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Amalthea House Rules

For improved balance and quality of life, our server makes a number of adjustments to the Pathfinder and Spheres systems. Given the immense complexity of the game system, it's impossible to cover all problematic build options, so this page is subject to modification.   As it is one of our stated goals to make the game system more accessible, players may make personal requests for quality of life houserules, which are considered on a case by case basis. In general, we're willing to review houserule suggestions that reduce build complexity, but do not increase build power or add lore implications. Examples of such houserules include conversions of vanilla archetypes to Spheres, generalizations of similar but disconnected subsystems, and adjustments made to long feat chains to reduce feat taxes (provided that Spheres alternatives do not already exist). We will not consider any requests to add 3PP or homebrew races, classes, spheres, or other options.  

Table of Contents

   

Races

All Races

  • If a race doesn't offer flexible ability score adjustments, you may move one racial adjustment from one ability score to another. You can cancel out a bonus and a penalty, but not gain a +4 to any ability score. For example, you can change an elf's +2 Dexterity to +2 Charisma, or remove both the +2 Dexterity and the -2 Constitution.
  • You can ignore racial prerequisites on traits, feats, archetypes or prestige classes, as long as your race has the appropriate physiology, at the GM’s discretion. For example, you can take the Tail Terror feat as a beastfolk, but not as a human.
  • Racial spell-like abilities must be traded out for alternate racial traits.
  • Some races have access to the Mixed Heritage alternate racial trait:  
    Choose a humanoid subtype you don’t have. You gain that subtype, as well as a racial trait determined by the chosen subtype:
    • Dwarf: Hardy
    • Elf: Elven Immunities
    • Gnome: Bond to the Land
    • Goblin: Skilled
    • Halfling: Lucky
    • Human: Heart of the Region
    • Orc: Orc Ferocity (as Half-Orc)
    This racial trait replaces any racial trait on the above list that comes from your original race. For example, a human with dwarven heritage replaces Heart of the Region with Hardy.
  • Racial languages are not in play. Instead, all characters begin by speaking two languages of their choice, found on the Languages page. Characters with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
  • Races in Amalthea use different rules for aging than vanilla, as follows:  
    RaceAdulthoodMiddle AgeOldVenerableMaximum
    Beastfolk*, Goblins, Halflings, Half-Orcs, Humans, Kobolds, Orcs 18 40 55 70 70+2d20
    Dragonkin, Duergar, Dwarves, Gnomes, Half-Elves 18 80 110 140 140+3d20
    Drow, Elves 18 200 275 350 350+5d20
    Changelings, Dhampirs, Planetouched As parental race As parental race As parental race As parental race As parental race
    • *Beastfolk take the longer of human lifespan, or the lifespan of their animal form. For example, a tortoisefolk can live to about 200 years.
   

Specific Races

Changelings

  • Changelings can be any gender, but only changelings that identify as female receive the Call.
  • Changelings don’t have their own subtype; for the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger’s favored enemy and bane weapons), they count as both humanoids of their father’s subtype, and monstrous humanoids.
 

Dhampirs

  • Dhampirs don’t have their own subtype; for the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger’s favored enemy and bane weapons), they count as both humanoids of their living parent’s subtype, and undead. However, they have a +2 bonus on saving throws against any effects that target undead.
  • Dhampirs gain following racial trait:
    • Vampiric Fangs: Dhampirs have a bite attack that deals 1d4 damage, and they gain Blood Thirst as a bonus feat (ignoring the Blood sphere prerequisite).
 

Drow

  • Drow can select any elf racial trait that replaces Keen Senses or Elven Immunities. They can select elf racial traits that replace the elven magic racial trait by giving up spell-like abilities instead.
  • Drow can choose to lose the light sensitivity racial trait. If they do, they also lose spell resistance.
 

Duergar

  • Duergar have the following racial ability score modifiers: +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
 

Dwarves

  • Dwarves replace their Defensive Training and Hatred racial traits with Lasting Grudge. This trait can be replaced by any other alternate racial trait that replaces Defensive Training, Hatred, or both.
 

Gnomes

  • Gnomes replace their Defensive Training and Hatred racial traits with Bond to the Land. These traits can be replaced by any other alternate racial trait that replaces Defensive Training, Hatred, or both, or with any trait that replaces Weapon Familiarity.
 

Goblins

  • Goblins have the following racial ability score modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom.
 

Humans

  • Humans gain the Heart of the Region racial trait, granting them one free “heart of the [blank]” alternate racial trait. This trait can be replaced by any trait that replaces Skilled.
 

Kobolds

  • Kobolds have the following racial ability score modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength.
  • Kobolds gain the prehensile tail alternate racial trait for free.
  • Kobolds may choose to lose the light sensitivity trait; alternatively, if they keep that trait, their darkvision instead becomes 120 feet.
 

Orcs

  • Orcs have the following racial ability score modifiers: +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
  • Orcs can select any half-orc racial trait that replaces orc ferocity by giving up ferocity instead.
 

Homebrew Races

   

