Pathfinder 1st Edition · House Rules
This is a public game with strangers and acquaintances sharing a table. These rules exist to keep the game fun, fair, and moving. Read them before signing up. If any of these rules are dealbreakers for you, this is not the right game for you, and that is perfectly fine.
Treat every person at the table with basic respect. You do not have to like everyone. You do have to be civil. Insults, shouting, and personal attacks will result in removal from the game. No warnings.
Put your phone away unless you are using it for the game. No scrolling, no texting, no music playing through speakers or earbuds. If you need to take a call, step away from the table. When it is not your turn, pay attention. Cross-talk and side conversations during another player's moment slow the game down and disrespect the other player's time.
The following topics are not discussed at the table, in character or out of character. No exceptions, no debates. These conversations belong elsewhere. This table is for playing a game.
There will be no in-character romance between player characters, and no romantic roleplay between player characters and NPCs. There will be no discussion of character sexuality IC or OOC at the table. If this type of content is important to your experience, this is not the game for you.
Do not use out-of-character knowledge to make in-character decisions. If the party split up and you were not present for a conversation, your character does not know what was said.
This game uses a session-zero content discussion and the Lines and Veils framework. Before the campaign begins, the DM will outline the tone and content of the setting, including themes that may arise during play such as violence, slavery, morally gray factions, and dark subject matter. Players will have the opportunity to establish Lines (content that will not appear in the game) and Veils (content that may be referenced but will not be described in detail).
If a concern arises during play, players are expected to raise it directly with the DM, either at the table or in private afterward. The DM takes these conversations seriously and will address them.
Show up on time. If you cannot make a session, notify the DM as far in advance as possible. Things come up. Life happens. A message saying "I can't make it tonight" is all that is needed.
When a player is absent, their character enters ghost mode. The character fades into the background of the narrative. They do not participate in combat, skill checks, or roleplay. They simply are not there.
Repeated unexcused absences may result in removal from the game and your seat opening for another player. The DM will communicate directly with you before this happens, but consistent no-shows without notice will not be tolerated. Other players are giving up their evenings to be here, and empty seats affect everyone.
All characters must be reviewed and approved by the DM before play begins. This includes race, class, archetype, feats, spells, equipment, and background. No character enters play without DM sign-off. Characters from other games or campaigns or premade before play will not be used.
Player characters cannot be evil-aligned (or act evil with any other alignment such as N or CN). This is a hard rule with no exceptions. Morally complex characters are welcome. Selfish characters who grow over the course of a campaign are welcome. Characters who do questionable things for understandable reasons are welcome. Characters whose alignment entry reads Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil, or Lawful Evil are not.
Evil characters in a party create friction that derails games. This has been tested extensively across decades of tabletop play, and the results are consistent. Play something else.
Your character must have a reason to be involved in the campaign and a reason to work with the party. Lone wolves, mysterious loners who refuse to share information, and characters who "would just leave" when things get difficult are not appropriate for a collaborative game. Before the campaign begins, the DM will provide enough information about the premise and setting for you to build a background that connects to the story.
Work with the DM on your background. The best characters have ties to the world, relationships with factions or NPCs, and personal stakes in the events of the campaign. A background that says "wandering adventurer looking for gold" is technically functional but does nothing for you or the story.
Ability scores use the point-buy system with 20 points.
Death is usually permanent. Resurrection magic is rare and expensive in the Mazariim setting. Do not assume the party will have access to it. Play smart, make good decisions, and understand that your character's life has weight because it can end. If your character dies, you will work with the DM to create a replacement character that fits the campaign at the same character level as before. The DM will determine what resources the new character enters play with.
Player characters are expected to function as a team. This does not mean everyone has to agree on everything. Arguments, disagreements, and differing priorities are natural and make for good roleplay. Every character must be willing to work toward the group's goals and support the other characters when it counts. If your character consistently refuses to cooperate, undermines the party's efforts, or acts in ways that make the game less fun for other players, the DM will address it directly.
The DM makes rulings during play. If you disagree with a ruling, you may state your case briefly. The DM will consider it and make a decision. Play continues. If the ruling was incorrect, it will be corrected after the session and applied going forward. The game does not stop for extended rules debates.
