House Rules ToA

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OOC
See also: Chain; Limits of Magic; Paradigm; Swift; Water Rules; Wheels


Please confer with Cinero on a character concept and basic backstory before finalizing creation (e.g., Attributes, Skills, Edges, etc.).

Advancement

You are responsible for your Advances. Cinero can help.

  • After each session, you earn 1 Advance, until your reach 4 Advances (Seasoned).
  • Henceforth, you earn one Advance after every 3 sessions.

Minimum Advances (Floor)

In the spirit of fairness, there is a "floor" of minimum Advances for all characters. This includes starting characters. The floor for this campaign is 4 less than the Advances of the most experienced character. If your character is below the floor, then you automatically receive Advances until you reach the floor. (You continue earning Advances based on sessions. The floor doesn't reset that.)

The current floor is 6 Advances. This is in addition to the 2 Hindrance points you receive during character creation, for free.

(This floor is a recommended rule for West Marches games.)

New Arcane Background: Free Skill

After character creation, if you use an Advance to add a new Arcane Background, you get the matching skill at d4 for free.

Bans

Hindrances, Banned

  • Doubting Thomas
  • Pacifist (Major)
  • Yellow
  • Wanted

Misc Bans

  • Survival Knife: functions as described but does not give Survival +1 (This is too big a bonus for what is described.)

Skills, Banned

  • Research (We use more specific skills instead.)

Books

Cinero has PDFs he can loan.

Pre-Approved

If anything is in this list of books, then you don't need Cinero's permission to use it (except Gear):

Core Rules vs. Fantasy Companion

  • We use the Wizard edge. (Disregard the sidebar in the Fantasy Companion, p. 35.)
  • Powers: When in doubt, use the version in the Fantasy Companion or Science Fiction Companion. (The code in Fantasy Grounds is sometimes better.)
  • We use the Arcane Backgrounds in the Core Rules, the Fantasy Companion, and the Science Fiction Companion.

Character Creation

You will create a character in Savaged.us (which is like DnD Beyond for Savage Worlds). Then Cinero will import that character in Fantasy Grounds.

Retroactive Changes

Anytime before your fourth session, you have the option to make changes to your character. This house rule is intended to reduce anxiety during character creation (e.g., you don't have to make the "perfect" choices upfront) and to improve team synergy (e.g., by making changes to better fit what the team needs after meeting the team).

Pre-Work

Savaged.us

  1. Create a free account at: https://savaged.us/
  2. Join Cinero's campaign (ask him for the link)
  3. Create a character following the "Creation Steps" below.
  4. (optional) If you later want to create an additional character, then just ask Cinero to add a character slot to your account. (Slots are free/unlimited.)

Fantasy Grounds

  1. Create a free account at https://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/home.php
  2. Download and install the Free Demo version (Cinero owns the Ultimate Version, which unlocks all the features for all players).

Creation Steps

  1. Confer with the GM on a concept and basic backstory. Most PCs are Unbound.
  2. Choose race (see "Species" below).
  3. Choose Hindrances.
  4. You receive 2 Hindrance points to spend, for free.
  5. Buy attribute increases. Remember that human average is d6.
  6. Buy skills.
    1. This could include Governing and/or Nature (see Skills below).
  7. Buy Edges
  8. Buy Gear.
    1. You start with the Xeno Explorer Standard Kit.
    2. You also start with $500.
    3. You can sell back the default armor and/or weapons.
    4. You can buy anything non-magical in the pre-approved Books
    5. For anything else, confer with the GM.
  9. Savaged will automatically calculate Pace, Parry, and Toughness.
  10. Write your Flair, Groove, and Source.
  11. Choose one skill to be your Groove Bonus.
  12. Finalize your initial character, then apply advances based on the current floor.

Fantasy Grounds

Portrait

Give this Cinero in Discord. He can edit it.

