Hammers of Justice Campaign

Rule Books

This is a d20 Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 Ruleset campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. All 3.0 Core ruleset materials are allowed. Other materials require approval on a case-by-case basis.
Variant and House Rules used are discussed below.

 

Bonus XP

  • Character Journal or the like – 50 XP per game session chronicled
  • Providing a Character FAQ – 1500 XP
    For a sample Questionnaire, contact the DM

 

Bonus Skill Points

At Character Level 1, each character recieves bonus Skill Points to be allocated as follows:

  • 2 Skill Points for Craft or Profession. When allocating these points, try to answer the question, “What did the character do before he or she became an adventurer?”
  • 2 Skill Points for Knowledge – Local; Hometown. “Where did the character spend most of his or her life before becoming an adventurer?”

These bonus points are subject to the normal rules for cross-class skills, if applicable.

 

The “Three-Session” Rule

All revisions require DM approval. However, for the first three sessions that a character is played in, there is a grace period in which the player is encouraged to tinker. This is to make sure the character in play actually matches the idea the player had for it. The fourth session in which the character is played, it becomes official. The DM may approve further changes, but keep in mind the grace period is over (e.g., don’t hold your breath).

Hit Die Type Reroll on:
d4 1
d6 1, 2
d8 1, 2
d10 1, 2, 3
d12 1, 2, 3, 4

 

Hit Point Advancement
As in the core rules, all characters get maximum hit points for their 1st character level. Additionally, upon attaining a new level, certain low rolls are thrown out. What is unacceptably low depends on the Hit Die used to roll at each level.

 

Death and Dying

The purpose of this rule is to make higher level characters slightly harder to kill without altering game balance too much. As characters rise in level and begin to face bigger challenges, it becomes more common for them to take large amounts of damage quickly.

To allow a little more breathing (pun intended) room, use the following formula:
Add the character level and Constitution bonus to a base of 5. Also add 1 for each for each Feat the character has that adds to Hit Points (e.g., Toughness). That is the negative value at which death occurs.

Examples:

  • Darvin, at 2nd level, has a Consitution of 10. Applying the above formula, he is dying at -1 to -7 Hit Points and is dead upon reaching -8 or fewer Hit Points.
  • Kalendar, at 6th level, has a Constitution of 10. He is dying when at -1 to -10 Hit Points and is dead upon reaching -11 or fewer Hit Points.
  • Rhynn, at 7th level, has a Consititution of 16 and the Toughness feat. He is dying when at -1 to -15 Hit Points and dead upon reaching -16 or fewer Hit Points.
  • Thorn, at 10th level, has a Constitution of 12 and the Mind Over Body feat. He is dying when at -1 to -16 Hit Points and dead upon reaching -17 or fewer Hit Points.

 

Rangers

  • Virtual Feats
    In place of the Ambidexterity and 2-Weapon Fighting ‘virtual feats’ a ranger may choose a single paired feat from the list below. These are to be treated as “virtual feats” in all respects and suffer the same penalties as the standard ranger virtual feats, applying only if the ranger is wearing light armor or no armor. Note that as virtual feats that have a built-in restriction, though they CAN be used to fulfill the prerequisite requirements of other feats, those other feats will also be unusable should the ranger be wearing heavy or medium armor. The choice made should be reflective of the culture of the campaign region from where the ranger hails and/or the core character concept…

    1. Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon fighting (as per standard ranger in PHB with the exception that it CAN be used with double-weapons as well)
    2. Point Blank Shot and either Precise Shot or Far Shot.
    3. Combat Reflexes and Improved Initiative
    4. Run and Endurance
    5. Iron Will and Great Fortitude
    6. Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery (Note: Character must spend points on the Ride skill if this option is chosen)
    7. Blind-fight and Close-Quarter Fighting
    8. Weapon Finesse (chosen weapon) and Quick Draw
  • Bonus Feats
    Rangers get Track as a bonus feat at first level.
  • Chosen Terrain Bonus
    At second level a Ranger selects a Chosen Terrain from Table 9-5: Terrain and Overland Movement (for other terrain types, consult the DM – this will be handled on a case-by-case basis). When in his Chosen Terrain, he gets a +1 to Animal Empathy, Hide, Intuit Direction, Move Silently, and Wilderness Lore checks due to his familiarity with the surroundings. Every six levels after second (8th, 14th and 20th.) a Ranger’s Chosen Terrain bonuses advance by +1 and he may choose another terrain at +1.

 

Open Ended d20 Roll To allow a chance of catastrophic failure or epic success, this campaign uses the Open Ended Roll Variant Rule. This rule applies to any Skill Check, Saving Throw or Hit Roll on which a natural ‘1’ or ’20’ is rolled. Each time a ‘1’ is rolled, subtract 20 and roll again. Each time a ’20’ is rolled, add 20 and roll again.

  • Example #1: Thorn lobs an Acid Orb at his opponent. He rolls a natural ‘1’ on his ranged touch attack. On his followup roll, he rolls a ’13’. Including his +9 to hit, his net result is ( -20+13+9= ) AC 2.
  • Example #2: Thorn tries again. This time he rolls two consecutive natural ’20’s, followed by a ‘3.’ His net result is ( 20+20+3+9= ) AC 52.