Classes

All Classes

  • All characters gain 3 bonus class skills at 1st level.
  • All characters receive 2 background skill ranks each level.
    • Artistry and Lore skills are not in use.
  • All classes with 2 + Intelligence modifier skill ranks per level instead have 4 + Intelligence skill ranks per level.
  • You can choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as your casting and practitioner ability modifier for any Spheres class or archetype.
  • You can select favored class bonuses from any race that exists in Amalthea, regardless of your race. You can also select favored class bonuses from banned races with permission.
  • You can select favored class bonuses from the following list, regardless of your race or class:
    • Gain +1 hit point.
    • Gain +1 skill rank.
    • Gain +1/3 to a bad saving throw.
    • Gain +1 foot to base movement. In combat, this only has an effect for every five increases to the movement’s speed.
    • Gain +1/5 of one of the following feats. You must meet all prerequisites for the feat.
      • A combat feat (including Extra Combat Talent)
      • Extra Magic Talent
      • A metamagic feat
      • An item creation feat
      • An Extra Class Feature feat for your favored class (such as Extra Rogue Talent or Extra Mystic Combat) that can be taken without limitations.
    • Gain + 1/8 of your favored class's selectable feature gained every 2, 3, or 4 levels (such as scholar knacks or technician inventions), if it isn't available as an Extra feat without limitations.
    • Add +1 hit point or +1 skill rank to an animal companion, conjuration companion, or leadership cohort.
    • Gain +1/5 bonus to the DCs associated with a combat or magic sphere of your choice. You cannot improve the DC of a single sphere by more than 1 with this favored class bonus.
    • Gain +1/5 bonus to the DCs associated with your class features (such as channel energy or invocations, but excluding sphere abilities). You cannot improve the DCs of a single class by more than 1 with this favored class bonus.
    • Add +1 to your CMD when resisting two combat maneuvers of your choice.
    • Increase the total number of negative hit points you can reach before dying by 2.
    • Gain a +1/4 bonus to all concentration checks.
  • You can retrain your favored class bonuses. If they are feats or talents, treat them as retraining those features as normal. Otherwise, treat each level of your favored class as a skill rank to determine the time and cost of retraining.
  • If your class grants you item creation feats, you can optionally replace each instance with Extra Magic Talent if you have the Casting class feature, Extra Combat Talent if you have the Combat Training class feature, or either if you have the Blended Training class feature. This also applies if your class lets you choose crafting feats as bonus feats.
  • All bonded objects gained from class features function exactly like the Sphere Wizard's arcane bond, and levels in these classes stack when determining the power of your bonded object.
 

Multiclassing

  • We use fractional rather than standard multiclassing.
  • All characters gain a martial tradition the first time they gain the Combat Training or Blended Training class feature. Characters can also trade their proficiencies for a martial tradition the first time they gain eligible proficiencies from a class. As usual, a character can't have more than one martial tradition.
  • When multiclassing, class features that add ability score modifiers to attacks, AC, CMB, CMD, skill/ability checks, saving throws, and other statistics they are not normally added to are capped at the number of levels you have in the class granting that feature. This also applies to any features that replace or swap an ability score modifier for another. Features granted by prestige classes are excluded from this rule.
 

Banned Classes

  • Prodigy.
  • Sage.
  • Troubadour.
  • Wraith.
  • Tempestarii prestige class.
  • Archetypes of other classes that grant features from the above classes.
  • Archetypes of any class that grants Vancian spells, banned spheres, or banned feats as class features.
 

Specific Classes

Arcanists

  • A Sphere Arcanist's Arcane Reservoir increases MSB instead of caster level.
  • The Fiendish Proboscis and Quick Study arcanist exploits are banned.
 

Armorists

  • The Blaster and Spirit Blade archetypes are banned.
 

Barbarians

  • Barbarians can be any alignment.
 

Bards

  • The Kung Fu Exemplar archetype is banned.
  • The Pageant of the Peacock bardic masterpiece is banned.
  • At every instance where you gain Versatile Performance in a Perform skill, you can retrain all your skill ranks in the two associated skills for free.
 

Bloodragers

 

Brawlers

  • Brawler and Monk levels stack for the purpose of unarmed strike dice scaling.
  • The Brawler’s Pummel feature of the Brutal Pummeler archetype counts as the Dual Wielding Sphere for gaining talents and feats, and using Brawler’s Pummel counts as using Dual Attack for applying Dual Wielding Sphere talents and feats.
 

Cavaliers

 

Clerics

  • Clerics can have any alignment regardless of deity, and may choose any alignment domain that matches their own alignment.
 

Druids

  • Druids can be any alignment.
  • Druids do not have a prohibition against wearing metal. Instead, a druid must choose a Druidic Taboo at 1st level, which prohibits them from using certain types of equipment or performing certain acts. Once chosen, this taboo can’t be changed. A druid who breaks their taboo loses the ability to use magic sphere talents gained from levels in the druid class for 24 hours.
    • Taboo against artifice: The druid can’t wear metal armor, use metal shields, use firearms, or own or equip any objects of a technological nature (such as technician inventions).
    • Taboo against harm: The druid can’t harm creatures of the animal, plant, and vermin types except to hunt them for food. If the druid defends themself or others from an animal, plant, or vermin without intending to eat the creature, they must use nonlethal means.
    • Taboo against luxury: The druid can’t own land or a permanent place of dwelling, employ hirelings, or purchase any mundane goods or services other than the cheapest option available. In addition, they must always hunt or forage for food and rest in shelters they built themself if it is safe to do so.
  • If a Druid chooses to gain an animal companion as their Nature Bond, they gain the Companion package of the Beastmastery sphere and a bonus Beastmastery talent at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level.
 

Eliciters

  • Eliciters that replace their starting proficiencies with a martial tradition may additionally replace their Casting class feature with Blended Training, gaining 3/4 of a magic or combat talent each level.
 

Gunslingers

  • Guns don’t target touch AC in their first range increment. However, they do not misfire either.
  • All Gunslingers gain the Sharpshoot deed in place of the Deadeye deed. The Sharpshoot deed is modified as follows:
    • At 1st level, a gunslinger can resolve an attack against touch AC instead of normal AC when firing a firearm or crossbow at a target within its first range increment. Performing this deed costs 1 grit point. This deed’s cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the amount of grit points a deed costs (such as Signature Deed).
  • The bonus damage from Gun Training can't exceed your Gunslinger level.
  • A Gunslinger with the Gunfighter archetype can still take an archetype that modifies or replaces deeds; in those cases, the Gunfighter simply does not gain any deed that replaces the dead shot, bleeding wound, menacing shot, pistol-whip, or targeting deeds.
 

Hedgewitches

  • The Spiritualism path counts as 2 paths, and is not compatible with archetypes that replace one of your paths.
 

Hunters

 

Investigators

  • Investigators may take a magic or combat talent as an Investigator talent.
  • The Ranged Study feat does not have Weapon Focus as a prerequisite, and its effects apply to any ranged weapon the investigator is proficient with.
 

