Living Arcanis Rules Compilation

Living Arcanis Rules Compilation Version 2005-01-25 Effective Date: January 25, 2005 LIVING ARCANIS, Arcanis, Onara, an...

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Living Arcanis Rules Compilation Version 2005-01-25 Effective Date: January 25, 2005

LIVING ARCANIS, Arcanis, Onara, and The World of Shattered Empires are trademarks of Paradigm Concepts, Inc. D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, d20, d20 System, RPGA, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, and Expanded Psionics Handbook are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used with permission. Except as otherwise identified, all portions of this document are © Copyright 2005 Paradigm Concepts, Inc. Permission is granted to photocopy this document for personal, non-commercial use only. Any mention of, reference to, or use of any company name, trademark, or product in this document is not intended as a challenge to the trademark or copyright in question. This document is intended solely as a reference for the players of the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. This document is not intended for resale; if anyone attempts to sell you this document, please contact Paradigm Concepts immediately through their website at www.paradigmconcepts.com.

Credits This edition of the LIVING ARCANIS Rules Compilation, much like the LIVING ARCANIS campaign as a whole, is not the work of one person or even of a small group of people. It represents the combined effort and loving attention to detail of many, many individuals – the dozens of writers who have made “official” contributions to the campaign setting in the form of sourcebooks and modules, the hundreds of contemplatives who have made “unofficial” contributions through their newsgroup postings and e-mails, and the thousands upon thousands of dedicated players who shape the world of Arcanis each and every day through their characters’ heroic efforts to make a lasting mark on the World of Shattered Empires. This campaign would not be what it is today were it not for each and every one of you. Team Paradigm: Henry Lopez, Nelson Rodriguez, Eric Wiener, Matt Blank, Pedro “Peter B” Barrenechea, Jim Beck Project LARC Leads, Past and Present: Brian Schoner, Derrel Weaver, and M. Sean Molley LA Development Team: M. Sean Molley, Terry Doner, Sean Smith, Russell S. Timm, James Zwiers LA:Nishanpur Development Team: Kimberly A. Wajer-Scott, Philip Scott, Vincent Au, Sam Cluck, Scott Charlton LA Meta-Organization Team: Adrian Estergaard, Akira Currier, Nicholas Dobson, John Ford, Tim Hebert, Robert Maxwell, Michael D. Tufts, Dave Wayne Previous LARC Contributors and/or LA Team Members: Kyle E. Arn, Jon Baer, John Miguel Baker, Duane Choquette, Ryan Downing, Dale Friesen, Russell Higgins, Chris Jarvis, Jan Kuhlmann, Christopher LaLiberty, Keith Palm, Daniel M. Perez, Emilio José Power, Brian Schoner, Greg Sherwood, Alberto D. Solano, Derrel Weaver The FAQ Zoo: Greg “FAQ Lemur” Gershowitz, Chris Sanders, Dawn Sharp, Dave Wayne Additional LA 3.5 Conversion Assistance: Paul Baughman, Brian Blumklotz, Greg Gershowitz, Eric Gorman, Brendan “SouthernSkies” Robertson, Sean Williamson, and everyone who contributed thoughts and ideas to the discussions on LA-Talk, LA3point5, LAPsionics, and LA35Conversion, not to mention the hundreds of private e-mails Credited LA Scenario and Interactive Authors (through Winter Fantasy 2005, does not include mini-modules and special missions): Henry Lopez (12), Kimberly A. Wajer-Scott (8), Jeffrey Witthauer (8), Jeffrey Meehan (7), M. Sean Molley (5), Brian Schoner (5), Derrel Weaver (5), Scott Charlton (3), Eric Wiener (3), James Zwiers (3), David T. Chappell (2), Jack Cooper (2), Philip G. Scott (2), René Alfonso, Vincent Au, Dean Bailey, Pedro “Stat Monkey” Barrenechea, Jeff Boyce, Samuel Cluck, Simon Collins, Nicholas Dobson, Dale Friesen, Chris Jarvis, Jeff Johnston, Stephen Muray, Kristy Ockunzzi, Daniel M. Perez, Mark Richardson, Nelson Rodriguez, Chris Sanders, Charles R. Skidmore, Gregory S. Walker, and Michael S. Webster

Introduction LIVING ARCANIS is an RPGA d20 System member-run campaign set in Arcanis, the World of Shattered Empires. The campaign world is developed and supported by Paradigm Concepts, Inc. through a variety of products, although participants are not required to purchase any of PCI’s products to take part in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. For an introduction to RPGA Living Campaigns in general, see the official RPGA website. For an introduction to LIVING ARCANIS in particular, see the official campaign website, which is known as Onara Online. There is also a lively discussion forum dedicated entirely to the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, which is frequently visited by the campaign staff (who are collectively known as the “LIVING ARCANIS Development Team”) and by members of Paradigm Concepts (who are collectively known as “Team PCI.”) This document includes rules to cover various elements of the Dungeons & Dragons® game that have not previously been addressed in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. The rules and changes contained herein are considered effective for the entire campaign as of the date listed on the title page. Please be aware that these guidelines, like the LIVING ARCANIS campaign as a whole, will change over time as both the ongoing story and the campaign setting evolve. Our commitment to you, the player, is that our primary

Living Arcanis Rules Compilation 2005-01-25

goal with any changes will be to add options to characters (as more D&D® and Arcanis material is published), not to take away options. With that said, there may be times, however infrequent, when we may have to restrict choices that were previously available to preserve game balance or story cohesiveness. Know that we will only do so after careful consideration.

Campaign Administration The LIVING ARCANIS campaign is administered through a “team” structure, including the following groups: Paradigm Concepts, Inc. (PCI) has ultimate • authority over all decisions relating to the campaign. PCI funds the campaign as a whole and is responsible for scenario approval, helping authors move from the concept stage through an outline to a first draft, answering all story questions relating to the world of Arcanis, and the production of print products and other supplements for the campaign world (such as the Codex Arcanis). • The LIVING ARCANIS Development Team is responsible for the development and administration of the campaign rules (such as the LIVING ARCANIS Rules Compilation, which you are reading right now). • The LIVING ARCANIS Edit Team is responsible for scenario and certificate editing, working with authors after the first-draft stage has been reached, and submitting approved scenarios to the RPGA for distribution.

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There is a separate development team for the LIVING ARCANIS: NISHANPUR campaign, which is focused on developing scenarios and nefarious plots set within the city of Nishanpur in the Theocracy of Canceri. The campaign has an Ethics Liaison for dealing with reports of violations of the RPGA rules or the campaign’s standards of conduct, as well as a Convention Liaison who is responsible for working with convention coordinators to ensure that they have access to scenarios and meta-campaign opportunities (such as Marketplaces). Meta-organizations, which are currently under development as of the time of this writing, will be administered by their own team once they are approved and become part of the campaign.

All of the members of the campaign staff are volunteers; there are no paid positions on the LIVING ARCANIS team (though of course Paradigm Concepts hopes to make a profit on its print products relating to the campaign setting). We are always looking for more dedicated volunteers. The primary qualities we look for are

boundless enthusiasm, an ability to meet deadlines, and a thorough knowledge of the world of Arcanis. If you think you might be interested in joining the campaign staff, please send an e-mail to the appropriate team lead and let us know how you’d like to help out, along with a brief summary of what you feel are your qualifications and areas of expertise.

How to Contact the Campaign Staff The best way to get in contact with the campaign staff is via e-mail. The following list of staff members should help you direct your initial e-mail in the right direction. A great deal of information, including answers to a number of frequently-asked questions about the campaign, can be found on the official campaign website. There is also a very active Internet newsgroup, where you can discuss the campaign and talk with campaign staff, members of Paradigm Concepts, and (at the time of this writing) over 1,100 of your fellow players.

Table LARC-01: Campaign Staff Contact Information Whom to Contact Title Reason to Contact Comments or questions Henry Lopez President, Paradigm Concepts about Arcanis in general or about any of PCI’s products Comments or questions about LA, scenario critical Peter Barrenechea LA Campaign Coordinator event summaries, reports of unusual events Proposals for LA scenarios, Nelson Rodriguez LA Plot Coordinator outlines and finished drafts of approved scenarios Comments or questions about the campaign rules, LA Development Team Lead, M. Sean Molley comments or questions LA Edit Team Lead about the editing or content of a particular scenario Comments or questions LA: Nishanpur Campaign about LA:N, scenario Coordinator and Webmistress critical event summaries for Kimberly A. Wajerfor the campaign’s website Scott LA:N, reports of unusual (www.onaraonline.org) events in LA:N, campaign website issues Getting premieres and other scenarios for a convention, Matt Blank LA Convention Liaison getting a Marketplace for a convention Questions or concerns about RPGA rules, reports of Eric Wiener LA Ethics Liaison serious ethical violations by participants in the campaign


E-Mail Address [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

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RPGA Rules LIVING ARCANIS is a member-run campaign of the RPGA. (The RPGA is the roleplaying arm of organized play at Wizards of the Coast, dedicated to providing play opportunities and support for Dungeons & Dragons and other d20 System games.) Because LIVING ARCANIS is an RPGA ENABLED campaign, participants who play LIVING ARCANIS adventures at RPGA-sanctioned events are eligible for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS PLAYER REWARD points. Please visit the RPGA website for more information about D&D PLAYER REWARDS and RPGA event sanctioning. All players, judges, and event organizers are required to abide by all published RPGA rules for ethical and fair play. Documents listing these rules may be downloaded from the RPGA website. Specifically, please refer to the RPGA General Rules and the RPGA Penalty Guidelines for information concerning standards of conduct and behavior at all RPGA-sanctioned events. Participants in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign are also required to follow all campaign-specific rules and rulings, and are expected to abide by the LIVING ARCANIS Guidelines for Ethical Play. Violations of these policies should be reported by electronic mail to the LIVING ARCANIS Ethics Liaison. Direct conflict between player characters (PCs) is forbidden, except in special cases such as a PC being charmed or dominated. PCs may not steal or destroy other PCs’ items, funds, or equipment. If such conflict occurs, the offending PCs will be removed from the campaign. However, due to the nature of LIVING ARCANIS, this rule may be waived for certain special events. If this occurs, all players will be notified of the exemption prior to the beginning of the event and will be given an opportunity to opt out of PC versus PC combat if so desired. Events at which PCs may directly combat other PCs will only be held under the direct supervision of senior campaign staff. All logsheets, item creation logsheets, certificates, and other campaign records MUST be filled out in pen unless specifically detailed otherwise. Note that there is no officially mandated character sheet for the campaign, but players are encouraged to maintain their character sheets in a clean and readable fashion to make the judge’s life easier. Characters are subject to being audited at any time. This includes, but is not limited to, audits by campaign staff, GMs, senior GMs, or activity center or marketplace coordinators.

Significant Changes / New Rules This section of the document will be updated each time the LARC is revised. It highlights the major changes from previous rules for the benefit of experienced players. The following rules have been added, clarified, expanded, or significantly changed in this newest


version of the LARC. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so be sure to read all the campaign documentation carefully for changes and clarifications that apply to your characters. •

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The blast powder rules have been expanded and clarified. There are new rules for ownership, purchasing, storage in extra-dimensional spaces, transporting with magic/psionics, and information about certain nations that are currently under a blastpowder embargo from the Republic of Altheria. A number of rules dealing with Portals of Anshar and the usage thereof have been added. The cohort rules have been completely overhauled, including the rules for cohorts and magic-item creation. Anyone with a cohort or who plans to take the Leadership feat must review this section in detail. Clarified the rules for scaling and soul-bound weapons. Added a new type of item, soul-linked, which is similar to soul-bound but not quite as stringent. Introduced judge benefits for “eating” modules and author benefits for writing modules. Created the LIVING ARCANIS adventure categories (Introductory, Standard, Crawl, Story) to help players decide which PC to play in a particular module. Introduced an odd-numbered APL system, which will be used in all new modules. Added a “Kid-Gloves” rule for low-level PCs to optionally increase their survivability. Added an “annual rebuild” rule and a “character recycling” rule to improve players’ options for reconstructing or updating their characters. Expanded the list of approved RPGA Player Reward Cards, including the most recently-released set (January 2005). Added the Restricted use restriction, which applies to certain types of items, including extradimensional spaces. This category applies to items that are not necessarily Rare but that must still be controlled in terms of total ownership. Introduced rules for creating “generic” (scaleddown) versions of Rare items. These rules kick in when more than one PC at the table has the same Rare item. Updated the Lifestyle rules, including a slight change to the rules for living off the land. Added No Lifestyle and Exalted Lifestyle as new options. Introduced a new limit on magic item values (per item) for PCs based on character level. Information on meta-organizations has been added. Rules on PC death and resurrection have been changed and clarified. Added the Supply Run rules, which allow PCs to purchase certain consumable items during scenario play without needing a full-blown Marketplace.

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Rules for PC retirement and a limitation on prestige classes were introduced. Basic information about the forthcoming High-Level Campaign was added. Ranger favored enemy rules have been clarified. Poison use has been more strictly limited. All campaign-legal special materials (such as Sarishan steel) have been updated to the new edition of the core rules. A new unit-based system of measurement for special materials has been implemented. See Appendix 1 for details. Introduced new rules for Power Levels for certed favors. Converted a number of older favors with no specific in-game benefit to use the new system. See Appendix 2 for details. Added a new “Scenario and Certificate Errata” section with corrections and clarifications to certain modules and certs. See Appendix 3 for details.

Campaign Sourcebooks and Official Documents LIVING ARCANIS is a d20 System campaign, so it uses the rules found in the d20 System Reference Document (SRD). The most current version of the SRD can be found on the official d20 System website. The SRD includes material from the v3.5 revisions of Core Rulebook I, Core Rulebook II, and Core Rulebook III, as well as the Expanded Psionics Handbook. As such, these books are considered the “core rules” for the campaign. Furthermore, the Paradigm Concepts print products that establish the campaign setting of Arcanis (the Codex Arcanis and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis) are also considered core rules for the campaign. The most current published errata and clarifications for the SRD / core rulebooks and for the PCI print products are considered core rules as of their date of their publication. In addition to the core rulebooks, there are a series of documents that provide specific rules and adaptations necessary to make the Living Campaign play environment operate as smoothly as possible. The LIVING ARCANIS campaign has thousands of players all over the world and these guidelines are designed to make their play experiences as fair and equitable as possible. All LIVING ARCANIS characters must comply with the most current versions of each of the following documents: • • • •

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LIVING ARCANIS Rules Compilation (this document, which is known as the LARC) LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines (known as the CCG) LIVING ARCANIS Frequently Asked Questions (known as the LA FAQ) LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document (gives rules for converting characters and updates campaign-approved OGL materials released under the 3.0 rules) LIVING ARCANIS Meta-Organization Document (the master rules document explains how national


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factions, secret factions, and other organizations operate in general; each faction or organization also has its own individual rules document detailing membership requirements and benefits) Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates (includes v3.5 conversions of PCI products released under the 3.0 rules, as well as consolidated errata and clarifications for all PCI products)

The documents listed above all contain information specifically for players. Judges and authors should also be aware of the following official campaign documents that are intended for their use. No information that is required for participation in the campaign as a player is included in these documents, but players are allowed to read them if they wish (i.e. these documents don’t contain story spoilers). •

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LIVING ARCANIS Judges’ Guidelines (includes information for judges, such as tips for handling common situations that arise during the play of Living Arcanis modules, details on the world that help the judge flesh out a story, tips on how adventures set in Nishanpur differ from adventures in other parts of the world, and more) LIVING ARCANIS Writers’ Guidelines (includes information for authors, such as scenario-design tips, continuity reference information, updates to NPC-only classes such as the Green Ronin Assassin, and other items that are not usable by players but may show up in scenarios)

The above documents are always released with a version number, which represents the effective date for that version of that document. The most current version of each document always supersedes all previous versions. The most current versions of the above documents can always be downloaded from the official campaign website, as well as from a variety of other sources. As new material is approved for the campaign, the information in these documents will change to reflect the new choices. Until new material is approved and released for general game play, either through these guidelines, through the official LIVING ARCANIS website, or through a special “LIVING ARCANIS Approved” designator within PCI products, you may not use any options or materials other than those described in the current version of the LARC and the current version of the CCG. When new options become available, you may take advantage of them by adding them to your character at the next normal opportunity (usually level advancement). You may decide to retroactively change your character to take advantage of new options if you choose to use one of the newly available rule options. See the sections in this document entitled “Annual Rebuild” and “Recycling Characters” for more details.

Inclusion of OGL Materials In addition to the core rules products listed above, a number of additional sourcebooks from Paradigm Concepts and other publishers have been approved for

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use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Only sourcebooks that are (1) released with Open Gaming Content (OGC) under the terms of the Open Game License (OGL) and (2) specifically incorporated into the LIVING ARCANIS campaign through their inclusion in this document are allowed to be used in the campaign. If a book does not meet those two conditions, then NOTHING from that book may be used in the campaign. Because of the rules of the Open Gaming License and the d20 System, products that do not include OGC can never be used in LIVING ARCANIS. This includes, but is not limited to, the “builder books” and the “complete series” of books published by Wizards of the Coast. Unless otherwise noted in this document, third-party publishers’ official errata and updates to their products are considered official for the LIVING ARCANIS campaign as of their dates of publication. Because LARC updates do not necessarily match release dates for Paradigm Concepts’ print products, we have devised a system to allow new PCI material into the campaign before it is incorporated into the LARC. New rules and other game materials from products published by PCI specifically marked with the LIVING ARCANIS “A” symbol may be used in the campaign immediately upon the release of those products. Only material from PCI products that is marked with the “A” symbol may be used in the campaign without an explicit reference in this document. The LARC always takes precedence over a printed product, so material from PCI products that is marked with the “A” symbol and then subsequently updated by this document is subject to the rules in this document. Material from PCI products that is not marked with the “A” symbol may not be used in the campaign unless it is specifically mentioned in this document. All other sources, whether from PCI or any third-party OGL publisher, that are made campaignlegal will be listed and detailed in this document. To be clear: If something is not specifically listed in the LARC (which you are reading right now) and it is not contained in a product from PCI and clearly marked with the “A” symbol denoting LIVING ARCANIS approved material (shown at left), then you cannot use it in this campaign. All source material, including material from the System Reference Document and other core rules, must be included in this document to be approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. Because we cannot ask our campaign judges to purchase every conceivable product that any player might want to use during any given game session, the onus is on you, the player, to bring any sourcebooks or other materials that the judge may need to review. If your LIVING ARCANIS character uses any races, base classes, equipment, feats, spells, prestige classes, or any other material from any publisher’s printed sourcebook other than Core Rulebooks I, II, and III, then you must bring a copy of the sourcebook in question to every game in which you intend to play that character. This includes the Expanded Psionics Handbook and any


Paradigm Concepts or other OGL print product. (In the case of psionics, a printed or electronic copy of the psionics sections of the System Reference Document is also acceptable in lieu of bringing the Expanded Psionics Handbook, but you must bring the entire psionics SRD in a format suitable for the GM’s review.) Photocopies or PDFs of copyrighted material are not considered acceptable (unless the product was released by its publisher as a licensed PDF). Although LIVING ARCANIS is a free campaign in the sense that neither Paradigm Concepts nor the RPGA charge money to players or judges to download the adventures, bear in mind that PCI and the other publishers who make it possible for you to play can only earn their living by selling books. Please support them and their work. To be clear: If you, as a player, plan to make use of material that is not contained in Core Rulebook I, Core Rulebook II, or Core Rulebook III, then you must bring a copy of that material to the gaming table for your judge to review. If you do not bring a copy of the material, then you may not use that material during game play and you may not choose anything to replace it for the duration of that game. The only exception to the above rule is in the case of certain campaign certificates found during adventures, which may refer to items and equipment from the various campaign-approved OGL sourcebooks. If you gain a certed item in game, and that item comes from a non-standard source, you are not expected to buy the sourcebook simply to make use of that item. The necessary rules should be printed on the certificate. If you voluntarily craft such an item or purchase it at a marketplace, however, then you are expected to bring the relevant sourcebook to each game you play. To fully appreciate the depth of the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, Paradigm Concepts strongly recommends that players and GMs own at least the Codex Arcanis and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Many of the characteristics that make our campaign world unique and fulfilling are detailed in these publications. Although players are not required to purchase any books to participate in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, Paradigm Concepts hopes that you will choose to invest in their high-quality products for Arcanis, the World of Shattered Empires. For the latest PCI product information, please visit the official company website at www.paradigmconcepts.com.

Campaign Conversion This release of the LARC updates the LIVING ARCANIS campaign to the v3.5 edition of the core rules. Effective immediately, the 3.0 rulebooks are no longer considered valid for campaign play. Guidelines for converting characters from the 3.0 rules to the 3.5 rules are provided in the LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document. All characters must comply with the new core rules and with the current versions of all the official

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campaign documents before they can be played in any LIVING ARCANIS event after January 1st, 2005. In addition to updating the campaign rules for 3.5, there are a number of other important changes in this release of the LARC. One set of rules that have been confusing to many players are those for crafting items, so we have tried to address that area in detail. We hope that the new LARC will clear up any confusion about the costs and restrictions on PCs crafting items. We have also updated all the rules for special materials (including rules for measuring these materials, crafting items from these materials, and v3.5 conversions of all campaignapproved special materials). See Appendix 1 of this document for the special materials conversion rules. A large amount of OGL material that was published under the 3.0 rules has been updated to the 3.5 rules for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Please see the LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document for details. Paradigm Concepts’ products have been updated to the 3.5 rules as well; these conversions are included in the consolidated PCI Product Errata and Updates document.

Removal of “Builder Books” With the campaign’s conversion to the v3.5 edition of the core rules, certain books published by Wizards of the Coast that were previously allowed in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign have been removed. These books are collectively referred to as the “builder books” and include Sword and Fist, Defenders of the Faith, Tome and Blood, Masters of the Wild, and Song and Silence. Optional rules from these books that were used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign (such as the opposed Tumble check rule from Song and Silence) are no longer in play. All items or equipment from these books must be sold during conversion to v3.5. If the item is a campaign certificate that you received during scenario play, it sells for one-half the market value printed on the cert, with no TU cost. If the item is one that you purchased at a Marketplace, you receive a full refund of the purchase price that you paid. If the item is one that you created via mundane or magic-item creation, you receive a refund of the gold piece cost in raw materials that you expended during the item’s creation (i.e. one-half the item’s market price), but you do not receive a refund of any other costs that you paid (such as XP or Time Units).

books must be removed from campaign play. You may replace them with materials of the same types from any approved source to which your character has access. We realize that the loss of options from the builder books removes a tremendous amount of material from the campaign. This was not a decision over which we had any control; we had special permission to use the original 3.0 builder books in the campaign, but Wizards of the Coast did not directly update those books to the 3.5 rules, making them incompatible with the rest of the campaign. We cannot use the new “Complete” series because they are not released under the OGL and do not contain any OGC. Paradigm Concepts plans to release a number of additional sourcebooks for the Arcanis setting, and we will also continue to adapt selected third-party OGL products for the campaign. It is always the player’s choice whether or not to delay playing (and therefore converting) a particular character until such time as additional sourcebooks are released that might contain options that the player deems suitable replacements for lost builder book material. However, it is not permissible to continue using the 3.0 builder books simply because the player does not believe that there is anything suitable to use as a replacement. Either convert the character fully to 3.5 and play it, or delay converting the character and do not play it. We have provided the “Annual Rebuild” rules for those who do not want to delay playing their characters but who might someday want to take advantage of new options that appear in future sourcebooks and supplements.

Codex Arcanis / Codex Compendium Most of the “crunch” information from these two sources has been updated to comply with the v3.5 rules in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis or in one of the official LIVING ARCANIS campaign documents. These updates supersede any and all previous versions. Any rules item from the Codex Arcanis or Codex Compendium that has not been updated to 3.5 is no longer available for campaign play. However, the Codex Arcanis is still extremely important for the campaign, because it serves as the main setting sourcebook. All of the information about the Known Lands of Onara contained in the Codex is still every bit as valid under the 3.5 rules as it was under the 3.0 rules.

The Player's Guide to Arcanis

All feats, base classes, and prestige classes from these books must be replaced with options that are currently approved for campaign play. All spells from these books must be replaced with spells of equivalent level that are currently approved for campaign play. (Your character must have access to the replacement items you select, of course.)

The Player’s Guide to Arcanis (abbreviated PGtA) is the book that propels Onara into compliance with the D&D v3.5 rules. It includes races, base classes, prestige classes, feats, equipment, spells, and more. Significant portions of the mechanics of many previous PCI products were also updated and clarified for inclusion in the PGtA.

To be clear: Builder book options are no longer allowed for play in LIVING ARCANIS. All materials from these

The world of Arcanis is not exactly the same as the generic fantasy world described in the D&D core rules. In the case of a discrepancy between the PGtA and the


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System Reference Document, the PGtA takes priority. In the case of a discrepancy between the PGtA and any other published Paradigm Concepts product, the PGtA also takes priority, unless specifically noted otherwise in the other product. (For example, the Player’s Guide to Arcanis contains information applicable to ss’ressen PCs that supersedes similar information in the product Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire.) In a similar fashion, the LARC brings the majority of the PGtA into play in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. In the event of a discrepancy between the PGtA and any other Paradigm Concepts published product and this document, the LARC takes priority. The following sections of the PGtA are approved for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Chapter 1: The national information contained in this chapter is used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. This information should be considered a general overview of each nation; far more details are found in the Codex, but the information in the PGtA may be slightly more up-todate with developments that have taken place in the Known Lands since the Codex was published. In game terms, the Codex is set in 1024 I.C. while the Player’s Guide contains information from certain events that took place at the very end of 1026 I.C. (In real-world calendar year 2005, the current campaign year is 1028 I.C.) Chapter 2: The races presented in this chapter are used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Clarifications and errata have been included in this document, as well as in the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines, so in the event of any discrepancy between the campaign rules and the PGtA, the campaign rules take precedence. Chapter 3: The classes presented in this chapter are used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Clarifications and errata have been included in this document, as well as in the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines, so in the event of any discrepancy between the campaign rules and the PGtA, the campaign rules take precedence. Chapter 4: The skills, skill specializations and subspecializations, skill synergies, and regional skills presented in this chapter are all used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. However, the “levels of language skill” rule variant is not used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Chapter 5: The feats presented in this chapter are used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Clarifications and errata have been included in this document, so in the event of any discrepancy between this document and the PGtA, this document takes precedence. Chapter 6: Most of the prestige classes presented in this chapter are used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign (see the relevant section of this document for a complete listing of which prestige classes are allowed without restriction, which ones require campaign documentation,


and which ones are not allowed at all). Clarifications and errata have been included in this document, so in the event of any discrepancy between this document and the PGtA, this document takes precedence. Chapter 7: Most of the equipment presented in this chapter is used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign (see the relevant section of this document for a listing of which equipment is allowed without restriction, which equipment requires campaign documentation, and which equipment is not allowed at all). Any item that is not freely available for purchase may not be crafted by PCs. Chapter 8: This entire chapter is allowed for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Chapter 9: This entire chapter is allowed for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Chapter 10: This entire chapter is allowed for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Please see the clarifications in the “Faction Fame/Infamy” section of this document, however. When it is released, the LIVING ARCANIS MetaOrganization Document will also contain information that updates or replaces some of the text from the PGtA.

Adventures This section contains general rules that apply to all LIVING ARCANIS adventures. Most of these rules are reprinted at the front of each module, in what is commonly known as the “boilerplate.” Judges and players are strongly encouraged to review the boilerplate for each module that you download from the RPGA, as changes to the boilerplate sometimes make their way into newer modules before they make their way into the LARC. However, any module boilerplate published before 01 January 2005 is hereby superseded by the text below, with the exception that older modules written using even APLs instead of odd APLs should still be run using even APLs. Judges should not try to convert such modules on the fly to the odd-APL system.

Adventure Categories LIVING ARCANIS issues adventures in four different categories. The category provides some information about the type of module and the level and nature of the challenges therein. This is intended to help players decide which modules are best suited to their play style, as well as which modules to play with which characters. Introductory scenarios are special modules designed to help bring new players into the world of LIVING ARCANIS. They are designed for 1st-level characters, although existing characters of 2nd level are also allowed. 3rd-level and higher-level PCs may not be played in an Introductory scenario. These adventures include pre-generated 1st-level characters in a “ready to play” format that can be handed to new players when they sit down at the table. If the player likes the character, she may keep it and continue playing it; all she needs to do is change the name and a few identifying

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details. Alternatively, the player may choose to create her own new character, in which case she is allowed to apply the XP, gold, and certificates earned by the pregenerated character to her newly-created PC. Standard scenarios are the “bread and butter” LIVING ARCANIS modules and represent the bulk of scenario releases in each campaign year. They have an intriguing story that frequently involves a few deadly combats that help to forward the plot. These adventures follow the typical RPGA format and make use of campaign-defined APL and treasure calculations. Most Standard scenarios do support 1st-level characters, but pregenerated characters are not provided with the adventure.

To find the APL, use the following steps:

Crawl scenarios are classic D&D dungeon crawls. This type of scenario will usually have a high number of deadly combat or trap encounters that are loosely tied together by some common plot or located in a particular site of interest. These adventures follow the typical RPGA format and make use of campaign-defined APL and treasure calculations, but they are given the Crawl designation to alert players that there will be a higher proportion of combat encounters (and some or all of the combat encounters may be particularly challenging). This information might help a player decide to use a character that is more optimized for scenarios with an emphasis on combat and battle tactics.

Add each character's animals separately. A single PC may bring no more than four animals, regardless of their source, and animals with different CRs are added separately. (Certed animals that do not have individual CR values provided, such as the certed rat Skiz, do not add to the APL unless the certificate says otherwise.)

APL Calculations LIVING ARCANIS uses a calculation based on the Average Party Level (APL) to determine the nature of certain challenges within a scenario. These rules are intended to encourage players to play at an appropriate-APL table, while still making allowances for including players who would otherwise not be able to play at all.

Determining Average Party Level Most LIVING ARCANIS adventures published in calendar year 2005 and beyond will use an odd-APL system, but older adventures are based on an even-APL system, and some modules that were in development at the end of 2004 before the change was decided upon may be released in 2005 using the even-APL system. The instructions below are for adventures that use odd APLs; to determine the APL for an adventure that uses even APLs, follow the steps below but make the necessary substitutions of “even” for “odd.”


Divide by the total number of PCs and cohorts to get the average level. Remember that a maximum of six players and/or cohorts may participate in the adventure and that a minimum of four PLAYERS (not characters) are needed to form a legal RPGA table. Mundane Animals’ Effect on APL

# of Animals 1

2

3

4

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

2

3

2

2

3

4

5

3

3

5

6

7

4

4

6

7

8

5

5

7

8

9

6

6

8

9

10

7

7

9

10

11

1/4 1/6 1/3 1/2 CR of Animal

Story scenarios are adventures that focus more on plot exposition and political intrigue than combat (although they can be just as deadly). These scenarios will be used to forward significant campaign plotlines and may involve very little to no combat. These adventures may follow a variety of customized formats, and they often have special APL and treasure calculations (which will be specified in the individual scenario). This information might help a player decide to use a character that is more optimized for scenarios with an emphasis on roleplaying and social interaction.

Step 1: Add up the levels of all PCs and cohorts at the table. If PCs bring animals that have been trained for combat (most likely warhorses or dogs trained for war), use the following chart to determine the number of levels you add to the sum above. Animals accompanying a character by virtue of class abilities (e.g. animal companions, familiars, paladin and holy champion mounts, etc.) are not included in this calculation. A character with the Mounted Combat feat may also treat his primary mount as an animal companion for this purpose; that mount’s Hit Dice are not included in the APL calculation.

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Step 2: To this average level, add 1 if there are a total of six PCs and/or cohorts in the party. (A table of six is often referred to as a “full table” in RPGA parlance.) Step 3: Perform “natural rounding,” in which a fraction of 0.5 or higher rounds up to the next highest whole number and a fraction of strictly less than 0.5 rounds down to the next lowest whole number. For example, an average of 5.4 would round to 5. An average of 5.5 would round to 6. This number is called the rounded APL.

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Use common sense when performing the rounding: don't get into a debate over the number of decimal places and whether or not 4.45 should actually be 4.5 and therefore round up to 5. If the first decimal place isn't a 5 or higher, then round down. Step 4A: If the result of Steps 1-3 (the rounded APL) is an odd number, then that odd number is the calculated APL for the party. Proceed to Step 5. (Important: The only exception to this is APL 2. If the rounded APL is 2, then the calculated APL is also 2, and you should proceed to Step 5, ignoring Step 4B.) Step 4B: If the result of Steps 1-3 (the rounded APL) is an even number greater than 2, then the players must vote whether to “play up” to the next-highest odd APL, or "play down" to the next-lowest odd APL. This choice determines the calculated APL for the party. For example, if the rounded APL is 8, then the players must choose a calculated APL of either APL 7 or APL 9. Step 5: Sometimes the players know that their particular collection of PCs is especially powerful (or seems illsuited to the module). To accommodate this, the calculated APL may now be adjusted up or down by one step if the players so desire, according to either Step 5A or Step 5B, but not both. This step is optional and many tables will not want or need it (particularly tables that already had to make a choice in Step 4B). If this step is omitted, then the final APL is simply equal to the calculated APL from Step 4. If the table chooses to play down, that decision will become important at the end of the adventure, since XP, GP, and certificate awards are based on the final APL, not on the calculated APL. Note for special events: Step 5 may be disallowed during certain “elimination” type events where only a limited number of tables progress from one round to another. Step 5 may also be disallowed during other special events, such as Battle Interactives. Step 5A: The table may choose to bump themselves up to the next-highest APL. For example, an APL 5 table may choose to play up to APL 7. (An APL 2 table that elects this option will play at APL 3, though this is not recommended if the table includes 1st-level characters.) Bumping the APL up is normally only done when the table is very combat-heavy and the players feel that their PCs will not receive a challenge if they play at the calculated APL. They will only receive the listed XP and GP rewards from the calculated APL, however, not from the new, higher APL. The final APL is equal to the calculated APL in this case. Basically, a table that chooses to bump itself up accepts additional risk without additional reward, but the players gain the satisfaction of knowing that they have overcome greater challenges than the calculated APL would indicate. Step 5B: Alternatively, the table may choose to bump themselves down to the next-lowest APL. For example, an APL 5 table may choose to play down to APL 3. (An APL 3 table that elects this option will play at APL 2.


An APL 2 table may not choose to bump itself down, as there is no APL 1.) Bumping the APL down is normally done when the table is more role-play-heavy, when key support classes are missing, or when the players feel that their PCs will be in danger of dying if they play at the calculated APL. They will receive the XP and GP rewards from the new, lower APL. The final APL is equal to the new, lower APL in this case. A table that chooses to bump itself down willingly accepts lower rewards in return for lower risks. Step 6: If any PC at the table is more than 3 levels away from the final APL as determined by Steps 1 through 5, then that PC is considered out of tier. The PC will receive one-half the XP reward that he would normally have earned for the adventure, and will pay double the TU cost listed for the scenario. (This additional TU cost doesn't apply to any meta-game related costs, such as item creation, nor does it apply to any time spent in prison, or to any player-optional TU expenditures for special certificates that are offered at the end of some modules.) Cohorts are not subject to Step 6. A cohort can play at any table, regardless of the APL, and receives full rewards for the module based on the final APL including a full share of treasure based upon whatever method of treasure division is used. However, cohort advancement is strictly limited to the bounds specified by the rules in the LARC. Remember that cohorts may only be played if there are not enough human players to make a full table of six. Real people always take priority over the inclusion of cohorts, even if some of the real people will have to take the XP and TU penalties described in Step 6. Important Note: Certed items whose power level varies according to the APL should have the appropriate power level checked based on the final APL from Step 5 (if the table chose to play down, then the final APL will be different from the calculated APL; be sure to use the lower value). Certed items may be awarded to any player or cohort at the table as part of the treasure distribution, even to players who are otherwise receiving lower rewards than normal due to Step 6. The power level of such items is not adjusted, even if they are awarded to characters whose rewards are otherwise reduced or limited for being our of tier.

Scenario Level Caps Every LIVING ARCANIS scenario is designed to support a specific range of APLs. With the exception of highlevel-only scenarios and special events, most modules will support some subset of the range from APL 2 to APL 13. The level ranges listed on the cover page of each LIVING ARCANIS scenario are hard caps. The level cap for newer scenarios is determined by subtracting 1 from the lowest APL supported and adding 1 to the highest APL supported. A scenario that supports all of APL 2 through 13 will therefore allow characters of 1st through 14th level to participate. (Such a scenario would

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be tiered for APL 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13.) A scenario that supports only APL 7 through 11 would allow characters of 6th through 12th level to participate, and so on. The APL ranges and corresponding level caps are set because the author and the campaign staff believe that any PC that falls outside of the given level ranges is not really suitable to be played in that particular scenario. Some challenges are simply beneath the notice of higher-level characters; other times, lower-level characters would probably not be approached for a particular mission due to their lack of experience and reputation. However, we recognize that forming a perfect table is not always possible, and turning players away is not fun for anyone. Therefore, PCs whose level falls beneath the lower end of the listed level range for a scenario may be played in spite of the level cap. Such a character always suffers the penalties for being out of tier as detailed in Step 6 of the APL calculation method, even if the character is within 3 levels of the played APL. Lowerlevel characters have a high mortality rate when playing in scenarios where the level cap indicates that the scenario is intended for higher-level characters. The campaign administration strongly recommends playing appropriate-level characters whenever possible. Player characters whose level exceeds the higher end of a scenario’s level cap may not be played in that scenario under ANY circumstances. Special Level-Cap Exception: Due to the change from even-numbered APLs to odd-numbered APLs, a situation was created that would restrict the play opportunities for 14th-level characters unnecessarily. Some older modules support APL 12 but were capped at 13th-level characters on the title page. We have made a special level-cap exception to allow 14th-level PCs to participate in these scenarios. If a scenario uses even APLs and supports APL 12, then 14th-level characters may be played in that scenario even if the title page states that 13th level is the upper limit. 15th-level characters may not be played in any LIVING ARCANIS adventure unless the scenario specifically states that they are allowed (see the High-Level Campaign section of this document for details). Cohorts may be played in any scenario that the primary PC is eligible to play, regardless of the cohort’s level or the scenario’s level cap (provided that there is room at the table and the PC they follow falls within the legal level range). If the cohort is of a legal level to play the scenario but the primary PC is not (most likely because the primary PC is too high-level), then the cohort may not be played in lieu of playing the primary PC. Cohorts suffer no penalties for being below the level cap, just as they suffer no penalties for being out of tier.


Lifestyle Costs PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign must pay a lifestyle cost at the beginning of each adventure. Lifestyle costs include expenses incurred during the time between this adventure and the last one, and all training costs associated with advancing in levels, as well as common day-to-day expenses such as food, lodging, and entertainment. Lifestyle does not cover the cost of a character’s adventuring gear, or the cost of anything bought during an adventure (arms and armor, spell components, other equipment, drinks and meals, gold spent on bribes or as part of Gather Information skill checks, refilling healers’ kits or replacing ammunition, or any other cause). PCs may have the opportunity to purchase equipment during the play of scenarios set in cities or other locations where it is reasonable to assume that markets exist. The scenario may specify the prices for certain items (and may even include a mini-marketplace with item certificates). If no prices are specified in the scenario itself, then these items must be purchased at the prices stated in Core Rulebook I or the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Lifestyle costs can vary depending on the part of the world in which the adventure takes place, and will be specified in the text of each adventure; the costs listed below are the defaults and may be used if other costs are not given for some reason. In particular, adventures that start in far-flung places (such as Freeport) may have higher lifestyle costs to reflect the price of booking passage for a lengthy sea voyage. Remember, lifestyle costs are paid for at the beginning of the adventure (unless a scenario specifically says otherwise). There are a great many certificates available through scenario play that provide characters with a reduction in lifestyle cost (or give them totally free upkeep) in certain parts of the world; judges are encouraged to remind players to check their certificates to see if any of them apply prior to paying for lifestyle costs. For most characters, Medium lifestyle is considered the norm (although some characters choose Low as a matter of principle or practicality). Characters with the Gentry feat, the Aristocrat class, the Patrician class, or certain certificates gained through scenario play do have the option of purchasing a lifestyle higher than Medium, though at a higher price. Val characters do not automatically gain access to High lifestyle. Living off the Land (0 gp): Characters with at least five ranks of the Survival skill may attempt to “live off the land” by making a DC 20 Survival check at the beginning of an adventure. The character may take 10 on the skill check, but may not take 20. If the check succeeds, the character is considered to have a Low lifestyle, but need not pay any gold and does NOT suffer the lost item chance detailed in the Low lifestyle section. If the check fails, the character must either pay the listed cost for a Low lifestyle or suffer the penalties described under No Lifestyle. PCs who fail the Survival check and

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elect not to pay for a Low lifestyle DO suffer the lost item chance detailed in the No Lifestyle section. No Lifestyle (0 gp): You sleep out in the open while you are on the road, without even the benefit of a threadbare blanket or a meager campfire. In a city, you sleep in the gutters and alleys and hope that you are not arrested (or worse). Your clothing is little more than rags, and when you have food to eat, it is rotten and provides little nourishment. Due to your lack of proper food and shelter, you begin the adventure with a number of points of non-lethal damage equal to 20% of your maximum hit points (rounded down). This damage represents the effects of malnutrition and rough living, and can only be cured by having the character (or another character on your behalf) pay the price for at least Medium lifestyle (representing food, a clean place to rest, and perhaps a little medical treatment). This is a special type of non-lethal damage that may not be healed by magical means. The character also suffers a -4 circumstance penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks for the duration of the adventure, unless otherwise noted. Any player whose character does not pay for any lifestyle should roll 1d20 in front of the GM before the start of the adventure. On the result of a natural 1 or a natural 2, a single certed item has been stolen from the character while living among the desperate lower-class people. The GM should randomly determine which item was stolen. The stolen item must have a value listed on the certificate. Favors and honors may not be stolen. If the PC has no certed items, then he instead has been mugged and beaten or severely injured by some sort of disease or other mishap, and begins play with 2 points of damage to one of his physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). The GM should randomly determine the ability that has been damaged. This damage may be healed through the passage of time during the adventure or by magical means. Low (6 gp): You sleep in the common room of an inn, share a small room in a tavern, or camp just outside of town or in a public park, where you hope you will not be found before morning. Your clothing is in passable shape but soon to wear out, and the food you are eating is little more than stale bread and some hard wedges of cheese. You smell like you have been on the road nonstop for weeks. You suffer a –1 circumstance penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks for the duration of the adventure, unless otherwise noted. Any player whose character takes Low lifestyle should roll 1d20 in front of the GM before the start of the adventure. On the result of a natural 1, a single certed item has been stolen from the character while living among the desperate lower-class people. The GM should determine which item was stolen randomly. The stolen item must have a value. Favors and honors may not be stolen. If the PC has no certed items, there is no effect.


Medium (12 gp): You rent a reasonably private room at a decent inn, own a small house on the outskirts of a farming village, or have enough contacts that you can find a warm bed in various cities or towns. You have a place where you can leave your belongings and feel sure that they will be there when you return. Your clothing is in good shape, and you are eating warm, flavorful food. You do not suffer any penalties to Charisma-based skill checks and you are not at risk of having your possessions stolen. High (30 gp): You rent a furnished, elegant room at one of the finest inns available, own an exquisite villa on the outskirts of a large town or small city, or have enough contacts that you have access to a clean and tasteful room in various cities or towns. You have a place where you can leave your belongings safely. Your clothing is in style and finely tailored and you enjoy fine dining and drink regularly (where possible, of course). The idea that anyone would dare to rifle through your belongings is laughable. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus on all Charisma-based skill checks for the duration of the adventure, unless otherwise noted. This lifestyle is only available to Aristocrats, Patricians, characters with the Gentry feat, or characters with certain special certificates. High lifestyle may not be available in adventures where the appropriate high-quality facilities simply do not exist. Exalted (250 gp): You command a suite of rooms at the very best hotel in the entire city, own a palatial manor house in the high-rent district, or are possessed of such obvious wealth and prestige that you are a guest of the local nobility or other shining beacons of polite society. Your belongings are attended to by a legion of porters (who would not dare dream of stealing from you) and you are bathed and dressed each day by a bevy of attendants. Your clothing is worth more than most people’s homes, you enjoy food and drink that would be the envy of any gourmand, and every meal is a social event unto itself, often featuring fine music and dancing. You gain a +4 circumstance bonus on all Charismabased skill checks for the duration of the adventure, unless otherwise noted. This lifestyle is only available to characters with the Gentry feat and at least four levels of Aristocrat and/or Patrician, or characters with certain very special certificates. Exalted lifestyle is only available in locations that can support it – private enclaves of the nobility, large cities in very prosperous nations, and other places where wealth reliably translates to power and privilege. Slumming: The rich and powerful of Onara are expected to maintain a higher lifestyle than their lessfortunate brethren. Characters with either the Gentry feat or levels in the Aristocrat or Patrician classes must always maintain at least a Medium lifestyle. Characters with both the Aristocrat or Patrician class and the Gentry feat must always maintain at least a High lifestyle. (No character is required to maintain an Exalted lifestyle unless a scenario or certificate specifically states otherwise.) For each level of lifestyle purchased lower

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than the character’s minimum level, he suffers a -1 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks for the duration of the adventure. (This penalty stacks with the normal penalties for taking a Low lifestyle or no lifestyle at all.) These penalties only apply when dealing with those who are able to discern the character’s lessthan-immaculate condition: nobles, other Aristocrats or Patricians, and other such high-class persons (judge’s discretion).

spellcaster is assumed to have cast the spell at midnight on the day before the adventure begins.

Time Unit Costs

When casting such a spell, write the chosen spell on your log sheet along with any spell components used, paying the appropriate cost in gold, XP and/or Time Units. No spell whose duration is effectively permanent may be carried over from one event to another (other than subsequent rounds of a single multi-round continuous-play adventure) without being recast. The only exception to this rule is continual flame. If this spell is cast and not dispelled, then the item it was cast upon and the expenditure of 50 gp should be noted on the log entry for that scenario, and the item is now a permanent light source, as per the spell description. All other spells expire at the end of the scenario (or when their normal duration would expire, if that time comes before the scenario ends).

Each scenario costs a certain number of Time Units to play. Typically, a scenario costs 10 TU per round, but the number can vary (and is always specified in the scenario). It is not always possible to know up front how many TU will actually be required to complete a scenario. Therefore, in order to go on an adventure, a PC must be able to pay at least the expected TU that will definitely be required to play in the scenario. He may not “borrow” TU from the next year, nor may he “carry over” any unused TU from the year before. In other words, if your character has 15 TU remaining, he may not play a two-round scenario, because the expected TU cost of that scenario is at least 20 TU. However, he could play a one-round scenario, since the expected cost of that scenario is 10 TU. Sometimes a scenario will have TU costs that do not become apparent until the module is already in progress, or that are imposed depending on the PCs’ actions during the adventure. Examples include being thrown in jail by the authorities or being offered the chance to spend extra TU studying with a particular NPC that was met during the adventure. If these adventure-specific TU costs exceed the number of TU that a character has remaining, then the character loses the appropriate number of extra TU from his next year’s allotment and may not be played again in any capacity until after Time Units refresh. There are also certain between-adventure activities that are voluntary expenditures of Time Units, such as selling certed items, scribing spells, participating in meta-gaming activities, crafting items, using skills to make money, and so forth. Under no circumstances may a character spend any TU above and beyond his annual allotment to participate in such activities.

Pre-Activated Spells/Powers Some characters have access to spells that can be cast before an adventure and still last long enough to provide benefits over the entire course of that event. Such characters may choose one such spell they are able to cast before the beginning of each scenario. The


The following spells are available to be pre-cast in such a manner: arcane mark, contingency, continual flame, detect scrying, endure elements, explosive runes, fire trap, glyph of warding, goodberry, illusory script, magic mouth, oath, safeguard, secret page, sepia snake sigil, undetectable alignment.

Approved “Reward” Systems This section details various reward systems that have been implemented by the RPGA, Paradigm Concepts, and the campaign staff. These rewards are not directly tied to any particular adventure but they may have an impact on every adventure.

Player Rewards Cards The following DUNGEONS & DRAGONS PLAYER REWARDS cards issued by the RPGA are honored by the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. A player may have 1 (one) card per 2 (two) PC levels (round down) at her disposal during any single scenario (no matter the length of the scenario), and must pick the cards she wishes to have available before the scenario begins. A player utilizing one or more cohorts may also have 1 (one) card per 3 (three) cohort levels (round down) at her disposal during any single scenario (no matter the length of the scenario), and must pick the cards she wishes to have available before the scenario begins. Since these cards are tradable and are randomly chosen when mailed out by the RPGA, it is certainly possible for a player to possess and use more than one card of the same type during the same scenario, but the effects of these cards can never be stacked (except as allowed by the cards themselves, such as the combination cards).

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Table LARC-02: Approved D&D PLAYER REWARDS Cards Card Name Card Notes (if blank, then play as written) Arcane Influx Arcane Transmogrification Blessed Relief Call of the Wild Careful Retreat Cheat Death Desperate Maneuver Divine Salvation Extra Deflection Play as written, but the action-point option is invalid. Feign Surprise Force of Personality Hero’s Strike Holy Flood This card is only good for a potion or oil worth 300 gp or less found on Table 7-17 in Core Rulebook II. The PC must pay the full gold piece value of the potion/oil at the conclusion of the scenario. This potion is good only during the scenario in which the I’ve Got Just the Potion… card was played and may not be carried over to another scenario by any character. The potion must be paid for even if it was not used during the scenario – so don’t play this card unless you plan to use the potion. This card in no way interacts with the Supply Run rules described elsewhere in this document. This card may only be used to gain campaign-approved items and equipment with a I’ve Got That! market price less than or equal to the listed value on the card and found in Core Rulebook I or the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Kaapow! Let’s Try That Again No more than one of these cards may be used to reroll a given skill check. May only be used if the character has the Mobility feat; play as written, but the actionMissed Me! point option is invalid. Not Done Yet No more than one of these cards may be used to reroll a given saving throw. Be sure to Not This Time! note the prerequisite of the Alertness feat to be able to use this card at all. This card provides the listed skill-check bonus when played; it unlocks no additional Path of Magic options for PCs. This card provides the listed skill-check bonus when played; it unlocks no additional Path of Paths options for PCs. This card provides the listed skill-check bonus when played; it unlocks no additional Path of the Soldier options for PCs. Power of the Hero Play as written, but the action-point option (only found on one version of the card) is Twist the Blade invalid. Wink and a Smile Other cards may become available for LIVING ARCANIS play in the future. If so, they will be added to this document, along with any campaign-specific notes or errata. Until a new card is added to the above list, it may not be used in the campaign. Note that some cards (such as Twist the Blade) have been issued in multiple sets; the name of the card is always the same regardless of the set in which it appears, so cards from any set with the same name may be used interchangeably. This also applies to hypothetical future sets in which past cards that are already on the approved list for the campaign may be re-released. Such cards may be used in the campaign immediately even if other new cards from the same set have not yet been officially added to the approved list.


Other PC Aids The “Stupidity leads to character creation, not bad luck” T-shirts are approved for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. The shirt must be present to be used. The game effects are as described on the shirt. Each shirt may only be used once per scenario, regardless of the length of the scenario, and each player is limited to the use of one shirt per scenario, regardless of the number of shirts owned by the player. These shirts are available for purchase at the PCI booth during various conventions as well as from the company’s official website. To be clear: This should go without saying, but GMs in LIVING ARCANIS cannot make use of reward cards, “reroll T-shirts,” or any other player aids when running a scenario. These items are only for the PCs’ benefit.

