WM/Character Creation House Rules

===Revised Advantages===
;Weapon Master
Reduce the cost of Weapon Master to 2/3rds the book value (round down). Weapon Masters can apply their parry and rapid strike benefits to unarmed attacks. Skill damage bonus is limited to +1/+2 and is not per die.
;Born War Leader Talent
The talent bonus also applies to Armory and Intimidation.
===Revised Wealth===
The Wealth and Signature Gear advantages continue to be full of issues despite the changes in DF1 . Instead of buying Wealth or Signature Gear, characters may trade CP for cash at the rate of 1 point for $500. The Signature Gear becomes a perk that provides 'plot protection' to a single piece of gear the character owns. The new advantage 'Connections' represents characters who are well connected In Town, while 'Disfavored' is the disadvantage for characters who have a hard time making deals.
Connections
:5, 10, or 15 points.
:Prerequisite: Net positive reaction modifiers In Town
:Your character has connections that allow him to readily sell the proceeds from his adventuring exploits. This may represent knowing a good fence, being a member in good standing of the Merchants' Guild, or being a member of the nobility who is exempt from taxes. The basic rate of return for sold items is 40% of their 'book' value. For 5 points, your character gets 60% of book value; for 10 points, 80%, and for 15 points, 100%.
:Special Limitations
:Completely legal: You have very few contacts with criminals. Treat your level of Connections as 1 lower when haggling with Streetwise. Also, the GM rolls 3d when you go to market. On a 16+, one of the 4 most expensive items you intend to sell is stolen! -20%.
:Underworld: Most of your connections are through the black market. Treat your level of Connections as 1 lower when haggling with Merchant. Also, the GM rolls 3d when you go to market. On a 16+, one of the 4 most expensive items you intend to sell is confiscated! -20%.
Disfavored
: -5 or -10 points
:Your character, for whatever reason, does not make good deals while In Town. Maybe he doesn't understand negotiation, or he may be disliked by all shopkeepers, or possible he insists on paying his taxes in full and refuses to take tax breaks he's entitled to. For whatever reason, stuff he sells is worth less than normal. The basic rate of return for sold items is 40% of their 'book' value. For -5 points, your character gets 20% of book value and for -10 points he gets 0%. Even a character with Disfavored 2 may attempt Reaction rolls and haggling to get a better price.
Signature Gear
:Perk
:You have a distinctive, valuable possession. This gear is as much a part of your personal legend as are your reputation and skills.
:If you misplace Signature Gear or sell it unwillingly, or an NPC steals or confiscates it, the GM must give you an opportunity to recover it in the course of the adventure. If it is truly lost forever through no fault of your own, the GM will give you back your points (or replace the item with another of equal value). However, should you sell or give away your Signature Gear of your own free will, or fail to successfully recover it when given the chance, it is gone, along with the points spent on it!
:Each point in Signature Gear protects a single piece of combat equipment, such as a weapon or suit of armor. Alternately, any amount of non-combat gear can be protected as long as it is integral to the character concept (ie, books for a Scholar or camping gear for a Scout).
:You may provide Signature Gear protection for a single piece of non-magical, non-armor clothing as a 0-point feature. This might be a favored fedora, sash, or jacket, for instance.
=== Expensive Rapier Wit ===
Rapier Wit costs 15 points, not 5. It's still a ridiculously effective advantage.
=== Magic Item Cost Changes ===
Permanent magic items, including staffs and amulets, cannot be created in the West March. They can only be found by adventuring. However, potions only cost one fifth of the listed price from DF: Adventurers; spell stones are one third the price listed in DF: Adventurers.
=== People other than Clerics can heal ===
=== New Advantages ===
;Battle Magic Mastery (10 points)
:You reduce the penalty to Rapid Strike to cast and attack with a jet, melee, or missile spell to -3. This reduction is applied to both the the casting roll and the attack roll.
;Combat Mentalist (30 points)
:You have an innate talent or extensive training that allows you to Concentrate while doing other things. In combat and only in combat, you may take a Concentrate maneuver while taking a physical maneuver. You may not Concentrate twice in the same turn and you cannot Concentrate while stunned.
:Note: This is basically Compartmentalized Mind (Emergencies Only).
;Defensive Caster (5 pts)
:You can Blocking spells while holding a Melee or Missile spell. The fatigue costs for Blocking spells cast while holding other spells is increased by 1.
