The Bonds of Friendship

 Friendship and the Family Unit are more important than ever with the lack of social protections that the people used to enjoy before the Flash. People are not replaceable- and even someone you disagree with can keep safe while you sleep. 

Below are the tiers of friendship. These can come with benefits or penalties depending on how the party interacts with each other. 

Some things inspire trust- jumping in front of an arrow, sharing limited rations, staying with you to remove you from a dangerous situation. Over time these bonds can allow you to gain special benefits with each other by the strength of your trust.

Likewise, being selfish, keeping secrets from each other, running away and leaving your companions in trouble, stealing from each other, or hoarding rewards- these things can cause your companions to distrust you. 

Just because they don't like you doesn't mean they won't travel with you. In times like this, we need all humanoids working together. Even sworn enemies may need to band together temporarily for a common goal. 

All party members start with a base level of "Stranger" to each other. Levelling up requires "intimate tasks" in a similar vein to mythic trials. At the end of a session, we'll review some key actions and identify if this constitutes an "intimate moment" which may move you towards a higher rank, or a "betrayal moment" which may lower your ranks. Note that not all tiers are 1-for-1 or level up at the same ranks. 

You may take a trait "Bonds of Friendship" to start of at tier 2 with another PC. You can take a drawback called "Annoyance" that has you start at tier -1 with another PC. 

But remember, this is for storytelling. Any session where friendship between PCs decreases gives both PCs a hero point for developing the story. 

Each PC has a ranking with each other PC. Those rankings don't always go both ways. You can like someone who doesn't like you back. 

The hero points referenced in Tier 3 and 4 are bonus uses that are not part of your normal hero points. 

Character Creation

Stat Spread: 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 11. These can be put in any order. 

Age: Players can be of any age, and so characters who favor mental stats can take an advanced age to get the bonuses and penalties that come with the advanced age. 

Races: Core Races + Standard Races + Advanced Races are available. Note however, that with the segregation of races you may very well find suspicion, especially if you are of a monstrous looking race.

Classes: Core Classes + Base Classes + Hybrid Classes + Unchained Classes. No alternate classes, occult classes, or psionic classes. Note the Alternate Rules post- it will probably affect your class choices. 

Languages: The "Common" language is replaced with "Human". Human is only a standard language for humans and half-humans (half-orcs or half-elves for example). Other races get their racial language and do not gain human (or common). They may take it as one of their bonus languages for high intelligence if they wish. 

Literacy is a "language". Literacy allows you to read and write all languages you know. This can be taken as a bonus language by people with high intelligence. Lack of literacy can protect you from certain language-specific effects (such as reading explosive runes or sepia's snake sigil). 

The linguistics skill is used to decipher regional dialects, slang, etc. 

Sign language can be purchased for any language you know as 1 "language point" (either learned as a bonus point or as a language when taking ranks of linguistics). Each language would have its own developed sign language. In order to understand the sign language, you must have sign language and the original language. Sign language can be interpreted with comprehend languages-though this doesn't let you speak it. Tongues does not decipher sign language. 

For a more generic non-verbal communication, consider Bonded Mind. 

Equipment: Max gold for their class, but it all must be spent on your starting equipment. These are things you were able to get ahold of. Leftover wealth is lost. 

Level: 1st level. Max HP/level.  Note your encumbrance. 

Alignment: All characters begin as true neutral unless your class requires an alignment (such as a cleric or a paladin). Note, a god may have followers of any alignment, so if you are a bard who worships a CN deity you're still true neutral. Over the campaign your deeds may give you an alignment. This will only be revealed via detect spells or how spells affect you. 

Traits: You may take 2 traits. They need not be from other "categories". Some traits that require a specific social environment might be disallowed. A drawback may be taken for a extra trait. Note the additional traits and drawbacks in Bonds of Friendship.

Feats: Note the "Blood Magic" feat listed under alternate rules if you're going to be a caster. 

Read up on the setting and the alternate rules, as it might affect your class choices. 

Alternate Rules

 

Automatic Progression: Because of the lack of crafters and most spell components, we will use the automatic progression rules found here. 

Hero Points: The hero point system will be used. Hero points can be gained in game for role-playing, and in the bonds of friendship section there's a mechanism to gain hero points if the relationship between PCs has lowered. 

Combined Skill Checks: There are some instances where a combined check will be called upon. In this case, there will be a primary skill and a secondary skill. You would roll a number of dice equal to the secondary skill's ranks (min 1), but using the modifier of the primary skill, and be looking for # of successes. More successes could mean a better success.