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GM and Author Rewards When a LIVING ARCANIS player “eats” a module (either by writing it or by judging it before having played it, and thus being unable to ever play it), that player may choose to gain the following benefits. The player receives a one-time bonus of 500 XP and 250 gold pieces to be added to the experience and treasure gained by one of his PCs the next time he plays that PC in a sanctioned LIVING ARCANIS module. Both of these benefits are per round of the module written or judged. When a judge eats a module, the judge must make a log sheet entry to prove that he ate the module. This entry must be made on the log sheet of the character that the judge wants to receive the bonus XP and treasure. (If the judge wants to apply the bonus to an as-yetuncreated brand-new character, then the entry can be made on a new, blank log sheet.) The entry should include the name of the module eaten, the RPGAsanctioned event at which the module was eaten, and the date on which the module was played. It must be signed in the “Play Notes” section by all of the players who were present at the table. A judge can never get this bonus more than once for eating any single module, regardless of how many times he runs it. In other words, you do not get 3,000 bonus XP if you eat a premiere module and run it six times during the same convention! For authors, the author must make a log sheet entry to prove that he wrote the module. This entry must be made on the log sheet of the character that the author wants to receive the bonus XP and treasure. (If the author wants to apply the bonus to an as-yet-uncreated brand-new character, then the entry can be made on a new, blank log sheet.) The entry should include the name of the module written, the RPGA-sanctioned event at which the module premiered, and the date on which the module premiered. An author may not take this benefit until the scenario in question officially premieres. In other words, he cannot take his rewards for the module being playtested or run as a slot zero for a convention. Please note that these benefits are NOT retroactive in any way. If you have eaten or written 20 modules in the history of the campaign, we thank you and your players certainly thank you, but these rules were not in effect at that time, so you do not receive the benefits described above. As an example, suppose that Dante the GM eats a tworound module and a one-round module for his local gaming group. This gives him a bonus of 1,500 XP (500 per round eaten), and 750 gp (250 per round eaten). Dante should have two log sheet entries representing these two modules. He may choose to have both bonuses given to the same character, or he may choose to give them to two different characters. Let’s assume that he gives them to the same character. During the next LIVING ARCANIS module Dante plays with that character, suppose that every character at the table


receives 1,000 XP and 300 gold pieces (as the normal reward for the adventure). Dante’s character therefore receives a total of 2,500 XP (1,000 from the adventure + 1,500 from his accumulated bonuses) and 1,050 gp (300 + 750) for this adventure. A character may never gain more then one level after playing a single module. If the character’s XP total (including the bonus XP for eating modules) is high enough to enable the character to gain more than one level, the character’s XP total is not reduced, but the character may only gain one level per module played; subsequent level gains are simply deferred until the conclusion of future modules. All of the accumulated gold is awarded after the first module played, however. If the character dies while it still has “extra XP” being carried in this fashion, the extra XP is added back to the character’s total after the XP cost from dying has been calculated. For example, if Ashley the Author writes six rounds’ worth of modules and then gains 600 XP for the next module she plays, her character will actually gain 3,600 XP in total for that module. If she is playing a brand-new 1st-level character, this would normally be enough to take that character directly to 3rd level. However, Ashley’s PC only goes up to 2nd level, because a character cannot gain more than one level from playing a single module. At this point the character has 2,600 “extra” XP (since she only needed 1,000 to reach 2nd level). In her next module, Ashley’s character dies and is brought back from the dead. This would normally reduce her XP total to 500 (halfway between 1st level and 2nd level) plus the adventure XP. Since she is carrying 2,600 extra XP, however, her final total is actually 3,100 XP plus whatever she gains from the module. Thus, she remains 2nd level. If she gained 600 XP from the module, which would put her final total at 3,700 XP, she still cannot gain 3rd level, because a character cannot gain more than one level from a module, and she has already “gained” 2nd level back, thanks to her extra XP. Thus, she is now carrying 2,700 extra XP into her next adventure. Please note that this kind of situation should only occur in VERY rare circumstances. If you have any questions about how to administer XP gained from eating or writing modules in character-death situations, please send an e-mail to the campaign staff and we will be happy to assist you in calculating your character’s correct XP total. The purpose of the log sheet entries is to help judges and authors remember which modules that they have gotten credit for eating or writing, and to allow the next table judge to sign off on the bonus XP and treasure being added to the character’s total. The XP and gold pieces may not be “counted” or spent in any fashion (including magic item creation, buying items at marketplaces, determining what level the character is for APL calculations, etc.) until after they are officially awarded – which doesn’t happen until the END of the character’s next adventure. This is very important. Even if the bonus XP from eating a module would be enough for the character to gain a level, the character does not gain that

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level until AFTER the end of his NEXT adventure, at which time the bonus XP is added to the character’s total XP along with the XP gained from that adventure. Characters in LIVING ARCANIS never receive treasure or experience outside of module play opportunities. Treasure and XP are only awarded at the end of modules in which a character plays, and this is no exception. The campaign administration has implemented this rule as a way to reward our loyal GMs and authors, many of whom are also ardent players. It’s a great way for a frequent contributor to bring a new character into the campaign without having to slog through too many modules at lower levels, or for a character to avoid totally missing out when the player has to eat a module every now and then. As always, we bring this rule into the campaign in the spirit of trusting our players and judges, and we know that you will adhere to both the letter and spirit of these rules when awarding bonus XP and treasure in this fashion. In addition to the large number of scenarios that can be downloaded from the RPGA, Paradigm Concepts has produced several print products that include scenarios playable in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. These scenarios do not really follow the normal number of “rounds” that a typical RPGA scenario does, since they do not follow the same format. These scenarios are listed below along with the amount of XP and treasure that a GM would get for “eating” these scenarios. • • •

Carnival of Swords (1500 XP, 750 gold pieces) Bloody Sands of Sicaris (1500 XP, 750 gold pieces) Nishanpur: City of Secrets (1000 XP, 500 gold pieces)

Characters This section contains rules that are applicable to all characters in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Topics such as recycling of low-level characters, rebuilding of higher-level characters, magic item value limits, campaign certificates, logsheets, and much more are discussed. All players and judges should pay careful attention to the rules in this section, as it is important that the campaign be administered properly and the same way for each player and each character.

Creating Characters Although LIVING ARCANIS is a d20 System campaign, a number of the races, classes, and other aspects of “standard” d20 are either not used at all or are significantly changed from what is presented in the System Reference Document. To save space in the LARC, we have created a separate document that details these changes. Everything that you need to know to create a LIVING ARCANIS character – including information about buying ability scores, available races, base classes, nationalities, secret societies, and more – is contained in the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation


Guidelines. Please refer to the most current version of that document for details.

Time Units Every character in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign uses Time Units (TU) to track the passage of time. All campaign activities, including adventuring, item creation, meta-organization participation, selling certed items on the open market, etc. may have associated TU costs. Time Units are an abstraction; they are primarily a mechanism to prevent characters from gaining experience too quickly or deriving too many benefits from meta-game activities. As such, although many of the formulas for calculating TU expenditures (such as for crafting items) are based on the number of days spent, TU costs do not necessarily correspond exactly to days in all cases. However, if a cost for any campaign activity is given in days but no TU cost is given, then the TU cost should be assumed to be equal to the number of days. When first created, a character (or cohort) has 364 Time Units, and every character in the campaign receives a fresh allotment of 364 TU on June 1st of every realworld calendar year. Time Units that are unused from the previous calendar year are lost when the annual reset occurs. Characters may not “borrow” TUs from future years to perform activities in the current year, nor may they “carry over” unused TUs from one year into the next.

Hit Points All player characters, cohorts, bonded mounts, and animal companions in LIVING ARCANIS receive the maximum hit points for their first, second, and third Hit Dice. (This means that they gain the maximum possible hit points at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level.) This is true for all PCs regardless of whether or not they choose to use the Kid-Gloves rule detailed below. NPCs encountered in scenarios may or may not have maximum hit points for their first three Hit Dice, at the scenario author’s discretion. For any character’s fourth Hit Die or class level, and for every Hit Die or level gained thereafter, assign hit points by taking half the maximum value for the Hit Die gained, then adding 1 point. This is called the “half-plusone” rule and it is common to many Living Campaigns. (Under this system, a d4 = 3 hit points, d6 = 4 hit points, d8 = 5 hit points, d10 = 6 hit points, and d12 = 7 hit points.)

Kid-Gloves Rule LIVING ARCANIS is a campaign in which the PCs are often called upon to face overwhelming odds and perform heroic (or anti-heroic) deeds. This can result in combat encounters that are very dangerous. As a special optional rule, player characters may begin play at first level with two levels’ worth of hit points. This rule is known as the “Kid-Gloves” rule and is purely optional.

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GMs must abide by each individual player’s choice whether or not to use this rule. If a table includes a mixture of players who are using the rule and players who are not, that’s fine. It is not necessary (or desirable) for the player to select the character’s second class level in advance – simply double the number of hit points gained at first level. As an example, suppose that Henry is playing a 1st-level fighter with a Constitution score of 12. This character would normally have 11 hit points (10 for 1d10 from his fighter level and +1 for his Constitution bonus). If Henry decides to utilize the Kid-Gloves rule, his character will have 22 hit points instead. If Henry were playing a rogue instead of a fighter, he would have 14 hit points when utilizing the Kid-Gloves rule (or 7 without the rule). Once a character reaches 2nd level, the character’s hit points must be recalculated based on the actual Hit Dice for his chosen classes. In the previous example, if Henry decided to take his second character level as a level of wizard, he would actually lose hit points from his old total of 22. His new hit point total would be 16 (10 for 1d10 from his fighter level, 4 for 1d4 from his wizard level, and +2 for his Constitution bonus). On the other hand, if he took a level of barbarian instead, he would gain hit points (10 for 1d10 from his fighter level, 12 for 1d12 from his barbarian level, +2 for his Constitution, giving him a total of 24 hit points). The Kid-Gloves rule is especially useful for characters with d4 and d6 Hit Dice; the rule does not make such characters overly powerful, but it does make it less likely that a single bad die roll or unlucky critical hit will kill the character outright. NPCs, cohorts, bonded mounts, and animal companions may not make use of the Kid-Gloves rule. It only applies to player characters.

Prestige Class Limits In the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, player characters are limited to a maximum of two (2) “unfinished” prestige classes. If a PC advances a prestige class to its full potential (usually 5 or 10 levels), it no longer counts against his limit. Even if the character never plans to take another level of a particular prestige class, for as long as he has not advanced to its maximum level, it still counts against the limit.

High-Level Campaign Most LIVING ARCANIS scenarios will support adventuring parties of no higher than APL 13 (which has a hard cap of 14th-level characters). Once a PC reaches 15th level, that character will have fewer scenario play opportunities. These PCs have moved beyond the realm of mere adventurers, journeymen, and errand-runners; they are now numbered among the movers and shakers of the campaign world. As such, special high-level-only play opportunities, including a limited number of APL 15 and higher scenarios, will be made available. These characters can, of course, expect to be allowed to participate in the major world-changing


events of the campaign, such as Battle Interactives and other special events (these events are generally offered at major conventions, such as Origins and Gen Con Indy). Some scenarios (especially those that conclude a series of modules) may also make specific allowances for PCs above 14th level to participate; this will be noted in the blurb on the title page of the scenario if and when it occurs. To be clear: Unless a module specifically states otherwise, characters of 15th level and above may not be played, even if the table is technically APL 13 or lower despite the inclusion of the high-level PCs.

Character Retirement Any PC reaching 21st character level (which would normally be the start of Epic-level play) may no longer be played in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign and must be retired. Special adventuring options for these characters may become available in the future. Characters must also retire after reaching a total of 240,000 experience points earned, regardless of whether they have reached 21st level or not. This number represents a total of all experience gained in the campaign and includes any experience lost for any reason, including death and magic item creation. All PCs must track their “lifetime experience” separately from their regular experience total. This “lifetime” total must include all XP ever gained by that PC. We have revised the standard campaign logsheets to provide a means to track this lifetime XP total.

Adventure Logsheets The LIVING ARCANIS campaign uses a combination of certiticates and logsheets to track the adventures characters have participated in and the rewards they have gained. Adventure logsheets are mandatory for all PCs and cohorts. Logsheets are used to record details of a character’s adventures, including the scenario played, the APL at which the scenario was played, the convention name, the date, XP and treasure gained or lost, Time Units used, magical and mundane items crafted, and various other play notes as specified by the scenario or deemed necessary by the GM. All logsheet entries must be completely filled out in pen and signed by the GM to be valid. The GM’s name and RPGA number must be legible. (For online play, the GM’s valid email address may be printed on the log sheet in lieu of his signature, but his RPGA number must still be recorded.) Although we do provide a campaign-standard logsheet, it is not absolutely necessary that all players use it. We know that some players prefer to use more elaborate custom-built sheets for tracking their characters’ progression. However, any homemade logsheet must track (at minimum) all of the items that are found on the standard campaign logsheet and must be easily comprehensible by any GM or other campaign staff member for character-audit purposes.

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Important Note: All official campaign logsheets have a version number in the file name. Newer versions always supersede older versions, but it is not necessary to re-do all your logsheets every time we release a new version (unless the LARC directs you otherwise). The latest version of all the official campaign-tracking forms and loghsheets is always available as a PDF for download on the official campaign website and in the Files section of the LA-Talk newsgroup.

Character and Item Tracking Sheets Character tracking sheets and item tracking sheets are mandatory for all PCs and cohorts in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. These forms are used to record a variety of information about each character for the convenience of the GM and to help speed along game play. Since the details on these forms might change after every scenario, they should either be filled out in pencil or maintained in some sort of easily-editable format. It is the player’s responsibility to update her character and item tracking sheets every time she plays her PC.

adventure during which that character was alive (including the scene in which he or she died, if applicable). It is the GM’s discretion as to how much of the total adventure XP should be earned by a dead character. These experience points are added to the character’s XP total after the XP loss due to a raise dead or resurrection spell has been applied. (In other words, the adventure XP gained by the character helps offset the XP penalty for dying.) Characters of most races – Elorii, dark-kin, halfhobgoblins, half-orcs, humans, gnomes, ss’ressen, and Val – follow the standard rules for death and dying. They die at -10 hit points and require a raise dead spell (or stronger magic depending on the cause of death and condition of the body) to be returned to life. However, in Arcanis, there is a very limited amount of time during which such spells may be cast. A character’s soul moves to the Afterlife 24 hours after his death. If an appropriate spell is not cast in time, the character’s soul departs to face the Judgement of Nier and is usually gone forever. (The hold the spirit spell in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis can extend this 24-hour period, but it is not without risks of its own.)

Magic Item Creation Logsheets If your PC uses feats to create magic items, MIC logsheets are mandatory to record these creations. These sheets are used to record the specific details (including the item created, caster level, market price, and gold, XP, and TU spent) of each magic item’s creation. All log entries must be completely filled out in pen. The supervising GM’s name and RPGA number must be legible (write this information in below the GM signature line). For online play, the GM’s valid email address may be printed on the log sheet in lieu of his signature. It is the responsibility of both the player creating the item and the GM who signs off on it to ensure that all item creation is handled properly according to the relevant sections of this document. Any item that is found to have been improperly created will be considered null and void with no refund of the costs paid. For step-by-step instructions on crafting magic items and filling out the MIC logsheet, see the rules section on Magic Item Creation later in this document.

Death and Resurrection Arcanis is a dangerous world, and death comes to even the mightiest of heroes. However, under the right circumstances, even death may not be irreversible. The spells raise dead, resurrection, and the mightiest of all, true resurrection, may be used under the right circumstances to bring a dead character back to life, but such a process is not as easy as it might sound from reading the spell descriptions. The primary factor in determining a character’s post-mortem fate is his or her race. A character that dies during a LIVING ARCANIS adventure receives experience points for any portions of the


Dwarven characters have specific rules for being brought back from the dead. Dwarven souls are barred from the afterlife by an edict of Illiir. Because they do not pass beyond this world, they cannot be drawn back to it. Instead, each dwarf carries a soul shard, a special gemstone into which his soul travels upon his death. A dwarf’s soul shard is his most personal and private possession and he does not display it openly or willingly discuss it with non-dwarves. All dwarven PCs are assumed to have been given a soul shard upon reaching adulthood, so the PC does not need to purchase it as part of his starting equipment. Soul Shards: A typical dwarven soul shard is about 4 inches long and is made of a tough but beautiful form of rose quartz crystal. However, dwarves are the consummate artisans, and many of them eventually choose to craft their own soul shards. These may take the form of fine pieces of jewelry, elaborately-etched crystalline rods, and so forth. The primary material must be some type of precious gemstone or crystal, but the exact form may vary considerably. Every soul shard radiates a weak aura of psionic energy (which becomes a strong aura when there is a soul within). A dwarf’s soul shard has a Hardness of 10 and a Break DC of 30. A soul shard has one-half the dwarf’s maximum hit points, and is immune to sonic, fire, and cold damage. If, for whatever reason, a dwarf loses his soul shard or it is destroyed, he may acquire a new one by traveling to his home Enclave and simply requesting one, after which he must spend a week (7 TU) in seclusion attuning himself to the new shard. A dwarf dies at -10 hit points just as a character of any other race does. What makes dwarves unique is the manner by which they can be returned to life. If a dwarf is reduced to -10 hit points or less, he dies immediately.

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However, at this stage, the dwarf does not necessarily need a raise dead spell to come back from the dead. If the dwarf’s damage total leaves him between -99 and 10 hit points, then he may be returned from the dead simply by having his body healed of its physical damage (in game terms, the character’s damage must be completely cured and his hit point total must be brought up to its normal maximum.) This healing must be accomplished within the next 24 hours, because after that, the soul passes from the body into the dwarf’s soul shard (see below). The dwarf does not regain consciousness until his hit points reach their maximum value, at which point he immediately recovers, exactly as if a raise dead spell had been cast upon him (including the standard level loss for dying and coming back from the dead as specified in the spell description). Unlike the normal raise dead spell, no material component is required for a dwarf to be “healed back to life” in this fashion. If the body is somehow completely destroyed before it can be healed back to life, then the soul immediately attempts to move into the soul shard as described below, and raise dead will not suffice (since that spell requires the body to be whole). For example, suppose that Gronar normally has 45 hit points and he is critically hit by a Voei for 92 points of damage. He is now dead, but because his hit point total is only -47, he only needs to have those 92 points of damage healed to return to life. This can be accomplished through any of the normal healing magics, but it must be done before 24 hours have elapsed. After 24 hours, Gronar’s soul transfers to his soul shard and a raise dead spell becomes necessary. Once a dwarf reaches -10 hit points, he is dead and stops bleeding (i.e. there is no need to make stabilization checks every round and the body does not lose 1 hp per round). However, additional damage that may be dealt to the corpse (from area-effect spells, physical attacks deliberately made against the corpse, etc.) should still be tracked to determine the method that must be used to return the dwarf to life. If a dwarf is killed by massive damage, a coup de grace, level drain, having his Constitution score reduced to zero, or any other “instant kill” spell or effect, his hit point total is immediately set to -100. Once a dwarf reaches -100 hit points, the body can no longer be brought back by simple curative magic. He must now receive a raise dead, resurrection, or true resurrection spell to return from the dead. While the dwarf’s wounds and other lethal damage are removed when he returns to life, if his body is not whole, then the raise dead spell will not work (see the spell description) and a resurrection is needed instead. If the condition that killed him is one that is not removed by the spell that restores him to life (for example, raise dead does not remove magical diseases or curses) then that condition must also be removed before the dwarf can be returned to life. If the body is not healed back to life within 24 hours, or if it cannot be healed back to life because of the cause of


death as described above, then the dead dwarf’s soul transfers to his soul shard 24 hours after his death. If the dwarf’s soul shard is not within a short distance of his body – most likely because it has been stolen or destroyed, because dwarves never willingly part with their soul shards – then the dwarf’s soul has nowhere to go; it dissipates into utter nothingness and is lost forever. If a soul shard containing a dwarf’s soul is subsequently destroyed, the soul is lost forever. The body of a dwarf whose soul has been destroyed is particularly susceptible to necromantic magics, a situation which delights nefarious necromancers to no end. Once a dwarf’s soul moves from his body into his soul shard, the dwarf may only be returned to life with a raise dead, resurrection, or true resurrection spell. The soul shard containing the dead dwarf’s soul must be present when the spell is cast. The soul shard is not destroyed or otherwise damaged when the dwarf’s soul leaves it. If a dwarf is killed by a death effect (such as the slay living spell), or if the body is not whole, then a resurrection or true resurrection spell is required to return the corpse to life, the same as for a character of any other race slain by a death effect or whose body has been destroyed. Dwarves who die of natural causes may not be returned to life in any way.

Annual Rebuild To maintain consistency of characters from one game session to the next, which is integral to the Living Campaign experience, we do not as a general rule allow players to go back and change selections (character classes, prestige classes, skill points, feats, spell selections, etc.) once they have been made. However, there is no way to know in advance when a new sourcebook will be released and approved for the campaign that might contain the perfect feat, spell, prestige class, piece of equipment, or somethine else that is just right for one of your existing characters. Important Note: These Annual Rebuild rules are not the same as the rules that are used to convert Living Arcanis characters from the 3.0 rules to the 3.5 rules. The LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document contains the rules for converting characters that have never been played under the 3.5 rules. Once a character has been converted to 3.5 and played under the new rules, any future revisions to that character must be made as described in the Annual Rebuild or Recycling Characters sections of this document. The one-time 3.5 conversion process is more generous than the recurring Annual Rebuild process, so players should be sure to use the appropriate rules. Due to the ever-growing popularity of LIVING ARCANIS and the fact that Paradigm Concepts’ release schedule cannot be tied directly to the progress of the campaign (or vice versa), the campaign staff has adopted the following rule to permit an optional annual rebuild of player characters, thereby incorporating new options that

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were not available when the character was originally created. This rule is intended to allow PCs access to newly approved campaign options while keeping true to the original character concept, and is not intended to encourage players to completely recreate their characters every year. Therefore, this rule is not nearly as generous as the “Recycling Characters” rule for lower-level PCs. On June 1st of every calendar year, when a PC’s time units reset, that PC may be rebuilt to take advantage of newly-available campaign options. This is represented by the character spending 100 Time Units to take a sabbatical, during which he presumably undergoes extensive training and meditation to focus himself away from his old path and onto his new path. Players are strongly encouraged to maintain as much of the character’s history and personality as possible despite the rebuild; we have no way of enforcing this, of course, but part of the fun of the campaign is its continuity. As a result of this sabbatical, the character unlearns old skills and learns new ones. In strict game terms, the player may completely re-create the character (subject to the restrictions below). Start by re-buying the character’s ability scores (see the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines for the “point-buy” system) and then making all the necessary character-advancement decisions, beginning at first level and working forward to the character’s current total level. Special Exception for 2005: Due to the fact that a number of “core” Arcanis sourcebooks from Paradigm Concepts are expected to be released during calendar year 2005, the campaign administration has decided to waive the TU cost of the Annual Rebuild rules for this year. This means that if you take advantage of the Annual Rebuild rules when the campaign-wide TU reset occurs on June 1, 2005, you do not need to pay the listed cost of 100 TU. All other Annual Rebuild rules detailed herein remain in effect.

• •

•

•

•

•

•

• Although the Annual Rebuild rule is primiarily intended to allow PCs to gain options that were not published during the earlier days of their adventuring career, there is no particular mandate that “new” options be chosen. The new character must be created using only LIVING ARCANIS approved sources and must comply with all campaign rules concerning access to items, spells, base classes, prestige classes, etc. Cohorts may not use the Annual Rebuild rules (unless they become a PC when the primary PC dies). Furthermore, the following restrictions must be observed when recreating the character: •

•

The PC’s XP and gold totals do not change in any way as a result of the conversion. Items may not be sold, bought, or crafted during the conversion. A single logsheet entry showing the expenditure of 100 TU from the character’s new-year total should be made and can be signed off on by your next GM. The PC’s name may not change (otherwise all the character’s certificates would be void).


• • • • • •

The PC’s race may not change (Val PCs may not alter their bloodline, but may have a different blood rank and may choose different bloodline powers). The PC may not change any skill or feat that has ever been used to generate income using the rules found in the LARC. (In the case of skills, you must spend the same total number of skill points as your previous character had spent. This may result in a different actual number of ranks if the skill is crossclass for your new character.) If the PC used the Item Creation rules in any way, he may not change anything used as a prerequisite in that Item Creation. This includes feats, spells, skills, etc. Clerics may change their domains, but not the deity they worship, and arcane spellcasters who spontaneously cast spells may change their spells known. All domains and spells chosen must be ones to which the character has legitimate campaign access. Arcane spellcasters who prepare spells in advance may swap spells in their spellbook, but only on a one-for-one basis between spells of the same level (i.e. a 3rd-level spell may only be swapped for another 3rd-level spell). Characters whose spellbooks would be reduced in size by the conversion (perhaps because the character has fewer levels of wizard or no levels at all) do not receive a refund; they still have the old spellbook, but may not sell it or trade it to another PC. Characters whose spellbooks would be increased in size by the conversion (such as by picking up additional levels of wizard) may scribe the free spells, if any, that they gain for their newly-gained class levels, but may not pay during conversion to scribe any additional spells above and beyond the free ones. Scribing additional spells must be handled through the normal rules. PCs may not alter their certed items in any way (including items that were customized, such as blank weapon certs where the type of weapon is chosen by the player). PCs with levels in the Patrician or Aristocrat classes must keep at least one level in that class. PCs with the Gentry feat or any other Background feat must keep those feats unless they were gained as bonus/virtual feats from a class or item. PCs with the Improved Leadership feat whose secondary cohort has left their service (because of a cohort’s death) may not replace that feat. PCs may not change secret societies or nationalities. PCs may not use the annual rebuild to remove curses or other adverse effects. PCs may not take levels of a prestige class that is invitation-only prior to receiving the invitation. A character may take the maximum number of levels that she could theoretically have had based on the level at which she received the invitation to the prestige class. (For example, suppose your PC got

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an invitation to the Sky Knight PRC at 13th level, but didn’t qualify to take it at that time, and the PC is currently 16th level with one level of the PRC. While rebuilding the character, you rearrange her stats and feat choices in such a fashion that she could have qualified for the PRC at 10th level. You could not use the annual rebuild to give your new 16th-level PC six levels in the PRC, because she didn’t get the invitation until 13th level. However, you could give her three levels in the PRC – taken at her 14th, 15th, and 16th character levels.)

Recycling Characters Since there are so many options available in this rich campaign setting, players may have a difficult time deciding which niche is right for their character. Therefore, players may completely recycle a character at any time before that character attains 4th level. Unlike the Annual Rebuild rules described above, this is essentially a complete free-form recreation of the character as the player sees fit. There is no TU cost for taking advantage of this option. When dealing with the character’s gold total, you have two options: The simple option: This option is for those who don’t want the hassle of trying to figure out the sell-back price for the equipment purchased with the character’s starting funds. You simply receive or pay the difference in starting gold between your old starting character class and your new starting character class. You do not make any other changes to your equipment or gold. (For example, if your first level used to be Fighter and now it is Monk, you owe 220 gold and must pay that amount. If your first level used to be Monk and now it is Fighter, you gain 220 gold. In both cases, 220 is the difference between a Fighter’s starting total of 240 gp and a Monk’s starting total of 20 gp.) If you owe gold as a result of this change, you may only use the simple option if you have enough cash on hand to pay the difference. The complicated option: When a character is recycled, very often some or all of that character’s non-certed equipment is no longer useful (since it was purchased for the old class). This option allows a full rebuild that includes the starting equipment. Some class changes (such as going from Fighter to Monk) might also require a complete re-purchase of starting equipment. All of the non-certed equipment that the character purchased with his starting gold from his old first-level class is sold back for the original price paid. The character then forfeits an amount of gold equal to the starting gold he received at first level. (Any excess gold that he earned during his adventuring career is retained. If for some reason the character does not have enough gold to repay his original starting gold, then the recycled character starts with no more gold than the old character had after turning in all his non-certed equipment.) The character receives a new allotment of starting gold based on his


new first-level class and may once again buy his initial equipment. The character only has access to purchase equipment that is available during character creation. No matter which option you choose, the recycle rule does not allow you to make any adjustments to your character’s play history. Other than as a result of the gold and equipment changes described above, the character’s accumulated gold total does not change, nor does he regain any gold spent on adventuring activity (such as paying lifestyle costs, tithing to a church, etc.) When you recycle a character, that character’s play history does not change, but you do not have access to any options other than those available to newly-created characters, including options that might be opened up by your certs. (For example, if you are third level and receive a cert allowing you to purchase a piece of restricted equipment but you have not redeemed the cert at the time you recycle your character, you may not purchase the restricted equipment as part of the recycling process.) To be clear: There is no double-dipping via the recycle rules. You keep all your certs. You choose either the “simple option” or the “complicated option” to determine how you will deal with your starting gold and your non-certed equipment. You only have access to the options that are available during character creation. The recycled PC may freely change ability scores, race, class, skills, feats, etc. However, in order to avoid invalidating the character’s certificates, the character must keep the same name (so, if you are playing a Val, do not put the character's last name on campaign certificates unless you are sure they will always remain a Val and of the same family name). If the character previously had a feat or skill (such as Gentry, one of the military-service background feats, a Craft or Profession skill, etc.) that gave him additional gold and/or equipment, the additional gold and/or equipment gained is forfeited (i.e. it must be returned or its full value paid back) unless the character keeps that feat after conversion. If you gained gold or equipment from a feat or skill and you are unable to redeem it (i.e. you do not have enough cash on hand to pay that gold back or you cannot return the item because it was lost or destroyed) then you must keep the feat or skill that allowed you to generate the gold or receive the item. The character’s experience point total does not change as a result of being recycled. The new character must have the same secret faction (if any) as the old character did. The character’s campaign certificates (including intangibles such as favors, honors, curses, etc.) remain unchanged. (This also applies to certificates that allow the PC to select a custom item – once a cert has been filled out, it cannot be changed.) In essence you are recreating your character, but your adventuring history will remain the same. Recycling a character in no way entitles that character to be used in a scenario it has

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already participated in, nor does it allow a player to play the same scenario more than once with different characters.

Certificates and Treasure In the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, a character’s accomplishments are tracked in a variety of ways. Logsheets track experience and coin earned, among other things. Mundane equipment and other common possessions are simply written down on the itemtracking form. Special or unusual equipment, particularly magic items, are often represented by certificates. Many intangibles, such as favors, honors, curses, and the like, are also tracked with certificates.

Online play is not an exception to these rules. If you play an online game of LIVING ARCANIS, it is the judge or event coordinator’s responsibility to ensure that the appropriate certificates are fully and completely filled out and then mailed or otherwise delivered to the individual players. Players may not sign certificates that are to be awarded to their own characters under any circumstances. Signing certificates for your own PCs is considered fraud, plain and simple. There are no extenuating circumstances.

Every LIVING ARCANIS scenario includes a Treasure Summary, which lists all of the tangible and intangible rewards that the PCs may gain during that scenario. Any item that is not listed in the Treasure Summary and/or included in the certificate file for that adventure may not be taken, claimed, sold, or bartered by any PC or cohort. There are no exceptions to this rule.

LIVING ARCANIS campaign certificates have no cash value and are the property of Paradigm Concepts, Inc. and must be returned to the campaign staff upon request. They may not be bartered, traded, exchanged, given away, or sold for real-world considerations under any circumstances. They may only be traded or sold for other in-game considerations, and only in accordance with the rules in this document. Fraudulent or improper usage of certificates is grounds for revocation of the certificates in question and possibly harsher penalties from the campaign staff and/or RPGA, depending on the severity of the offense. Please report any instances of certificate fraud to the LIVING ARCANIS Ethics Liaison.

Campaign Certificates

Certificate Validation

Most adventures downloaded from the RPGA will include one or more certificate files along with the adventure file. When a Paradigm Concepts print product includes an adventure and that adventure is adapted for LIVING ARCANIS play, the certificates will either be included in the original print product (for example, Nishanpur: City of Secrets) or with the adaptation sheet (for example, Carnival of Swords). The integrity of the certificate system is very important for the smooth functioning of the campaign. Forging certificates, duplicating certificates, or attempting to manipulate the certificate system in any fashion is considered fraud and is strictly prohibited by the campaign and by the RPGA.

The GM who issues a campaign certificate must sign and date that certificate in ink. The GM’s RPGA number must be completely legible. The name of the character the certificate is assigned to must be written in ink on the line provided at the top of the certificate. A player may have certificates with his or her own signature as a judge of the game where it was earned, provided the trade history on the back of the certificate (see below) shows clearly how the certificate reached its current destination, and that it is not a certificate from a scenario written by the player.

Module Treasure Summaries

To be valid, a certificate must be filled out in ink. The name of the character receiving the certificate must be written in the space provided. The signature and RPGA number of the GM issuing the certificate must be legible and written in ink. The date of issuance of the certificate and the convention at which the certificate was issued must be filled out. Any relevant information (such as the APL for certs whose power level varies depending on the APL) must be filled out by the judge. If a cert allows the character to purchase items or otherwise spend a variable amount of some resource, it is the player’s responsibility to determine the proper armount and the judge’s responsibility to check the player’s calculations before signing off on the cert. Some certificates have portions that are to be filled out at a later time; obviously, those portions may be left blank at the time the cert is issued, and the supervising judge can fill out and initial those portions of the cert at the time it is redeemed or otherwise completed in the future.


Converted Certificate Values Certificate values do not change as a result of v.3.5 conversion. When selling an item, PCs base the sale price (and their profits) upon the value listed on the certificate, regardless of whether or not the value of the item in question changed (increased or decreased) during conversion to v.3.5. This process also holds true for items made from special materials whose value has changed as a result of conversion or other campaign events. The price you paid for the item (if it is uncerted) or the price marked on the certificate is the market price for that particular item, period.

Magic Item Limits by PC Level In order to help preserve play balance, the LIVING ARCANIS campaign restricts PCs to the use of permanent magic items of a certain gold piece value. Magic items whose value is greater than the PC’s limit either function at a reduced level (as described below) or do not function at all. This limit is per item; it is not a total value limit. Let’s say that again just so it’s perfectly clear: the magic item limits are applied to a character’s

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items on a case-by-case basis, not to the total value of all a character’s magic items. The value of an individual magic item that will function at its full effectiveness for a particular PC is based on the character’s total level, as follows: Table LARC-03: Magic Item Limits by PC Level PC Level Range Max Magical Value Per Item 1-4 4,000 gp 5-8 10,000 gp 9-12 25,000 gp 13+ No Maximum The “magic value” of a particular item is the full market price of any and all magical enhancements that have been placed on the item in question. This is true even if the item is one that is unique, cannot be sold, was crafted at half price using a MIC feat, etc. The base price of the item is not considered when calculating its magic value. For purposes of this rule, “base price” means the cost of a non-magical version of the item (assuming a non-magical version could exist and still be considered an item). For example, a suit of +1 Sarishan steel full plate has a market price of 9,700 gold pieces. This market price includes the base price of 1,500 gp for the masterwork full plate, plus 7,200 gp for the 18 units of Sarishan steel at 400 gp per unit, plus 1,000 gp for the +1 enhancement bonus. (The item is automatically considered masterwork for having been made of Sarishan steel, so there is no 150 gp masterwork component included in the market price.) Only the 1,000 gp value of the enhancement bonus counts towards this item’s value for purposes of the level cap. Therefore, it may be worn by a character of any level without modification. For items that derive their entire market price from their magical properties (which applies to the vast majority of magic items other than weapons and armor) the full market price of the item is the determining factor in its ability to be used at full power by any particular PC. Because these items do not require a mundane base item to be purchased for their construction, there is nothing to consider other than the market price of the entire item. Important Note: These rules do not apply to consumable magic items; they only apply to permanent magic items. This includes one-shot consumable items (such as potions, scrolls, psionic tattoos, etc.) as well as charged consumable items (such as wands, staffs, psicrowns, etc.) These rules also do not apply to permanent magic items designated as scaling, soullinked, or soul-bound (these items are specifically identified as such, either in this document or on the certificate). Soul-bound and soul-linked items transcend the normal rules because they are bonded directly to a character’s soul (as the name implies) and therefore must always function at full power. Scaling items have their own custom advancement rules printed on the cert and so do they not need to follow these rules.


If a PC is in possession of an item that is more expensive than the limit for his character level, then the item must be “scaled down” to match the PC's power level. Rules for scaling down the various types of items are provided below. If an item cannot be scaled down then that item does not function at all for that PC until the PC’s level is high enough to allow him to use the item at its full power. There is no way for us to provide a set of rules that will encompass each and every conceivable magic item; GMs should take the rules and examples below as guidelines and adjudicate individual situations as best they can. The GM’s decision is always final as to whether and how a particular item will function for a particular character. Rings and Wondrous Items: If the item can be purchased with varying bonuses (such as amulets of natural armor, bracers of armor, cloaks of resistance, rings of protection, etc.) then the item is scaled down by reducing its bonus until it reaches a level where the market price would be less than or equal to the PC's maximum usable value. The item's slot and physical characteristics do not change in any other way. If an item cannot be scaled down (its power is all-ornothing) then the item simply does not function at all for a PC whose market-price maximum is less than the item's market price. If there is a “lesser” version of the exact same item, then the item scales down to its lesser version if possible. If there is no lesser version then the item does not function at all. For items that give a +10 (or higher) bonus to checks with a single skill, it is acceptable to infer the existence of a “lesser” version of the item that only gives a +5 bonus and therefore has a market price of 2,500 gp (which fits within any character’s cap), even if no such “lesser” version of the item actually exists in any published source. If an item has a specific number of uses per day, but no “lesser” version of the item exists, then the item’s full market price must be used to determine whether or not it functions for a given PC. It is not permissible to try and reduce the item’s market price by reducing the number of daily uses. Items with a specific number of charges or uses per day are considered to be all-or-nothing for scaling purposes. If an item has a specific number of uses per day and a lesser version does exist, then the lesser version may be used as the scaled-down version if it fits within the character’s price cap. Example: A third eye (concentrate) grants a +10 competence bonus on Concentration checks and has a market price of 10,000 gp. This item functions normally for characters of 5th level and higher. For characters of 1st through 4th level, the item functions as a lesser third eye (concentrate) which grants a +5 competence bonus on Concentration checks and has a market price of 2,500 gp. This is permissible even though there is no such lesser item to be found in the Expanded Psionics

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Handbook, because all items that grant a +5 bonus to checks with a single skill have exactly the same market price and thefore there is no risk of variation. Example: Bracers of archery (lesser) have a market price of 5,000 gp. This item does not function at all for a character of less than 5th level and functions normally for all characters of 5th level and higher. Bracers of archery (greater) have a market price of 25,000 gp. This item functions normally for a PC of 9th level or higher, and functions as a pair of bracers of archery (lesser) for a PC of 5th through 8th level. Example: A minor ring of energy resistance (fire) has a market price of 12,000 gp and grants its wearer fire resistance 10. This item does not function at all for a PC of less than 9th level. A major ring of energy resistance (fire) has a market price of 28,000 gp and grants its wearer fire resistance 20. This item functions normally for a PC of 13th level or higher, and functions as a minor ring of energy resistance (fire) for a PC of 9th through level. 12th Example: A belt of giant strength +4 (16,000 gp market price) would function as a belt of giant strength +2 (4,000 gp market price) for any character of less than 9th level. This is true even though the normal +2 Strength item from Core Rulebook II takes up the gauntlet slot rather than the belt slot, because the base item being scaled down is a belt. The belt would not mysteriously transform into a pair of gauntlets when scaled down. Example: Goggles of night have a market price of 12,000 gp. They function normally for PCs of 9th level and higher. There is no “lesser” version of this item so it cannot be scaled down. It does not function at all for a PC of 8th level or lower. Example: A cloak of resistance +4 (16,000 gp market price) would function as a cloak of resistance +3 (9,000 gp market price) for a character of 5th to 8th level and as a cloak of resistance +2 (4,000 gp market price) for a character of 1st to 4th level. The item would always take the form of a cloak regardless of its scaled-down power level. Example: A rod of metamagic, extend (greater) may be used three times per day to affect a spell with the Extend Spell feat. It has a market price of 24,500 gp. This item functions normally for characters of 9th level and higher. The next step down is the standard rod of metamagic, extend, but its market price of 11,000 gp is too high even for characters of 5th through 8th level. The final step down is the rod of metamagic, extend (lesser), which has a market price of 3,000 gp and fits within the magic item cap for any character. So, this item functions as its “least powerful” version for any character of 1st through 8th level. (If the starting item were instead a rod of metamagic, quicken then it would not function at all for any character of less than 13th level, because even the least-powerful version of that item has a market price of 35,000 gold pieces.)


Non-Example: In the previous example, it would NOT be acceptable to invent a hybrid item, perhaps a special standard rod of metamagic, extend that was only usable twice per day instead of three times per day and with a market price of 7,333.33 gold pieces (two-thirds of 11,000), and allow a 5th through 8th-level character to use that instead of forcing such a character to scale the item all the way down to the lesser version of the original rod. Items with a specific number of charges or uses per day are considered to be all-or-nothing. Magical Arms and Armor: These items must be scaled down by first removing powers other than enhancement bonuses that are expressed in terms of “+X market price adjustment,” starting with the highest-priced adjustment and working downward. (A power with a +2 market price adjustment would be removed before a power with a +1 market price adjustment.) If there is more than one adjustment of the same value, then the player may choose the order in which the adjustments are removed. Augmentations that are expressed with a fixed cost (“+X gold pieces”) are removed next, and enhancement bonuses are removed last. If the item cannot be lowered below the PC’s market price limit, then it functions as a normal masterwork item of the appropriate type for that PC and provides no magical bonus. Example: A +1 frost, holy longsword (market price 32,315 gp) could only be used as-is by a character of 13th level or higher. This weapon would be scaled down by first removing the holy power (+2 market price adjustment), reducing the market price to 8,315 gp. The weapon could now be used by a character of 5th level or higher and it would function as a +1 frost longsword. For a 1st through 4th-level character, the frost augmentation would also need to be removed, which would reduce the weapon to a +1 longsword and the market price to 2,315 gp. Example: A suit of +2 glamered full plate of light fortification (market price 13,350 gp) could only be used as-is by a character of 9th level or higher. This armor would be scaled down by first removing the light fortification power (+1 market price adjustment), reducing the market price to 8,350 gp. The armor could now be used by a character of 5th level or higher and it would function as a suit of +2 glamered full plate. For a 1st through 4th-level character, the glamered augmentation would be removed first (it carries a fixed price of 2,700 gp), reducing the market price to 5,650 gp; unfortunately, this is still above the 4,000 gp cap for PCs of those levels, so the enhancement bonus would then be reduced from +2 to +1, resulting in a market price of 2,650 gp. The item would therefore function for such a PC as if it were a suit of +1 full plate. Note that in both of the above examples, if the item were made of a special material or had the greater masterwork property, the final outcome would not change, except that scaled-down item would still be considered to be made of the same special material and/or still have the

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greater masterwork property. This is because special materials costs and fixed-price craft adjustments (such as masterwork and greater masterwork) are considered part of the base price of the item, and therefore aren’t counted when determining the item’s magic value.

Use Restrictions

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Some certificates represent items that are fairly common in the campaign world (such as scrolls and potions). Others represent more unusual items (such as magic swords) or intangible benefits (such as the hatred of a particular noble) that can only be possessed in limited quantities. A very few certificates represent items that are truly unique or incredibly rare. Every certificate has a Use Restriction, which is a category that defines the number of “copies” of a certain certificate from a certain scenario may be in the possession of a particular character. The categories and their meanings are as follows: •

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Common: A character can possess as many duplicates of this certificate as desired, provided they were all acquired in accordance with the campaign rules (either through scenario play, by trading certs, at a marketplace, etc.) It is perfectly okay to have 10 copies of a Common cert from the same scenario or from different scenarios if you are able to scrounge them up. These items are “unusual” in the sense that one cannot generally buy them at the corner market, but they are common enough that individual copies do not need to be distinguished from one another. Most potions of cure light wounds are basically the same, for example. Uncommon: A character can possess only one of these items. This category is applied by item and scenario name. For example, if you happen to get item X from scenario A, and it is has a Use Restriction of Uncommon, then you can have one and only one of item X from scenario A. If another copy of item X comes out in scenario B later, then you can collect one or more of those as well (depending on its restriction in scenario B), since the scenario name is different. Most favors and other intangibles have a use restriction of Uncommon. While you cannot, for example, gain the respect of a particular noble more than once in a single scenario, you might well gain it a second time in a different scenario if you perform another suitable service on that noble’s behalf. Restricted: A PC may possess one and only one of these items, regardless of the source. Otherwise, this item has no effect on any other item in play. Multiple PCs at the same table may have one copy each of the same Restricted item without penalty. For example, if all six characters at the table have a bag of holding (type I), there is no problem, but none of those characters could ever possess two of the item even if one of them were willing to give his away. Typically, this restriction is only applied to items that the campaign staff considers to be


•

potentially game-breaking if a single character possessed them in large quantities, such as extradimensional storage spaces. This classification is also given to items that allow a character to regain spells after they have been used, such as pearls of power.) Rare: A PC may possess one and only one of these items, regardless of the source. Furthermore, only one copy of the certificate may be used at a given table of players for the entire duration of a scenario. If multiple characters bring this item, then only one of them actually “exists” for that adventure. Which of the duplicates is the active one must be determined by the players at the start of the adventure, and it may not be changed during the course of the adventure. The other characters’ copies of the item do not necessarily disappear; see the “Rare Items and Generic Versions” section below for rules to handle multiple rare items at a table. Typically, this restriction is only applied to items that might create a significant paradox if more than one of the item were to show up at the same table. If all six characters were to pull the head of a particularly notorious NPC out of their backpacks at the same time, that could lead to some rather … interesting … questions. Unique: Only one of these exists in the campaign. Obviously, the character will not have more than one copy of the cert, nor will there ever be more than one at the same table, since only one copy exists. These certs are extremely rare and generally represent special honors and rewards earned at scenario premieres and/or special campaign events, such as Battle Interactives.

All extra-dimensional storage devices, regardless of their source, are considered to have a Use Restriction of Restricted, meaning an individual character may only possess one of each type (e.g. you may have one bag of holding, one handy haversack, and one quiver of Saluwé but you may not have more than one of any of these items). The different types of bags of holding are treated as distinct items for this purpose (you could have one type I bag, one type II bag, etc.). Although they are not technically extra-dimensional spaces, items that allow other items to be held in magical stasis within them are also restricted in this fashion. A set of gloves of storing or bracelets of storing are considered a single item for purposes of this limitation.

Creating Generic Versions of Rare Items As noted above, no more than one copy of any certificate with a Rare designation may be used at a particular table. However, to avoid denying other PCs the benefit of certificates that they have fairly earned or fairly traded for, the scaling rules detailed above (under Magic Item Limits by PC Level) are also used to create “generic” versions of Rare items for those PCs who do not have the “one real” item at the table. The following rules apply.

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If the Rare item has a “lesser” version, then the generic version of the item is that lesser version. For items that provide a skill bonus, even if no “lesser” version of the item officially exists, implied power breaks occur at +10, +5, and +2. (In other words, if the original Rare item gives a +5 bonus on a particular type of skill check, the “generic” version of that item would give a +2 bonus, even if no such item explicitly exists in any published sourcebook.) If the Rare item is a wondrous item that provides a bonus other than a skill bonus, then the generic version of the item is identical except that the bonus is one “step” lower (where the step size is determined by the increments in which the item's power can be purchased). This is true even if the full-power version of the Rare item would normally fit within the character’s magic item limits. Only the “real” version of the item is allowed to retain its full powers. If the Rare item is a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, then the generic version of the item is the item minus the first augmentation or bonus that would be removed according to the “scaling” rules described in the section entitled “Magic Item Limits by PC Level.” This is true even if the full-power version of the Rare item would normally fit within the character’s magic item limits. Only the “real” version of the item is allowed to retain its full powers. If the Rare item cannot be scaled down according to the above rules or it has a unique power, then it becomes a masterwork version of the base type of item and provides no magical bonus. If the Rare item is an intangible, such as a favor or curse, or if it is a physical item that does not have any game properties (such as the severed head of a notorious outlaw) then all of the copies of that item other than the “real” one simply do not exist at all for the duration of the adventure. However, if part of the purpose of the module is that something specifically happens to that intangible, then the same fate happens to all “invisible copies” held by other PCs at the table. This is to prevent five people from showing up with the notorious outlaw’s severed head and then trading the four that didn’t get used in the adventure to other characters after they have played it. Scenarios whose purpose is wholly or partially to deal with specific Rare items will generally provide instructions for the GM as to how to handle the situation where multiple copies of the certificate are present at the table. Some Rare certificates may have specific instructions on the certificate as to what their scaled-down version is, or what happens if there are multiple copies of the certificate at the table. Specific instructions on a certificate should always be given precedence over the general guidelines specified herein.


Supply Runs The Supply Run rules were first released in October 2004, between LARC updates. The original rules have been revised and expanded for this release of the LARC, and new certificates have been created that match the new rules. The version number on the most current release of the Supply Run rules and certificates will always match the version number on the most current release of the LARC. A “supply run” represents a group of six (6) special certificates that may be used in conjunction with the play of any LIVING ARCANIS scenario. These certificates allow PCs to purchase a limited number of specific items that would otherwise be unavailable to them outside of a Marketplace. For older scenarios that do not have these certificates included, a generic version of the Supply Run certificates will be made available on the official campaign website and in the Files section of the LA-Talk online newsgroup. Each PC (or cohort) may purchase items by using one (1) of these certificates before, during (if appropriate and at the GM’s discretion), or after a scenario. It is always the GM’s decision as to whether or when the PCs may use the Supply Run certificates. If an adventure starts in Grand Coryan and then moves to the trackless wastes of the Blessed Lands, and the PCs choose not to make their supply run while they are in the city, the GM is perfectly within her rights to rule that PCs may not buy items on the Supply Run certificate while they are away from civilization. (She may also be merciful and say that the PCs purchased the items in question while they were still in Grand Coryan, depending on how dire their situation is, but a Supply Run should not be used as a crutch to cover for poor planning by the adventurers.) Each Supply Run certificate holds up to four (4) minor items. The PC may purchase any number of items between one and four and record them on the certificate. Only one Supply Run may be made per PC per adventure. The GM should cross off any empty slots in ink: a PC cannot go back and fill in those slots later. Each potion and each scroll uses up one slot on the certificate regardless of its value. The four consumable magic item slots on the certificate may be filled with any combination of the following consumable magic items. (The caster level for these items is always the minimum caster level at which the item could legally be created.) • •

Any single slot may be filled with a potion or oil with a value of 600 gp or less listed on Table 7-17 in Core Rulebook II. Any single slot may be filled with a scroll containing a single arcane or divine spell of 3rd level or lower listed on Table 7-23 and or Table 724 in Core Rulebook II. Please indicate whether the spell is arcane or divine and the caster level.

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Each Supply Run certificate also holds one (and only one) weapon, suit of armor, load of ammunition (up to 20 charges of powder and shot for flintlocks or up to 50 pieces of ammunition for non-flintlocks), or some other item. Optionally, this item may be made masterwork (but not greater masterwork or better) and/or constructed of a common special material at the time of purchase. Only those special materials that do not follow the “unit system” of measurement in the LARC may be purchased via a Supply Run certificate. Currently, those special materials are: alchemical silver, Altherian steel, and cold iron. Raw quantities of special materials may not be purchased on a Supply Run certificate for purposes of PC crafting; only finished items may be purchased. PCs may not “assist in the crafting” to reduce or negate the market price of those items that they wish to purchase. Special materials costs are found in Appendix 1 of this document. During a Supply Run, a character may only purchase items that are freely available according to the LARC and that the character is legally allowed to purchase. (For example, a character that does not normally have the right to purchase blast powder may not do so by means of a Supply Run certificate, and a character may not purchase a weapon that is on the restricted list in the LARC, such as a Kio sword, without campaign documentation.) If a double weapon is purchased, both ends of the weapon must be accounted (and paid) for. It is permissible to purchase a double weapon with one or both ends as masterwork and/or made of a special material (and the two ends may be made of different special materials), but the full and correct cost of both ends of the weapon must be clearly and completely documented on the certificate. To be clear: Items and qualities that are not explicitly listed on the Supply Run certificate may not be written in or otherwise added to the certificate. Examples of items that may not be purchased with a Supply Run certificate include greater masterwork items, legendary items, custom weapons and armor, items made of special materials that use the unit system, flintlock modifications, magic weapons, magic armor, and magic ammunition. Flintlock weapons and ammunition may only be purchased by characters that have the legal right to buy them in the nation where the Supply Run is being conducted. Each Supply Run certificate (as a whole) gains the use restriction “Uncommon” (meaning that a given PC or cohort may not use more than one Supply Run certificate for a given scenario, even if other PCs do not use theirs). Supply Run certificates may be traded between PCs, but the normal rules for such trades must be followed, including the observance of the Uncommon use restriction. The entire certificate with all remaining items must be traded at once. (The items are used individually, but they may not be traded piecemeal from a Supply Run certificate.)


