Pyrurge's Pathfinder 2e House Rules

by drakantr

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House Rules
SECOND EDITION

Class Changes

Class changes are not listed in this document and can be found here. Homebrew, both written by me and approved by me, can be found here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CORE RULES

The rules described on this page are variant rules I always intend to use in my games. These rules are system-wide and affect the whole game. Changes applied to individual options are detailed in other documents, here and here.

Ability Score Variants

Ability Score Changes

  • At 5th level, you gain skill increases equal to your Intelligence modifier. You can only use these increases to become an expert in a skill in which you’re already trained. Intelligence increases function retroactively.

Save Changes

  • Any character may, at their own discretion, decide whether the ability bonus they gain to Will saves is from Wisdom or Charisma. This choice is permanent.

Feats and Features

Free Archetype

Used as described in the GM Core.

Dual Class PCs

Can be used as described in the Gamemastery Guide instead of Free Archetype variant rule in case there are three of fewer players.

Ancestry Paragon

Used as described in the Gamemastery Guide with Free Archetype or Dual Class PCs variant features. An ancestry paragon does not gain the feats received from the Free Archetype or Dual Class PCs variant feature that are gained at 2nd, 8th, 12th, and 16th levels.

Basic Actions

Interact

At the GM's discretion, some Interact actions do not require you to have a free hand, like kicking an item away.

Recall Knowledge

Out of combat, Recall Knowledge functions as written, including Additional Knowledge rules. In combat, the check is no longer Secret, you can't critically fail and don't adjust the difficulty due to rarity, you can directly ask about a combat statistic of an enemy, and you can retry on any result without adjusting difficulty.

Shove

Double the maximum distance of your Shove whenever it's mentioned, increasing it to up to 10 feet on a normal success. For example, you can Shove creatures up to 40 feet away from you on a critical success with Flinging Shove or the bronze bull pendant.

Animal Companions

Any animal that is trained in Intimidation and doesn't possess a language gains the Intimidating Glare feat.

Specialized Companion

All specialized companions increase their Strength modifier by 1 and increase their proficiency in barding to expert.

Hero Points

Alternatively, instead of rerolling, you may use the Hero Point to improve the degree of success of a critically failed check to failure, or of a failed check to success.

You can grant your Hero Point to your ally at any time. You must describe how you’re assisting a character when you give them a Hero Point.

Spellcasting

Form Spells Redux

You can use these form spells instead of the normal ones when you prepare or learn them. Use the Untamed Order rework from Redux Series: Form Spells by David McGregor.

Incapacitation Trait

Incapacitation trait can't upgrade the creature's check to a critical success.

Melee Spell Attacks

If a spell requires a melee spell attack to take effect, it doesn't gain the manipulate trait.

Preparing Spells

When preparing spells for the day, you can leave some of your spell slots open. Later during that day, you can repeat the preparation process, filling these (and only these) unused spell slots. These extra sessions of preparation take 10 minutes. Only your daily preparation counts for the purpose of effects that last until the next time you prepare spells.

Summon Spells

When you cast a spell that summons a creature, this creature uses your spell attack modifier as its attack modifier.

You can choose to only summon a specific creature with a given summon spell when you learn or prepare it instead of choosing at the moment of casting (such as only summoning a tiger with summon animal). If you do so, you can summon a creature of a level equal to the spell's rank*2-3. This typically increases the maximum creature level of rank 3 summon spells by 1 and of rank 4 or higher summon spells by 2. If you do, it can't use your spell attack modifier as its attack modifier.

Weapon Statistics

Hands

Changing your grip doesn't provoke Reactive Strike.

Reload

Everyone gains access to the following basic action:

Disengaging Reload

Step, and then Interact to reload.

Archetypes

Bounded Spellcasting Archetype

Replace the sentences mentioning spell slots with:

Basic Bounded Spellcasting Feat: Usually gained at 6th level, these feats give you a 1st-level spell slot and a 2nd-level spell slot from that magical tradition. At 8th level, you replace your spell slots with two 2nd-level spell slots and one 3rd-level spell slot.

