Adapting 800 CE to d20/Third Edition (800 CE Supplement)

d20 Third Edition

800 CE can be used with the Third Edition. This article presents a way for the 800 CE setting to play as a low magic setting using the d20 rules set.

Alternate Rule Sets

There are many alternate rule sets based on the Third Edition. These may work better for your game. Each of these systems takes a slightly different approach to a lower-power game setting. All are highly recommended.

• Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Expanded/Diamond Throne
• The Black Company
• Iron Heroes
• E6
• E8
• Conan d20

Abilities

Use the elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8).

Alternatively, 25 point buy.

Races

The only race is Human.

Many humans are of unusual or divine descent. The DM may determine that some or all characters have a bloodline.

Classes

Base Classes

• Barbarian: A mainstay of the Germanic world, the barbarbian tradition is still strong in many European countries. Many Francish knights are actually barbarians.

• Bard: The bard is a popular profession in the Celtic countries. The bard can also make a good "adviser" style spellcaster.

• Fighter: The fighter is a mainstay of all peoples.

• Paladin: The non-magic paladin variant is popular in monotheistic nations.

• Ranger: The non-magic ranger variant is popular throughout all countries.

• Rogue: The rogue is a mainstay of all peoples.

Prestige Classes

• Cleric: Pagan clerics pick gods from their appropriate pantheons. Monotheist clerics do not have direct communion with their god. Instead, they work through angels or saints. Becoming a cleric require four levels of any class. Clerics do not gain spells above 6th level, although they still gain the slots and may use metamagics to use those slots.

• Druid: The druid is more popular in the Celtic and nomadic regions of Europe. Becoming a druid require four levels of any class. Druids use the Player's Handbook II shapechange rules. Druids do not gain spells above 6th level, although they still gain the slots and may use metamagics to use those slots.

• Sorcerer: The sorcerer is most seen among illiterate people. Becoming a sorcerer require four levels of any class. Sorcerers do not gain spells above 6th level, although they still gain the slots and may use metamagics to use those slots.

• Wizard: The wizard is mostly seen among literate peoples. Wizards are the only class that begins the game able to read. Wizards should always gain few spells. Becoming a wizards requires four levels of any class and the ability to read. Wizards do not gain spells above 6th level, although they still gain the slots and may use metamagics to use those slots.

Arcana Unearthed/Expanded Classes

Monte Cook's Arcana setting has many interesting classes that fit well within the 800 CE settings. The Akashik, Champion, Oathsworn, Ritual Warrior, Totem Warrior, Unfettered, and Warmain each bring interesting capabilities to the setting.

The magical classes of this setting have a tone that is more appropriate to this setting. These classes are available from first level.

Note that a true magic using character will gain attention, not all of it good.

Skills

The Heal skill gives access to Skill Based Healing.

No character may read unless they take they spend the skill points to read in their desired language. Only the wizard begins knowing how to read, and learns how to read all the languages that he learns. Many clerics learn to read, but many do not.

Feats

All characters gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat when their BAB equals +1 or better. A character strikes as a monk of a level equal to his BAB.

Fighters, paladins, rangers, and barbarians learn Improved Grapple at first level.

Equipment

Armor

Most armors have been developed by 800 CE. The two exceptions are partial plate and full plate. These last two armors have not been developed.

The armor table below is derived from the article Armor Construction Rules.

Table: Armor and Shields

Armor	Cost	Armor/ Shield Bonus	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	–—Speed—–		Weight1
						(30 ft.)	(20 ft.)
Cuirasses (light armor)
Reinforced Boiled Leather Lamellar Cuirass	5 gp	+1	+5	-1	15%	30 ft	20 ft	15 lbs
Boiled Leather Plate Cuirass	10 gp	+2	+6	0	10%	30 ft	20 ft	15 lbs
Reinforced Leather Plate Cuirass	40 gp	+3	+5	-1	15%	30 ft	20 ft	25 lbs
Iron Banded Cuirass	200 gp	+4	+5	-2	10%	30 ft	20 ft	25 lbs
Iron Plate Cuirass	3,175 gp	+5	+5	-2	10%	30 ft	20 ft	25 lbs
Hauberks (medium armor)
Cloth Plate Jack (Arming Doublet)	5 gp	+1	+6	-0	10%	30 ft	20 ft	10 lbs
Boiled Leather Plate Jack	50 gp	+4	+4	-2	20%	30 ft	20 ft	25 lbs
Steel Scale Jack	50 gp	+4	+3	-4	20%	20 ft	15 ft	20 lbs
Steel Lamellar Jack	150 gp	+5	+3	-4	20%	20 ft	15 ft	25 lbs
Steel Chain Hauberk	50 gp	+4	+3	-4	20%	30 ft	20 ft	25 lbs
Reinforced Steel Chain Hauberk (Plate Mail Jack)	150 gp	+5	+3	-5	25%	30 ft	20 ft	40 lbs
Armor Suits (heavy armor)
Steel Mail Suit (Chainmail suit)	100 gp	+5	+1	-6	30%	20 ft	15 ft	40 lb
Reinforced Steel Mail Suit (Plate Mail)	150 gp	+6	+0	-7	35%	20 ft	15 ft	60 lb
Steel Banded Suit	600 gp	+7	+1	-6	30%	20 ft	15 ft	40 lb
Steel Lamellar Suit	200 gp	+6	+1	-6	30%	20 ft	15 ft	45 lb