After Cinero imports your character into Fantasy Grounds

  1. Cinero adds your Professional specialty (+1 to one skill)
  2. Cinero adds the Swift Form
    1. Strength = Spirit
    2. Agility = Smarts
    3. Vigor = Smarts or Spirit
    4. The effect looks like: "Swift Form [Strength +1d, Agility +0d, Vigor +1d]"
  3. Cinero adds your Unbound skill, which is the higher of:
    1. Arcane Skill -1d
    2. Highest Attribute -1d

Crafting Magic Items

You can craft permanent magic items via the rules in the Fantasy Companion (p. 169) with the following modifications:

  • Confer with the GM on your workspace and materials
  • Use your arcane skill, instead of Occult
  • Use the "Craft Magic Item" wheel
  • (optional) You can regain Power Points via the "Infuse 1 Power Point" wheel

Development Level

Regarding Gear, Dev I and Dev II items are available in many contemporary cities (e.g., Sigil). PCs can develop prototypes of specific Dev III items (GM's choice). See Wheels. See Science Fiction Companion p. 31.

Edges

  • We use the Wizard edge. (Disregard the sidebar in the Fantasy Companion, p. 35.)

New Edges

  • Mobile Shiltrom. REQUIREMENTS: Novice, Size 2, Fighting d6+, Notice d8+. For any person smaller in size than the character within 5", the character may spend a Benny once per round to place himself in the way of any attack (Fighting, Shooting or Throwing) against that target. All Fighting rolls are then made against his Parry, and he suffers the effect of any successful attacks. This can be done at any time, regardless of the bodyguard’s Initiative, and counts as a free action; any other actions must be taken on his own initiative card
  • Power Armor Owner. REQUIREMENTS: Novice. A character owns a suit of power armor. The suit must have a total cost of $100K or less, including any modifications (Negative Qualities can be chosen). The suit can be stock, stock with customization, or custom from scratch. The suit can be further customized, especially via Wheels.
  • Power Armor Upgrade. REQUIREMENTS: Power Armor Owner. A character can add 3 Modification points (“Mods”) to their power armor and spend those points on new Modifications. During this process, the character has the option to replace existing Modifications and/or spend points to remove Negative Qualities. If the character adds the Integrated Gear Modification, then they also add the gear they want (per Game Master’s permission). Upgrading may require adequate facilities and time (per Game Master's judgment). This Edge may be selected more than once, but only once per Rank.

Expectations Management

A West Marches campaign has unusual aspects, compared to a typical tabletop RPG. Here are some rules and tips to manage your expectations and improve in-game success. (Cinero will update this section over time.)

  • There are no adventures to be found in the town (i.e., the Beta module).
    • This is similar to video games like Darkest Dungeon, in which you regularly return to the town but it's boring and predictable.
    • The NPCs will be busy building the town and staying alive. You can spend resources and downtime helping with that.
    • Missions go into the wild.
    • Your character concept might include doing stuff in town between missions (e.g., helping build). But I discourage choosing Skills, Edges, etc. if you only expect to use them during this downtime.
  • Exploration is central. Most PCs have been on Amethyst 3 before.
  • Combat will sometimes be theater of the mind and sometimes on local tactical maps.
  • At times, you may find yourself on the surface of the ocean, on dry land (e.g., island), underwater, underground, or underwater and underground.
  • These are spoilers to help with character concepts:
    • You will discover that flying high is a bad idea. However, Cinero has not removed Piloting as a skill because skimming the surface may not be a bad idea.
    • You will discover that the Swift is dangerous. A PC can still use the Swift but they will need to adjust to some unique challenges.

Flair, Groove, and Source

  • Your Flair is your personal style, which could be an adventurer archetype that you lean into.
  • Your Groove is your distinct contribution to the team, which might be in exploration, combat, or social encounters.
  • Every Unbound pulls power from their Source. Choose your Source from the following: Arcane, Divine, or Primal. (If you're unsure and you're not a spellcaster, then your Source is probably Primal. You can revisit this later.)

