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| [[Category:Reese's Campaign]] | | <div class="topbanner"> |
| [[Category:Epic Path]]
| | [[File: Epic_Path_Banner_5-clean.png|frameless|1800px|]] |
| __TOC__
| | </div> |
| | | __NOTOC__ |
| == What is Epic Path? == | | <div id="page-2column-left"> |
| Epic Path is a D20 system game, and everything here is based upon the hard work and love of the game of thousands of players over decades. We all love this hobby and have a ton of fun with it, and everything published here is with one goal in mind: Fun!
| | == Introduction == |
| | | [[Introduction]] |
| These rules are designed as enhancements and balance tweaks for the marvelous D20 engine. The 'core rules' of the D20 system are embodied in the D20 System Reference Document(SRD). If there's anything unclear in these rules anywhere, it's because we've missed telling you something that's probably in the SRD. An excellent copy of the SRD can be [http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:System_Reference_Document found here].
| | <div class="section-content"> |
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| The spiritual successor to the 'DnD 3.5' game is [http://www.d20pfsrd.com/ Pathfinder]. We cannot praise Pathfinder enough, as we were developing, balancing, and re-tuning these rules we were continually impressed by how much thought and hard work went into everything that Pathfinder did. Huge sections of the game rules are untouched from Pathfinder, and that's because we found them to be spot on, just the way they are.
| | * [[What is a Role-Playing Game?]] |
| | | * [[How To Find Things]] |
| Many players and referees have commented on the balance issues in D&D3.5 for decades. Tremendous amounts of work went into D&D4E to correct those imbalance issues, but in the process of doing so, the developers of that (mechanically quite good) game discarded the classic DnD spell-casting system and made all the classes feel very similar to eachother. This created a mechanically sound game with excellent balance, but it threw away the soul of the game in the process.
| | * [[Ability Scores]] |
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| Pathfinder attempted to bring the D20 system back to its roots, and succeeded wonderfully in doing so. But, once again, imbalance issues showed up.
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| We began writing Epic Path to re-tune and re-balance the ENTIRE game, across all classes, to all levels, while still keeping the wild and crazy soul of the game completely intact. We've had to make some large changes, but we've run analyses of all of these changes and we think we're on the right track. This job was made much easier by the tremendous amounts of work Pathfinder put into the spellcasting system, the excellent ideas embodied in all the various D20 system games, and the thousands upon thousands of fans whose work we have built upon in working on these rules.
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| So what did we do? First, we worked to make all the classes relevant in and out of combat at all levels. We worked very hard to make all the classes perform well in combat at all levels. We used every mechanism we could think of to make all the classes interesting and unique. We tried to make sure that for every main role (damage dealer, healer, buffer, and tank) there were multiple classes that could do the job either well or 'ok'. No longer must every party have a cleric. No longer must every party have an arcane spell-caster. Obviously, it's still possible to make parties that won't work perfectly, but it's much harder to find a combination that simply can't function.
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| We worked very hard to make sure that the game stayed 'within a d20 roll' between the various classes and at all levels. This means fewer cases of needing only a 20 to hit the monster, or fights where a strong tank makes the encounter completely trivial. Fewer fights where one class is singly made useless because the monster is immune to their brand of combat.
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| Many of the classes are radically different, although we tried very hard to preserve the 'feeling' of the old favorites. Rangers are still rangers, although they are mechanically completely different than they've ever been before.
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| We've expanded character development all the way to level 35 and beyond. But we have not neglected the lower levels! Indeed, far more development effort went into levels 1-20 than was expended on the Epic stuff. We wanted EVERY player, at ANY level to feel like they could step into a high-fantasy epic and hold their own right beside the characters of literature and screen.
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| Even at first level, an Epic Path character is already a person to be reckoned with, a budding hero (or heroine!) worthy of the greatest stories ever told. We deliberately sought to create that larger-than-life swashbuckling heroism even at first level. A first level Epic Path character isn't a delicate flower, it's a genuine hero, ready for heroic challenges!
