UNEARTHED ARCANA BASED HOUSE RULES
Traits
Must be assigned at 1st Level (maximum of 2 Traits). Players should roleplaye the traits whenever possible.
Abrasive: You are difficult and demanding in conversation, which tends to oppress those around you.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Intimidate check.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Diplomacy checks and Bluff checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be loud and abrupt or quiet and sinister, but either way, most find them disconcerting or irritating.
Absent-Minded: You are facinated by knowledge and learning and are capable of pursuing complex traint of thoughts quite quickly. However, your preoccupation with such thoughts makes you a little less aware of your surroundings.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge checks (although this does not let you use a Knowledge skill untrained.)
Drawbacks: You take a -1 penalty on Spot Checks and Listen Checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might flit from idea to idea, trailing off in mid-sentence or mumbling their way through complex ideas. Conversely, characters with this trait might be extremely articulate but still allow their thougths to move faster than the pace of the conversation.
Aggressive: You are quick to initiate combat, and your tend to press the attack once battle is joined. Your enthusiasm makes you a dangerous foe, but you sometimes leave yourself open to blows that a more cautious warrior would avoid.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Armor Class.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait are often hot-headed and quick to anger, or simply think the best defense is a quick offense.
Brawler: You naturally move close to your opponents when fighting, instinctively grabbing and punching rather than striking with weapons.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on unarmed attack rolls and grapple checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on all other attack rolls.
Special: This bonus from this trait doesn't apply to natural weapons. A character with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat can't select this trait (if the character with this trait later gains that feat, he loses the trait.)
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait often disdain the use of weapons entirely, and some eventually learn more refined martial arts based on their instinctive fighting techiques. Many brawlers might not even be consciously aware that they fight differently from the other characters; they simply know that the best way to take someone out of a fight is to grab him or punch him in the face.
Cautious: You are cautious in combat, even a bit cowardly, and you take more care to defend yourself than others. However, this caution renders you susceptible to fear effects.
Benefit: You gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class whenever you fight defensively or take a total defense action.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on saving throws made to resist fear effects.
Special: You cannot select this trait if you have immunity to fear or fear effects. If you later gain immunity to fear, you lose the benefit of this trait.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might consistently urge talking rather than fighting, or they might do little to encourage that their companions avoid combat and somply remain as far away from foes as possible, using ranged weapons or spells.
Detached: You maitain a distance from events that keeps you grounded but limits your reaction speed.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Will saves.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Reflex saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait are likely to be quiet and restrained, but they might be vocal when others falter in their beliefs.
Dishonest: You are naturally deceitful and insincere with others. You have a talent for lying, but have difficulty convincing others when you do speak truthfully.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Bluff checks.
Drawbacks: You take a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be portrayed as crafty liars, or lying might simply be seond nature to them, making actually telling the truth a difficult chore.
Easygoing: You are naturally friendly. Others feel comfortable around you, but this trait also makes it more difficult for you to be pushy or suspicious.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bouns on Gather Information checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Intimidate checks and Sense Motive checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be more easily maniulated in interactions with NPC, or they might simply perfer not to argue and instead use their natural talent to learn more about the world around them.
Farsighted: You have difficulty focusing on nearby objects, but your distance vision is more keen than normal.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Spot checks.
Drawback: You gain a -2 penalty on Search checks.
Roleplaying: Characters wit this trait might be sensitive about it, or they might imply be oblivious to its presence, having never known ay different way of experiencing the world.
Focused: You can keep your attention on a task despite many distractions; however, events in the background surpass you.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bouns on Concentration checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Spot checks and Listen checks.
Roleplaying Ideas Characters with this trait often seem singleminded or even obsessive in their focus on a specific task.
Hard of Hearing: You have a slight hearing impairment, and to compensate, you have become more in tune with your other senses.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Spot checks.
Drawback: You take a -2 penalty on Listen checks.
Roleplaying: Characters with this trait might be sensitive about it, or they might simply be oblivious to its presence, having never known any different way of experiencing the world.
Hardy: You are made of tougher stuff than the average person, but you're not quite as quick a to react to dangerous effects.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Reflex saves.
Roleplaying: Characters ith this trait might see their physical prowess as normal and loo down on less hardy individuals, or they might see it as their duty to play the role of protector and help those less able to endure physical hardship.