Supply Run certificates may only be used as described in this document. They may never be used to certify any PC-crafted mundane or magical items, including potions and scrolls. Supply Run certificates do not replace the need to visit an Activity Center in order to get certificates for crafted items and other special items that can be obtained without a certificate. For example, any character may obtain a masterwork or greater masterwork item via the Heirloom feat, a Master-Smith gains the ability to make items with certain special materials, and new characters created in Nishanpur are allowed to purchase a single Sarishan steel item out of their starting funds. None of those types of items may be written on a Supply Run certificate. Any illegal use of a Supply Run certificate, whether it is incorrect pricing of the items purchased or use of the certificate to represent items that are not legal for purchase, is grounds for the certificate to be voided and removed from play with no compensation to any of the characters involved.

Supply Runs Outside of Scenario Play Any character may choose to take a little bit of time away from adventuring and go home to stock up on essential items. This essentially allows a character to make a Supply Run between scenarios. In order to do this, simply download the current version of the Supply Run certs from the campaign website. Fill out one (and only one) of these certificates with the items you wish to purchase. Follow all the rules listed in the Supply Run section above, except that you may choose the city in which you are making your purchases. You may not buy more than one certificate’s worth of items. The cost for making a Supply Run outside of scenario play is 10 Time Units, unless you want to make your Supply Run in Freeport, and your last adventure did not end in Freeport, in which case you must pay 20 Time Units, because the sea voyage takes longer. For the adventure name, write “Between Adventures” and reference the logsheet entry number of your last scenario played. Prepare a new logsheet entry showing the TU and money that you spent. Do not sign the certificate or the logsheet entry. The next time you play your character in a sanctioned LIVING ARCANIS scenario, have the table GM review your Supply Run certificate and sign off on the cert and the logsheet entry. If the table GM finds any discrepancies or errors in your work, you may correct them immediately. Once the GM signs off, if any errors are discovered in the future, the Supply Run certificate will be considered null and void. A character may not go on more than one Supply Run between any two adventures. For this purpose, metagaming activities, special missions or special events (such as Battle Interactives) and any play opportunities other than a standard RPGA LIVING ARCANIS scenario do not count as adventures. You may not engage in any other sort of meta-gaming activity in conjunction with a Supply Run that you

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undertake between adventures. Specifically, you may not practice trades or professions, craft mundane or magical items, gain or lose XP in any fashion, sell or trade any of your items or equipment, buy anything that you would not normally be allowed to buy (other than mundane equipment and the items you purchase with the Supply Run certificate), scribe spells into your spellbook, or do anything else that is only allowed as part of scenario play. A Supply Run does not count as having played a scenario for any purpose.

NPC Crafting Certificates Some certificates give the PC a choice of items, or allow the PC to choose an item from a list of approved sources. For example, a certificate might state that the character may select any weapon from Core Rulebook I or the Player’s Guide to Arcanis and the certificate then represents a masterwork version of that weapon. Once a certificate of this nature has been filled out and the item chosen, that choice is permanent, even if the character is rebuilt or recycled. Characters are limited to choosing items that they are legally permitted to purchase unless the certificate specifically states otherwise. For example, a weapon certificate cannot be used to gain a flintlock unless the character is legally allowed to buy flintlock weapons. Certificates of this type may not be used to gain items that are on the restricted or banned list in the LARC, unless the certificate lists the item by name as a valid choice. PCs may not apply additional options to these kinds of certificates above and beyond those printed on the certificate. For example, if a certificate says that it is good for any suit of armor, then it is good for a suit of armor and only a suit of armor. It is not good for a suit of armor with the Custom modification from the Player’s Guide, or for a suit of armor with masterwork armor spikes attached, or anything other than exactly what is printed on the certificate. If you have a question about what is meant by a particular cert’s wording, please contact the campaign staff (contact information is provided at the beginning of this document) and we will be happy to explain it. It is not always the case that “fill-in-the-blank” certificates need to be decided upon immediately (at the gaming table). As long as the judge signs off on the cert, it is reasonable for the player to take some time to consider the decision of which item to select. (Some certificates specifically state that they must be used immediately, in which case you should follow the instructions on the cert.) A certificate cannot be used, traded, sold, or redeemed in any other way until it is completely filled out, unless the cert specifically states otherwise.

Extra-Dimensional Storage Devices There are a number of magic items (such as bags of holding) and spells (such as rope trick) that enable a character to store things (or creatures) in extradimensional spaces. It is not possible to bypass any of


the natural laws of Arcanis by means of such devices. For example: Death: Placing a dead body into an extra-dimensional device does not stop the soul from departing 24 hours after death. This time is a representation of the call of Beltine’s Cauldron (or the Orumar, soul shard, etc.) Placing bodies into another plane or dimension does not stop the passage of a soul from one life to the next. Carrying Limits of Blast Powder: The process of travel through a Gate or Portal of Anshar is a mystery that has yet to be fully unraveled. However, it has been learned (through painful experimentation) that transporting blast powder via Portals of Anshar and other forms of teleportation magic leads to explosive results if too much is carried. The same restriction applies to storing blast powder within extra-dimensional spaces. Blast powder that is taken away from the Material Plane becomes unstable, and if enough unstable blast powder is in the same place, the result is the same as it would have been had the blast powder been taken through a Portal. If more than 20 shots of blast powder are put into a single extra-dimensional storage device of any type, it explodes. The damage from the ensuing blast completely destroys the item and all its contents. The PC carrying the extra-dimensional space is also subject to damage from the blast powder as detailed under those rules. If the space is non-portable (such as the spaces created by most spells) then the space itself is not destroyed, but all characters within 10 feet of the explosion suffer the same damage as the character carrying the blast powder.

Scaling, Soul-Linked, and Soul-Bound Items Certain rare and powerful items are crafted in such a fashion that they do not follow the normal rules. These items come in three varieties: scaling, soul-linked, and soul-bound. In LIVING ARCANIS, all items with any of these properties must be certed. There are no exceptions.

Scaling Items A scaling item is one that grows in power as its user does. Most such items are weapons, but examples of other types of scaling items have been known to exist. For example, an artifact-level sword might reveal additional powers to its wielder as she gains more and more experience. Scaling items always have their advancement rules clearly marked on the certificate. They are not subject to the magic item value limits described earlier; they advance at their own rate and they always function at the power level listed on the certificate. Many scaling items are also soul-linked or soul-bound, but not all of them. Examples of scaling weapons in LIVING ARCANIS include Nocht, False Yet True, Margraf val’Tensen’s Legacy, and Spirit of Freedom. A scaling item will function for any character who meets the prerequisites listed on the certificate. Some items

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function for anyone. Others have specific requirements; for example, a scaling weapon might require its wielder to be of a particular race, character class, alignment, Val bloodline, etc. If a scaling item is transferred from one valid owner to another, it takes a certain amount of time for the item to attune itself to the new bearer. Whenever a scaling item is transferred, it immediately drops back to the lowest (non-magical) power level listed on the certificate. Once the new owner has carried the item for a total of 30 Time Units, the item has completed the attunement process and its power level resets to the appropriate level based on the character level of its new owner. A scaling item does not lose its attunement if it is temporarily handled or carried by someone other than its owner (for example, if a knight has a scaling weapon and his squire carries the weapon around from time to time) but it functions as a non-magical item of the appropriate type for anyone other than its current owner. If the certificate does not specify, then assume that the item’s non-magical form is that of a masterwork item.

Soul-Linked Items A soul-linked item is one that is magically connected to a specific owner. It only functions for that designated person; if it is ever lost, stolen, given away, or sold, it reverts to a baseline value (generally its basic construction minus all magical properties). Soul-linked items cannot be fooled by illusions or other changes in physical form; they recognize their linked wielders by the unique touch of their souls. A soul-linked item does not confer any special benefits or drawbacks on its wielder, other than the powers listed on the certificate. If a soul-linked item is ever sundered or destroyed, it cannot be re-forged, but its wielder does not suffer any particular penalties (unless noted on the certificate). An item cannot be both soul-linked and soul-bound, but it can be both soul-linked and scaling (and indeed most are). Examples of soul-linked weapons in LIVING ARCANIS include Nocht, False Yet True, Margraf val’Tensen’s Legacy, and Spirit of Freedom. A soul-linked item does not permanently lose all its powers if it is temporarily handled by someone other than its linked bearer, but the item will not activate any of its magical or special powers for any character other than its designated bearer. It functions as a non-magical item of the appropriate type for anyone else. If the certificate does not specify, then assume that the item’s non-magical form is that of a greater masterwork item.

Soul-Bound Items A soul-bound item is one that is inextricably linked to a specific entity. It only functions for that designated person; in fact, it molds itself to better suit its wielder, gaining the benefits of the Custom property as described in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Furthermore, unless the certificate specifies otherwise, a soul-bound item can always be called to its wielder as a standard action. It appears instantaneously, arriving on the character’s person in the most appropriate place based on the character’s desires (hand or scabbard for a weapon, on


the body for armor, etc.) No matter what distance or other boundaries might separate them, whether physical or magical in nature, as long as the item and its owner are on the same plane of existence, this call cannot be denied. There are consequences for the bearer of a soul-bound item should the item ever be sundered or otherwise completely destroyed. So strong is the connection between the bearer’s soul and the item that it will reforge itself 24 hours after being destroyed, reappearing in the character’s possession. In doing so it draws off a portion of the character’s life force, permanently reducing the character’s Constitution score by one point. There is no way to reduce, prevent, or repair this damage. If this reduces the character’s Constitution score to zero then she dies and cannot be brought back to life by any means (her soul has literally been used up to power the weapon’s restoration). Some soul-bound weapons exert such a strong pull on their bearers that the bearer may suffer physical or mental consequences simply for being separated from the weapon; for example, Fleshripper deals Constitution damage to its bearer if the two are ever separated for more than a short period of time. An item cannot be both soul-bound and soul-linked, but it can be both soul-bound and scaling (almost all soulbound weapons are also scaling weapons). Examples of soul-bound items in LIVING ARCANIS include Fleshripper and the twelve unique Elebac’s Gifts from the 2001 premiere of Bargains of Flesh and Spirit. A soul-bound item does not permanently lose all its powers if it is temporarily handled by someone other than its linked bearer, but the item will not activate any of its magical or special powers for any character other than its designated bearer. It functions as a non-magical item of the appropriate type for anyone else. If the certificate does not specify, then assume the item’s nonmagical form is that of a legendary (+2) item.

Scaling Items and Anti-Magic In an area of null magic or anti-magic, a scaling or soullinked weapon loses its magical properties and functions at the baseline level described on the certificate (i.e. the level it would function at if it were given away) or as a masterwork (for scaling items) or greater masterwork (for soul-linked items) item of the appropriate type if nothing is listed on the certificate. However, it retains is link to its designtated bearer even in areas where magic and/or psionics do not otherwise function. For purposes of targeted dispel magic checks, a soul-linked weapon has an effective caster level of 20. Likewise, unless something else is listed on the certificate, in areas of anti-magic a soul-bound weapon functions as a legendary item of the appropriate type with the legendary bonus equal to the item’s current total bonus in the hands of its chosen bearer (i.e. its enhancement bonus plus any “+X market price”

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augmentations). If the item has no enhancement bonus then the item functions as a legendary (+2) item. The Custom property that all soul-bound items receive is a physical property of the item and so is unaffected by the presence or absence of magic. For purposes of targeted dispel magic checks, a soul-bound weapon has an effective caster level of 25. Even in areas where magic and/or psionics do not function or teleportation magic is blocked or restricted, a soul-bound weapon can still be called by its wielder. Nothing can stop it unless the certificate specifically says otherwise. (Fleshripper is one example of a soulbound item that cannot be called by its wielder, while the twelve special Elebac’s Gifts are examples of soulbound items that can be called by their wielders.)

Trading Certificates Every certificate indicates whether it can be traded between characters. If a certificate can be and is traded, then a complete trade history must appear on the back of the certificate. The information for each trade must include the real name, character name, and RPGA number of the person trading the item away, along with the real name, character name, and RPGA number of the person accepting the item. The date of the trade must also be indicated. This all must be completely legible, and any certificate’s “trade history” must show the progress of the certificate from the original owner (as indicated on the front) to the current owner. Certed items in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign that indicate they are tradable may be freely traded between characters, subject to the limitations printed on the certs themselves and the following additional restrictions: •

•

•

No cert may be traded from one character to another character belonging to the same player, regardless of how many other characters the cert may have belonged to in the interim. Cohorts are the only exception to this rule. A PC may freely give items to his or her cohort, and the player signs those items over as a normal trade. Once a certed item has been given to a cohort, that item may never be traded back to the primary PC or to any of that player’s other characters or cohorts. If a player sells or trades a particular certificate to another player, six months of real-world time must pass before the same player can have the cert traded or sold back to him. A player may never possess any certificate that originated in an adventure he or she wrote.

Selling Certificates Certed items in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign may be sold by player characters to other player characters for whatever price is amenable to both players. (Cohorts follow certain restrictions in this regard; see the cohort rules for full details.) In the event that a character wishes to sell an item to an unnamed NPC (sometimes described as selling an item “to the game” or “to the


world”), the item always sells for one-half the market price listed on the cert. Finding a buyer takes time. For each “step” of rarity of the cert in question the character must spend 10 Time Units in search of a buyer to pay the sale price of the item. If the player wishes to sell the item for one-fourth its listed value instead of the usual one-half, then the time to find a buyer is cut in half. If, at the conclusion of an adventure, a party wishes to sell a certed item and divide the proceeds, the TUs must be divided in the same manner as the gold. If two PCs divide the money gained equally, then those two PCs need to divide the TU cost and pay it equally. If one PC takes 25% of the gold value, and another PC takes 75% of the gold value, then they divide the TU cost the same way. TU costs may never be rounded, and there is no such thing as a fractional TU. Someone must pay any odd TU left over once the costs have been evenly divided among the party. Alternatively, the party can choose to reduce the TU cost and sell the item for onequarter its listed value. Occasionally, an NPC is specifically listed in a scenario as being interested in a particular item, and having the funds to purchase said item. In those rare cases, that item may be sold to that NPC at no TU cost. Unless a list of items and prices is specifically provided in the scenario, GMs are not allowed to have NPCs spontaneously decide to purchase items from the party without a TU cost or at any price other than half value. Unless the scenario or the certificate text specifically states otherwise, Time Unit costs are always incurred when selling an item to an NPC. PCs may sell or trade items to each other at the same table (while playing in the same scenario) without incurring a TU cost. Selling, trading, or gifting items outside of a common scenario costs the player losing the item the appropriate number of Time Units to find the other character. For these purposes, if two players are at the same Marketplace or other meta-campaign activity, their characters may be treated as being in a common scenario. (However, if the meta-campaign activity is restricted such that certain characters would not be allowed to participate, then those restrictions also apply to players trading certificates amongst their characters.) Table LARC-04: TU Cost to Sell Certed Items Item Rarity TU Cost Common 0 Uncommon 10 Restricted 10 Rare 20 Unique 30

Transferring Gold Sums of gold may only be moved from one PC to another outside of a scenario at a campaign-sanctioned Marketplace or Activity Center. Both players (and PCs)

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must be present, along with all log sheets and other campaign documentation. PCs may freely give gold to one another during the play of a scenario. This could be a direct transfer of coin as part of treasure distribution, or one PC buying something for the other PC to use (like armor). All such activities must be noted in the log sheets and verified by the GM. All PC-to-PC transfers of gold must take place at the table, with the GM present as witness. A PC may spend gold on another PC during or immediately after the play of a scenario for services that do not involve the creation of permanent magic items. A typical example is one PC (or everyone in the party) paying for another PC to be healed, cured of a disease, or raised from the dead. All such expenditures must be noted on the log sheets and approved by the GM.

Certificate Errata Whenever there is a discrepancy between a certificate and the text of a scenario, the text printed on the certificate always has priority. A number of certificates that have been issued over the first three years of the campaign require specific errata and clarifications to bring them into compliance with current campaign policies and/or the new edition of the core rules. These changes are detailed in Appendix 3: Scenario and Certificate Errata.

Meta-Game Activities The LIVING ARCANIS campaign provides a variety of options for characters to advance their material and spiritual interests above and beyond standard scenario play. These meta-game activities can be used to buy, sell, and trade certificates, to obtain certificates for items crafted by PCs, to exchange spells or information with other characters, to join or advance in the ranks of the various organizations that strive to shape the face of Onara, and more. This section provides details on the various meta-campaign options that are currently available.

Marketplaces Marketplaces are special meta-game options available only to large game days and conventions. Certain scenarios may contain “mini-marketplaces” that are intended to be offered when the scenario is run, but most Marketplaces are not available to home-play groups. Every Marketplace is delivered as a set of PDF documents, which contain certificates, tracking forms, and detailed rules and instructions for operating the Marketplace. Typical Marketplaces have certificates available for PC purchase that include some of the more common magical items and a limited ability to upgrade magical arms and armor. The Senior GM (and other designtated volunteers) for an event can supervise a Marketplace


without needing the direct participation of the campaign staff. Special marketplaces are sometimes available which have unique items unavailable elsewhere. These marketplaces are usually only run at the largest conventions (such as Winter Fantasy, Origins, and Gen Con) and are always run under the direct supervision of the campaign staff.

Activity Centers An Activity Center is a special addition to a Marketplace that allows certification of player-crafted items. These bundles are tightly regulated and are only available to Senior GMs and convention coordinators who demonstrate a high degree of familiarity with the core rules plus the campaign-specific rules regarding crafting or upgrading magical items. It is not automatically the case that if you are given access to a Marketplace for your show, you will also be given access to an Activity Center. If you are interested in obtaining a Marketplace and/or Activity Center for your event, please contact the LIVING ARCANIS Convention Liaison (contact information is found at the beginning of this document). Please note that the decision to permit a particular event to run a Marketplace or Activity Center is entirely subject to the discretion of the campaign staff and Paradigm Concepts, Inc. Decisions are made based a variety of factors, including but not limited to the size of the event (number of LIVING ARCANIS tables being offered, number of players participating, etc.), the number of Marketplaces that have been offered in a particular geographic area within a particular time period, and on our assessment of the event management team’s ability to provide staff members who can understand and correctly follow the campaign rules for crafting and pricing mundane and magical items.

Meta-Organizations Meta-organizations are various factions, societies, political groups, and other organizations that are designed to enhance the role-playing experience of characters participating in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. These organizations are completely optional; no player or character is required to join a metaorganization in order to participate in the campaign. Meta-organization membership is handled at the character level, not at the player level (i.e. players may choose to have their PCs join one or more organizations, or they may forego these options completely for some characters and use them extensively for others). To be clear: The information provided in the LARC is intended to give an overview of meta-organizations and their role in the campaign. Specific details, including membership requirements and benefits, for the various organizations are found in the LIVING ARCANIS MetaOrganization Document. The list of national factions and secret societies that characters may join without additional campaign documentation is always found in

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the current version of the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines. As with any optional material in LIVING ARCANIS, if a player chooses to have his character utilize one of these options, that player is responsible for bringing a copy of that meta-organization’s governing documents to the gaming table each and every time he plays the character who is a member of that organization. Failure to bring the document for the GM to review will result in the character being unable to utilize any options listed within that document. Many of the meta-organization documents reference the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, the Codex Arcanis, and other non-core materials. If a chosen meta-organization document references this material, the player utilizing the meta-org’s options must also provide that non-core material to the GM for review. Since this is an optional part of the campaign, it is the player’s responsibility to bring this material, not the GM’s. Failure to bring any of the necessary reference materials results in the character being unable to utilize any of the meta-organization options during that adventure. Within each organization, there are a set of initial requirements (prerequisites) that a character must meet before he can join that specific organization. These requirements might be ranks in a selected skill, a certain level of base attack bonus, the ability to cast a certain level of spells, the forced expenditure of TUs to gain or maintain membership, and more. Whenever these requirements are expressed as a numeric value, this value is considered to be a non-enhanced requirement. This means no magical or psionic bonuses of any type may be applied to the character’s base attributes in order to meet the requirements. For example, if the Old Centurion wishes to join an organization with a prerequisite of a +7 Reflex save, he must meet this requirement with his base save bonus from his class levels plus his un-enhanced Dexterity score. He may not count the bonus from his gauntlets of dexterity or his cloak of resistance towards this requirement. He may not count any bonuses that he receives from feats (such as Lightning Reflexes) towards this requirement, either. In addition to the limitations listed within each metaorganization (many of which are mutually exclusive by their very nature), each PC in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign is limited to a total membership in no more than 4 meta-organizations at any one time. If a character wishes to leave one organization to join another, he may do so by suffering the consequences as detailed under the “ex-members” section of the organization he has chosen to leave. This information will be listed in each individual organization’s document. However, under no circumstances may a character claim membership in more than one secret faction / secret society at any time.

choose a nationality to which they are loyal. This is their default faction. At the beginning of a scenario, the GM will often distribute “Secret Orders” based on a variety of factors, but most commonly on the basis of national faction and/or secret society affiliation. These secret faction orders may give individual PCs a goal (or multiple goals) above and beyond that of the group as a whole. It is up to the PC to determine how (or whether) to carry out the orders that he has been given. Changing National Factions: PCs may select a national faction at any time (during character creation or any time during game play). Once that selection is made it is difficult to change, as the various nations do not look kindly on expatriates in many circumstances. More information on the nations of Onara, their outlooks, and their relationships with one another may be found in the Codex Arcanis and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Rules for changing national factions will be detailed in the specific meta-organization document that covers each faction. In addition to a national faction, PCs may also choose to join a secret society (see below) but they are not required to do so.

Secret Societies Secret societies are a particularly demanding type of meta-organization. They generally have very detailed agendas for shaping the direction of world events, oftentimes without the knowledge of those whose destines are being influenced from behind the scenes. As an example, a particular political party might be very open in its operations, putting candidates up for various offices and advocating the implementation of its overall platform by the nation at large. This would be an example of a public meta-organization, which any character can join after meeting the prerequisites. However, if there is also a secret “shadow cabinet” of individuals who actually pull the strings and whose membership – and, more importantly, whose existence – is not known to the members of the political party at large, then that is an example of a secret society. This is particularly true if the shadow cabinet’s true goals are not the same as the publicly-stated goals of the political party.

National Factions

Manipulation of people, nations, and events to gain advantage is a hallmark of most secret societies, but that does not mean that they are intrinsically or automatically capital-E “Evil.” Indeed, many secret societies consider themselves forces for advancing the causes of justice and righteousness, but they must keep their operations secret to avoid attacting the notice of those powerful evil forces that oppose their efforts. One example of this is the Sanctorum of the Arcane, which must keep its operations hidden from the ever-present threat of the Harvesters of Ymandragore.

The LIVING ARCANIS campaign makes use of national factions to enhance play. This element adds a level of complexity to PC motivations. All characters must

The biggest difference between a public metaorganization and a secret society is that while a public


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meta-organization is (by and large) just happy to have a PC as a member and will not ask for many specific tasks to be performed, other than generally seeking to promote the organization’s interests, a secret society will often give its members detailed (and often dangerous or illegal) missions which must be carried out in order to advance the society’s very narrow and very specific objectives. Also, the public meta-organizations generally do not attempt to have their ex-members assassinated, whereas secret societies do so as a matter of course. PCs may join any one (and only one) of the approved secret factions whose requirements they meet. Membership in a secret faction supersedes a PC’s obligation to his nationality (as far as secret faction orders are concerned). That is not to say that a player must always carry out the orders given to him by his secret society. PCs are always free to choose their own course of action – just remember, choices have consequences Whether a PC’s true loyalty lies with his nation or his secret faction (or his friends) may be sorely tested in play, if and when the goals and loyalties of one run directly contrary to the others. Secret society membership is not a matter of public record. By that, we mean that players are under no obligation whatsoever to disclose their memberships and affiliations to the other players. Indeed, players (and PCs) are free to lie and obfuscate on this topic to their hearts’ content. The GM needs to know the truth, for obvious reasons, but must keep the information in strictest confidence. Some societies are so diametrically opposed that their members are given orders which conflict in every detail. It is the player’s responsibility to notify the GM prior to the start of play of all meta-organization memberships that his character possesses. This includes any and all national factions, secret socieities, and other organizations. It is also the player’s responsibility to inform the GM of any particular notoriety (high degrees of fame, high degrees of infamy, or “hunted” status) that his character has with any group or organization. This may take the form of certificates (for example, Notices of the Inquisition) or it may simply be an accumulation of Fame and/or Infamy points with various organizations. The GM should not reveal to the player whether or not his character’s particular notoriety will have an effect on the adventure or not, but should simply make a note and nod sagely. Whenever PCs from the same secret society are playing the same scenario together, it is the GM’s responsibility to subtly (but unambiguously) inform them of this fact so that they may work together to accomplish their common goal. Of course, simply knowing that they have fellow members at the table does not oblige the players (or characters) to collaborate. It may be that the PCs do not agree on the method by which they should accomplish their assignment, or they may have had bad experiences with one another in the past and so choose


not to work together at all. Such disagreements are not up to the GM to resolve for the players. It is assumed that secret society members have a set of call-signs, hidden messages, sign language or other code words, drop-boxes, and other methods of discreet communication. How secret faction orders are actually delivered to PCs may range from the mundane (a street urchin “accidentally” bumps into the PC on the street and leaves a note in her pocket) to the mystifying (the PC’s belongings are left in a locked room all day, yet that night she discovers a note has appeared in her backpack). As PCs progress in their adventuring careers, their successes or failures at secret missions must be recorded on their log sheets. All organizations have a way of rewarding those who perform their duties well and punishing (or eliminating) those who bungle their assignments. Rules governing Secret Faction Fame and Infamy can be found in the next section. Changing Secret Societies: Once a character swears allegiance to a secret faction, getting out of that commitment is incredibly difficult (and often deadly). Each society’s meta-organization document details what happens to ex-members (those who simply leave the society and do not join another) and traitors (those who leave and join a different society or who attempt to publicly expose the society’s activities and existence). See the Infamy table in Chapter 10 of the Player’s Guide to Arcanis and look at the row for a character with 20 points of Infamy for some ideas about the kinds of things that might happen to a character who forswears his allegiance to a particular society. However, to be clear: judges should not try to ad-lib these kinds of penalties and punishments under any circumstances; they will either be spelled out in a scenario or detailed in the relevant meta-organization document. In particular, the LIVING ARCANIS and RPGA restrictions on PC-versus-PC combat are not waived when dealing with secret society members from competing factions or when ex-members are at the same table with current members.

Faction Fame/Infamy Accomplishing the goals of your PC’s nation or secret faction during an adventure often yields a reward, as described in the scenario. Rewards might include bonus experience points, money, fame, access to special items or additional training, or something completely different. Over time, further consequences of a character’s successes and failures might manifest. When a character is assigned a mission for his nation or secret faction, the GM should record this as part of the log sheet entry, along with a note of the mission’s success or failure (if the PC refused to attempt the mission, note that as well). Gaining fame or infamy can have an effect on your PC's career – or health, as described in Chapter 10 of the Player’s Guide to Arcanis.

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Not all successful missions add to a character’s reputation. Faction fame awards must be specifically noted in a scenario. Unsuccessful missions, on the other hand, are always noted by the appropriate higherranking members of the organization. (In other words, the award of an infamy point for failing to complete a mission will not be noted in the scenario, but the judge should award it anyway.) Sometimes a PC will find a particular mission’s parameters to be distasteful. This may cause the PC to refuse to carry out the mission (and might even be a reason for re-thinking his membership in the society if the mission asks him to do something particularly awful). A mission that a character refuses to attempt at all may or may not count for infamy purposes; this depends on the particular organization. Some secret societies demand absolute obedience from their members, while others are a bit more lenient. As detailed in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, secret societies can make certain resources available to their members once the member has achieved a certain level of fame. Only the options listed under the “Minor Requisition” column (page 309) may be utilized without campaign documentation. Each society’s specific metaorganization document will detail the sorts of benefits that can be obtained by making a “Major Requisition.” GMs should use their best judgment in adjudicating these kinds of requests during scenario play, with the core provisio that no “on-the-fly” benefits provided by any organization to its members can carry over or persist from one scenario to the next. (Some scenarios may have specific certificates that are to be awarded to PCs for completion or failure of secret faction missions, however.) PCs may only requisition supplies when they have been offered and have accepted a mission for their secret society or national faction. The consequences for a character with a history of failure vary depending on the organization. Only certain factions and nationalities use the “Hunted” section of the Infamy chart in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Please see the relevant meta-organization document for details.

Philosophical Questions This section concerns itself with various questions that arise during game play. Organized-play campaigns, such as LIVING ARCANIS, are designed to foster a sense of community among the players. While there may be elements of the campaign that involve giving different PCs conflicting goals or that are less than heroic (especially in Nishanpur) that does not mean that we encourage (or permit) players to create characters that are flat-out evil, sociopathic, etc. So, although we do not allow characters of Evil alignments, LIVING ARCANIS characters can sometimes perform actions that would be considered “Evil” in other campaigns. Read on for details.


Alignment All player characters in LIVING ARCANIS must be of a non-evil alignment. Chaotic Neutral is also not permitted for PCs. Players may not play evil characters by choice. Evil characters are not permitted in the campaign, and any evil actions committed may be grounds for that character's removal from the campaign. Please help us avoid this situation. Except as modified in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis or other official campaign documents, all alignment restrictions and multi-classing restrictions for character classes from the core rules are followed in LIVING ARCANIS.

Evil Acts Living Arcanis is an unforgiving campaign in which letting your guard down can often be a fatal mistake. Often characters are forced to choose the lesser of two evils to insure that the cause of good triumphs. At times, drastic measures must be taken to insure the overall safety of the party and those they choose to defend.

Coup De Grace Using the coup de grace action on an enemy (where “enemy” is defined as one who is putting or has the potential to put the party in danger) in the Living Arcanis campaign is not automatically considered an evil act. There are certain circumstances in which using this action may be necessary. Waiting for a sleeping giant to awaken before killing it may spell doom for the adventurers. However, slaughtering helpless foes as a matter of course is still an indication of evil and should be discouraged. If an enemy is knocked unconscious in combat, found sleeping, or caught in any other position where it is vulnerable to a coup de grace, a PC may take this opportunity (using subdual or lethal damage, whichever the PC wishes) only if no other option presents itself. Whether or not using coup de grace against an enemy is the “right” thing to do in the current situation is up to the discretion of the players at the table. If binding (or some other non-lethal method) can neutralize the opponent, then performing a coup de grace is most certainly considered an “evil” act. Meting out death to a helpless opponent may be expedient, but it should be morally repugnant to heroes when other options are available. Be forewarned, some modules will have specific consequences spelled out if a character opts to slay a helpless opponent. To be clear: Using a coup de grace against an innocent victim or bystander is always considered an evil action. The coup de grace is a means of survival to be used against enemies, not an approved method of murder.

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Evil Spells If a spell is used to aid the survival of a PC or group of PCs, regardless of the spell’s descriptor, it is not considered an evil act. As with all actions in the World of Shattered Empires, the character’s intent and execution make the difference between good or evil, not the simple use of a spell. Intent: If the reason you are summoning and binding a Demon / Devil / Outsider / etc. is to cause chaos and random bloodletting (such as sending a fiend on a murder rampage for no other reason than the sheer love of it) then that is an evil act. Summoning the same creature but commanding it to defend a breached wall in a mining encampment’s defenses when the innocent miners are under siege from the savage Voei, on the other hand, would not necessarily be considered an evil act. Execution: If the spell or ritual demands the death of a true innocent, then it is evil, regardless of the use to which the spell is put. Casting a spell that requires the blood of an innocent babe, freshly ripped from her mother’s womb, would be considered an evil act, regardless of why the spell was being cast.

Examples Using the Animate Dead Spell LIVING ARCANIS is a world in which the undead (particularly sentient undead) are not automatically marked for destruction. Neroth’s children are powerful and respected in many parts of the world (particularly Canceri) and accorded grudging respect in most others. There are even entire cities populated by undead and their living servitors. Thus, the question of animating corpses is a good one to consider when looking for examples of intent and execution to decide whether or not particular acts are evil or not. Intent: “I want to use the corpses of my enemy’s recently slain family as a way to torment him.” This is an evil act (not to mention twisted). Intent: “I call upon my fallen comrades (or ancestors, etc.) to save this village from a rampaging horde of Ogres.” This is not an evil act. The cause can be construed as a noble one, especially if the undead are released when the need has ended. Execution: “By the spilling of this innocent’s blood upon your blasted bones, let his wailing call you from the grave!” This is an evil act. Even if it were not an innocent’s blood, the wording and description make it seem very questionable. Execution: “By laying the Holy Symbol of Neroth and the sprinkling of his holy water upon your brow, I do call you up, my brother, so that you may serve our Lord in death as you did in life.” This is most likely not an evil act, although the character may be doing it for evil purposes, despite the high-minded wording, so be careful.


Do be certain to read up on the Nerothians in the Codex Arcanis and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis so that you will understand the differences between the Intellect (which is the province of Neroth) and the Spirit (which is the province of Beltine). Corporeal undead are usually Neroth’s children, while incorporeal undead are usually Beltine’s province.

Poison Use The use of poison is not automatically an evil act (although some character classes are forbidden from using poison, and those restrictions are not waived). However, all poisons must be certed in LIVING ARCANIS and PCs cannot buy poisons using the Black Market skill unless a scenario or Marketplace specifically states otherwise.

Summoning the Infernal In LIVING ARCANIS, there are a non-trivial number of characters who have the ability to summon, bind, control, rebuke, command, or otherwise make use of Infernal servitors. When player characters utilize the services of Infernals, this is always done against the Infernal’s will. The PC is subjugating the evil creature’s desires and forcing it to serve his own purposes. NPCs may ally themselves with Infernals and hatch evil schemes, but PCs do not. Indeed, the God Sarish and his church are specifically responsible for ensuring that demons and devils do not roam freely about the world, but instead are properly bound and put into servitude. To be clear: Sarishan PCs do not worship or serve demons, devils, or other Infernal creatures in any way, shape, or form. On the contrary, Sarish is known as the binder and summoner of Infernals, meaning that these beings are forced to do His bidding. Thus, members of the clerisy of Sarish can use the various summon monster spells to bring forth a Fiendish creature, for example, but that creature is being forced to fight on the summoner’s behalf; it is not obeying of its own free will. They are not of the same alignment and they do not share the same goals. A Sarishan must be careful, however, when dealing with more powerful Infernals, especially those “free-willed” fiends that have never been bound by any Sarishan. These creatures are loath to give up their freedom, even for a short period of time, and must be bargained with in order to acquire their services. Sometimes it will be necessary (or at least very desirable) to have these creatures as allies to complete some more important task. It is in these negotiations that alignment will come into play. If the Infernal demands innocent blood be spilled to gain its services, then that would be considered an “Evil” act and a PC would not be able to seal the bargain. If the Infernal demands a coveted magic item owned by the

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PC, then good-aligned PCs should not have a crisis of conscience in sealing that deal.

Adventuring Animals, Animal Companions, and Special Mounts PCs may bring animals with them on adventures. (At lower APLs, this is often a useful technique for increasing the odds that the party will survive.) Many PCs also gain animal companions or special mounts by virtue of their class features. Campaign rules concerning these “adventuring animals” are detailed in this section.

Time Costs for Special Mounts Unless otherwise noted in these rules, any time the published rules for gaining or replacing an adventuring animal, animal companion, or special mount include a cost that is specified as a number of days, a Living Arcanis character pays that cost as a number of Time Units equal to the number of days. For example, if a particular class states that it provides a special mount but should the special mount die the character must wait 30 days before summoning a replacement, in game terms that means 30 TU must pass for the character. This could be time spent on adventures, or any other time for which logsheet entries are made. If the player desires, the character can simply burn the requisite number of TU for no other benefit, but if this is done, a specific logsheet entry must be made to that effect and signed by the next GM.

Familiars Since familiars have an empathic bond with their master, they may perform any of the tricks listed under the Handle Animal skill without requiring additional training, but only as long as their master is conscious.

Certed Familiars From time to time, various certed animals will be made available through scenario play and other special events. These animals can be taken as familiars in accordance with the rules below. All certed familiars require the Improved Familiar (Onaran) feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis unless the certificate specifically says otherwise. Newer certificates will have the full details specified on the cert, but the following older certs represent animals that may also be taken as familiars under the right circumstances. • • •

Normal Animals All of the tricks and specific purposes (packages of tricks) in Core Rulebook I are available in LIVING ARCANIS. Any animal trained with the attack trick may wear barding. Any animal not so trained, may not wear barding. There are two different types of dog freely available for purchase in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. These animals do not need to be certed. They are clarified below. Riding Dog: This animal has its own entry in Core Rulebook III and is trained for war. This means it gains a trip attack as a wolf (see Core Rulebook III for details). This animal is also trained for Combat Riding as detailed under the Handle Animal skill in Core Rulebook I. Although this animal has the Track feat, it must still be taught the track trick to use this ability on command. Guard Dog: This animal uses the “dog” entry in Core Rulebook III and is trained for the purpose of Guarding as detailed under the Handle Animal skill in Core Rulebook I. Although this animal has the Track feat, it must still be taught the track trick to use this ability on command.


Altherian Stallion: Requires caster level eight (8) to be taken as a familiar. Kio Hawk: Requires caster level four (4) to be taken as a familiar. Skiz: Requires caster level five (5) to be taken as a familiar. However, making Skiz a familiar does not change the Use Restriction on the certificate (it is still Rare). If more than one Skiz is at a table at the same time, the one who is a familiar is given playing preference. If more than one Skiz familiar is present, the players must decide among themselves who gets to bring “the real Skiz” along. The other PC may “scale down” his Skiz familiar to a simple rat (see the scaling rules for Rare certificates for more details).

Improved Familiars PCs may take certain Improved Familiars without needing a campaign certificate via the Improved Familiar (Onaran) feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Special rules governing some of these familiars are detailed below. •

•

Imp and Quasit familiars may only use the common polymorph forms listed within their entries in Core Rulebook III. Additionally, neither familiar has the commune ability in LIVING ARCANIS. Homunculus familiars of extra hit dice may not be created or crafted, but they do advance as other familiars according to the power level of their master.

Animal Companions Animal companions are available to a wide variety of characters in LIVING ARCANIS, including druids, rangers, and specific prestige classes. Regardless of the source, the following campaign-specific rules apply to all animal companions.

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Gaining Animal Companions To replace or swap animal companions outside of scenario play requires the character to spend one (1) Time Unit. Simply make a note on the character’s log sheet of the animal companion released or that died and the new animal companion that is replacing it.

Training Animal Companions The standard tricks, packages of tricks, and training times listed under the Handle Animal skill in Core Rulebook I are freely available in LIVING ARCANIS.

Advancing Animal Companions Animal companions are advanced as detailed in Core Rulebook I. An animal companion gains hit points as follows. They gain maximum hit points plus Constitution modifier for their first three Hit Dice, and one-half their HD plus one, plus their Constitution modifier, thereafter. However, these animals may never utilize the Kid-Gloves rule.

Ssethric Animal Companions The Alternative Druid Companions listed in the PCI sourcebook Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire may be used by ss’ressen PCs in LIVING ARCANIS, except as noted below. These animals do not need to be certed. 1st level: Toad, Wolf Lizard (tiny), Lizard (small), Jaculi (lesser), Winged Viper 4th level: Giant Frog1, Mor'let2, Sc’math 7th level: Giant Dire Frog1, Jaculi (greater), Rock Reptile1, Bonesnapper1 10th level: Arboreal Black Caimen, Cyclura 13th level: Daughter of Yig 1

OGL creature from Tome of Horrors (Sword & Sorcery) 2 See the official errata for a corrected stat block for this creature The Dragonnel and Dragonnel (Gargantuan) require campaign documentation to be taken as animal companions. Please see the official PCI errata for corrected stats for the Mor’let. As with all optional material, the player must bring a copy of the sourcebook (and any errata) to the table in order to make use of any of these creatures.

it can be taken as an animal companion and gives rules for doing so, follow the rules on the cert. • • • •

Altherian Stallion (Level-2) Yhing Hir Light Warhorse (Level-1) Kio Hawk (Level-0) Milandisian War Hound (Level-1)

Any certed animal companion should be advanced according to the normal rules, using the statistics on the certificate (or in the LARC cert errata) as the creature’s baseline statistics. However, if the PC ever wishes to select a different animal companion, the certed animal returns to its normal statistics as listed on the cert and remains in the PC's care (unless the cert specifically says otherwise). In all other ways, these certed companions follow the rules for normal animal companions.

Special Mounts Special mounts are available to a wide variety of classes in Living Arcanis, including paladins, specific holy champions, and various prestige classes. Regardless of the source, the following campaign-specific rules apply to all special mounts. Holy champion mount types are specified for each holy champion class in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Each holy champion class also details how the mount is advanced using the core rules for paladin mounts. Note that not all holy champions receive special mounts.

Advancing Special Mounts Special mounts are advanced as detailed under the rules for advancing paladin mounts in Core Rulebook I. A special mount gains hit points as follows. They gain maximum hit points plus Constitution modifier for their first three Hit Dice, and one-half their HD plus one, plus their Constitution modifier, thereafter. However, these animals may never utilize the Kid-Gloves rule.

Training Special Mounts Since all special mounts have an empathic bond with their masters, they may perform any of the tricks listed under the Handle Animal skill without requiring additional training, but only as long as their master is conscious.

Certed Special Mounts Certed Animal Companions PCs that have the ability to gain animal companions as a class feature may select from the list in Core Rulebook I without campaign documentation. However, certain certed animals may also become animal companions. (The character must have the certificate, of course.) Newer certed animal companions have the full details on the certificate, but some older certed animals can also be taken as companions even though the certificate does not mention this. The following certificates may be used in this fashion (with the level adjustment noted for each creature). This is not a complete list; if a certificate says


Classes that gain a special mount as a class feature gain the appropriate mount at the appropriate level without requiring campaign documentation. Such characters may also have the opportunity to find a certed special mount of a type appropriate to their class. Newer certificates will provide the details on the cert, but some older certificates can also be used in this fashion: • •

Altherian Stallion (paladin mount only) Yhing Hir Light Warhorse (paladin mount only)

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Any certed special animal should be advanced according to the normal rules, using the statistics on the certificate (or in the LARC cert errata) as the creature’s baseline statistics. However, if the PC ever wishes to select a different special mount, the certed animal returns to its normal statistics as listed on the cert and remains in the PC's care (unless the cert specifically says otherwise). In all other ways, these certed mounts follow the rules for normal special mounts (including Time Unit costs and any other costs for attracting a new special mount, as detailed in the class description).

Death of Certed Animals It is the ruling of the campaign staff that familiars, animal companions, and special mounts cannot be returned from the dead under any circumstances (unless a scenario specifically states otherwise). Once a certed animal dies, the certificate is immediately voided and that certificate cannot be used again by any character. If the certificate is designated as tradable and the character is able to trade for another animal of the same type, then that new animal could once again be taken as a familiar, companion, or special mount, as appropriate.

Animals in Combat A variety of questions have been raised over the years concerning the use of animals in combat, including mounted combat, Handle Animal versus Ride checks to get animals to attack, “pushing” animals that have not been trained to attack, getting animals to attack unusual creatures, and so forth. A number of campaign-specific rulings on this topic have been issued and are collected in the LIVING ARCANIS Frequently Asked Questions document. If you use animal companions, familiars, or special mounts, you must review and abide by the rulings in the LA FAQ if your animals are going to play a part in combat.

Cohorts The Leadership feat is available to all LIVING ARCANIS PCs of 6th level or above (5th level for Patricians). Leadership basics are described in Core Rulebook II. However, we have modified the rules significantly for the campaign, so any player using the Leadership feat must review and understand all of the changes and exceptions that are described in this document. Important Note: The cohort rules have undergone a major overhaul for 3.5. These new rules are designed to make cohorts more durable, easier to play, easier to keep, and easier to manage. All players should read and understand the new rules, as they differ significantly what what has been used in the past. If the campaign staff finds these rules being abused, or if they find these rules are unbalancing the campaign, they will be changed, or cohorts may be removed from the campaign entirely. Consider this your fair warning.


Gaining a Cohort Gaining a cohort does not require special campaign documentation (unless the cohort is special in some way). Any PC can have a single cohort by taking the Leadership feat (or two, by using the Improved Leadership feat found in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis). A PC may not have followers without special campaign documentation.

Adventuring with Cohorts Cohorts count as PCs for all purposes, including APL calculations. Regardless of the number of cohorts at a table, at least 4 (four) human players must be present to play a LIVING ARCANIS scenario. Also, cohorts count against the limit of six (6) characters that may participate in a scenario. Therefore, the maximum possible number of cohorts that may participate in a LIVING ARCANIS scenario is two (2). A real PC should never be turned away in favor of a cohort. This is simply common sense – human beings that want to play always take priority over pieces of paper that want to play. Although Patricians gain Leadership as a class feature, they are not exempt from the normal limitations on cohort use. A Patrician does not have any special right or privilege to bring a cohort to a full table or to have priority if more than one player wants to bring a cohort and there is not enough room for all of them.

Cohort Creation Cohorts are created using the same guidelines as standard LIVING ARCANIS characters, except that they only receive 28 points with which to buy ability scores. Cohorts who begin play above first level receive all the usual benefits for their increased level (hit points, saving throw bonuses, additional spells and class abilities, etc.), but do not receive any additional gold or equipment beyond their starting gear (in other words, they still have 1st-level gold and must rely on their patron to equip them properly). Cohorts do not track experience points (except for Magic Item Creation) or Time Units. However, they must have their own logsheets and must track everything else that a normal PC tracks (treasure, items, certificates, faction fame and infamy, etc.) A cohort’s level is set based on primary PC’s level, following the rules in this document, so there is no need to track XP, with the exception of the “crafting pool” (see below) if the cohort is going to create magic items. A cohort’s play opportunities are limited to those times when the primary PC is played and there are not enough human players to make a full table, so as long as the primary PC has enough Time Units to go on an adventure, the cohort is assumed to be able to participate if there is room in the party. Whenever the primary PC is out of play for any reason (spending TUs on metaorganization activities, practicing trades or professions, redeeming a certificate, sitting in jail, etc.) the cohort is unable to act independently and also remains out of play

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for as long as the primary PC does. If a cohort is removed from play for any of the above reasons, the primary PC can continue to play, but does not have access to the cohort or the cohort’s equipment until the primary PC has spent enough Time Units to account for the total time the cohort was out of play.

• • •

General Cohort Restrictions All cohorts in the Living Arcanis campaign are treated like player characters for most purposes (and most rules in this document). However, there are a few additional restrictions placed on cohorts, including the following: • • • •

•

•

Cohorts may benefit from the Kid-Gloves rule, but they may not benefit from the “Recycling Characters” or the “Annual Rebuild” rules. Cohorts may not practice skills or professions to gain extra gold as PCs can. Cohorts may not take the Leadership feat. Cohorts may not take prestige classes (there are a handful of exceptions to this rule; for example, the cohort of a Patrician may take the Man-At-Arms prestige class. See the prestige class adaptation rules later in this document for details). Cohorts may be any base class or combination of base classes available in Core Rulebook I, the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, the Expanded Psionics Handbook, or this document. They must follow all the same rules as player characters for which classes they are allowed to take (for example, only Val can be psionically active). Cohorts may be of any race normally available to player characters. (In other words, they may not utilize racial options that require certificates, unless the certificate itself allows such.)

Cohort Racial Restrictions In addition to the general restrictions, for story purposes we have also added some racial restrictions. These are primarily intended to avoid situations where a character has a cohort that would not be possible from a story standpoint. • Val cohorts will only follow Val characters, and only if the character is of the same bloodline as the cohort or a bloodline listed as a “Traditional Ally” on Table LARC-05: Val Family Traditional Allies. All Val cohorts must have the bloodline powers that match their name (although val’Holryn cohorts may, as usual, select any family’s powers). In addition, a Val cohort must have a blood rank that is less than or equal to the blood rank of the Val character that he or she follows. • If a dwarven character has a dwarven cohort, both must be from the same Dwarven Enclave. • Black Talon ss’ressen cohorts will only follow Black Talon ss’ressen characters or characters whose nationality is Milandir. No ss'ressen cohorts will ever follow an Elorii regardless of nationality. Additionally, Ashen Hide ss’ressen will not follow Black Talon ss’ressen and vice versa. Ashen Hide


•

ss’ressen will only follow Ashen Hide, Nierite, or val’Virdan leaders. Elorii cohorts will not follow ss’ressen or Val characters under any circumstances. Tir Betoqi Dwarves will never follow dark-kin or Sarishan characters under any circumstances. Pureblood Kio will only follow other Pureblood Kio or val’Sungha leaders. (The character must have the val’Sungha name and the val’Sungha bloodline powers in the latter case.) Gnomes are very limited in their selection of followers. Only other gnomes, worshipers of Anshar, and worshipers of Hurrian (the defender aspect) will follow a gnome leader. A gnome leader may elect to recruit a cohort type not listed above, but doing so results in an increase in two (2) to the level gap.

Cohort Faction Restrictions Just like player characters, cohorts may participate in meta-gaming activities. However, to avoid situations where a cohort is acting at cross purposes with his or her leader (which is not really in the spirit of the Leadership feat) the following additional restrictions must be followed: • Cohorts may only join secret factions / secret societies that their leader is currently a member (in good standing) of. • A cohort may freely join up to two (2) metaorganizations (even if his leader is not a member) as long as their tents and goals do not put him into any conflict with his leader. • A cohort may hail from a rival nation, but he is considered to have renounced loyalty to that nation in favor of loyalty to the leader’s home nation. Table LARC-05: Val Family Traditional Allies Major Bloodline Traditional Allies val'Abebi None val'Assanté val'Dellenov, val'Sheem val'Borda val'Mordane, val'Sheem val'Dellenov val'Assanté, val'Ishi val'Emman val'Assanté, val'Tensen, val'Ishi val'Holryn val'Ossan, val'Tensen val'Inares val'Mehan, val'Mordane, val'Tensen val'Ishi val'Dellenov val'Mehan val'Mordane, val'Virdan val'Mordane val'Mehan, val'Borda val'Ossan val'Holryn val'Sheem val'Assanté, val'Borda val'Tensen val'Holryn, val'Inares val'Virdan val'Mehan Minor Bloodline Traditional Allies val'Baucisz val'Mehan val'Haupt val'Dellenov val'Sungha val'Sheem, val'Mehan val'Sosi val'Ishi, val'Tensen val'Trisin val'Borda

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Cohort Alignment A cohort’s alignment may not be evil (or CN) and must be within one step of the leader's on both the law/chaos and good/evil axes.

Determining the Level Gap When recruiting a cohort, the cohort’s level is determined by the un-augmented (no magical or psionic bonuses) Charisma of the primary PC (the leader) as detailed on Table LARC-06: Cohort Recruitment. If the leader or cohort has an animal companion or a special mount, the cohort’s level gap is increased by one step (a “step” is one row on the table). For example, a druid leader with a Charisma of 10 would recruit a druid cohort of 5 levels lower (-3 for Charisma score, -1 for the leader’s animal companion, -1 for the cohort’s animal companion). A fighter leader with a Charisma of 10 would recruit a druid cohort of 4 levels lower (-3 for Charisma score, -1 for the cohort’s animal companion).

existing and new, must be adjusted to comply with the new rules before they are used in scenario play.