The DM reserves the right to change, add, or remove rules mid-campaign if something proves game-breaking, unfun, or incompatible with the story. If a rule change affects your character to the point that it no longer functions as intended, you will be given the opportunity to rebuild or create a new character at no penalty.
The following books may be used for character creation for classes, archetypes, and feats:
No other sourcebooks, supplements, or third-party content may be used. If it is not in one of the books listed above, it does not exist for the purposes of this game.
Below are the available races in the Mazariim setting.
Half-Elf and Half-Orc are not available, since the lore of the campaign setting does not have these races.
The available races for any given campaign will be drawn from a list specified at campaign start. Additional rare races might be available depending on the campaign location. These restrictions will be communicated before character creation begins.
If your character concept involves a strange mechanical body, wings, a tail, four arms, or any other exotic anatomy, it is usually not available. Races from other campaign settings or universes are also not playable. Every campaign will have specific limits on which races are available.
Gnomes have darkvision as they spent much of their time in underground areas with their dwarven cousins.
Halflings have low-light vision as with their elven cousins.
If the campaign allows Rare races, note that there will be instances where the choice of an unusual race has in-game effects. These could range from mild distrust to fear or outright hatred, or even fascination. Mechanically, this could mean a penalty to Cha-based skills with some NPCs as well as limited access to cities, locations within cities, or areas of a xenophobic nature.
| Race | Subrace | Ability Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Dwarves | Gormdawi (Mountain Dwarf) | +2 Con, +2 Wis, −2 Cha |
| Bryndawi (Hill Dwarf) | +2 Con, +2 Cha, −2 Wis | |
| Gnomes | Durazgrom (Rock Gnome) | +2 Con, +2 Int, −2 Str |
| Rothgrom (Forest Gnome) | +2 Con, +2 Cha, −2 Str | |
| Elves | Ya'sehrim (High Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Int, −2 Con |
| Tawarim (Wood Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Wis, −2 Cha | |
| Gaear'rim (Ocean Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Str, −2 Cha | |
| Farondrim (Wandering Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Con, −2 Int | |
| Raladrim (Plains Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Wis, −2 Int | |
| Yav'daerim (Valley Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Cha, −2 Con | |
| Aeglirim (Mountain Elf) | +2 Dex, +2 Con, −2 Cha | |
| Ma'Sehrim (Mixed Nationality) | +2 Dex, +2/−2 to one each | |
| Halflings | Tala'nitya (Lightfoot) | +2 Dex, +2 Cha, −2 Str |
| Tala'beleg (Stout) | +2 Con, +2 Wis, −2 Str | |
| Humans | Azala (Aztec/Maya/Inca) | +2 Str, +2 Dex, −2 Cha |
| Chak'ti (Mongol/Northern China) | +2 Dex, +2 Con, −2 Int | |
| Ejiin (Japan/Korea/Vietnam) | +2 Dex, +2 Wis, −2 Cha | |
| Laveri (Greece/North Africa) | +2 Cha, +2 Wis, −2 Str | |
| Madronian (Europe) | +2 Int, +2 Cha, −2 Wis | |
| Nond (Viking Scandinavia) | +2 Str, +2 Con, −2 Int | |
| Sabonaar (Spain/Portugal/Italy) | +2 Dex, +2 Cha, −2 Wis | |
| Varkonan (Ancient Egypt) | +2 Str, +2 Wis, −2 Dex | |
| Mixed Nationality | +2 to one score |
Race traits and favored class abilities cannot be added or changed — the races are as is via their subrace descriptions.
Rare racial traits will be detailed in a future document.
Hatred is absent because orcs and goblinkind are loathed by every civilized race after the War, conferring no special dwarven advantage.
Ancient Enmity is absent because dwarves and elves have never warred in Mazariim.
Mazariim gnomes are not fey. Sylvan is not a gnomish language, the Bleaching does not exist, and neither Illusion Resistance nor the standard illusion-based Gnome Magic package appears in this setting.
Hatred is replaced by Giant Hunter.