;Dwarven Momentum (4 pts/lvl)
:Only Dwarves and Minotaurs may take this advantage. Your character's Base Move (but not effective Move or Base Speed) increases when you are carrying more gear. Add your Dwarven Momentum levels to your Base Movement when at Light or better Encumbrance and then calculate effective Move normally. You cannot have an encumbered move faster than your Base Move.
;Faerie Fleetness (4 pts/lvl)
:Only Elves, Faeries, and Felinoids may take this advantage. Each level gives +1 Ground Move while at Light or No Encumbrance.
;Fast Caster (8 pts/college)
:Select a college of magic. For all spells in that college, you may ignore 3 points of penalties when fast casting.
;Heroic Evoker (20 points)
:You reduce the penalty to Rapid Strike to cast and attack with a jet, melee, or missile spell to -3. This reduction is applied to both the the casting roll and the attack roll. If you make a Move and Attack with a missile spell, you suffer no penalty for the spell's Bulk. If you Step and Attack or All-Out Attack, you can add the spell's Acc to your roll as though you were a Heroic Archer.
:If you have both Heroic Evoker and Battle Magic Mastery, you have only a -1 penalty to cast and attack with a jet, melee, or missile spell.
;Talent - Master of Arms (10 pts/level)
:You are exceptionally skilled at handling weapons, and learn how to use new ones quickly. You get your Talent bonus with any weapon or unarmed fighting skill, including ranged weapons, whips and garrotes, and Brawling, Boxing, Judo, Karate, Sumo Wrestling, and Wrestling.
:Your reaction bonus applies to anyone fighting against you.
;Unusual Background: Polisberg Native (5 points)
:You are a native of the city of in the . You have a +1 Reaction bonus for merchants in Polisberg, and can take the Area Knowlege: Shining Coast skill.
;Unusual Background: Shigrad Native (10 points)
:You are a native of the city of in the . You have a +2 Reaction bonus for merchants in Polisberg and a +1 Reaction bonus for merchants in Shigrad. You can take the Area Knowlege: Silk Road skill.
;Perk - Focused Fast Caster (1 pt)
:Select a spell. You may ignore 3 points of penalties when fast casting. This is not cumulative with the Fast Caster advantage. It does not affect Missile spells. Characters with 8 instances of this perk in the same college can trade them in for Fast Caster for that college.
;Perk - Armor Suit Familiarity (1 pt)
:This perk allows you to ignore the -1 to DX for layering one particular piece of armor with another. For example, 'Armor Suit Familiarity: Steel Corselet and Mail Hauberk'. You still suffer full encumbrance (and associated penalties) for both pieces, and a separate Perk is required for each piece you want to layer - the above familiarity would not apply if, for instance, you layered plate arms over mail sleeves, or even if you layered two mail hauberks.
;Perk - Inspiring Strike (1 pt)
:This is a variant of the Follow-Through Perk (See Power-Ups 2, p. xx) that allows the user to make an Inspiring Shout roll as a free action on any turn where he kills an enemy or knocks it unconscious. Use all standard bonuses and penalties to the skill, and an additional -3 for instant use.
;Perk - Thundering Chi (1 pt)
:This is a variant of the Follow-Through Perk (See Power-Ups 2, p. xx) that allows the user to make a Kiai roll as a free action on any turn where he kills an enemy or knocks it unconscious. Use all standard bonuses and penalties to the skill, and and an additional -3 for instant use.
=== New Disadvantages ===
;Weak Divine Connection (5 pts)
:For one reason or another, the gods do not look favorably on you. This is depressingly common among some sorts of Fae as a racial advantage, but can also result from displeasing the gods in some mundane (but serious) way. It encompasses all the non-social portions of 'Social Stigma: Excommunicated': helpful clerical spells (including Healing) are at -3 when cast on you, and you have -3 to the roll to ask for divine aid. This does not cause a reaction penalty among followers of the god, and is not immediately apparent to observers, faithful or not.
=== New and Revised Skills ===
===== Invisibility Art (Revised) =====
:IQ/Very Hard
:Defaults: None
:Prerequisites: Chi Talent or Ninja Talent
This is the fabled skill of being able to stand in plain sight without being noticed. It requires one second of concentration to activate. After that time, roll against your skill in Invisibility Art and note the margin of success.