WEAPONS

During the 9th Century, many weapons of the High Middle Ages were not yet developed. Below is a listing of weapons more common to the ninth century. These weapons are usually tools that can be used as weapons.

Simple Weapons

Table: Simple Weapons

	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical	Range Increment	Weight1	Type2
LIGHT MELEE WEAPONS
Club	—	1d4	1d6	×2	10 ft.	3 lb.	Bludgeoning
Dagger, Seax, or Long Knife	2 gp	1d3	1d4	19–20/×2	10 ft.	1 lb.	Piercing or Slashing
Handaxe or Hatchet	6 gp	1d4	1d6	×3	—	3 lb.	Slashing
Mallet	—	1d3	1d4	x2	5 ft.	1 lb.	Bludgeoning
Practice Sword	1 cp	1d3	1d4	x2	—	1 lb	Bludgeoning
Threshing Flail	5 cp	1d3	1d4	x2	—	1 lb	Bludgeoning
Sickle or Falx	6 gp	1d4	1d6	x2	—	2 lbs.	Slashing
Throwing Axe	8 gp	1d4	1d6	x2	10 ft.	2 lb	Slashing
Whip (no reach)	1 sp	1d23	1d33	×2	—	2 lb.	Slashing
ONE HANDED MELEE WEAPONS
Mace, heavy	12 gp	1d6	1d8	×2	—	8 lb.	Bludgeoning
Wagoner's Axe or Broad Axe	4 gp	1d6	1d8	×2	—	4 lb.	Slashing
TWO HANDED MELEE WEAPONS
Longspear4	5 gp	1d6	1d8	×3	—	9 lb.	Piercing
Quarterstaff5	—	1d4/1d4	1d6/1d6	×2	—	4 lb.	Bludgeoning
Spear	2 gp	1d6	1d8	×3	20 ft.	6 lb.	Piercing
Splitting Maul	5 gp	1d8	1d10	x2	—	10 lbs	Bludgeoning or Slashing
Felling Axe	8 gp	1d8	1d10	x2	—	6 lb.	Slashing
RANGED WEAPONS
Crossbow, light	35 gp	1d6	1d8	19–20/×2	80 ft.	4 lb.	Piercing
Bolts, crossbow (10)	1 gp	—	—	—	—	1 lb.	—
Dart	5 sp	1d3	1d4	×2	20 ft.	1/2 lb.	Piercing
Javelin	1 gp	1d4	1d6	×2	30 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Sling	—	1d3	1d4	×2	50 ft.	0 lb.	Bludgeoning
Bullets, sling (10)	1 sp	—	—	—	—	5 lb.	—

Felling Axe: These two-handed axes are used to fell trees. They are also useful for felling opponents.

Mace: A mace is any club that has a weighted or studded head. They are easy to use and fairly brutal.

Splitting Maul: The splitting maul is used to split trunks of wood into wedges or planks. They are dull on one side and wedged on the other.

Wagoner's Axe: These broad-bladed axes are used to shape wood. They are useful as melee weapons. They are usually found among the wagoners who transport equipment for the army.

Whip: This is a cattle whip. It is used to control livestock. It is rarely used as a weapon. This whip does not have reach.

