House Rules

## Player Character Creation

**Ability Scores**

* New PC's get five sets of scores to choose from. These scores are "in order", however, each character, in addition to the six abilities, gets a "wealth" score. Once you've selected one of the five sets, you may do one transposition of any two of the seven scores. Unlike standard ACKS character creation, there is no "2-for-1" swapping (the transposition replaces this). Once this is complete, choose any class that your scores qualify for. Your "wealth" score determines your starting "template", but you may choose any template up to the one your wealth score indicates. *If your wealth score is "18" you may select any template AND replace either the starting general or class proficiency with one of your choice.*
* *Example:* Player X gets his five sets of scores, and settles on one that looks like this - Str 7 Int 13 Wis 16 Dex 13 Con 10 Cha 12 Wealth 17. Player X is looking to play a fighter, so he switches Str for wealth, resulting in a Str 17 and wealth 7. Taking a look at the fighter class templates (Player's Companion page 67), he sees that the wealth stat of 7 qualifies him for Corsair, Ravager, and Thug templates. Player X, envisioning a tough berserker-type fighter, picks the Ravager template, which gives him the following starting proficiencies: Berserkergang and Endurance. Since his Intelligence score is 13, he gets to choose an additional General proficiency, and in keeping with the character concept, chooses Survival. Player X writes down the starting equipment listed for the Ravager template. He is now ready to play.
* *Characters beyond first level:* If your character is starting at a level higher than first, any additional proficiencies accrued will be of your choice.
* Scores above 18: 19-20 +4, 21-23 +5, 24-27 +6, 28-30 +7, 31-32 +8, 33 +9

**Ability Scores (Tunnel Snakes variant)**

* New PC's roll 3d6 7 times for their starting ability scores. These scores are "in order", however, each character, in addition to the six abilities, gets a "wealth" score. Once you've determined your scores, you may do one transposition of any two of the seven scores. You may in addition to this do a "2-for-1" swap; however, the point added is only counted for the purposes of meeting class prerequisites and earning bonus experience.
* Your wealth score determines your starting template and equipment, and a template of a lower score cannot be chosen.

**Rolling Hit Points**

* When a character gains or loses a level, or increases or decreases their Con modifier in a permanent or lasting way, they reroll their maximum hit point total. All of a character's hit dice are rolled at this time; i.e., a 5 hit dice fighter would roll 5d8. The character's Con modifier is then applied as a bonus or penalty to each die, but cannot bring an individual die result below a 1; for example, a level 3 fighter with a Con modifier of -2 who rolled a 1, 2, 4 for their hit point roll would have a total of 4 hit points. Gaining a level or increasing a Con modifier will always add at least 1 hit point (if the rolled result is lower, increase total hit points by 1), and losing a level or decreasing a Con modifier will always lose at least 1 hit point (if the rolled result is higher, decrease total hit points by 1).
* *Characters beyond first level:* If your character is starting at a level higher than first, roll hit points level-by-level, starting at level 1.

**Wisdom Modifier to Saves**

* A character's Wis modifier is applied as a bonus or penalty to all saving throws, as per page 14 of *ACKS* *Heroic Fantasy Handbook*.

**Proficiencies**

* Elves, Gnomes, Aranea, and Zaharans have "Hedge Wizardry" (i.e. arcane cantrips) on their general proficiency list.
* Nobirans have "Village Wisdom" (i.e. divine cantrips) on their general proficiency list.
* Hedge Wizardry and Village Wisdom grant the ability to create cantrip potions and scrolls and research cantrips at 3nd level. At 5th level, they grant the ability to create permanent magic items based on cantrips. Characters with Village Wisdom must follow the normal rule restricting divine casters to only creating items they could use. Characters use their caster level, not their character level, for making these throws (18+ is the target value for a 0th level caster) unless they have an ability like the Gnomish Clanwarden's *Nose for Potions* that gives them an effective caster level at the task.
* Proficiencies may be switched with Judge approval on a case-by-case basis, through retraining later in the character's career, subject to the constraints of time, cost, and campaign considerations. The typical time for retraining a proficiency is 2 months with no additional costs incurred other than the character's monthly upkeep. **UNLESS THE JUDGE SPECIFICALLY ALLOWS YOU TO DO SO, YOU MAY NOT RETRAIN THE INITIAL TWO PROFICIENCIES SPECIFIED BY YOUR TEMPLATE.**
* Classes with Magical Engineering on their class proficiency list also have Experimenter on their class proficiency list.
* Weapon Finesse allows a character's DEX bonus to be used for any melee weapon attack throws, rather than being only usable with one-handed weapons.
* Only one rank of Precise Shooting is required to eliminate penalties of firing into melee or through squares with other creatures in them.
* The Transmogrification proficiency affects all transmogrification spells, not just those with 'Polymorph' in their name. this clarifies the difference between the Core proficiency definition and the description of the magic type in the Player's Companion

**Familiars**

* Familiars and animal companions have one less hit die than their master, as per the ACKS 2e rules found in Axioms, with corresponding saving and attack throws, but retain the attack damage of their original monster entry. Should a familiar fall in battle, its master must make a saving throw versus death, taking half the familiar's hit points in damage on a failure.
* A familiar with a proficiency such as Healing applies the appropriate bonus to the mortal wounds rolls should it use Laying on Hands or apply a magic item to a wounded character, but cannot perform checks to treat injuries as a demihuman with the proficiency unless it has the physical capacity(typically, opposable thumbs) to do so.