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| == Core Rules and New Rules ==
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| * [[Character Creation]] | | * [[Character Creation]] |
| * [[Languages]] | | * [[Character Advancement]] |
| * [[Core Rules | Core Rule Changes]] | | * [[Between Adventures]] |
| * [[Money and Merchants]] | | * [[Glossary of Terms]] |
| * [[Feats]]
| | </div> |
| * [[Status Conditions]]
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| | [[File:VR-32.png|link=https://virtuarasa.com/|30px]] Play online with your friends at [https://virtuarasa.com/ Virtua Rasa] |
| | </div> |
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| == To Do == | | == Classes == |
| [[Things That Still Need More Development]] | | [[What is a Character Class?]] |
| | | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * '''[[Alchemist]]''' {{Smaller|([[Alchemist Discoveries|Discoveries]], [[Alchemist Extracts|Extracts]])}} |
| | * '''[[Barbarian]]''' {{Smaller|([[Barbarian Rage Powers|Rage Powers]])}} |
| | * '''[[Bard]]''' {{Smaller|([[Bard#Types_of_Bardic_Performance|Performances]], [[Bard Spells|Spells]])}} |
| | * '''[[Brawler]]''' |
| | * '''[[Cleric]]''' {{Smaller|– ([[Cleric Spells|Spells]])}} |
| | * '''[[Druid]]''' {{Smaller|([[Druid Spells|Spells]])}} |
| | * '''[[Fighter]]''' {{Smaller|([[Fighter Tactics|Tactics]])}} |
| | * '''[[Monk]]''' |
| | * '''[[Paladin]]''' {{Smaller|([[Example_Paladin_Vows|Vows]], [[Paladin Spells|Spells]])}} |
| | * '''[[Partisan]]''' |
| | * '''[[Prowler]]''' |
| | * '''[[Ranger]]''' {{Smaller|– ([[Ranger Poultices|Poultices]])}} |
| | * '''[[Rogue]]''' {{Smaller|([[Rogue Talents|Talents]])}} |
| | * '''[[Sorcerer]]''' {{Smaller|– ([[Sorcerer Bloodlines|Bloodlines]], [[Sorcerer/Wizard Spells|Spells]])}} |
| | * '''[[Warlord]]''' |
| | * '''[[Wizard]]''' {{Smaller|([[Sorcerer/Wizard Spells|Spells]])}} |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| == Races == | | == Races == |
| These are races for Todd's Celegia campaign, and are not playable in Reese's Fane campaign. However, We're putting them on this page to keep all the Epic Path stuff in one place, and to also garner feedback. Please let us know what you think.
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | [[What is a Fantastic Race?]] |
| | *'''Primary:''' [[Dwarf]], [[Elf]], [[Gnome]], [[Halfling]], [[Human]] |
| | *'''Beast:''' [[Gata]], [[Grippli]], [[Kitsune]], [[Nagdyr]], [[Tengu]] |
| | *'''Spiritual:''' [[Arborian]], [[Barani]], [[Bru-Kin]], [[Fey-Kin]] |
| | *'''Elemental:''' [[Ifrit]], [[Oread]], [[Sylph]], [[Undine]] |
| | *'''Outsider:''' [[Changeling]], [[Mallori]], [[Tiefling]], [[Vanx]], [[Vishkanya]] |
| | </div> |
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| * [[Arrakanza (Epic Path)|Arrakanza]] - A race of savage nomads living in the grass sea, known for their speed and fondness for pain. | | == Skills == |
| * [[Fane Dar (Epic Path)|Fane Dar]] - Humans whose ancestors commingled with Spirits (think Princess Mononoke), powerfully strong, with a matriarchal society. | | [[Skills|Using Skills]] {{Smaller|([[Skill DC|Skill DCs]])}} |
| * [[Human (Epic Path)|Human]] - Humans are the dominant race, and have been tweaked to be more competitive with the other races. | | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * [[Acrobatics]] {{Smaller|(Dex)}} |
| | * [[Barter]] {{Smaller|(Wis) ([[Money and Merchants]])}} |
| | * [[Bluff]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Diplomacy]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Disable Device]] {{Smaller|(Dex)}} |
| | * [[Disguise]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Divinity]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | * [[Escape Artist]] {{Smaller|(Dex)}} |
| | * [[Handle Animal]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Heal]] {{Smaller|(Wis)}} |
| | * [[Intimidate]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Knowledge]] {{Smaller|(Int)}} |
| | * [[Linguistics]] {{Smaller|(Int) ([[Languages]])}} |
| | * [[Might]] {{Smaller|(Str)}} |
| | * [[Movement]] {{Smaller|(Dex)}} |
| | * [[Naturalism]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | * [[Perception]] {{Smaller|(Wis)}} |
| | * [[Perform]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Piloting]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | * [[Profession]] {{Smaller|(Wis)}} |
| | * [[Reason]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | * [[Ride]] {{Smaller|(Dex) ([[Mounts]])}} |
| | * [[Sense Motive]] {{Smaller|(Wis)}} |
| | * [[Sleight of Hand]] {{Smaller|(Dex)}} |
| | * [[Spellcraft]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | * [[Spycraft]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | * [[Stealth]] {{Smaller|(Dex)}} |
| | * [[Survival]] {{Smaller|(Wis)}} |
| | * [[Use Magic Device]] {{Smaller|(Cha)}} |
| | * [[Warfare]] {{Smaller|(Varies)}} |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| | == Feats == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * [[Feats]] |
| | * [[Feats by Experience Tier]] |
| | * [[Class-Specific Feats]] |
| | * [[Metamagic Feats]] |
| | * [[Ranged Feats]] |
| | * [[Skill Feats]] |
| | * [[Summon Feats]] |
| | * [[Teamwork Feats]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| == Classes == | | == Spells == |
| The only classes we haven't made many changes to are: Barbarian, Druid, Sorcerer and Wizard. Even these have been tweaked somewhat. All other classes are radically different in both mechanics and playstyle. Take a look! There will eventually be more classes added.