For example, when rolling to see through disguise, you could roll Primary (perception) and Secondary (knowledge local- for humans). If you have +5 to perception and 3 ranks of knowledge local, you'd roll 3 perception checks, each at +5, the DC based on the opponent's disguise roll. 1 success and you might see that they are disguised, while more successes might indicate that you can identify what they really look like.

Sometimes these skill checks will be opposed. In this case either one person could set the DC against the other (such as the above example with disguise) or both could roll NET successes, such as if two people were trying to convince someone to take contrary actions using diplomacy. In this case the DC would be set (not necessarily the same for both people) and the degree of success would be based on who had more successes than the other. 

This would be used for things that are more complicated than standard skill checks, such as for a chase scene, or a difficult negotiation. For most skill checks, the standard uses would apply. 

Group Skill Rolls: For some skills, like stealth, one person can ruin it for the party. If the party takes 10 minutes to prepare, and they are going together (helping each other), they can make a group skill roll. In this case, the results of everyone's skill is averaged together as is everyone's result. (So stealth rolls of 20, 15, and 5 would be a 13 for everyone). This would mean everyone gets seen, so a high stealth character only stays hidden if he is separate from the group. Characters with -4 or less friendship cannot participate in group rolls together (this is kind of like aiding another). 

Alignment: Unless required by your class (like paladins) everyone starts as True Neutral. Your alignment will be determined by the DM based on your actions in play. This alignment is only revealed by the way you respond to spells (such as detect spells). Keep in mind, unless you are a cleric, your alignment will not likely be detectable until higher levels. 

Bonds of Friendship: Without civilization and law, the family structure means more than ever. Even with people you disagree with from an alignment perspective, the sense of trust between party members is important. 

Some things can improve trust: such as sharing an intimate secret, protecting a friend in combat, rescuing a friend, etc.

Some things can lower trust: abandoning a friend, keeping secrets or telling lies, acting selfishly. 

Having a high level of trust can provide various benefits, such as an improved aid another bonus, hero points you can use to assist each other, or temporary teamwork feat benefits between party members. See the Bonds of Friendship Post.  

Religion: Most of the large churches were destroyed, and as communication between cities degraded, the religions splintered. Druids, Rangers, Oracles, Adepts, and Shamans are unaffected. 

Paladins serve the ideal of Lawful Good rather than a deity. Clerics, Omdura, and Inquisitors must "Create" a deity- choose their favored weapon, alignment, and domains. You worship them as a "small god" and may be their only follower- but with so fewer humanoids around, there is more "faith" to go around. Your god functions just fine with you as his likely only follower. 

Magical Components: Spellcasting components are extremely hard to come by and can't be just "purchased". Spellcasters are encouraged to take Eschew Materials. Having a spell component pouch is not a free pass on this. However, there is a feat called Blood Magic which downgrades the Blood Money spell to a cantrip. False Focus is also a good spell for those with a religion. 

This also affects magical crafting feats (such as scribe scroll) as the materials becomes extremely hard to come by. Any magical item being crafted is likely to require some kind of quest to get the materials. These feats are discouraged. 

Classes: While any class is allowed, some are clearly at a disadvantage in the new world. Spellcasters will find many spell components hard to find, and foci are difficult to replace. Quality items made of metal are hard to come by, so replacing broken weapons can become a chore, as can replenishing arrows or bullets. Spellbook ink and new pages and books are hard to aquire, favoring sorcerers and witches over wizards and arcanists. 

Classes with pets (familiars, eidolons, animal companions) are at an advantage with the extra action economy, though arcane casters are still viewed with distrust. 

Social skills are still important, as there are other intelligent species, but classes that rely on societal institutions, like the investigator, or certain bard/rogue builds might find themselves with less to do. Meanwhile, classes that are comfortable in the wilderness (ranger/druid/hunter) or classes that rely on their wits (rogues), or classes that can get by with minimal equipment (monks/shifters/brawlers) are at an advantage here. 

The Creatures

In the years since the flash, humanoid civilization has been overrun by other creatures: 

Illithids: The Mind Flayers have taken over large areas of the underdark as well as the ruins of some cities above ground. They are always on the hunt for humanoids for work as slaves or meals

Beholders: The Eye Tyrants disintegrated out areas that once belonged to the dwarves. Their slow flight speed leaves them most at home underground, though there are some who have taken over mountainous regions.

Dragons: Dragons have flourished with the reduction in humanoids. While some are good- they are distrustful of mankind. Most hoard historical artifacts from the lost world and wealth recovered from cities. Some metallic dragons rule over cities, though humanoids don't enjoy equal rights as dragonkind. 