Rothgrom also lack Steamwright's Hands — the gnomish technological monopoly belongs to the Durazgrom, and a Rothgrom is no better with a steam engine than anyone else.
Eternal Grudge does not exist. Elves and dwarves have never warred in Mazariim, and no elf carries an inherited hatred of them.
Elven Magic — the traditional +2 bonus to overcome spell resistance is not universal. It belongs to the Ya'sehrim alone, a product of their unbroken magical tradition rather than elven blood.
Drow do not exist as a playable people, and are effectively unknown. The several hundred good-aligned dark elves who arrived with Eilistra'rae in 1,377 BW were absorbed entirely into the other elven subraces long ago. Their bloodlines survive invisibly; their story survives only among Minervan scholars, high clergy, and a handful of legends that most elves assume are metaphor.
Elves have low-light vision, not darkvision.
Fearless and Sure-Footed do not exist among the hin of Mazariim; they are replaced by Blessed and Practicality respectively.
Hin have a genuine homeland — the island of Shalazar — rather than existing as a scattered people living among humans.
Linguist is not universal. The human's "any language you want" belongs only to humans of Mixed Nationality, who grow up between two cultures and usually two tongues.
Half-races do not exist in this setting's lore.
Adoptive Parentage, Fey Magic, Giant Ancestry, Draconic Heritage, and every other non-human-lineage trait are unavailable.
Firearms are Madronian and Durazgrom. The Inner Kingdoms and the Gnomish Lands are the only places in Mazariim producing reliable powder weapons, and they are expensive, temperamental, and closely held. No other subrace has firearm proficiency as a birthright.
Steam is built by humans and repaired by gnomes. A Madronian can design and run an engine. When it breaks, someone sends for a Durazgrom.
The following classes are available for gameplay.
Every campaign will have specific limits on which classes are available. These restrictions will be communicated before character creation begins. They exist because the setting and story demand them, not because the DM dislikes your favorite class.
Classes from the Pathfinder Unchained book and other books are not available.
Archetypes are available from the Advanced and Ultimate series books. These must be related to the character's background.
All available prestige classes will be provided in a separate document. These are almost always customized and flavored for the current campaign. If a prestige class does not appear in that document, it is not available.
Sorcerers are not limited to arcane magic. A sorcerer selects a magical tradition determined by the nature of their bloodline. Arcane remains the default, but Divine and Primal traditions are also available. A sorcerer with a Divine tradition draws from the cleric spell list and is a divine caster. A sorcerer with a Primal tradition draws from the druid spell list and is a primal caster. The tradition is chosen at 1st level and cannot be changed. All use Charisma as their spellcasting ability.
Prepared casters no longer assign individual spells to individual spell slots. Each day, a prepared caster selects a repertoire of spells they have access to for that day. The number of spells in the repertoire equals the number of spell slots available at each level, plus any bonus spells from a high casting ability score.
Once the repertoire is set, any spell in the repertoire may be cast using any available spell slot of the appropriate level or higher. A 5th-level wizard who prepares fireball and haste as their two 3rd-level spells may cast either spell with either slot, rather than deciding in advance which slot holds which spell.
All prepared casters use a spellbook or prayerbook. Clerics maintain prayerbooks. Druids keep naturalist folios. Paladins and Rangers use devotional journals. These function identically to a wizard's spellbook in all mechanical respects. Spells must be found, copied, and recorded before they can be prepared. A prepared caster cannot prepare any spell that does not appear in their book. Starting spellbooks are as a wizard as well, and some major churches might also sell spells to members of their faith.
When gaining a level, the prepared caster gets two spells added to their spellbook as a wizard does, taken from the list of Common spells (Core Rulebook).
The costs and skill checks for copying spells follow the same rules as copying spells into a wizard's spellbook.
Several skills from the Core Rulebook have been consolidated. All other skills remain unchanged.
| Skill | Ability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatics | Dex | Also covers Escape Artist and Fly |
| Athletics | Str | Covers Climb, Jump, and Swim |
| Deception | Cha | Covers Bluff and Disguise |
| Handle Animal | Cha | Also covers Ride |
Class skill lists carry forward from the Core Rulebook. Consolidated skills inherit class skill status from any of their component skills. If a class had Climb as a class skill, Athletics is a class skill for that class. If a class had Bluff as a class skill, Deception is a class skill for that class.