Mediums

  • When a Medium reaches 5 points of influence, the player can continue to roleplay their character under the effects of possession, but may not gain more influence that day, and that character loses 1 day of downtime. A GM can always request control of such a character for storytelling purposes.
 

Mageknights

  • The Knightknight archetype and the Magemage prestige class are banned.
  • You can only use one free action Mystic Combat ability each round.
 

Monks

  • Monks can be any alignment.
  • At 10th level, a Monk’s Ki Strike is treated as weapons with one non-neutral part of their alignment for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction, chosen when they first gain this ability. A True Neutral Monk instead chooses any alignment for this ability.
  • Monk and Brawler levels stack for the purpose of unarmed strike dice scaling.
 

Paladins & Anti-Paladins

  • Paladins may be any Good alignment, and Anti-Paladins any Evil alignment.
  • Paladins (except those with the Oath Against the Wyrm archetype) apply additional smiting damage to evil-aligned aberrations instead of evil-aligned dragons.
  • If a Paladin chooses a mount as their Divine Bond, or if an Anti-Paladin chooses a fiendish servant as their Fiendish Boon, they instead gain the Incarnation Ally feature of the Champion of the Cause archetype.
  • The Grand Purifier archetype does not gain the Purification feature.
  • The Ultimate Mercy feat has a minimum level prerequisite of 9. The option to ignore the material cost by taking a negative level is not available.
 

Rangers

 

Rogues

  • Rogues proficient with at least one type of firearm may ignore the prerequisites for the Grit Rogue Talent.
 

Scholars

  • The Medical Training feature restores a maximum number of hit points with each roll equal to the number of ranks you have in the Heal skill + the ability modifier you add to Heal checks. Any excess is lost. This maximum applies even if you have feats or features that allow you to convert excess healing to temporary hit points.
 

Shifters

  • Shifters can be any alignment.
  • At 10th level, a Shifter’s Enhanced Attacks are treated as weapons with one non-neutral part of their alignment for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction, chosen when they first gain this ability. A True Neutral Shifter instead chooses any alignment for this ability.
  • The Tail Bestial Trait is added to the Shifter class:
    • Tail (Ex): The shifter gains a tail slap attack. This is a secondary attack dealing 1d6 damage (1d4 Small). If this is the only attack made during the shifter’s turn, she adds 1-1/2 her Strength bonus to the damage dealt.
 

Skalds

 

Sorcerers

  • The Inheritor archetype must choose one of the following progressions:
    • Base attack bonus equal to half sorcerer level, High Caster (as vanilla sorcerer)
    • Base attack bonus equal to 3/4 sorcerer level, Mid Caster.
  • The Sphere Crossblooded archetype is available for use.
 

Technicians

  • The Grand Gadget invention is modified as follows:
    • Using a Grand Gadget expends a use of Gadgets, but Grand Gadgets have no other limitations on usage.
    • Each time you take a new Grand Gadget (except for Permanent Gadget), you gain 3 additional uses of Gadgets.
  • Permanent Gadget allows you to use a base gadget without expending any uses.
  • When creating a robot with the Electric Insight talent, the resulting robot's Intelligence score is 2.
  • The Mad Scientist archetype is modified as follows:
    • The Mad Scientist does not gain the Supernatural Science feature. Instead, he gains the Casting feature and the Alien Source (technology) casting tradition boon for free. A Mad Scientist is a Low Caster; however, when inside his laboratory, he is a Mid Caster.
    • He also replaces Combat Training with Blended Training, gaining 3 combat or magic talents every 4 levels and using his practitioner ability modifier as his casting ability modifier.
    • When inside his laboratory, the Mad Scientist treats his class level as his caster level when meeting the prerequisites of and when crafting items with any item creation feat.
 

Vigilantes

  • The Alter Ego archetype is banned.
   

Spheres

Advanced and Legendary Talents

  • You may take 1 Advanced or Legendary talent at 1st level, plus an additional one once you reach 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level.
    • While you don’t have to take an Advanced or Legendary talent at the indicated levels, you may not have more than 2 talents with a minimum caster level, BAB, or skill rank of 10 or higher, or more than 1 talent with a minimum caster level, BAB, or skill rank of 15 or higher.
  • You may not gain Advanced or Legendary talents from drawbacks.
  • Legendary talents that break the laws of physics without using alchemical or mechanical aid (such as wingless flight) are supernatural effects. Staff have final say on whether or not a talent is supernatural.
  • The following Advanced and Legendary talents can be taken as normal talents, but staff permission is still required before taking them.
  • Monster talents follow the same rule as Advanced and Legendary talents.
 

Temporary Talents

  • You can gain new spheres with temporary talents that last indefinitely until changed, such as the Arcanist's Moldable Talents or the Armiger's Customized Weapons.
  • You can’t gain new spheres with temporary talents that have a duration, such as Arcane Bond or Martial Flexibility; instead, you can only gain talents in spheres you have already acquired with a permanent talent.
  • You can take sphere-specific drawbacks when gaining a new sphere with temporary talents, but only drawbacks that remove one or more abilities granted by the base sphere.
  • You can buy off a sphere specific drawback with a temporary talent, but only to gain back a base sphere ability lost through that drawback.
  • Martial Flexibility and similar features like Mystic Adaptation can never grant a magic talent, unless the feature explicitly says it may grant a magic talent.
  • You can never gain any companion, Advanced talents, or Legendary talents with a temporary talent.
 

Spheres of Might

  • When expending Martial Focus to take 13 on a saving throw, the following restrictions apply:
    • Taking 13 is a purely mental free action
    • You can't take 13 against effects you aren't aware of, or to which you're flatfooted
    • You can only take 13 against any ongoing effect once. For instance, if you're in an area of poisoned air and must make a saving throw each round, you can only take 13 on your first round of exposure.
 

