Edit History

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, Level Advancement, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must either choose a Spheres casting archetype, or an archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Advanced & Legendary Talents: Are allowed without restriction, other than those specifically banned or modified in these rules.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, encourage their use, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.  Hero Point feats are likewise allowed.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this being lower than normal WBL is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Pre-Game Crafting: Is NOT allowed.  There will, most likely, be time during the game to craft items.  If Crafting becomes a factor, we will use the Alternate Crafting Rules. 

Mundane Gear: At 15th level, I'm not going to nitpick about your character's having any mundane gear they might need. If a MUNDANE item is 25GP or less, you can have as many of them with/on you as you wish, and not have to pay for them out of your initial 50000 GP.   If you have a reasonable means of carrying it (Extradimensional Storage; Shadow Stash; a mule; or just a really big backpack), and it's not silly (ie no carrying around 5000 10' poles, unless you have a REALLY good explanation 😄), you can simply assume you have it with you, and dont need to record it on your sheet until you actually use it.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
  • Snarl The Weave: This General Feat allows you to discharge your Fated Birth motif in the normal manner outlined in the Fate sphere.  Once Discharged, the Fated Birth Motif is inactive until you rest for 8 hours.

• Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.  This counts as 8 hours of sleep for all purposes requiring 'daily rest'.

  • If you also have the Quick Rest Origin talent, you no longer need to sleep.  However, you must meditate in a quiet, restful environment for 1 hour to regain spell points. However, you are fully aware during this rest period and suffer no Perception penalties.

    • Having both of these abilities (Quick Rest & Incredible Metabolism) allows you to rest to regain SP/other daily effects TWICE in a rolling 24 hour period, rather than once.

• Keen Senses (1 point): You gain Darkvisioin 60' (or add +30' to existing Darkvision).

  • You quadruple the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 20 ft.).

  • You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

    • If you have at least 10 ranks in Perception, you reduce all range based penalties to Perception by half.  This applies to Range Increment penalties as well.

• Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round.

  • Whenever you are healed hit points by any spell, magical/alchemical item, or by an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level plus your CAM/PAM (whichever is higher).

    • Note that Fast Healing, and other continuous effects like it, do NOT trigger Quick Recovery. It must be a specific, discrete act of healing, as from a spell/item/skill.

• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. This can be done up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

For purposes of this game, the following Oath Boons are considered to be Supernatural, and WILL BE affected by areas of Anti-Magic (ie a Beholder's central eye).  Note that they will NOT be affected by other anti-magical abilities, such as the Counterspell feat, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

• Accelerated Healing
• Energy Resistance
• Enhanced Armaments
• Enhanced Defenses
• Fated Birth
• Imbued Spell
• Magical Gleaning
• Renewal
• Shielded Form
• Whisperer to the Lost

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must either choose a Spheres casting archetype, or an archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, encourage their use, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.  Hero Point feats are likewise allowed.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this being lower than normal WBL is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
  • Snarl The Weave: This General Feat allows you to discharge your Fated Birth motif in the normal manner outlined in the Fate sphere.  Once Discharged, the Fated Birth Motif is inactive until you rest for 8 hours.

• Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.  This counts as 8 hours of sleep for all purposes requiring 'daily rest'.

  • If you also have the Quick Rest Origin talent, you no longer need to sleep.  However, you must meditate in a quiet, restful environment for 1 hour to regain spell points. However, you are fully aware during this rest period and suffer no Perception penalties.

    • Having both of these abilities (Quick Rest & Incredible Metabolism) allows you to rest to regain SP/other daily effects TWICE in a rolling 24 hour period, rather than once.

• Keen Senses (1 point): You gain Darkvisioin 60' (or add +30' to existing Darkvision).

  • You quadruple the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 20 ft.).

  • You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

    • If you have at least 10 ranks in Perception, you reduce all range based penalties to Perception by half.  This applies to Range Increment penalties as well.

• Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round.

  • Whenever you are healed hit points by any spell, magical/alchemical item, or by an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level plus your CAM/PAM (whichever is higher).

• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. This can be done up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

For purposes of this game, the following Oath Boons are considered to be Supernatural, and WILL BE affected by areas of Anti-Magic (ie a Beholder's central eye).  Note that they will NOT be affected by other anti-magical abilities, such as the Counterspell feat, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

• Accelerated Healing
• Energy Resistance
• Enhanced Armaments
• Enhanced Defenses
• Fated Birth
• Imbued Spell
• Magical Gleaning
• Renewal
• Shielded Form
• Whisperer to the Lost

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must either choose a Spheres casting archetype, or an archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, encourage their use, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.  Hero Point feats are likewise allowed.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this being lower than normal WBL is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
  • Snarl The Weave: This General Feat allows you to discharge your Fated Birth motif in the normal manner outlined in the Fate sphere.  Once Discharged, the Fated Birth Motif is inactive until you rest for 8 hours.

• Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.  This counts as 8 hours of sleep for all purposes requiring 'daily rest'.

  • If you also have the Quick Rest Origin talent, you no longer need to sleep.  However, you must meditate in a quiet, restful environment for 1 hour to regain spell points. However, you are fully aware during this rest period and suffer no Perception penalties.

    • Having both of these abilities (Quick Rest & Incredible Metabolism) allows you to rest to regain SP/other daily effects TWICE in a rolling 24 hour period, rather than once.

• Keen Senses (1 point): You gain Darkvisioin 60' (or add +30' to existing Darkvision).

  • You quadruple the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 20 ft.).

  • You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

    • If you have at least 10 ranks in Perception, you reduce all range based penalties to Perception by half.  This applies to Range Increment penalties as well.

• Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round.

  • Whenever you are healed hit points by any spell, magical/alchemical item, or by an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level plus your CAM/PAM (whichever is higher).

• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. This can be done up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must either choose a Spheres casting archetype, or an archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.

• Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.  This counts as 8 hours of sleep for all purposes requiring 'daily rest'.

  • If you also have the Quick Rest Origin talent, you no longer need to sleep, however, you must meditate for 1 hour to regain spell points. However, you are fully aware during this rest period and suffer no Perception penalties.

    • Having both of these abilities allows you to rest to regain SP/other daily effects TWICE in a rolling 24 hour period, rather than once.

• Keen Senses (1 point): You gain Darkvisioin 60' (or add +30' to existing Darkvision).

  • You quadruple the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 10 ft.).

  • You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

    • If you have at least 10 ranks in Perception, you reduce all range based penalties to Perception by half.  This applies to Range Increment penalties as well.

• Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round.

  • Whenever you are healed hit points by any spell, magical/alchemical item, or by an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level plus your CAM/PAM (whichever is higher).

• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. This can be done up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must choose a Spheres casting archetype, or a vanilla archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.

• Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.  This counts as 8 hours of sleep for all purposes requiring 'daily rest'.

  • If you also have the Quick Rest Origin talent, you no longer need to sleep, however, you must meditate for 1 hour to regain spell points. However, you are fully aware during this rest period and suffer no Perception penalties.

    • Having both of these abilities allows you to rest to regain SP/other daily effects TWICE in a rolling 24 hour period, rather than once.

• Keen Senses (1 point): You gain Darkvisioin 60' (or add +30' to existing Darkvision).

  • You quadruple the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 10 ft.).

  • You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

    • If you have at least 10 ranks in Perception, you reduce all range based penalties to Perception by half.  This applies to Range Increment penalties as well.

• Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round.

  • Whenever you are healed hit points by any spell, magical/alchemical item, or by an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level plus your CAM/PAM (whichever is higher).

• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. This can be done up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Since this is a private game, please create a PUBLIC thread in the Chosen folder when you're ready to start your character. If you have things you wish to keep secret, go ahead and put them into Private tags.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must choose a Spheres casting archetype, or a vanilla archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.

• Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.  This counts as 8 hours of sleep for all purposes requiring 'daily rest'.

  • If you also have the Quick Rest Origin talent, you no longer need to sleep, however, you must meditate for 1 hour to regain spell points. However, you are fully aware during this rest period and suffer no Perception penalties.