Format

Your Flair and Groove must be one sentence, in this format: 

I am a [adjective] [noun], and I will [1-5 word phrase] [“by”/“using”/"with"] [1-5 word phrase]. ([Source])

Examples

From fiction:

  • Spock (Star Trek): "I am a brilliant scientist, and I will find solutions using cold logic." (Arcane)
  • Shepherd (Firefly): "I am a patient priest, and I will coax my crew towards valor using timely questions." (Divine)
  • Han Solo (Star Wars): "I am a cocky smuggler, and I will defy the odds using bold moves." (Primal)

Earning Bennies

You can earn a Benny by doing something that matches your Flair and/or fulfilling your Groove. As a player, speak up when you think you've earned a Benny. You can also speak up when you see others earning, too!

Setting Rules

Common Bond

We play as if all PCs have the Common Bond Edge (Core Rules p. 50). (You don't need to add it to your character sheet.) 

A character with this Edge may freely give her Bennies to any other character she can communicate with. The player should explain what form this takes, from a quick shout of encouragement to a welcome pat on the back.

Conviction

We use Conviction (Core Rules p. 136). 

Conviction can be spent to add a d6 to all a character's Trait and damage totals until the beginning of her next turn. ... A character can maintain Conviction from round to round by spending a Benny (at the start of his turn, before it runs out).

You automatically gain Conviction when your action card is your personal card. The GM may award Conviction in other ways. You can suggest gaining Conviction when you think it's appropriate.

More Skill Points

We use More Skill Points (Core Rules p. 140). The campaign setting in Savaged should do this automatically.

Skills Changes

  • Hacking includes social engineering.
  • Repair is much broader than fixing things. We treat it more like engineering.
  • Survival includes weather forecasting.

Magic Skills

SWADE rules use the adjective "arcane" in a very broad sense, for everything from Miracles to Weird Science. In game, when referring to the magic of Spellcasting, we say it's "arcane." This basically includes any approach that treats magic like science or engineering.

Occult spans theoretical knowledge of all the arcane backgrounds and skills. Each arcane skill includes relevant theoretical knowledge and practical application.

New Skills

  • Governing (Smarts): perceiving, understanding, and engaging in building and sustaining a community. This includes elections, leadership, policies, legislation, law enforcement, justice systems, and bureaucracy.
  • Nature (Smarts): perceiving, understanding, and engaging with natural phenomena. This includes fauna, flora, ecosystems, and xenobiology. Nature overlaps with Academics (e.g., behaviorism), Science (e.g., biology), and Survival (e.g., biomes and weather).

Species (Races)

When possible, we say "species" instead of "race." You can use a species from the Core Rules, Fantasy Companion, or Science Fiction Companion as written. If a species has a banned hindrance, then swap it for another. You can work with Cinero to further modify a species (especially any culture-based abilities). Savage Worlds also includes rules for creating new species.

Dragonfolk, Celestial Circle (Silver)

This new species is based on Dragonfolk (Fantasy Companion p. 12).

  • Armor
  • Bite/Claws
  • Breath Weapon
  • Cold-Blooded Warm-Blooded: Subtract 1 from Agility, Strength, and Vigor rolls after spending more than ten minutes in temperatures above 90 degree Farenheit.
  • Environmental Resistance (HeatCold): Receive a +4 bonus to resist cold or cold-based effects and reduce damage from such sources a like amount.
  • Environmental Weakness (ColdHeat): Poorly suited to frigid conditions. Subtract 4 from rolls made to resist heat or fire-based effects and take +4 damage from such attacks.
  • Ill-TemperedLoyal and Vow: Dragonfolk of this subculture are very loyal to their families, clans, and communities. They revere and obey the Wyrm Princes of the Celestial Circle.

Etchinar Agent

See: Etchinar Agent

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