generated by Claude AI not guaranteed to be accurate
Rise of the Runelords — GM House Rules (Robert)
Core Philosophy
- Rules Base: Pathfinder 1e first-party only. Third-party and D&D 3.5 content generally banned.
- Primary Reference: Archives of Nethys
- Official Paizo FAQ answers are treated as hard rules.
- Rule Zero applies, but Robert expects to invoke it rarely — mostly to keep the game moving when rules are unclear.
Gentleman’s Rules
- Don’t unbalance the campaign or party dynamics.
- Don’t screw over the party. Don’t be a dick.
- Powerful combos will be used against you by enemies.
- If your build is both high-powered and legally questionable, discuss it with Robert ASAP.
Ability Scores
Choose one array; arrange scores as desired. Then add bonus points based on your race’s Race Points (RP):
| Array | Scores | Bonus Points |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20-point buy (min 7) | — |
| Set One | 18, 16, 14, 10, 9, 5 | 5 pts (core/≤10 RP) |
| Set Two | 18, 16, 12, 12, 8, 6 | 5 pts (core/≤10 RP) |
| Set Three | 17, 16, 14, 12, 8, 7 | 5 pts (core/≤10 RP) |
| Set Four | 16, 16, 15, 13, 9, 6 | 5 pts (core/≤10 RP) |
| Set Five | 16, 16, 12, 12, 12, 8 | 5 pts (core/≤10 RP) |
Race Point bonus scale: Core/≤10 RP = +5 pts; 11 RP = +4; 12 = +3; 13 = +2; 14 = +1; 15 = +0. You cannot decrease scores to gain points. Max score before racial modifiers is 18.
Traits, Drawbacks & Feats
Choose one option:
- A) Two traits (standard)
- B) Three traits + one drawback
- C) Four traits + two drawbacks
- D) Two traits + two drawbacks + one bonus feat you qualify for
Rules: One trait per category (Combat, Magic, Social, etc.). Trait bonuses of the same type don’t stack — they overlap. The feat Additional Traits exists as normal.
Races
- Core races and Featured races with ≤10 RP: standard rules (25 pt buy equivalent).
- Uncommon/Other races: discuss with Robert individually.
- Subraces & Alternate Racial Traits: One of each, provided they don’t both swap the same ability.
- Race Favored Class Options are allowed.
- Half-Orcs count as Human/Half-Orc/Orc. Half-Elves count as Human/Half-Elf/Elf (per Paizo FAQ).
Classes & Archetypes
- One archetype maximum. The same class ability cannot be swapped by two different options.
- Discuss with Robert before playing: Gunslinger, Paladin, Kineticist, Mesmerist, Psychic.
- Banned: Antipaladin, Leadership (feat), Blood Magic (spell), Paragon Surge (spell, with exceptions).
- Path of War / Spheres of Power: possible, but requires extensive offline discussion.
Hit Points
- Level 1: Maximum HP.
- All other levels: Roll, then take the higher of the roll or the average rounded up (d8 = 5, d6 = 4, etc.).
- Retraining HP is allowed (see retraining rules); expect near-max HP around level 10+.
- Important named NPCs and major villains will have above-average HP.
Skills
- Athletics (Str): Combines Climb + Swim. Armor check penalty applies. If you had either as a class skill, you now have Athletics.
- Jump portion of Acrobatics will be folded into Athletics in some way; Acrobatics itself is otherwise unchanged.
- Appraise: Ignored/hand-waved. Don’t bother taking it.
- Craft skills: Discouraged. 1 rank for roleplaying/background is fine, but don’t rely on them for profit.
Combat Rules
- Soft cover does not apply. Characters, companions, and monsters do not grant cover to each other.
- Hard cover (walls, doors, corners) follows standard PF 1e rules.
- Precise Shot no longer requires Point-Blank Shot as a prerequisite. Any feat requiring PBShot as a prereq can use Precise Shot instead (with rare exceptions).
- Size/Spacing (modified):
- Medium and smaller: unchanged.
- Large creatures: occupy a 5×5 square (no tall/long distinction).
- Huge: occupies 10×10. Etc.
- Ride-By Attack: Functionally broken as written. If you want mounted combat and are considering it, talk to Robert — he has a fix.
Critical Hits & Fumbles
- Critical hits on attacks/rays: standard PF 1e rules.
- Critical failures (fumbles): Robert dislikes them. If the group wants them, they will be weakened with a confirmation roll that favors a skilled attacker (e.g., the highest attack bonus applies to the confirmation, not the fumbled one).
Bonuses & Stacking
- Standard rules: different bonus types stack; same bonus types overlap.
- Exceptions: dodge, unnamed, racial, some circumstance bonuses can stack.
- No bonus from the same source ever stacks — Robert extends this to anything that “seems logical.”
Saving Throw Rerolls
- Any forced reroll or automatic success can be declared after seeing the result.
- “No going back” is not a hard rule — Robert will walk things back if something truly goes sideways, typically no more than 2–3 spots in initiative.
Leveling
- Checkpoint leveling — XP will likely not be tracked.
- Leveling trigger: Roughly equivalent to a D&D 5e long rest (~8 hours).
- Campaign is expected to reach level 17 by the end. Don’t plan for level 20.
Magic & Spellcasting
- Magical Lineage (trait): Reduces spell level by 1 per casting, not per metamagic feat applied.
- Magical Knack (trait): Can be taken more than once, and the bonuses do stack. (House rule.)
- Summon spells: Allowed as normal. Keep summoned creature counts small and reasonable; stat them out in advance with Robert.
Magic Items & Economy
- Robert tends toward generosity on item availability in large towns/small cities and above.
- Items 2,000+ gp: arranged off-screen via Diplomacy/Gather Information — pay 20%+ as deposit, receive item the next morning at full listed price.
- No Magic-Mart. Wizard shops carry 1st/2nd level scrolls; alchemists carry 1st/2nd level potions.
- Extremely dangerous or obscure items may take longer (up to a few weeks in extreme cases).
Retraining
- Allowed per d20pfsrd retraining rules.
- Traits and drawbacks: 3 days each to retrain.
- Timeskips are fine for retraining, but you still pay the gold cost.
Alignment
- Alignment is not a straitjacket, but Paladins and Clerics must follow their codes/deity views consistently.
- You must get along with the party. No backstabbing, theft from, or screwing over party members.
- Evil-leaning adventure paths are not currently being considered.
Diplomacy
- Works as written for now. If it becomes problematic, Robert may switch to a variant system.
Ban List
| Banned | Reason |
|---|---|
| Leadership (feat) | Too much bookkeeping; strains roleplay |
| Blood Magic (spell) | Infinite wealth exploits |
| Paragon Surge (spell) | Broken combos (Hard ban with Emergency Attunement) |
| Antipaladin class | Requires full-time Evil dedication |
Last updated: Rise of the Runelords campaign, Robert Wilhelm GM.