    • Having both of these abilities allows you to rest to regain SP/other daily effects TWICE in a rolling 24 hour period, rather than once.

• Keen Senses (1 point): You gain Darkvisioin 60' (or add +30' to existing Darkvision).

  • You quadruple the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 10 ft.).

  • You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

    • If you have at least 10 ranks in Perception, you reduce all range based penalties to Perception by half.  This applies to Range Increment penalties as well.

• Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round.

  • Whenever you are healed hit points by any spell, magical/alchemical item, or by an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level plus your CAM/PAM (whichever is higher).

• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. This can be done up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Since this is a private game, please create a PUBLIC thread in the Chosen folder when you're ready to start your character. If you have things you wish to keep secret, go ahead and put them into Private tags.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

If you'd like to try something a bit snazzier, @bwatford has created some pretty slick templates for applications (among other things). Feel free to use one of his if you wish, though make sure to thank him for his hard work as well.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must choose a Spheres casting archetype, or a vanilla archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. They can do this up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Since this is a private game, please create a PUBLIC thread in the Chosen folder when you're ready to start your character. If you have things you wish to keep secret, go ahead and put them into Private tags.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like.

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must choose a Spheres casting archetype, or a vanilla archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. They can do this up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Since this is a private game, please create a PUBLIC thread in the Chosen folder when you're ready to start your character. If you have things you wish to keep secret, go ahead and put them into Private tags.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like. !

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.  Just copy the Source from that post into the Source of your own post, save it, then you can edit it as you wish.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must choose a Spheres casting archetype, or a vanilla archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. They can do this up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.

FYI: The Archives of Nethys PathFinder SRD and the Spheres of Power and Might Wiki will be the primary online sources for mechanics information for this game.
 

No other third party sites or material will be allowed as sources.

For those that find navigating it easier, or simply prefer it's design, they may also reference the D20PFSRD. However, be aware that no 3PP material listed on that site is allowed either (Including the material they have for Spheres. Please use the Spheres Wiki.)

Ultimate Spheres of Power: We will be using the USoP materials, as listed on the SoP/M site.

Be sure to check back occasionally. I'll try to keep this thread updated with any major rules changes as things come up during the character creation process.

Since this is a private game, please create a PUBLIC thread in the Chosen folder when you're ready to start your character. If you have things you wish to keep secret, go ahead and put them into Private tags.

Now, on to the meat of the thing...
 

Name: This should, hopefully, be self explanatory.

Race: Players can be any race they wish, including traditional Monster races. However, this will be strictly window dressing.  More information can be found below.

Class: Please list your Classes and Archetypes, including links, for easy reference.

Gender: Does your character have boy parts, or girl parts? Or both? Or neither?

Age: All PC's must be at least Adults of their respective races. You are highly experienced Monster Hunters, and, as such, no kids allowed. You can be older if you wish, for roleplaying purposes, however this will have no mechanical effect on your character's stats (see below for more info).

Physical Description: A paragraph or two is all that's required, unless you really want to get very detailed. A picture is required. In addition to giving us all something to look at, I will be turning your pics into tokens for when we need maps. If you need assistance finding an appropriate pic, let me or your fellow players know. My own Google Fu is strong, as, I'm sure, are several others.

Personality Profile: A paragraph or two that outlines the character's basic personality. Again, you can be more detailed if you like. !

Background: A reasonably detailed background for your character. It should be at least 4 or 5 decent sized paragraphs, at a minimum. Again, make it as long and detailed as you wish. I love to read good writing, and if your Muse decides they want you to write a novella, I'll happily read it.

This should include the reason why you joined the Monster Hunter's Guild, as well as at least a brief highlight or two of your long and storied career. Again, it doesn't have to be a novel (unless you want it to be).

Character Sheets: Finally, a link to your Character SheetsYou'll be creating two of them for your character. One magical and one non-magical. See below for more info.. You can use the Pathfinder or Pathfinder (Experimental) sheet, your choice. If you use a custom form for creation, that's fine (and a link would be helpful, but isn't required), but by game start, all relevant info will need to be on a standard MW sheet.