Improved Leadership The Improved Leadership feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis is available in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. A character’s second cohort is always one-half the level of the first cohort (round down). For simplicity’s sake, the secondary cohort is never directly affected by using favors or items to reduce the level gap. (In other words, you may use favors or items to reduce the level gap for your primary cohort in accordance with these rules. Doing so may indirectly increase the level of your secondary cohort, since the secondary cohort is one-half the primary cohort’s level. You may not use favors or items to raise the secondary cohort’s level independently of the primary cohort’s level.) If either cohort is ever killed, regardless if they are raised or not, the second cohort leaves the leader’s service and no other cohort may ever be recruited via the Improved Leadership feat. If the second cohort leaves the character’s service for this reason, and the primary cohort is still alive and serving the PC, the second cohort’s departure does not affect the primary cohort.

Table LARC-06: Cohort Recruitment Leader’s Charisma Primary Cohort Level Gap 6 or less Leader’s Level - 5 7-9 Leader’s Level - 4 10-12 Leader’s Level - 3 13+ Leader’s Level - 2

Adjusting the Level Gap

Once the cohort’s level gap with his leader is determined, it will remain constant. If the leader gains a level, the cohort gains a level. If the leader loses a level, so does the cohort. Only the death of the cohort or certain campaign certificates may alter this level gap. See the relevant sections of this document for details.

Through campaign play, your PC may accumulate items or favors that have an impact on his level gap with his primary cohort. The following favors and items may be used to decrease the level gap between a primary cohort and his leader. In the future, certificates or events may be introduced that increase the level gap or cause cohorts to leave a leader’s service altogether.

Dismissing a Cohort A PC may dismiss his or her current cohort and attract a new one of an appropriate level (according to the recruitment chart and other modifiers) by spending 60 Time Units. The new cohort does not gain any of the previous cohort's items, certificates, or gold. Dismissing a cohort in no way affects the level gap unless the leader had used a favor or item to reduce the level gap. Favors used are lost; items used may or may not be applicable to the new cohort. A PC may only dismiss a cohort at the beginning or end of a scenario (so you cannot dismiss your cohort in the middle of a scenario when the dragon is about to kill him).

Leadership The Leadership feat (from Core Rulebook I) is the way that a character gains a cohort. The campaign used to follow the system of Leadership scores detailed in Core Rulebook II; however, the rules in the LARC now supersede all other rules regarding cohorts. To be clear: Leadership scores are not used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Instead, we have adopted a leader-to-cohort “level-gap” system. All cohorts, both


Table LARC-07: Cohort Level Gap Adjustments includes a list of campaign certificates that may be used to adjust the level gap under the right circumstances. There are two types of certificates that can be used to reduce the level gap: favors (or other intangibles) and items. Favors reduce the level gap because the primary PC is assumed to call in the favor in order to gain assistance from the person or organization granting the favor to recruit a more powerful cohort. Items reduce the level gap because the cohort is naturally impressed by the character’s possession of such a significant or important item. If a favor is used to reduce the level gap, the favor is voided. If it is a favor with multiple uses or check boxes or distinct parts, then all of the uses or options are voided when the favor is used in this fashion. Clearly write, “Voided to reduce cohort level gap for COHORT NAME” across the certificate in pen. Do not discard this certificate. You may be required to produce it for your GM to explain the reduced level gap. Each favor used in this way only applies to a specific cohort. Example: Leader A recruits Cohort B from Milandir and uses a favor from King Osric to reduce the level gap between them. Cohort B dies in an unrecoverable

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fashion. Leader A now recruits Cohort C, who is also from Milandir. Cohort C does not gain the benefits of the reduced level gap from the Favor of the King because that favor was used previously for Cohort B. If an item is used to reduce the level gap, it is not voided. However, if the item is ever permanently removed from the PC (voluntarily or involuntarily), the PC and the cohort immediately lose the benefit gained from possessing the item. If this loss causes the cohort to lose a level mid-scenario, treat this level loss as gaining a negative level until the scenario is over and you may reduce the cohort’s level properly. Unlike favors, items are not expended if used to reduce the level gap for a cohort.

Table LARC-07: Cohort Level Gap Adjustments Certificate Adjustment Armilus of the Laurel of Vigilance

+1 cohort level

Boots of Trisha val’Holryn Boots of Sahiral val’Borda

+1 cohort level +1 cohort level

Brazen Idol

+1 cohort level

Charm of the Reluctant Warrior Cloak of Ashilhilla val’Abebi Cloak of Dierdra val’Ishi Cloak of Fravella val’Tensen Cloak of Gabriela val’Sheem Cloak of Isadora val’Borda Cloak of Ishani val’Assanté Cloak of Jaonni val’Virdan Cloak of Kali val’Mehan Cloak of Larulana val’Ossan Cloak of Milla val’Inares Cloak of Natana val’Mordane Cloak of Rennia val’Dellenov

+1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level

Curse of the Looming Darkness

+1 cohort level

Any of Elebac’s “Special” Gifts (unique certs) Enchanted Cloak of the Seremasi False Yet True Favor of Count Georald val’Sungha Favor of General Menisis val’Tensen Favor of House Opkara val’Inares Favor of the King of Solanos Mor Favor of King Osric

Conditions Cohort is from the Coryani Empire and is loyal to Emperor Calcestus Cohort is val’Holryn Cohort is val’Borda Cohort is a member of the Mourners in Silence (leader must also be a Mourner) Cohort is a worshipper of Hurrian Cohort is val’Abebi Cohort is val’Abebi Cohort is val’Tensen Cohort is val’Sheem Cohort is val’Borda Cohort is val’Assanté Cohort is val’Virdan Cohort is val’Mehan Cohort is val’Ossan Cohort is val’Inares Cohort is val’Mordane Cohort is val’Dellenov Cohort is a worshipper of Sarish or val’Mehan (still only +1 if cohort is both) Cohort is a dwarf from Solanos Mor, Tir Betoq, or Nol Dappa

+1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level

Cohort is Elorii Cohort is Kio Cohort is Kio, val’Sungha, or from the League of Princes

+1 cohort level

Cohort has the Legionnaire feat and is loyal to General Menisis


Cohort is a val’Inares from the Coryani Empire Cohort is a dwarf from Solanos Mor Cohort is Milandisian and loyal to King Osric Cohort is from Canceri (must mark through all check boxes on the favor) and is a follower of the Dark Triumvirate Cohort is a dwarf from Solanos Mor Cohort is from the Hinterlands Cohort is Milandisian and loyal to King Osric Cohort is from the Coryani Empire and is loyal to Emperor Calcestus

+1 cohort level

Favor of Solanos Mor Favor of the Birschor Skohir Tribe Favor of the Crown of Milandir


Favor of the Emperor

+1 cohort level

Favor of the Temple of Beltine

By using multiple favors or items, a player may stack the level gap reductions between his PC and his primary cohort. However, regardless of the number of items or favors a PC uses to reduce the level gap, the level gap between the leader and the primary cohort may never be less than two (2) levels.

+1 cohort level

Favor of Palic val’Mehen

Favor of the Legion of Radiant Glory Favor of the Ss’ressen

Example: Leader A recruits Cohort B from Coryan and uses his Armilus of the Laurel of Vigilance to reduce the level gap between them. Cohort B dies and is unrecoverable. Leader A recruits then recruits a new Cohort C. If Cohort C is also from Coryan, the level gap reduction from the Armillus would still apply (assuming Leader A still bears the Armillus, of course).

+1 cohort level

Cohort has the Legionnaire feat (regardless of loyalty)

+1 cohort level

Cohort is a Black Talon ss’ressen Cohort is a woshipper of Beltine or a val’Ishi (still only +1 if cohort is both)

+1 cohort level


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Certificate

Adjustment

Gratitude of the Autocrat

+1 cohort level

Hawk and Shield Pin Hienta val’Assanté’s Holy Symbol of Illiir Hurrianic Charm Immortalized in Song Latasha’s Repeating Flintlock Rifle Margraf val’Tensen’s Legacy Medals of the Shining Patrol (Decora Ob Radjuborn, etc.) Milandisian val’Ossan Influence Milandisian val’Tensen Influence Nayette’s Repeating Flintlock Pistol

+1 cohort level

Conditions Cohort is Erdukeen or a citizen of Nishanpur loyal to the Autocrat / Mother Church Cohort is an arcane caster

+1 cohort level

Cohort is a worshipper of Illiir or a val’Assanté

+1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level

Cohort is a woshipper of Hurrian Cohort is a Canceri worshipper of Neroth Cohort is Altherian Cohort is a Milandisian val’Tensen

+1 cohort level

Cohort is from Altheria or has the Shining Patrol Service feat


Cohort is a Milandisian val’Ossan Cohort is a Milandisian val’Tensen Cohort is Altherian Cohort is a member of the Mourners in Silence (leader must also be a member) Cohort is an Elorii from Elonbé Cohort is a follower of the patron, Val house, or deity listed on the certificate (for example, for Morushun val’Ishi, the cohort would need to be a val’Ishi or a worshipper of Beltine)

Nocht

+1 cohort level

Pin of Osalian’s Grace

+1 cohort level

Position of Power (any patron; from the Convocation of the Divine)

+1 cohort level

Reselda val’Tensen’s Ring of Wonder

+1 cohort level

Strange Icon

+1 cohort level

The Governor’s Gift

+1 cohort level

The Light of Illiir Training of the Master-Smith Vera’s Robe of Blending White Sash of Purity

+1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level +1 cohort level

Cohorts and Death When a cohort dies, his possessions are returned to his family (or a charity if the cohort has no family) and are removed from the campaign. PCs cannot be designated as “family” to gain the cohort's items! Any time a cohort dies, the GM must make a note in the Play Notes section of the primary character’s log sheet noting that the cohort died, whether or not the cohort was brought back, and whether or not the death was the primary PC’s fault. There are three options for the outcome of a cohort’s death: •

•

•

Cohorts may be brought back from the dead (losing one level) following the same rules for PCs. This permanently increases the level gap between the PC and the cohort by one level. If the cohort dies (and is not brought back, regardless of the reason) and the PC is not responsible for his death (judge’s discretion), the PC may recruit a new cohort by spending 60 Time Units. If the cohort dies (and is not brought back, regardless of the reason) and the PC is responsible for his death (GM’s discretion), the PC may recruit a new cohort by spending 300 Time Units, and the cohort’s level gap is permanently increased by one level.


Cohort is a val’Tensen Cohort is a member of the Mourners in Silence (leader must also be a member) Cohort is a druid or a val’Dellenov from the province of Ballantica in the Coryani Empire Cohort is a dwarf from Solanos Mor Cohort is a dwarf (regardless of Enclave) Cohort is Altherian Cohort is Milandisian If the primary cohort dies and the leader has the Improved Leadership feat, the second cohort immediately (at the end of the scenario, after gaining his fair share of treasure) leaves the leader's service. In this case, the second cohort gained under the Improved Leadership feat can never be regained. If the secondary cohort dies, he may be raised, but in any case he will also leave the leader's service at the end of the scenario. If the secondary cohort dies, it in no way affects the primary cohort.

Cohorts and Level Gain (or Loss) Cohorts remain a set number of levels behind their leader as determined by the level gap during recruitment. Secondary cohorts from the Improved Leadership feat will always be one-half the primary cohort’s level (round down). If the leader gains a level, his primary cohort also gains a level, and the secondary cohort gains “one-half” a level (i.e. the secondary cohort may or may not gain a level depending on the primary cohort’s new level). If the leader dies and loses a level, the process is reversed: the primary cohort loses a full level and the secondary cohort loses “one-half” a level (which may or may not result in full level reduction). Even after a primary cohort has been recruited, it is still possible to reduce the level gap. (Remember that secondary cohorts’ levels cannot be directly influenced with certificates.) If the leader gains an item that would reduce the level gap or uses a favor to reduce the level

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gap for the primary cohort, then the cohort’s level gain takes effect immediately (exactly as if the primary character had gained a level). Increasing a cohort’s level by means of favors and items may only be done outside of scenario play. Cohorts can also be lost or affected by their own deaths. Primary cohorts can die and be brought back from the dead while still serving as cohorts. Secondary cohorts can die and be brought back, but will always leave the leader’s service if either cohort dies, regardless of the circumstances. (This is a function of the rules for the Improved Leadership feat, not a campaign-specific ruling.) Example: A 12th-level leader with a Charisma of 9 has a 9th-level cohort (he has used a favor to reduce the level gap). If the cohort dies, it will be raised at 8th level. If a new cohort is recruited, it will be recruited at 8th level unless the leader has a different favor or item that can be used to reduce the level gap again (the favor used previously to reduce the level gap does not apply to the new cohort, but the new cohort also does not suffer an additional level gap modifier due to the old cohort’s death). Either way, when the leader reaches 13th level, the 8th-level cohort will reach 9th level again.

Cohorts and Certificates Cohorts gain and use certificates (including intangibles such as favors) exactly the same way that PCs do. If everyone in the party receives a particular certificate as part of the rewards (or penalties) associated with a particular scenario, then any cohorts that were present receive all the same rewards and punishments as the rest of the party. Cohorts’ certificates may not be redeemed to gain benefits for the primary PC. For example, if both the cohort and the primary PC have a favor that can be redeemed for a masterwork item, the cohort’s favor cannot be used to allow the primary PC to gain an extra item. Cohorts are not “pack mules” for holding a character’s excess items until the character finds a use for them. The character may not take back any certed items given to a cohort. Such items may be sold or traded by the cohort, but the gold and/or items gained as a result belong to the cohort, not to the leader. A cohort will never sell or trade permanent magic items for expendable ones. Cohorts may use their own expendable magic items, or expendable items loaned to them by other PCs, on behalf of their leader or their adventuring party. Cohorts may also borrow permanent magic items for the duration of an adventure, either from the leader or from other PCs or cohorts in the party. (This is an exception to the rule that items given to cohorts may never be given back.)

Cohorts and Gold Cohorts will only spend funds on their leader, but anyone in the party can spend funds on a cohort. GMs


are encouraged not to let players abuse this privilege by “milking” their cohorts of all gold without a valid reason. If you (the GM) do not feel the cohort would reasonably spend the gold, then do not allow it. (The only exception to the rule that a cohort will only spend money on his leader is that cohorts are allowed to “pitch in” to help pay for raising a party member from the dead if the GM feels it appropriate.) Cohorts never gain any money or equipment beyond what their leader gives them, what they obtain while adventuring, what they receive from their metaorganization benefits, or what they gain by charging money for crafting items. (In other words, cohorts cannot spend Time Units to practice professions or use skills to make money, even if the primary character is spending Time Units to do that very thing.) Cohorts can practice trades and professions to earn money after an adventure the same way that player characters can. A cohort may only do this after an adventure in which the cohort was played. All money gained from these activities is the cohort’s money and may not be given to the primary PC for any reason. If the cohort gets thrown in jail as a result of getting caught stealing, then the cohort is considered out of play until the primary PC has spent a number of Time Units equal to the length of the cohort’s prison sentence.

Cohorts and Item Creation Cohorts with the appropriate feats may create mundane and magic items according to the same rules PCs use with the following exceptions and limitations. The following rules have been enacted to keep cohort crafting from being abused. In other words, cohorts are not intended as “magic item factories” for the primary PC. • Just like PCs, cohorts may only craft items after scenarios in which they participate, or at Marketplaces and Activity Centers. If the primary PC takes part in adventure but the cohort does not, then the cohort cannot create any items (mundane or magical). • Cohorts will craft or upgrade permanent items for their leader at 75% of full market value (a 25% profit for the cohort). Items created by a cohort must be certed at an Activity Center to be traded to the leader, but the cohort may work on the leader’s existing certed items without restriction. Items gained or upgraded by the primary PC in this way may never be sold or traded by the leader for a profit. • Cohorts will craft or upgrade permanent items for other PCs for 100% of the item or upgrade’s full market value (a 50% profit for the cohort). Items must be certed at an Activity Center to be traded to other PCs by the cohort, but the cohort can work on other PCs’ own certed items without restriction. • Cohorts may craft items for their own use at any time, but the item must be one that the cohort is actually able to use. Cohorts will not craft items to

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simply hold in limbo, loaning them out as needed, to avoid this rule. Cohorts are limited to the same number of opportunities as any other character when it comes to item creation. For example, a cohort may only craft two mundane items after any scenario, and may not craft more than 12 permanent magic items in a single campaign year. Cohorts who use MIC feats must track their “crafting pool” of available experience points and may not spend more XP on magic-item creation than is currently available in the crafting pool. See the rules in the Magic Item Creation section of this document for details.

Special Cohorts From time to time, certificates are issued that represent either a specific cohort (usually an NPC encountered during the scenario) or provide a character with the opportunity to recruit a special cohort (restricted race, unique background, able to take a certain prestige class that would normally be restricted, etc.) Any specific notes or rules dealing with these special cohort certificiates are contained in this section. •

Nyambe cohorts may only be gained through play opportunities and all such cohorts must be certed. Racial, class, and other restrictions listed on the cert must be followed for that cohort.

Cohorts as Player Characters When a primary character (the leader) with a cohort dies, the player has the option to continue playing the cohort, making the cohort his new primary character. The former cohort is now freed of all cohort restrictions, and is treated in all respects as a normal PC (albeit one that was built with only 28 ability points). The new PC's XP total is set to a value equal to exactly 50% of the way through the cohort’s current level. Upon this unfortunate event, the former cohort (now PC) may immediately make use of the Annual Rebuild rule without paying the usual Time Unit cost. The former cohort has as many Time Units remaining in the current year as the primary PC had left when he was removed from play. If a primary character with the Improved Leadership feat dies, either the primary cohort or the secondary cohort may become the new primary PC. If the player chooses to take over one of that character’s cohorts as a new PC, any other cohorts of the original PC depart. They do not become cohorts of the new character. A deceased primary character may “bequeath” one certed item (influence or favor certs may not be bequeathed) to a cohort providing the cohort is to become the player's new character. The item to be bequeathed must also be able to be recovered from the PC's body after his death. All other valuables of the deceased PC are removed from the campaign.


Professions and Trades In the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, characters can make money by spending Time Units on non-adventuring activity (practicing their professions and trades). This section contains rules that govern the use of the Craft, Perform, Profession, and Sleight of Hand skills in this fashion. All skill checks made to earn money using these rules must be made immediately after the play of a scenario, while the GM is still at the table, and the money earned (if any) and Time Units spent are recorded as part of the same logsheet entry for the adventure that was just concluded. Lifestyle: Characters do not pay upkeep or lifestyle costs for Time Units that they spend practicing trades and professions. It is assumed that the character is proficient enough to earn his keep, and any coin above and beyond that is the profit represented by the results of the skill check. Taking 10 and Taking 20: Characters may not take 10 or take 20 on Perform checks, Sleight of Hand checks, or Bluff checks made to earn money. Characters may take 10 on Craft and Profession skill checks, but may not take 20. The only exception is that if the character has the Skill Mastery ability with the skill being used, or some other ability allowing him to take 10 despite stress and distractions, then that ability does apply. Naturals: A result of a natural 1 always means failure in the context of Perform and Sleight of Hand checks. This is an exception to the rule that skill checks do not automatically fail on a natural 1. A natural 1 is not treaded any differently from any other roll when making Craft and Profession checks to earn money. A natural 20 does not mean anything special, other than that the character has made the highest possible skill check he is capable of making. Rerolling: Skill checks made to practice professions and trades may not be re-rolled by any means, including but not limited to the Luck domain, special certificates that allow re-rolls, Player Reward cards, etc. Towns and Cities: In order to practice a profession or trade, the character must be in a civilized area. For purposes of making Perform and Sleight of Hand skill checks, the location in which the check is being made is the location where the adventure ended. For purposes of making Craft and Profession skill checks, the character is assumed to have a workshop or storefront where he plies his trade whenever he is not adventuring, so the location of the scenario does not matter. The options available for skill checks should be determined based on the size of the town. If the character wishes to roll on the table for a smaller town than the size of the town he is actually in, he may do so. If the town is a Metropolis, then it is assumed to have multiple districts or quarters, and the character is free to choose his desired type of target accordingly.

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• • • •

Village (population less than 500) or the Low Quarter of a metropolis Town (population between 501 and 5,000) or the Merchant Quarter of a metropolis Burg (population between 5,001 and 20,000) or the Artesian Quarter of a metropolis City (population 20,001 or higher) or the High / Royal Quarter of a metropolis

The Performing Arts At the end of any scenario, a character may attempt to earn some cash by entertaining the local citizens of whichever town or city the adventure happened to end in. This is done using any Perform skill (the specific type of performance does not matter). Making the initial check costs 1 Time Unit, and depending on how well the character does, he may be invited to stay over, allowing him to spend more TU and continue to perform. A maximum of 8 Time Units may be spent in this fashion after any single scenario. The DC of the Perform check and the results of the character’s efforts depend on the size of the city in which the character is performing. If the scenario ends in a metropolis, the performer may choose which section of town to perform in unless the conditions of that particular scenario or other peculiar circumstances dictate otherwise (per the GM’s discretion) Each location has two DCs associated with it: the minimum DC to make any money at all, and the minimum DC to impress the locals enough that the performer will be invited back for another night. There are three possible outcomes to the character’s Perform check: •

•

•

If the character’s initial Perform check result does not meet the minimum level required for the location, then the character has failed to earn any money, has spent 1 Time Unit, and may not attempt another check until he plays another scenario. If the character’s Perform check result meets the minimum DC to earn money but does not meet the minimum DC to be invited back, then he earns the listed amount of money for the highest DC he beat, has spent 1 Time Unit, and may not attempt another check until he plays another scenario. If the character’s Perform check result meets the minimum DC to be invited back, he earns the listed amount of money for the highest DC he beat, has spent 1 Time Unit, and may immediately (if he chooses) attempt another Perform check, spending another 1 TU in the same location to try and earn more money. This process can repeat itself up to a maximum of 8 Time Units spent, whereupon the character has achieved a level of overexposure that requires him to move on until after he completes another adventure.


Location: Village Minimum Perform check to earn money: DC 10 Minimum Perform check to be invited back: DC 20 DC 10: Very poor performance (earn 1d6 copper pieces). The performer isn’t booed off the stage, but the audience is clearly not impressed. DC 15: Material is above their heads (earn 2d6 copper pieces). The performer is not invited back for another performance, but he gets out of town without wearing any rotten tomatoes. DC 20: Average performance (earn 2d10 silver pieces). Nothing noteworthy happened, but the audience enjoyed themselves. DC 25: Good performance (earn 4d8 silver pieces, minimum 10). A few people left wanting more (+1 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario). DC 30: Stellar performance (earn 5d10 silver pieces, minimum 20). The crowd is awed (+3 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario). Location: Town Minimum Perform check to earn money: DC 15 Minimum Perform check to be invited back: DC 25 DC 15: Very poor performance (earn 1d6 silver pieces). The locals’ standards are high enough that they expect better-than-average entertainment. DC 20: Mediocre performance (earn 2d6 silver pieces). This kind of stuff might play well in places that don’t see a lot of entertainers, but here, it’s commonplace. DC 25: Average performance (earn 2d6 gold pieces). The audience didn’t throw flowers, but the applause was long and appreciative. DC 30: Good performance (earn 2d8 gold pieces, minimum 5). The show was well-attended and people were talking about it the next morning (+1 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario). DC 35: Stellar performance (earn 2d12 gold pieces, minimum 10). The place was packed, and everyone was clamoring for more (+3 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario). Location: Burg Minimum Perform check to earn money: DC 20 Minimum Perform check to be invited back: DC 30 DC 20: Very poor performance (earn 1d6 gold pieces). The show started out okay, but by the end the house was empty, and the proprietor made it clear that you shouldn’t bother coming back. DC 25: Mediocre performance (earn 2d6 gold pieces, minimum 5). You’d be hot stuff at the county fair, but the patrons in this establishment expect more than the same old tired routines that everybody else does. DC 30: Average performance (earn 4d6 gold pieces, minimum 10). Everybody stayed until the end of the show, and while they weren’t exactly beating down the doors to get in, you did well enough that most of them will come back for another performance.

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DC 35: Good performance (earn 4d8 gold pieces, minimum 15). Even for an upscale place like this, you were impressive. A few people stopped by after the show to ask how long you’d be staying in town (+1 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario.) DC 40: Stellar performance (earn 5d12 gold pieces, minimum 30). You got a standing ovation, and that’s not easy to come by around here. Why, folks are even talking about whether or not you’re good enough to play at the palace someday! (You gain a +3 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario.) Location: City Minimum Perform check to earn money: DC 25 Minimum Perform check to be invited back: DC 35 DC 25: Very poor performance (earn 2d6 gold pieces, minimum 5). It was obvious from the beginning that you were out of your league. Maybe in a few years, you can try again, although you might have to change your stage name first. DC 30: Mediocre performance (earn 4d6 gold pieces, minimum 10). The audience was polite enough to leave you a few coins, but the few people who didn’t walk out halfway through were more interested in their conversations than in what you were doing. DC 35: Average performance (earn 4d8 gold pieces, minimum 15). You didn’t cause a commotion, but you were good enough to at least be thought of as pleasant background noise. You’ll be invited back for another show, even if you’re not the headliner. DC 40: Good performance (earn 6d10 gold pieces, minimum 30). Even the most jaded critic had to admit that you were “not bad,” and you even got a few inquiries about performing at various nobles’ private parties later in the week (+1 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario.) DC 50: Stellar performance (earn 10d12 gold pieces, minimum 50). Based on the heavy coin purse that you found waiting in your dressing room after the show, it’s safe to say that even the wealthiest nobles in attendance were impressed. (You gain a +3 circumstance bonus on the next attempted Perform check in this location after the same scenario.)

The Artful Dodge Characters in LIVING ARCANIS are not all heroes of impeccable moral fiber. Sometimes the easiest way to make money is to find someone who has already made it and then “liberate” that individual’s purse. This is done using the Sleight of Hand skill. (Sleight of Hand can also be used to perform legal types of entertainment, such as juggling and performing magic tricks. If the character wishes to use the skill in this fashion, then treat the Sleight of Hand skill as if it were a Perform skill and follow the rules in that section, including all TU costs, DCs, and total number of checks allowed.)

costs 1 Time Unit. The types of targets available are determined by the size of the city in which the adventure ended (GM’s discretion). Each type of target has a minimum DC that must be met. There are two possible outcomes of the initial Sleight of Hand check: •

•

If the minimum DC is met, the character earns the listed amount of money and may (if he wishes) attempt to find a second mark the next night. This requires the expenditure of 1 additional Time Unit and increases the minimum DC for the Sleight of Hand check by 2 and for the Bluff check by 1. (This is a cumulative increase, so the character’s third Sleight of Hand check is made against a DC that is 4 points higher. If she gets caught, the Bluff check is 2 points higher, and so on.) No more than 8 Time Units total may be spent in this fashion after any one adventure. After a week in the same place, the authorities are bringing so much effort to bear on putting an end to the “crime spree” that the character has to get out of town. If the minimum DC is not met, or if a natural 1 is rolled on the Sleight of Hand check, the character has been caught in the act and must make an immediate Bluff skill check against the listed DC (plus any modifiers as described above) to escape jail time. If the Bluff check also fails, the character must pay the price for failure detailed below. No subsequent checks may be made until the character has completed another adventure.

Criminal Records A character’s criminal record is tracked by country. The first time a character gets caught stealing in any town or city within a given country he receives the penalties listed under First Offense. A failed attempt in a country where the offender already has a criminal record results in the listed penalties for the next-highest level of punishment. If a character is considered a First Offender in one country, and then is caught in a different country, the PC suffers the penalties listed under First Offense again and now also has a criminal record in the new country. If that same PC then returns to the first country he was originally caught in, and gets caught for a second time in that country, the PC will suffer the penalties of the Second Offense in that country. All Sleight of Hand attempts and their results must be recorded on the character’s log sheet. If the character is caught, the country and level of offense must also be recorded on the log sheet. First Offense: Character is fined 100 gold pieces and thrown into jail for 30 Time Units. A character can escape punishment at this level by expending a Power Level 4 (or higher) favor in the city or nation where he got caught. If this happens, the character is “let off with a warning” and does not receive a criminal record. A First Offense is the only level that can be bought off with favors in this fashion.

A character may attempt to pick the locals’ pockets after completing any scenario. Attempting to pick pockets


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Second Offense: Character’s index fingers are cut off, resulting in a -2 penalty to Dexterity until the digits are magically regenerated. The character is also fined 250 gold pieces and thrown into jail for 60 Time Units. The character now suffers a permanent -1 circumstance penalty on all Charisma-based social skill checks when dealing with nobility and authority figures in this country. Third Offense: The character’s dominant hand is cut off, resulting in a -6 penalty to Dexterity until the hand is magically regenerated. The character is also fined 500 gold pieces and thrown into jail for 90 Time Units. The character now suffers a permanent -4 circumstance penalty on all Charisma-based social skill checks when dealing with nobility and authority figures in this country. A character with only one hand suffers a -2 circumstance penalty on all Open Lock and Sleight of Hand skill checks and may not fight with two weapons (unless one of them is a stump dagger). A character may still strap a shield to the handless arm. The character’s good hand must be free in order to perform somatic components for casting spells. Fourth Offense: The character is put to death. His body is considered unrecoverable and he is removed from play permanently. If a character cannot pay the full amount of any fine levied against him, then he serves additional jail time in the amount of 1 Time Unit per 10 gold pieces of the fine that he could not pay. He may sell off his belongings to help pay fines, following the normal rules (items sell at half value), but he cannot sell any certed item that requires Time Units to find a buyer, because he doesn’t have the time to spend looking – after all, he is about to be thrown in jail. Village (The Commoner’s Coppers) DC to avoid getting caught / going to jail: 10 / 8 DC 10: Drunken Laborer; gain 2d6 silver pieces DC 15: Drunken Laborer who just got paid for the month; gain 2d6 gold pieces DC 20: Local Merchant; gain 3d6 gold pieces DC 25: Local Monopolist; gain 3d6 x 2 gold pieces DC 30: The Town Mayor: gain 3d6 x 4 gold pieces Town (The Merchant’s Silver Pocketbook) DC to avoid getting caught / going to jail: 15 / 12 DC 15: Street Vendor; gain 3d6 x 2 gold pieces DC 20: Guild Apprentice; gain 3d6 x 3 gold pieces DC 25: Guild Journeyman; gain 3d6 x 4 gold pieces DC 30: Guild Professional; gain 3d6 x 5 gold pieces DC 35: Guild Master; gain 4d6 x 5 gold pieces


Burg (The Priest’s Golden Collection Pouch) DC to avoid getting caught / going to jail: 20 / 16 DC 20: Spends most of it on the poor; gain 3d6 x 4 gold pieces (minimum 20) DC 25: Spends most of it on the faithful; gain 4d6 x 4 gold pieces (minimum 30) DC 30: Spends most of it on the church; gain 5d6 x 4 gold pieces (minimum 40) DC 35: Spends most of it it on himself; gain 6d6 x 4 gold pieces (minimum 50) DC 40: Spends all of it and then some on new goldplated fixtures for his private altar at home; gain 6d6 x 5 gold pieces (minimum 60) City (The Paranoid Noble’s Platinum Purse) DC to avoid getting caught / going to jail: 30 / 20 DC 30: Drunken son of a nobleman; gain 5d6 x 4 gold pieces (minimum 50) DC 35: Drunken son of a nobleman who wasn’t buying all the drinks that night; gain 5d6 x 5 gold pieces (minimum 65) DC 40: Typical nobleman; gain 6d6 x 5 gold pieces (minimum 80) DC 45: Typical nobleman, after the local taxes have just come in; gain 8d6 x 5 gold pieces (minimum 100) DC 50: The tax collector himself on his way back from a productive day at work; gain 10d6 x 5 gold pieces (minimum 150)

Craft and Profession Skills A character may spend 8 Time Units (no more and no less; this represents one Onaran eight-day week) after completing an adventure in an effort to earn money by practicing a trade or profession. The character simply makes a Craft or Profession skill check and receives the result of his skill check in gold pieces. (This check may not be made untrained.) If the character has more than one Craft or Profession skill, he may make a single skill check with each skill if he so desires. Each skill check made costs another 8 Time Units. Characters may choose any Craft or Profession skill that is appropriate to their character’s background and the world of Onara. GMs may, at their sole discretion, refuse to let a character practice a trade or profession that they feel is anachronistic. A list of some sample crafts and professions that are appropriate for LIVING ARCANIS can be found in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, as well as in the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines. Characters with Craft skills may either use those skills directly to make money in the same fashion as Profession skills, or they may use those skills to create items and then make money by selling the items. See the next section for details on using Craft skills to create items. A character may not use a Craft skill for both a raw skill check to make money and to create items after the same adventure; only one or the other may be chosen.

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Crafting Mundane Items Through the use of the Craft skill, characters in LIVING ARCANIS are able to create items for their own use or to sell or trade. PC-crafted items are not certed when they are first created, and these non-certed crafted items may not be traded, sold, or given away to other characters. These items may be certed at an Activity Center, whereupon they are treated the same as any other certificate. This section contains rules on creating mundane items.

crafting items, but cohorts may only craft items following a scenario that they were actually played in. Each item created should be noted on the character’s item-creation logsheet. These items may not be sold, traded, or given away to other characters (including cohorts) until they are certed at a campaign-approved Activity Center, although they may be loaned out for the duration of a scenario. The items may be sold “to the game” in which case there is no TU cost and the character receives one-half the item’s final market value as the sale price.

Prerequisites and Difficulty Classes Characters with at least one (1) rank in an appropriate Craft skill may attempt to craft items by following the standard Craft rules listed in Core Rulebook I. Craft skill checks may not be made untrained. Characters with the appropriate skills may attempt to craft normal weapons and armor as well as masterwork items and mighty bows. Typical types of items and the relevant Craft DCs are found in Table LARC-08: Mundane Item Creation. This table is an amalgamation of the Craft skill information from Core Rulebook I and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Note that in the world of Arcanis, a character does not have to be a spellcaster to take ranks in the Craft (Alchemy) skill. PCs cannot craft their own permanent mechanical traps in LIVING ARCANIS, so the entry for Craft (trapmaking) from the core rules has been elided from the table. At the GM’s discretion, PCs may use the Craft (trapmaking) skill during scenario play to set up basic simple traps using available materials (shallow pits, trip wires, falling logs or rocks, and so forth).

Crafting Flintlocks Characters with the Craft (flintlocks) skill from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis may use that skill to create and repair flintlock weapons. Note that access to Craft (flintlocks) is restricted, so the character must have gained access through a campaign-approved source before taking ranks in the skill. (Methods of gaining access include the Altherian Craftsman feat and the Shining Patrol Service feat.) Table LARC-09: Flintlock Creation details the minimum number of skill ranks and Craft check DCs necessary for performing various tasks. Note that while blast powder is a restricted item, flintlock shot is not. Any character that meets the prerequisites may craft flintlock shot, Of course, the shot is of no use by itself; a flintlock requires both blast powder and appropriate shot in order to be fired.

Frequency and Limitations A character may craft up to two (2) mundane items after playing a single scenario. (Multi-round adventures and special events always count as a single scenario for this purpose). Cohorts have the same rights and responsibilities as any other character when it comes to


All Craft skill checks made to create mundane items must follow the rules in Core Rulebook I and this document. (Where there is a discrepancy of any sort, as always, the LARC should be considered authoritative.) The raw materials cost for the item must be paid up front. The character must have enough cash on hand to pay for the raw materials. Any raw materials that are ruined during the crafting of the item must immediately be replaced (failing a Craft check by 5 or more means that the character must pay one-half the original raw materials price to replace the ruined materials). If the character does not have enough money to continue at any point during the creation process, the process fails, all money and TU spent to that point are lost, and the character must start from scratch if he wishes to try and create the item again at a later time. It is permissible and entirely expected that the player will figure out the necessary costs ahead of time instead of winging it, although if the skill checks are being rolled (instead of taking 10) the results can sometimes be very unpredictable. A character may switch from rolling individual checks to taking 10 (or vice versa) between any two checks, but cannot switch between weekly checks and daily checks once the creation process has started. Time Unit costs: When following the Craft rules, a character has the option to make skill checks representing a week’s worth of work at a time, or he may make individual day-by-day checks. It is the player’s choice which method to use. •

•

If making checks by the day, each day (or fraction thereof) needed to complete the item costs the character 1 Time Unit. Daily checks always cost exactly 1 TU, no more and no less, regardless of how much progress is made. If making checks by the week, each week (or fraction thereof) needed to complete the item costs the character 8 Time Units, except that if the final week’s progress is at least double the progress needed to finish the item, the cost for that week is reduced to 4 TU. If the final week’s progress is at least triple the progress needed, the cost for that week is reduced to 3 TU. If the final week’s progress is at least quadruple the progress needed, the cost for that week is reduced to 2 TU. Weekly

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checks can never cost less than 2 TU regardless of how much progress is made.

Lifestyle: Characters do not pay lifestyle or upkeep costs for Time Units that they spend on item creation.

Taking 10 and Taking 20: Characters may take 10 on Craft checks used to create items, but may not take 20. Taking 10 is a real time-saver when it comes to doing the math, but it is the player’s option. If the player chooses to roll for the skill checks, this must be done in front of the GM who will be signing off on the logsheet entry for the item.

Record-Keeping: Characters crafting mundane items should use the magic item creation logsheet to track their creations and expenditures of resources. All mundane item crafting must be witnessed and signed by a GM.

Fast Creation: Per Core Rulebook I, a character may choose to add +10 to the Difficulty Class of the Craft checks needed to create a particular item. This will result in finishing the item more quickly. The only optional modifier that may be used is +10. You cannot make up whatever modifier you want that just happens to fit exactly into your character’s ability to take 10 and not risk failing a check.

Restricted Items: PCs may not craft any item that is restricted from purchase, nor may they craft any item that is not approved for LIVING ARCANIS at all. For example, PCs may not craft Kio swords without campaign documentation, because these items may not be freely purchased. Even if a character has access to purchase a restricted item, that does not give the character access to craft items of that type. Specific documentation that allows crafting of restricted items must be provided.

Table LARC-08: Mundane Item Creation Task / Item Flask of acid Alchemist’s fire, smokestick, or tindertwig Antitoxin, sunrod, tanglefoot bag, or thunderstone Blast powder 1 Armor or shield 2 Longbow, shortbow, or normal arrows Composite longbow or composite shortbow Composite longbow or composite shortbow with high Strength rating Crossbow or crossbow bolts Simple melee or thrown weapon Martial melee or thrown weapon Exotic melee or thrown weapon 2 Very simple item (wooden spoon) Typical item (iron pot) High-quality item (bell) Complex or superior item (lock)

Craft Skill Craft DC Alchemy 15 Alchemy 20 Alchemy 25 Alchemy 25 + special Armorsmithing 10 + AC bonus Bowmaking 12 Bowmaking 15 Bowmaking 15 + (2 x Strength rating) Weaponsmithing 15 Weaponsmithing 12 Weaponsmithing 15 Weaponsmithing 18 Varies 5 Varies 10 Varies 15 Varies 20 Same as base Craft a masterwork item +5 to base item DC item Same as base +10 to base item DC Craft a greater masterwork item 3 item Same as base Craft a legendary item 3 +20 to base item DC item 1 In order to create blast powder, a character must have access to the alchemical formula (which requires being a 5thlevel cleric, priest, or holy champion of Althares plus campaign documentation), must have access to the necessary facilities (which are not the same as a standard alchemist’s lab and which are only found in Temples of Althares, with access controlled via campaign documentation) and must possess or have access to the 4th-level val’Abebi bloodline power The Blast from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, which fuses the base alchemical mixture with the divine power of Althares to create the final substance. It is not possible for a PC in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign to meet all of the above requirements at the present time, but opportunities may become available in the future. 2 A character may not craft any weapon or type of armor or shield that is restricted from purchase unless he has campaign documentation allowing him to do so. Access to purchase an item is not the same as access to craft items of that type. For example, if a character has been given his own Kio sword (a restricted item) by means of the Heirloom feat that does not give him the right to make additional Kio swords via the item-crafting rules. He must have separate campaign documentation permitting him to craft the item. 3

In order to create greater masterwork or legendary items, a character must have the appropriate Master Craftsman feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for the type of Craft skill appropriate to the item being created. Dwarven characters have an accelerated level of access to creating these types of exceptional items, as detailed in the feat description.


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Table LARC-09: Flintlock Creation Task / Item Repair a misfire (regardless of the quality of the weapon) Craft a basic flintlock (of less than Altherian quality) or flintlock shot Add a flintlock modification to an existing flintlock 1 Craft an Altherian-quality flintlock 1 Craft a masterwork flintlock 1 Craft a greater masterwork flintlock 1 Craft a legendary flintlock 1

Minimum Ranks 1 8 10 12 14 15 20

Craft DC Automatic 20 20 25 +5 to base item DC +10 to base item DC +20 to base item DC

1

A character must have the Altherian Craftsman feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis in order to create or upgrade flintlocks of Altherian quality. All greater masterwork and legendary flintlocks must be of Altherian quality.

Dwarven Craftsmen

Superior Items and Special Materials

Due to their endless search for perfection, dwarves gain certain racial benefits when crafting mundane items. These benefits are detailed in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis (and were updated by the errata for that sourcebook). In a nutshell, the benefits are as follows: • Dwarves gain a +4 racial bonus on all Craft skill checks. • Dwarves gain the ability to create legendary items if they take the Master Crafstman feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. (Characters of other races only gain the ability to create greater masterwork items by selecting that feat.) A dwarf does not need any special feats in order to create masterwork and greater masterwork items. (Dwarves are not exempt from the requirement to have the Altherian Craftsman feat in order to make Altherian-quality flintlocks, however.) • The crafting time (and therefore the TU cost) for a non-magical item made by a dwarf is reduced by 50 percent. The reduction should not be computed until after the item-creation process is completed and the total TU cost has been determined. Always round up (so a base cost of 25 TU would become 13 TU for a dwarf). • For each Time Unit that a dwarf spends on an item, the market value of the finished product increases by 12.5 gold pieces. The bonus value is based on the time the dwarf actually spent on the base item, after the racial 50% crafting time reduction has been applied. The dwarf may voluntarily spend additional TU above and beyond his required crafting time to further increase the market price, but in no case may the market price of a dwarvencrafted item be more than double the market price of the same item crafted by a non-dwarf.

One of the main reasons characters pursue a path of creating items is that they can gain access to exactly the items that they want instead of having to go to a Marketplace and pay full price or hope to find an appropriate item as a certificate in a scenario. To create items of superior quality or that incorporate special materials into their construction, refer to the rules in this section.

The Player’s Guide to Arcanis has text indicating that dwarven-crafted items are automatically masterwork quality if the calculated value of the item including the dwarf’s market price bonus is greater than or equal to the cost of the masterwork component, but this text was removed in the errata. Dwarves gain the market price bonus listed above for the time that they spend working on an item, but they do not get to create free masterwork items.


Superior Items Any character can create a masterwork item without campaign documentation or special feats. Characters who want to create flintlock weapons must have campaign-legal access to the Craft (flintlocks) feat. In order to create a greater masterwork or legendary item, a character requires additional prerequisites. • For a dwarf, there are no additional requirements to create greater masterwork items, and to create legendary items the only requirement is that the character must select the Master Craftsman feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. • For a non-dwarf, the Master Craftsman feat is required to create greater masterwork items, and the only way non-dwarves can learn to create legendary items is by taking levels in the MasterSmith prestige class. (The exception is that nondwarves with the Altherian Craftsman feat can learn to create legendary flintlocks without taking levels in the Master-Smith prestige class.) Superior item qualities (masterwork, greater masterwork, and legendary) are created following the rules in Core Rulebook I: first the base item is created, and then the special quality is created as if it were a separate item with its own base price and Craft DC. The character must pay all raw materials costs for all components of the item. However, if the item is made of a special material using the unit system, then the masterwork cost is not actually crafted as a separate component, though its creation time must still be computed; see the example below for details.

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Custom Items and Flintlock Modifications To create items with the Custom property from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, a character must have special campaign documentation. Custom items are otherwise created using the same rules as normal items, except that the item must be of at least masterwork quality, the final creation time is increased by 30 Time Units (regardless of the creator’s race, and dwarves do not gain their racial market-price bonus for these extra 30 TU), and the final market price of the item is reduced by half (because it is tailored for a specific individual). The flintlock modifications from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis may not be crafted by PCs without special campaign documentation. Likewise, existing flintlocks cannot be modified without campaign documentation that gives the character access to a particular modification. Crafting times and costs for flintlock modifications are otherwise treated as any other special property (masterwork, etc.) that is added to a base item.

Special Materials PCs in LIVING ARCANIS may not craft items using special materials without campaign documentation. This generally takes one of two forms. Some certificates represent quantities of raw special materials. For example, a certificate might represent 8 units of fervidite. If a character has a certificate that gives him a special material, then he may use that special material in items that he creates. See Appendix 1 of this document for details on crafting with special materials and the properties of individual materials. The cost of working with a special material is not factored into the time for the Craft checks needed to create the item; rather, crafting times for items made with special materials are simply double the amount of time needed to craft a masterwork item of the same type but without the special material. (There are ways to get around this extra TU cost. For example, the MasterSmith prestige class has a class feature that elminates it.) The doubled creation time is based on whatever the final calculated creation time would have been if the item were not made of a special material, including the masterwork component. Dwarves do not get their racial bonus to the item’s market value for extra crafting time added for special materials. One point to keep in mind is that if an item is to be created from a special material using the unit system detailed in Appendix 1, then there is generally no masterwork component to be crafted. Unless the material’s description specifically states otherwise, the item is automatically considered masterwork because it was made of the special material. Furthermore, characters do not pay the standard raw materials cost when working with certed special materials; the fact that they have the cert means that they have the raw materials. The raw materials cost for the base item must still be paid, however. If a character wishes to create a greater masterwork or legendary item using a certed


special material, then the greater masterwork or legendary component must be paid for and crafted as per normal. Only masterwork costs are waived by default when working with special materials under the unit system. Special materials that do not follow the unit system still require campaign documentation to be used in crafting. These items are not automatically masterwork, so the normal rules for crafting the masterwork component as a separate item still apply. The special materials cost is considered part of the raw materials cost for the item, but it is not included when figuring out how much time is required to complete the item. Instead, you compute the time needed to make the base item (without the special material) and double it. The time needed to create a masterwork component or make other modifications isn’t doubled, just the time to make the base item. Characters with the Master-Smith prestige class gain the ability to create items using certain special materials without requiring a certificate for the raw materials. The full market price for the raw materials must still be paid by the Master-Smith, and the resulting (non-certed) item must still be certed at an Activity Center before it can be traded, sold, or given away to another character.

Mundane Item-Creation Example In order to make sure the rules for crafting mundane items are clear, in this section we will provide a step-bystep example. We will assume that our example character takes 10 on all his Craft checks, because that speeds up the process of figuring out the math considerably and does not change the final outcome in terms of the total number of checks by any statistically appreciable amount. PCs always have the option of either rolling the skill checks (in front of the GM) or taking 10 when crafting mundane items.

Creating a Masterwork Longsword Our example is the creation of a masterwork longsword (with no special materials or other unusual properties). Let’s suppose that our character has a total Craft check modifier of +10. Step 1: Determine the base price of the item to be created. A longsword costs 15 gp. (The masterwork component costs 300 gp, but it is created in a separate step from the base item.) We convert this price to silver pieces, so our longsword has a base price of 150 sp. Step 2: Find the DC from the appropriate table. A longsword is a martial weapon, so it is made with the Craft (Weaponsmithing) skill and the base DC is 15. Step 3: Pay one-third of the item’s price for the cost of raw materials. Since our base price is 150 silver pieces, the raw materials cost is 50 silver pieces, or 5 gp.

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Step 4: Make an appropriate Craft check representing either one day’s work or one week’s work. We’ll do the math both ways for purposes of illustration. In either case, if the check succeeds, you multiply your check result by the DC to determine the amount of progress that you make towards the completion of the item. By the week: Taking 10 gives us a check result of 20, so we multiply 20 times the DC for our item (15). 20 times 15 equals 300, so we make 300 silver pieces worth of progress in one week. That exceeds the base price of our longsword (150 silver pieces) so we have successfully created the item in one week. In fact, because our check result was double the necessary amount, we have successfully created the item in half a week (4 days instead of 8 days). This half-week’s worth of work costs our character 4 Time Units. Note that if our progress had not been at least double the necessary amount, then we would have worked for the full week, at a cost of 8 Time Units. If our progress had been at least triple the necessary amount, then we would only have spent 3 Time Units, and if our progress had been at least quadruple the necessary amount, we would only have spent 2 Time Units. No matter how much progress is made, a weekly Craft check can never cost less than 2 TU. By the day: Making checks by the day is the same as making them by the week, but the result is expressed in copper pieces instead of silver pieces. Our check result of 20 times the DC of 15 means that we make 300 copper pieces (30 sp) of progress each day. This will bring us to the 150 sp cost of our base item in five days (5 Time Units). In this example, our daily progress turns out to fit evenly into the total cost, but that is not always the case. Unlike with weekly crafting, when making Craft checks by the day, any excess progress on the last day is simply lost, no matter how much larger your progress is than the amount of progress you need. There are no fractional TU costs. No matter how much progress is made, a daily Craft check can never cost less than 1 TU. Step 5: Craft the masterwork component. When creating a masterwork item, you treat the masterwork component as if it was a separate item with its own base price and Craft check DC (listed on the appropriate table). For a masterwork martial weapon, the Craft DC is 20 (15 base plus 5 for masterwork items, as shown on Table LARC08). The masterwork component is treated just like any other item, so we compute its base price (300 gold pieces, or 3,000 silver pieces) and we pay one-third of that base price as our raw materials cost (1,000 silver pieces, or 100 gold pieces, in this case). By the week: Taking 10 on our Craft skill check gives us a check result of 20, which multiplied by the DC 20 for the masterwork component means


that we make 400 silver pieces’ worth of progress per week. Thus, it will require 3 checks to complete the item. After the first check, we have made 400 sp worth of progress and we have 600 sp to go. After the second check, we have made 800 sp worth of progress and we have 200 sp to go. Our third check pushes us to 1,200 sp worth of progress, so we are done; furthermore, the 400 sp of progress is exactly double the 200 sp that we needed, so that third check will only cost us 4 Time Units instead of 8. The first two checks were for full weeks, so they cost 8 TU apiece, giving us a total cost of 20 TU to create the masterwork component. This is one case where it might be better to roll the checks instead of taking 10, because if we rolled well, we might be able to finish the item in two weeks and save those extra 4 Time Units. Of course, if we rolled badly, it might take a lot longer. By the day: Taking 10, our check result of 20 times the Craft DC of 20 means that we make 400 copper pieces (40 silver pieces) worth of progress each day. We need 1,000 silver pieces worth of progress to finish off the masterwork item, and 1,000 divided by 40 is 25, so we spend 25 days (which translates to 25 Time Units) completing the item. (Our 25th check takes us from 960 sp to 1,000 sp of progress, and the item is finished.) Step 6: Now that we have completed both components of our item (the base longsword and the masterwork component) we are finished with the item. The base cost is the same no matter which crafting method we used. The longsword had a raw materials cost of 50 silver pieces and the masterwork component had a raw materials cost of 1,000 silver pieces, so that’s a total of 1,050 silver pieces, or 105 gold pieces. To calculate the final Time Unit costs, simply add up the costs for each component. By the week: We spent half a week (4 TU) creating the longsword and 2.5 weeks (20 TU) on the masterwork component, for a total cost of 24 TU to create the finished product. By the day: We spent five days (5 TU) creating the longsword and 25 days (25 TU) on the masterwork component, for a total cost of 30 TU to create the finished product. In this example, making Craft checks by the week instead of by the day turns out to be faster (and therefore our character spends fewer Time Units). That is usually, but not always, the case; figuring out whether to make weekly or daily checks is a mathematical exercise left to the reader. It is perfectly acceptable for you to switch between daily and weekly checks when crafting the different components of an item (such as the base longsword and the masterwork component in this

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example) but you cannot switch from daily to weekly checks during the creation of any particular component.