Expert Bounded Spellcasting Feat: You replace your spell slots with two 3rd-level spell slots and one 4th-level spell slot. At 14th level, you replace your spell slots with two 4th-level spell slots and one 5th-level spell slot, and at 16th level, you replace your spell slots with two 5th-level spell slots and one 6th-level spell slot.

Master Bounded Spellcasting Feat: You replace your spell slots with two 6th-level spell slots and one 7th-level spell slot. At 20th level, you replace your spell slots with two 7th-level spell slots and one 8th-level spell slot.

Optional Core Rules

While some core rules are fit to be used in any campaign, some can be problematic or unneeded in specific situations. These rules are not used in my games by default but can be included if the situation calls for it.

Ability Score Variants

Gradual Ability Boosts

Used as described in the Gamemastery Guide, but you can only apply an ability boost to your key ability score last in the given set, e.g. at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level.

Power Overwhelming

The usual method of determining ability scores allows to create powerful, yet flawed, heroes, or jacks-of-all-trades. If you prefer epic fantasy, this variant allows the creation of more inherently powerful and well-rounded characters.

You gain three additional free ability boosts when applying the ability boosts from your background.

Optionally, reduce the amount of free ability boosts you gain at 5, 10, and 15 levels by one.

Alternative Scores

Make the following changes.

  • Strength does everything that both Strength and Constitution do in the Core Rulebook, except for Hit Points, and Constitution is gone. A character uses their Strength for melee weapon and unarmed attack rolls, damage rolls, Athletics, Fortitude saves, and so on. A character adds 2 Hit Points per level instead, increasing to 3 per level at 5th level, and to 4 per level at 10th level.
  • Dexterity applies to damage rolls with finesse attacks (if better than Strength).
  • Intelligence does everything that both Intelligence and Wisdom do in the Core Rulebook, except for Will saves, and Wisdom is gone.
  • Charisma is called Willpower and applies to Will saves.

Adjust the rules as appropriate. The free boosts at 1, 5, and 15 are reduced from 4 to 3. The free boosts at 10 and 20 are reduced from 4 to 2. The bulwark trait is removed from the game. The rogue's thief racket grants the Dirty Trick skill feat, and the target is off-guard against the next attack you make before the end of your turn on a success with Dirty Trick.

Dexterous Fighting

Add the following to the finesse trait: "If your Dexterity is at least +4, you can calculate damage using a +3 modifier instead of your Strength modifier."

Rogue's thief racket grants the Dirty Trick skill feat.

Partial Level Rules

Used as described here.

Magic Item Variants

Automatic Bonus Progression

Used as described in the Gamemastery Guide, and characters gain Spell Potency and Shield Potency. Alchemical items now grant potency bonus instead of item bonus, and item bonuses to statistics other than attacks, skills, saves, Perception checks, and AC are converted to potency bonuses.

Spell Potency

At 3rd level, you gain a +1 potency bonus to spell and impulse attack rolls. This increases to +2 at 11th level.

Shield Potency

At 4th level, your shields gain a minor reinforcing rune. This improves to lesser reinforcing at 7th level, to moderate reinforcing at 10th level, to greater reinforcing at 13th level, to major reinforcing at 16th level, and to supreme reinforcing at 19th level.

Automatic Rune Progression

You gain potency, spell enhancing, striking, reinforcing, and resilient runes for free on your equipment at appropriate levels.

Hero Points

Improved Rerolls

Whenever you spend a Hero Point to reroll a check, you roll a d10+10 instead of a d20 on this check. A 10 on this roll counts like a natural 20. This replaces the option to improve the degree of success of a roll with Hero Points.

Feats

Feats+

Use "Feats+" Infinite Sourcebook by Derry Luttrell, Tony Saunders, Cerapter, Conner Berkheiser, and Sen H.H.S.

