Record Of Davokar

Introduction

Record Of Davokar is built for the administration of my Symbaroum campaign. If you have wandered onto this page and are a fan of the setting, feel free to borrow any ideas you find. There are no spoilers to the campaign source books here.

This selection of house rules are intended to smooth out the glaringly broken aspects of the game while keeping with the overall theme of the setting and keeping as close to the original rules as possible. The goal is not perfect game balance; instead these house rules are intended to be easy to remember while fixing the most broken aspects of the game. Ultimately, we are going to embrace the chaos and accept certain abilities and powers are going to wipe the floor with players and NPCs alike.

The counterpoint to this will be the DM won’t be pulling any punches. If the players start relying too heavily on the most broken aspects of the game, the DM will both introduce new powers that counter the player’s abilities, and use those same abilities against the players.

Players are encouraged to not think like a Computer RPG, where they play within a walled garden of predetermined outcomes. Instead players should actively come up with creative and possibly game breaking ideas (preferably while in character). You are superheroes with capabilities far beyond that of normal people. But like superheroes, there are super-villains who can match or even exceeds your powers. To quote Dark Souls: "Prepare to Die".

I have created a complete quick reference of house rules combined with the rules as written (Just select "House Rules" from the dropdown). This is a merge of my own house rules and the house rules found on symbaroum.fr Players should use the rules quick reference here as the primary reference when creating their characters.

Campaign Restart with New Characters

The Campaign will pick up half way though Book 4 of Throne of Thrones. The previous adventure party is missing and presumed dead. The game world will continue from the point the previous campaign went on hiatus. World altering decisions made by the previous party stay in effect and won't be retconned.

New Characters will start with 230 XP using the 5, 7, 9, 10, 10, 11, 13, 15 attribute distribution. Players must spend at least 200 XP before the first session.
Characters may start with any non-magical equipment they wish. Players can select one set of armor and two weapons with non-magical Qualities (See Rules Quick Reference). Along with any five Alchemy substances.
The party is assumed to have had a lot of resources at this point, but not necessarily a lot of cash on hand. Owning their own longboat, tavern, or similar major purchase is within the realm of possibility if the player desires.

Each character must have a backstory and their motivations for why they wish to venture into Davokar. Because players are expected to play in character as much as possible, this motivation may be the driving point of your backstory. No matter your motivation; the DM will tie it into the campaign. Here are a few examples that might inspire you:



Players are again reminded to be well-rounded and not solely combat focused. Skills (Abilities, Powers, Boons, etc) that assist in investigation and discovery are mandatory for a successful party.

The DM will be distributing a select number of minor artifacts and other magical equipment on the first session. These items will be based around what the previous adventuring party missed from the campaign, and not tailored to Min/Max your character's power. The remaining 30 XP (see above) may be spent to take advantage of these items.

The hand wave explanation for the new party's backstory is that they kept being hired to clean up the mess the previous player's adventuring party left behind. It has given the party a reputation for being "problem solvers", although their clients are not always perfectly pleased with the results.



As one story ends, a new one begins...

The game beings in Thistle Hold, the party has been hired by Ordo Magica to travel deep into Davokar to find the missing expedition lead by the leader of the Ordo's Thistle Hold chapter: Kullinan Furio.

The player's party has just returned from Karvosi, having dealt with a massive spider infestation that had infiltrated the tunnels beneath the seat of the Barbarian Tribes' power. Having missed the initial rush of adventurers seeking the Throne of Thorns, the party is more than eager to get involved.

A complete recap of the story so far will be presented at the first session.

Game Master Advice and Clarifications

Fortuna Gameplay Mechanic

At the start of each game session, every player receives two Fortuna coins. Rolling a critical hit (natural 1) grants one additional Fortuna coin, while a critical miss (natural 20) results in the loss of one coin. Critical hits and misses are always considered successes or failures, respectively, but have no other in-game effects.

All Fortuna coins reset at the end of the game session. Unspent coins are lost and do not convert to gold, experience points, or any other game benefit.

Gaining and Spending Fortuna Coins

House Rules

Initiative

Instead of each player using their Quickness attribute for Initiative, a single roll is made at the start of combat. The player with the highest Quickness attribute performs a Quickness check. If successful, the players collectively act first in any order they choose. If the check fails, the non-player characters act first.