Option: Increase the DC to Finish Faster Had we chosen to do so, we could have voluntarily increased the Craft check DCs for one or both components by +10. This would have enabled us to finish the item faster (since the DC is multiplied by the check result to determine the progress made on each check). However, it would have meant that we would not have been able to take 10 on the Craft checks, because the base longsword would have had a DC of 25 and the masterwork component would have had a DC of 30, and we only get a check result of 20 by taking 10 with our +10 Craft (weaponsmithing) skill modifier. For a higher-level craftsman with a better base skill check, increasing the DC to speed up the process is a good way to save Time Units. In our example, increasing the DC would have been a bad idea, because our character would need to roll a 15 or better to make a DC 25 for the longsword and a natural 20 to make a DC 30 for the masterwork component. Remember that if you miss the DC on a Craft skill check by 4 or less, you make no progress on the item for that check. If you miss the DC by 5 or more, you have wasted some of your raw materials; not only do you make no progress for that check, but you must also pay half the original raw material cost again. If you are working with a special material, that means you must either pay half the extra gold piece cost (if the special material does not use the unit system) or you must provide half again as many units of the special material as the base item originally required (if the special material does use the unit system).

Option: Dwarven Craftsman If our example character had been a dwarf, then the final result would have been somewhat different. First of all, dwarven crafting times are automatically reduced by 50 percent. So, our example TU cost for making weekly checks of 24 TU would have been reduced to 12 TU, and our daily example would have been reduced from 30 TU to 15 TU. Furthermore, the value of the finished item would have been greater than a normal item of the appropriate type. A dwarf gains a +100 gold piece adjustment in the market price of items that he creates for every full week that he spends working on the item. This reduces to +12.5 gold pieces per Time Unit spent on the item (100 gp divided by 8 days per Onaran week). So, although we would still have ended up with a masterwork longsword, the dwarven-crafted item would have a bonus to its final market price of 12.5 gp times the number of TU. In the weekly example, that would be 12.5 times 12 TU for a bonus of 150 gold pieces, and in the daily example, it would be 12.5 times 15 TU for a bonus of 187.5 gold pieces. Combined with the base masterwork longsword’s market price of 315 gp, the final market price of the dwarven-crafted item would be


465 gold pieces if we had used weekly crafting and 502.5 gold pieces if we had used daily crafting. That amounts to a tidy bit of additional profit if we were to sell this item (remembering that items sell for half the listed market price to NPCs, of course).

Option: Special Materials (Fixed Cost) If our example masterwork longsword had been made from a special material that does not use the unit system, then we would simply have calculated the base price of the item and added the cost of the special material as part of our raw materials cost. The masterwork cost would have been the same. The gold piece cost for special materials that don’t use the unit system does not get included when determining the TU cost to create the item. Instead, we compute the time needed to create the base item (not including the masterwork cost) and double it. Special materials that do not use the unit system are not automatically considered masterwork, so the masterwork component must still be paid for and crafted separately, just as it would have been without the addition of the special material. For example, suppose we had made our longsword of alchemical silver. Per the rules in Appendix 1, this special material would add 90 gold pieces to the price of our longsword. When determining our raw materials cost to craft this item, the 90 gp cost for the alchemical silver is paid in full, so the full cost to craft our masterwork alchemical silver longsword is 5 gp (raw materials for the 15 gp longsword) + 90 gp (full price for the silver) + 100 gp (raw materials for the 300 gp masterwork component). If our craftsman had a certificate that gave us access to a sufficient quantity of alchemical silver, then he could have used that cert to cover the 90 gp raw materials cost for the special material, of course. The time to create this item is calculated the same way as it was without the special material, but once we figure out how long it takes us to create the base longsword, we double that TU cost to account for the special material. We then add the TU cost for creating the masterwork component (which we do not double) and that gives us the final TU cost for creating the item. By the week: In our original example, we needed 4 TU to create the base longsword, which doubles to 8 TU. The 20 TU needed to create the masterwork component doesn’t change, so the final crafting time is 28 TU. By the day: In our original example, we needed 5 TU for the base longsword and 25 TU for the masterwork component, so we double the base time to 10 TU and come up with a final crafting time of 35 TU. If we had created a non-masterwork alchemical silver longsword, then the TU cost would have been 8 TU (weekly) or 10 TU (daily) and the crafting cost would

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have been 5 gp (raw materials for the longsword) + 90 gp (for the silver) for a total of 95 gp.

Option: Special Materials (Unit-Based) If our example masterwork longsword had been made from a special material using the unit system, we would not have had to create the masterwork component as a separate item. To determine the amount of time needed to create an item using special materials, you determine the amount of time that it would have taken to create the same item (base item plus masterwork component) without using the special material, and then you simply double that entire creation time. Note that the normal price for raw materials when creating a masterwork item (one-third of the base cost of the masterwork component) is waived for special materials, since the special materials cost directly represents the raw materials cost and the resulting item will automatically be masterwork. You still have to pay for the raw materials for the base item, though. To demonstrate this, suppose we had made our longsword of Sarishan steel. Per Appendix 1 of this document, Sarishan steel costs 400 gold pieces per unit, and a longsword (Medium one-handed weapon) requires 4 units of material. This means that the special materials cost is 1,600 gold pieces. The full market price of our Sarishan steel longsword is 1,615 gold pieces, since there is no +300 gp masterwork cost when dealing with Sarishan steel. However, we do not use 1,615 gold pieces when figuring our creation time. (If we did, it would take about 325 TU for our sample character to create the item, which would use up almost all of the character’s TU for an entire year.) Instead, we compute the normal TU cost to create the baseline masterwork item and double it. By the week: We determined that it would take 24 TU to create a masterwork longsword making Craft checks to represent weeks of work, so the cost to create the Sarishan steel longsword is 48 TU. By the day: We determined that it would take 30 TU to create a masterwork longsword making Craft checks to represent days of work, so the cost to create the Sarishan steel longsword is 60 TU. In either case, our raw materials cost for the Craft skill itself is only 5 gp (one-third the 15 gp base price of a normal longsword). The Sarishan steel must either be paid for in full (1,600 gp) or a certificate for 4 units of Sarishan steel must be provided. Remember that most characters cannot buy raw quantities of most special materials without campaign documentation, so most of the time, the special material will be provided by a certificate. Please keep the certificate, which serves as proof that the item was legally created from the special material. If you eventually get the item certed at an Activity Center, you can staple the special-material cert to the new item cert and that way the proof will stay with the item even if you later trade it, sell it, or give it away to another player.


Dwarves, Master-Smiths, and Special Materials The examples above using special materials get slightly more complicated if our character is dwarven. Dwarves get a racial reduction of 50 percent on all crafting times, but special materials then turn around and double some or all of the creation time, so the reduction and the increase end up canceling each other out. The net effect for a dwarf is that their creation time with special materials is the same as any other race’s creation time without special materials. The dwarf’s racial market-price bonus only applies to the TU that would be spent creating the base item and masterwork component, not to any extra TUs spent because of a special material. So, our example Sarishan steel longsword would have a final market price of 1,765 gp if by a dwarf created using weekly checks, and a final market price of 1,802.5 gp if created by a dwarf using daily checks. The final market price of the example masterwork alchemical silver longsword would be 555 gold pieces if the dwarf had used weekly crafting and 592.5 gold pieces if he had used daily crafting. The final market price of the example non-masterwork alchemical silver longsword would be 190 gp regardless of whether weekly or daily Craft checks were made, because a dwarf’s racial bonus to an item’s market price cannot cause the value of the item to increase by more than 100%. The base price of an alchemical silver longsword is only 95 gold pieces, so the maximum value it can attain through dwarven craftsmanship is double that, or 190 gp. Finally, if our example character were a Master-Smith and had the Secret of the Smithy class ability for the special material in question, then the extra creation time for the special material would have been waived, taking the base time back down to 24 TU (weekly checks) or 30 TU (daily checks). If he were both a Master-Smith with the Secret of the Smithy and a dwarf, then he would not have to pay extra TU for the special material and he would get the dwarven racial crafting bonus on top of that, so the creation time would be the same as our original numbers: 12 TU or 15 TU. The final market price wouldn’t change because the dwarf’s bonus value was always calculated on the basis of either 12 TU or 15 TU, since that was all the time he ever spent on creating the base item.

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Crafting Magic and Psionic Items Characters with item creation feats approved for use in LIVING ARCANIS may create magic or psionic items using the rules in Core Rulebook I, Core Rulebook II, the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, and the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Selected feats are also available from various PCI and OGL sources.

General Restrictions The following item creation restrictions for LIVING ARCANIS override all item-specific information provided in any other document or sourcebook. • Characters may not invent their own new kinds of magic items. Any item to be created must be located in an approved campaign source and must specifically be allowed by this document for purposes of magic item creation. • Only standard items may be created (although certs awarded in scenarios and sold at Marketplaces may include non-standard items). • PCs may not use the “body slot affinities” table from Core Rulebook II to create items of types that are not explicitly listed in a sourcebook. For example, PCs cannot craft a belt of Strength +2, because it is not a standard item found in Core Rulebook II. (The +2 Strength item is a pair of gauntlets; only the +4 and higher Strength items are belts.) • No cursed items may be crafted. • No intelligent items may be crafted. • No items may be crafted using special materials (from any sourcebook) unless the crafting character has campaign documentation granting access to the specific special material to be used in the crafting. (The Master-Smith prestige class is one avenue by which a character may gain substantial access to special materials without needing a certed source of the material.) Use-Restricted Items: Certain types of items are automatically given a Use Restriction of Restricted, regardless of their source. A character may not possess more than one copy (certed or not) of any Restricted item. The following items are always Restricted, regardless of any information to the contrary on a certificate or in another document: • All extra-dimensional storage spaces (such as bags of holding, handy haversacks, etc.) • All devices that allow the storage or recovery of spells or powers (such as pearls of power, cognizance crystals, spell storing items, etc.) • Any item with a daily usage limit (such as amulet of catapsi, boots of speed, boots of stomping, necklace of prayer beads, scabbard of keen edges, etc.) If an item has multiple variations, such as the pearl of power (which comes in 1st-level through 9th-level versions) then each variation is considered a separate item for purposes of the use restriction. Thus, a character


could have one of each type of pearl of power from 1st through 9th level but could not have two of any one type.

Approved Sources All magic items must have campaign approval before they can be crafted by LIVING ARCANIS characters. This section details the approved magic items by sourcebook. If a sourcebook is not listed in this section, then PCs may not craft any items from that sourcebook.

Core Rulebook II All items and enhancements from this source may be crafted with the following exceptions and corrections: • The medium and heavy fortification armor enhancements may not be placed on shields. • The ghost touch armor enhancement from Core Rulebook II is allowed in Living Arcanis. However, the followers of Beltine have also developed a lessexpensive version with many of the same properties. Ghost touch, lesser: This armor or shield seems almost translucent. Both its enhancement bonus and its armor bonus count against the attacks of incorporeal creatures. However, it cannot be picked up, moved, worn, or otherwise used by incorporeal creatures, nor can it pass through solid objects. Faint Transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, etherealness, creator must be a Beltinian; Market price +1 bonus. •

•

The wounding and vorpal weapon enhancements are restricted in LIVING ARCANIS. PCs must have campaign documentation to possess or create items with these enhancements. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that documentation to show up. The 3.0 campaign certificate Fleshripper has been updated to remove the wounding ability; see Appendix 3 of this document for details.

The items from the Specific Armors and Specific Weapons tables in Core Rulebook II may be created (with a few exceptions; see below). Some of the entries on those tables are actually non-magical items made of special materials (such as the mithral shirt or adamantine battleaxe). Non-magical items are created using the appropriate Craft skill (see the previous section). A character cannot create non-magical items with MIC feats. The unit system for pricing special materials found in Appendix 1 of this document supersedes the listed market prices for any special-material “specific items” on the tables in Core Rulebook II. The following specific items from Core Rulebook II are explicitly disallowed from PC crafting in LIVING ARCANIS: • Dragonhide Plate • Life-Drinker • Luck Blade

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• •

Nine Lives Stealer Slaying Arrow / Greater Slaying Arrow

The various special materials that were originally presented in Core Rulebook II have all been updated to the LIVING ARCANIS unit system of measurement and are included in Appendix 1 of this document. All special materials require campaign documentation, but are not otherwise restricted.

Expanded Psionics Handbook All items from this source may be crafted with the following corrections and clarifications. • Third eye (expose): This item is not allowed in LIVING ARCANIS. • The dislocator and great dislocator weapon enhancements are not allowed in LIVING ARCANIS. • The suppression weapon enhancement may exist in the world, but it cannot be crafted by PCs. • The gleaming armor enhancement is allowed. However, it only grants the wearer a constant 20% miss chance due to concealment. • Boots of landing and the landing armor enhancement: These items are allowed, but they does not make the wearer immune to being tripped. • Crystal Mask of Mindarmor: This item grants its wearer a +4 bonus on all Will saves against effects that attempt to discern his thoughts or true intentions, as well as any effect that would compel him to speak only the truth or to speak only lies (examples of spells affected by this item include detect thoughts and zone of truth). • Crawling Tattoos: You cannot make a crawling tattoo of a power with a range of Personal. The only exception is that tattoos of body adjustment can be created as specifically described under the description of crawling tattoos in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Once it successfully makes its touch attack, a crawling tattoo is destroyed. • Shards: To use a trained-only skill embedded in a shard, a character must possess at least one rank in that skill. Shards do not grant the ability to make trained checks untrained. Shards are consumed when used. • Vanishing armor: Twice per day, this armor armor can create an effect similar to the cloud mind power. The wearer must choose a target, who then receives a Will save (DC 13) to resist the effect. The market price adjustment for this armor is +2, not +3. • Dull gray ioun stones: These items may not be purchased without campaign documentation, nor may they be crafted. A PC may not consume more than one (1) dull gray ioun stone for its psionic power within any 24-hour period. • Any magic item that is included in the Expanded Psionics Handbook but not included in the System Reference Document is unavailable in LIVING ARCANIS. For example, PCs can neither create nor possess a Githyanki silver sword, as that item is not found in the Psionics section of the SRD.


The various special materials that were originally presented in the Expanded Psionics Handbook have all been updated to the LIVING ARCANIS unit system of measurement and are included in Appendix 1 of this document. All special materials require campaign documentation, but are not otherwise restricted.

Forged in Magic Until further notice, no items from Forged in Magic may be crafted by PCs in LIVING ARCANIS. This includes all specific items and special properties for weapons and armor. A complete conversion of this sourcebook to the v3.5 rules is in the works, and once that conversion has been released by Paradigm Concepts, items from Forged in Magic will once again be allowed into the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. No existing campaign certificates are removed from play as a result of this change. Scenarios that include certed items from Forged in Magic should still be run as normal and the certs should still be awarded to the PCs as normal. Some specific items from Forged in Magic (particularly those that appear in adventures) have already had official conversions released for them. These converted items are still campaign-legal. See the Paradigm Concepts’ Product Errata and Updates document for details. The various special materials that were originally presented in Forged in Magic have all been updated to the v3.5 rules and are included in Appendix 1 of this document. All special materials require campaign documentation, but are not otherwise restricted.

Eldest Sons Only the following items and enhancements from this source may be crafted: • Eloran armor enhancement (which is named Elven in the sourcebook) • Enhanced armor and weapon enhancements • Quicksilver weapon enhancement • Speedy weapon enhancement Eloran chain armor (referred to as Elven chain in the sourcebook) may not be created or purchased by PCs. It may only be obtained through scenario play. Note that Eloran chain is not the same thing as a standard mithral shirt.

Hammer & Helm Only the following items and enhancements from this source may be crafted: • Aspected armor enhancement • Vital striking weapon enhancement

MIC Prerequisites In LIVING ARCANIS, along with all the prerequisites listed with a particular magic item’s description, the list caster level (or manifester level) is also a prerequisite for

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creating that item. For consumable items that factor the caster level into the price of the item, the character may craft the item at any legal caster level of his choice (no less than the minimum level to make the item at all and no more than his own caster level).

total earned experience on their logsheet. Items crafted by the cohort draw XP from the pool. If the pool does not have enough XP to cover the cost of crafting the item, then the cohort cannot create that item until the primary PC gains a level and the pool resets.

Special Exception – Pearls of Power

When a cohort is first created, and any time the cohort’s level increases, his crafting pool resets. The amount of XP in the crafting pool always starts at 100 XP times the cohort’s level. For example, if the primary PC has just gained 9th level and the level gap is at its minimum of 2 levels, the cohort’s level would be raised to 7th and his crafting pool would be set at 700 XP.

In Core Rulebook II, pearls of power have a minmum caster level of 17. The caster level prerequisite imposed by the LIVING ARCANIS campaign is waived for creating pearls of power and other similar “recall” items. (Recall items are those items where the normal prerequisite is to be able to cast a spell of the appropriate level in addition to any other pre-requisites). The caster level prerequisite for these items is the minimum level needed to cast a spell of the level provided by the item. For example, a 3rd-level spellcaster would be able to craft a 1st-level or 2nd-level pearl of power but not a 3rd-level pearl of power. The manifester-level prerequisite for cognizance crystals in the Expanded Psionics Handbook is equal to the number of power points provided by the crystal. This level prerequisite is followed in LIVING ARCANIS as written.

Costs for Magic Item Creation All magic items require an expenditure of gold pieces, experience points, and Time Units to create.

Raw Material Costs For magic arms and armor, the character must either provide the base item (which must be of masterwork quality or greater) or purchase the base item. A character may not purchase restricted items without campaign documentation, so the character may not craft magical versions of restricted items unless he has access to the item in the first place.

Experience Point Costs Magic items are crafted after a scenario is completed and experience points have been awarded. A character may not spend experience points to craft an item if the loss of the experience would result in the PC losing a level. Example: Aldrac just completed a scenario. He gained enough experience to place him at 1026 experience points, which means that he has gained 2nd level. Aldrac now wishes to create an item. The item may only cost up to 26 experience points. If it costs more than 26 XP, Aldrac may not make the item because doing so would cause him to lose a level.

Cohort XP Crafting Pool Because cohorts do not track experience points in LIVING ARCANIS, a different system is required to determine how much XP a cohort has available to spend on magic item creation. All cohorts must track a “crafting pool” of experience points instead of tracking


If a cohort’s level decreases for any reason (death of the primary PC or the cohort being the most common reason) the crafting pool does not reset. The cohort may continue to draw on the pool until it runs out. If a cohort’s level increases for any reason (level gain of the primary PC or a reduction in the level gap being the most common reasons) then the cohort’s crafting pool immediately resets to 100 XP times the cohort’s new level. Any amount of XP that was still in the crafting pool at the time the cohort’s level increased is lost. When a cohort plays an adventure, he earns a small amount of XP to add to his crafting pool. The cohort’s crafting pool is increased by five percent (5%) of the experience award that the cohort would have received for the adventure. For example, if a cohort plays an adventure and all the PCs gain 2,000 XP at the conclusion of the adventure, the cohort adds 100 XP to his crafting pool. Remember, any time the cohort gains a new level his crafting pool resets and any extra XP in the pool disappear. If the primary PC plays an adventure but the cohort does not accompany the PC on that adventure, the cohort does not gain any XP to add to his crafting pool.

Time Unit Costs Each magic item creation feat specifies how many days it takes to create the item. (For most feats, the time is one day per 1,000 gp or fraction thereof in the item’s market price.) The TU cost for creating the item is equal to the number of days spent creating the item. Always round up when determining TU costs. The minimum TU cost to create any individual item is 1 TU (1 day). If more than one character participates in the creation of a particular item (for example, one character creates the item and a second character or cohort participates to contribute a spell prerequisite) then all of the characters involved must pay the full TU cost for creating the item. If more than one character involved in an item’s creation has the prerequisite MIC feat, then one and only one “primary creator” must be declared. This is the person who pays all of the gold and XP costs associated with creating the item. XP costs for magic item creation may not be shared among multiple characters under any circumstances.

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Table LARC-10: Approved Magic and Psionic Item Creation Feats Feat Name Feat Type Sourcebook Brew Potion Consumable Core Rulebook I Craft Cognizance Crystal Permanent Expanded Psionics Handbook Craft Construct Restricted Core Rulebook III Craft Dorje Consumable Expanded Psionics Handbook Craft Fetish Restricted Player’s Guide to Arcanis Create Gris-Gris (Scribe Scroll) Consumable Nyambe: African Adventures Craft Lesser Fetish Consumable Player’s Guide to Arcanis Craft Magic Arms and Armor Permanent Core Rulebook I Craft Psicrown Consumable Expanded Psionics Handbook Craft Psionic Arms and Armor Permanent Expanded Psionics Handbook Craft Psionic Construct Restricted Expanded Psionics Handbook Craft Rod Permanent Core Rulebook I Craft Staff Consumable Core Rulebook I Craft Universal Item Permanent Expanded Psionics Handbook Craft Wand Consumable Core Rulebook I Craft Wondrous Item Permanent Core Rulebook I Culinary Ashe (Brew Potion) Consumable Nyambe: African Adventures Forge Ring Permanent Core Rulebook I Imbue With Essence Permanent Player’s Guide to Arcanis Imprint Stone Consumable Expanded Psionics Handbook Scribe Scroll Consumable Core Rulebook I Scribe Tattoo Consumable Expanded Psionics Handbook Sculpt Runic Item Consumable Player’s Guide to Arcanis

Frequency and Limitations See Table LARC-10: Approved Magic and Psionic Item Creation Feats for a list of available feats, the categorization of each, and the sourcebook from which each feat is drawn. Each feat is given a categorization of Restricted, Permanent, or Consumable. • Restricted: Feats that are listed with a type of Restricted do exist in the world of Arcanis, but they may not be used by PCs or their cohorts. They are effectively NPC-only feats. • Permanent: A character may only use feats that create permanent magic items following the play of an Anchor Point or Hard Point scenario, or at a Marketplace / Activity Center. • Consumable: A character may use feats that create consumable magic items following the play of any scenario, or at a Marketplace / Activity Center. Any consumable item that does not rely on charges to track its lifespan must be created as a single item with one usage (for example, a scroll must contain one and only one spell). Campaign Year: A “campaign year” for purposes of magic item creation means the time between when a character receives a fresh allotment of 364 Time Units and the next time that character receives a new allotment of 364 Time Units. TUs refresh for all characters on June 1st of each real-world calendar year. For a new character, his first campaign year will be shorter than one real-world calendar year (unless the character is created precisely on June 1st).


Frequency 4 items per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 4 items per opportunity 4 items per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 4 items per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 1 item per opportunity 4 items per opportunity 4 items per opportunity 4 items per opportunity 4 items per opportunity

Based on the preceding definitions, here are the basic rules that govern the usage of item creation feats: • All magic item creation is done after the end of a scenario (after all XP and treasure have been awarded). Multi-round scenarios are treated as a single scenario for all purposes relating to magic item creation. • When creating permanent items, a character may craft one (and only one) item with each of his permanent item creation feats. He does not have to use every feat, but he may not use any of them more than once. • A character may craft consumable items after any scenario. He is limited to one wand, one dorjes, one staff, one psicrown, and/or four of each type of "minor" consumables (potions, scrolls, psi-tattoos, lesser fetishes, runic items, etc.). He does not have to use every feat, but he many not use any of them more than its frequency limitation. • No character may craft more than 12 permanent magic items in a single campaign year. Item upgrades (see below) count towards a character’s limit of 12 items per campaign year. • There is no limit to the number of consumable magic items that a character may craft in a single campaign year, as long as he has the XP and gold available to pay for them. • Consumable items that use charges are always created with the maximum number of charges. A character may not create a “half-full” item to try and reduce the market price and therefore reduce the magic item creation costs.

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Non-Certed Magic Items Once an item is successfully created and documented, the PC may then use the magic item, or may lend it out to other PCs while adventuring. However, these items may not be sold, traded, or given away until they are certed at a campaign-sanctioned Activity Center. Of course, PCs can sell their creations at any time to NPC merchants. Magic items sell for one-half their market price, and cost 10 TU per item, just as if they were certed items with a Use Restriction of Uncommon. The market price for an item with charges is always determined based on the proportion of the maximum number of charges remaining. (For example, a wand is initially created with 50 charges and its value is 100% of the original market price. If 20 of the charges are used, the wand’s value drops to 30/50 = 60% of the original market price.)

Upgrading Magic Items Standard magical weapons, armor, and wondrous items may be upgraded via the appropriate item-creation feats. To upgrade an item, follow all the rules for crafting the new version of the tiem, but the creation costs are calculated based on the difference between the current item’s value and the value of the upgraded item. Upgrading a permanent magic item counts against the limited number of permanent items a character may create in a campaign year. Previous enhancements may not be removed or altered when an item is upgraded except to the extent that they are completely subsumed by the new enhancements. For example, a +1 flaming longsword has a value of 8,315 gold pieces. If a character wants to upgrade this item from flaming to flaming burst, the flaming enhancement will be superseded by the flaming burst enhancement, so this upgrade is treated as if it were an upgrade from a +2 to a +3 item rather than a +2 to a +4 item. (By the rules, it would not make sense to have a +1 flaming flaming burst longsword.) After the upgrade, the item is a +1 flaming burst longsword with a market price of 18,315 gold pieces. The upgrade costs were based on the 10,000 gp market price difference between the new item and the old item. Intrinsic qualities of items may not be changed via the upgrade process. For example, if a weapon is masterwork but not greater masterwork, it cannot be upgraded from one quality to the other. If an item is made of a particular special material, it cannot be upgraded to a different special material; if the item isn’t made of a special material at all, none may be added. Items can never be “melted down” for the purpose of recovering special materials that were used in their construction. When your character upgrades an item, make an “Upgrade Old Item X to New Item Y” entry in your MIC logsheet noting the additional costs that were paid


to upgrade the item in question. Be sure to have the upgrade entry refer to the original (or previous upgrade) log entry so a GM may easily reference the material if necessary. A non-certed item may be upgraded by the character that created it. The upgraded item still cannot be given away or traded (it may be sold to an NPC or loaned to another PC or cohort) until it is certified at a campaign-approved Activity Center. A certed item can be upgraded by any character with the appropriate MIC feats and who meets the prerequisites to craft the new item. (As with item creation, multiple characters can collaborate on the process of upgrading an item, but all of them must pay the full TU cost and only one “primary creator” pays the XP and gold piece costs.) When a certed item is upgraded, the word “Upgraded” should be written on the front of the original certificate. On the back of the certificate, write the properties that were added to the item, and include the logsheet number of the entry where you recorded the costs of the upgrade. A certed item that is upgraded is effectively treated the same way as a non-certed item: it cannot be traded or given away to another player until the upgrade is officially certified at an Activity Center. At that time, an upgrade certificate will be issued and that certificate must be attached to the cert for the original item. Once all upgrades are certed, the item is once again tradable. Upgrade certificates for armor and weapons may be purchased at most Marketplaces. This allows characters who do not have MIC feats to gain upgrades for their permanent magic items by paying the difference in cost. A character may not take blank upgrade certificates or blank item certificates away from a Marketplace for the purpose of using those certificates later to certify crafted items. Doing so is considered certificate fraud and any items certed by the player in such a fashion will be revoked by the campaign staff. Players may not sign off on the crafting certificates for their own items, just as they may not sign off on their own logsheet entries. Some kinds of items may not be upgraded via MIC feats. These items either have their own rules for increasing in power (such as scaling weapons) or their properties are immutable when created and cannot be subsequently changed. • Fleshripper (may only be upgraded with special certificates gained through scenario play that are specifically designed for the purpose of upgrading this weapon) • Gladius of Light • Any scaling, soul-linked, or soul-bound item • Any non-standard item, even if it was purchased at a Marketplace or found as a certificate in a scenario (for example, gloves of Dexterity +2 could be upgraded, while a belt of Dexterity +2 could not. The only exception to this rule is that a belt of Strength +2 may be upgraded.) • Eye of Sarish • Any item with a Use Restriction of Unique

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MIC Logsheets and Record-Keeping Whenever a magic item is successfully crafted (or upgraded) this fact must be recorded on the character’s Magic Item Creation logsheet. Upon certification, or at any time thereafter, if an item’s calculated market price, the number of Time Units spent on item creation, or any other information affecting the certification of this item was not noted on the PC’s Item Creation logsheet, or if the item crafted was not approved for campaign play or is illegal in any other way, the magic item in question is immediately considered null and void. All gold pieces, Time Units, and XP spent on the improper creation or upgrading of an improperly-crafted magic item are lost forever. It is recommended that all permanent items have a proper name, but for most items, assigning a name is optional. However, if the item is a weapon, shield, or suit of armor, it must have a proper name given to it (all magic arms and armor in the world of Arcanis have names). A crafted magic item’s name should be listed on the character’s Magic Item Creation logsheet.

Magic Spells and Psionic Powers This section includes information about spells and psionic powers from various sources that have been restricted or banned from the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, as well as updates and adaptations for spells Table LARC-11: Resticted Spells and Powers Spell / Power Source Status Astral caravan XPH Restricted Astral projection CR-I Restricted Astral seed XPH Restricted Astral traveler XPH Restricted Awaken CR-I Restricted Baleful polymorph CR-I Banned

from the core rules and other sources. If a sourcebook is not specifically referenced in this document, then no spell from that sourcebook may be used in the campaign. If a sourcebook is mentioned but a particular spell from that sourcebook is not, then that spell may not be used in the campaign. With the exceptions noted on Table LARC-11: Restricted Spells and Powers, all spells and psionic powers from the following sources are considered core for the LIVING ARCANIS campaign and are freely available to PCs. • Core Rulebook I • Player's Guide to Arcanis • Expanded Psionics Handbook (psionic powers only; the spells from the Appendix are restrictedaccess)

Restricted Spells and Powers For a variety of reasons, the following spells and powers are not allowed for use by PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign at this time. Some of them may be NPC-only, while others have been replaced by spells from other sources. A few have been removed from the campaign altogether. In the table, the abbreviation CR-I refers to Core Rulebook I, the abbreviation XPH refers to the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and the abbreviation PGtA refers to the Player’s Guide to Arcanis.

Notes

This power cannot duplicate the effects of spells or powers that are banned or restricted

Bend reality

XPH

Updated

Chaos hammer Cloak of chaos Clone

CR-I CR-I CR-I

Restricted Restricted Banned

Destruction

CR-I

Updated

This spell leaves dust behind, so its victims may be brought back via resurrection

Dream travel Fabricate Fabricate, greater psionic Fabricate, psionic Fission Form of doom Gate Genesis Holy aura Holy smite Incarnate

XPH CR-I XPH XPH XPH XPH CR-I XPH CR-I CR-I XPH

Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Banned Restricted Restricted Banned Updated Updated Banned

May be used by a PC with the Chosen of the Silence cert

Limited wish

XPH

Updated

Major creation Major creation, psionic Matter manipulation Metamorphosis

CR-I XPH XPH XPH

Restricted Restricted Restricted Banned


Replaced by aura of faith from the PGtA Replaced by divine smite from the PGtA This spell cannot duplicate the effects of spells or powers that are banned or restricted

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Spell / Power Metamorphosis, greater Mind probe Mind seed Mind switch, true Miracle Order’s wrath Permanency Personality parasite Planar ally (all versions) Planar binding (all versions) Plane shift Plane shift, psionic

Source XPH XPH XPH XPH CR-I CR-I CR-I XPH CR-I CR-I CR-I XPH

Status Banned Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted

Psionic revivify

XPH

Updated

Functions exactly like raise dead, including material component cost (5,000 gp of crystals) and level loss

Polymorph Polymorph any object Psychic chirurgery Psychic reformation Reality revision (wish)

CR-I CR-I XPH XPH XPH

Banned Banned Updated Banned Restricted

May not be used to impart knowledge of powers

Reincarnate

CR-I

Banned

Does not fit with the way creatures’ souls work in the campaign setting

Schism Shapechange Shield of law Simulacrum Suspend life Temporal acceleration True creation True resurrection Unholy aura Unholy blight Wish

XPH CR-I CR-I CR-I XPH XPH XPH CR-I CR-I CR-I CR-I

Restricted Banned Restricted Banned Restricted Banned Restricted Restricted Updated Restricted Restricted

MIC and Banned/Restricted Spells/Powers Because not all of the spells and powers from the core rules and other approved sources are allowed for PCs in LIVING ARCANIS, this can create a situation where a PC wishes to craft a campaign-approved magic item but cannot meet all the prerequisites because one or more of them have been restricted or banned. If the item is one that directly casts or recreates the effects of a restricted or banned spell or power, then the magic item itself is also restricted or banned, so there’s no problem. If the restricted or banned power is only one of several different powers that a particular item can create, that item can still be used to generate its other effects, it just cannot be used to create the effect of the restricted or banned power. For items that are otherwise legal but have restricted prerequisites, simply ignore those prerequisites when creating the item. All other prerequisites, including caster level, apply normally. Specific changes: The following changes have been made to the prerequisites for crafting certain items, either to replace restricted/banned prerequisites or to make the item easier to create. Except as listed below, these items’ other prerequisites are unchanged. • Psibane weapon enhancement: Change bend reality to catapsi. Change manifester level to 9th.


Notes

See clarifications below

Replaced by divine smite in the PGtA

•

Psionic restraints: Change bend reality to null psionics field. Change manifester level to 11th.

Spell/Power Clarifications and Corrections In addition to the notes found on Table LARC-11, the following clarifications and updates are official for the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Atonement: During the casting of atonement, the spellcaster does not directly intercede with any deity. Instead the penitent must pray to the spellcaster’s deity for a certain period of time without outside influence or interruption (except eating or sleeping). Sometimes this prayer takes the form of a pilgrimage or quest. The amount of time spent in this fashion depends on the offense for which the penitent seeks forgiveness. If the act was not the penitent’s fault (such as an alignment shift caused by a magic item or other compulsion) then the prayers last for one day and one night (costing the caster nothing and the recipient of the spell 1 TU). If the atonement spell is being cast because of a willful or deliberate act or knowing misdeed on the part of the penitent, then the process of prayer and questing takes 30 days (costing the caster 500 XP and the recipient of the spell 30 TU). The caster does not pay a TU cost.

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Catfall: Manifesting this power in no way prevents a PC from being tripped. Commune: Through the use of this spell, the caster contacts celestial (or Infernal in the case of the Sarishan Church) allies of his deity. However, some of these alliances, forged ages ago, have become strained. Each time this spell is cast, there is a 5% chance that the entity you contact may become fickle and require additional “tribute” for the spell to be successful. This additional tribute can be in the form of extra experience point expenditure (200 XP) or the sacrifiece of a magic item (valued at 50 gp or more). If for any reason the caster has had a chance to form a new alliance with a powerful outsider (a certed contact with an extraplanar creature of CR 18+) or if he has personally marked a powerful Infernal (CR 18+) with the Sigil of Sarish, then the caster can use this spell to contact this new ally directly. This method ignores any chance of diplomatic mishaps. Contact Other Plane: This spell does not contact any deity. Instead, it contacts extraplanar entities, which may have made alliances with the caster's church or may have been bound to the service of the caster's god. Use Table 8-1 on page 250 of the Player’s Guide to Arcanis to determine the results of this spell when cast on Onara. Modifications to Intelligence checks: When using the contact other plane spell, the Intelligence checks called for may be modified for certain characters. Elorii suffer no chance of decreased Intelligence when contacting an elemental plane tied to their bloodline. Ardakene Elorii gain a +5 circumstance bonus to their Intelligence checks when contacting a powerful non-allied celestial. Sarishan casters or casters with at least 10 ranks of Knowledge (the planes) enjoy a +2 circumstance bonus to their Intelligence checks when contacting powerful unbound infernals. Decerebrate: PCs and cohorts afflicted by this psionic power always have a full 4 days (not 1d4 days) to get help before they die. The 24-hour period for bringing a character back from the dead obviously does not start until after the character actually dies. Destruction: This spell leaves behind ashes in LIVING ARCANIS. Therefore, a normal ressurection (as opposed to a true resurrection) would suffice to bring back someone killed by this spell. Detect Alignment: Unlike other worlds, the various “detect alignment” spells (detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, and detect law) only work on creatures that possess an especially strong aura. Creatures with an aura gained from a class ability (such as Aura of Faith), creatures with the Outsider type or the Extraplanar subtype, and creatures with the Chaotic, Evil, Good, or Lawful type descriptors will register on these detection spells. Infernal creatures detect as evil, but creatures that merely have the Tainted subtype (such as dark-kin) do not detect unless they have an aura from some other source.


Undead creatures (whether they were created by positive or negative energy) do not have a default aura (i.e. unlike in the core rules, undead do not automatically radiate evil.) Intelligent undead may well have class levels or other features that give them a palpable aura, of course. A creature may very well possess multiple auras from different sources, which can lead to conflicting or confusing results for the people doing the detecting. Detect alignment spells can identify items and spells of the appropriate alignment, which are always assumed to have an aura whose strength is equal to their caster level. To be clear: A creature with an evil alignment but not possessing a tangible aura does not register as evil to a character using the detect evil spell in LIVING ARCANIS. This is a fairly significant change from the core rules. See the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for more details on alignments and auras in the campaign setting. Dispel Magic: This spell can be used to dispel ongoing psionic effects and counterspell psionic powers, but not to defeat the usage psionic feats. See the section on magic/psionics transparency for a thorough dissertation on this topic. Dispel Psionics: This power can be used to “counterpower” psionic powers and magic spells and to dispel the ongoing effects of other spells or powers, in exactly the same way as dispel magic. See the section on magic/psioncs transparency for a thorough dissertation on this topic. Augmenting Dispel Psionics: For every additional power point you spend to augment a manifestation of the dispel psionics power, the maximum bonus on your dispel check increases by 2 (to a maximum bonus of +20 for a 5-point expenditure). Your dispel checks are still limited by your manifester level, even if you augment this power to allow a bonus that is higher than your manifester level. This modification makes dispel psionics tie back nicely to dispel magic (3rd-level spell, max +10, 5 pp) and greater dispel magic (5th-level spell, max +20, 10 pp) with a one-point edge to greater dispelling. The psion's flexibility and the intermediate “4th-level version” (i.e. dispel psionics augmented by 2-3 pp for a total cost of 7-8 pp for +14 to +16 on dispel checks) which is only available to psions more than make up for the higher top-end cost. Energy Missile: In LIVING ARCANIS, the augmented save DC for this power increases by one for every two (2) power points put into the power. Attended items may not be targeted with this power. Energy Stun: In LIVING ARCANIS, the augmented save DC for this power increases by one for every two (2) power points put into the power.

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Entangling Ectoplasm: This power entangles a target (see definition in Core Rulebook I). It does not anchor the target in place. Expansion: You may only increase your size category by one “step” (e.g. Medium to Large) by means of this power. This power does not stack with any other sizeincreasing effect. Gentle Repose: This spell has no effect in LIVING ARCANIS other than to preserve dead flesh. It does not extend the 24-hour window to raise the dead in Arcanis. See the section on Death and Resurrection earlier in this document for details on bringing characters back from the dead. Intellect Fortress: This power is fixed in place once it has been manifested. It does not move with the psion. (It works like a globe of invulnerability in that regard.) Leech Field: When this power is successful in defeating a magic spell, it grants the user a number of power points equal to the equivalent power point cost of a nonaugmented power of that spell’s level (i.e. it grants 3 power points for a 2nd-level spell, 5 power points for a 3rd-level spell, etc.) Planar Binding: An alternative form of this spell is found in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. That version supersedes the version from the core rules. Only certain characters (such as Sarishan Binders) have the ability to bind extraplanar beings in LIVING ARCANIS.

OGL Spell Adaptations Spells from the following sources and lists are allowed for PC access in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign without requiring additional campaign documentation. Other spells from OGL sources may be made available as rewards from particular scenarios or added to specific character classes’ class lists, in which case those spells are also campaign-legal in accordance with the instructions found on that certificate or published in that campaign document. If a spell is restricted to a particular race, then spellcasters of other races cannot learn that spell without additional campaign documentation (with the exception of Spellcallers via their Spell Mimic ability). However, they may use magic items based on the spell or learn it for themselves from certed sources discovered during scenario play. As with all optional materials in LIVING ARCANIS, if a player plans to utilize spells from an OGL source, it is the player’s responsibility to bring a copy of that material for the GM to review.

Freeport: City of Adventure The following spells are freely available to all PCs without modification: burrow, calm winds, cloud shape, dive, dust storm, gills, mothball, ray of clumsiness, sargasso, siren song, stunning bolt, swim, vise of the deep, wall of water

Eldest Sons Psionic Revivify: For game-balance purposes, this power has been altered significantly in LIVING ARCANIS. It works exactly as a raise dead spell in all respects, including the window of opportunity to cast the spell, the material component requirement (5,000 gp of purified crystals), the level loss upon being returned from the dead, and all other campaign-specific limiations. See the section on Death and Resurrection earlier in this document for details on bringing characters back from the dead. Raise Dead and Resurrection: See the section on Death and Resurrection earlier in this document for important details about the use of these spells in LIVING ARCANIS. Summon Thy Own: This spell is found in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. It has undergone significant revisions with the errata for that sourcebook. Please see the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for details on who can use this spell and how it can be used. Solicit Psicrystal: When using this power, your psicrystal simply takes over concentration on a single oingoing power for you. You must maintain line of effect to your psicrystal, and it must maintain line of effect to the power upon which it is concentrating, or the power fails.


The following spells are freely available to Elorii PCs without modification: aerial arms, buoyancy, camouflage, depth touch, discern mysteries, feast, forest friend, the great dance, great scavenge, improved scavenge, link, mass water walk, positive energy beam, positive energy shield, rescue, scavenge, speak the soul, spectral archers, radiance, unearthly readiness, vampiric earth. In addition, the spell frivolity is freely available to Elorii PCs. Its duration is changed to 1 round per caster level.

Lords of the Peaks The following spells are freely available to all PCs without modification: cloud chariot (Sor/Wiz 7, Clr 7), flesh to ice, lava burst, mist walk, ray of fire, shocking strike, thunderbolts, thunder strike

Nyambe: African Adventures The following spells are freely available without modification to PCs that are natives of Nyambe and PCs who have taken the Cultural Assimilation (Nyambe) feat: babble, fertility charm, incantation of the broken limb, lesser water breathing, lightning storm, lightning strike (Clr4, Drd4), lobir (lobir have DR 15/magic), lockjaw, lover's curse, solid darkness, tear open the wound, true love

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Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire The following spells are freely available to ss'ressen PCs without modification: augment poison, bolts of reckoning, explosive pellet, negative energy cascade, shield other (greater), shield other (improved), static sting

Undead in Arcanis In the world of Arcanis, undead creatures are not created in the fashion suggested by the core rules. Neroth has dominion over the intellect and the physical form that remains after death, while Beltine holds sway over the spirit and a creature’s intangible soul. Indeed, a large segment of the population of Onara considers undeath to be a gift of the Gods, and a non-trivial number of the citizens of certain countries are actually undead themselves. Therefore, undead creatures in LIVING ARCANIS do not automatically radiate an aura of evil. Unless stated otherwise in a particular creature’s description, undead radiate an aura if they possess one from a defined source, just like any other creature. This change affects no other aspects of the Undead type from the core rules, and spells and effects that specifically target undead creatures work normally in LIVING ARCANIS (including detect undead). Unless a specific creature’s description states otherwise, undead in Arcanis are assumed to be created with negative energy. This means that they are damaged by positive energy (such as cure spells) and healed by negative energy (such as inflict spells) exactly as described in the core rules. However, some undead on Onara are animated through the use of positive energy. These “positive-energy undead” possess the following special quality: Positive-Energy Undead (Ex): Undead animated through the use of positive energy are affected differently by spells and attacks that utilize positive and negative energy. Like living beings, cure spells heal damage and inflict spells cause damage to positive energy undead. However, the effects for these spells are doubled. For example, a cure light wounds spell normally heads 1d8 + caster level points of damage to a maximum of +5. For a positive-energy undead creature, that same spell would heal 2d8 + double the caster level points of damage (maximum +10). Likewise, an inflict light wounds spell that strikes a positive-energy undad causes 2d8 + double the caster level points of damage (maximum +10). The positive-energy undead still receives a Will save for half of the increased damage as per the spell description. Additionally, positive-energy undead are affected differently by turning attempts than their negativeenergy counterparts. Characters that channel positive energy rebuke or command positive-energy undead instead of turning or destroying them. Characters that channel negative energy turn or destroy positive-energy undead instead of rebuking or commanding them.


Undead Player Characters Through certain prestige classes, Val bloodline powers, and other campaign-approved transformations, it is possible for a player character to become an undead creature in LIVING ARCANIS. (Players are not allowed to create brand-new undead characters; the PC must earn the right to become an undead by following one of the campaign-approved paths, such as the Order of the Still Heart.) Undead player characters follow all the normal rules for creatures of the Undead subtype. Their Hit Dice change to d12s, they gain all the undead qualities, and they lose the qualities of their former (Humanoid) type. Unless the method of transformation specifically states otherwise, PC undead are assumed to have been created by negative energy rather than by positive energy. This means that PC undead can be turned, destroyed, rebuked, or commanded by their fellow player characters, they take damage from cure spells cast by other PCs and NPCs, and so forth. It is up to the player to apprise his traveling companions as to his status. The fact that a particular character at the table is undead does not automatically give other PCs any special rights or responsibilities. Likewise, undead PCs do not have any sort of dispensation to act any differently than any other character in the campaign. The normal rules on player-vs-player combat are not waived and GMs must use their best judgment when determining if a situation warrants the removal of a PC for evil actions.

Arcanis and the Planes of Existence Like most campaign settings, the world of Arcanis exists within a specific multiverse. This cosmology is similar in many ways to that presented as a default in the core rules. However, there are a number of significant differences that must be taken into account. This section details those differences.

Cross-Planar Magic/Powers No spell or psionic power (such as remote view or scry) works across planar boundaries.

Planar Travel Travel from one plane to another is carefully regulated by the greater powers of Arcanis, making it impossible except under very special circumstances. PCs in the Living Arcanis campaign are not permitted to transport themselves or their companions to other planes of existence (such as via the plane shift spell) with the exception of brief trips to that necessarily occur as a result of casting campaign-approved spells. For example, PCs may step briefly onto the Ethereal Plane via spells such as ethereal jaunt. Some forms of teleportation magic carry travelers via the Astral plane (while others do not). PCs are also permitted to create and utilize small self-contained extradimensional spaces, such as bags of holding or the rope trick spell.

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NPCs may assist PCs with planar travel during the course of certain scenarios. Furthermore, if a class feature or feat that is approved for the campaign setting specifically states that it allows a PC to travel between specific planes then that ability does function as described. For example, the Ascendant Elorii Bloodline feat from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis gives Elorii characters a limited ability to plane shift between the Material Plane and an Elemental Plane.

The opportunity to gain spells from fellow organization members is in addition to the one spell that any character can normally scribe at the conclusion of an adventure. All rules concerning campaign access to restricted spells must be followed; if one character has permission to use a specific spell but other characters do not, then merely copying that spell does not count as official campaign documentation for those other characters.

Learning and Scribing Spells

Favors

Wizards (and characters of other classes that prepare their spells from spellbooks) learn and scribe new spells as detailed under the wizard class description and in Chapter 10 of Core Rulebook I. However, in LIVING ARCANIS, the Spellcraft check is waived when attempting to learn new spells. The “Independent Research” option from Core Rulebook I is not available (in other words, characters in LIVING ARCANIS may not invent their own new spells or devise their own new psionic powers).

Wizards and other characters with spellbooks may also use favors to gain access to additional spells for scribing. See Appendix 2 of this document for details. A character may not use a favor to gain access to a spell on the restricted list unless the favor specifically states otherwise.

A wizard may spend two (2) additional Time Units after completing any adventure to learn a campaign-approved spell and scribe it into his spellbook. The wizard must have a valid source from which to learn the spell (such a scroll containing the spell or another character’s spellbook). A wizard is not required to make a Spellcraft check in order to learn a new spell in this manner, but the appropriate costs for scribing a spell into his spellbook must still be paid. Spellbooks may not be traded between characters unless the spellbook is a separate certed item. A character may not have his own spellbook certed at an Activity Center. Although there is no formal campaign-tracking mechanism for the contents of characters’ spellbooks, players are expected to maintain complete and accurate documentation concerning their characters’ spellbooks. In particular, the addition of all new spells to a character’s spellbook must be recorded on the character’s log sheet. This includes the spells that a wizard (or any other character) automatically receives upon gaining a new level. If the GM determines that a character has more spells than he should or if the player cannot provide campaign documentation for any restricted spells, the spells in question cannot be used.

Spells from New Sources Sometimes new arcane spells will become available in the course of the campaign. These spells may show up as certificates (ancient texts, scrolls, captured NPC spellbooks, access to libraries) or be offered by NPCs (in which case the scenario will specifically state which spells the NPC is willing to teach and what additional costs are required). If given the opportunity, an arcane spellcaster may scribe spells from these additional sources at the standard costs (2 TU plus scribing costs) subject to the normal limits (one spell per adventure, etc.) Spells from approved sources may be chosen when a character gains a level and receives automatic spells. The complete transaction, including the source of the new spell, must be recorded on the character's log sheet. No Spellcraft check will be necessary to learn the new spell unless specifically dictated in the scenario or on the certificate. Bards, sorcerers, spellcallers, and other spontaneous casters may learn these kinds of new spells in a similar fashion to wizards, but obviously without the need to copy the spell into a book. A spellcaller only needs to have the spell demonstrated in order to be able to learn it (see the Spell Mimic section for details), but other spontaneous casters still need a physical copy of the spell in order to learn it. Any time a character adds a new spell to his repertoire, the transaction must be noted on that PC’s log sheet.

Societies of Magic

Alignment and Clerical Spells

Wizards of the same organization often exchange spells as a sign of fellowship. In game terms, this means that anyone belonging to the Sanctorum of the Arcane metaorganization can copy one spell from the spellbook of every other member of the same organization currently at the table. This can be done either at the beginning or end of the session, but not both, and all appropriate TU (2 TU per spell) and gold costs must still be paid. Members of the Order of the White Veil share these same benefits and may freely exchange spells with each other in the same manner.

Clerics in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign may prepare their domain spells regardless of their alignment. Spells are not automatically good or evil; it is the intent and execution that matter. See the section entitled “Philosophical Questions” earlier in this document for a further discussion.


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Purchasing NPC Spellcasting Magic is not generally viewed as a commodity in Onara, but there are certain circumstances in which characters may arrange for spells to be cast in exchange for coin or call in favors to receive spellcasting. Spells that player characters are not permitted to cast cannot be purchased from NPCs unless a scenario or certificate specifically states otherwise. To be clear: Restricted spells, such as true resurrection, are not available for purchase from NPCs unless a scenario or certificate specifically states that a particular NPC is willing and able to cast these spells on PCs’ behalf. Even if an NPC is listed as being high enough level to cast a particular spell it does not mean that the NPC is willing or able to cast that spell on a PC. The rules that allow PCs to purchase access to NPC spellcasters cannot be used to make money. The transaction only works one way – PCs can pay NPCs for spells, but not vice versa. To be clear: PCs cannot make money by “selling spells” to NPCs in any way, shape, form, or fashion. If you want to trade Time Units for coin, we have provided you ways to do that with your character’s skills (such as Craft and Profession). PCs can also make money by crafting and selling mundane and magical items. PCs are allowed to charge money to their fellow adventurers, if they wish. A PC could demand that the other members of his adventuring party pay him 1 gold piece for every healing spell that he casts. The other PCs are perfectly within their rights to refuse, of course. NPCs will never pay PCs for spellcasting unless the text of a particular scenario specifically states otherwise. A PC is allowed to charge money for providing spellcasting services to assist another PC (but not an NPC) with magic item creation, but any such fee must be agreed to by both players and the transfer of gold must be signed off on by the same GM who signs off on the MIC logsheet entry for the item that was created.