General Feats

1st Level

DERVISH DANCE
FEAT 1

GENERAL
trained in Performance
You have received training in the more graceful uses of a specific weapon. Pick one one-handed melee weapon that you are at least trained in. You treat that weapon as though it had the finesse weapon property as long as you wield it in one hand.
3rd Level

EMPATHETIC
FEAT 3

GENERAL
You possess keen insight into how other people think and feel. When someone is trying to Lie to you, or when you use Sense Motive, you can treat your Perception proficiency as expert. At 7th level, treat your Perception proficiency as master, and at 15th level, treat your Perception proficiency as legendary.
7th Level

SKILL FOCUS
FEAT 7

GENERAL
Intelligence +2
Increase your proficiency rank in one of your skills from trained to expert or expert to master. You gain a skill feat associated with the skill you chose.

Skill Feats

1st Level

Cunning Prediction
FEAT 1

GENERAL
SKILL
trained in Society or Warfare Lore
You quickly predict an enemy's movement and figure out the best way to counter it. Make a Society or Warfare Lore check against the Reflex DC of a foe within 60 feet.
The target takes a -3 status penalty to Reflex against your spells and abilities until the end of your next turn.
As a critical success, but the penalty is -2.

SCHOLASTIC BREADTH
FEAT 1

GENERAL
SKILL
trained in Medicine, Nature, or Religion
You approach certain fields of study with academic rigor. Choose Medicine, Nature, or Religion when you select this feat. Intelligence is your key ability for this skill instead of Wisdom.

Special You can select this feat multiple times, each time picking a different skill in which you have the trained proficiency rank.

General Feat Changes

1st Level

Canny Acumen
FEAT 1

If anything would increase your proficiency in your choice to expert or master, you may immediately and freely retrain this feat.

Skill Feat Changes

1st Level

ADDITIONAL LORE
FEAT 1

You can choose an existing Lore subcategory you're trained in instead. In this case, you can become trained in another Lore subcategory, but you can't apply additional skill increases to it.
2nd Level

LIE TO ME
FEAT 2

When resolving the Sense Motive activity, you may have the GM use your Deception to roll a secret check instead of Perception. This still doesn’t apply if you don’t have a back-and-forth dialogue, unless you have Recognize Liar (Feats+).
7th Level

DISTURBING KNOWLEDGE
FEAT 7

This feat only requires one action. It still requires two actions if you target more than one enemy.

Equipment

New Items

SCABBARD
ITEM 0

1 sp
When you Interact to draw a weapon from a scabbard, the Interact action loses the manipulate trait.

Chainmailed
ITEM 0

Adjustment
6 gp
applied to breastplate 1
A chainmail added to your breastplate to cover extremities. Using this adjustment increases the Strength entry value by 1, and adds the noisy trait. If you meet the Strength entry value, the armor gains the bulwark trait.

Dueling Sword
ITEM 0

Parry
Two-hand d10
Versatile P
4 gp; Damage 1d6 S; 1
Hands 1
Type Melee; Category Martial; Group Sword
This elegant sword is well-suited to parry incoming strikes.

Elven Dueling Blade
ITEM 0

Elf
Finesse
Parry
Versatile P
5 gp; Damage 1d8 S; 1
Hands 2
Type Melee; Category Martial; Group Sword
This elven weapon allows its wielder to dance away from attacks.

SPELL DUELIST’S RING
ITEM 3+

Invested
Magical
worn —
This simple ring provides a +1 item bonus on spell attack rolls and the attack rolls of creatures summoned with spell slots.
(+1) 3 50 gp
(+2) 11 1200 gp

SPELL ENHANCING RUNE
ITEM 3

Invested
Magical
50 gp etched onto a magical weapon
This is considered a fundamental rune. It applies the weapon’s item bonus to attack to spell attack rolls (up to a +2), as well as to attacks using the weapon as normal. The owner only receives this benefit while wielding the weapon. Someone not invested may use the weapon normally but will not receive the additional benefits of this rune.