Honest: You are naturally straightforward and sincere.This quality helps you persuade people to our viewpoint, but you have difficulty telling lies and seeing deception in others.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Drawbacks: You take a -1 penalty on Bluff checks and Sense Motive checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be naive and too unsophisticated to lie, or they might be aware of worldly matters and simply choose to take a higher ground.
Musclebound:You are good at almost everything that requires strength, but less adept than most at tasks that require coordination.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Strength-based skill checks and ability checks.
Drawback: You take a -2 penalty on Dexterity-based skill checks and ability checks.
Roleplaying ideas: Characters with this trait are likely to solve problems with physical strength rather than through trickery of finesse.
Nearsighted: You have difficulty focusing on distant objects, but our eye for detail is more keen than normal.
Benefit You gain a +1 bonus on Search checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Spot checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be sensitive about it, or they might simply be oblivious to its presence, having never known any different way of experiencing the world.
Nightsighted:You eyes are particularly well suited to using darkvision, but they are less well adapted to what others consider normal light.
Benefit: Add 10 feet to the range of your dakvision.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Spot checks when in areas of bright light.
Special: You must have darkvision as a racial ability yo have this trait.
Roleplaying Ideas: This trait might not affect a character's personality at all, but it might make the character prefer going on underground or nighttime adventures.
Passionate:You are ade of tougher stuff than the average person, but you are highly suggestible.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Will aves.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be gruff and place extreme value on overcoming physical obstacles, or conversely, their weakness against magical enchantments might leave them facinated and fearful of such things.
Plucky: You have a strength of will not reflected in your limited physical gifts.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Will saves.
Drawback: You takea -1 penalty on Fortitude saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be annoyingly positive-minded, or they might only show their mental resilience in times of dire need.
Polite: You are courteous and well spoken.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Drawbacks: You take a -1 penalty on Fortitude saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trai might be honestly polite and kind, or they ight simply be adept at mimicking social conventions to get what they want.
Quick: You are fast, but less sturdy than average members of your race.
Benefit: Your base land speed increases by 10 feet (if you don't have a land speed, apply the benefit to whichever of your speeds is highest).
Drawback: Subtract 1 from your hit points gained at each level, including first (a result of 0 is possible.)
Special: You must have a Constitution of 4 or higher to select this trait.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait typically try to stay away from physical combat, but a rare few might relish it, striving to see if their superior speed is enough to best hardier warriors.
Reckless: You naturally sacrifice accuracy to put more power behind your blows.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on damage rolls after successful melee attacks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on melee attack rolls.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be loudly passionate about entering combat and overcoming foes through strength of arms, or they might be quiet and so desperate to avoid confrontation that they put extra effort into every blow in an attempt to end the encounter more quickly.
Relentless:You don't know the meaning of "tired". You go all out until you simply can't continue.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Constitution checks and silimar checks made to continue tiring activities (see the Endurance feat for a mention of all the checks and saves to which this benefit applies.)
Drawback: Any effect or condition that would normally case you to become fatigued instead causes you to become exhausted.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait may see others as sft or weak, especially anyone who complains about being tired or fatigued. They might openly scoff at others' weaknesses or might quickly encourage them to "tough it out".
Saddleborn: You are a natural in the saddle, but you have little patience for handling animals when not riding them.
Benefit:You gain a +1 on Ride checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Handle Animal checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait rarely bother to consider animals as good for anything other than mounts, but they are extremely confident about their riding abilities.
Skinny: You are very slender for your race.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Escape Artist checks.
Drawback: You take a -2 penalty on Strength checks to avoid being bull rushed or overrun.
Roleplaying Ideas: Skinny characters tend to be pushed around to tougher types, so those with this trait might be shy, or they might be very defensive when faced with such situations.
Slippery: You are less adept at grappling and wrestling than others of your size and strength, but you are adept at slipping out of another's hold.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Escape Artist checks to escape a grapple and on grapple checks to escape a grapple or avoid being grappled.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on all other grapple checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait ight fear close combat, knowing they are less adept grapplers than most opponents. On the other hand, good escape artists with this trait might enjoy baiting larger foes into grappling them, knowing they can easily slip out of the grasp of most foes.
Slow: You are slow, but sturdier than average members of your race.
Benefit: Add +1 to your hit points gained at each level.
Drawback: Your base land speed is halved (round down to the nearest 5-foot interval.)
Special: You must have a land base speed of at least 20 feet to select this trait.