Reasoning

Tracking initiative is a massive chore for the DM. It slows down combat and players are easily missed.

Corruption

When a player’s total Corruption (temporary plus permanent) reaches their Corruption Threshold, they must roll a Resolute check. If they fail, 1d4 temporary Corruption transforms into permanent Corruption, and they gain a stigma. If they succeed, no transformation occurs, but they must roll again upon gaining additional Corruption. When permanent Corruption equals the Corruption Threshold, the character gains the Dark Blood and Bestial traits.

Reasoning

This makes Corruption Threshold less of a hard wall. Players now might be more willing to risk pushing past it. While still offering penalties that match the theme of the game.

Concentration

Concentration is handled in a confusion fashion in Symbaroum. This is further confounded with other RPG systems that have "Concentration" with slightly different rules. Rules as written, Concentration is just the roll you make to maintain the spell when the mystic takes damage. With many spells dropping the "concentration" requirement at higher levels, but still having a failure condition.
We are going to consolidate and clarify the rules as follows:

Reasoning

We need to scale back the power of some ongoing effects, also this helps with consistency across the many types of mystical powers whose description isn’t clear.

No Requirements for Professions

The Professions listed in the Advanced Players Guide have a set a skill requirements before the player can be considered part of that profession. This will generally be ignored by the DM. If the player would like to use any of the Profession specific abilities or Mystic powers, the player is free to take skills and claim being part of the profession without regard to the requirements so long as the character roughly conforms to the spirit of the profession.

Reasoning

This game system shines as being a classless RPG system. The professions work against that paradigm. If a player really wants to take Pyromancer exclusive powers but has not learned two arbitrary rituals, so be it.

Incremental Mystical Traditions

All mystical traditions (Such as Wizardry, Witchcraft, etc) are an Incremental Ability. You do not buy the tradition directly with Experience. Instead, you advance the level of your Mystical Tradition ability by learning mystical powers of that tradition. When a character learns two Novice level powers of a tradition, they get the Novice level tradition for that power automatically. The same applies with two powers at the Adept and Master levels, the character receives those traditions at the respective level automatically.

Once a character has learned Novice level of a mystical tradition, they no longer gain permanent corruption for learning mystical powers of that tradition at any skill level. A power that is available to multiple traditions can only be applied to learning a single mystical tradition.

Further, characters do not receive permanent corruption at character creation for learning two novice powers of the same tradition.

For Example: At Character Creation, Ruby takes Curse and Lay On Hands at Novice level. Ruby may automatically receives Witchcraft at Novice level because both of these mystical powers are part of the Witchcraft tradition. Because this is at character creation, Ruby does not gain Permanent Corruption for these powers. Later Ruby upgrades both of these powers to the Adept Level. Because Ruby now has two Witchcraft powers at the Adept level, she gets Adept level Witchcraft for free.


Troll Singing, Symbolism, and Staff Magic have been added to a select group of Core Rulebook powers, and have new powers created for them to assist in making Incremental Mystical Traditions more viable for these groups as their spell selection is very short.


The Incremental Ritualist rule replaces the standard Ritualist ability, allowing players to learn rituals at a cost of 10 experience points each. Provided the character finds a source of knowledge to learn the ritual.

Reasoning

The Mystical Tradition system as written is a bit backwards. If a player does not want to gain large amounts of permanent corruption, they must buy in with XP to a particular tradition. However the big benefit of most of these traditions is not taking up permanent corruption. When a player is spending 20 or 30 XP on a skill, it needs to do something exciting. What happens in the base rules is it just unlocks being able to do something exciting in the future.

Alchemy

Players may use their Alchemy skill as an action during a scene, rather than once per adventure, representing an alchemist rummaging through their bag looking for a forgotten elixir. These potions expire at the end of the scene. Alchemists are not required to track ingredients, similar to how archers do not track ammunition. Permanent potions can still be crafted with one Alchemy roll per day wholly dedicated to gathering ingredients and brewing. See the Rules Quick Reference for a complete description.


Some potions are so rare they can only be crafted through dedicated crafting and cannot be retrieved ad-hoc during a scene. Those have been noted in their rules description in the compendium.


The Transforming Draught includes Night Perception, Swift, and Amphibious effects.