Anyone trying to detect you, regardless of cover, must make a Vision roll at a penalty equal to your margin of success; apply the current darkness penalty to the vision roll as well. A viewer who is concentrating on something else or who is otherwise distracted rolls at a further -3 (note that most people in combat with your allies count as 'distracted'!); someone who is specifically watching for intruders gets +3. Viewers roll once when you pass into their field of vision and again any time you take an action that would draw attention to yourself - moving, drawing a weapon, etc. Note that even if one viewer detects you, you may remain invisible to other viewers; however, if you attack the effect will end and all viewers will be able to see you normally.
If you move more than 2 hexes while using this skill, you must roll again at -1 for up to 4 yards of movement or -2 for 5+ yards.
:Modifiers: A flash bomb or smoke grenade used when you disappear always counts as a distraction for onlookers; this can be done as part of the Concentrate action that activates the skill. -10 to skill to use this as a free action; if you succeed on this immediately before an attack, your opponent has -4 to defend (as from an invisible attacker). If you stand perfectly still (may require a Breath Control or Meditation roll), you get +1.
===== Inspiring Shout =====
:HT/Hard
:Defaults: None
:Prerequisites: 2 of Bard Song +1, Born War Leader +1, Born War Leader +4, Charisma +1, or Higher Purpose
You have the cinematic ability to channel your conviction outward in a mighty shout that inspires an ally. This takes a Concentrate maneuver and costs 1 FP per attempt, successful or not.
Choose an ally within your line of sight. Roll your skill, with the normal range penalty if he is not adjacent. If you succeed, you ally gets +1 to attack and damage rolls for Margin of Success seconds, minimum 1.
For 2 FP, you may make a Rallying Cry instead. Roll your skill at -3, with the normal range penalties if your ally isn't adjacent. If you succeed, you may treat your roll as a Resistance roll for any Affliction, Stun condition, or spell effect he is currently affected by. This can be used to dispel ongoing effects.
This skill only works against a single ally: everyone can hear the shout, but your focus is only on the one ally. However, a successful Inspiring Shout roll gives you +2 to Leadership for everyone in earshot for the next 10 seconds. A successful Rallying Cry gives +4!
The talent bonus for Born War Leader applies to this skill. The penalty for Social interaction disadvantages, including Callous, Clueless, Low Empathy, and Shy, also applies.
=== New Power-Ups ===
===== Inspiring Leadership [5 points] =====
You can use the rules for Encouragement (DF2, p.11) as a free action! Roll vs. Leadership once at the start of the battle, and again any time you're stunned or otherwise momentarily unable to shout to your allies. Success gives your side a bonus equal to half your margin of success (minimum +1) to Fright Checks, resistance rolls against mind control or fear, and self-control rolls that would affect combat.
:Prerequisites: Leadership, plus at least 6 levels of Charisma and Born War-Leader in any combination.
:Perk: Unique Technique (Inspiring Leadership, defaulting to Leadership -4) [1]
:Techniques: Inspiring Leadership (A) at Leadership+0 [4] 
===== Charge Home [5 points] =====
Each turn, you may pick one foe on the field and roll vs. Tactics as a free action. Success gives your side +1 to attack and defense rolls against that opponent (+2 on a critical success) for a number of seconds equal to your margin of success. However, you take a -2 to your own defenses on any turn in which you make a roll for this power, as you're busy shouting orders.
:Prerequisites: Tactics, plus at least 6 levels of Charisma and Born War-Leader in any combination.
:Perks: Unique Technique (Charge Home, defaulting to Tactics -4) [1]
:Techniques: Charge Home (A) at Tactics+0 [4]
===== Leading Strike [10 points] =====
As a free action after you make an attack (hit or miss, but not with a Rapid Strike or Dual Weapon Attack), you may roll a Quick Contest of weapon skills with the target. Apply your margin of success as a penalty to all attack rolls the target makes against your allies (not you) on its next turn. Use this to get a monster's attention, and be ready to defend yourself! You can use this power-up only once on your turn, no matter how many attacks you make.
Special: A character who doesn't have any of the prerequisites for this Power-Up may still buy it, but it costs an additional 3 points.
:Prerequisites: ST 18 OR Trained by a Master OR Weapon Master. Requires specialization by weapon skill.
:Perks: Unique Technique (Leading Strike, defaulting to skill-6) [1]
:Techniques: Leading Strike (H) at Skill+0 [9]
===== Punishing Strike [5 points] =====
This is an upgrade to the Leading Strike power-up. As a free action after you make an attack (hit or miss, but not with a Rapid Strike or Dual Weapon Attack), you may roll a Quick Contest of weapon skills with the target; you are at a +2 bonus for this roll. As with Leading Strike, apply your margin of success as a penalty to all attack rolls the target makes against your allies (not you) on its next turn. Additionally, if the target DOES attack one of your allies, it has a penalty to defend against your next attack equal to your margin of success on this roll, just as if you had performed a successful Feint (see Feints on p.B365).