If you have a preferred application template, please feel free to use it. If not, there is a template in the last post of this thread that you can use.

Or, if you'd rather, you can simply include all of the required information in paragraph form. My primary concern is that the information is available and in a format that makes it easy for me to read.
 

Race: As noted, PC's can be any PC or Monster race they choose, as this will be, essentially, fluff, since you will be customizing your characters mechanics. Please see the Racial Options post, below, for more information.

Stats: Rather than use the Standard Pathfinder Point Buy, all characters have a pool of 140 points which can be divided up amongst your stats as you please, on a 1:1 basis. You will not gain any additional points from class, race (Origin), magic items, Oaths, etc. You cannot go below 10 or above 40 on any single stat. If you have a class feature that increases one or more stats, take a bonus feat for each stat so increased (so if a class gave you a bonus to 'All Physical Stats', you would gain 3 bonus feats).

NOTE: Temporary bonuses to stats (such as from talents like Physical Enhancement, and similar) still work as normal.

(NOTE: This is shamelessly stolen (though slightly modified) from @Zannewmar's L20 game that I'm currently playing in. *Hat Tip, Z! I only steal from the best. 😄*)

Gestalt: Characters will be built as Gestalt using 'standard' PF Gestalt rules, with a few modifications - See below.

Level: Characters will start the game at Level 15. Depending on how things go, I could potentially see the PC's going up 3 to possibly 5 levels. The challenges will be commensurate with this. Level ups will be by milestone, not XP.

Class: All Spheres Classes and Archetypes are available, as are all archetypes for Vanilla classes (unless noted otherwise). Classes (on the main Spheres Wiki page) marked 3PP (Reaper; Necros, etc) are allowed, but Archetypes for base classes that are not allowed (ie the Epoch Walker Soulknife Archetype), are likewise not allowed.

The Trinity Angel and Trinity Knight PrC's are specifically disallowed.

Multiclassing is allowed, but please keep it to no more than 2 classes + 1PrC per Side. For PrC's, all prereqs must be taken on the same side.

Vancian Casting is strictly disallowed. If you choose to play a Vanilla class that has Vancian Casting, you must choose a Spheres casting archetype, or a vanilla archetype that removes Vancian casting altogether. There are no exceptions to this rule.

If you somehow gain a class feature that is Vancian, then you simply retain it and it works as normal. Trying to convert SLA's to Spheres is headache inducing.

Variant Multiclassing: Is Allowed

Custom Martial, Casting, and Unified Traditions: Are all allowed. If you cannot find a Tradition that fits your character, then feel free to create a new one (or tweak and existing one). All Custom traditions will need to be requested/approved in your character thread. Custom Traditions must have a conceptual theme, as well as a small, fluff writeup which fits the character's backstory.

If both sides of your Gestalt would entitle you to a Martial Tradition, instead, take 2 Equipment talents of your choice for the second tradition.

Feats: Characters gain one feat per level.

Teamwork Feats: All characters gain 1 Teamwork Feat for every 4 Character Levels (so 3 at game start).

In addition, members of the Hunter's Guild share an innate connection to one another, thanks to the Guild magic infused into them. Whenever you are within 50' of another Hunter's Guild member, they are considered to have all of the same Teamwork feats as you, for purposes of your use of your Teamwork feats, even if they do not possess those particular Teamwork feats themselves. This applies to ALL Teamwork feats that you possess, not just these bonus feats.

ie: If you have the Back to Back feat, and there are two other Hunter's Guild members adjacent to you, you gain +4 AC to Flanking, even if neither of them has that particular TW Feat.

This is a Supernatural Ability

Cantrip Feat: All Spherecasters gain the Cantrip Feat for free.

Combat Stamina: All characters who have Full BAB receive the Combat Stamina feat for free. Additional Combat Stamina feats may be taken as normal.

Feat Taxes: We WILL be using the Feat Tax rules. If you gain a feat from a class feature that you would get for free through the Feat Tax relief, you may choose another feat of the same type (General for General, Combat for Combat, etc).

NOTE: Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple are combined into the following, single feat.

Skills: We WILL be using the Background Skills rules.