| | <div class="section-content"> |
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| * [[Alchemist]]: Fairly complex to design, fairly complex to play. Alchemists have a huge array of abilities, and you have to choose where to spend your resources. | | * [[Spells|Casting Spells]] |
| * [[Barbarian]]: Modestly complex to design, stone-simple to play. | | * [[Alchemist Extracts]] |
| * [[Bard]]: Simple to design, complex to play. | | * [[Auramancy]] |
| * [[Brawler]]: Intentionally designed as a simple class to play, but a challenging class to play well. | | * [[Bard Spells]] |
| * [[Cleric]]: Fairly simple to design, but complex to play, like all casters, and has a much stronger melee focus as well. | | * [[Cleric Spells]] |
| * [[Druid]]: Can be very complex to design and very complex to play. | | * [[Druid Spells]] |
| * [[Fighter]]: By far the most complex melee class to design and quite challenging to play, but can accommodate almost any play-style.
| | * [[Paladin Spells]] |
| * [[Monk]]: A simple class to design, there's very little beyond feats and skills to pick out.
| | * [[Ranger Poultices]] |
| * [[Paladin]]: Fairly simple to play and run, and can even serve as a capable backup healer. | | * [[Sorcerer Bloodlines]] |
| * [[Prowler]]: Fairly simple to design, but challenging to play.
| | * [[Sorcerer/Wizard Spells]] |
| * [[Ranger]]: Moderately complex to design, but easy to play. | | * [[True Dweomers]] |
| * [[Rogue]]: Complex to design, and moderately challenging to play. | | * [[Wizard Spells By School]] |
| * [[Sorcerer]]: Modestly complex to design, but challenging to play. Resource rationing is key. | | </div> |
| * [[Warlord]]: Simple to design and simple to play, though nuanced play is rewarded. | | </div> |
| * [[Wizard]]: Moderately complex to design, but very challenging to play. Anticipating and preparing the right spells is tough. | | </div> |
| | <div id="page-2column-right"> |
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| | == Weapons == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * [[Weapons|Weapons in Epic Path]] |
| | * [[Light Melee Weapons|Light]] - [[1-Hand Melee Weapons|1-Hand]] - [[2-Hand Melee Weapons|2-Hand]] |
| | * [[Thrown Weapons|Thrown]] - [[Projectile Weapons|Projectile]] - [[Ammunition|Ammo]] |
| | * [[Weapon Qualities]] |
| | * [[Dweomermetals]] |
| | * [[Magic Weapons]] |
| | * [[Melee Magic Properties]] |
| | * [[Ranged Magic Properties]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| == Spells and Class Abilities == | | == Armor and Shields == |
| * [[ Spells ]]
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | | <div class="columns"> |
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| == Weapons, Armor and Equipment ==
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| * [[Weapon Skill Size Handiness|Weapon Skill, Size and Handiness]]
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| * [[Weapon Properties]] - Added some new ones, slightly altered Sunder
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| * [[Unarmed and Light Melee Weapons]]
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| * [[1-Hand Melee Weapons]]
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| * [[2-Hand Melee Weapons]]
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| * [[Ranged and Thrown Weapons]] - and ammo listings
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| * [[Armor and Shields]] | | * [[Armor and Shields]] |
| | * [[Dweomermetals]] |
| | * [[Crafting Magic Armor]] |
| | * [[Armor Magic Properties]] |
| | * [[Magic Shields]] |