Spheres of Power

  • Spellcrafting rules are not in use.
  • You must select at least two drawbacks with your casting tradition, determined by what type of magic you cast. The rules for building casting traditions can be found on the Magic page.
    • Classes and archetypes that gain the ability to cast magic sphere effects, but not the casting class feature, must still choose a casting tradition with appropriate drawbacks.
  • The following casting tradition drawbacks are banned:
    • Madness Mantra
    • Oathbound Casting
    • Unsettling Casting
  • The Witchwarped Drawback Feat is banned.
  • The "Bound Companion" casting tradition boon is not compatible with the following Conjuration Sphere drawbacks: Caller, Constant Link, Elongated Summoning, Figment Companion, Limited Range, Material Weakness, Object Bound.
  • When using Material Casting, you must spend 10GP per caster level per month, tracked at the beginning of each month in real life.
  • The Cantrips and Improved Cantrips feats can be taken as Drawback feats, costing a single drawback each.
  • The Skilled Casting drawback can be taken twice. If taken twice, you must use both hands to operate bulky equipment in order to use your casting skill.
  • The Witchmarked drawback is modified as follows:
    • Some aspect of your visage is a dead giveaway about your magical nature. This could be any purely cosmetic modification or sensation that is hard to hide such as a vestigial tail (or tails), glowing eyes, an aura visible to the naked eye or the stench of death clinging to you. Using magic automatically reveals your true nature, breaking any disguise you have, and whenever you use magic all creatures within 60 feet who are observing you are considered to have automatically succeeded at a Spellcraft check to know which sphere effect, talents, and casting tradition you used.
    • You may not select this drawback if you possess the Magical Signs drawback.
  • If a spherecaster gains any feature or ability that interacts with a school of magic, or spells with specific descriptors, that feature or ability does nothing.
  • If a spherecaster would gain a bonus spell known, the spherecaster instead gains a bonus spell point.
  • Spherecasters can't gain a bonus to caster level from items.
 

Spheres of Guile

  • Classes and archetypes that make use of mechanics from Spheres of Guile are not allowed. However, we do use the Expanded Skills Rules found in Spheres of Guile, with the following modifications:
    • Skill Leverage rules are not in use.
    • Outwit, SoG Conditions (such as Impressed and Angry), and Diplomacy variants are not in use by default. However, GMs may optionally include them in social quests if they wish.
 

Champion of the Spheres

  • Unified Traditions are banned.
  • Technique rules are not in play.
 

Banned Spheres

  • Bear Sphere.
  • Mana Sphere.
  • Tech Sphere.
 

Specific Spheres

Alchemy Sphere

  • The Expensive Chemicals drawback is banned.
  • The Ambrosia talent is modified as follows:  
    Prerequisites: Alchemy sphere (Panacea (formulae)), Craft (alchemy) 5 ranks.   DC 20: You can attempt to cure a single curse effect affecting the creature. You must succeed on a magic skill check against the saving throw DC of the curse, using your ranks in Craft (Alchemy) instead of your MSB.   DC 30: The creature is cured of 1 temporary negative level, +1 per 5 ranks in Craft (Alchemy). You may also remove one permanent negative level they possess for 1 minute per rank in Craft (Alchemy), instead of curing a temporary negative level.   DC 40: The creature is healed of all broken bones, severed body parts, and ruined organs, and one permanent negative level. This includes restoring senses that are impaired or lost, such as sight or hearing. This process of healing takes 10 minutes.
  • The Elixir of Resurrection (Formulae) advanced talent has been added:  
    Prerequisite: Alchemy Sphere, Craft (Alchemy) 10 ranks   Craft DC: 35   You create an elixir that can be used as a standard action to restore a dead target within your natural reach back to life. As long as the target has not been dead for longer than 1 day per rank you have in Craft (Alchemy), the target's body is reasonably intact (ie. it isn't missing a vital body part such as its head or heart), and the target's soul is willing to return, the target returns to life with 2 permanent negative levels and a number of hit points equal to its current HD. Any ability score drained or damaged to 0 are raised to 1, but otherwise, any conditions the target was under when it died returns when it is resurrected. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can’t be raised).   You can increase the craft DC for this formulae in increments of 10. Each time you do so, the target returns to life with 1 additional hit point per Hit Die the creature possesses. This formula costs an additional 5000 GP in materials to create.
 

Alteration Sphere

  • When subject to an unwilling shapeshift, the target may attempt a new saving throw to end the effect each round on its turn. This is a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
  • The Potent Alteration advanced talent has been added:
    • Prerequisites: Alteration Sphere, caster level 7th
    • When you target a creature with an unwilling shapeshift, the creature is only allowed an initial saving throw to negate the effect. On a failed save, the creature may not attempt to save against the effect on subsequent turns.
  • When granting Animalistic Transformation, you can choose to grant a 30ft land speed and a 20ft climb speed, instead of the default speed.
  • The Fusion talent is banned.
 

Barrage Sphere

  • The Barrage sphere’s Barrage ability is modified as follows:
    • As a special attack action, you may make two ranged attacks at your full base attack bonus -2, or at your full base attack bonus -3 if the attack targets touch AC. Beginning at 8 base attack bonus, you may expend your martial focus to make an additional extra attack, increasing the penalty to all your attacks from -2 to -4, or from -3 to -6 if the attack targets touch AC. Beginning at 16 base attack bonus, you may expend your martial focus to make two additional extra attacks instead, increasing the penalty to all your attacks to -6, or to -9 if the attack targets touch AC.
 

Beastmastery Sphere

  • The Companion package of the Beastmastery sphere is in use, which can be found here.
 

Berserker Sphere

  • The Heavy Swing talent is banned.
 