Characters start knowing Common as well as their Racial language (including humans). The character's intelligence modifier indicates how many languages he can acquire by putting one point into Linguistics skill. After the character knows a number of languages equal to their Intelligence modifier, they can continue learning languages but they cost two skill ranks per language instead of one.
Knowing an ancient language (including Draconic) does not mean the characters can automatically read old texts or writings. The results of a Linguistics check determines how well they know these ancient languages when reading or studying writings.
Many skill rolls during play will be blind — the player rolls but does not know the result of the roll. Perception, Stealth, Sense Motive, social skills (Diplomacy, Deception, Intimidation) are always blind, as are most non-combat skill rolls. This helps with metagaming on an unconscious level.
Combat rolls are almost never blind, as there is no reason for them to be and to keep combat exciting. The DM will let you know when a roll has to be blind, or the DM will just do the group roll himself at times.
All Core Rulebook feats and those from the Advanced and Ultimate series of books are available for players.
The following feats are added to the game. The Core Rulebook version of Improved Counterspell is replaced by the version listed below.
You can take 10 on caster level checks, including dispel checks and spell resistance checks, even while under stress or in dangerous conditions.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast arcane spells, Spellcraft 15 ranks.
You gain a +2 bonus on all dispel checks based on your caster level.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast dispel magic.
You gain an additional +2 bonus on dispel checks, stacking with Dispel Focus for a total of +4.
Prerequisites: Dispel Focus, ability to cast dispel magic.
This replaces the Core Rulebook version of Improved Counterspell. As a reaction when a creature within line of sight casts a spell that you have prepared or that is in your repertoire, you may expend a prepared spell of the same school and of equal or higher level to counter the triggering spell. You lose the spell slot as if you had cast the spell. The triggering spell is negated and has no effect.
Opponents take a −2 penalty on dispel checks made against your spells.
Prerequisites: Spellcraft 5 ranks.
The penalty opponents take on dispel checks against your spells increases to −4. This replaces the bonus from Spell Potency; the two do not stack.
Prerequisites: Spell Potency, Spellcraft 10 ranks.
You may attempt to attune to a ley line you are aware of and within range of. Attunement requires 1 minute and a caster level check against a DC of 10 + the ley line's level. Success grants you access to the bonuses and abilities provided by that ley line for as long as you remain within its area of influence.
You can see ley lines as visible manifestations of energy, even when they are dormant and no creature is attuned to them. This sight functions at all times and does not require concentration. It reveals the presence, path, and approximate strength of any ley line within your line of sight.
You can attune to a ley line in 1 round instead of 1 minute. You gain a +2 bonus on caster level checks made to attune to ley lines.
Prerequisites: Ley Line Attunement.
You can attune to a ley line as a standard action. You gain an additional +2 bonus on caster level checks made to attune to ley lines, stacking with Ley Line Adept for a total of +4.
Prerequisites: Ley Line Adept.
While attuned to a ley line, your spells that deal damage gain +1 damage per damage die rolled. Activating this benefit is a free action.
Prerequisites: Ley Line Adept.
Almost all types of rolls and checks can have a critical success or failure as described below.
You achieve a critical hit on an attack in one of two ways: Natural 20 — You roll a 20 on the d20 and the result meets or exceeds the target's AC. Exceed AC by 10 — Your total attack result exceeds the target's AC by 10 or more, no natural 20 required.
Expanded Threat Range Limitations: Any weapon, feat, ability, or enchantment (such as keen or Improved Critical) that would normally expand your threat range beyond 20 instead grants a threat range of 19–20. This is the cap — no effect can expand the range below 19. A natural 19 that meets or exceeds the target's AC is treated as a critical hit, just like a natural 20. Multiple sources of expanded threat range do not stack. 19–20 is the absolute limit regardless of how many effects would apply.
No Confirmation Rolls: Critical hits do not require a confirmation roll. If you meet the conditions above, the critical hit is automatic.