The Undead: The cataclysm left many cities demolished and most of the inhabitants dead, but some necromancers were able to avoid their fate by becoming undead- vampires, liches, ghosts, or ghouls are among the most common. There are necropolises that are similar enough to former cities- though the living are likely not to be welcomed.

The Fey: After some years, without humanoids to encroach upon it, the wilderness began to thrive. Animals and magical beasts repopulated, and there was an increase in fey. The lack of cold iron and civilization to keep them in check has enhanced an already chaotic species.

Living Spells- During the Flash, areas of high magical concentration and powerful spell books overloaded with magic, and living versions of the spells roamed the areas. 

Outsiders- Strangely enough, with the reduction in humanoids, outsiders have shown less of an interest in the plane. Perhaps both the good and the evil ones were drawn by mankind's faith? In any case, fewer and fewer outsiders have been encountered since the flash.

Changes to the "Favored Enemy" Class Feature:

Aberrations: Splits to Aberrations(Beholders), Aberrations(Illithids) and Aberrations(Other)

Outsiders: Combined into "Outsiders" (no need to select a subtype)

Dragons: Split to Dragons (Metallic), Dragons (Chromatic), and Dragons (Other)

Add: Living Spells (new type). Living spells are separate from the "ooze" category. 

Humanoids: Some classes of humanoids are combined

• Humanoid(Demihumans) combines Humans, Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Halflings, Half-Elves, and Half-Orcs. 
• Humanoid(Monstrous) is Orcs, Half-Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, Kobolds, Hobgoblins.
• Humanoid(Chimeric) is Tengu, Catfolk, Ratfolk, Grippli, Vanara, Merfolk
• Humanoid(Giant) remains largely unchanged. 

The Flash

 

The Flash took everything from the world. Cities were laid in ruins. Underground dwarven strongholds shook and collapsed, burying the underdark. Creatures from beyond the dimension came in, and began hunting people in the ruins of the cities. Great leviathans rose from the deep and began attacking ships.

They say that it was the Wizards of the Silver Circle that caused the doom- performing some ritual to contact outer planar characters. What we do know is that civilization never recovered.

Setting: We are 150 years after the cataclysm. Few are alive who remember it- mostly the long-lived races. Many races began to segregate with their major trade hubs destroyed, mostly small out of the way

 

0 AC- The Flash happened. Violent earthquakes as well as a huge series of flashes in the sky erupted all at once. People were burned alive who were near the sources of the flash, and underdark areas collapsed in the quakes. Sinkholes destroyed towns and buildings, and sleeping sea leviathans rose up and began attacking ships. Strange creatures came forth and began devouring people in the cities. Areas of high magic concentration exploded into series of living spells, and some areas were scarred into wild magic zones. Some areas became littered with undead and became necropolises.

1 AC- Most of the major population centers were destroyed, but most of the small outlying communities were not as disrupted. While some went blind from the flash, most were far enough away from population centers to avoid largescale tragedy. However, with the major trade routes no longer protected or secured, bandit activity amongst humans became common. Mages were sought out and killed by witchfinders, and many large churches were abandoned. The small communities were thrown into political upheaval as bandit lords began to claim them as their own. Without major trade hubs, the races began to segregate.

5 AC- As nature began to flourish, other creatures began to fill the power void, mostly Illithids, Beholders, Dragons, Sphinxes, Fey, and the undead began to filter out, and enslave or devour mid-level civilizations. Some were able to survive, but most were destroyed. Nomadic bands of humanoids became common and small tribal civilizations popped up in areas where they could hide or defend themselves against the new creatures. With the lack of worked materials and skilled labor, buildings fell into disrepair, knowledge became more difficult to pass on, and spell components were more difficult to come by.

20 AC- The intelligent creatures began establishing their territories, and the wilderness became very difficult for humanoids, whose main evolutionary advantage had been tool making and society. The common and undercommon languages fell mostly out of use (though common became “human”). Literacy became uncommon as daily survival became a struggle.

90 AC- some small areas of relative safety were established where humanoids could fortify, though there were at constant risk of being discovered by some of the more powerful races. Some humanoids willingly went to live in cities run by dragons which most closely resembled the old society.

150 AC- Skirmishes and all-out war broke out as territories started bumping into each other, especially between rival dragons, who had interest in hoarding wealth and historical artifacts. Draconic cities became even less safe for humanoids, who did not possess the movement or power of dragons, and who were generally taken by spoils of war (either as slaves or food) by the victors. The people of your area think that this might be an opportunity for humanoids to regain their place in society.