Roleplaing Ideas: Characters with this trait tend to be relatively immobile in combat. They typically prefer to wear strog armor (or other protective devices), since it's hard for them to flee a fight.
Specialized: You have a knack for one kind of work or study, but other tasks are hardier for you to accomplish.
Benefit: Choose one specific Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skill. You gain a +1 bonus on checks using this specific skill.
Drawback: You take a -2 penalty on all other checks using the same skill.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait often see themselves as elite artists or experts rather than mere professional, and they might regard their chosen vocation or study as more useful or interesting than other tasks.
Stout: You are heavy for your race.
Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus on Sense Motive checks.
Drawbacks: You take a -1 penalty on Escape Artist checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Overweight characters are often bullied, so those with this trait might be shy, or they might be very defensive when faced with such situations. Some turn to humor to defuse such situations, while others become bitter.
Suspicious: You are naturally suspicious of everyone and everthing. While this trait makes you hard to fool, it makes others slightly less likely to agree with you or find you threatening.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Sense Motive checks.
Drawbacks: You take a -1 penalty on Diplomacy checks
Roleplaying Ideas: This trait might express itself as comic levels of paranoia, or it might make the character quietly cautious about others.
Torpid: You are sluggish ad slow to react to danger, but also resistant to other's commands.
Benefit: You agin a +1 bonus on saves against enchantment (compulsion) effects.
Drawbacks: You take a -2 penalty on initiative checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Torpid characters may be seen as lazy, ot methodical and measured in their actions.
Uncivilized: You relate beter to animals than you do to people
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Handle Animal checks and wild empathy checks.
Drawbacks: You take a -1 penalty on Bluff checks, Diplomacy checks, and Gather Information checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait are likely to feel awkward in many social situations; this might be expressed as shyness and quiet behavior, or it might be expressed through an overly exuberant need to participate in conversations.
Flaws
Must be assigned at 1st Level (maximum of 2 Flaws)
Arcane Conundrum: You are unable to use your inborn magical abilities.
Prerequisite: Gnome, Cha 10+.
Effect: You may never use any spell-like abilities under any circumstances. In addition, you suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws versus spells of the illusion school.
Curious: You are easily distracted by the sights and sounds around you.
Effect: You suffer a -2 penalty on Listen and Spot checks. You also suffer a -2 penaluty on initiative rolls.
Elven Pride of Arms: You only consider those weapons designed specifically for use by the nobkest of elves to be fit to wield. Using any other object as a weapon is beneath your dignity. [Dra328]
Prerequisite: Elven blood.
Effect: You suffer a -4 penalty on attack rolls when using a weapon other than a longsword, rapier, or bow (long, short, or composite). Attacks made while fighting unarmed, touch attacks (including ranged touch attacks), or attacks made with natural weaponry also incur this penalty.
Fatigued: You become fatigued when your body is assaulted by poison or magic. [Dra328 - was Frail]
Prerequisite: Constitution 11 or lower.
Effect: Whenever you fail a Fortitude save, you become fatigued, in addition to any other effects you might suffer. This condition lasts until you get 8 hours of complete rest. This flaw applies only once to any given source that requires a Fortitude save. Failing a Fortitude save while fatigued causes you to become exhausted.
Feeble: You are unathletic and uncoordinated.
Effect: You take a -2 penalty on Strength-, Dexterity-, and Constitution-based ability checks.
Frail: You are thin and weak of frame.
Prerequisite: Constitution 4 or higher.
Effect: Subtract 1 from the number of hit points you gain at each level. This flaw can reduce the number of hit points you gain to 0 (but not below).
Free Spirited: You seek to live your life freely, unburdened by excessive material possessions.
Prerequisite: Chaotic alignment.
Effect: The weight of any gear you carry is considered double for the purpose of determining your load. For example, a half-elf with a Srength of 10 and 30 pounds of gear is treated as carrying 60 pounds, which is a medium load. In addition, any armor check penalties you have are also doubled (or tripled, in the case of making a Swim check).
Fussy:You arfe uncomfortable ingesting anything but a small range of preferred foods and drink.
Effect: You beomce sickened (no saving throw allowed) upon ingestion of any sort of potion for the duration of its effects. Potions with an instaneous duration cause you to be sickened for a period of time equal to the potion's caster level in minutes. You also suffer a -4 penalty on saving throws made against ingested potions.