Critical Hit Damage: On a critical hit, you deal double your base damage dice. Roll twice as many damage dice (for example, 1d8 becomes 2d8). Do not double the ability modifier added to damage, or any other bonuses to damage such as sneak attack dice or elemental enchantment damage. All weapons use a ×2 multiplier regardless of their original critical multiplier.
When a creature makes a saving throw against a spell or effect that deals damage, the four degrees of success determine the outcome:
Critical Success (beat the DC by 10 or more, or natural 20 that meets the DC) — The target takes no damage from the spell.
Success (meet or exceed the DC) — The target takes half damage.
Failure (below the DC) — The target takes full damage and suffers the full effects of the spell as described.
Critical Failure (miss the DC by 10 or more, or natural 1 that doesn't meet the DC) — The target takes double damage. Any additional effects of the spell are applied at their most severe, as described by the spell. For spells with conditions or durations, the critical failure imposes the worst version or longest duration listed.
This system extends to all checks, not just attacks and spell saves.
Critical Success occurs when you beat the DC by 10 or more, or roll a natural 20 that meets or exceeds the DC.
Success occurs when you meet or exceed the DC.
Failure occurs when your result is below the DC.
Critical Failure occurs when you miss the DC by 10 or more, or roll a natural 1 that doesn't meet the DC.
A natural 20 upgrades your degree of success by one step, turning a failure into a success or a success into a critical success. A natural 1 downgrades it by one step.
As detailed in Pathfinder Unchained, the action economy has been updated to match the system in that book that later became the PF2 system. This modification helps newer players who are not proficient in adding a swift action to their turn as well as providing some new opportunities for combat.
Every player or creature gets 3 actions a round, to be used as they like.
Free Actions still work the same, limited to one a round.
Move Actions and Swift Actions now take one action to complete.
Normal Actions other than a standard attack or combat maneuvers usually take two actions to complete. This includes all spellcasting and spell-like abilities.
Full-round Actions take three actions to complete. This includes casting a spell with a metamagic feat.
Attacks are one action, and each subsequent attack is at −5 and then −10. Anyone can make three attack actions in a round, even with a negative value.
There are exceptions to the above, although uncommon.
Loot is split evenly among the party. This is an out-of-character rule for table balance. How the characters handle the division in-character is up to the players, and roleplay around loot distribution is encouraged. When two players want the same item, random chance will be used to determine the results.
Spells are either Common or Rare. Spells drawn from the Core Rulebook are considered common, and may be chosen by players when gaining levels. Rare spells from other sources will be introduced by the DM during play as discoveries, rewards, or setting-specific additions. The exception is classes whose spell lists exist primarily or entirely in the approved supplemental books. If your class literally cannot function without spells from the Advanced Player's Guide or Ultimate Magic, those spells are available. Ask the DM if you are unsure.
Individual spells may be revised, removed, or restricted at any point during the campaign if they cause balance problems or disrupt the intended tone of the game. The DM will communicate these changes clearly and will not remove a spell without explanation.
Ley lines are conduits of raw magical energy that flow through the world. They vary in strength, nature, and origin. Some were laid down by gods, others formed naturally at the convergence of planar boundaries, and still others were carved into existence by mortal hands during ages long forgotten. Spellcasters who learn to attune to a ley line can draw on its power to enhance their magic in ways that would otherwise be impossible.
Every ley line has a level ranging from 1 to 30. The level determines the strength of the line, the difficulty of attunement, and the width of the area of influence. A ley line is 10 feet wide per level. A level 7 ley line is 70 feet across. A level 20 ley line is 200 feet across. A spellcaster must be physically within the ley line's width to attune or benefit from it.
Ley lines are normally invisible. They can be perceived with detect magic, arcane sight, or true seeing. When a creature attunes to a ley line, the line becomes visible as faintly glowing blue energy in the immediate area, trailing off into the distance for 10 feet per ley line level before fading from sight.
