View source for Optional Rules

The following optional rules are not included in the main game because they slow down character creation, do not improve game balance, and are simply not important for the core game themes.

=== Flaws ===

These are ways in which a character can have special weaknesses. The number of flaws each character gets should be standardized for the campaign: one suggested distribution would be 1 flaw for a common tier character, another flaw for every Tier upgrade, and another flaw if they have the [[Hero]] class. If a character has [[Shapeshifter]], they may use a separate set of flaws for '''Beast Mode'''.

'''Nervous:''' Every time the character detects a creature he hasn't seen before in the past hour, if he suspects that the creature might be antagonistic, and he isn't in a [[regiments|regiment]] with any other creatures, he finds that creature [[fight or flight|Frightening X]], where X is the creature's [[Save DC]].

'''Decrepit (Mobile creatures only):''' The character's movement speeds are halved, and they get -8 to [[Initiative Bonus]].

'''Obese (Mobile creatures only):''' The character is always carrying an amount of Fat equal to their normal weight. They also need to eat twice as much.

'''Blind (Sighted creatures only):''' The character's visual sense does not function.

'''Deaf (Hearing creatures only):''' The character's auditory sense does not function.

'''Unpyroscient (Thermosympathetic creatures only):''' The character's thermosympathetic sense does not function.

'''Paranoid:''' The character can make [[Insight]] checks as a [[cheap action]], but whenever they roll a natural 1 for an [[Insight]] check, they become utterly convinced that the offending statement or appearance is false.

'''Mute (Creatures that can speak only):''' The character cannot speak.

'''Armless (Creatures with a finite nonzero number of hands only):''' The character has one fewer hand.

'''Geometrically Challenged:''' Whenever the character enters an [[extradimensional space]], they take 1d6+2 damage.

'''Frail:''' The character gets -1 to [[Toughness]].

'''Clumsy:''' The character gets -1 to [[AD]].

'''Grabbable:''' The character gets -1 to [[GD]].

'''Uncertain:''' The character gets -1 to [[Will Saves]].

'''Obvious:''' The character gets -1 to [[Stealth]].

'''Oblivious:''' The character gets -2 to [[Perception]].

'''Hemophilia:''' At the end of the character's turn, if they have any wounds, they suffer one wound.

'''Gentle:''' The character gets -1 to [[Accuracy]] and -1 to [[Save DC]].

'''Weapon Master:''' Choose a particular weapon type, like [[unarmed]], [[sword]] or [[bone bolts]]. The character gets -2 to [[Accuracy]] with all other weapons.

'''Daft:''' The character gets -4 to all non-[[Acrobatics]] skill checks.

'''Substance Dependent:''' Choose a substance, like caffeine or spinach, and a statistic, like [[Hacking]] or [[Strongman]]. If you have not had your daily dose of that substance today, you get -3 to that statistic.

=== Useless Skills ===

Players can invent new, overly specific and generally insignificant skills to give to their characters, like Basketweaving or Double Backflips. If the DM deems the skill sufficiently useless, the character gets a bonus to their skill checks equal to 50% of the modifier they would otherwise have in that skill, rounded up. ''For example, if Porcine Secundus had 32 skill points in Make Stick Houses, he'd roll 1d10+8 for checks with it, rather than 1d10+5.''

=== Legendary Commoner Class Build ===

Players could be allowed to buy additional levels in lower-tier classes instead of higher-tier classes. To that end, whenever you would gain a higher-tier class, you may instead gain multiple lower-tier classes. The point cost and specialties granted are still as per the higher-tier class, however. If classes have types (i.e. Expertise, Genomorph, Augment), all of the lower-tier classes must have the same type.

'''Elite Class:''' Use two Common-tier classes instead.

'''Paragon Class:''' Use three Common-tier classes; or a Common-tier class and an Elite-tier class instead.

'''Legend Class:''' Use four Common-tier classes; one Common-tier class and a Paragon-tier class; two Common-tier classes and an Elite-tier class; or two Elite-tier classes instead.

=== Training Time ===

It doesn't necessarily make complete sense for a character to become a being of incredible power in only a few days of adventuring. Thus, a limit could be set on the maximum number of points a character can gain in a given time period: anywhere from 2 per year to 10 per day could be useful values.

Skill points could be subjected to the same limitation.

=== Ban Lists ===

Removing currently-optimal strategies from the setting can let previously-unviable tactics flourish. Writing your own banlist and sharing it with the players before the campaign starts also works; if it turns out that the game breaks because you removed the wrong set of things, you may have to start allowing previously-banned options.

'''Ban Long-Ranges:''' Ranged weapons other than Fighting Fans and Blowguns haven't been invented, spells and creature attacks with ranges longer than 20 meters have their ranges quartered or reduced to 20 meters, whichever is longer.

'''Ban a Gem Color:''' Banning a gem color can help to get rid of easy magical solutions to the problems that you want the players to care about during the campaign, or to free up room to add a different gem color without overcomplicating things. Monsters and monster advancements related to a particular gem color are also banned.