| | * [[Shield Magic Properties]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| | == Equipment, Goods, and Services == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * [[Equipment]] |
| | * [[Adventuring Gear]] |
| | * [[Alchemical Creations]] |
| | * [[Animal Equipment]] |
| | * [[Food and Drink]] |
| | * [[Hirelings and Services]] |
| | * [[Lay Magic]] |
| | * [[Lifestyle]] |
| | * [[Miscellaneous Equipment|Misc. Equipment]] |
| | * [[Mounts]] |
| | * [[Poisons]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| == Magic Items == | | == Magic Items == |
| * [[Magic Item Crafting Rules]] | | <div class="section-content"> |
| * [[Magic Item Level Restrictions]] | | <div class="columns"> |
| * [[Magic Item Properties]] | | * [[Magic Items|All Magic Items]] |
| * [[Dweomermetals And Other Special Materials]] | | * [[Armor Slot Magic Items|Armor Slot]] |
| * [[New Magic Items]] | | * [[Belt Slot Magic Items|Belt Slot]] |
| | | * [[Body Slot Magic Items|Body Slot]] |
| | | * [[Chest Slot Magic Items|Chest Slot]] |
| == Fane Bestiary ==
| | * [[Eyes Slot Magic Items|Eyes Slot]] |
| * [[CR 1 Creatures]] | | * [[Feet Slot Magic Items|Feet Slot]] |
| * [[CR 2 Creatures]] | | * [[Hands Slot Magic Items|Hands Slot]] |
| * [[CR 3 Creatures]] | | * [[Head Slot Magic Items|Head Slot]] |
| * [[CR 4 Creatures]] | | * [[Headband Slot Magic Items|Headband Slot]] |
| * [[CR 5 Creatures]] | | * [[Neck Slot Magic Items|Neck Slot]] |
| | | * [[Rings Slot Magic Items|Rings Slot]] |
| | | * [[Shoulders Slot Magic Items|Shoulder Slot]] |
| == Statistical Nerdery ==
| | * [[Wrists Slot Magic Items|Wrist Slot]] |
| These are some tables I've been using for reference when tweaking the character classes.
| | * [[Magic Rods|Rods]] |
| | | * [[Magic Staves|Staves]] |
| | | * [[Magic Wands|Wands]] |
| === [[Monster Stat Comparison]] ===
| | * [[Slotless Magic Items|Slotless]] |
| The monster analysis was created by comparing the counter-stat from the PC Statistics By Level table. For example, the average monster AC is based on the average PC to-hit numbers, and an assumption that high to-hit PC's should hit approximately 75% of the time unbuffed. Monster hit points were determined by taking the average PC damage per round, and deciding that most fights will include one monster per PC and the fight should last around 3 rounds.
| | * [[Consumable Magic Items|Consumables]] {{Smaller|([[Magic Potions|Potions]], [[Magic Scrolls|Scrolls]])}} |
| | | </div></div> |
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| === [[Blank Monster Blueprints]] ===
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| Basic stat blocks for creating new monsters from CR 1/2 through CR 40. These include suggestions for adjusting Pathfinder and D&D4E monsters to Epic Path rules.
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| === [[Gear Estimations By Level]] ===
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| This is a broad estimate of the bonuses the various classes would get from gear, broken out by level, and loosely based on the wealth-by-level table in Pathfinder. This is by no means meant to represent anyone's real gear, just a general baseline for how big the to-hit, damage and AC bonuses get as PC's level up.
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| === [[ PC Statistics By Level ]] ===
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| I've got a giant Excel spreadsheet with all of the classes worked out to level 35, showing how much damage they do based on average gear, and a reasonable feat build-out. If anyone wants to see it, I can throw it up onto a server somewhere for people to download. The linked page shows averages across all classes under the new rules.
