Preface
Have you ever tried to build a character but felt too limited in your options? I'm sure this has happened to many of you - and happened many times. You have a clear idea for a character concept. The background, the fluff, it's all easy to change and come up with something that shapes your character's personality and propels their motivations. And you have an idea of what you'd like your character to be capable of - or incapable of.
Now comes the part where you choose a class (or several classes) that provide what you want. But the problem is, only certain abilities are available to certain classes. For instance, let's say you plan on making a low-strength, high-dexterity fighter. Odds are you're not going to care about the medium or heavy armor proficiencies. Heck, out of all the weapon proficiencies you pick up, you'll also probably only use two or three types for your entire game. But if you also wanted to be quick and agile like a rogue or monk and have evasion? Well, too bad. Either multiclass or pick a different class entirely. But upon choosing a new class, you find that you are still presented with the problem of having abilities you don't want and lacking abilities you do want. In short, you are forced to take 'packages'. Though you still have variety in the type and size of packages, the fact that you are forced to deal with them can be frustrating.
To make matters worse, dipping classes is also often frowned upon. Let's say you just want one particular ability like evasion or divine grace? You have to choose certain classes. But get this: the only reason this practice is seen as bad roleplay is because the classes themselves have a roleplay flavor that comes in their package too. When you take a level of paladin, you are not only getting heavy armor proficiency, martial weapon proficiency, good fortitude saves, and the ability to smite evil; you also get the aspect of a pious warrior, a champion of good, imprinted on your character.
The following system aims to change all this. Everything from proficiencies, to spellcasting, to core class features, and even BaB and saving throws can be customized. Similar to the Mutants and Masterminds systems, characters have a number of points you can spend based upon their level. Each ability or feature costs a certain amount of points. Customize your characters exactly the way you envisioned!
Disclaimer: This homebrew modifies D&D 3.5e and assumes you have some basic understanding of its core mechanics.
Character Points
At each level, a character has a certain amount of character points they can spend. Character points can be saved and do not all have to be spent. Some features or abilities they buy will have a flat, one-time cost. Others will have an incremental cost, based upon the character's level. Keep this in mind, as gaining a level only grants 10 character points! All the abilities and features a character purchases cannot have an incremental cost exceeding 10 per level.
Spoiler: Table 1-1: Character Points
Level Points 1 50 2 60 3 70 4 80 5 90 6 100 7 110 8 120 9 130 10 140 11 150 12 160 13 170 14 180 15 190 16 200 17 210 18 220 19 230 20 240
Base Attack Bonus, Saving Throws, Hit Points, and Skills
Due to the aforementioned nature of incremental character point costs, which continually increase and reduce the amount of points you can spend at later levels, it's important to emphasize long-term planning. How resilient do you want your character to be? How well can they attack? How skillful and knowledgeable are they? These are pretty vague concepts you should be able to gauge in the character you want to create. Moreover, these particular qualities are incremental costs all characters have, so it's best to get them out of the way first.
Base Attack Bonus
How well can your character attack? Everything from swinging a hammer, to firing a bow, to pointing your finger and shooting a magical ray all use an attack roll. The following table describes the kinds of BaB progression you can choose for your character and their incremental cost.
Spoiler: Table 1-2: Base Attack Bonus
Type attack bonus point cost Nonexistent +0 per level bonus: level/2 Terrible +0.25 per level bonus: level/4 Poor +0.5 per level 0 per level Average +0.75 per level 1 per level Good +1 per level 2 per level
Bonuses: If you choose a particularly bad BaB progression, you get bonus character points to spend, rather than incremental costs. Simply do the math, dividing your character's level by the number listed, and add those bonus points to your sheet. All figures are rounded down.
Saving Throws
Is your character tough and resilient? Do you envision them having lightning-quick reflexes or a mind that is difficult to overwhelm? Why not all three? Or how about none? Now you have to choose among Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saves. Unlike most choices, you can choose more than one or none. The cost per level depends on how many good saves you wish for your character to have.
Spoiler: Table 1-3: Saving Throws
Good Saves Cost 0 0 per level 1 1 per level 2 2 per level 3 4 per level
Non-progressing Saves Bonus 1 level / 3 2 (2 x level) / 3 3 level
Bonuses: Choosing to have a particular kind of saving throw not progress at all is also an option here. Simply do the math, multiplying or dividing your character's level by the numbers listed, and add those bonus points to your sheet. All figures are rounded down.
Hit Points
Another measure of how tough you are is hit points. It could also represent life force or the will to live. Philosophical debate abound, no one really understands the mysterious nature of HP. But the one thing everyone does know is that when you run out of them, you die.
Spoiler: Table 1-4: Hit Points
hit die cost d0 bonus: (3 x level) / 2 d2 bonus: level d4 bonus: level / 2 d6 0 per level d8 1 per level d10 2 per level d12 3 per level
Bonuses: If you choose a very small hit die, you get bonus character points to spend, rather than incremental costs. Simply do the math, multiplying or dividing your character's level by the numbers listed, and add those bonus points to your sheet. All figures are rounded down.
Yes, that is correct. That is a d zero, meaning 0 hit points always, before constitution modifiers and other magical effects. It should go without saying that making a character with negative natural HP is not only something very unlikely to get past your DM, but also hard to play and a bad idea in general.
Class Skills and Skill Points
All the normal skills in D&D 3.5e exist as is, just as they are in form and function. However, the number of skill points you receive per level can be customized, as well as your class skills. Packages are available that increase both skill points per level and the number of class skills you have. In this homebrew system, characters with low int scores will not receive a minimum amount of skill points. It will be possible for them to receive 0 skill points per level with a low or non-existent skill progression. However, regardless of lack of intelligence, these characters can still purchase knowledge and life skills packages, as well as additional class skills and skill points, at their listed price.