General Notes on NPC Spellcasting The first step in getting spells cast on your behalf is to locate someone who can cast the spell you want. The sections below detail ways to find arcane and divine casters. Most spells will generally be available for nextday purchase, unless the adventure states otherwise or the GM feels that the spell is so commonly-requested that the NPCs would be likely to prepare it every day. (Exception: If a PC needs a raise dead or resurrection spell, GMs should always assume that the clerics have that spell available if the scenario indicates that a temple has a spellcaster of the appropriate level.) Purchased spells are always cast immediately once the necessary fees have been paid; they are never given to PCs on scrolls to be used later. See the Supply Run rules for details on purchasing scrolls and potions.


Certain meta-organizations may also grant PCs access to arcane and/or divine spellcasting. Details for levels of access, special rules, and costs will be included in each meta-organization’s individual documentation.

Purchasing Arcane Spells Arcane spells are available to Sanctorum members (e.g., characters belonging to the Hawk or Shield factions) and members of The Order of the White Veil. Prices are set according to the “Spellcasting and Services” section in Chapter 7 of Core Rulebook I. Each adventure that contains a Sanctorum of the Arcane or Enclave of the Order of the White Veil will include an entry detailing the maximum level of spells available for purchase. Non-members can also purchase arcane spells from the Sanctorum or the White Veil, if they can find someone to ask. If a PC (or, at the judge’s discretion, an NPC) member of the Hawk, Shield, or White Veil faction will vouch for the character, then that character may pay twice the listed price and obtain any spells available from a Sanctorum or White Veil Enclave during the course of an adventure. Otherwise, after each adventure, the character may spend 1 Time Unit to attempt a DC 25 Gather Information check in order to get some idea of where a local Sanctorum or White Veil Enclave might be found. If this check fails, the character’s attempts to find the Sanctorum or Enclave have also failed. If the check succeeds, the character must then make a DC 15 Diplomacy check in order to convince the organization that he or she can be trusted. If this check succeeds, the character may have a single spell cast for or upon him. This spell can be of up to half the requesting character’s level (rounded down), and costs three times the normal amount of gold.

Purchasing Divine Spells Divine spells are available for purchase to all PCs provided that there is a temple located nearby where the PCs may purchase such spells. The availability of temples to particular deities is subject to the scenario text and the GM’s discretion. Most scenarios include a list of major temples that are present and the highest level of the clerics found at each temple. All newer scenarios specifically state whether or not a particular location has access to NPCs who are capable of casting raise dead. The various cure spells are always available (since other spells can be spontaneously converted to cure spells by good or neutral clerics). Most other restoration-type spells (including but not limited to neutralize poison, remove disease, restoration, raise dead, and resurrection) are available at all times as long as the temple has a caster of sufficient level. Other spells, especially divination-type spells, will generally only be available for next-day purchase unless the adventure states otherwise, because one of the clerics at the temple will have to pray for that spell at his next opportunity.

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Most divine spellcasters view their abilities as an extension of their particular deity’s will, so they assess different fees to different supplicants depending on their nationalities, races, and patron deities. As a result, PCs may find themselves paying more or less than the standard amounts listed in Core Rulebook I depending on the circumstances.

Redeeming Favors for NPC Spellcasting

Refer to Table LARC-12: Divine Spellcasting Cost Adjustments to determine these price changes. When more than one of the listed conditions applies, the various price adjustments stack. Apply multiple adjustments by adding the percentages together and then multiplying by the base price from Core Rulebook I to determine the final cost.

If the spell to be cast requires a costly material component, the PC must pay that cost himself – the favor only covers the cost of the NPC’s services in casting the spell. Favors cannot be redeemed for spells on the restricted list unless the text of the favor specifically states otherwise. If the value of the favor is higher than the cost charged by the NPC to cast the spell, the PC does not receive any kind of refund of the difference. Any time a favor is redeemed for NPC spellcasting, a notation must be made on the character’s logsheet.

Purchasing Psionic Powers Due to the high degree of secrecy that surrounds each Val family’s manifestations of psionic power and the fact that psionically-active Val make up only a small percentage of the population, psionic powers are not available for purchase like spells are. Unless a certificate or scenario specifically details options for purchasing the services of psionic NPCs, psionic powers are never available for purchase in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign.

Using the Power Level system for certed favors (see Appendix 2), PCs can obtain access to arcane and divine spells. It is always assumed that the person whose favor is being redeemed is able to locate the necessary NPCs to cast the requested spell, as long as the spell is not on the restricted list.

Unless the favor certificate specifically states otherwise, favors cannot be redeemed for the manifestation of psionic powers. Only arcane and divine spells may be cast for a PC who calls in a favor.

Table LARC-12: Divine Spellcasting Cost Adjustments Follower of… Casting spell on… Belisarda Any non-Elorii except for a Val Belisarda

Any Val

Fire Dragon Any Pantheon of Man deity Any Pantheon of Man deity Any Dark Triumvirate deity

Any deity

Any non-ss’ressen Any Elorii or ss’ressen Any character of a different nationality Any character of a different nationality Any Val of the bloodline associated with that deity (e.g. a priest of Yarris casting spells on a val’Ossan) Exception: val’Emman and val’Virdan clergy do not extend this benefit to one another Any cleric, priest, paladin, or holy champion of the same deity

Anshar

Anybody

Any Pantheon of Man deity

Price Adjustment 10% increase 100% increase, might not cast at all 10% increase 10% increase 10% increase 10% increase 10% discount 10% discount Normal cost (ignore all other factors)

Psionics

Psionic Power DCs

Psionics are manifested by the Val of Arcanis, a sign of their divine heritage and favor. Characters of other races simply do not have any latent psionic potential because these powers were specifically gifted to the Val by the Gods. This means that only Val characters may take psionic feats, psionic base classes, and psionic prestige classes without campaign documentation.

Psionic power saving throw DCs are calculated exactly as detailed in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Under the 3.0 edition of the core rules, Val characters gained an increase to the DC of their bloodline powers based on their blood rank. That increase was removed with the release of the Player’s Guide to Arcanis.

Most standard rules from the Expanded Psionics Handbook apply in Living Arcanis. The campaign does not use any of the optional rules from the Expanded Psionics Handbook except as specifically detailed herein. Individual scenarios or certificates may also specify their own rules. For example, charactersthat have earned (or perhaps had inflicted upon them) certain certificates manifest “preternatural” psionic powers that do not follow the psionics-magic transparency rule.


To be clear: Val do not gain any inherent, racial, or bloodline-dependent increases to their save DCs.

Psionics-Magic Transparency In the world of Arcanis, psionic and magical energies spring from the same fundamental essence (for the most part). As a result, LIVING ARCANIS uses the concept of psionics-magic transparency that is described in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Some of the consequences of that transparency, as well as various campaign-specific rulings, are addressed in this section.

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The idea that psioncs and magic are transparent is very simple. When it comes to implementing that idea through the rules of the game, however, the situation can become significantly more complicated. We realize that it is impossible for us to cover every single contingency or possibility in a campaign ruling, or in a thousand campaign rulings. Judges will inevitably have to make decisions on some issue that isn't specifically covered anywhere else. Our goal here is to issue a set of rulings that illustrate the following basic principle: The psionics-magic transparency rule is intended to put similar spells, powers, and effects on equal footing in the ways that they interact with objects and the environment. The transparency rule is not intended to apply to the ways in which characters gain access to or cast / manifest those spells, powers, and effects. To be clear: the effects are transparent; the methods for accessing and creating those effects are not transparent. Psionics and magic are the same once they are in the environment. Effects of the same type do not stack regardless of whether they come from magical or psionic sources. For example, resist energy and psionic energy adaptation can both give a character fire resistance 10. These resistances overlap; they do not stack. Named bonuses (other than dodge bonuses) with the same name never stack no matter where the bonuses came from. If you are under the effects of both a psionic morale bonus and a magical morale bonus, only the higher bonus applies. A magical +1 enhancement bonus and a psionic +1 enhancement bonus do not stack (but a psion with Craft Psionic Arms and Armor can upgrade a permanent +1 weapon to be a permanent +2 weapon even if the original weapon was created by a wizard using Craft Magic Arms and Armor, and vice versa). As a final example, many dark-kin have immunity to magical charm effects. They are therefore also immune to the psionic counterparts of those effects. However, a preternatural psionic charm (see below) could still work, because it doesn’t follow the transparency rule.

The Spell/Power Penetration feats also are considered interchangeable for purposes of meeting prerequisites of other feats and prestige classes; for example, a character with Spell Penetration may choose Greater Power Penetration without first choosing Power Penetration, and a character with Power Penetration may choose Greater Spell Penetration without first choosing Spell Penetration. A prestige class or feat with a prerequisite of Spell Penetration may be qualified for with Power Penetration, and vice versa. Certain abilities (of feats, classes, creatures, etc.) may specify that they do not allow for magic-psionics transparency, however, and this general ruling does not override any specific text to the contrary.

Detecting and Dispelling Magic and Psionics Detect psionics reveals magical auras and vice versa. (Actually identifying the specific spell’s school or power’s discipline is more difficult if it’s not from your tradition, however. See the section on Spellcraft and Psicraft for more details.) Spells and powers that block, negate, or otherwise prevent other spells and powers from functioning are considered transparent in their effects. A lesser globe of invulnerability will stop psionic powers of 3rd level or lower. The psionic power intellect fortress halves damage from magical spells such as fireball and cone of cold within its area of effect (but note that it only works on spells that allow SR, since the power description states that it only works on powers that allow PR). An anti-magic shell stops psionics; a null psionics field stops magic. A wall of force blocks line of effect for magic and psionics equally. Dispel magic can remove psionic effects. Dispel psionics can be used to remove magical effects. Both of them can be used to counterspell – either a spell being cast or a power being manifested – following the core rules for counterspelling and the specific rules listed under the descriptions of dispel magic in Core Rulebook I and dispel psionics in the Expanded Psionics Handbook.

Spell and Power Resistance Spell Resistance (SR) and Power Resistance (PR) are treated equivalently under the magic-psionics rules. A creature with SR is also considered to have the equivalent level of PR, and vice versa. As with all bonuses of the same type, if a character has both SR and PR, you do not add the two amounts; you simply use whichever one is better.

To be clear: The LIVING ARCANIS campaign staff has interpreted the rules for manifesting psionic powers to allow for “counter-powering” of psionics. This may only be done with a readied action and requires the use of dispel magic, greater dispel magic, or dispel psionics. It otherwise functions identically to counterspelling.

The Spell Penetration and Power Penetration feats and related abilities are also compatible with one another; the bonuses stack and apply equally to defeating Spell Resistance and Power Resistance. Note, however, that the use of Power Penetration or Greater Power Penetration requires expenditure of the character's psionic focus, so a character that does not have a psionic focus to begin with cannot make use of those feats.

There are a few areas where it might seem that psionicsmagic transparency could apply but that the campaign staff has decided specifically that it should not. One area of particular importance is that metamagic and metapsionics are not, in general, compatible with one another. That is to say, a character that has both metamagic and metapsionic feats may not use the metamagic feats when manifesting psionic powers and


Metamagic vs. Metapsionics

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may not use the metapsionic feats when casting spells. Wizards may not select metapsionic feats with their bonus wizard feats. Prerequisites for feats or prestige classes that require specific metapsionic feats may not be met by the corresponding metamagic feats, and vice versa. Prerequisites for feats or prestige classes that require a certain number of unspecified metamagic or metapsionic feats, such as the Loremaster requirement for any three metamagic or magic item creation feats, may not be met by combining metamagic and metapsionic feats, unless the prerequisite (or this document) specifically states otherwise. One obvious consequence of this ruling is that the various metamagic rods (from Core Rulebook II) do not work with psionic powers. While magic and psionics operate similarly in Arcanis, they are not 100% identical, particularly where derivations based on one “side” or the other are concerned. Metamagic rods represent an extension of magical theory that does not translate over into psionic theory. Metamagic and metapsionic feats are not subject to the transparency rule because they modify the actual casting or manifestation of a spell or power; they do not modify how the spell or power interacts with the environment once it is cast or manifested. For example, Empower Spell, Extend Spell, and Heighten Spell all alter the casting of spells to vary their effect in some desirable manner, but the underlying spell still functions fundamentally the same way, even if it has a larger area or deals more damage or has an increased DC, so the feat only applies to spells. The same goes for magical devices that replicate the effect of these feats. Power Resistance and Spell Resistance, on the other hand, are subject to the transparency rule because spells and powers behave identically once they have been cast or manifested (even though the casting or manifesting of the spell/power isn't subject to the transparency rule). This is because both the spell and power interact with the environment in the same way (in this case, SR and PR provide a form of fundamental resistance, and this resistance applies equally to arcane magic, divine magic, and psionics).

Magic Item Creation vs. Psionic Item Creation Magic item creation feats and psionic item creation feats are also considered incompatible (for the most part). A character with Craft Magic Arms and Armor cannot create items that require Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, and vice versa. Although dorjes and wands (for example) have similar characteristics and effects, one of them channels psionic energy while another channels magical energy, and knowledge of the means to create one type of item doesn't convey the knowledge of the means to create the other. This is a reversal of previous rulings that have been made in the campaign and supersedes all previous rulings concerning magic item creation and psionic item creation.


Some aspects of magic item creation are the same regardless of whether the source is magical or psionic. Those aspects are treated as being cross-compatible. The most obvious example is enhancement bonuses to arms and armor; they exist in both magic and psionic item creation. An enhancement bonus is treated the same way regardless of whether magic or psionics created it. Whenever an item’s non-feat prerequisites can be met by either a spell or by the corresponding psionic power (i.e. one with the same name or effect), or where an item requires both spells and powers as prerequisites, magicusing and psionic characters may collaborate in the creation of those items. However, the primary creator of the item must have the appropriate type of item creation feat as specified by the item's prerequisites. Upgrading items is done by meeting the prerequisites for whatever property is being added to the item, regardless of whether it was originally created (or previously upgraded) by a magic-user or by a psion. A psionicist can upgrade a magic item and a magic-user can upgrade a psionic item, as long as the appropriate campaign rules for doing so are followed. Therefore it is not necessary to specify on item certs or on upgrade certs whether they were created or enhanced with magic or psionics.

Preternatural Psionics Certain creatures (including some PCs with the right certificates) manifest what are known as preternatural psionics. Preternatural psionics are an alien form of psionic power that does not follow the natural laws of Arcanis. As a result, preternatural psionics do not follow the transparency rule; they use the “Psionics are Different” variant rule in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. (LIVING ARCANIS does not use the “dimished effect” options provided with that variant rule. We treat preternatural psionics and magic as being mutually exlcusive.) However, preternatural psionics and “normal” psionics are not mutually exclusive. They interact with one another on the same level and can be used to combat one another directly. This means, for example, that a character with Spell Resistance (regardless of the source) does not have any protection against preternatural psionic powers, even though SR is normally treated the same as PR. (A character that specifically had psionic Power Resistance would get to apply his PR against preternatural psionics, however.) Dispel magic cannot be used to counter or remove the effects of preternatural psionic powers, whether during or after their manifestation. An antimagic shell does not stop preternatural psionics from functioning. Of course, the lack of transparency cuts both ways. A preternatural psionicst’s Power Resistance does not provide him with any defense against spells. A preternatural dispel psionics cannot take down effects created with magic and cannot be used to counterspell an arcane or divine spellcaster. A preternatural intellect

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fortress will not provide any protection against incoming magical spells. When preternatural psionics are involved, track magical and psionic effects separately by type. The following examples will hopefully help to clarify this situation. • A character that had a magical SR 15 and a normal psionic PR 18 would use his SR against magical spells and effects and would use his PR against both normal and preternatural psionic effects. • A character that only had SR 15 would use it against all magical effects and against normal psionic effects, but would be defenseless against preternatural psionics. • A character that only had a preternatural psionic PR 15 would use it against all normal and preternatural psionic effects, but would be defenseless against magic. • A character that had a normal psionic PR 15 would be equally protected against all three types of effects (magic, natural psionics, and preternatural psionics). There are those who believe that the Gods created the Val and infused them with the gift of psionics specifically for the purpose of combating a terrible foe whose main source of power is preterntual psionics. These scholars claim that the time of this foe’s return to the world is fast approaching, if it has not already begun. Others, particularly among the Elorii, consider this theory yet another empty rationalization of the selfcentered and egotistical Val, a meaningless justification for their arrogant attitude that they are better and more important than the other races of Onara.

Spellcraft and Psicraft Because magic and psionics come from the same source, characters who are knowledgable in one area have some insights into the other, though the translation isn’t perfect. To reflect this, the Spellcraft and Psicraft skills are treated as two different skills in Living Arcanis, but skill checks may be made interchangeably with these two skills. A character suffers a -5 penalty when making a skill check with the Spellcraft skill where the rules called for a Psicraft check, and vice versa. The skills are still considered “trained only,” so a character that does not have any ranks in either skill cannot attempt to make checks untrained. Synergy: A character with five (5) ranks of the Psicraft skill gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks. A character with five (5) ranks of the Spellcraft skill gains a +2 bonus on Psicraft checks.


Other Skills The skill Use Psionic Device and the skill Use Magic Device are considered completely transparent unless a specific item states otherwise. Players are not advised to have their characters purchase ranks in both of these skills. Choose one or the other and use it for all relevant checks. The Expanded Psionics Handbook allows psionic characters to make Concentration checks to hide the various auditory, visual, and other effects that accompany their manifestations. This rule is used in LIVING ARCANIS, but it is not always possible to completely hide the fact that you are manifesting a power. A trained observer may make a DC 15 Psicraft check (or a DC 20 Spellcraft check) to notice that you manifested a power, although there is generally no way to tell which one without observing the effects, since most psionic powers do not use verbal, somatic, or material components. Even characters who are not trained in the arts of Spellcraft or Psicraft may attempt a DC 15 Spot check (normal distance modifiers apply) to realize that you just did something unusual. Perhaps your eyes became unfocused, you were staring off into space, you were looking at the place where the power’s effects appeared before they actually materialized, etc. (Note that unless someone is specifically watching you, that person suffers a -5 penalty on his Spot check since he is considered distracted.) Regardless of the success or failure of any attempt to hide the manifestation of a psionic power or to notice someone else doing it, manifestation of powers always provokes attacks of opportunity per the rules in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and the rules for manifesting powers on the defensive from that sourcebook are also used in LIVING ARCANIS. Knowledge (psionics) is available as a skill choice in LIVING ARCANIS. Information about the topics of information covered by this skill may be found in the Expanded Psionics Handbook and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Unlike Spellcraft and Psicraft, Knowledge (psionics) and Knowledge (arcana) cannot be used interchangeably for making skill checks. These skills represent a deeper level of research and investigation into the specific disciplines. However, they do provide a certain level of synergy when crossing disciplines. Synergy: A character with five ranks of Knowledge (psionics) gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks. A character with five ranks of Knowledge (arcana) checks gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (psionics) checks.

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The Gifts of the Gods The Gods have gifted the people of Onara with many gifts. (Some would say that the people would be better off had the Gods chosen to keep their gifts to themselves, but it’s probably a bit too late for that now.) This section includes rules for dealing with blast powder, flintlock weapons, and the mysterious Portals of Anshar.

Blast Powder Blast powder, the Second Gift of Althares, is one of the most carefully controlled substances on Onara. It is available only from Altheria, and while that Republic does provide small quantities to other nations in return for their participation in the Shining Patrol, it is not easily obtained even in the best of circumstances. In Altheria, the priests of Althares create blast powder in their alchemical laboratories via an involved (and extremely secret) process. The majority of the blast powder is kept in New Althré, supplying both the nation’s armories and those Altherian citizens who own flintlock weapons. The remainder of the blast powder is transported to those nations who contribute units to the Shining Patrol. A shipment of blast powder is obviously a valuable prize, so extensive precautions are taken to ensure that it is not stolen. The problem is that blast powder cannot be moved magically or psionically in any large quantities.

Transporting Blast Powder It has been discovered (through painful experience) that whenever a certain quantity of blast powder is targeted by Conjuration (teleportation) magic (such as the teleport spell or a Gate of Anshar), it will have explosive results. If any creature or container is carrying more than twenty (20) shots worth of blast powder when subjected to a Conjuration (teleportation) effect, all of the blast powder detonates, doing 1d10 points of damage per shot carried to the bearer with no saving throw. In addition, amounts in significant excess of the 20-shot limit may do damage to structures or other persons in the environs (damage subject to the GM’s discretion; a Reflex save with a DC equal to the number of shots is typically allowed, unless the explosion completely fills an enclosed space) before the assumed victim’s remains get transported away. The 20-shot limit represents the total of all the blast powder in a creature’s space, or unattended blastpowder within a ten-foot radius; for example, if a character is wearing or carrying five separate pouches with six shots each, that is considered a total of 30 shots even though the blast powder may be “spread out” all over the character’s body. Likewise, a character passing through a Gate of Anshar cannot carry 20 shots on his person and then drag 20 more shots behind him in a wagon. There is no known means of getting around this restriction (or if there is, nobody’s telling). This


includes, but is not limited to: using extra-dimensional storage devices, polymorphing and subsuming blast powder as a possession of the bearer, wildshaping and subsuming blast powder as a possession of the bearer, and so forth. This is simply one of a class of “selfevident story rules” (just like no spell will tell you the name of the First Emperor of the Coryani Empire), and regardless of how creative you are, trying to subvert this rule in any way results in the adverse consequences described above. Basically, if there were a way around this restriction, someone in the game world would have figured it out by now; a PC in LIVING ARCANIS is not going to succeed where everyone else in recorded history has failed. The bottom line is that large quantities of blast powder must be moved via “normal” methods, usually by ship or caravan. Where possible, the blast powder and its guards – the most loyal and skilled monks, clerics, and paladins of Althares – travel to their destinations by sailing ship or airship in order to minimize the dangers of overland travel. Even though the potential financial gains are great, few are the pirates willing to challenge an Altherian gunship; they know the crew would rather destroy the ship than allow the blast powder to fall into enemy hands. Blast powder caravans, although they do occur, are rare and rely on both deception and strength of arms to protect their precious cargo. A heavily-guarded, extremely impressive caravan setting off from New Althré may be carrying blast powder as appearances would indicate. Or, it may actually be loaded with wheat or cloth, serving only to attract the attention of would-be bandits, while a small group of powerful individuals sets off quietly from an unmarked building, carrying a fortune in blast powder on the back of a few raggedlooking mules. Regardless of how it gets there, once a shipment of blast powder arrives at its destination, it is stored under heavy security in local garrisons of the appropriate nation. PCs may want to get their hands on some, of course, and the following sections detail rules for obtaining blast powder through both legal and illegal methods.

The Price of Blast Powder The Player’s Guide to Arcanis has incorrect prices for blast powder (listed on page 228). The correct price is 50 gold pieces per 10 shots. Note that blast powder does not have to be purchased in lots of 10; individual shots may be purchased for 5 gp each.

Ownership Restrictions Although a bullet doesn’t care who fires it, the people who make that bullet often do care who has the ability to buy a gun in the first place. This section details certain racial and national restrictions on the purchase of blast powder and flintlock weapons.

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Ss’ressen characters cannot use flintlock pistols and rifles, because they do not have the right physiology. Their hands and claws are not suited to the small triggers and complex reloading mechanisms that these weapons use. Furthermore, one of the chemical components of the formula to make blast powder is widely known to be ss’ressen egg shells. Any ss’ressen found by his Egg Clutch to be in possession of blast powder would be considered a murderer unless she could prove beyond a doubt that the powder was created using only the shells of rival Clutches. Elorii are physiologically capable of using flintlocks, but blast powder is one of the Gifts of the Betrayer God Althares, so any Elorii using flintlocks or blast powder is automatically considered a heretic by his or her fellows. The Altherians know this and so they do not allow Elorii to purchase blast powder or flintlocks. Only humans, dark-kin, dwarves, and Val are legally entitled to purchase blast powder and flintlocks. For characters of other races, even if the character somehow manages to meet the other requirements that character still does not gain the right to buy flintlock weapons or blast powder. (A half-orc Patrician might be the son of his tribe’s chieftain, but that does not mean that his tribe has any legal standing as far as the Republic of Altheria is concerned.) There is one way – and only one way – that gnomes, half-orcs, and half-hobgoblins can earn the right to legally bear flintlocks, and that is by serving in the Shining Patrol. The Patrol is egalitarian in a way that few other organizations on Onara can match. These characters must have the Shining Patrol Service feat and must be active-duty members (which requires joining the Shining Patrol meta-organization once it is released) to gain access to flintlocks and blast powder. Characters who are physiologically capable of using flintlock weapons but who cannot buy them legally may still acquire them via certificates or the Black Market skill.

Obtaining Blast Powder Legally Blast powder is a carefully controlled substance. However, that does not mean that it is an uncommon sight. Flintlock weaponry is used all over the world, and flintlocks don’t work without blast powder. This section contains rules for the legal acquisition of blast powder. Only three types of people can legally possess blast powder: Val, nobles of nations that contribute troops to the Shining Patrol, and Altherian citizens. In game terms, only the following characters may obtain blast powder legally: •

Any Val, human, dwarf, or dark-kin character or cohort whose nationality is Altherian or who is a member of the clerisy of Althares (this includes paladins, priests, holy champions, and clerics of Althares)


• •

•

Any non-Altherian Val whose home nation is not currently under a blast powder embargo Any human, dwarf, or dark-kin character or cohort whose home nation is not currently under a blast powder embargo, and who is considered a noble in his homeland (i.e. possesses the Gentry feat, one or more levels of Aristocrat, or one or more levels of Patrician) Anyone who is an active-duty member of the Shining Patrol (this requires the Shining Patrol Service feat and will also require membership in the Shining Patrol meta-organization once it is released)

Cohorts and the characters they serve are considered on their own individual merits for purposes of who does and does not have the right to buy blast powder. Just because the primary PC is legally entitled doesn’t mean that his cohort is also legally entitled, and vice versa. Note that not all nations on Onara contribute to the Shining Patrol, and thus not all of them receive blast powder for their nobles and military. Characters from uncivilized parts of the world (such as the nomadic tribesmen of the Hinterlands) obviously cannot claim that their “home nation” sends troops to the Shining Patrol, even if there happens to be one guy from the tribe who really is a member. Likewise, characters from Nyambe may not purchase blast powder because their homeland obviously does not contribute anything to the Shining Patrol. Blast Powder Embargo: During all scenarios that take place in Year Four of the campaign (the game year 1028 I.C.) there is a blast powder embargo in effect. The Republic of Altheria has suffered a great many troop losses as a result of unpleasant world events, and several prominent contributors to the Shining Patrol have withdrawn their troops because of fears of trouble at home. Characters from the “renegade” Coryani provinces (Ulfila and Valentia) that have openly declared their loyalty to the rogue General Menisis val’Tensen, characters from the nations of Milandir and Canceri, characters from the cities of Abessios and Sicaris, and dwarves from the Enclave of Solanos Mor may not legally purchase blast powder in their homelands, because the Republic has declared an embargo against these lands due to their withdrawal of support for the Shining Patrol. Characters from all other nations (and Coryani characters from provinces whose loyalty lies with Emperor Calcestus) are not subject to the embargo and may purchase blast powder as normal. Scenarios that take place prior to the beginning of 1028 I.C. do not enforce this restriction as the embargo has not yet taken effect.

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Altherian PCs may purchase blast powder wherever there is a Temple of Althares, regardless of what nation the temple is in. This is true even in nations that are otherwise subject to a blast powder embargo. The Altherians always find a way to make their their own personnel are properly supplied. Non-Altherian characters and cohorts who meet the listed requirements may purchase blast powder at a garrison in their home nation as long as the garrison is not in a nation or portion of a nation subject to an embargo. Most characters may not legally purchase blast powder in a foreign land; every nation has only a limited supply, and is not about to sell any of it to foreigners. Characters may purchase blast powder at the beginning of any adventure that starts in a city of their home nation, or at the end of any adventure that ends in a city of their home nation. Characters may buy blast powder during an adventure set in a city of their home nation at the judge’s discretion. PCs who have obtained dual citizenship with their home nation and Altheria may purchase blast powder as both nationalities. A character may not purchase blast powder more than once in the same adventure. The availability of blast powder will be noted in the “Campaign-Related Information” section found at the beginning of every scenario. Whenever a character purchases blast powder, the purchase and the number of shots obtained must be listed on the character’s log sheet for the adventure during which it was purchased.

Obtaining Blast Powder Illegally Despite the strict controls, the value of blast powder ensures that there will always be individuals who try to obtain it illegally. Sadly, some of them may be player characters. This section is for them.

The Black Market The most likely way to illegally obtain blast powder – or any other controlled items – is via the ubiquitous black market. The Black Market skill is likely to prove invaluable in such attempts. The Black Market skill is fully detailed on page 122 of the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Note that checks to buy and sell blast powder have a base DC of 25, and checks to buy and sell flintlock weapons have a base DC of 20, except in Freeport (see below). In Freeport, blast powder is distributed through the Captain's Council, so it is usually acquired through the black market. Members of the Council can apply at the Powder House, near the Fortress of Justice, to purchase their annual share of the island’s supplies of powder. It’s common knowledge that much of this powder gets leaked into the Freeport black market, much to the profit of the individual councilors. Black market acquisition of blast powder in Freeport uses the game mechanics as set forth in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, but the DC for all


Black Market skill checks to buy and sell blast powder and flintlock weapons is reduced by 5.

Tricking a Garrison or Temple Players may want to obtain blast powder without risking the black market by going to a garrison of the Shining Patrol or some other nation’s military, or a temple of Althares, and pretending to be legally entitled to purchase blast powder. Should this scenario come up in play, judges may use the following guidelines to resolve the situation. Using a Disguise: Priests of Althares are automatically suspicious of anyone attempting to purchase blast powder, and automatically receive Spot checks to penetrate a character’s disguise. In addition to the Disguise check, characters attempting such a ruse will also need to beat the priest’s Sense Motive check with an opposed Bluff check. The disguises most likely to succeed are those of a Val, of an Altherian, and of a generic noble. The priests of Althares always conduct an extensive interview before turning over any blast powder to anyone they do not know personally. Since priests in this position will always have the Judge of Character feat (see the PGtA), they should be assumed to have taken 20 on their Sense Motive skill check, giving the average priest a Sense Motive check result of 35. Feel free to apply modifiers for good roleplaying and geographic location. (Priests in New Althré will definitely be above average by at least 5 ranks, while priests in more remote locations may be a bit less attentive.) Bonuses and penalties for the character’s level of lifestyle apply to Disguise and Bluff skill checks made in an attempt to purchase blast powder illegally. Pretending to be a Val: This is a very serious crime. If caught, the character may face repercussions far beyond the inability to obtain blast powder. The following penalties apply to Disguise skill checks for pretending to be a Val, depending on the disguised character’s actual race: • Human: -2 • Dark-kin, Elorii, Half-orc: -5 • Dwarf, Gnome, Ss’ressen: -10; not possible without magic Since Val can “sense” the inherent power level (blood rank) of other Val, any non-Val who is questioned by a Val priest will suffer a -40 circumstance penalty on his Disguise check. This penalty can in no way be negated. Pretending to be an Altherian: This is easier and less risky than pretending to be a Val, but will only help when trying to obtain blast powder in Altheria. Make a normal Disguise check without the racial penalties described above and a normal Bluff check. PCs that are obviously not human (including ss’ressen, dwarves, gnomes, and Elorii) may not attempt to impersonate an Altherian without a magical disguise.

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Pretending to be nobility: While no Disguise checks are needed for this approach, assuming the character can scrounge up an appropriate suit of clothing and other accoutrements of the nobility, the PC must still make an appropriate Bluff check against the Altherian priest’s Sense Motive check. In addition, a Forgery check is required in order to create the documents necessary to “prove” the character’s noble lineage. Priests of Althares (at least, those priests responsible for dispensing blast powder) are very familiar with official documents, and thus receive a bonus on their opposed Forgery check. The priests always review the documents at great length before handing over any blast powder, so they should be assumed to take 10 on these checks, giving them an average result of 28. Pretenting to be with the military: The Shining Patrol does not requisition or transport its blast powder by way of Temples of Althares, so PCs who show up at a temple pretending to be members of the Patrol will not be able to persuade the priests to part with any blast powder. The national militaries outside of Altheria do not get their supplies from the Temples of Althares either, so once again, pretending to be a member of (say) the Coryani Legions is not going to be helpful no matter how convincing the PC’s disguise might be. When a PC is trying to deceive a military garrison officer rather than a temple of Althares, adjudicate the situation following the guidelines above, with reasonable adjustments depending on the situation. The DCs for Bluff checks are probably 5 to 10 points lower, but the DCs for Disguise and/or Forgery checks are probably 5 to 10 points higher, since the military operates more on the basis of proper appearance and paperwork than it does on the basis of intuition.

Hoarding Blast Powder Since blast powder is so rare and precious, even characters legally able to purchase it cannot obtain an infinite supply. The garrisons will not give any character more than his or her “fair share,” with the definition of “fair” being left up to each garrison’s commander, based on available supplies. Characters who continually request more and more blast powder will be regarded with suspicion, and eventually their requests will be refused entirely. In game terms, no character can legally possess more than twenty (20) shots of blast powder at any given time. Characters whose nationality is Altherian, who are members of the clerisy of Althares, or who are activeduty members of the Shining Patrol are permitted to have up to double the normal limit (so these characters may own a maximum of 40 shots). Posing as an Altherian will never give a non-Altherian PC this benefit no matter how high the character’s Disguise skill may be. The 20-shot legal limit is obviously one that was derived by the Republic of Altheria in response to various incidents of explosive decompression (see the notes on Transporting Blast Powder a few pages back).


Buying more than 20 shots’ worth of blast powder: Any attempt to buy more than 20 shots of blast powder at one time automatically fails (obviously). Characters who are legally entitled to buy blast powder and who already have some in their possession may attempt to buy more than their fair share. If a non-Altherian character tries to buy enough blast powder to put him over the 20-shot limit, he must make an appropriate Bluff check against the selling priest’s Sense Motive check. See above for the details, but the bottom line is that the priest’s Sense Motive check result will be at least a 35. Priests of Althares will not hesitate to use spells such as discern lies, zone of truth, or even true seeing if there is any doubt as to a particular character’s entitlement to purchase blast powder. In no way, nor by any means, may any PC or cohort own more than fifty (50) shots of blast powder at one time. Any attempts to obtain blast powder by any character already possessing 50 shots or any attempt to obtain an amount of blast powder that would put a character over that total automatically fails and the offending party is always subjected to the worst possible punishment under the “Illegal Possession” rules below. This is a non-negotiable campaign rule.

Illegal Possession of Blast Powder Characters who are caught trying to obtain blast powder under false pretenses, or who are found to possess blast powder to which they are not legally entitled, are in trouble. The local authorities arrest the character(s), along with anyone assisting them, and all illegal items in their possession are confiscated. All arrested character(s) spend a minimum of 30 Time Units in jail, plus an additional 5 TU for every illegal item confiscated (for these purposes, each individual shot of illegal blast powder is considered a separate item). In addition, all arrested characters have their names and descriptions circulated to all garrisons in the region as well as the temples of Althares, giving them a –10 circumstance penalty on Bluff and Disguise checks in any future attempts to obtain blast powder. Characters caught impersonating a Val must spend an additional 180 Time Units in jail, and must pay a 100 gp fine (in coin or items). All punishments, including forfeiture of items, TU, and gold, should be noted on the character’s log sheet and signed by the GM. Characters that are legally entitled to purchase blast powder lose that privilege if they are arrested in conjunction with any attempt to illegally obtain or possess it. This should be specifically noted on the character’s log sheet if it occurs.

Trading Blast Powder Characters that come into possession of blast powder (whether legally or illegally) may choose to give, trade,

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or sell that blast powder to other characters as desired. However, it should be noted that both the church of Althares and the various national governments of Onara take a very dim view of this sort of activity. Characters that are loyal to their nation should not give or sell their nation’s blast powder to foreigners. Also, if a character is found to be illegally in possession of blast powder, there will be a great deal of interest in where he obtained it, and the character who provided it will be subject to the same punishment as the character found carrying it illegally. (See the next section for details.)

Other Rules for Blast Powder The following rules concerning blast powder and its effects are used in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign.

Exposure to Fire and Electricity Any time a PC carrying blast powder is subjected to open flame or electricity, be it by spell or natural means, then that PC’s exposed blast powder has a chance of igniting. Blast powder is considered exposed if it is not sealed in some type of container. Loaded flintlock weapons are not considered sealed containers. When a PC is exposed to a fire or electrical-based spell (such as lightning bolt or scorching ray), the exposed blast powder will explode if the character rolls a natural 1 on his saving throw. This is in addition to the normal risk of having an item destroyed by the spell itself when a character rolls a natural 1 on a save. If a PC or his equipment catches on fire by normal or magical means, then all exposed blast powder has a 20% chance, cumulative per round the PC is on fire, to ignite.

Consequences of Exploding Blast Powder If a character’s exposed blast powder explodes, that character suffers 1d4 points of damage per exploding shot. The maximum damage from this explosion is 10d4, and the explosion is confined to the square containing the PC. If the blast powder in question is in a loaded flintlock, then the weapon simply discharges. The GM should feel free to apply damage as the situation dictates. For example, if the PC had a shouldered flintlock rifle, the weapon would probably just discharge harmlessly. However, if the PC had a flintlock pistol stuck down the front of his belt, “pirate style,” well then…OUCH!

Exposure to Water or Moisture Any exposed blast powder that is completely submerged in water is immediately ruined. Any exposed blast powder that is subjected to continuous moist conditions (traveling through a swamp, very thick fog, etc.) has a 10% cumulative chance per hour of exposure of being ruined. This includes loaded flintlock weapons. Any loaded flintlock whose shot is ruined requires two fullround actions to clean and reload, assuming the user has the appropriate flintlock tools. If the user does not have the appropriate tools, the time is tripled to six full-round actions.


Flintlock Weapons The ownership of flintlock weapons is restricted in the same way as the ownership of blast powder. Characters that may not legally purchase blast powder may not legally purchase or bear flintlock weapons either. However, the blast powder embargo described in the section on purchasing blast powder does not apply to flintlock weapons. The weapons are not as tightlycontrolled as the blast powder, since a flintlock without ammunition is nothing more than a very expensive club. When trying to buy or sell flintlocks illegally, characters may make a Black Market check using the appropriate table in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Note that Altherians buying flintlock weapons in their homeland receive a 25% discount on the market prices in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, and these price changes affect the Altherian black market as well (but not the black market in other places). However, Altherian PCs may not use this price difference to create an arms-running business, buying flintlocks in Altheria and selling them elsewhere at a mark up. Such activities will quickly be noticed by the authorities and the offending PC stripped of all rights to own or possess flintlocks or blast powder. Flintlock weapons are not for sale at temples of Althares, so the rules in the “Tricking the Garrison or Temple” section above do not apply. While the monks of Althares do deliver weapons to deserving nobles, a cache of such weapons is almost never kept at any one temple. Kolter firearms are available for sale in Freeport, and it is legal for anyone to carry a flintlock there regardless of race or nationality. However, mainland nations (including Altheria) do not distinguish between Kolter firearms and those of Altherian make when prosecuting for illegal possession, so they’re rarely seen off the island. The price for a Kolter flintlock in Freeport is found in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, where it is listed on page 228 as a “small pistol.”

Illegal Possession of Flintlocks Any character caught in illegal possession of a flintlock by the local authorities will have the item(s) confiscated and must spend 30 Time Units in jail per illegal item. This TU penalty is doubled in Altheria. In Freeport, there is no concept of “illegal possession” where flintlocks and blast powder are concerned, and anyone can legally buy, sell, and carry flintlocks, regardless of their provenance.

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Portals of Anshar

Attuning to a Portal of Anshar

“At the time of the founding of the First Imperium, Illiir tasked all the Gods to give a gift to Humanity. Anshar saw the vast distances that Man would one day need to cross, and decided to create a Gift to bridge those gulfs. Her Gift remains unsurpassed in its usefuless, particularly in this modern age.” -- Kuralthin val’Inares, Monologue of the Far Traveler

In order to open a conduit between two gates, the character must be attuned to the Portal at both the source and the destination. Only clerics of Anshar with the Travel domain and Val with the Walk the Path of Stars bloodline power from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis have the ability to attune to Portals of Anshar. There are two ways for a character to become attuned to a particular Portal. Whenever a PC or cohort becomes attuned to a new gate, a notation must be made on the character’s log sheet. • A character who is capable of attuning to Portals automatically attunes to any Portal that he passes through (regardless of whether he opened it or not). The character attunes to the Portal at his starting location, not at his destination. In other words, if you travel via gate from Naerranth to Grand Coryan, you automatically attune to the Naerranth gate, but not to the Grand Coryna gate. • A character may attune to a Portal without actually passing through it. This most often occurs when an adventure starts, stops, or passes through a location with a Portal, but the adventure itself does not actually involve the PCs making use of that gate. A PC must spend 6 uninterrupted hours in close proximity to a Portal in order to attune to it. This requires gaining permission from the local Temple of Anshar in most cases (see below).

Scattered across all of Onara are large portals, each in the shape of a ten-foot-high, twenty-foot-wide archway. Every Portal is unique in some way, but they usually have a while marbled façade covered in benedictions to the Goddess Anshar written in Ancient Altharin. Only priests of Anshar or those who can lay claim to Her blood (the val’Inares) can activate these portals. The magic that created the Gates of Anshar is by no means understood. What is known is that every Portal seems to be linked to every other Portal by means of some sort of network, almost as if dozens upon dozens of ley lines were criss-crossing the planet’s surface. When a portal is opened, it must be attuned to another portal with the proper blessings and rituals. If this is done properly, the interior of the archway will spring to life with a soothing blue light. Passing through the plane, one is instantly transported across the intervening distances, emerging from the sister portal unharmed.

Getting Permission to Attune to a Portal It is rumored that the locations of hundreds of Portals of Anshar have been lost since the Shadowed Age, and that they are located all over the globe, not just in the Known Lands of Onara. Fragments of sacred texts even hint that these Portals connect the world of Arcanis to other worlds and even other Planes of Existence. However, even if this is true, the knowledge must have been destroyed when the Theocracy of the Cleansing Flame wiped the First Imperium and its works from the very face of Arcanis. The following sections detail game mechanics for the usage of Portals of Anshar, which (as one might imagine) make relatively frequent appearances in LIVING ARCANIS scenarios. Characters may be asked (or offered the chance) to travel from one part of the world to another via the gates, and a few characters even gain the ability to attune to specific Portals and activate portions of the network themselves. A very select few, the Ansharan Gatekeepers, hold the deepest secrets and truest knowledge of these mysterious artifacts. (See the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for more on the Ansharan Gatekeeper prestige class.) A typical portal is twenty feet wide, which means that four Medium creatures can enter it abreast at one time. Most of the archways are ten feet tall at the highest point and about seven feet tall at the outside edges, although the description of specific Portals may vary.


At most of the sites where Portals of Anshar are known to exist (particularly those in cities), the clergy of the Suffering Goddess have erected temples. These structures range in size from tiny (Nishanpur, where the “temple” is actually just a barred enclosure and the “priests” are val’Inares loyal to the rulers of the city) to grandiose (Grand Coryan, where everything is apparently required by some unwritten law of Imperial architecture to be excessively elaborate). Most Temples of Anshar are very plain and simple, unassuming, in their design and ornamentation. The Portal is often (but not always) the centerpiece of the temple’s design, and is found in the deepest, most central, or most secure part of the temple. To be clear: Not all Temples of Anshar are located on Portal sites, but it is rare to find a Portal that is not situated on the grounds of a Temple of Anshar. At every Temple of Anshar that is sited on or near a Portal, there is always a detachment of the Legion of Grim Lamentation stationed. The sole purpose of this Legion is to guard the sites where Portals are found – not so much to keep people from using the gate without permission, but rather to deal with the … things … that sometimes come through a Portal from parts unknown without warning. The price charged by a Temple of Anshar for a character to attune to its Portal is 500 gold pieces. This money is used to defray the expenses associated with the local

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garrison of the Legion of Grim Lamentation, as well as to support the temple’s day-to-day operations. Members of the clergy of Anshar may spend 30 Time Units doing itinerant work for the Church instead of paying the goldpiece cost. PCs who have tithed gold to the Church of Anshar (as noted on their logsheet entries) may use their past tithes to defray the cost of attuning to Portals. This should be noted on the character’s logsheet, as it reduces the amount of the character’s lifetime total tithed by the appropriate amount. If there is no Temple of Anshar present at the site of a Portal, and no other military force is guarding the location, then any PC who is capable of attuning to the Portal and who has the opportunity may do so without paying anyone. Those who learn the location of Portals before the followers of Anshar do should consider themselves lucky (and should expect that it won’t last long).

Activating a Portal of Anshar It requires two full rounds to open a Portal of Anshar. During this time, the character peforming the ritual is considered to be in the process of casting a spell for purposes of attempts to disrupt the ritual, meaning that he must make a Concentration check to continue the procedure if he suffers damage during those two full rounds. The ritual invocation accomplishes two things. In the first round, the character opening the Portal must cause it to attune to the Portal at the desired destination. The character must be attuned to both the starting location and the destination or he cannot create a conduit between those two locations. In the second round, the connection has been established and the character now begins a series of blessings and supplications to the Goddess, which result in the Portal opening at the end of the second round. While the ritual of opening is being performed, any observer who wishes to study the ritual and who has a degree of familiarity with the process may attempt a combination skill check to recognize the destination that has been selected. This requires both a Spellcraft check (DC 15) and a Knowledge (religion) check (DC 20). If the character has ranks in the specialized Knowledge (religion: Anshar) skill then the DC is 15 instead of 20. Both skill checks must succeed or the observer does not gain any information. If the two checks succeed, then the information gained depends on whether or not the observer has ever seen the ritual for that particular destination before. If he has not, then he knows that the ritual is genuine but he does not learn the destination. (He knows that it is a destination whose ritual he has never seen enacted, but that’s it.) If he has watched the ritual before, then he recognizes the particular parts of the ritual that are specific to the destination, and he knows where the Portal will lead once it opens. A character who is capable of attuning to Portals always knows the rituals associated with every Portal to which he is attuend.


If for some reason the character opening the gate wants to conceal the destination from any observers, or even make it appear as though the destination is somewhere other than it really is, he may attempt to disguise his actions. This creates a situation where opposed skill checks are used to determine who learns what. The character trying to disguise the ritual makes a Spellcraft check and a Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (religion: Anshar) check. His two check results become the DCs for the same checks made by any observers who are trying to identify the ritual being performed. If the observers do not meet or exceed both of the DCs set by the character performing the ritual, then he may impart any false knowledge of his choosing (either a specific false destination or a result that the observer simply does not know the destination). On the other hand, any observer who does succeed at winning both of the opposed skill checks knows the real destination and also knows that the character opening the Portal was trying to hide what he was really doing. What action to take in response to that information is up to the observer, of course. Once a Portal has been opened, the character who opened it does not have to maintain concentration (and in fact can step through himself if he so chooses). The Portal will close automatically in exactly two rounds. If the character who opened the Portal chooses to keep it open longer than two rounds, he must maintain his concentration the entire time. A character may freely hold a Portal open for a number of rounds equal to his Constituion bonus before the magical energies begin to cause a backlash. If the character does not have a Constitution bonus (i.e. his Constitution score is 13 or lower) then the backlash begins as soon as the two “free” rounds have passed. As soon as the backlash begins, the surface of the Portal begins to waver and ripple. Powerful energies surge into the character who is trying to keep the gate open. These energies deal 2 points of Constitution damage (no saving throw) and the character must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 20 plus the total number of rounds the Portal has been open) in order to avoid losing the connection. This Constitution damage heals with the passage of time, like other kinds of ability damage, but it cannot be magically cured or restored, even by a greater restoration or heal spell. This process repeats itself for each additional round: the character suffers 2 more points of Constitution damage and must make another Concentration check. (Since Concentration uses Constitution as its key ability, the DC of the Concentration check effectively increases by 2 points per round – 1 point because the Portal has been open for another round, and 1 point because the character’s Con modifier just went down by one.) The physical toll that a Portal takes on those who open it is part of the reason why armies are not moved via Portals of Anshar; it is simply impossible for even the strongest clerics to hold the gateway open for longer than a short period of time. Among the other reasons are

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the fact that carrying large quantities of blast powder through Portals is known to have explosive results, and the fact that a very small percentage of the time, people who step into a Portal expecting to end up at a particular location find themselves somewhere else entirely… or do not come back at all. The clergy denies these rumors, of course. (In any case, when PCs open a Portal, there is no chance of a mishap, unless a scenario specifically states otherwise.)

remote monastery of Anshar located high in the Corlathian Mountains.

Races The following is a list of races that are approved for play in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. If a race is not on this list, characters of that race may not be played without special campaign documentation.

Buying Passage through a Portal of Anshar

Core Rulebook I

The standard fee levied by the Ansharans for usage of the gate network is 5,000 gold pieces. That buys passage for up to eight individuals and their carried equipment. The fee is reduced to 500 gold pieces for members of the clerisy (clerics, priests, paladins, and holy champions) of Anshar, as well as for any Val with the Walk the Path of Stars bloodline ability. The fee can also be reduced from 5,000 to 500 gp by the expenditure of an appropriate favor with the Church of Anshar.

Dwarves, gnomes, half-orcs, and humans are approved races for PCs in LIVING ARCANIS. However, they have been altered significantly from the core rules. The specific racial traits detailed for each race in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis (which are reproduced in the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines) supersede the ones listed in Core Rulebook I.

Note that the fee is for access to the Portal; it is not a material component cost. Portals that do not have a Temple of Anshar associated with them can theoretically be used at no charge. Of coruse, there may be some other individual or organization that is physically in control of the portal, and that entity is free to charge whatever it wants for access. (Try walking up to the Portal in Nishanpur without warning and see what happens.) PCs who have paid tithes to the Church of Anshar (as recorded on their logsheets) may use the amount of those tithes to cover the cost of usage of the Portal network; any such transactions must be clearly noted on the logsheet entry with the Portal used and the fee paid. The priests of Anshar do not, as a rule, allow pack animals or mounts into their temples, but Portals that are located in wilderness environments may have rules that are a bit more lenient. When someone buys access to a particular gate and he does not plan to open the Portal himself, he is given a writ. This writ must be presented to the on-duty priest of Anshar at the Gate in question. The writ generally follows a standard format, but it is possible for an NPC to arrange with the Church to use a code or other specialized form of writ (for example, General Menesis val’Tensen has a long-standing arrangement with the Church in this regard, and there is also a unique writ for those on Imperial business at the behest of the Emperor of Coryan). Forging a writ is difficult but not impossible (Forgery DC 35 for a generic writ or DC 50 for a specialized writ). Trying to bypass the normal administrative requirements and just “bum-rush” a Portal without paying results in a detachment of the Legion of Grim Lamentation being dispatched to pummel the offenders into submission. There is no avoiding this fate for PCs. The fine for all characters involved is 5,000 gold pieces each and 30 Time Units spent serving gruel to suffering pilgrims at a


To be clear: Elves, half-elves, and halflings are not approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS.

Codex Arcanis All racial statistics in this sourcebook have been updated for the new edition of the core rules in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Therefore, the racial statistics in the Codex Arcanis are no longer used for play in LIVING ARCANIS. However, the Codex is still an extremely important sourcebook for the campaign. It contains a wealth of information that is useful for racial backgrounds, stories, motivations, and role-playing hooks.

In the Shadow of the Devil The new Val bloodline featured in this product, the val'Baucisz, is indeed approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. However, the version printed in this sourcebook is superseded by the version in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis.

Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire The Black Talon and Ashen Hide ss'ressen Egg Clutches are approved for LIVING ARCANIS play. However, the versions printed in this sourcebook are superseded by the versions in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis.

Player’s Guide to Arcanis All of the races from this sourcebook are approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. Please see the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines and the official PCI errata file for the Player’s Guide to Arcanis to obtain the most current information before creating your character.