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| In general, non-caster classes have been boosted a LOT over RAW Pathfinder. The general attitude has been to buff weak classes rather than nerf strong classes. The only nerfs that have occurred in the above classes are:
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| * Limiting smite to no more than 4 attacks per round (at high levels), and removing smite's AC boost. (We did, however, give Paladins more uses of smite, and it affects pretty much anything now, instead of just evil things.) | | == Combat == |
| * Removing all occurrences of Pounce or Pounce-like abilities | | <div class="section-content"> |
| * Removing all versions and variants of the Vital Strike feat | | <div class="columns"> |
| * Removed a bunch of the extra super bonus attacks that ranged weapons got, since they replicated Pounce (full attacks every round without wasting actions on moving), which skewed damage way too high. Bows are competitive with melee, but melee is slightly better, to make up for the fact that melee folks get hit a lot more. | | * [[Combat|Combat in Epic Path]] |
| | * [[Action Points]] |
| | * [[Breaking Objects]] |
| | * [[Combat Maneuvers]] |
| | * [[Damage and Resistance]] |
| | * [[Injury, Death and Dying]] |
| | * '''[[Status Conditions]]''' |
| | * [[Types of Movement]] |
| | * [[Types of Senses]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| In all of these cases, the nerfs were a direct result of giving all weapons more dice at 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th levels. This allowed us to balance all the weapon classes (as opposed to pure caster classes) without having to worry about some of the extreme burst damage possible from abilities like the Barbarian's pounce attack from the Bestial Rage path. Under RAW Pathfinder, Barbarians were the kings of damage. Under these house rules, melee rogues are the kings (since they have the crappiest defenses of all the weapon classes).
| | == Game Master's Guide == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * [[Game Master's Guide|Running a Game]] |
| | * [[Adjusting Game Difficulty]] |
| | * [[Campaign Power Level]] |
| | * [[Timescales]] |
| | * [[Campaign Milieus]] |
| | * [[Cosmology of Creation]] |
| | * [[Environmental Effects]] |
| | * [[Potens Machenvar]] |
| | * '''[[Skills, Saves and Ability Checks|Skill and Save DC's]]''' |
| | * [[Traps and Hazards]] |
| | * [[Treasure and XP]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| Again, if anyone wants to see the numerical basis for all the changes, I can make that available.
| | == Bestiary == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * '''[[Special:MillionMonsterMachine|Million Monster Machine]]''' |
| | * '''[[Special:ConTRAPtion|The ConTRAPtion]]''' |
| | * [[Bestiary|Monster List]] |
| | * [[Monster Lore]] |
| | * [[Monster Types]] |
| | * [[Monster Patterns and Roles]] |
| | * [[Traps and Hazards]] |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
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| | == Optional Systems == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | * '''[[Vehicle Combat|Vehicle Combat]]''' |
| | :* <small>[[Vehicle Classes|Classes]] - [[Vehicle Upgrades|Upgrades]] - [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Odeys4dnH3SNUwPrypEABG7bWu4wDkcrL8XQKsMAyyE/edit?usp=sharing Vehicle Design Sheet]</small> |
| | :* <small>[[Designing Bogey Encounters|Designing Encounters]] - [[Bogey Fleet List|Bogies]] - [[Bogey Roles]]</small> |
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| === [[Monster Roles]] ===
| | * '''[[Settlements]]''' |
| Monsters need a little class, too, and these roles should give you a good idea of just how much more powerful the base classes are, after all our tweaking. Roles are generic sets of abilities that are applied AFTER templates, and stack WITH templates. These guys will keep the players wishing they had even more dice than the 30d6 the rogue rolls on his first sneak attack of the fight.
| | * '''[[Large-Scale Battles]]''' |
| | </div> |
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| | == Campaign Settings == |
| | <div class="section-content"> |
| | <div class="columns"> |
| | * [[Red Sails]] |
| | * [[The Golden Portal]] |
| | * [[The Windward Marches]] |
| | * [[Fane]] |
| | * [[The Gravelands]] |
| | * [[Celegian Pantheon]] |
| | * [[Celegia]] <sup>(Old)</sup> |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
| | </div> |
| | <div class="clear"></div> |
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| === [[New Templates]] === | | == Open Gaming License == |
| There are lots of templates out there, but after a pretty thorough review, we're seeing that many of the templates are of fairly limited scope, or thematically matched to a given campaign setting, or just pretty darn weak. So here's a new 'generic' template with plenty of muscle that can be added to just about any monster to give it some more zest.
| | : [[Compatibility and OGL]] |
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| | : No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. |
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| === [[Campaign Milieus]] === | | <div style="float:right">{{Smaller|This wiki contains {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} pages.}}</div> |
| What are adventurers called when they're low level? Is there life after Epic? At what level should my hero start sitting down on thrones and dubiously accepting the crown?
| |
Play online with your friends at Virtua Rasa