Spoiler: Table 1-5: Class Skills and Skill PointsSkill Point Progression - must choose one*Get Profession and Craft plus 2 knowledge skills as class skills automatically.
Package Skill Points Class Skills Cost unskilled 0 + int mod n/a 0 per level basic 2 + int mod choose any 6* 1 per level average 4 + int mod choose any 12* 2 per level skilled 6 + int mod choose any 18*† 3 per level adept 8 + int mod choose any 24*† 4 per level expert 10 + int mod choose any 30*† 5 per level
†Get Perform plus 2 more (4 total) knowledge skills as class skills automatically.
On the above table, the skill points your character receives are quadrupled on their first level. Otherwise they get the skill points as listed. On the below table, these skill points are not multiplied by the first-level quadruple bonus.
Other packages - buy more if you want*Skill points from knowledge packages can only be spent on knowledge skills.
Package Skill Points Class Skills Cost knowledge 3 per level * choose 5 knowledges 1 per level all knowledges 6 per level * all knowledges 2 per level life skills 5 per level † Craft, Perform, Professsion 1 per level class skills 0 choose any 3 1 skill points 2 n/a 1
†These skill points can only be spent on Craft, Perform, and Profession.
Skill point addendum: Intelligence (which is covered just below) increases your character's skill points. Any increase or decrease to your character's base intelligence score will retroactively award (or deduct) available skill points from your character. If you do not have enough skill points to pay for the skills your character currently knows, you will either have to purchase more skill points, upgrade your character's skill package, or start removing your existing skill points from somewhere. See the Retraining section below for more information.
Ability Scores
Ability scores represent another fundamental aspect that defines your character, such as how strong, fast, and smart your characters are. They are presented next because there are also incremental costs involved with certain abilities. This homebrew system will allow you to increase your character's stats at any level - not just one point every four levels. Also of note is that even when increasing an ability score at a later level, you still must pay the full cost. For example, at level 8, increasing your fighter's strength score from 18 to 19 costs 4 character points.
Spoiler: Table 1-6: Ability ScoresNegative costs: If the cost listed for a particularly low ability score is negative, that means you do not pay character points, but instead receive bonus character points. Very low ability scores can be dangerous or hard to roleplay. Be careful!
Value Cost Modifier 1 -13 -5 2 -9 -4 3 -6 -4 4 -4 -3 5 -3 -3 6 -2 -2 7 -1 -2 8 0 -1 9 1 -1 10 2 0 11 3 0 12 4 1 13 5 1 14 6 2 15 8 2 16 10 3 17 13 3 18 16 4 19 20 4 20 24 5 21 29 5 22 34 6 23 40 6 24 46 7
Intelligence: in addition to improving certain skills and class features, intelligence also grants bonus skill points, which already have an average cost of 2 skill points per character point. Therefore, for every point of positive int modifier you have, your character incurs an incremental cost of 0.5 character points per level.
Constitution: in addition to improving certain skills, class features, and fortitude saves, constitution also grants additional hit points, which have an average cost of 1 hit point per character point. Therefore, for every point of positive con modifier you have, your character incurs an incremental cost of 1 character point per level.
Proficiencies
The weapons and armor your character can use proficiently also help define the "class" of your character. Below are some tables of packages you may choose to take.
Spoiler: 1-7: ProficienciesWeapon Proficiencies - must choose one*This includes attacks with natural weapons, touch attacks, ranged touch attacks. Again, any attack roll.
Package Weapon proficiencies Cost Inept Any attack roll non-proficient at -4 penalty* -4 Common choose 1 simple weapon 0 Basic choose 5 simple weapons 1 Average choose 10 simple and 1 martial weapons 2 Skilled choose 5 martial weapons and all simple weapons 4 Expert all simple and martial weapons 5
Other weapon packages:*Requires you to at least have the "common" weapon proficiency package.
Package Weapon Proficiencies Cost Monk all "monk" weapons 2 Exotic* choose 1 exotic weapon 1
Armor proficiencies:*But not if a shield is being used as a weapon and considered an exotic weapon. In this case, you'll also need the exotic weapon feat for its attacks.
Package Armor Proficiencies Cost Light Armors all light armors 3 Medium Armors all medium and light armors 4 Heavy Armors all heavy, medium, and light armors 5 General Shields bucklers, light, and heavy shields* 2 Tower Shields all shields* 3
Retraining
We all make mistakes. And it is a fact of life that as we don't use muscles or our brain, they atrophy. The same can be said of skills as well. If at some point later in your game, you feel you want to make a change to your character and reduce some of the above attributes and features you purchased earlier, and upgrade others, you may do so. You will have to recalculate how many character points you used, update your character sheet, and even take away skill points as necessary.
Keep in mind that this is not a free pass to change your character sheet willy-nilly as you please. Even playing an actual shape shifter has more restrictions than this. Any change you do wish to make needs to be OK'd by your game master first. While it would be understandable for a war veteran to have forgotten how to use many of the weapons he once used, or to have your fortitude saves weakened from a particularly deadly experience, it would not make any sense to competently wield a khopesh one minute, then forget the next; or to suddenly have a massive surge in strength at the expense of other stats, and revert them again in a short time.
Game masters are encouraged to let their players change their sheets, however as a guideline, the change must make sense (as in there is some logical cause or reason for it), and only one change should be allowed per story arc. There are no costs in gold coins or experience for retraining under these guidelines.
