Altarka House rules
Skill Descriptions
Charioteering (DEX)
Check: Typical chariot actions don't require checks. The character can harness, mount, ride, and dismount from a chariot without a problem. Mounting or dismounting is a move-equivalent action. Some tasks require checks:
| Charioteering Task | DC |
|---|
| Guide without hands | 5 |
| Stay in chariot | 5 |
| Fight with horses | 10 |
| Leap | 15 |
| Control Chariot in Battle | 20 |
| Fast mount or dismount | 20* |
| Cover | 15 |
| Soft fall | 15 |
*Armor check penalty applies.
Guide without Hands: The character can either tie the reins to their waist or put the reins in their mouth
and react instantly to guide the character's chariot so that the character can use both hands in combat. Make the
check at the start of the character's round. If the character fails, the character can only use one hand this round
because the character needs to use the other to control the character's chariot.
Stay in Chariot: The character can react instantly to try to avoid falling when the character's chariot bounces
or turns unexpectedly or when the character takes damage.
Fight with Horses: If the character directs a war-trained mount to attack in battle whilte riding a chariot,
the character can still make the character's own attack or attacks normally.
Cover: The character can react instantly to drop down inside the chariot, using it as one-half cover.
The character can't attack or cast spells while using the character's chariot as cover. If the character fails,
the character doesn't get the cover benefit.
Soft Fall: The character reacts instantly to try to take no damage when the character is thrown from a chariot,
such as when it crashes or the horses stumble and the chariot flips. If the character fails, the character takes 1d6
points of falling damage.
Leap: The character can get a chariot to traverse obstacles as part of its movement. Use the character's
Charioteering skill modifier or the teams' Jump skill modifier (whichever is lower) to see how far the chariot can
traverse. The DC (15) is what the character needs to roll to stay on the chariot when it traverses the obstacle.
Control Chariot in Battle: As a move-equivalent action, the character can attempt to control a chariot team
while in combat. If the character fails, the character can do nothing else that round. The character does not need
to roll for teams of warhorses or warponies.
Fast Mount or Dismount: The character can mount or dismount as a free action. If the character fails the check,
mounting or dismounting is a move-equivalent action. (The character can't attempt a fast mount or dismount unless the
character can perform the mount or dismount as a move-equivalent action this round.)
If the character has 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal, the character gets a +2 synergy bonus to Charioteering checks.
Natural Perception (WIS)
This skill acts like a sixth sense, possibly alerting the character to danger. This skill functions similar to Spot,
except that the range is out to 100 yards, and alerts the character to the presence of danger. Invisibility, hide,
and other forms of masking are not effective protection from this skill.
A successful check against DC 10 (+1 per 10' of distance to the threat) will reveal the presence of danger, and the
character will know approximately how far away the danger is, and roughly what direction (facing) the danger lies.
If the danger being rolled for also has this skill, then use of this skill will be a competing skill check, modified
by range.
Special: Characters with four or more ranks in this skill receive a +2 synergy bonus on all spot, listen, search and
wilderness lore checks when in natural surroundings.
Characters with 4 or more ranks in Concentration receive a +2 synergy bonus on all Natural Perception skill rolls.
Feat Discriptions
Bravado [General]
Prerequisite: BAB +1
Benefit: You fight with flash and showmanship, throwing your opponent off-ballance and create openings.
With a light weapon, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may
use your Charisma modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls
Chariot Archery [General]
Prerequisite: Charioteering skill, Chariot Combat.
Benefit: The penalty the character suffers when using a ranged weapon from
a chariot is halved: -2 instead of -4 if the character's chariot is moving twice its normal speed,
and -4 instead of -8 if the character's chariot is moving at full speed.
Chariot Combat [General]
Prerequisite: Charioteering skill.
Benefit: Once per round when the character's mounts are hit in combat, the
character may make a Charioteering check to negate the hit. The hit is negated if the
character's Charioteering check is greater than the attack roll (essentially, the Charioteering
check becomes the mount's Armor Class if it's higher than the mounts regular AC).
Cunning [General]
Prerequisite: BAB +1
Benefit: You rely on intuition and experience to find weaknesses in your opponent's defences.
With a light weapon, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may
use your Wisdom modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls.
Drive-By Attack [General]
Prerequisites: Charioteering skill, Chariot Combat.
Benefit: When the character is on a chariot and uses the charge action, the
character may move and attack as with a standard charge and then move again
(continuing the straight line of the charge). The character's total movement
for the round can't exceed double the chariots speed. The character
does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that the character
attacks.
Give Ground [General]
Benefit: During the course of melee combat, a character may "give ground" to provide a temporary +4 dodge bonus
to armour class.
At the start of any combat, or at any time during combat, a character can declare that they are "giving ground"
as a free action. From that moment, if an opponent successfully attacks, the character can take a 5' step back to
recieve a +4 dodge bonus to their armour class. If their new armour class, applied to the previous attack roll,
results in a miss, the character takes no damage, and has dodged out of the way.
A character must be unencumbered to make use of this ability, must have a 5' step available,
and must have room to move back.
Instant Stand [General]
Requirements: Dexterity 13+, 5+ ranks in tumble.
Benefit: With this feat, a character may on their next turn stand from prone as a free action.
They may then take whatever actions they wish as per a normal round, with the exception that their
movement rate is halved for the remainder of the round in which they performed an instant stand.
The character can't use this feat if the character's speed has been reduced by armor, excess equipment, or loot.
Normal: Standing from prone requires a move-equivalent action.
Riposte [General]
Requirements: Expertise.
Benefit: Used when using the full defense action. If your defensive bonus from full defense is responsible for
a successful block of an incoming attack and you have a finessable weapon equipped, you may immediately make a
counterattack against the target at your full attack bonus. This attack consumes an attack of opportunity. This
effect can be used in conjunction with Combat Reflexes. Cannot be used in conjuction with cleave. No stat bonuses
will apply to the damage roll, such as that from high strength. Weapon specialization will apply.
Skill Training [General]
Benefit: Select any one cross-class skill. That skill can now be treated as a class skill in terms of cost
to buy ranks and maximum ranks you are allowed to purchase.
Normal: Cross-class skills are limited to half the rank of a class-skill and cost double the number of skill
points per rank.
Spirited Charge (Chariot) [General]
Prerequisites: Charioteering skill, Chariot Combat, Drive-By Attack.
Benefit: When on a chariot and using the charge action, the character deals
double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a lance).
Tactician [General]
Prerequisite: BAB +1
Benefit: You rely on tactics and smarts to exploit openings in your opponent's defences.
With a light weapon, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may
use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls.
Trample (Chariot) [General]
Prerequisites: Charioteering skill, Chariot Combat.
Benefit: When the character attempts to overrun an opponent while riding a chariot,
the target may not choose to avoid the character. If the character knocks down
the target, the character's mounts may make one hoof attack against the target,
gaining the standard +4 bonus on attack rolls against prone targets.
Voice of the Forest [Epic]
Prerequisites: Race: Human, At least 21 levels in ranger or druid or 21 levels combined in ranger and druid
Benefit: This feat gives the character access to the Natural Perception skill.
Weapon Finesse [General]
This now applies to any finsessable weapon, not a specific weapon choice.
Zen Archery [General]
Benefit: This allows them to apply their Wisdom bonus to ranged attacks instead of their Dex bonus,
similar to the "Weapon Finesse" feat.
This feat does not apply to thrown weapons.