Conjuration Sphere

  • The Unwilling Companion archetype is banned.
  • The Mage archetype for Conjuration companions has been modified, as follows:  
    Your companion gains poor base attack bonus progression (equal to 1/2 Hit Dice, rounded down) and uses a d6 for its Hit Dice. The companion must choose the Magical Companion (form) talent as its free (form) talent, but is not required to use natural casting, and may gain a casting tradition of your choice. When first summoned, it must choose either Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom as its casting ability modifier. The companion is considered a Mid-Caster, and it gains a number of spell points equal to its Hit Dice + its casting ability modifier, receiving bonus spell points from its casting tradition as usual. A mage companion does not gain the evasion, devotion, multiattack, and improved evasion special abilities. It gains one magic talent for each 2 Hit Dice it possesses, but it does not gain the two free bonus talents a caster usually gains with the casting class feature.   A mage companion loses Climb and Swim as class skills but gains Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft as class skills. A mage companion may choose to give up the natural attacks granted by its base form to use its Hit Dice as its caster level for one sphere of your choice. This archetype cannot be combined with the mindless companion archetype.
  • The Magical Companion (form) talent has be modified, as follows:  
    Your companion possesses powerful, natural magic. It is considered to possess the casting class feature with no casting tradition (natural casting) and chooses Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as its casting ability modifier. It gains a spell pool equal to its casting ability modifier, which does not stack with the spell points granted by the Mage archetype, and a caster level equal to 1/2 its Hit Dice. The companion does not gain 2 bonus magic talents like most casters do, but may select magic talents with its feats. A companion can never possess the Conjuration sphere.
  • The Charming Companion (form) talent has been added:
    • Your companion possesses the luster of the extraplanar. Your companion’s Charisma increases by 2, +1 per 2 Hit Dice, and gains a bonus on skill checks to influence the attitude of creatures equal to half its Hit Dice (minimum 1).
 

Creation Sphere

  • When dropping multiple objects on the same creature with Divided Creation, you only make a single attack roll, and deal damage as if all dropped objects are a single object of their combined size. For example, 2 Small objects deal 1d8 damage like a Medium object.
  • The DC required to break out of an object made by Creation Sphere is capped at the Caster's DC in that sphere.
  • All objects created by Creation Sphere must fall within the maximum weight limit for an object of its size, including those ordinarily defined by volume rather than weight (i.e. walls).
 

Death Sphere

  • The Corpse Forge talent is banned.
  • When using the Reanimate ability, the combined Hit Dice of creatures you can have active at any time can’t exceed your caster level, and you can’t reanimate a creature if its Hit Dice exceed your caster level.
  • The Greater Reanimate talent is modified as follows:
    • Increase the total Hit Dice of creatures you may have reanimated at once by your caster level. In addition, increase the maximum Hit Dice of a single creature you can reanimate by one. You may select this talent a second time.
  • The Expanded Necromancy talent is modified as follows:
    • When you reanimate a creature, you may reanimate it as a variant skeleton or zombie, such as a bloody skeleton, burning skeleton, fast zombie, or plague zombie. You can’t reanimate a creature into a variant undead if its Hit Dice exceeds your caster level.
    • When creating skeletons and zombies, you can use the following Simple Templates:
      •  
      Simple Template: Skeleton   Type: Changes to undead. Remove all subtypes.   Hit Dice/Hit Points: Remove all class HD. Reduce remaining Hit Points to half. Defensive Abilities: Replace all defensive abilities with DR 5/bludgeoning, immunity to cold, and standard undead immunities.   Speed: Retains all, except winged flight.   Attacks: Retains all, except attacks that can’t work without flesh. A skeleton with hands gains a claw attack that deals damage according to its size. If it already has a claw attack with its hands, use whichever damage is higher instead.   Special Attacks: Loses all.   Abilities: No Constitution or Intelligence score; Wisdom and Charisma scores change to 10.   Skills: Remove all skill ranks.   Feats: Remove all feats.   Special Qualities: Loses all, except those that modify its attacks (if included in the base creature’s attacks on its statblock).
       
      Simple Template: Zombie   Type: Changes to undead. Remove all subtypes.   Hit Dice/Hit Points: Remove all class HD. Reduce remaining Hit Points to 2/3.   Defensive Abilities: Replace all defensive abilities with DR 5/slashing and standard undead immunities.   Speed: Retains all; winged flight becomes clumsy.   Attacks: Retains all attacks. It also gains a slam attack that deals damage as if one size larger.   Special Attacks: Loses all.   Abilities: No Constitution or Intelligence score; Wisdom and Charisma scores change to 10.   Skills: Remove all skill ranks.   Feats: Remove all feats.   Special Qualities: Loses all, except those that modify its attacks (if included in the base creature’s attacks on its statblock).   Special: A zombie is staggered, but can move up to its speed on a charge.
   

Destruction Sphere

  • When spending 1 additional spell point to deliver additional surges using Blast Salvo, you only deliver 1 surge for every 6 caster levels you possess, rather than 1 surge plus 1 surge for every 6 caster levels you possess.
  • When using Primal Blast, the (Plant) Geomancing package corresponds to the Acid and Crystal blast types, rather than Acid and Force. When using Crystal Blast, Living Crystal Blast, and Crystal Cocoon this way, the talents are renamed to Vine Blast, Living Vine Blast, and Vine Cocoon respectively.
   

Dual-Wielding Sphere

  • The Three Sword Style talent is modified as follows:
    • You gain the ability to wield an additional weapon. If you do not have additional hands, a prehensile tail, or some similar appendage, you can wield the third weapon in your teeth, treating your mouth as an additional hand that can only be used to wield a one-handed or light weapon. While wielding a weapon in your teeth, you suffer a 50% spell failure chance to cast any spell with a verbal component, or increase any existing spell failure chance for spells with verbal components by 50%. In addition, whenever you make a dual attack, you may make an additional off-hand attack with the weapon wielded in your additional limbs, tail, or mouth as an immediate action.
 