## Combat

**Critical Hits**

* An unmodified 20 on an attack roll is a critical hit. A second roll is then made, referencing the Dungeon Crawl Classics critical hit tables for the appropriate class or hit die to determine the result.

**Attacking from the Second Rank**

* Attacking from the second rank with a reach weapon imposes a -2 attack penalty, unless the character in the front rank is sufficiently short (Dwarf, Gnome, etc).

**Weapon Breakage (Tunnel Snakes only)**

* An unmodified 1 on an attack roll causes the weapon to break and be unusable. If the weapon is masterwork, it is instead damaged. While damaged, it loses its masterwork bonus and is treated as a normal weapon, which can be repaired by a weaponsmith for half the cost of purchasing a new one. A damaged masterwork weapon will be destroyed and unrepairable if a second unmodified 1 is rolled when using it to attack.
* Natural weapons do not break, but receive a -1 to hit for the duration of the combat if an unmodified 1 is rolled on an attack roll.

**Fumbles (Swords in the Underworld and Firestarters only)**

* An unmodified 1 on an attack roll causes a fumble roll based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics fumble tables.

**Mortal Wounds (Swords in the Underworld and Firestarters only)**

* A save vs Death is required if the result on the Mortal Wounds Table is below a certain number; failure results in character death. This save is at a penalty should the Mortal Wounds throw be low enough.

**Firing into Melee (Swords in the Underworld and Firestarters only)**

* Firing into melee or through squares with other creatures in them is allowed for characters without the Precise Shooting proficiency at a -6 penalty. If the attack roll fails, it may strike a target other than what was intended.

## Miscellaneous

**Learning New Spells**

* Upon reaching a new level of experience, an arcane caster of a caster level below 9th may learn new spells. For each new spell slot, the caster rolls a number of dice equal to 1 plus their intelligence modifier, with the player's choice of die as d12 or d24; the player picks one of the resulting spells on either the Core or Player's Companion arcane spell lists as the new spell learned. If the caster is a retainer, they may take their employer's advice on what to pick or may not, at the DM's discretion.

**Spells**

* When using spells such as Polymorph Self or Skinchange, the recipient of the spell must have some practice with the bestowed form or a similar form in able to fight, move, or otherwise act effectively. The time such practice takes will vary based on the form and its similiarity to previous known forms.
* Saves vs polymorph effects use the petrification target rather than the 'spells' target
* Sustained Spells: for spells with an indefinite duration, such as Glyph of Warding and Continual Light, a caster can sustain a total number of spells equal to their caster level, sharing one 'pool' for all spells. This does not apply to spells such as Charm Person or Growth of Plants, which last until a save is made or the effect dispelled, or minor effects such as Magic Mouth. If a caster is capable of casting multiple types of spells they only have one pool of sustained 'slots', equal to their highest caster level.
* Spell Storing: The spells stored in a temporary magic item created by the Spell Storing, as well as the Spell Storing spell itself, count against the caster's sustained spells. In addition, those spell slots do not refresh when the caster prepares spell for so long as they are stored. A character cannot cast spells from one Spell Storing item into another temporary Spell Storing item to increase the duration of the storing effect. Spells stored in a permanent item of Spell Storing function as normal.
* Spell-like abilities must be declared at the start of the round as a spell, and are similarly disruptable.

**Social Ability Bonuses**

* Class abilities, proficiencies, spells, and so forth which grant a +2 bonus to social ability throws (i.e. reaction, diplomacy, etc) instead grant a +1 bonus, unless specifically noted otherwise by the Judge.

**Miscellaneous**

* Unholy water does not exist, the opposite of holy water is unholy incense.

**Magic Research**

* Magic research to identify items may be done at 5th caster level rather than 9th, and may be done by both arcane and divine casters.
* Divine casters of 9th level may supervise lower level divine casters of comparable tradition engaging in item creation in the same manner as arcane casters supervising arcane assistants.
* Casters of all kind of 9th level or higher may supervise while doing any kind of magic research, and may supervise all kinds of non-11th level magic research, not just item creation: a mage doing spell research, an assistant identifying an item, etc.
* For purposes of calculating the base time to create a magic weapon, treat all weapons with a cost of less than 10gp as having a cost of 10gp.
* Charged items must have a minimum of 4 charges to have a base time of 2 days \* spell level \* charges, else the base time is 1 week\* spell level \* charges, as with potions/scrolls.
* Ritual Charged Items can be made at the same cost, time and difficulty as per the rules for normal charged items( 2 days \* ritual level \* charges, minimum of 4 charges), and need either the ritual to be known or an item sample/formula. Should a ritual item also contain non-ritual effects, for example due to being part of a weapon/armor or having the ability to use charges for lower level spells, the standard discount for having an item sample/formula applies only to the non-ritual component. True permanent ritual items(1/week, 1/turn, etc) can only be created through powerful breakthroughs and other situations not typically available to player characters.

**Divine Judgement (Tunnel Snakes Only)**

* Divine casters that argue too much with their divine patron are liable to take damage at the Judge's discretion