Reasoning

This turns Alchemy into a skill that is always applicable during a scene; and thus justifying its XP cost. Players can now build an entire character around the "Alchemist" archetype opening a fourth play style beyond "Fighter", "Rogue", and "Mystic".

Poison

Multiple poison applications extend the duration rather than applying the effect twice. If a new poison’s damage value is higher, use the new value.

Poison generally rolls against Strong to resist being poisoned. However there are some forms of poison that attack against a character's other attributes.

Flaming

Mystical abilities, alchemical substances, or magic items do not cause ongoing fire damage. Instead, fire damage negates 2 points of armor when calculating damage, provided fire is the sole damage type. When combined with other damage types, such as Flaming Effect or Elemental Essence applied to a weapon, the armor negation does not apply. In this case it is just bonus damage.

Acid

Acid damages armor (Natural or Constructed) rather than hit points. Once armor is destroyed, acid has no further effect. Items damaged by acid must be repaired before the wearer can benefit from the armor again.

Lightning/Electricity

Creatures damaged by Lightning have a second chance to fail their next [Resolute] check.

Cold

Creatures damaged by cold lose half their movement on their next turn. Multiple strikes of cold weapons have no additional effect.

Reasoning

Elemental damage types should be unique and meaningful. Further, micromanaging damage over time detracts from the flow of the game.

Chain Effects

When an ability or mystical power indicates it is a chain effect, the next target must be the next closest enemy to the previous target.

Within Sight

When an ability or power indicates it targets "within sight" or "All Allies", the range is limited to 2 movement actions away.

Changes to Abilities and Mystical Powers

Note

The Rules Quick Reference has a more up-to-date version of new and changed abilities than what is listed here. There are some house rules imported from Symbaroum.fr that I have not outlined here for the sake of brevity. Additional changes are not so much "house rules" but reworded descriptions to add clarity.

Medicus

The Medicus ability is limited to once per patient per scene, rather than once per day.

Bend Will

Bend Will has no effect on Abominations and cannot force a target to harm an ally or act against their moral code. Cultured beings have varied ethical guidelines, which the caster must consider. For example, a thief may steal, but a mother would not harm her child.
Attempting to force a moral violation causes the mystic a second chance to fail all subsequent Resolute checks to maintain control. If control is lost, Bend Will cannot be used on that target for the remainder of the scene. The victim recalls events as a surreal dream.

Reasoning

Bend Will is now more akin to the "Jedi Mind Trick" than the classic “Dominate” D&D spell. Players may use Confusion if they wish to have a power that forces enemies to attack each other.

Maltransformation

Maltransformation has no effect on Abominations. The Resolute check to break the transformation is adjusted by the target’s total Corruption. If a transformed target takes hit point damage, the mystic has a second chance to fail all subsequent [Resolute] checks to maintain the transformation. Once a target breaks free, the target has a second chance to succeed against subsequent Maltransformation attempts for the scene.

Reasoning

It doesn’t match the theme of the game as Abominations are already transmuted creatures by magic. Also Abominations are intended to be major enemies and they lose their fear factor when the player can turn them into a sheep and beat on it with impunity. Thus, the more corrupted a target is, the less susceptible they are to mind and body altering effects.

Holy Aura

The mystic cannot exclude friendly abominations and undead from the spell effect. At Adept the spell heals 1d4 HP initially (1d6 at Master) on the first round the spell is cast. While the aura is active, all subsequent healing (from magical or mundane sources) heals an additional 1d4 at Adept and 1d6 at Master.

Reasoning

The healing/damage effect of the aura is too powerful. This transforms the spell from being a “kill everything in the room” spell to “Assist the party do what they do best” spell.

Mind Throw

At Novice, objects thrown or used to block do not automatically break and can be reused. The mystic can throw objects in any direction, including off ledges, or pull unattended objects toward themselves with a successful Accurate check to catch them. At Adept, the mystic can propel themselves one movement with a successful Quick check to land safely.

Reasoning

Mind throw rules as written is fairly useless and uninteresting. This clarifies it as more of a situationally powerful telekinesis spell.

Sanctifying Rite, Sanctum, and Witch Circle

These rituals protect against mystical powers with ongoing effects, such as Unnoticeable or Transformation, requiring a Resolute check each turn within the area to maintain the effect. Rituals with ongoing effects are exempt unless specified.

Reasoning

Characters (and NPCs) need a way to reliably ward an area against magic beyond just eavesdropping.