=== Mythic Characters ===

If Legend tier just doesn't seem quite excessive enough, these rules introduce several new tiers for you: Mythic, God, and Supreme.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ <div>{{Anchor|Table: Post-Legend Character Building Limitations}}</div>
|-
! rowspan="2" | Tier
! rowspan="2" | [[Classes|Total Class levels]]
! colspan="4" | Classes by Tier
! rowspan="2" | [[#Mythic Powers|Mythic Power Ranks]]
! rowspan="2" | Minimum Price for <br>Character of Tier
|-
! [[Classes#Common Classes|Common Tier]] || [[Classes#Elite Classes|Elite Tier]] || [[Classes#Paragon Classes|Paragon Tier]] || [[Classes#Legend Classes|Legend Tier]]
|- 
| Mythic || 20-40 || 5-10 (8) || 5-10 (20) || 5-10 (80) || 5-10 (300) || 0-20 (20) || 2040 points
|- 
| God || 32-60 || 8-15 (18) || 8-15 (45) || 8-15 (180) || 8-15 (675) || 20-60 (45) || 8244 points
|- 
| Supreme || 44-80 || 11-20 (32) || 11-20 (80) || 11-20 (320) || 11-20 (1200) || 60-140 (80) || 22576 points
|- class="noalt"
|}

The maximum number of times you can take each Specialty for each class tier increases at Mythic tier to 2, then at God tier to 3, and finally at Supreme tier to 4.

==== Mythic Powers ====

Mythic powers are unique customized powers designed specifically for each individual. The cost for a Mythic Power is equal to the total cost of its Trigger multiplied by the total cost of all its Effects. If a set of options is listed in parentheses, choose one upon power creation.

===== Trigger =====

'''Explosion (Cost: 3):''' As a [[standard action]], make an attack against ([[AD]] or [[GD]]) on each creature and unattended object in a 20 meter radius [[blast]] centered on a point you can see within 300 meters.

'''Burst (Cost: 3):''' As a [[standard action]], make an attack against ([[AD]] or [[GD]]) on each other creature and unattended object in a 40 meter radius [[blast]] centered on you.

'''Beam (Cost: 3):''' As a [[standard action]], make an attack against ([[AD]] or [[GD]]) on each creature and unattended object in a 6 meter wide, 200 meter long, cylindrical [[spray]] starting from you.

'''Speak to Individual (Cost: 2):''' As a [[standard action]], one creature who can hear you within 300 meters must make a [[Will Save]].

'''Speak to Everyone (Cost: 6):''' As a [[standard action]], each other creature who can hear you within 300 meters must make a [[Will Save]].

===== Effect =====

'''Damage (Cost: 3):''' If you made an attack against [[AD]] in the Trigger and hit, deal (1d6+2, 1d8+1, or 1d10) damage.

'''Automatic Wound (Cost: 8):''' If you made an attack against [[AD]] in the Trigger and hit, deal (1d6+2, 1d8+1, or 1d10 damage.

'''Brain Damage (Cost: 3):''' If a target made a [[Will Save]] in the Trigger and failed, deal (1d4+3, 1d6+2, or 1d8+1) damage.

'''Warp (Cost: 3):''' You may teleport to within reach of anything targeted in the Trigger.

===== Effect Modifiers =====

These are added to individual effects.

'''Status Effect on Wound (Cost: 2):''' If you wound a target with the effect, the target (becomes [[prone]], is lit [[on fire]], is [[blind|blinded]] for 2 rounds, is [[stunned]] until the end of the current turn, falls [[asleep]] and doesn't wake up until it's wounded again, is [[shriveled]] for 1 minute, is [[tired]] for 3 rounds, or is [[chilled]] for 3 rounds).

=== Mythical Monsters ===

Mythical monsters, these beings are the physical embodiments of mechanisms. When destroyed, those mechanisms cease to function. They do not normally wander the world, but can be called into being by a special disease: Harbinger Dreams. The initial infection of Harbinger Dreams is initiated through the use of a 12 hour ritual that ends in five dead intelligent creatures and 100000 [[copper]] of destroyed chemicals, and only works if the creature to be infected succeeds on both a DC 10 [[Items]] check and a DC 10 [[Arcana]] check. The spirit to be called into being is chosen during the ritual. Mythical monsters leave reality again after 20 days. The following list of mythical monsters is not intended to be comprehensive.

'''{{Anchor|Harbinger Dreams}}''': Ominous dreams of a creature beyond fathoming.
:''[[Will Save]]'': DC 7
:''Delay'': It acts upon sleeping. Risk of infection occurs when an infected creature mentions its dreams within hearing distance. No creature has to save against infection more than once per day.
:''Initial Effect'': The victim dreams dark, unpleasant dreams.
:''Repeat'': Every time the victim sleeps again, if there are 1000 infected creatures sleeping within 2 kilometers of it, all infected creatures in that region take 1d6+3 wounds, all infected creatures are cured, and the Mythical Monster appears at the center of that region.
:''Cure Difficulty'': 4
:''Targets'': Any creature of common tier or greater.
:''Weight/Price'': Weightless.

{{:Vituperation Spirit}}

{{:Dragon Spirit}}

{{:Extradimensional Cephalopod Spirit}}

{{:Unicorn Spirit}}

{{:Bone Monstrosity Spirit}}

{{:Thunderbird Spirit}}

{{:Roaming Cavern Spirit}}

{{:Hunger Spirit}}

{{:Fear Spirit}}

{{:Death Spirit}}

{{:Gravity Spirit}}

{{:Psychic powers (Optional Rule)}}