Enhancement Sphere

  • The Greater Enhance Equipment, Bestow Intelligence, and Bestow Life talents are banned.
  • Effects from the Enhancement Sphere don't stack with enhancement bonuses granted by class features such a Magus's Arcane Pool, or a Warpriest's Sacred Weapon.
  • The Energy Enhancement talent is modified as follows:
    • You may enhance a weapon, granting it the corrosive, flaming, frost, or shock weapon special abilities. A weapon may only benefit from two special abilities from the above list; if you apply a third special abilities to a weapon, you must choose which of the previous special ability it replaces.
    • You may also apply this enhancement to a consumable item, a splash weapon, or a dose of poison. Targets who consume the item, suffer direct or splash damage from the splash weapon, or are struck with the poison (whether or not they fail their saving throw) also suffer acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage (chosen at the time the enhancement is created) equal to your caster level.
  • The Alternative Energy talent is modified as follows:
    • Prerequisites: Enhancement sphere (Energy Enhancement (enhance)), caster level 5th
    • When enhancing a weapon with Energy Enhancement, you may apply a third special quality to it, and you can choose sonic damage. At 10th caster level, you may apply a 4th special quality, and you may choose force damage. Treat these choices as though they were the flaming weapon special ability, but instead dealing sonic or force damage respectively.
 

Equipment Sphere

  • You may take the Armor Expert talent a second time. If you do, you increase the armor bonus to AC of any armor you are wearing by an additional +1, +1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you have.
  • Any character that starts with Firearm Proficiency may start with their choice of a battered pistol, musket or blunderbuss. Characters that start with a battered firearm may instead choose a revolver, shotgun, or rifle. This can be upgraded as normal.
 

Guardian Sphere

  • The Endure Pain talent is banned.
 

Lancer Sphere

  • A modified version of the Lancer sphere is in use, which can be found here.
    • Credit to Jedwell#0613.
 

Leadership Sphere

  • A modified version of the Leadership sphere is in use, which can be found here.
 

Life Sphere

  • The Affliction talent is banned.
  • The Deeper Healing talent is modified as follows:
    • Your invigorate grants 2 temporary hit points per caster level instead of 1. Your cure instead heals 1d8 points of damage per 2 caster levels (minimum 1d8), + your caster level.
  • The Restore Capacity, Restore Health, Restore Senses, and Restore Spirit talents each add half your caster level to the amount of hit points healed.
  • The Resurrection, Greater Resurrection, and Supreme Resurrection talents require material components that cost 5,000 GP, 10,000 GP, and 25,000 GP, respectively.
 

Light Sphere

  • The Revelation talent is banned.
 

Nature Sphere

  • The DC required to break out of an object made by Nature Sphere is capped at the Caster's DC in Nature Sphere.
 

Protection Sphere

  • If a barrier is created between two grappled creatures, the creature controlling the grapple must make a reflex save. On a successful save, it moves both itself and the grappled creature to one side of the barrier of its choice. If there isn’t enough space on one side of the barrier, both creatures are automatically shunted to the other side. If there isn’t enough space on either side of the barrier, the effect fails. On a failed save, the grapple ends.
   

Time Sphere

  • The Reversion and Complete Reversion talents are banned.
 

Tinker Sphere

  • The Expensive Craft Tinker drawback is banned.
  • AIs don't exist in the Amalthea setting; instead, they're replaced by automation cores, which can't have an Intelligence score higher than 2. In addition.
    • You may only craft an automation core of a classification other than Drone or Bestial if you have the Advanced Computation talent, and once crafted, an automation core is a permanent companion that can't be modified except by retraining the talent you used to acquire it. When you gain the Advanced Computation talent, you don't gain the Fractional AI ability.
    • Archivist automation cores are banned.
    • Rules for automation cores are found on the Technology page.
  • Mechanoids can't be crafted with the Passenger Seat upgrade.
  • You can't gain more bonus talents from your Tinker tradition than you have talents spent in the Tinker sphere.
  • All Tinker traditions must follow the rules described on the Technology page.
  • The following routine has been added to the Computation package:
    • Knowledge Archive (gizmo, routine): This routine compresses a large collection of books on a variety of subjects for quick browsing. Using this routine gives you the benefit of having access to a library, and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to any knowledge check you make, as long as you spend 1d4*10 minutes browsing information stored in this gizmo. You can always make this knowledge check untrained.
   

Trap Sphere

  • The Expensive Traps drawback is banned.
   

Warp Sphere

  • The Unseeing Teleport talent is an advanced talent with a minimum caster level of 5.
  • When using the full attack option of Pouncing Teleport, the casting time is never less than a full-round action.
  • The maximum range of any Warp talent is capped at long range.
  • The True Teleport talent, and any talent that requires it, are banned.
  • The Planar Traveler feat is available:  
    Prerequisites: 9 ranks in Knowledge (the Planes), Warp sphere, caster level 10th.   You may travel between the planes. Once per day, you may spend 10 minutes to open a portal to any other plane, which remains open for up to 1 minute, but may be closed by you as standard action. Any creature may spend a move action to enter the portal to be safely transported to the portal’s destination. Involuntary movement or unwilling creatures cannot enter the portal.   You may designate a specific place you are familiar with on the destination plane (either having a clear mental image, knowing about its existence, etc.). If you chooses such a place, the portal has no chance of failure, so long as that specific place exists. Otherwise, the portal becomes connected to a random location on the plane, as though the “similar area” result were rolled on the Warp sphere True Teleport advanced talent Table: Mishap.
   

Companions

  • You may replace any permanent companion by retraining the talent you spend to acquire the companion. You may only do so once per month.
  • Characters can bring a maximum of two companions of any kind into a quest, including temporary companions such as reanimated undead or tamed animals. If you have more than 2 permanent companions, you can't switch them while in a quest. GMs can remove this limitation if they wish. GMs can also require players bring only 1 companion, or no companions at all.
  • GMs can also place restrictions on the types of companions if it is narratively logical. For example, a social quest that takes place at a grand banquet may bar animals or undead.
  • Companion creatures who gain spell resistance from their statblock or template can choose not to have spell resistance. This decision must be made when acquiring the companion.
  • All abilities that allow a character to merge with their companion or some other creature into a single creature (such as the Companion Merger feat, or the Full Integration talent) are banned.
 

Animal Companions and Mounts

  • All class features that grant an animal companion instead grants the Companion package of the reworked Beastmastery sphere as a bonus talent, found here.
 