Val Bloodlines and Blood Rank A Val’s bloodline reflects the divine influence granted to him and his kin by their patron deity. A Val’s blood rank, on the other hand, reflects the specific strength of this deific gift. As such, no Val can ever possess more

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than one bloodline, nor can he voluntarily change the bloodline he was born with under any normal circumstances. The LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines give details for purchasing a Val character’s starting blood rank with ability score points. At every fourth character level, a Val may raise his blood rank by 1 point instead of raising one of his ability scores. Once a Val’s bloodline and blood rank have been determined, he must select his bloodline powers. A few bloodline powers are detailed in the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines, but most are found in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. The number of powers known is equal to the Val’s blood rank, and the powers are divided into different levels of strength. Blood rank and the “level” of bloodline powers do not correspond exactly. Instead, whenever there is more than one bloodline power for any given level, a Val must possess at least two powers from that level before he can advance to the next level. For example, a val’Abebi may choose The Tongues of Man are of All Men as his first bloodline power, but he must then also choose either Wisdom of the Ages or Enhanced Memory before he may choose any of the second-level bloodline powers. Once a power is chosen, a Val may not change his selection for any reason. Unless otherwise noted, all bonuses from bloodline powers are considered to be divine bonuses and do not stack with either profane or sacred bonuses. All bloodline powers are cast as a sorcerer of the Val’s total character level. Whenever a bloodline power requires the Val to divide either his blood rank or character level in half, the resulting number is always rounded down. Bloodline powers do not count as the character being able to cast spells or manifest psionic powers, either specifically or in general, for any purpose. For example, a Val with a bloodline power that allows him to create the effect of a 3rd-level divine spell does not have “the ability to cast 3rd-level divine spells” for the purposes of qualifying for a prestige class, nor does he have the ability to cast the specific spell that is referenced in the bloodline power for those purposes. He has a bloodline power that lets him create a specific effect, and that’s it.

Bloodline Power DCs For bloodline powers that require a saving throw, the DC is equal to 10 + the Val’s blood rank + the Val’s Charisma modifier unless the power specifies otherwise.

Expanded Psionics Handbook None of the new races presented in this sourcebook are approved for PCs in LIVING ARCANIS.

Nyambe: African Adventures Players with special campaign documentation may have access to some of the races from this sourcebook. To play such a character, the player musst have campaign documentation specifically allowing it, and only one such special character is allowed per player.


The following clarifications to material from the Nyambe sourcebook are official for LIVING ARCANIS: With the exception of the Unthlatu, all races from Nyambe exist in LIVING ARCANIS. PCs from Nyambe may be human, agogwe, kitunusi, ngoloko, utuchekulu, or wakyambi. Human characters from Nyambe-tanda must be from one of the twelve listed ethnic groups in the sourcebook. As there are no halflings in the Known Lands of Onara, foreign visitors do not apply that name to the agogwe. Their language is simply called “agogwe.” Though kitunusi are described as “typically gnomish,” this does not hold true in LIVING ARCANIS. The kitunusi are neither twisted nor ugly. Ngoloko are indeed part human and part orc. The genetics haven’t resulted in quite the same half-orc as in Onara, so these creatures will be referred to only as ngoloko, not as half-orcs. Initial excitement surrounding the utuchekulu and the possibility that they were the remnants of a lost Dwarven Enclave has faded with the discovery that this is not the case. The utuchekulu are perhaps a sort of pygmy human, though that explanation satisfies few of the Onarans asking questions. It should also be noted that the language (referred to as “Ulathloo” in their tongue) spoken by the utuchekulu bears no resemblance to the dwarven language spoken upon the continent of Onara. The wakyambi are clearly not Elorii, despite translation magic’s insistence that both races get called “elves.” Of all the races of Nyambe-tanda, the wakyambi have been the most enthusiastic about traveling to Onara, and are thus the most likely of the new race to be encountered there.

Base Classes The following is a list of base classes (20-level classes) that are approved for play in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. If a class is not on this list, characters of that class may not be played without special campaign documentation.

Core Rulebook I All of the base classes listed in Core Rulebook I are allowed in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. However, many of them have been significantly modified to better fit within the campaign setting. Please refer to the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines and the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for full details.

Core Rulebook II (NPC Classes) The NPC base classes listed in Core Rulebook II are allowed in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Although

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many of these classes are underpowered when compared to the standard beginning classes, their role-playing opportunities present new and unique challenges.

freely available for play for Elorii PCs in LIVING ARCANIS.

Warder Adept The adept from Chapter 4 of Core Rulebook II is a valid character choice in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Adepts are subject to the same rules regarding familiars as sorcerers and wizards, including the availability of new familiar options presented in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. Characters beginning with this class start with 80 gold pieces.

Aristocrat The aristocrat from Chapter 4 of Core Rulebook II is a valid character choice in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. However, unless a character possesses special campaign documentation stating otherwise, this class must be taken at 1st level during character creation. One does not usually become an aristocrat; he is born into it. Characters beginning with this class start with 480 gold pieces and gain the “status” of Gentry without actually gaining the specific benefits listed in the feat. (The PC gains Gentry as a virtual feat, though the PC is still free, in most cases, to take the feat for real.) Dark-kin and gnomes may become Aristocrats, thereby granting them the status of nobility in their home nations.

Commoner The commoner from Chapter 4 of Core Rulebook II is a valid character choice in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Characters beginning with this class start with 20 gold pieces.

Expert The expert from Chapter 4 of Core Rulebook II is a valid character choice in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Expert is actually a number of separate classes, and should be noted with the specialty in parentheses. For example: Expert (Miner), Expert (Sailor), Expert (Tanner), etc. The first logsheet entry after a character takes a level of expert should list the ten class skills chosen. No PC may have levels in more than one expert class (but a PC may take more than one level of Expert to enhance his or her particular specialty). Characters beginning with this class start with 120 gold pieces.

Warrior The warrior from chapter 4 of Core Rulebook II is a valid character choice in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. There are no special rules for this class. Generally speaking, PCs are better off taking levels in the fighter class. Characters beginning with this class start with 118 gold pieces.

Eldest Sons Suromar The Suromar base class (as updated in the he Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document) is


The Warder base class (as updated in the he Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document) is freely available for play for Elorii PCs in LIVING ARCANIS.

Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire The Sentinel of the Blazing Wyrm (holy champion) base class from this sourcebook is approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. However, the version printed in this sourcebook is superseded by the version in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis.

Player's Guide to Arcanis Holy Champions All of the holy champion base classes from this sourcebook are approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. Please see the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for any updates or changes to the material in the printed product. The following clarifications are official for LIVING ARCANIS: • Holy champions for all deities other than Anshar begin play with 240 gold pieces in starting funds to purchase equipment. Holy Champions of Anshar begin play with 20 gold pieces in starting funds. • Holy Champions of Sarish (Order of the Inner Demon) gain an “unnatural aura” at first level that is in all ways equal to the dark-kin racial trait of the same name. • Unless the specific class description states otherwise, holy champions have an effective level for turning or rebuking undead equal to their class level minus three (minimum 1). Holy champions of a particular deity also gain the bonuses and suffer the penalties that are assigned to clerics of that deity. See the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines or the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for details.

Patrician The patrician base class is approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. Please see the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for any updates or changes to the material in the printed product. The following clarifications are official for LIVING ARCANIS: • The Gentry feat gained through this class has all racial restrictions waived. Therefore, even a gnome Patrician could become nobility. • The cohort gained though the 5th-level Leadership ability of this class is treated the same as every other cohort, with one special exception. This

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cohort may take the Man-at-Arms prestige class with the PC as his patron. No other special bonuses or privileges are granted to this cohort or the secondary cohort gained through this class.

Priest The priest base class is approved for play in LIVING ARCANIS. Please see the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for any updates or changes to the material in the printed product. If a priest is a member of a church that venerates more than one deity, such as the Mother Church of Coryan or the Church of the Dark Triumvirate, then the priest must still choose a single deity to worship though he may continue to honor the other deities represented within the collective. The following clarifications are official for LIVING ARCANIS: • Priests are treated as clerics for most purposes. Items that are only usable by clerics are also usable by priests, and so forth. • Priests suffer the same penalties and bonuses on turning checks that clerics do. See the LIVING ARCANIS Character Creation Guidelines or the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for details. They do not use the other deity-specific changes listed for the cleric base class; they have their own class features instead.

Expanded Psionics Handbook Psion This base class is freely available to Val PCs and cohorts in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Note that under the new edition of the psionics rules, psions do not automatically receive a psicrystal; they must expend a feat to gain one.

Nyambe: African Adventures The following base classes are available to PCs from Nyambe: Gamba, Mchawi, Nanala, and N’anga. Please see the LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document for campaign-specific updates and 3.5 conversion materials for these classes. After character creation, a Nyambe character may advance in his original class, but may not add any additional classes, prestige classes, or feats from the Nyambe sourcebook, unless he gains a level during an adventure that takes place in Nyambe.

Prestige Classes The following is a list of prestige classes (20-level classes) that are approved for play in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Any campaign-specific adaptations or clarifications are also noted. If a prestige class is not on this list, characters may not take levels in that prestige class without special campaign documentation. All characters must comply with the most current errata and clarifications for the prestige classes that they use. Please see the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for any updates or changes to the material in any PCI printed product.

Codex Arcanis All PC-playable prestige classes from the Codex Arcanis have been updated in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis. The prestige class rules from this sourcebook are no longer valid.

City of Secrets Oathspeaker Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: None

Psychic Warrior

Red Fist Elite Knight

This base class is freely available to Val PCs and cohorts in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign.

Additional Requirements: This option is only available to LIVING ARCANIS: NISHANPUR characters. PCs with demon mounts that go adventuring outside of Canceri will be attacked and killed on sight. (To be clear: This means that this PRC is only available to LA:N characters, and taking this PRC limits that PC to using his mount in LA:N scenarios only!) Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: At this time, instead of joining a meta-organization, PCs must pay 90 TU upon taking their first level in this prestige class. This represents the special training necessary to become a Red Fist Elite Knight. Additionally, the PC must pay 120 TU each year when TUs reset. This represents the time that the character spends fulfilling the patrol duties that are assigned to members of the Knighthood. If a Knight's Melatorn mount is ever slain, he must spend 150 TU to gain another.

Soulknife This base class is freely available to Val PCs and cohorts in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign.

Wilder This base class is freely available to Val PCs and cohorts in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Clarification: the “Volatile Mind” class ability of the wilder class causes an additional expenditure of power points only from psionic powers. Against spells, it grants the wilder a competence bonus on his saving throws against Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting] spells equal to one-half his wilder class level (round down).


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Sisters of Nier Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: At this time, instead of joining a meta-organization, PCs must pay 60 TU upon taking their first level in this prestige class. This represents the special training necessary to become a Sister of Nier. This training must be refreshed annually; the character pays another 60 TU each year when TUs reset.

Eldest Sons Berotar Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: Please refer to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for the v3.5-compliant version of this class.

Lifewarden Additional Requirements: The Lifewarden must spend 90 TU per year tending to his duties in his home nation. This TU cost must be paid immediately upon taking this presetige class and annually whenever TUs reset. Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: Please refer to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for the v3.5-compliant version of this class.

Forged in Magic The Master-Smith Additional Requirements: A PC must serve an apprenticeship under the tutelage of an existing MasterSmith before he may take his first level in this prestige class. There are three ways by which a PC can gain access to the necessary training. •

•

•

Gain a certed invitation to train with a specific NPC Master-Smith. The certificates that may be used for this purpose are Training of the Master-Smith and A King’s Knock Opens Any Door. (We will always make sure that there are available certs that can be used to gain training in this fashion.) This has a cost of 150 TU. This is the only way you can claim to have certain “major NPC” Master-Smiths as having trained you. Using a certificate to gain training as a Master-Smith voids the certificate. Seek out an unnamed NPC Master-Smith who will accept you as an apprentice. This has a cost of 180 TU. You may not choose a “major NPC” to be your teacher in this case. The extra 30 TU represent the time you spend seeking out someone to train you. (In other words, you don't need a cert to become a Master-Smith, but having the cert saves you 30 TU.) If you pay 180 TU without the cert and you gain one of the certed invitations later, you don't get the extra 30 TU back. Seek out a PC Master-Smith of at least 5th level who will accept you as an apprentice. This has a


cost of 150 TU for the student PC and 30 TU for the master PC. All TU costs to become a Master-Smith must be paid “up front” (i.e. when you take your first level of the prestige class). Important Conversion Note: If anyone took levels of Master-Smith as part of conversion to 3.5 following the erroneous information in the draft LARC (which failed to explicitly state the requirements for a certed invitation) then you must either pay the 150 / 180 TU immediately (have your next GM sign off on it) or you must re-do your conversion and drop the levels of Master-Smith. Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: Please refer to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for the v3.5-compliant version of this class. In the LIVING ARCANIS campaign, the cohort of a character with at least 5 levels in the Master-Smith prestige class is also allowed to become a Master-Smith. This is an exception to the normal rule that cohorts cannot take prestige classes.

In the Shadow of the Devil The Mordent Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: Please refer to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for the v3.5-compliant version of this class.

Lords of the Peaks Giant Slayer Additional Requirements: Non-dwarves must gain a certed invitation to join this prestige class. Dwarves do not require a special invitation. Dwarves from Solanos Mor may waive the favored enemy requirement. Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: Please refer to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for the v3.5-compliant version of this class. Among the changes are the following: • Wilderness Lore is replaced by Survival as a class skill. • The “damage reduction” gained by this class only works against the physical (not magical or psionic) attacks of giants and giant-kin. • The “hamstring” ability will not work on giants who are immune to sneak attacks or critical hits. • If a Giant Slayer's size is increased to Large or larger, he loses all class abilities until he is reduced back down to Medium size or smaller.

Terramancer Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations/Clarifications: Please refer to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and

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Updates document for the v3.5-compliant version of this class.

Player’s Guide to Arcanis Rather than reproduce the entire errata file for this sourcebook in the LARC, we have chosen to refer players to the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for the errata on individual prestige classes from this sourcebok. Additional requirements to join individual prestige classes or campaign-specific clarifications are still presented in this document.

Altherian Sharpshooter Additional Requirements: Must be Altherian or possess the Shining Patrol Service feat. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Altherian Trigger Mage Additional Requirements: Must be Altherian or possess the Shining Patrol Service feat. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Ansharan Gatekeeper Additional Requirements: The PC must have log sheet entries that enumerate the 15 Portals to which he is attuned. Each entry must be signed off on by the GM who witnessed the attunement. (For older scenarios, this is obviously not possible, so players are on the honor system.) Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Battlemage of the Coryani Legions Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Due to their highly visible position, PCs that join this prestige class may never become members in the Sanctorum of the Arcane (or the Hawk / Shield factions). Any PC who is already a member of said organizations immediately forfeits his membership (but leaves in good standing, i.e. they do not gain infamy). If a PC completely finishes this PRC (i.e. advances to its highest level, then moves to another class), he may rejoin the Sanctorum and the Hawk or Shield faction without penalty. No other changes except for published errata.

Beltinian Exorcist Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: In Living Arcanis, members of this prestige class must spend 1 TU and 200gp to sanctify their holy symbol and the same amount to sanctify a weapon. This expenditure should be recorded on the PCs log sheet. The “rend the spirit” ability is limited to once per day. No other changes except for published errata.


Blackchanter Additional Requirements: Must be from Canceri or val’Mordane. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The effects of the “Dance Macabre” ability do not need to be on the blackchanter’s spell list. No other changes except for published errata.

Blades of Hurrian Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Bowman Additional Requirements: The bowman must have spent 64 TU crafting bows/arrows using the crafting rules in the LARC before he can gain access to this PRC. Once a bowman, the PC must spend at least 64 TU annually in crafting bows/arrows (in other words, at a minimum, the character must use Craft(bowmaking) to make bows/arrows after eight scenarios during each campaign year). If selecting this class at conversion, the initial TU requirement is waived; however, the bowman PC must spend 8 TU after each of his next 8 adventures using his Craft skill. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Brethren of the Order of St. Theomund the Missionary Additional Requirements: Since the Emperor is currently the head of the Mother Church, he has changed the oath for this organization. Currently any PC wishing to take this PRC must swear an oath of loyalty to the Emperor. This is a Sarishan oath. See the oath spell in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for details. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Cantenari Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Centurion of the Coryani Legions Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Combat Styles of Onara Additional Requirements: Each of the separate prestige classes that represent individual combat styles requires its own certed invitation. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

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Elemental Paths of Enlightenment Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Emerald Society Archaeologist Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Gladiator Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Worshipers of Hurrian (the Reluctant Warrior) are forbidden to take this prestige class. No other changes except for published errata.

Grand Master Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Hurrianic Aegis Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Larissan Dancer Additional Requirements: Worshipers of Larissa must pay 50 TU for the training necessary to take this PRC. Worshipers of Cadic who pursue this PRC must pay 100 TU for the training. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Man-at-Arms Additional Requirements: A character must gain a certificate that allows him to declare a particular NPC at his patron. The PC must spend 60 Time Units when he first takes the PRC, and again each year when Time Units refresh. This represents time spent directly serving the patron. The following campaign certificates and/or class abilities may be used as invitations to this prestige class. Item certificates that serve as invitations are not voided; they simply represent the character having impressed the NPC sufficiently that the PC would be allowed to swear the oath of service. Favor certificates that are used as invitations are voided. Patrician Cohort: The cohort gained via the fifthlevel Leadership ability of the Patrician class may take the Man-at-Arms prestige class. This is an exception to the normal rules that prohibit cohorts from taking prestige classes. The cohort swears his allegiance to his leader (the primary PC). Armillus of the Laurel of Vigilance: The PC may become a Man-at-Arms for Emperor Calsestus val’Assanté. In fact, any PC possessing this certificate may never become a Man-at-Arms for any other patron


due to the conflicting oaths. Any other favor of the Emperor (such as the converted Armillus) may be used for the same purpose, but the PC must swear the same oath that is required of all Armillus bearers. The Light of Illiir: A dwarven PC (only) may use this certificate to become a Man-at-Arms for the King of Solanos Mor. Favor of the King of Solanos Mor: A dwarven PC (only) may use this certificate to become a Man-atArms for the King of Solanos Mor. White Sash of Purity: The PC may become a Man-at-Arms for King Osric of Milandir. In fact, any PC possessing this certificate may never become a Manat-Arms for any other patron due to the conflicting oaths. Any other favor of the King of Milandir (such as the converted White Sash) may be used for the same purpose, but the PC must swear the same oath that is required of all bearers of the White Sash. Favor of Count Georald val'Sungha: Kio and val’Sungha PCs (only) may use this certificate to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Favor of Duke Victor val'Holryn: May be used to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Favor of Elandre val’Assanté: This favor may be used to become a man-at-arms for Elandre. This option is currently unavailable, as Elandre’s whereabouts are unknown, but may be restored in the future depending on the outcome of critical storyline events in the campaign. Favor of General Menesis val'Tensen: May be used to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Favor of House Opkara val'Inares: May be used to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Favor of Palic val'Mehen: Followers of the Dark Triumvirate (only) may use this certificate to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Gratitude of the Autocrat: Erdukeen and val’Virdan PCs (only) may use this certificate to to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Milandisian val'Tensen Influence: May be used to become a man-at-arms for Duke Adolphos val’Tesen. Position of Power: This certificate (from the Convocation of the Divine LARP) may be used to become a man-at-arms for the listed patron. Letter of Thanks: May be used to become a manat-arms for Governor Elana val'Dellenov of Panari. To use a certificate in this manner, in pen, write “Void: Used to gain access to the Man-at-Arms PRC” across the certificate (see above for certificates that do not need to be voided to be used in this manner). This means your PC has now sworn a Sarishan Oath (see the oath spell in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis for details) of loyalty to the person indicated on the certificate. If his or her nationality is different from your PC’s, your PC must renounce his former nationality in favor of his lord’s. Your PC must now accept any mission from his lord without recompense. Any player utilizing this prestige class must show the GM the qualifying certificate for his PC at the beginning of every scenario. Note that depending on the patron you choose, it is very probable that swearing your

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PC’s loyalty to one specific individual will have adverse effects on your ability to participate in certain activities in the future. This can include, but is not limited to: preclusion from certain scenarios or meta-organizations, gaining infamy or loss of favors with other potential patrons, or getting conflicting orders between the PC’s factions. Taking this prestige class is your choice, and choices have consequences. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Master of the Hounds

Replace the Iron Skin bonus feat with the Dragon’s Hide feat (+1 natural armor increase). Ss’ressen PCs cannot gain the Iron Skin feat. No other changes except for published errata.

Order of the Still Heart Additional Requirements: Available only through meta-gaming opportunities or a certed invitation. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: There are significant errata and clarifications for this class. You must use the version presented in the official errata.

Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Though they cast spells as druids, a master of the hounds is not subject to the weapon and armor restrictions of a druid. No other changes except for published errata.

Order of the Thundering Storm

Milandisian Canton

Additional Requirements: PC must be able to legally possess flintlocks. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Myrmidon Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Obsidian Sniper Additional Requirements: Only worshippers of Cadic may take levels in this prestige class. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Note that all poisons used by PCs in Living Arcanis must be certed. No other changes except for published errata.

Onaran Templar Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Order of the Bronze Sepulcher Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Order of the Iridescent Scales Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: There is a full-fledged prestige class in the sourcebook Ssethregore: Into the Coils of the Serpent Empire that also has the name Order of the Iridescent Scales. The version in the Player’s Guide is a much more basic monk order. Both are correct; one simply represents a greater level of commitment and dedication than the other. A character may follow the path outlined in the Player’s Guide or join the prestige class from Ssethregore (but not both).



Pistoleer

Royal Marine Additional Requirements: The requirement to be an officer in the Royal Navy is waived. However, the PC must spend 60 TU annually to fulfill his service commitment. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Sarishan Binder Additional Requirements: Available only through meta-gaming opportunities or a certed invitation. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: There are significant errata and clarifications for this class. You must use the version presented in the official errata.

Sensate of Savona Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Sky Knight Additional Requirements: Milandisian aspirants to this prestige class must be members of the Milandisian nobility (possessor of the White Sash of Purity, the Gentry feat, or the Aristocrat or Patrician class) and must gain certed access to the griffon mount needed to quality for this prestige class. Kio aspirants to this prestige class must possess the Pureblooded Kio feat and must gain certed access to the Giant Eagle mount needed to qualify for this prestige class. To be clear: The exotic flying mounts needed for this prestige class are not available for purchase and they are not automatically given away. You must gain a certed mount of the appropriate type in addition to meeting all the other prerequisites for this prestige class.

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Certed mounts will be made available via scenario play opportunities beginning in calendar year 2005. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Spellcaller Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: There are significant errata and clarifications for this class. You must use the version presented in the official errata. Furthermore, the following clarifications are official for the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: The Spell Mimic ability requires a bit of additional explanation. All spells cast through the use of this ability are considered arcane spells (even if they are spells that were copied from a divine spellcaster and that are not on any arcane class’s list of spells). All arcane and divine spells are fair game for this ability, including deity-specific spells. Spell-like and supernatural abilities, however, may not be copied using Spell Mimic, even if the ability is a direct duplication of a spell. Spells cast from items (including potions, scrolls, wands, staves, and permanent items) may not be copied using Spell Mimic. Psionic powers and psi-like abilities may not be copied by way of Spell Mimic, even if they duplicate the effects of spells. A Spellcaller may use the Spell Mimic ability to copy spells from another Spellcaller, but the DC for the Spellcraft check is based on the level at which the other Spellcaller is casting the spell (which may be one level higher than normal). The effective +1 level increase applied to a non-native spell doesn't stack if a Spellcaller copies such a spell from another Spellcaller, though. When deciding the level at which a Spellcaller casts a spell that she learned via Spell Mimic, use the following guidelines. If the spell is on the class list for any of the Spellcaller's classes, she casts it at that level. Otherwise, she casts it at one level higher than it would normally be cast. Some spells are on multiple lists. The order in which lists should be searched to identify the level of a particular spell is as follows: sorcerer/wizard, cleric, druid, bard, ranger, paladin, any other class list, domainspecific lists, and finally deity-specific lists. The spells that a Spellcaller learns via Spell Mimic are considered to be on her class spell list for all purposes relating to the usage and creation of magic items; however, she cannot use Spell Mimic to learn new spells from scrolls, nor can a Spellcaller learn new spells from scrolls scribed by other Spellcallers of spells that would not normally be on her class list. (In other words, this ability only works “in the wild” – you have to see the spell being cast by someone who already knows how to cast it before you can use Spell Mimic to learn it.) Although this is not explicitly stated anywhere in the class description, it is possible for a character to become a Spellcaller and have levels in more than one class that allows spontaneous casting of arcane spells (for example, a bard/sorcerer). In this case, upon becoming a Spellcaller, the character suffers all the drawbacks and gains all the benefits for all of her classes


that allow her to cast arcane spells without preparation. She may not “cross over” between the two classes – you must track all the abilities and spells learned separately for each class. In other words, she loses 2 spells per day per level from both classes, she gains 2 spells known per level in each class, and she gains 1 “flexible” slot per prestige class level in each class, but the extra slots cannot be shared – a bard/sorcerer would gain 1 flexible bard slot and 1 flexible sorcerer slot per prestige class level.

Tal Kanath Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Talon of the Hawk Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Ulfilan Ranger Additional Requirements: A character must obtain a certed invitation to join this prestige class. The following certificates may be used for this purpose: • Favor of General Menisis val’Tensen • Milandisian val’Tensen Influence Using a favor to gain invitation to this prestige class voids the favor. In pen, write “Void: Used to gain access to the Ulfilan Ranger PRC” across the certificate. After using the certificate, the PC must still expend 32 TU to complete his ranger training. Any player utilizing this prestige class must show the GM the qualifying certificate for his PC at the beginning of every scenario. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Val’Mehan Emissary Additional Requirements: Val’Holryn characters who manifest val’Mehan bloodline powers do not qualify for this prestige class, as they cannot gain access to the necessary training, which is reserved for only the “pure” bearers of the bloodline. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The Heart of Stone ability requires some additional clarification. It does not give a blanket saving throw bonus against all abilities whose DC is set based on Charisma as a key ability. Rather, it gives a +5 Will save bonus against any effects that are based on influencing a listener’s emotions via speech or song, such as bardic music. The bonus also applies to all spells or effects from the Enchantment (Charm) school, such as charm person, as well as those spells and effects from the Enchantment (Compulsion) school that have the [Language-Dependent] descriptor, such as command. No other changes except for published errata.

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Warped One Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The benefits of the Dire Rage ability stack with all other bonuses gained through features of this prestige class. However, the benefits of Dire Rage do not stack with any benefits gained through magical increases in the Warped One’s size, such as the enlarge person spell. No other changes except for published errata.

Warrior of the Eternal Flame Additional Requirements: To gain levels in this prestige class, an aspirant must meet all the prerequisites and must then complete the LIVING ARCANIS special mission The Riddle of Fire. This mission does not need to be ordered through the RPGA; it may be downloaded from the campaign website. After successfully completing the scenario, the PC may then progress through 3rd level in the prestige class. Future special missions and/or certificates will be released that allow PCs to advance beyond 3rd level. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Weapon Savant Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire Crocodile Lord Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Disciple of Jeggal Sag

path outlined in the Player’s Guide or join this prestige class (but not both). No other changes except for published errata.

Marauder Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The Lightning Reflexes feat prerequisite listed in the published sourcebook is incorrect and should be ignored. All other prerequisites remain the same. No other changes except for published errata.

Miliarius Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Pit Fighter Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Plethorax Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Ssethric Inquisitor Additional Requirements: A character must be invited to join this prestige class. At least one invitation occurs through scenario play, but it does not have a certificiate. A logsheet entry signed by the judge is sufficient to prove that the character has an invitation. Other invitations may be extended in future scenarios or through meta-organizations. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: No changes except for published errata.

Additional Requirements: The character must be a worshipper of Jeggal Sag. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Player characters’ animal companions in LIVING ARCANIS may not be awakened without special campaign documentation. Simply being a member of this prestige class is not sufficient (although it is a good start). No other changes except for published errata.

Core Rulebook II Prestige Classes

Harbinger

Arcane Archer


Additional Requirements: Only Elorii may become Arcane Archers.

Order of the Iridescent Scales Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: There is a monk order in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis that is not a full-fledged prestige class and that is also called the Order of the Iridescent Scales. Both are correct; one simply represents a greater level of commitment and dedication than the other. A character may follow the


Just to be clear, the following prestige classes from Core Rulebook II are not allowed for player characters in LIVING ARCANIS: Assassin, Blackguard, Dragon Disciple, Mystic Theurge, Red Wizard, and Thaumaturgist. Some of these classes (not the mystic theurge or the red wizard) are available to NPCs, however.

Arcane Trickster Additional Requirements: None

Archmage Additional Requirements: Characters must have special camapaign documentation to take levels in this prestige class.

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Duelist Additional Requirements: None

Dwarven Defender Additional Requirements: Only dwarves can take this prestige class (obviously). A dwarf must be from either Solanos Mor or Tir Betoq, or have special campaign documentation, to take this class.

Eldritch Knight Additional Requirements: Must be a member in good standing of the Hawk or Shield factions.

Hierophant Additional Requirements: Dwarves and gnomes may not choose this prestige class. Only Elorii may become Hierophants of Belisarda.

Horizon Walker Additional Requirements: None, but note that opportunities for extraplanar travel are quite limited in LIVING ARCANIS, so the Planar Terrain Mastery class features are going to see very little use.

Loremaster Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The “secrets” gained by this class that allow a character to choose additional feats do not waive the prerequisites for those feats. The Loremaster must meet all the listed requirements for any feat that is chosen as a “secret.”

Shadowdancer Additional Requirements: None

Expanded Psionics Handbook Just to be clear, the following core prestige classes from the Expanded Psionics Handbook are not allowed for PC play in LIVING ARCANIS: Cerebremancer, Elocater, Psion Uncarnate, and Thrallherd. The Wild Talent feat prerequisite for any psionic prestige class is waived for Val characters. All other prerequisites must be met as normal.

Metamind Additional Requirements: None

Psionic Fist Additional Requirements: Members of the Order of the Perfect Union (destailed in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis) may freely multiclass between the monk base class and this prestige class. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The monk order depicted in the description of this class in the published product does not exist in LIVING ARCANIS. (The description of the order is not found in the psionics SRD.)


Pyrokineticist Additional Requirements: Only PCs with the val’Virdan or val’Emman bloodlines may take levels in this prestige class. Val’Holryn characters who manifest val’Emman or val’Virdan bloodline powers do not qualify as they cannot gain the necessary training, which is tightly controlled by the two Val families.

Slayer Additional Requirements: Must have slain a member of your chosen psionic foe and had that encounter recorded in the notes section of your log sheet. The current psionic foes for this class available in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign are: Val, il’Huan, and Goblin, More choices may be added as the campaign progresses. • If you choose Val as your favored enemy, then the skill prerequisite for you is Knowledge (nobility and royalty) instead of Knowledge (dungeoneering). • If you choose il’Huan or Goblin as your favored enemy, then the skill prerequisite for you is Knowledge (nature) instead of Knowledge (dungeoneering). The prerequisite skill (as detailed above) based on your chosen foe becomes a Slayer class skill for you, replacing Knowledge (dungeoneering) on the class skill list. To be clear: You must have a signed logsheet entry stating that you specifically fought and slew a foe of your chosen type. This means that as of Winter Fantasy 2005, no character in the campaign qualifies to take the Slayer class and choose Voiceless One as the foe. A handful of PCs have fought these creatures, but none of them killed one. (If and when we release a scenario in which PCs could potentially kill a Voiceless One, we will most likely include some kind of special certificate to commemorate the accomplishment, but stay tuned for further details.) Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The version of this class in the published sourcebook (called the Illithid Slayer) does not exist in LIVING ARCANIS, because Illithids do not exist in LIVING ARCANIS. The OGL version of the class has a number of differences from the version in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. You must use the OGL version. In order to use this prestige class, you must bring a printed or electronic copy of the Psionics SRD, and the Slayer class in particular, for the GM to review. The 10th-level class ability from the SRD (Blast Feedback) is not used in LIVING ARCANIS. Instead, a 10th-level Slayer gains the following Death Attack ability instead: Death Attack (Ex): Once per day at 10th level, a slayer gains the ability to kill her chosen foe outright with a single well-placed attack. The slayer may use this death attack on any attack (even during a full attack action), regardless of if her chosen foe is flat-footed or not. If the slayer hits and deals damage with her Death Attack, the victim must make an immediate Fortitude save (DC 20 + the slayer’s Wisdom modifier). If the

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victim fails the save, it is killed instantly. If the save is successful, the victim takes damage from the attack as normal. Treat this as if struck dead from massive damage. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect. The slayer must declare that she is using this attack before the attack roll is made. If the slayer misses, the attack is used for the day regardless.

War Mind Additional Requirements: To become a War Mind, a character must have access to the Military feat category and be an active-duty member of a national army or some other organized armed force. Every War Mind must spend 30 TU per year studying and perfecting the secrets of this class in the service of the armed force of which he is a member. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The Talariic texts described in the Expanded Psionics Handbook do not exist in LIVING ARCANIS. The Sweeping Strike class ability of this prestige class is not used in LIVING ARCANIS. Instead, at 5th level, the War Mind gains a bonus feat. This may be any feat from the Fighter or Psychic Warrior bonus feat lists. The War Mind must meet all the prerequisites for the feat chosen.

Freeport: City of Adventure Although previous iterations of the LARC mentioned that the Crime Boss prestige class might be available to PCs under certain circumstances, the reality is that is never going to happen. PCs may not take any prestige classes from this sourcebook other than the Freeport Pirate class.

Freeport Pirate Additional Requirements: The special requirement of a sea voyage as part of a pirate crew that is needed to gain admission to this prestige class requires campaign documentation. Playing a total of eight scenarios set in Freeport allows a character to qualify for the prestige class without specifically taking a sea voyage on a pirate ship. Note that getting access to ships in LIVING ARCANIS is very difficult. PCs should not have much, if any, expectation that they will be allowed to own their own ships.

Gemscribe Additional Requirements: Only dwarves from Tir Bitoq or Encali may take this class. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The Alchemy skill becomes Craft (alchemy), and the Scry skill no longer exists in the new edition of the core rules. A PC is not responsible for making a list of gems he has on his person. He is simply assumed to have them. However, each use of a gem to augment a spell must be logged on that PC's log sheet as gold piece expenditure.

Immolated Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: This prestige class was updated for the Living Arcanis campaign for the new edition of the core rules. Please refer to the LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document for details. The updated version completely replaces the version from the published sourcebook.

Ironbound Additional Requirements: Freely available to dwarves with the Dwarven Militia feat. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: This prestige class was updated for the Living Arcanis campaign for the new edition of the core rules. Please refer to the LIVING ARCANIS v3.5 Conversion Document for details. The updated version completely replaces the version from the published sourcebook.

Mountain’s Fury Devotee Additional Requirements: Nol Dappan PCs and Reaver NPCs only. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore are replaced by Survival as a class skill in the new edition of the core rules.

Spirit Stone Defiler Additional Requirements: This class is not available to PCs, but Reaver NPCs may utilize it freely. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: This class is renamed Soul Shard Defiler for LIVING ARCANIS.

Stonehound

Hammer and Helm Some of the prestige classes presented in Hammer and Helm have entry requirements that are different in LIVING ARCANIS. Any prestige class not mentioned below is not allowed in LIVING ARCANIS.

Additional Requirements: The Intuit Direction prerequisite is removed and replaced with a prerequisite of the Dwarven Militia feat. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: In all cases, replace Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore with Survival.

Cavernsgaarder Additional Requirements: Dwarves seeking this prestige class must have the Dwarven Militia feat. Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: Knowledge (warfare and tactics) becomes a class skill.


Thunderthrower Additional Requirements: None Prestige Class Alterations / Clarifications: The “Tumbling Throw” ability will only work against targets of size Medium or smaller..

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Nyambe: African Adventures No prestige classes from this sourcebook are available for play in LIVING ARCANIS.

Note: Despite the "A" near it, Empower Elements is not available in Living Arcanis. No skills from this book are available in Living Arcanis.

Skills and Feats

Player’s Guide to Arcanis

All Magic Item Creation feats are discussed in the sections of the LARC that deal with magic and psionic item creation. (Specifically, see Table LARC-10: Approved Magic and Psionic Item Creation Feats, which contains a complete list of approved feats from all campaign-legal sources.) Clarifications or changes to other feats are listed below by sourcebook. Any feat or skill not listed in this section or the section on magic and psionic item creation is not available for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. For any feat from a Paradigm Concepts product, if that feat was updated in the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, then the version in that book supersedes any version in any earlier product. Please check the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for any additional corrections or clarifications regarding feats from PCI products.

All the feats and skills from this sourcebook are available in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign subject to the changes and clarifications listed below, as well as any official errata.

Eldest Sons The following feats are freely available to Elorii PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Darkvision, Difficult Target, Hidden Presence, Pinpoint Shot, and Trackless Step. The following feats are freely available to Elorii PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign with the listed clarifications: • Friend of the Wild: You gain a +2 bonus on Survival and Knowledge (nature) skill checks. • Weightless Step: This feat does not enable you to walk across liquids.

Lords of the Peaks The following feats are freely available in the Living Arcanis campaign: Contortionist, Indomitable Will, and Soul of Stone.

Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire The following feats are freely available to PCs in the Living Arcanis campaign: Animal Mastery, Arcane Tutor, Beastmaster, Berserker, Calculating Gaze, Counterspelling Adept, Crocodile Tail, Deadly Strike, Enslaved, Final Act, Forked Tongue, Furious Charge, Head-butt, Quickened Counterspell, Rending Talons, Staple, Tail Attack, Unstoppable Fury, Amphibious Lifestyle, Blinding Spittle, Chameleon Skin, ColdBlooded, Distended Jaw, Dragon's Hide, Improved Scent, Improved Toxins, Infravision, Peripheral Vision, Scent, Serpent Blood, Thickened With Age, Venom Glands, Venom Immunity, Elemental Compulsion, Elemental Domination, and Elemental Foothold.


The Knowledge Specializations as Class Skills section on page 127 of the Player’s Guide to Arcanis is used in LIVING ARCANIS. The Regional Class Skills on page 129 are also used. Black Talon ss’ressen (from the Sulphur Marsh) receive Survival as their regional class skill. Knowledge (warfare and tactics) is a class skill for fighters. Fighter PCs may also select any of the Military Service Background feats (such as Legionaire, Conscript, etc.) as their 1st-level fighter bonus feat. All Military Service Background feats (such as Conscript, Legionnaire, etc.) grant Profession (soldier) as a class skill even if it does not say so in the feat description. Church Education: When selecting this feat, PCs may choose one of the following as an additional preferred class: Cleric, priest, holy champion, or paladin. Of course, only certain deities have paladins, and this feat may only be selected once. Gentry: In LIVING ARCANIS, only humans and Val may freely select the Gentry feat. Dark-kin from Canceri may also select this feat. See the Patrician and Aristocrat classes for additional ways of becoming Gentry. Also, any character may gain a “virtual” Gentry feat through certain campaign certificates. In the LIVING ARCANIS: NISHANPUR campaign, a 1stlevel character who chooses the Gentry feat may purchase a single Sarishan Steel weapon at character generation without a certificate for the special material. This purchase must be recorded on the character’s log sheet. (This is an exception to the normal limitations on special materials.) Heirloom: This feat is treated as a [General] feat, not as a [Background] feat. You may gain a masterwork or greater masterwork item with this feat, but the total market price of the item must be 1,800 gp or less. Pureblooded Kio with the Heirloom feat may gain a Kio Sword without requiring additional campaign documentation. You may not gain a magic item or an item made of any special material by means of this feat, but the item that you can may be upgraded just like any other item. You may have your Heirloom item certed at an Activity Center, whereupon you may purchase upgrade certificates for it at any Marketplace. You may have the item upgraded (either by you, your cohort, or another

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PC) via the magic item upgrade rules even if it is not certed, but you must maintain an MIC logsheet for the item if this is done. The preferred method is to get the item certed before any upgrades are added to it if at all possible.

then the strain of Overchanneling was too much and the power fails to manifest.

Streetwise: Val who take levels in the Urban Sentinel ranger variant gain this feat regardless of the normal restrictions.

Broadsides!

The Speak Language rule variant (levels of literacy) is not used in LIVING ARCANIS. If a character spends the skill points on a language or gains that language as an automatic or bonus language, he is assumed to be fully literate with that language (unless he is completely illiterate; see the Barbarian class for details).

Core Rulebook I All feats and skills from Core Rulebook I are available for use in LIVING ARCANIS subject to the changes and clarifications listed below. Extra Turning: In LIVING ARCANIS, this feat will grant extra channeling attempts only when those attempts are used to turn/rebuke undead. This feat does not supply extra channeling attempts to be used for other purposes.

Core Rulebook III The following feats from Core Rulebook III are freely available for PC use: Multattack and Wingover.

Expanded Psionics Handbook All the feats and skills from the Expanded Psionics Handbook are available in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign subject to the changes and clarifications below.

Wild Talent: This feat may only be selected if a PC has special campaign documentation allowing it.

The following feats from this sourcebook are freely available in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Amphibian, Captaining, Deep Diving, Graceful Diver, Improved Retain, Jack Tar, Kick Up, Naval Discipline, Naval Expertise, Naval Strategy, Naval Tactics, Retain, Sailrider, Take’m Alive, Water Combat.

Freeport: City of Adventure The following feats from this sourcebook are freely available in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Born Marine, Filthy, Greater Improved Initiative, Pearl Diver, Press Ganger, Razor Tongue, Skill Expertise, Skill Finesse, and Troll Blood. The following Speak Language skill variants are freely available in the Living Arcanis campaign for PCs who have at least 2 ranks of Profession (Sailor): Semaphore and Naval Code.

Hammer and Helm The following feats from this sourcebook are freely available to all PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Boar’s Charge, Improved Dispelling, and Infuse Casting. The following feats are freely available to dwarven PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Artisan, Low to the Ground, Master Artisan, Stoic, and Wisdom of Ages.

Closed Mind: This feat is only available to characters of the Slayer prestige class and the Suromar base class.

The following feats are gain the Military feat classification and (with that restriction) are freely available to all PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Protected Archery and Protected Casting.

Craft Psionic Construct: This feat is restricted, which means that PCs may not use it without specific campaign documentation.

Nyambe: African Adventures

Metamorphic Transfer: This feat is banned in LIVING ARCANIS. It may not be used by any PC or NPC. Psionic Body: When you take this feat, you gain 2 hit points for each psionic feat you have (including this one). Whenever you take a new psionic feat, you gain 2 more hit points. This does not include the General, Metapsionic, or Psionic Item Creation feats listed in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Overchannel: When using this feat in conjunction with a psionic power, the manifester must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage dealt + power level + augmentation cost). The “augmentation cost” is 1 per 2 power points that were used to augment the power (round down). If the Concentration check fails


The following feats are available to Nyambe characters in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign: Arcane Ward (may only be taken at character generation), Arboreal, Create Gris-Gris (duplicates Scribe Scroll), Crippling Strike (Nanala only), Culinary Ashe (duplicates Brew Potion), Defensive Roll (Nanala only), Drum Dancer, Evasion (Nanala only), Giant Fighting, Improved Evasion (Nanala only), Keen Senses, Musk, Opportunist (Nanala only), Parrying Shield, Play Dead, Prehensile Tail, Sanguar, Slippery Mind (Nanala only), Traps (Nanala only), and Uncanny Dodge (Nanala only). The following feats are available to all characters in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign who have taken the Cultural Assimilation Feat for Nyambe: Cautious, Chosen Animal, Double-Jointed, Equestrian, Expert Tracker, Fearless, Impulsive, Mountain Born, Orc-Slayer, Poetic Speech, Poison Tolerance, Rhetoric, Ritualistic Action,

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Ritualistic Combat, Single-Minded, Trailblazing, and Weapon Display.

Steadfast,

For purposes of Speak Language, Daka-dia and Ancient Altharin are considered related languages.

New Feats The following feats are considered core for LIVING ARCANIS and may be chosen by any character who meets the prerequisites. These feats were created to help smooth out a few rough spots in the campaign rules.

Cultural Assimilation [General] You spent time in a foreign culture and gained an understanding of their mindset and methodologies. Prerequisite: Half a year (182 days) spent in the culture whose elements the character wishes to assimilate. Benefit: A character who has assimilated a foreign culture gains access to that culture’s classes, feats, and prestige classes. Each level taken of a class or prestige class from a particular culture requires half a year’s residence within that culture. During this time, the character is out of play (i.e. you must make a logsheet entry representing the expenditure of 182 TU, which cannot be used for any other purpose). Normal: Characters without this feat cannot take feats or levels in classes or prestige classes from other cultures. Special: This feat may be taken multiple times to incorporate the practices of additional cultures into one’s behavior. Each instance of the feat assimilates one culture. This feat cannot be taken at character creation.

Military Service [Fighter, General] You have spent some time serving with a formal army, order of knights, mercenary company, or other organized militaristic organization. Prerequsite: Base Attack Bonus +1. Benefit: Choose one of the following skills: Balance, Climb, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (warfare and tactics), Listen, Move Silently, Profession (sailor), Profession (soldier), Ride, Spot, Survival, or Swim. You gain a +2 bonus on skill checks with that skill. You also gain access to Military feats.

Equipment The following sources of equipment are available for use in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Masterwork quality tools, armor, and weapons may be freely purchased by simply logging the purchase on the character's log sheet. Items of greater masterwork or legendary quality, as well as any items with the Custom property from the Player’s Guide to Arcanis, must be certed. The only exception to this rule is that you may gain a single greater masterwork item via the Heirloom feat without needing additional campaign documentation. Items made of special materials in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign almost always have to be certed. See Appendix 1 in this document for details on special materials and related rules. There are a handful of exceptions to the rule that all special materials must be certed, such as the Master-Smith prestige class and the starting Sarishan steel item that a Nishanpur Gentry character is allowed to purchase, but any such exceptions are detailed in this document.

Player’s Guide to Arcanis All equipment is available from this sourcebook with the following exceptions and clarifications. Please check the Paradigm Concepts Product Errata and Updates document for any additional corrections or clarifications regarding equipment from the Player’s Guide. The following items may not be purchased at character generation. However, any PC may purchase them after completing at least one scenario: Andrean Suit of Plate, Sicarite Leather Armor, and Sicarite Studded Leather Armor. Certain items may never be purchased by PCs without campaign documentation. Basically, they must be earned through scenario play. The restricted items are: Kio swords, Reaver swords, drusus, Voei bolas, fragmentation bombs, all siege weapons, and Altherian signal rockets. The only exceptions are that a Kio sword may be gained by Pureblooded Kio with the Heirloom feat, and Reaver swords may be purchased as part of a Supply Run or Marketplace that takes place in Freeport.

Easily-Trained [General] You are especially smart for a dumb animal. Prerequsite: Animal type, Int 2 or less. Benefit: You may learn up to three additional tricks above and beyond the tricks you can normally learn due to your Intelligence score. Special: This feat may be chosen for advanced domesticated animals, animal companions, and special mounts. Animals in must be specifically trained with the extra tricks per the rules for the Handle Animal skill in Core Rulebook I. An animal may gain this feat more than once.


Specific changes and corrections for individual weapons: Some of the weapon entries on Table 7-1 in the Player’s Guide need to be updated. The following rulings are official for LIVING ARCANIS: • Reaver Sword: This is an exotic weapon, not a martial weapon. Dwarves from Bealak Gempor (which PCs cannot be) gain Weapon Familiarity with Reaver Swords. • Treslauder Axe: This weapon does not have reach. • Kio Sword: The Weapon Finesse feat may be used with this weapon.

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• •

Tremarian Sworock: This weapon deals 2d4 points of damage, not 2d6 points of damage. Altherian Flintlock Pistol: This weapon weighs 5 pounds, not 10 pounds.

Flintlock Modifications The following flintlock modifications are freely available for purchase and crafting: Bayonet, Reinforced, and Weapon Attachment. The following flintlock modifications are only available through gameplay and must be certed: Breech-load, Double-Barrel, Shield, and Three-Round Chamber.

Chariots and Combat As noted in the equipment section on Chariots, a charioteer uses Balance for any checks related to staying in the chariot or controlling his own person (DCs as listed under the Ride skill). For skill checks related to controlling his horse team, Handle Animal is used (DCs are listed under the Ride skill). The Mounted Combat chain of feats may be used for chariot riding, but must be taken specifically for Chariots and substitute Handle Animal 1 rank + Balance 1 rank for any Ride requirements. Use the lower of the two when making a Mounted Combat roll to negate a hit. For example, the default is Mounted Combat (Ride); instead you take Mounted Combat (Chariot), which cannot be used for riding. If you take Mounted Combat (Chariot), you gain Balance as a class skill. For combat actions such as Overrun and Bull Rush, if any of the checks fail, then the chariot is stopped and cannot follow through.

Ssethregore: In the Coils of the Serpent Empire All of the weapons on Table 8-1 in this sourcebook are approved for LIVING ARCANIS, with the following exceptions and clarifications. • Any weapon that has the Barbed or Serrated enhancement built into the weapon requires special campaign documentation to purchase. This includes the Kriss, Shiv Spear, Dagon Blade, Flamberge (ss’ressen), Urchinites, Fanged Arrows, and Fanged Bolts. The enhancements themselves also may not be added to weapons without specific campaign documentation. • A rope dart is treated basically like a whip in terms of provoking attacks of opportunity and being treated as a melee weapon with 10-foot reach but with which you do not threaten. You cannot have a rope dart made of special materials. None of the armor listed on Table 8-2 may be purchased by PCs without campaign documentation.

and ss’ressen druids may take some of the creatures listed in this sourcebook as animal companions (detailed earlier in this document). A character with a Ssethric animal companion may also purchase any barding listed on Table 8-3 in a size that will fit that animal companion without needing additional campaign documentation. The spired saddle may be purchased by a Sentinel of the Blazing Wyrm for use with his bonded fire drake mount. None of the biotechnology (technological items, physiological items, or neurological items) may be purchase or used in any fashion by PCs in LIVING ARCANIS without specific campaign documentation. Ssethric NPCs, on the other hand…

Core Rulebook I All equipment is available from this source with the following clarifications/exceptions.

Domesticated Animals Standard domesticated animals may be purchased from Table 7-8: Mounts and Related Gear in Core Rulebook I, or obtained in the course of a character’s adventures. Such animals may be trained using the Handle Animal skill from Core Rulebook I and any such training should be recorded on the character’s log sheet. Other types of animals may be made available in the future.

Special Substances and Items Any item listed under this header may be purchased without campaign documentation at the rate of one (1) item (of each type) per scenario played. As with all noncerted items, these purchases and expenditures must be meticulously logged on the character's item tracking sheet.

Broadsides! All nautical equipment (Table 6-3) that sells for less than one hundred gold pieces is available for purchase in any port town.

Freeport: City of Adventure All Kolter Firearms listed in Appendix 2 of this sourcebook are freely available in Freeport (except the Harpy Grenade Launcher). These firearms use the appropriate Exotic Weapon Proficiency (flintlock pistol or flintlock rifle) depending on the weapon chosen. All of these weapons require blast powder in order to be fired. Spring-loaded bayonets are avaialble, but they may only be added to Kolter firearms, not Altherian flintlocks. Kolter firearms without bayonets may NOT double as melee weapons the way that all Altherian flintlocks can (i.e. they cannot be used as clubs in a pinch).

PCs may not purchase the Ssethric mounts listed on Table 8-3 without campaign documentation, but Ssethric


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Hammer and Helm The equipment from Tables 6-1 and 6-2 in this sourcebook is approved for use and purchase by dwarven PCs in the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. Other PCs may only use such equipment if gained as certed treasure through scenario play (or by purchasing it from a PC Master-Smith; see below). Only dwarves with the Master-Smith prestige class may craft items from this sourcebook. Equipment crafted in this fashion and properly certified at an Activity Center may be sold by the crafting PC to any prospective buyer. During any scenario that begins, ends, or passes through Solanos Mor or any other Dwarven Enclave (or the pseudo-town of Marketplace outside of Solanos Mor), the alchemical concoctions listed on page 86 may be purchased. PCs may purchase no more than one (1) item (of each type) per scenario. As with all non-certed items, these purchases and expenditures must be meticulously logged on the character's item tracking sheet.

