rules when it comes to combat. Please bear with me as I try to remember even all the base ones... But what stands here are distinct rules that may differentiate between worlds, or may be confusing when brought up. Additional rules may be added later, or probably explained during combat when they arise. You have a set amount of actions you can do each turn. These actions are as follows; One Action, One Bonus Action, One Reaction, Free Action, and Movement. *You cannot swap or exchange any of these for another.* - *One Action:* The "meat" of your turn; Attacking with a weapon, helping an ally, or casting a powerful spell. Also used to Dash, Disengage, or Hide. - Dash: Double your movement only on this turn. - Disengage: You are able to exit the range of an enemy without provoking and Attack of Opportunity. - Hide: Roll a Stealth check in attempt to obscure yourself from vision. - *One Bonus Action:* A smaller, briefer action that is typically used for smaller spells, an off-handed attack, or any additional class feature that specifies bonus action usage such as a Barbarian's rage or a Fighter's second wind. - *One Reaction:* The only action that is used outside of your active turn. This can be used for any feature or spell that specifies its usage, take an Attack of Opportunity, or if, during your one action, you choose to hold your action to be used between your turn and your next turn. For example, holding an attack action with your sword for until after your ally attacks the enemy - *Attack of Opportunity:* When a creature exits the weapon range of another creature, they may choose to use their reaction to make a single attack roll against that creature. - *Free Action:* The weirdest and typically unused action; They consist of menial movements that would be irrelevant to the 6 seconds each turn consists of. Examples of these would be opening an unlocked door, drawing or stowing a weapon, dropping something, or shouting. Depending on the situation, free actions may cost more than just a free move if they are complex or excessive. *Flanking:* When two creatures are at the opposite ends of a creature, attack rolls against said creature are rolled at advantage. Flanking is impossible against creatures that are able to look in several different directions. *Casting Spells:* You're only able to cast a single spell per turn, unless specified otherwise. Cantrips do not count as spells in this regard. *Two-Weapon Fighting:* After you take the Attack action with a light melee weapon, you can use your bonus action to strike with another light weapon in your other hand. This attack does not add your ability modifier to damage. If either weapon has the thrown property, you can instead throw the weapon instead of making a melee attack. *Falling:* A creature falls at 500 feet per round and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage per every 10 feet fallen unless somehow negated. There is no cap to fall damage and the creature falls prone on impact. <br> ## Additional Rules Outside of combat, and even story, is everything in-between. There is such an incredible amount of things that a person can do between adventures, or even during. Below I will describe just a few that will be the most useful or abundant that will appear during the campaign. These may grow over time. *Homebrew:* I'm gonna be fucking around a lot with homebrew, if this was not apparent enough. Though it may not overload pre-existing D&D, be aware things of new will emerge. *Random Encounters:* More likely than not, exploration and adventure will be key in this campaign. Because of this, random encounters may be abundant. This may not mean fighting encounters necessarily, but rather events that occur or weather that comes through during travels. *Downtime:* Downtime is something easily overlooked in D&D. Though I will not go into depth here, be aware that I am very open to allowing those in the campaign to partake in downtime. These can consist of labor-inducive tasks such as building something to running a business, or simple, off-hand tasks such as training at a skill or selling items. Almost anything under the sun is possible when it comes to downtime. Just so long as you keep it in character and reasonable, I will allow players to partake in these events.