Familiars

  • If you have a familiar that isn’t an improved familiar, you can choose between the default special ability granted by your familiar, or one of the following options. Once chosen, your familiar’s special ability can’t be changed unless you replace your familiar.
    • +1 natural armor bonus to AC
    • +2 bonus on one saving throw of your choice
    • +3 bonus on a skill check of your choice
    • +3 hit points
    • +4 bonus to initiative checks.
  • Improved familiars don't lose the ability to speak to others of their kind, and can take familiar archetypes that replace said feature.
  • Witch and Shaman familiars can take the Figment and Soulbound archetypes. The Recurring Dream feature of the Figment familiar is altered as such:
    • A figment familiar is a summoned creature that can be dismissed or banished, and winks out in an antimagic field. A dismissed or banished figment disappears until the next time its master regains their spell points. A figment has a total number of hit points equal to 1/4 of its master’s total hit points. If the figment dies, it vanishes, appearing again with 1 hit point the next time its master prepares spells or regains their spells per day. This replaces alertness and improved evasion.
  • Dogs are now a familiar option that grant a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves.
 

Leadership

  • The Leadership feat grants the reworked Leadership Sphere instead, found here.
 

Mechanoids

  • Mechanoids, and other construct companions, have a maximum intelligence score of 2.
  • Mechanoids can't be constructed with the Passenger Seat upgrade.
   

Feats and Features

  • You start with 3 Hero Points, and can hold up to 3 unless a feat or class feature says otherwise. You receive an additional Hero Point each time you gain a level, and each time you write an article for an in-universe newspaper (details on the Newspaper Articles page).
    • Antihero rules are not in play.
    • You may spend up to 1 Hero Point per game session. The exception is when you wish to avert death: you can always spend 2 Hero Points to avert death, even if you've always spent a Hero Point on something else.
  • We use the browser (not PDF) version of Elephant in the Room, which can be foundhere, with the following changes:
    • The Powerful Maneuvers feat includes the benefits of Improved Grapple.
    • Dodge provides a +5 bonus vs attacks of opportunity.
  • The following feats and features are banned:
    • Bewildering Koan.
    • Brain Consumption.
    • Companion Merger.
    • Obedience feats.
    • Pageant of the Peacock.
    • Sacred Geometry.
    • Swallow Whole.
  • You use the higher of your Diplomacy or Handle Animal skill checks for the Wild Empathy class feature.
  • Feats that grant bonuses on attacks against humanoids of a specific subtype (such as the Goblin Cleaver, Orc Hewer, and Giant Killer feats) instead allow you to choose a specific type or subtype of enemies to gain such bonuses on, as if choosing a ranger’s favored enemy.
  • The extra attack granted by the Channel Resolve feat is an immediate action.
  • The Command Undead channeling feat can only be used to control unintelligent undead.
  • Unless a racial trait or class feature says otherwise, you can only take the Transformation or Eternal Transformation feats to gain Anthropomorphic Transformation. You may only select one single trait from the basic list granted by Blank Transformation (including natural weapons), or a trait you can bestow with an Alteration talent you have.
  • The Embraced by Kindred feat doesn't require the native outsider subtype. However, this feat can only be taken by characters who have died and been resurrected, and with staff permission.
  • All beastfolk, animal companions, and characters who can take animal forms may take purring feats. Non-feline characters and creatures make whatever sounds that are appropriate for their species.
  • You can never add an ability modifier more than once to your attack rolls, armor class, CMB, CMD, saving throws, saving throw DCs, or skills.
    • If you have a feat or feature that replaces the default ability modifier added to one of the above derived statistics with a different ability modifier, and you gain another feat or feature that adds the same ability modifier to said derived statistic, you instead add the default ability modifier to that statistic.
    • For example, a paladin with Primal Blast adds their Charisma, instead of Strength or Dexterity, to their attack rolls with Destructive Blast. If the paladin uses Smite Evil against a target, they add their Strength or Dexterity, instead of Charisma again, to their attack rolls.
  • The Weaponized Anathema feat is changed as follows:
    • As a special attack action, you may make a weapon attack against a target, and deliver your anathema through the attack. The damage from the anathema is not increased by critical hits. On a miss, the anathema use is not expended.
   

Effects

  • Rerolls and bonus dice can be rolled either before or after a die roll result is revealed.
  • When demoralizing a target, the intimidate DC is equal to 10 + the target's BAB + its will save.
  • All polymorph effects are treated as the Alteration Sphere’s Shapeshift ability for the purposes of dispelling or being dispelled by a previous polymorph effect. If a creature uses the Change Shape special quality, it uses its HD as its MSB.
  • Outsiders can’t be banished back to their home planes by any effect, unless that outsider is a summoned creature (such as a Conjuration companion), or the effect in question can transport any creature to any plane.
  • Nonlethal damage rules are not in play. Instead, we use the following Soft Damage and Health Burn rules, which are as follows:
    • Abilities that normally deal nonlethal damage instead deal soft damage. Soft damage is tracked as normal damage, except that the first instance a creature is reduced to below 0HP by soft damage, they are stable and unconscious at -1 HP. Soft damage dealt to creatures at -1 HP or lower is normal damage.
    • When you deal damage with a weapon attack that is at least partially bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing, you can choose for that damage to be soft damage.
    • If you're under the effects of an ability that allows you to act while under 0 HP, such as Deathless or Ferocity, all instances of soft damage you take is normal damage.
    • Objects and creatures that are immune to nonlethal damage are also immune to soft damage.
    • Effects that inflict unhealable nonlethal damage that only recovers with rest or under some specific condition (such as the Draining Casting drawback) instead deals health burn. If you have health burn equal to or exceeding your current HP, you fall unconscious until you have more HP than your health burn. This can be achieved by either recovering HP, or removing health burn.
    • Forced march, extreme temperatures, and similar effects inflict soft damage instead of nonlethal damage. If you suffered fatigue from such an effect, the fatigue is removed if you recover all your hit points.
    • Features, feats or talents that let you convert normal damage to nonlethal damage, instead lets you convert normal damage to soft damage, unless the total amount of damage would outright kill you.
    • Some abilities that interact with nonlethal damage will not function correctly or at all. These cases will be adjudicated individually, and you may be entitled to exchange such a feature for a bonus feat or talent.
       