Nyambe: African Adventures The following pieces of equipment from this sourcebook are available to Nyambe characters at character creation. Other characters may only purchase them during a Nyambe adventure and only with campaign documentation. The allowed items are: all trade goods, all weapons (except exotic weapons), all types of armor, and all Nyanban Goods and Services (except elephants of any type).

Final Thoughts Although it seems like a ridiculously large amount of material, we sincerely hope that you will find the LIVING ARCANIS Rules Compilation useful and informative. The challenge of administering a world-wide Living Campaign with thousands of players is not a trivial one. We make every effort as a campaign staff to incorporate as much material into the campaign as we can without compromising the integrity of the story or the campaign setting. We always welcome feedback, suggestions, constructive criticism, and anything else you’d care to tell us. You can find contact information for all of the senior campaign staff members at the very beginning of this document. The LARC is generally updated once or twice per year (although this update is being released in January 2005 and the update before that was way back in November 2003). We expect that the next update will occur around June 2005, in preparation for Origins, which should be our biggest LIVING ARCANIS convention ever. For those who have been patient throughout the ordeal of trying to get the LARC updated, you have my sincere gratitude and appreciation. For those who have been pestering me about it non-stop for months, well, I appreciate your enthusiasm. At least you have been thinking about the campaign! ☺


One thing I did want to make clear is that the campaign staff is aware that the LARC being in flux for so long may have caused some problems for people with regards to their character conversion. It’s not fair to expect the players to know in advance what would and would not make the cut for the final LARC, so consider this a blanket amnesty: If you updated or converted your character based on something in a published sourcebook or a draft of the LARC and it got changed in the final LARC or the errata, and you don’t like the new version, you are more than welcome to get rid of it and replace it with something else. You’re on the honor system here, but really, it’s only fair. I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate something that I posted on the LA-Talk newsgroup. We all want the campaign to provide a fair and consistent play experience for everyone. That’s part of what Living Campaigns are supposed to be all about, after all. However, I never want anyone – players, judges, or the campaign staff – to lose sight of the fact that the reason we are all playing this game is to have fun. If the campaign is not fun, then why are we spending all this time on it? To that end, I would like to encourage each and every player of LIVING ARCANIS to focus on what makes the campaign fun for you, and not to worry so much about things that might make the campaign fun for other players but that you don’t necessarily like. I really like to believe that there is no “wrong” way to approach the game – although, as we all know, choices have consequences. My bottom line as the head of the Living Arcanis Development Team is that the campaign should increase the total amount of fun in the universe. As long as it does that, I think it’s accomplishing its purpose. But don’t take my word for it – let me know your thoughts. My e-mail address is up there at the front of the document, and you’re more than welcome to use it. I can’t necessarily promise that I will answer every single e-mail or newgroup post that comes my way, but I can promise you that I read every e-mail and as many newsgroups as I can. If you want to get hold of me, I’m not difficult to find, and I’m always glad to hear what you have to say. I would like to say one final THANK YOU to all of the players, all of the judges, all of the convention organizers, all of the volunteers, the folks at PCI, the folks at the RPGA, and everyone else who makes LIVING ARCANIS possible. This campaign has given me some of the most enjoyable moments I’ve known in 20some years of gaming, and that’s something that I never forget. Talk to you later – Sean Molley LIVING ARCANIS Development Team Lead LIVING ARCANIS Edit Team Lead

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Appendix 1: Special Materials Items may be crafted from special materials using the following rules. These rules also apply to certificates for special materials found through game play, as well as opportunities during game play to receive access to unusual crafting options. Rule 1: All special materials used in the crafting of items must either be certed or BOTH access to the material AND permission for PCs to use the material for crafting must specifically be provided by a scenario. (The Master Smith class is granted certain exceptions to this rule; see the class description for details.) If a scenario provides access to a supply of a special material but does not explicitly state that PCs may use that material for crafting, then the material may NOT be used under any circumstances. If a scenario provides access to a supply of a special material and states that PCs may have items crafted from the material, but the material is not certed, then PCs may NOT take any quantity of the material away from the adventure, nor may they sell any quantity of the material during the adventure or benefit financially from it in any other way. If a scenario provides certed “raw materials” then those certificates are treated the same way as any other campaign certificates; they may be sold, traded, given away, used in crafting, etc. Rule 2: All quantities of special materials are expressed in UNITS. All crafting using special materials is done by consuming a specific number of units, which is determined by the type of item being crafted (see below for details). If the PC does not have a sufficient number of units to craft a desired item, then the item cannot be crafted it all; it cannot be “alloyed” with base metal, it cannot be “left unfinished,” etc. If a certificate expresses a quantity in POUNDS, then that certificate should be converted to units at an exchange rate of one (1) unit per pound. The conversion should be noted in ink on the front of the certificate. No other change in value or properties is required for certed special materials, even if the price on the certificate is different from the price listed in this document, because certificates are not being re-valued as part of the conversion process. Rule 3: Items crafted from special materials must always be of at least masterwork quality. If a special material requires the item to be of a higher quality, then it will say so in its description. If a certed item is made of a special material but does not have a descriptor on the cert, then you must assume that the item is a masterwork item (not greater masterwork or legendary). When crafting a masterwork item from special material, the masterwork price is included in the base price of the special material. However, the special material price does not include the value of greater masterwork or legendary crafting styles. This means that a mithral


breastplate (medium armor) has a market price of 4,200 gold pieces – 4,000 for the mithral and 200 for a normal breastplate. The item gains the benefits of being masterwork because it is made out of mithral. A greater masterwork mithral breastplate would have a market price of 4,350 gold pieces, as the market price is increased by +150 gp for the greater masterwork property, since that is not included in the cost of the mithral. Rule 4: The market price of an item that has been crafted from a special material is equal to the base price of the item (including any masterwork, greater masterwork, or legendary price adjustment) plus the market price of the special material (number of units used) plus the market price of any enhancements that have been added to the item. In cases where an item has been enhanced multiple times and an incremental cost was paid each time, the item’s market price for selling purposes is equal to the lowest possible market price for a legally-crafted item of that type. This may mean that the creator of the item had to spend more money creating the item than he can sell it for. (This generally only occurs with special materials that are expensive to enhance, such as cold iron, however.) Rule 5: Crafting times for all items made of special materials are doubled. This means that you calculate the number of Time Units that you would normally need to craft the item if it were not made of a special material, and then double it. If the item is made of a special material that does not follow the unit system, such as alchemical silver, only the time to craft the base item is doubled (i.e. the cost to create a masterwork component is not). If the item is made of a special material that does follow the unit system, such as mithral, then the entire creation time is doubled (including the time needed to create the “virtual” masterwork component that is included with the special material). Some characters, such as dwarves and members of the Master-Smith prestige class, may be able to reduce or ignore this increase in the crafting time when using special materials. For example, dwarves craft items in half the time that characters of other races do, while a Master-Smith can ignore the extra crafting requirement entirely when working with special materials whose secrets he knows. See the LARC section on Crafting Mundane Items for a detailed example of crafting times and the impact of special materials.

Special Materials – Units of Measure Special materials quantities are always expressed in UNITS. One unit is roughly equal to one pound for most special materials, but because different types of items use different amounts of metal, a system of valuing special materials based on the weight listed in the core

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rules does not always make sense. The problem is compounded by the fact that the weights listed in the core rules are really “encumbrance values” and do not always reflect the amount of material that would be used to make a particular item. Any certificate or other source of an unusual material will list the number of units of special material it provides. (For older certificates, if the cert has a weight expressed in pounds, then it provides one unit per pound listed on the cert.) When crafting items, the number of units needed is determined based on a combination of the size and type of item. Weapons: For weapons, the baseline is a single Medium-size light weapon, which requires two units. All other weapons and sizes can be calculated from that base. 20 pieces of ammunition (arrows, bolts, or bullets) for a Medium-size projectile weapon is considered the same as a single Medium-size light weapon. Note that not all special materials are suitable for any or all types of weapons; the specific material’s description will state which types of items it can be used to create. For armor and weapons of other sizes, calculate the number of units needed by following the formulas implied above: each step downward in size cuts the number of units in half, each step upward in size doubles the units, each weapon type downward in utility cuts the number of units in half, and each weapon type upward in utility doubles the number of units. Thus, a Tiny light weapon requires one-half unit, a Tiny one-handed

weapon requires one unit, and a Tiny two-handed weapon requires two units. A Huge light weapon requires 8 units, a Huge one-handed weapon requires 16 units, and a Huge two-handed weapon requires 32 units. A special exception is made for pole-arms, which are treated as one size category smaller for purposes of calculating the number of units needed to craft them. Most of a pole-arm’s size does not come from the actual striking surface, so it doesn’t require as much material to craft a pike as it does a greatsword. Armor and Shields: For armor and shields, the baseline is Medium-size light armor, which requires two units. Eight units are required to make a suit of Medium-size medium armor, and eighteen units are required to make a suit of Medium-size heavy armor. Note that not all special materials are suitable for any or all types of armor; the specific material’s description will state which types of items it can be used to create. As with weapons, armor and shields of other sizes can be constructed by following the implied formulas in the table above. Each step upward in creature size doubles the number of units, each step downward in creature size halves the number of units, each step upward in armor “type” doubles the number of units, and each step downward in armor “type” halves the number of units. Thus, a Tiny suit of heavy armor requires 4 units (fractions of a unit round down), and a Huge shield requires 8 units.

Table SM-1: Special Materials – Weapons Size of Item Type of Item Medium Light weapon Medium One-handed weapon Medium Two-handed weapon Small Light weapon Small One-handed weapon Small Two-handed weapon Large Light weapon Large One-handed weapon Large Two-handed weapon

Number of Units 2 4 8 1 2 4 4 8 16

Table SM-2: Special Materials – Armor and Shields Size of Item Type of Item Medium Light armor or light shield Medium Heavy shield Medium Medium armor or tower shield Medium Heavy armor Small Light armor or light shield Small Heavy shield Small Medium armor or tower shield Small Heavy armor Large Light armor or light shield Large Heavy shield Large Medium armor or tower shield Large Heavy armor

Number of Units 2 4 8 18 1 2 4 9 4 8 16 36


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Barding: Armoring an animal with a special material can become quite expensive. Core Rulebook I describes the costs of barding in terms of a multiplier of the base item’s cost. For example, barding for a horse (a Large non-humanoid mount) costs 4 times as much as the same type of armor for a Medium humanoid. The unit system follows those multipliers from the core rules, so the special material cost for a set of horse barding is 4 times the cost of that armor if made for a Medium humanoid. If you are crafting from raw materials that means you need quadruple the number of units of the special materials. Basically, take the numbers on Table SM-2 for a Medium suit of armor and multiply them by 4. (What it boils down to is that armor for a Large quadruped, such as a warhorse, costs the same as armor for a Huge humanoid, while armor for a Medium quadruped, such as a riding dog, costs the same as armor for a Large humanoid.) Note that under the unit system of measure, the weight of an item and the number of units of material that were needed to create that item are not necessarily identical. In the case of barding for a horse, the weight is double the weight of the normal Medium-size humanoid armor, exactly as detailed in Core Rulebook I. Other Items: For items that can be created from special materials but that are not armor or weapons, the default assumption is that one unit of material is required per two pounds of the finished item’s weight. (For items that are made of weight-reducing special materials, calculate the number of units based on the original item’s weight, but the finished item still only weighs half as much.) The number of units needed to create an item can never be less than one; there is no such thing as a fractional unit under this system.

Specific Special Materials (Includes core rules materials and Forged in Magic conversion) Because of the adjustments required by the unit system of measurement for special materials, not all special materials will have the same costs as they would under the core rules. The prices in this document are considered official for LIVING ARCANIS and override the costs listed in the core rules or in previous editions of publications from Paradigm Concepts, including “previews” or other information contained in individual LIVING ARCANIS scenarios. Only the game mechanics for special materials are listed below; flavor text and other information about these materials is contained in the source publication. Aerium – Aerium armors are treated as one size category lighter for purposes of movement and other limitations (for example, whether or not a barbarian can use her fast movement ability while wearing the armor). Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium


armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Aerium is an extremely difficult ore to work, as even the slightest error during the forging process can result in air pockets that compromise the integrity of the item. Therefore, the DC of all Craft checks made to work with this special material is increased by 5. Armor and shields made of aerium provide the wearer with sonic resistance 2. Furthermore, the arcane spell failure chance is reduced by 10%, the maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and the armor check penalty is decreased by 3 (to a minimum of 0). The benefits of being masterwork are included in these adjustments; greater masterwork armors made of aerium receive an additional one-point reduction in armor check penalty. Thrown weapons (but not projectiles for missile weapons) made from aerium catch the wind easily, increasing their range increment by 10 feet. An item made from aerium weighs half as much as the same item made from other metals. In the case of weapons, this lighter weight does not change the weapon’s size category or the ease with which it can be wielded (i.e. whether it is light, one-handed, or twohanded). Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of aerium. Aerium has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 15. Market Price per Unit: 600 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Aetherite – See Viridiite, below Aperiite (Netherite) – Dwarves hold this metal in taboo and most refuse to work with it. It is commonly alloyed with steel to compensate for its own intrinsic properties. Weapons made from netherite are considered one degree harder to wield than normal (a light weapon is treated as a one-handed weapon, a one-handed weapon is treated as a two-handed weapon, and a two-handed weapon is treated as if it were one size category larger, inflicting a -2 penalty on its wielder’s attack rolls). Netherite weapons deal +1 point of negative energy damage to living creatures on a successful attack. Against positive-energy undead and other creatures strongly tied to or hailing from the Positive Energy Plane, netherite weapons gain a +1 increase to their existing enhancement bonus and inflict an additional +1d6 points of unholy damage. This unholy damage bypasses any form of regeneration (it is treated as if it were a type of damage that the creature cannot regenerate). Netherite armor is treated as one category heavier for purposes of movement and other limitations. Light armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as heavy, but heavy armors are still treated as heavy. Netherite imparts fire and cold resistance 2 to its wearer, but the arcane spell failure chance is increased by 5%, the maximum Dexterity bonus is decreased by 1, and the armor check penalty is increased by 2. The benefits of being masterwork are included in these

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adjustments; greater masterwork armors made of aerium receive an additional one-point reduction in armor check penalty. Undead creatures wearing netherite armor or carrying netherite shields gain +2 turn resistance (or a +2 bonus to their existing turn resistance, if any). If used in a divine focus (requiring 1 unit of metal), netherite adds +1 to a cleric’s effective level for purposes of attempts to control or rebuke undead creatures, as well as to attempts to bolster undead or dispel turning effects. Enhancements that draw upon positive energy, such as the disruption special ability, cannot be incorporated into items made of this material. An item made from netherite weighs 150% as much as the same item made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of netherite. Netherite has the same physical properties as iron (30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10). Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Adamantine – Weapons fashioned from adamantine have a natural ability to bypass hardness when sundering weapons or attacking objects. An adamantine weapon can ignore any hardness less than 20. Armor made from adamantine grants its wearer damage reduction 1/-- if it’s light armor, 2/-- if it’s medium armor, and 3/-- if it’s heavy armor. Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal can be fashioned from adamantine. Items without metal parts cannot be made from adamantine. Adamantine items have one-third more hit points than normal; for example, an adamantine longsword has 13 hit points (normal longswords have 10). Adamantine has 40 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 20. Market Price per Unit: 800 gp; Source: Core Rulebook III Beroku (Yarricite) – This coral-based material can be used in place of both metal and wood to make most types of items. Yarricite is immune to corrosion, as well as to heating effects (such as a heat metal spell). These items are naturally buoyant and the armor check penalty of Yarricite armor and shields is not counted when determining a character’s encumbrance for the purpose of swimming. Should a Yarricite item be released underwater, it will float to the surface at a rate of 10 feet per round. Shields made of Yarricite have their armor check penalty reduced by 2. Due to the material’s relative inflexibility, it is mainly only useful for making breastplates as opposed to other types of armor. Yarricite breastplates are treated as light armor for purposes of movement, have an armor bonus of +4, an armor check penalty of -3, and an arcane spell failure chance of 20%. The benefits of being masterwork are included in these adjustments; greater masterwork shields and breastplates made of Yarricite receive an additional one-point reduction in armor check penalty.


Items made of Yarricite weigh half as much as normal items of their type. Yarricite has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 8. Market Price per Unit: 150 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Beryllium – See Iron, Green below Crystal, Deep – Deep crystal is renowned for its strength and its psionically resonant nature. When it is used to create items other than weapons, deep crystal is treated exactly the same way as mundane crystal, but it costs twice as much due to its higher quality. To a nonpsionic character, a weapon made of deep crystal is no different than a weapon made of mundane crystal. However, a psionic wielder of a deep crystal weapon can focus psionic power through it, increasing the damage that the weapon deals. As a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, the wielder can channel psionic power into a melee or ranged weapon made of deep crystal. For 2 power points, the deep crystal weapon deals an extra 2d6 points of damage. The weapon will stay charged for 1 minute or until it scores its next hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings made of deep crystal bestow the power on their ammunition. All thrown weapons lose this effect if they miss. However, they may be recovered and charged again. Deep crystal does not follow the unit system of measure. Rather, any weapon made of deep crystal costs 1,000 gold pieces more than its mundane counterpart. Because deep crystal armor is considered to be made of metal, druids cannot wear it. Deep crystal has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: N/A (see above); Source: Expanded Psionics Handbook Crystal, Mundane – Mundane crystal can be used in place of metal in weapons or armor. The special forging process needed to accomplish this is known only to the Master-Smiths of the Dwarven Enclaves. A weapon or suit of armor made from fortitifed crystal is treated identically to a masterwork item of the same type, except for its visual appearance, hardness, and hit points. Weapons and armor made of mundane crystal cost the same amount to make as their masterwork counterparts. Any item could potentially be made with mundane crystal. Because mundane crystal armor is considered to be made of metal, druids cannot wear it. Mundane crystal has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 8. Market Price per Unit: N/A (see above); Source: Expanded Psionics Handbook Darkwood – Any wooden or mostly wooden item (such as a bow, an arrow, or a spear) weighs only half as much as a normal item of its type. Items not normally made of wood or only partially of wood (such as a battleaxe or a mace) either cannot be made from darkwood or do not gain any special benefit from being made of darkwood.

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The armor check penalty of a darkwood shield is lessened by 2 compared to an ordinary shield of its type. Darkwood has 10 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 5. Market Price per Unit: 20 gp; Source: Core Rulebook III Dragonhide – Because dragonhide armor isn’t made of metal, druids can wear it without penalty. However, due to the rarity of dragons in Arcanis, the odds of finding true dragonhide armor are extremely low. Any such suits of armor might well be relics from the long-ago war between the ancient Dragons and the Celestial Giants. Dragonhide has 10 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: N/A (priceless/impossible to find); Source: Core Rulebook III Fervidite – Weapons fashioned from fervidite have a natural non-magical attack and damage bonus of +1 due to their incredible sharpness. This bonus is unnamed, so it stacks with all other bonuses, including masterwork bonuses and magical enhancement bonuses. Fervidite weapons are also particularly effective against armor and shields made of wolf iron; see the Wolf Iron entry, below, for details. Fervidite resists all elements with equal capacity, so armor and shields made with this special material grant their wearer energy resistance 2 against acid, cold, electricity, and fire. An item made from fervidite weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal can be fashioned from fervidite. Items without metal parts cannot be made from fervidite. Fervidite items have one-third more hit points than normal; for example, a fervidite longsword has 13 hit points (normal longswords have 10). Fervidite has 35 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 17. Market Price per Unit: 750 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Fluvium – Creatures with the Fire subtype find this material to be particularly abhorrent. Items made of fluvium gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against firebased attacks. (This bonus is not transferred to the wearer’s own saving throws; it applies only to saves that the object itself is specifically required to make.) Armor and shields made of fluvium grant their wearer fire resistance 2. Weapons made from fluvium deal +1 point of cold damage on any successful attack. (This stacks with other forms of cold damage that the weapon may deal.) Against creatures with the Fire subtype, weapons made of fluvium gain a +1 increase to their enhancement bonus and deal an additional +1d6 points of cold damage. This cold damage bypasses any form of regeneration (it is treated as if it were a type of damage that the creature cannot regenerate). If used in a divine focus (requiring 1 unit of metal), fluvium adds +1 to a cleric’s effective level for purposes of attempts to turn or rebuke fire-based creatures.


Fire-based enhancements, such as the flaming or flaming burst special weapon properties, cannot be added to items made of this special material. An item made from fluvium weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of fluvium. However, this material compromises the tensile strength of other metals, so items made of fluvium suffer a -1 penalty to their hardness and hit points. For example, a fluvium longsword has 9 hit points (normal longswords have 10). Fluvium has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 9. Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Glass-Steel – Nearly any sort of everyday item can be made of this material, from windows to furniture. This material is frequently used in the construction of psionic items (particularly cognizance crystals). It can also be used to create weapons and shields, but it is too inflexible to be used in the creation of armor. This material is extremely resilient. Unlike normal objects, items made of glass-steel retain one-half their hardness (round down) against acid, force, and sonic attacks. Weapons made of glass-steel are exceptionally light and easy to wield. One-handed glass-steel weapons whose base weight (before the reduction from the special material) is 4 pounds or less may be treated as light weapons (and the Weapon Finesse feat may be utilized when wielding such weapons). Shields forged from glass-steel have a reduction in their arcane spell failure chance of 10% and their armor check penalty is decreased by 3 (to a minimum of 0). The benefits of being masterwork are included in these adjustments; greater masterwork shields made of glasssteel receive an additional one-point reduction in armor check penalty. Any normal item made of glass-steel can be turned into a cognizance crystal by means of the Craft Cognizance Crystal feat (see the Expanded Psionics Handbook for details). The maximum amount of psionic energy that can be stored in items made of glass-steel is dependent on the amount of material used. The base capacity is 1 point, and this increases by +1 for every two pounds of glass-steel used in the item’s construction. Turning a glass-steel item into a cognizance crystal costs the same amount of XP as described in the feat, but the cost of the glass-steel used in making the item can be used to defray the raw materials cost, up to the total amount of raw materials required by the feat. (If the item’s cost is greater than the raw materials cost specified by the feat, the extra money paid for the item is not recovered in any fashion.) Items made of glass-steel weigh one-half as much as they would if made of other materials. Glass-steel has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic

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Greenglass – This hard, light material is somewhat brittle. It is primarily used in the manufacture of slashing and piercing weapons and in shields. Greenglass is completely immune to fire (items crafted from this material automatically succeed on any saving throws against such attacks). However, it suffers half again as much (+50%) damage from sonic and force attacks (which also bypass its hardness). Slashing and piercing weapons made of greenglass have a natural +1 damage bonus that stacks with both magical and non-magical enhancement bonuses. Bludgeoning weapons cannot be made of this material. Shields made of greenglass are highly valued for their great strength against cuts and punctures. The user of such a shield gains a +1 bonus to Armor Class against attacks made by slashing and piercing weapons. This bonus stacks with both magical and non-magical enhancement bonuses. An item made from greenglass weighs half as much as the same item would if made from other materials. Greenglass has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 12. Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Ignium – Creatures with the Cold subtype find this material to be particularly abhorrent. Items made of ignium gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against coldbased attacks. (This bonus is not transferred to the wearer’s own saving throws; it applies only to saves that the object itself is specifically required to make.) Armor and shields made of ignium grant their wearer cold resistance 2. Weapons made from ignium deal +1 point of fire damage on any successful attack. (This stacks with other forms of fire damage that the weapon may deal.) Against creatures with the Cold subtype, weapons made of ignium gain a +1 increase to their enhancement bonus and deal an additional +1d6 points of fire damage. This fire damage bypasses any form of regeneration (it is treated as if it were a type of damage that the creature cannot regenerate). If used in a divine focus (requiring 1 unit of metal), ignium adds +1 to a cleric’s effective level for purposes of attempts to turn or rebuke cold-based creatures. Cold-based enhancements, such as the frost or icy burst special weapon properties, cannot be added to items made of this special material. An item made from ignium weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of ignium. However, this material compromises the tensile strength of other metals, so items made of ignium suffer a -1 penalty to their hardness and hit points. For example, an ignium longsword has 9 hit points (normal longswords have 10). Ignium has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 9. Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic


Iron, Black (Titanium) – Items made of black iron are naturally resistant to corrosion and gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against corrosive, rusting, or acid-based attacks. (This bonus is not transferred to the wearer’s own saving throws; it applies only to saves that the object itself is specifically required to make.) Armor and shields made from black iron grant their wearer acid resistance 2. Weapons made from black iron deal +1 point of acid damage on any successful attack. (This stacks with other forms of acid damage that the weapon may deal.) An item made from black iron weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of black iron. Black iron has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 12. Market Price per Unit: 375 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Iron, Cold – Although there are currently no known Fey creatures on Arcanis, certain types of monsters do have a weakness to cold-forged iron. Because cold iron is not a “special material” so much as it is a forging process applied to normal steel, it does not follow the unit rules. Instead, weapons made of cold iron cost twice as much to make as their normal counterparts. Because of this, a cold iron weapon is NOT automatically treated as masterwork, although the masterwork cost may be paid for separately. Cold iron is inherently resistant to magic. Any time a cold iron weapon is magically enhanced, an additional cost of 2,000 gp must be paid on top of the cost of any enhancements being added to the weapon. This cost must be paid each time the weapon is enhanced. Items without metal parts cannot be made from cold iron. An arrow could be made of cold iron, but a quarterstaff could not. Note that each end of a double weapon is treated as a separate weapon for purposes of item creation, so a two-bladed sword with one end of cold iron and the other end of steel would cost 150 gp rather than 200 gp. Cold iron has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: N/A (see above); Source: Core Rulebook III Iron, Green (Beryllium) – This material is often alloyed with copper and bronze in addition to iron. Green iron has exactly the same characteristics as mithral (see below). Green iron has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 15. Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Mithral – Mithral armors are treated as one size category lighter for purposes of movement and other limitations (for example, whether or not a barbarian can use her fast movement ability while wearing the armor). Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium

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armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Spell failure chances for armor and shields made of mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are lessened by 3 (to a minimum of 0). The benefits of being masterwork are included in these adjustments; greater masterwork armors made of mithral receive an additional one-point reduction in armor check penalty. An item made from mithral weighs half as much as the same item made from other metals. In the case of weapons, this lighter weight does not change the weapon’s size category or the ease with which it can be wielded (i.e. whether it is light, one-handed, or twohanded). Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of mithral. Mithral has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 15. Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Core Rulebook III Netherite – See Aperiite, above Orikalka – This metal is typically alloyed with bronze, and is prized for its magic-negating qualities. Weapons made of orikalka deal +1d6 points of damage against creatures of the construct, fey, and magical beast subtypes, as these creatures’ own intrinsically magical nature makes them particularly vulnerable to its disruption of the flows of magic. This damage bypasses any form of regeneration (it is treated as if it were a type of damage that the creature cannot regenerate). A spellcaster that is struck for damage by an orikalka weapon and forced to make a Concentration check due to damage dealt while in the act of casting suffers a -4 penalty on the skill check. Armor and shields that incorporate orikalka into their design grant their wearer a limited form of spell resistance, equal to 5 + the armor bonus of the item. For example, a suit of orikalka splint mail would grant its wearer SR 11. Orikalka armor that is subsequently enhanced with any form of the spell resistance ability adds its armor bonus to the level of SR granted by the ability. However, this comes at a price: all magic used by the wearer of such armor runs the risk of being negated. Both arcane and divine spells cast by a character wearing orikalka armor or using an orikalka shield suffer a spell failure chance of 15%. This stacks with any arcane spell failure chance that the item already possesses, and it cannot be reduced or lowered in any way (so if the character has an ability that lowers spell failure chances by 10%, that ability cannot lower the total spell failure chance of this armor below 15%). An item made from orikalka weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of this substance. Orikalka has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: 1,000 gp; Source: Forged in Magic


Petrified Wood – Typically found in the Blessed Lands, petrified wood can be alchemically or magically treated until it is nearly as hard as steel. Armor and shields made of petrified wood may be worn by druids, since they are not made of metal. Such items grant the wearer acid and electricity resistance 2, and are immune to rusting and other spells or effects that only work on metal. Spells and effects that only work on stone, however, do affect items made of petrified wood. Bludgeoning weapons made of petrified wood deal their normal damage. Slashing and piercing weapons made of petrified wood deal -2 points of damage (to a minimum of 1 point per successful attack) due to the difficulty of keeping a suitable edge on the striking surfaces. An item made from petrified wood weighs 75% as much as the same item would if made from other materials. Petrified wood has 20 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 8. Market Price per Unit: 200 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Sarishan Steel – These items are most commonly forged under the auspices of the Church of Sarish, and have particularly efficacious properties against Infernal creatures. Weapons forged of Sarishan steel bypass all forms of damage reduction of Infernal creatures (demons and devils) subject to the will of Sarish. (If a specific Infernal creature is not vulnerable to Sarishan steel, this fact will be clearly denoted in its statistics block.) If an Infernal creature has the regeneration special quality, then the damage dealt by a Sarishan steel weapon is considered to be of a type that the creature cannot regenerate. Armor forged from Sarishan steel assists its wearer in resisting the influence of Infernals, granting a +2 sacred bonus on all Will saves made against spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities employed by Infernal creatures. An item made from Sarishan steel weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of this substance. Sarishan steel has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: 400 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Steel, Altherian – Altherian steel is exceptionally light. Because it is not a “special material” so much as it is a particular alloy that weighs less but is otherwise similar to normal steel, it does not follow the unit rules. Instead, items made of Altherian steel cost four times as much to make as their normal counterparts. Because of this, an Altherian steel item is NOT automatically treated as masterwork, although the masterwork cost may be paid for separately.

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An item made from Altherian steel weighs 75% as much as the same item made from other metals. In the case of armor, this does not change the armor's weight category (heavy armors are still treated as heavy, medium armors are still treated as medium, and light armors are still treated as light). In the case of weapons, this lighter weight does not change the weapon's size category or the ease with which it can be wielded (i.e. whether it is light, one-handed, or two-handed). Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of Altherian steel. To further reduce the weight of Altherian flintlocks, they may be crafted from Altherian steel, which is lighter than normal steel without losing any of its strength or durability. Doing so reduces the weight of a flintlock pistol to 3 pounds and the weight of a flintlock rifle to 11 pounds. (These specific weights are provided instead of following the normal rule that an item crafted of Altherian steel weighs 75% as much as a normal item of its type.) An Altherian steel flintlock pistol costs 1,600 gp. An Altherian steel flintlock rifle costs 2,000 gp. Altherians do receive their standard 25% discount when buying Altherian flintlocks made of Altherian steel in Altheria. Altherian steel has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: N/A (see above); Source: Codex Arcanis Silver, Alchemical – Although lycanthropes are not as common on Onara as they are in other fantasy settings, they are certainly not unheard-of, and silver weapons are reputed to be able to bypass their intrinsic damage reduction. Because alchemical silver is not so much a special material as it is a complex metallurgical process applied to normal steel, it does not follow the unit rules. Instead, it uses the costs described in Core Rulebook III (+2 gp per piece of ammunition, +20 gp for a light weapon, +90 gp for a one-handed weapon, and +180 gp for a two-handed weapon). Because of this, an alchemical steel weapon is NOT automatically treated as masterwork, although the masterwork cost may be paid for separately. Alchemical silver weapons deal -1 point of damage on a successful attack (with the usual minimum of 1 point of damage). The alchemical silvering process can’t be applied to non-metal items, and it does not work on items made of other special materials (such as adamantine, cold iron, and mithral). Alchemical silver has 10 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 8. Market Price per Unit: N/A (see above); Source: Core Rulebook III Tellium – This material is often confused with lodestone, and indeed it has certain magnetic properties of its own. It is generally alloyed with iron. Weapons made of tellium gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls against opponents wearing metal armor and creatures whose natural armor primarily derives from


metallic materials (such as iron golems). This bonus stacks with all other magical and non-magical bonuses. Armor and shields made of tellium grant their wearer electricity resistance 2, and tend to draw metal weapons to their most heavily reinforced areas, increasing the wearer’s Armor Class by +1 against attacks from weapons whose striking surface is primarily metal and the natural attacks of creatures whose substance is primarily composed of metallic materials. This bonus stacks with all other magical and non-magical bonuses. (Note that this exactly counters the +1 bonus on attack rolls granted by tellium weapons; a tellium weapon strikes tellium armor normally.) An item made from tellium weighs the same as the same item would if made from other metals. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of this substance. Tellium has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Market Price per Unit: 250 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Tungsten – See Wolf Iron, below Viridiite (Aetherite) – This very rare form of meteoric ore is charged with positive energy. Against negative-energy undead and other creatures strongly tied to or hailing from the Negative Energy Plane, viridiite weapons gain a +1 increase to their existing enhancement bonus and inflict an additional +1d6 points of holy damage. This holy damage bypasses any form of regeneration (it is treated as if it were a type of damage that the creature cannot regenerate). Living creatures wearing viridiite armor or carrying viridiite shields gain negative energy resistance 2, and receive a +1 holy bonus on all saving throws against spells or effects that deal negative energy damage or that have the Death descriptor. If used in a divine focus (requiring 1 unit of metal), viridiite adds +1 to a cleric’s effective level for purposes of attempts to turn or destroy undead creatures. Enhancements that draw upon negative energy, such as the undead controlling special ability, cannot be incorporated into items made of this material. Viridiite has the same physical properties as iron (30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10). Market Price per Unit: 500 gp; Source: Forged in Magic Wolf Iron (Tungsten) – This metal is hard and very dense, and is a favorite of the dwarves of Solanos Mor, as well as the smiths of Sweet Savonna. Weapons fashioned from wolf iron have a natural ability to bypass hardness when sundering weapons or attacking objects, though not to the same extent as adamantine. A wolf iron weapon can ignore any hardness less than 15. Armor made from wolf iron is particularly prized for its ability to absorb blows. Armor, heavy shields, and tower shields made from wolf iron gain an intrinsic nonmagical +1 increase to the AC bonus they provide. This bonus stacks with all other magical and non-magical

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bonuses. Light shields and bucklers made of wolf iron do not gain this benefit. However, wolf iron does have one particular weakness: it is vulnerable to weapons made of fervidite. Fervidite weapons ignore the entire AC bonus provided by armor and shields made of wolf iron. Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal can be fashioned from wolf iron. Items without metal parts cannot be made from wolf iron. Wolf iron items have one-third more hit points than normal; for example, a wolf iron longsword has 13 hit points (normal longswords have 10). Wolf iron has 35 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 15. Market Price per Unit: 600 gp; Source: Core Rulebook III Yarricite – See Beroku, above


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Appendix 2: Favors and Power Levels Table F-1: Typical Favor Power Levels Power Level Favor Usually Issued By Common citizens with few 1 connections. Wealthy commoners, leaders of 2 nomadic villages, struggling business owners. Merchant families, members of 3 prominent guilds.

4

Successful business owners, minor nobility.

5

Wealthy merchant families, weak Senators, leaders of small but prosperous cities or towns.

6

Powerful nobility substantial connections.

7

Powerful Senators, Governors, leaders of powerful independent cities.

8

Leaders of weak or isolated nations.

9

Leaders of powerful organizations or secret societies.

with

Appropriate Favors 20 gp. The casting of a 1st-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. 50 gp. The casting of a 2nd-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. 100 gp. The casting of a 3rd-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. 20% discount on mundane goods and services. 250 gp. The casting of a 4th-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. 50% discount on mundane goods and services The granting of a pardon for a minor crime committed within his area of influence. The reduction of any jail time served in his area of influnce by onefifth. 500 gp. The casting of a 5th-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. The granting of a pardon for a non-major crime committed within his area of influence. The reduction of any jail time served in his area of influnce by one-third. 1000 gp. The casting of a 6th-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. The reduction of any jail time served in his area of influnce by onehalf. 1500 gp. The casting of a 7th-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. The granting of a pardon for a major crime (excluding murder or treason) committed within his area of influence The reduction of any jail time served in his area of influnce by two-thirds. 2000 gp. The casting of an 8th-level arcane or divine spell at no cost. The granting of a pardon for a major crime (excluding treason) committed within his area of influence The reduction of any jail time served in his area of influnce by three-fourths. 3000 gp. The casting of a 9th-level arcane or divine spell at no cost.

5000 gp. The casting of two 9th-level arcane or divine spells at no cost. The granting of a pardon for any crime committed within his 10 Leaders of powerful nations borders. Spellcasting: NPCs may not cast spells that are restricted from PC use (such as true resurrection) through the use of favors. All casting of spells on the restricted list must be approved by the campaign staff and/or PCI. Spell Access: In lieu of spellcasting services, PCs may opt to have spells scribed into their spellbooks free of scribing costs or other charges. (They must still spend the TU.) For example, a 4th-level favor could be used to scribe a 4th-level spell (or two 2nd or four 1st, etc.) of the PC’s choice directly into his spellbook with no monetary costs. Note: Favor power levels will wax and wane with the fortunes of those granting the favor.

Favors and Adventures Just as a reminder, any certificate could come into play at any time in the campaign, without warning. Very specific uses of individual favors may be detailed in scenarios and they may differ significantly from the options on the chart above. However, we are providing a Power Level system for favors to enable characters to redeem some of the honors and accolades that they earn during their adventuring careers without needing to wait on scenario authors to get around to addressing each and every favor cert that has ever been issued since the beginning of the campaign. All favors do not necessarily have to fall into a category listed above. Some favors are very specific about their effects, and they usually list such specifics directly on


the campaign certificate representing that specific favor. In such cases, the effects listed on the certificate override the chart above. Specific text on a favor certificate overrules anything and everything that is included on this chart. Sometimes a powerful patron issues a “lesser” favor based on what the recipient did to earn said favor. (I.e. Just because the Emperor of Coryan gave you a favor, it does not mean that favor must be level 10; It can always be a lesser value based on what HE thinks he owes you.)

Redeeming Favors Favors may be redeemed for any one of the benefits listed beside its power level. For example, a 1st level

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favor would gain a PC 20 gp OR a 1st level spell at no cost, NOT both. Favors are redeemed wholly, never in part. However, more powerful favors may be “broken down” to gain multiple benefits. For example, Rauth has a 3rd level favor and wishes to redeem it. He may gain any of the following benefits or combinations of benefits: 100 gp, OR the casting of a 3rd level arcane or divine spell at no cost, OR a 20% discount on mundane goods and services, OR the casting of three 1st level arcane or divine spells at no cost, OR the casting of a 1st level arcane or divine spell at no cost AND 50gp, OR the casting of two 1st level arcane or divine spells at no cost AND 20gp, OR the casting of a 2nd level arcane or divine spell at no cost AND 20gp. When redeeming a favor for any of the options detailed above, simpy write “Redeemed for xxx” in ink on the certificate in question where “xxx” represents what the PC gained. When redeeming certificates in an area outside of the benefactor’s area of influence, it may only be redeemed at one-half its normal value (round down). For example, if Tykar were redeeming a level 10 “favor of King Osric” in Coryan, he would only gain the benefits of a level 5 favor. Favors may be “pooled” together (even by multiple PCs) to gain any listed benefit except gold. For example, five 1st level favors could be used at once to gain the casting of a 5th level arcane or divine spell at no cost, OR the


granting of a pardon for a non-major crime, OR the reduction of any jail time served by 1/3. They could not, however, be “pooled” to gain 500 gp. Note: Favors are redeemed solely at the discretion of the GM and this process usually must involve access to a temple or some form of civilization. For example, if a party member is killed while lost in the Blessed Lands, adventuring in Nyambe, or while lost at sea, the expediture of a 5th level favor by a party member does not magically summon a cleric with the needed raise dead spell, and the GM would be perfectly within his bounds by refusing such a request. In the same situation, a benevolent GM might require the party to expend two 5th level favors (or one 10th) to fortuitously encounter another adventuring party or ship with the needed cleric and spell. Again, the GM would be completely within his rights. Please bear in mind that favors are subject to having their power levels raised or lowered depending on developments in the campaign world at large. Individuals and nations rise and fall; fortunes are made and lost. Therefore, the values given in this table may change in subsequent versions of the LARC. A particular favor’s Power Level is always the value contained in the most current LARC, not the value that it might have had at the time the certificate was originally issued.

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Table F-2: Certificates and Power Levels Favor Favor of Beloc Favor of Corinlous val'Abebi Favor of Count Georald val'Sungha Favor of Duke Victor val'Holryn Favor of Diotimus

Power Level* 3 3 4 4 2

Favor of General Menesis val'Tensen

5

Favor of House Opkara val'Inares Favor of King of Solanos Mor Favor of King Osric (converted White Sash) Favor of Rhaymaun val'Sungha Favor of Solanos Mor Favor of the Birschor Skohir Tribe Favor of the Crown of Milandir

5 9 7 2 5 3 9

Favor of the Emperor (converted Armillus)

8

Sphere of Influence Coryan Altheria League of Princes Milandir Coryan Coryan, Milandir, Eastern Hinterlands, Solanos Mor, Tir Betoq Coryan Solanos Mor, Coryan, Tir Betoq Milandir, Coryan, Solanos Mor League of Princes Solanos Mor, Coryan, Tir Betoq Hinterlands Milandir, Coryan, Solanos Mor Coryan, Altheria, Western Hinterlands, League of Princes, any temple of the Pantheon of Man, Nol Dappa, Encali Coryan Milandir Any temple of the Pantheon of Man Canceri Canceri Coryan Coryan

Favor of the Legion of Radiant Glory 3 Favor of the Ss’ressen 4 Favor of the Temple of Beltine 5 Gratitude of Oeroth val'Virdan 3 Gratitude of the Autocrat 5 Influence with Brother Talent of Annonica 2 Influence with Senator Phineas Assanté-Voucis 6 Letter of Thanks (Governor Elana val"Dellenov of 5 Coryan Panari) Milandisian val'Ossan Influence 5 Milandir, Pirate Isles Milandisian val'Tensen Influence 4 Milandir Respect of Captain Commodus Vincillus 2 Milandir * Favors are only worth one-half the listed value (round down) when used outside the benefactor’s area or sphere of influence. Therefore, Power Level 1 favors are utterly useless if redeemed outside the patron’s area of influence.


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Appendix 3: Specific Scenario and Certificate Errata This section contains errata and corrections for specific LIVING ARCANIS scenarios and certificates. There may be spoilers contained within this section, but we will attempt to minimize them. If you have questions about a scenario or certificate that are not answered by the updates in this document, you might want to try posting on the LIVING ARCANIS Spoilers mailing list, or you can e-mail the campaign staff directly. LA-SP3-09 Sword of a Different Mettle An unedited draft of this scenario was available for download from the RPGA site for some time. This version of the scenario incorrectly stated that PCs were allowed to keep the uncerted fervidite that appears in the adventure. That is incorrect. All special materials gained through scenario play must be certed. Any PC with a fervidite item that was “crafted” using uncerted fervidite immediately loses the item. You receive a full refund of any gold, Time Units, or XP you have ever spent in conjunction with that item, but the item is gone. If you sold the fervidite for cash, you must repay that money, immediately if you can, or as soon as possible if you cannot afford it immediately. LA-SP3-14 Lusting Leeward The items used to transport the blast powder in this scenario are large waterproof sacks. They are not waterproof bags of holding. Altherian Stallion This animal is trained for combat riding (attack, come, defend, down, guard, heel) and has been taught the work trick as described in Core Rulebook I. This animal has also been taught the attack trick a second time, so it will attack unusual creatures if commanded to do so. This animal’s Intelligence score is only 2, not 3 as listed on the certificate, but it gains the Easily-Trained feat detailed elsewhere in this document as a bonus feat, allowing it to know more tricks than a typical horse. Armillus of the Laurel of Vigilance In order to possess this cert, a PC must pledge his or her allegiance to the Coryani Emperor and Patriarch, Calsestus val’Assanté. This changes the PC's nationality to Coryani if it was something else previously. No character may possess both the White Sash of Purity AND the Armillus of Vigilance, as each requires a certain oath and/or allegiance to rival governments. No dual citizenship is recognized between Coryan and Milandir. If you have one, or both, of the certs listed above and refuse to swear the appropriate oath or pledge, the cert(s) MUST be altered and plainly marked on its face with the following language in pen(as befits the cert in question): “Converted to Influence/Favor of King Osric IV”, or “Converted to Influence/Favor of Emperor Calsestus”. These certs will be useful in future situations. Any special privileges, powers, and rights granted by the cert(s) you “convert” are lost. For example, you would no longer be considered a citizen of


Coryan or receive the +1 luck bonus to your saving throws if you refuse to swear the pledge of allegiance to Emperor Calsestus. You have had the armillus taken from you and replaced by the influence/favor. Due to recent events, PCs who gained this item prior to Origins 2004 have been freed from the Sarishan Oaths that they swore when they accepted the item. These characters still have the benefit of the item but are not bound by the Oath. However, it is widely expected that the Emperor will soon demand that all bearers of the Armillus re-swear the oath of fealty. At that time, all PCs who have this item will have another chance to convert this item into a favor as detailed above and in the document found in the files section on the LA_Talk Yahoogroup. The document in question is titled "Armillus pledge 2004-11-1." Beyond Renascent This certificate is removed from campaign play. Chosen of the Silence Remove all previous text. This certificate grants the PC named on the certificate the Hidden Talent feat from the Expanded Psionics Handbook (page 67). It does not grant the ability to take psionic classes. However, any psionic powers taken by this PC are treated as “preternatural,” which means that they do NOT follow the psionics-magic transparency rule. Desert Pearl This pinkish-tinted pearl is roughly the size of a golf ball. It was found in the empty wastes of the northern Hinterlands. These pearls are quite rare, and no one knows exactly how they form in the first place. Some have speculated that they might be the eggs, or even the droppings, of some bizarre creature of the barren lands. Regardless, what is known is that many of these pearls exhibit a special quality: they can absorb psionic energy and be "awakened" to function as cognizance crystals. This item slowly awakens as it is carried over time by a psionically active character. At the conclusion of each MODULE in which the Desert Pearl is carried from start to finish by a character with at least one psionic power point, the GM should check off one of the boxes below. As each row of checkboxes is completely filled, the Pearl awakens to the level of power listed for that row. For example, after one module, the Pearl becomes a /cognizance crystal/ capable of storing one psionic power point. After eight more modules (for a total of nine), the Pearl is capable of storing three psionic power points. For details on the game mechanics of cognizance crystals, please see the v3.5 System Reference Document. The Desert Pearl has AC 7, 10 hit points, a hardness of 8, and a break DC of 16. It radiates faint psychokinesis.

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The number of check boxes, the power levels listed for each row, and the rarity / value / weight / etc. at the bottom of the certificate are unchanged. Only the main certificate text is changed, and the text on the cert is replaced by the text given above. If your PC has permanently expended power points, which is what the original cert text erroneously implies that you should do, you immediately regain those power points. The power level of the crystal is unchanged and is based on the number of modules you have completed with the Desert Pearl certificate in your possession since you received the cert. Elebac’s Gift (Special Premier Version) These items are designated as “special” soul-bound weapons. The advancing properties listed upon the certificates to not change. These weapons are special because the legendary quality of these items also scales with the power level of the owner. To determine the legendary quality of a particular weapon, simply take the current "enhancement" bonus of the weapon and deduct one from that value. Remember that the legendary and custom qualities of a weapon do not stack with magical enhancement bonuses. Example: Bastion of Storms is currently a +3 shocking burst, defending longsword in the hands of its owner. This means the weapon is also currently a legendary +2, custom longsword. In a null-magic zone, the weapon would still be +3 to hit (+2 legendary, +1 custom) and +2 to damage (+2 legendary). Example: If Bastion of Storms were currently only a +1 longsword in the hands of its owner, it would then become a legendary +0, custom longsword in a nullmagic zone. In a null-magic zone, the weapon would still be +1 to hit (+0 legendary, +1 custom), but it would be +0 to damage. If one of these weapons is ever destroyed, it reforms, and its owner does suffer the full adverse effects listed under the description of soul-bound weapons elsewhere in this document. False Yet True This Kio sword is now classified as a “special” scaling soul-linked weapon for v.3.5; however, the advancing magical properties on the certificate do not change and this sword will not adjust itself to a new owner as other scaling weapons will. Only the original owner of this certificate may benefit from its special scaling properties. This weapon has a hardness of 16 and 20 hit points (and gains additional hardness and hit points per point of enhancement bonus) and is treated as mithril for purposes of bypassing damage reduction. Favor of the Silence Remove all previous text. This certificate grants the PC named on the certificate the Wild Talent feat from the Expanded Psionics Handbook.


Fleshripper This sword is hereby classified as a “special” soulbound weapon. Though it is soul-bound, this weapon strictly follows what is written on the text with regards to the weapon's quality and power. This weapon does not gain the ability to be called to its owner’s location, so the owner can suffer the Constitution damage detailed on the certificate. Effective with the campaign’s conversion to the 3.5 core rules, Fleshripper lost its wounding special quality. There is one, and only one, way to destroy Fleshripper permanently; we are not going to describe it here for spoiler reasons, but trust us – you'll know it when you see it. Bearers do NOT suffer the point of Constitution loss when they destroy the sword in this “one true” fashion. (By the same token, bearers who have lost Constitution from having the sword destroyed in the past do not regain those lost points if and when they finally destroy the sword “for real.”) Holy Symbol of Rage’s Fury This item provides a divine bonus rather than an unnamed bonus. Margraf val’Tensen’s Legacy This Tralian hammer is now classified as a “special” scaling soul-linked weapon for v.3.5; however, the advancing magical properties on the certificate do not change and this weapon will not adjust itself to a new owner as other scaling weapons will. Only the original owner of this certificate may benefit from its special scaling properties. Milandisian War Hound This animal is trained for combat riding (attack, come, defend, down, guard, heel) and has been taught the fetch, seek, and track tricks as described in Core Rulebook I. This animal has also been taught the attack trick a second time, so it will attack unusual creatures if commanded to do so. Nocht This sword is now classified as a “special” scaling weapon for v.3.5; however, the advancing magical properties on the certificate do not change. Ring of Awareness This ring now grants the Alertness feat. powers are lost.

All other

Ring of Warmth This item becomes a ring of endure elements. Spirit of Freedom This weapon is now designated as a “special” scaling soul-linked (not soul-bound) weapon. The advancing properties listed upon the certificates to not change. Tome of the Traveling Scribe This can only create blank books. It will never give PCs any skill or stat benefits.

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Uncerted Curse / Boon from Temptations of the Flesh This curse / boon has run its course. Effective immediately, all PCs affected by this curse / boon lose any ability score adjustments gained through this curse / boon. Wererat This certificate and all its effects are hereby removed from the LIVING ARCANIS campaign. This character should not be given out to any PCs effective immediately, and all PCs who have it must void it and ignore any effects that it caused. White Sash of Purity This item grants its bearer the benefits of a virtual Gentry feat that is honored everywhere. (This does not grant the PC any money normally associated with the Gentry feat.) In order to possess this cert, the character must swear an oath of fealty before the court of King Osric IV. This process is detailed in the document titled "White Sash Pledge 2004-11-1." Taking this oath to accept this item changes the PC’s nationality to Milandisian if it was previously something else. No character may possess both the White Sash of Purity AND the Armillus of Vigilance, as each requires a certain oath and/or allegiance to rival governments. No dual citizenship is recognized between Coryan and Milandir. If you have one, or both, of the certs listed above and refuse to swear the appropriate oath or pledge, the cert(s) MUST be altered and plainly marked on its face with the following language (as befits the cert in question): “Converted to Influence/Favor of King Osric IV”, or “Converted to Influence/Favor of Emperor Calsestus”. Any special privileges, powers, and rights granted by the cert you “convert” is lost. If you refuse to swear the oath to King Osric IV, you no longer have the virtual Gentry feat.


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