Special: A character who does not have Trained by a Master, Weapon Master, or ST 18 can still buy this upgrade to Leading Strike, but it costs an additional 6 points (making the total cost 24 points).
:Prerequisites: Leading Strike. Must specialize by the same weapon skill as Leading Strike.
:Perks: Convert Unique Technique (Leading Strike) [1] to Unique Technique (Punishing Strike, defaulting to skill-10) [1]
:Techniques: Convert Leading Strike (H) at Skill+0 [9] to Punishing Strike (H) at Skill+0 [14]
=== New & Altered Character Templates ===
;Witch (250 points)
Like the wizard and the scholar, you are a learned delver. But unlike those two, you didn't gain your knowledge from dusty tomes in stone buildings: you went out into the world and experienced things. Some of those experiences including making deals with natural spirits, improving and amplifying your natural magical talent. Your magic isn't advanced as the wizard, but your breadth of skills, mundane and magical, make you a powerful addition to a delving band.
:Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 15 [100]; HT [11]
:Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 14 [-5]; Per 15 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [5]; Basic Move 6 [0].
:Advantages: Magery 0 [5], Witch Talent 3 (Witchery -20%) [24], and Energy Reserve (Magic) 3 [9]. • 30 points chosen from Witch Abilities (below) or among DX +1 [20], IQ +1 [20], Will +1 to +5 [5/level], Energy Reserve (Magic) +1 to +10 [3/level], Eidetic Memory [5] or Photographic Memory [10], Healer 1 or 2 [10 or 20], Intuition [15], Luck [15], Witch Talent (Witchery -20%) 4, 5, or 6 [8, 16, or 24], Mind Shield [4/level], Signature Gear [Varies], Spirit Empathy [10], or Wild Talent 1 (Retention, +25%; Focused, Magical, -20%) [21].
:Disadvantages: Disciplines of Faith (Witch Rituals) [-10]. • Another -30 points chosen from Bad Temper [-10*], Clueless [-10], Combat Paralysis [-15], Cowardice [-10*], Hard of Hearing [-10], Klutz [-5] or Total Klutz [-15], Loner [-5*], Low Pain Threshold [-10], Nervous Stomach [-1], Oblivious [-5], Phobia (Crowds) [-15*], Phobia (Fire) [-5*],Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Sense of Duty (Adventuring companions) [-5], Skinny [-5], Social Stigma (Excommunicated)† [-10], Stubbornness [-5], Unfit [-5] or Very Unfit [-15], or Unnatural Features 1-5 [-1/level].
:Primary Skills: Esoteric Medicine (Witch) (H) Per[2]-15; Hidden Lore (Spirits) and Occultism, both (A) IQ [2]-15; Alchemy and Herb Lore, both (VH) IQ [4]-14; and Naturalist (H) IQ [1]-14.
:Secondary Skills: Animal Handling (any), Hidden Lore (Elementals, Faeries, or Demons), and Weather Sense, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-14; Pharmacy (Herbal) (H) IQ-2 [1]-13, and Meditation (H) Will-2 [1]-12. • Either Shield (Buckler) (E) DX+2 [4]-14 and Main Gauche (A) DX+1 [4]-13, or Staff (A) DX+2 [8]-14. • One of Crossbow or Thrown Weapon (Dart), both (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Throwing (A) DX+1 [4]-13; or Sling (H) DX [4]-12.
:Background Skills: Six of Fast-Draw (Potion) (E) DX [1]-12; Climbing or Stealth, both (A) DX-1 [1]-11; Body Sense (H) DX-2 [1]-10; First Aid or Gesture, both (E) IQ [1]-15; Animal Handling (any other) or Hidden Lore (any other) (A) IQ-1 [1]-14; Physiology (monster type) or Research, both (H) IQ-2 [1]-13; Thaumotology (VH) IQ-3 [1]-12; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]-10; or Scrounging (E) Per [1]-15.
:Spells: Choose 30 witch spells (see below), which will be either(H) IQ+1 [1]-16 or (VH) IQ [1]-15 with the +3 for Witchery.
;Customization Notes
Witches are strongly customized by their Shortcuts to Power already.