Traits: All characters gain three Traits and may take a fourth by taking a Drawback. Two Traits can be traded for a Feat, if the player so desires, though this can only be done once.

Campaign Traits are NOT allowed, nor are 3PP traits, unless they come from the Spheres wiki.

Favored Class Bonus: See Racial Origin post, below

Hero Points: I am rather fond of Hero Points, and tend to award them often. All PC's will start the game with 3 Hero Points, and can have a maximum of 10 at any given time.

Spheres: There will some Talents, as well as entire Spheres, that will be changed or disallowed for this game. Please see the post below for additional information.

NOTE: The Leadership, Pilot and Tech Martial Spheres are specifically banned, as is the Leadership feat. Beastmastery is allowed, but you are limited to a One Familiar and One Animal Companion total. The Conjuration Magical Sphere is likewise allowed, but see the restrictions below.

Alignment: Dont like it, dont use it, couldn't care less about it. That said, one of the key themes of the story will likely be characters from wildly different walks of life, with varying moral and ethical frameworks, being thrown together to accomplish a specific task, and who are united by a shared bond as members of the Monster Hunter's Guild. Esprit de Corps and all that.

As such, characters with an explicit Code of Conduct are not recommended, unless it's flexible enough to allow you to help commit acts that would normally transgress your 'alignment' in pursuit of larger goals. Evil characters should be more "Star Wars" or "Moriarty" evil than "deranged cannibal serial killer" evil.

Mechanical speaking, disregard all Alignment based powers and abilities as well. If a talent has an Alignment component, but otherwise has non-alignment related abilities, the Alignment based ones are disregarded but the talent otherwise works as normal. If one of your classes has an alignment restriction (ie Paladin), then I will expect you to create/borrow a Code of Conduct and follow it, but note the caveat above.

Hit Points: Max for all levels.

Guns: No Capes!...err...sorry. No guns.

Cash, Moolah, Scratch, Chedder, etc: 50,000 GP. This can all be spent on a single item or on any combination of them. The reason for this is that, as one progresses in the ranks of the Guild, one is infused with Guild magics that enhance one's personal prowess. This is reflected by the Oath Points you'll be given.

Oaths: All PC's will receive free Oath Points that they may spend as they wish. PC's will start the game with 20 Oath Points (5 Plus 1/Character Level). As you level up, you will gain additional points, and may retrain any number of Oath Points whenever you level up.

Additionally, players may take up to 10 additional points worth of Oaths, should they wish. The Oath of Poverty, Oath of Offerings, and Oath of Wardenship are specifically disallowed, as are the Esteemed Leader and Improved Aristeia Oath Boons. Note that, if you do take additional oaths, it will come up during play. After all, a disadvantage that isn't a disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage.

Oath Boons: The Enhanced Abilities Oath Boon is disallowed.

The following Oath Boons are available for players to choose, in addition to the standard ones.

• Fated Birth (Ex) (1 point): Some circumstance of your birth held special significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as a Supernatural effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest to regain spell points.
  
  This Boon may be taken up to three times, representing either astrological, spiritual, or aetherial significance.
• You may trade one Feat for two Oath Points. They can do this up to 5 times, for up to an additional 10 Oath Points (this counts towards your additional 10 point maximum). You may not use bonus feats, regardless of source, for this trade. If you do this, you are NOT allowed to take the Bonus Feats Oath Boon.
• The Bonus Feats Oath Boon is modified, as follows: Note that if you take this Boon, you are NOT allowed to trade any feats (at all) for bonus Oath Points.

  Oath Points	Bonus Feats Gained
  1 Oath Point	8th, 16th
  2 Oath Points	6th, 12th, 18th
  3 Oath Points	4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th
  4 Oath Points	3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
  5 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th

• The Bonus Talents Oath Boon is modified, as follows:

  Oath Points	Bonus Talents Gained
  1 Oath Point	7th, 14th, 20th
  2 Oath Points	4th, 9th, 14th, 19th
  3 Oath Points	2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th
  4 Oath Points	2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th
  5 Oath Points	Every even level.