Martial Weapons

Table: Martial Weapons

	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical	Range Increment	Weight1	Type2
Light Melee Weapons
Sap	1 gp	1d43	1d63	×2	—	2 lb.	Bludgeoning
Shield, light	special	1d2	1d3	×2	—	special	Bludgeoning
Spiked armor	special	1d4	1d6	×2	—	special	Piercing
Spiked shield, light	special	1d3	1d4	×2	—	special	Piercing
Seax, Sappara, Dao, Jian	10 gp	1d4	1d6	19–20/×2	—	2 lb.	Piercing
One-Handed Melee Weapons
Battleaxe	10 gp	1d6	1d8	×3	—	6 lb.	Slashing
Spatha, Sverd, or Viking Sword	15 gp	1d6	1d8	19–20/×2	—	4 lb.	Slashing
Scimitar	15 gp	1d4	1d6	18–20/×2	—	4 lb.	Slashing
Shield, heavy	special	1d3	1d4	×2	—	special	Bludgeoning
Spiked shield, heavy	special	1d4	1d6	×2	—	special	Piercing
Two-Handed Melee Weapons
Falchion	75 gp	1d6	2d4	18–20/×2	—	8 lb.	Slashing
Greataxe	20 gp	1d10	1d12	×3	—	12 lb.	Slashing
Greatclub	5 gp	1d8	1d10	×2	—	8 lb.	Bludgeoning
Lance4	10 gp	1d6	1d8	×3	—	10 lb.	Piercing
Pole Axe4	8 gp	1d8	1d10	×3	—	10 lb.	Slashing
Scythe	18 gp	1d6	2d4	×4	—	10 lb.	Piercing or slashing
Ranged Weapons
Longbow	75 gp	1d6	1d8	×3	100 ft.	3 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 gp	—	—	—	—	3 lb.	—
Longbow, composite	100 gp	1d6	1d8	×3	110 ft.	3 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 gp	—	—	—	—	3 lb.	—
Shortbow	30 gp	1d4	1d6	×3	60 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 gp	—	—	—	—	3 lb.	—
Shortbow, composite	75 gp	1d4	1d6	×3	70 ft.	2 lb.	Piercing
Arrows (20)	1 gp	—	—	—	—	3 lb.	—

The Stirrup

A stirrup allows a rider with Mounted Combat to substitute his horse's Strength bonus for his own. This applies both to hit and to damage.

Exotic Weapons

Many weapons have yet to be developed or have not come into fashion. The greatsword is not appropriate to this time period. Should any non-period weapon come into play, that weapon is exotic.

Weapon Equivalences

d20 Term	Historical Term
Bow	Any self bow
Bow, Composite	Any recurved bow e.g. English Longbow
Greataxe	Pole Axe, Danish Axe, Dane Axe
Bastard Sword	Long Sword, Hand-and-a-half Sword
Long Spear	Pike
Long Sword	Spatha, Sverd, Viking Sword
Short Sword	Seax, Sappara, Dao, Jian
Boar Spear	Spear
Dagger	Seax, Knife
Throwing Axe	Francissca

ALCHEMICAL EQUIPMENT

Alchemical Equipment is generally not available for purchase. Characters with Craft (Alchemy) may still make these materials.

SCHEDULED BONUSES

All characters receive scheduled bonuses as they advance in level. This is to replace default equipment that they otherwise would have received and to generally lower the dependence on equipment.

Level	Bonuses	Wealth Equivalent
4.	+1 armor enhancement, +1 shield enhancement, +1 enhancement to all saves	3,000 gp
6.	+1 weapon enhancement, +1 deflection, +1 natural armor class, +1 armor enhancement, +1 shield enhancement, +1 enhancement to all saves	9,000 gp
8.	+1 weapon enhancement, +1 deflection, +1 natural armor class, +2 armor enhancement, +2 shield enhancement, +2 enhancement to all saves	18,000 gp
12.	+3 armor enhancement, +3 shield enhancement, +3 enhancement to all saves, +2 weapon enhancement, +2 deflection, +2 natural armor class	51,000 gp
14.	+3 weapon enhancement, +3 deflection, +3 natural armor class, +4 armor enhancement, +4 shield enhancement, +4 enhancement to all saves	72,000 gp
15.	+3 weapon enhancement, +3 deflection, +3 natural armor class, +5 armor enhancement, +5 shield enhancement, +5 enhancement to all saves	123,000 gp
16.	+4 weapon enhancement, +4 deflection, +4 natural armor class, +5 armor enhancement, +5 shield enhancement, +5 enhancement to all saves	171,000 gp
18.	+5 weapon enhancement, +5 deflection, +5 natural armor class, +5 armor enhancement, +5 shield enhancement, +5 enhancement to all saves	225,000 gp

Characters only gain the shield enhancement while they gain a shield bonus.

A weapon enhancement does not make a weapon magical.

A character's wealth for his level should be less than the recommended wealth by the appropriate amount.

Magic

By default, d20 Third Edition is a moderate to high level magic setting. 800 CE is a low magic setting. This can cause issues in the mood and feel of your game. There are several ways to handle this discrepancy.

1. Ignore the discrepancy and go. Treat the campaign as "inspired by history". You need change nothing. Your characters are special. Most people aren't special.
2. Lower the magic of the setting. There are many ways to do this, each with its own problems. Third edition assumes wealth and magic for the player characters. By changing the assumptions behind the game, you alter the feel and power curve of the game. You may need to use alternate rules.
3. Make all spellcasting classes prestige classes. Require a minimum level to begin casting spells.

Weapons

Magic weapon need not be +1. You could have a +0 Flaming Greataxe. Most magic weapons emphasize some special property over a numerical bonus.

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