Strangler

Characters with Strangler can create Choking Spores and Spore Bombs as if they have the Alchemy skill.

Heroic Hymn

Heroic Hymn grants a second chance to succeed instead of a +1 bonus.

Loremaster

Novice Loremaster may use Cunning instead of Resolute when weaving mystical powers, though not as a basis for the corruption threshold.

New Abilities

Avarice

Novice (Active): Throw 2d4 shillings into the air and make a Persuasive versus Vigilant check against cultured beings in melee range. Success allows free movement without triggering Free Attacks or movement-related Reactions.
Adept (Active): Grants Advantage alongside free movement.
Master (Passive): Offer a sack of 2d8 shillings with a Persuasive versus Resolute check to make a cultured being leave the scene. Cost increases by 2d8 per attempt. Pivotal non-player characters cannot be bribed.

Riddle of Steel

Lone swordsman with poise,
Strikes fall yet never connect,
Riddle of Steel abides.

Novice (Passive): Use Accurate for melee Defense while holding a melee weapon, shield, or with Natural Warrior.
Adept (Reaction): Make a free attack after a successful melee Defense.
Master (Passive): The master can perform a series of ripostes and gains a Free Attack against the opponent with each successful Defense test, with no limitation on the number of Free Attacks per turn. Further, the character may use Accurate for Defense even against ranged attacks, as long as they are holding a melee weapon. If the character also has the Natural Warrior ability, a successful Defense means that they catch the projectile in the air.

Grenadier

Novice: Active. The character may use Cunning instead of Accurate when attacking with Alchemical substances. Character can use thrown alchemical bombs and similar substances without risk to himself.
Adept: Active. The character can throw two bombs or potions as a single action. This can be at the same target or different targets. Additionally, the character may draw two potions as a free action.
Master: Active. When rolling damage from a bomb or other alchemical substance, the Master Grenadier deals an additional 1d6 damage. When paired with the Just in Time Alchemy Ability, the player may make a Cunning test to draw a single potion from their bag and throw it at a target in a single action.

New Mystical Powers

Wind Gust (Wizardry, Symbolism)

The mystic summons the wind itself to push his opponents back, knocking them off their feet or even into tumbling to their death.

Novice (Active): With a successful Resolute versus Strong check, push an enemy in melee range back one movement and deal 2d4 damage. The target must pass a Quick check or be knocked prone.
Adept (Active): As Novice, but now affects a chain of enemies until a check fails.
Master (Reaction):The Mystic may use Wind Gust as a reaction when an enemy enters Melee range.

Song of Silence (Troll Singing)

Contrary to the name, the song is not silent. It is instead a deep guttural grunt performed at a steady rhythm. The beat permeates the air around the singer and has the power to cancel other magical effects. Song of Silence does not affect rituals – their mystical bonds are too thoroughly woven and can only be dispelled by other rituals.

Novice: Active. By making a successful roll against [Resolute←Resolute] the Mystic can disperse an ongoing power or concentration effects on a creature or on himself. It is the Resolute of the mystic who has unleashed the power that is used as resistance when making the test. So long as the singing continues, the Troll Singer can make a new test against resolute each round on their turn.


Adept: Active. While singing the Song of Silence, when a new mystical power is cast, the singer may force the caster to do a [Resolute<-Resolute] test. If successful, the spell is cancelled. The caster of the cancelled spell does not gain corruption (if applicable).


Master: Active. The Songs power is so great that it can cancel the power of mystical items. These item's become mundane and non-magical for as long as the song continues.

New Rituals

Wall of Stone (Wizardry)

By performing this ritual the mystic creates a wall made of solid stone up to three movements in length and half a Movement high. The Mystic must trace the path of the wall on the ground using a piece of stone. The wall does not need to be a straight line and may be built over uneven terrain so long as the path of the wall is a continuous line. If the wall is drawn in a manner that is unstable or over terrain that could not support its weight, the spell fails. When the ritual completes, the stone of the same type used to trace the path springs forth from the ground at the rate of one foot per minute until it reaches its full height of half a Movement.
Multiple mystics who each know this ritual working together may create larger objects.

New Boons and Burdens

See the Rules Quick Reference for a complete list of all new boons and burdens. Many have been created to help facilitate more "Origin" stories for characters.