    Combat

    • All abilities that grant additional damage on an attack or interaction are optional.
    • The maximum number of natural attacks that a character can use on their turn is 3. This number increases by 1 at +3 BAB and every +4 BAB thereafter. If the character is above their maximum, they must choose which natural attacks they can use that round. This does not include abilities and effects that grant additional attacks, such as the Haste ability from the Time sphere. If a character includes weapon attacks in their round, halve the number of Natural Attacks permitted for the round.
    • On Grapple Rules, change "Humanoid creatures without two free hands" to "Two-armed creatures without two free hands". The -4 penalty applies to creatures who naturally have two arms, but have lost one, as well.
    • We use the following Revised Underwater Combat rules.
      • Created by Forever#0951.
       

    Equipment and Items

    Buying, Crafting, and Selling

    • The selling and crafting price of all mundane and magical items is 80% of its purchasing price, and can’t be increased nor reduced.
    • Magic items of the same slot can be combined. When crafting or purchasing a combination item, you always pay the cost of crafting or purchasing the most expensive item, plus 1.5 x the cost of each additional effect.
    • Only magic items up to 1500GP can be freely crafted or purchased. Refer to the Factions of Tisoria page on how to obtain more expensive magic items.
    • Refer to the Downtime and Crafting page for details on crafting in Amalthea.
     

    Magic Items

    • “Big Six” items that do nothing but boost numerical statistics don’t exist.
    • Magical items that incorporate a Big Six numerical bonus simply do not. Use the following equation to determine the new cost of the item: ([Original item cost] - [No longer available item])/1.5 = [New Cost].
    • If you have an ability that allows you to activate spell completion or spell trigger items without expending the item or charges, you must still provide expensive material components (if any) required by the spell contained within the item.
    • Toolkits can have a maximum bonus of +5. However, masterwork tools can be enchanted to be toolkits.
    • Regular Ioun Stones always resonate when placed in Wayfinders, though Cracked and Flawed stones do not.
    • The Restoration Dust item only works on corpses that have been dead for 1 minute or less. When sprinkled on a corpse, it restarts the round count limit for effects such as Resuscitate and Elixir of Life, and allows the corpse to be targeted by the Resurrection talent or an equivalent effect if it could not be before. The dust has no effect on a corpse that is missing more than half of its parts.
    • Intelligent items can’t be crafted or purchased. However, items may become possessed by deceased souls, outsiders, or some other form of spirit as part of a storyline, allowing players to acquire intelligent items through quests.
    • Necrotic marionettes do not count as twice their HD for reanimation purposes.
     

    Implements

    • Implements are held items. They can’t be slotless or be worn in any slot.
    • Implements can’t increase your caster level. You may still apply special properties and talents to them, without needing to first have an enhancement bonus to caster level.
     

    Weapons & Armor

    • Magical weapons and armor, as well as Amulets of Mighty Fists, Bodywrap of Mighty Strikes, Bracers of Armor, and Gloves of Improvised Might, can’t have numerical enhancement bonuses, unless granted by a class feature or Sphere effect (such as the Armorist’s Bound Equipment feature). These bonuses never stack with enhancement bonuses granted by the enhancement sphere.
      • These items can otherwise have any special ability, but don’t need an enhancement bonus to have these applied to them. This also applies to special abilities from class features or Sphere effects.
    • A weapon with the training special ability must be wielded with at least one hand to bestow the user with a combat feat. If applied to an item that modifies unarmed strikes, such as an amulet of mighty fists, gauntlets, or handwraps, the user must have both hands free and be able to make unarmed strikes to benefit from training.
    • All early and advanced firearms are in play at 10% cost. Characters that gain a battered firearm through a class feature, feat, or talent can choose a revolver, rifle, or shotgun. However, firearms do not hit touch AC. They do not misfire, either.
    • You do not need to purchase and track regular ammunition, such as arrows, bolts, and bullets. You must still purchase and track special ammunition, such as alchemical cartridges (except normal ammunition for advanced firearms), enchanted ammo, or ammo made from special materials.
    • Use the Exotic Weapon Groups rules for weapons that do not belong to any weapon groups.
     

    Banned Items

    Please note that the list here is not exhaustive. Any exploitative or disruptive item will be added if discovered.  

    General

    • Any potion, scroll, wand, or similar consumable or charged item that can be used to cast a Vancian spell.
    • Any other item that can create an effect equivalent to a Vancian spell of 5th level or higher.
    • Technological items (from the Technology Guide).

    Stat Boost Items

    • Amulet of Natural Armor
    • Belt of Physical Ability
    • Cloak of Resistance
    • Headband of Mental Ability
    • Ioun Stone of Physical/Mental Ability
    • Manual of Physical Ability
    • Protean Cloak.
    • Ring of Protection
    • Ring of Resistance
    • Tome of Mental Ability

    Other Magic Items

    • Blessings of the Fates
    • Blood of Baphomet
    • Cyclops Helm
    • Demon Mother’s Mask
    • Fragments of Destiny
    • Magical Toolkits with a bonus of 6 or higher
    • Numerian Fluids
    • Ring of Freedom of Movement
    • Silent Aviary
    • Shadowstuff special material
    • Trompe L'oeil
    • Whisper Safe

    Weapons & Armor

    • Butchering Axe
    • Modern Firearms
    • Orc Hornbow
    • Sledge
    • Celestial Armor

Cover image: by Daniil Rogachyov
Article template
Generic article
World
Amalthea
Category
Rules and Homebrew
Author
Windspeck
Publication Date
18 Nov, 2023
Creation Date
18 Nov, 2023
Last Update Date
17 Sep, 2024
Visibility
Public
Views
1860
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