House Rules and Clarifications

This page is used to list some house rules, though mainly clarifications used on the Emblem of Ea. While it is not our intent to document everything (that would be silly), we will attempt to document what may be particularly confusing as well as important relative to the game and its enjoyment.

As Emblem is not by nature a PvP game, a game oriented towards minmaxing or competition versus other players, nor a Tabletop, some of our interpretations may appear somewhat different than expected. We generally have a specific reason for what we do, though many of the items seen here will just be "things we have always done" and are only now being recorded. We simply did not have a good way to record them previously.

Alterations to a ruleset in a community like Tenebrae's also come with the caveat of personal responsibility. Often referred to in part as a "gentleman's agreement" between players and DMs, in our sense it has broader implications. That is, while within a Tabletop setting, the DM may be willing to "up the ante" for a particular player, in our case we are not. This is first because of the broader changes it would imply for the MU, and secondly because it is not the intent of the game. In other words, each of us has a personal responsibility to act within consideration of our fellow players and of the game as a whole. This may also explain why staff is so cautious when allowing some features and not others.

What we have on Tenebrae is, we hope, a system of trust and community. We trust the options we provide to not be abused, though likewise we must be cautious when offering them because of Tenebrae's different needs and design (to beat a dead horse: we are not Tabletop). In a sense then, adding to this page in some cases is the very last thing we want to do.

Because Tenebrae is a community, we also trust that these alterations to things like house rules and clarifications be presented in a polite manner that is considerate of others and that they be discussed in the same way. Staff, like the rest of us, are human. We take getting snarked at as well as anyone else. Continued snarks unfortunately result in proposals being more likely to be ignored--and that's just human nature saying, "oh, so and so is just complaining again." A good analogy to this is the fable of the boy and the wolf--these are not new traits. As humans, we naturally begin to tune these out over time, or believe less that that horn really is sounding.

Conversations that become too heated may be a signal that it is time to shift topics for a while, and let even a day or so pass before drifting back to it. Even Paizo once threatened to shut down a playtest because of behavior; within a community, how we treat one another, especially with heated topics such as a favorite hobby can engender, becomes important.

So what this comes down to? We're based on a system of trust, and community. Don't abuse it, keep the nature of the game in mind, and respect your fellow players and staffers. We are not a minmax, Tabletop, or PvP game, and rather than "upping the ante" for one person, we intend to focus on the whole of the game and the benfit to its community.

Classes

Archetypes

Due to code, balance, and other issues, archetypes will not be added to the game.

Smite

Smite (from paladin, creature templates, or PrC) may apply to all spells that employ an attack roll and deal hit point damage. It is otherwise handled similarly to Sneak Attack bonus damage (it applies once per casting of scorching ray), though the range isn't limited as with SA.

Aura of Courage

You're immune to fear. This includes intimidation effects. This was an update from 3.5 that just doesn't fit the thematics of certain classes.

Bloodlines

This isn't a special rule as much as it is mentioned here to clarify. Sorcerer bloodlines are a "trace" of another race or being. A sorcerer with a fae bloodline doesn't become fey, for instance, any more than an infernal bloodline becomes a devil, or so on. There are reasons that PrCs like the Dragon Disciple exist--they take characters above and beyond the limits of the sorcerer class.

Traces are exactly that, and the PRD gives us some examples: "For example, a sorcerer might have a dragon as a distant relative or her grandfather might have signed a terrible contract with a devil."

This does not make the character any less special--it just means they're still human, dwarf, or whichever is appropriate. Something unusual, however, happened to make them the way they are and they exhibit traits fantastic beyond what's ordinary.

Weapon and Armor Training

These show on +sheets, but aren't factoring into rolls or your combat sheet (+csheet). Just a heads-up if you're wondering what's up. We're aware of the issue and are working to fix it. In the meantime, you'll need to add these to the +rolls manually.

Animal Companions

Currently, Animal Companions are set as an object in your inventory. Please have them statted up as a +cnote or +view.

Paizo recently published some clarifications to Animal Companions that we'll be using.

Equipment

Elven Curveblade: The elven curveblade is not available in Tenebrae at this time.

Headbands of Intellect: Not a rule so much as a reminder!

• Your intellect skills should be noted in your headband items. If not, please contact staff ASAP so we can fix it. If you think or know you've made an error with this, we can fix that too once we've verified.
• When leveling, do NOT put your ranks in these skills. They will go up automagically with your HD.

Circlets of Persuasion: Circlets of Persuasion are useful items, though they do not provide bonuses to concentration checks. We feel that allowing this "extra feature" would require a price increase at the very least--and risks leaving other casters in the cold, as nothing similar exists for them. As Pathfinder's worked hard to make concentration/casting in combat more dynamic, and because custom items are a pain, we'll be sticking with this interpretation--which is really just brushing up a "gray" area to something more reasonable.

Magic Item Crafting

As stated in the forums, decreasing MI crafting time isn't something we're interested in. This means we will not be reducing crafting time for rolling above the DC. Instead, Tenebrae offers a continuous crafting environment, allowing you to craft as well as adventure, and allows PCs to craft most any item within Core, so long as they meet the normal PF prerequesites. Generally also, PCs are assumed to have the materials needed.

Feats

The following feats may be taken, but require you to specify what the feat applies to via +request before using it in play: Aspect of the Beast, Preferred Spell, Favored Defense.

The following feats may only be taken via means of a +request. In the meantime, please take a 'filler' feat that staff will replace: Eldrich Claws, Rending Claws.

Magic

Breath of Life

The use of this spell is expanded somewhat to make it friendlier to a MUSH environment. It's now open to other divine casters, though at a slightly reduced effect. See the Magic page for adjustments.

Haste

The wording in haste is a little unclear, so it's being clarified here. Haste works for monks, though will not work for claw/claw/bite. Monsters get a number of attacks at a high BAB--haste for them just leads to headache.

Nobility Domain

Note that since Emblem of Ea does not use Leadership, Nobility's domain needed adjusted. Its 8th level ability has been replaced with Connections.

Races

War Golems and Rage

Our war golems have never been immune to the fatigue after rage. It's meant as a balancing feature after rage and rage powers.

Races with Spell-Like Abilities

If your race gives the option of "choose x number of 0-level spells" or something similar, please send in a +request to tell staff what you'd like. Unless you do this and it is noted on your +sheet, you are not considered to have these spells.

Miscellaneous Houserules

The following Combat Maneuvers and relating feats are approved from the APG: Dirty Trick, Drag, and Reposition. Steal, however, is not.

Touch Attacks and Weapon Finesse

Weapon finesse may benefit melee touch attacks, allowing the attack roll to be based on Dexterity rather than Strength.