===== Witchery =====
This power depends on pacts with nature spirits. All of its powers have the witchery limitation.
;Power Modifier: Witchery (-20%)
:Witch abilities depend on being on good terms with fickle nature spirits. The user must take the disadvantage Disciplines of Faith (Witch Rituals) [-10] to reflect this. Each day, roll 1d; this is how many hours less he has for sleep, standing watch, etc. Moreover, he must buy miscellaneous goods worth $6/day for incense, food, and trinkets used to bribe the spirits. If deprived of these things, or if he fails to sacrifice the necessary time, he must take a day out to negotiate with the spirits. His entire power will immediately burn out for 1d days if called upon before he does this. Also, in areas where nature is weak, witch abilities take the same penalties to success rolls that druidic spells suffer. Witches are affected by mana levels normally.
;Witch Abilities
:Allies (Nature spirit of equal points; 12 or less; PM, -20%; Summonable, +100%) [18] or (15 or less) [27]; Channeling (PM, -20%; Specialized, Nature Spirits, -50%) [3]; Medium (PM, -20%; Specialized, Nature Spirits, -50%) [3]; and Mind Control (PM, -20%) [40], Witchery (PM, -20%) [10/level].
;Witch Spells
:Witches can learn any spell that requires Magery 0. In addition, you may learn the following spells. If a spell on this list requires a prerequisite that you can't or don't wish to learn, you may take a 1 point Perk (called Shortcut to Power) to learn the spell anyway. You may only take 10 Shortcuts to Power, and once you take a Shortcut to Power, you may not get rid of it.
* Any spell from the Air, Earth, Healing, Knowledge, Movement, or Water college or the Weather sub-college that requires Magery 1 except for Missile spells. You are treated as having Magery 1 for the prerequisite purposes of these spells.
* Alter Body, Charm, Counterspell, Curse, Death Touch, Flying Carpet, Madness, Pentagram, Permanent Shapeshifting, Remove Curse, Scryguard, Sense Spirit, Shapeshift Others, Strike Barren, Summon Demon, Summon Spirit, Steal Beauty, Steal Youth, Throw Spell, Turn Spirit, Ward. You are treated as having Magery 0 for prerequisite purposes and must take a Shortcut to Power to learn any of these spells that require Magery 1+.
* You may not learn any Enchantment or Gate spells, and may not take Shortcuts to Power to learn them.
:The Witchery Talent adds to all spells and Thaumatology, as well as Witch abilities.
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;Merchant (50 points)
This lens can be added to any template for 50 points, and reflects a character who can make a living wheeling, dealing, and finding opportunities in Polisberg. Obviously, it best suits those delvers who are not already operating under various social issues, and who are already fairly intelligent.
:Advantages: Connections 1 [5] and Smooth Operator 1 [15] • 15 points chosen from Unusual Background: Polisberg Native [5] or Shigrad Native [10]; Charisma 1 [5] or 2 [10]; Connections 2 [5] or 3 [10]. These points may also be used to buy off disadvantages that might disqualify the character from the Connections advantage, such as some Social Stigmas or a bad Reputation.
:Skills: Diplomacy (H) IQ-1 [2]; Merchant (A) IQ+1 [4]; Current Affairs (Polisberg) (E) IQ [1]; Connoiseur (any one) (A) IQ [2]; Connoiseur (any two others) (A) IQ-1 [1 each]; Propaganda (A) IQ [2]; Carousing (E) HT [1] • One of the following: Savoir-Faire (High Society or Merchant's Guild) (E) IQ, Streetwise or Writing, both (A) IQ-1 [1].
=== New & Altered Racial Templates ===
;Halflings
:Halflings come in two varieties; there are the chubby, friendly types who make great neighbors, and the inquisitive, slender ones who have no sense of personal property. Leave the halfling template unchanged except for the following:
:-Chubby, friendly halflings have Gluttony (12-) [-5] and Charitable (12-) [-15] as racial traits. They fit the 'hobbit' archetype
:-Inquisitive, slender halflings have Curious (12-) [-5] and Kleptomania (12-) [-15] as racial traits. They fit the 'kender' archetype.
:The two are distinct races and societies who don't generally interbreed. These are 'upbringing' traits rather than 'inbred' ones, and could be bought off with appropriate explanations.
=== New Martial or Magic Schools ===
Pixie Fire Magic
Mountain Minotaur Wrestling
Mountain Minotaur Monster Smashing
Pixie Unarmed Combat
=== See Also ===