Glory-Hound: You have an insatiable desire for glorious combat, fighting recklessly to prove yourself [Dra328]
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1.
Effect: You suffer a -2 penalty on AC during combat until you drop an opponent. This penalty does not apply if the combat is against a single opponent.
Grudge Keeper: You have an overpowering need for vengeance and have difficulty letting go of grudges. [Dra328]
Effects: If you are damaged in combat, you suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and ability checks until you damage the foe who caused you harm. This penalty does not apply if you cannot discern the source of the damage. This penalty disappears when the combat ends.
Half-Blood Outcast: You despise your nonhuman side.
Prerequisite:Half-elf or half-orc.
Effect: You suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks when within line of sight of an elf (if you are a half-elf) or an orc (if you are a half-orc).
Implacable: You refuse to retreat from even the most deadly of confrontations. [Dra328]
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +1.
Effects: If you move out of melee combat for any reason, you suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws for 1 hour.
Inattentive: You are particularly unaware of your surroundings.
Effect: You take a -4 penalty on Listen checks and Spot checks.
Insomniac: You have a great difficulty achieving a full and restful sleep.
Effect: In order to get a full night of rest you must succeed at a DC (10 + your ECL) Fortitude save. If you are sleeping and a disturbance wakes you during the night, you must make an additional save (at the same DC) to return to sleep. If you fail the Fortitude save you are fatigued when you rise in the morning. If you are fatigued when you rise in the morning. If you are exhausted, you gain a +6 bonus. Comfortable conditions, such as those found in most inns, grant you a +4 bonus on this save. Poor conditions, such as sleeping on the ground or in armor, give you a -4 penalty on this save. Even if you sleep poorly, you may prepare arcane spells as normal after 8 hours of fitful rest.
Magical Fascination: You have a tendency to become facinated by spells and elaborate magical effects.
Effect: You suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls and skill checks when in sight of a visible magical effect with a duration greater than instantaneous (such as dancing lights, spiritual weapon, or wall of fire spell).
Meager Fortitude: You are sickly and weak of stomach.
Effect:You take a -3 penalty on Fortitude saves.
Murky-Eyed: Your vision is obscured.
Effect:In combat, every time you attack an opponent that has concealment, roll your miss chance twice. If either or both results indicate that you miss, your attack fails.
Noncombative: You are relatively inept at melee combat.
Effect: You take a -2 penalty on all melee attack rolls.
Pathetic: You are weaker in an attribute than you should be.
Effect: Reduce one of your ability scores by 2. [Special: You cannot take this flaw if the total of your ability modifiers is 8 or higher.]
Poor Reflexes: You often zig when you should have zagged.
Effect: You take a -3 penalty on Reflex saves.
Shaky: You are relatively poor at ranged combat.
Effect: You take a -2 penalty on all ranged attack rolls.
Short Attention Span: You have little patience, causing you to have difficulty concentrating on repetitive tasks.
Effect: You suffer a -2 penalty on all skill checks made to retry an action that you previously failed. This penalty is cumulative, increasing by -2 for every failed attempt. In addition, you may not take 20 on any skill check.
Slow: You move exceptionally slow.
Effect: Your base land speed is halved (round down to the nearest 5-foot interval.) [Special: You must have a base land speed of at least 20 feet to take this flaw.]
Slow Healing: You do not heal quickly.
Prerequisite: Constitution 13 or lower.
Effect: You do not normally recover hit points or temporarily ability damage through natural healing. If you undergo complete bed rest for a full day, you may recover either 1 hit point or 1 point of temporary ability damage. In addition, any conjuration (healing) spell cast upon you works only half its caster level. For example, a cure moderate wounds cast upon you by an 8th-level cleric would only heal 2d8+4 points of damage, instead of 2d8+8 points of damage.
Stubby Fingers: You have short stubby fingers, which are not well-suited for grasping. [Dra328]
Prerequisite: Drawf, gnome, or halfling.
Effect: You suffer a -4 penalty on all attack rolls made when you use a light or one-handed weapon (natural weapons and unarmed attacks do not uncur this penalty). In addition, you suffer a -4 penalty on all Disable Device, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, and Use Rope checks.
Unreactive: You are slow to react to danger.
Effect: You take a -6 penalty on initiative checks.
Vulnerable: You are not good at defending yourself.
Effect: You take a -1 penalty to Armor Class.
Last Updated January 19, 2005
Unearthed Arcana is copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro.