Each ley line grants specific abilities to attuned spellcasters. These abilities vary from line to line and are determined by the ley line's origin, purpose, and magical nature. Common abilities include the following:
Metamagic Enhancement. The ley line grants access to a specific metamagic feat, even if the attuned caster does not know it. The caster may apply this metamagic to spells cast while attuned without increasing the spell's level. Some ley lines restrict this benefit to a specific school or descriptor.
Caster Level Bonus. The ley line increases the attuned caster's effective caster level by a fixed amount. This bonus may apply to all spells or only to spells of a specific school or descriptor.
Spell Slot Preservation. The ley line powers spells of a certain level or below, allowing the attuned caster to cast those spells without expending a spell slot. This ability is rare and typically found only on ley lines that provide it for low-level spells.
A spellcaster who is within a ley line's area of influence and has the Ley Line Attunement feat may attempt to attune to it. Attunement requires 1 minute of concentration and a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 10 + the ley line's level. Success means the caster is attuned and may benefit from the ley line's abilities for as long as they remain within its area of influence.
A caster may only be attuned to one ley line at a time. Attuning to a new ley line ends the previous attunement.
Attunement can be broken by dispel magic or similar effects. A successful dispel check against the standard DC (11 + the attuned caster's caster level) severs the connection. When attunement is broken by dispelling, the previously attuned creature must succeed on a Constitution check (DC 10) or be stunned for 1 round.
A nexus is a location where two or more ley lines cross. At a nexus, an attuned caster may draw on the abilities of any ley line that passes through that point. The caster does not need to attune to each line separately.
Attuning at a nexus requires a caster level check against a DC equal to the highest-level ley line present, plus 2 for each additional ley line beyond the first. A nexus where a level 17 line and a level 12 line cross has an attunement DC of 29 (10 + 17 + 2). A nexus where three lines of levels 17, 12, and 7 cross has an attunement DC of 31 (10 + 17 + 2 + 2).
All spells that summon or call creatures from other planes carry an inherent risk. This includes summon monster, summon nature's ally, planar binding, planar ally, gate, and any similar effect.
When a creature is summoned, there is a 1% chance per spell level that the summoned creature arrives enraged at being torn from its home plane. A berserk summons ignores the caster's commands entirely and attacks the nearest creature, prioritizing the caster who called it. This summons does not return to its plane when the spell duration ends.
Summoning on a Ley Line. If the berserk event occurs while the summoning takes place on a ley line, a planar rift tears open to the summoned creature's home plane. This rift remains open for 1d4 minutes. Creatures native to that plane may pass through the rift freely in either direction for its duration. A successful dispel magic or similar spell or ability can close this rift with a successful caster level check against DC 10 + level of the ley line.
Summoning on a Nexus. If the berserk event occurs at a nexus where two or more ley lines cross, the resulting planar rift may persist indefinitely. The caster level check to close this type of rift is made at −5. The duration and consequences of such a rift are determined by the GM.
Any and all summoned creatures to be used, as well as animal companions or other creatures or NPCs which might be used during the game must be created and gone over with the DM before play.
This is a rule to make sure gameplay does not slow down for looking up and creating these creatures while others wait. Players are welcome to work with the DM to create numerous creatures for their character to call, but they must be done before game time for that session.
While not a low-magic setting, Mazariim might be considered a low-magical item setting. Generally speaking, there are no powerful (or even moderately powerful) items for sale in stores or other places in the gameworld, with a few exceptions.
The system in Pathfinder for giving bonuses automatically is not used, but rather the calculated level of the party is reduced to compensate and keep numbers lower.
Magical item bonuses are limited to:
Additionally, there are no magical items giving any immunities or damage reduction.
Spells cast by players, such as greater magic weapon / greater magic fang, the ability score spells (cat's grace, bull's strength, etc) and others are not affected by these limits.
Traveling between planes requires specialized equipment. All planar travel spells require a tuning rod attuned to the destination plane, universe, or alternate reality. Without an appropriate tuning rod, the spell fails and the slot is lost.
Tuning rods are crafted from materials native to the target plane. The most common method of obtaining such materials is to summon a creature from the desired plane, kill it, and harvest the remains as components. This practice is considered standard, if distasteful, among most spellcasting traditions.