2-Neal

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This Document covers the current rule changes from the 2^nd Edition Player's Handbook that are used in Neal Pass Erickson's campaigns. These changes have been given the nickname 2.Neal.

Chapter 1: Ability Scores

Strength

Bonus to damage from strength cannot exceed the weight of the weapon that is being wielded. Example: A bonus to dagger damage maxes out at +1.

New stat: Perception

Not used in several of the 2e campaigns

Perception takes surprise adjust from Dexterity and illusion immunity from Intelligence.

Chapter 2: Player Character Races

Handedness

When a character is created, they may roll a d10 for handedness. On a 10, the character is ambidextrous. See Ambidexterity in Chapter 9 for more details.

Aging Effects

Rather than age affecting specific physical or mental stats, the player may choose where place their bonuses and penalties.

• 1st level of aging: Players take a total penalty of 2 to their physical stats, and gain a bonus of 1 to their mental stats.
• 2nd level of aging: Players take 5 more penalties to physical stats, and gain another 1 bonus to mental.
• 3rd level of aging: Players take another 3 penalties to physical stats, and gain another bonus of 2 to mental stats.

For example, at 45 years of age, a player might decide their human rogue takes a penalty of 2 to their con. All that living on rations and mucking around in swamps has taken a toll on his health. He's got ulcers and internal scarring from pneumonia has left him short of breath. Or the player might decide that he takes a -1 to dex and str. He's not as spry as he used to be, his hands are beginning to tremble a little, and it's got him scared that he's losing his edge. He's certainly not going to tell anyone about it, but his mortality is looming.

Chapter 3: Player Character Classes

Ranger

Rangers are automatically ambidextrous. See Ambidexterity in Chapter 9 for more details.

Wizard

• Rolls d6 instead of d4 for HP
• See new Wizard Variant

Rogue General

• Rolls d8 instead of d6 for HP
• To Hit bonuses of ⅔ per level (same a clerics)
• See the Thief Rebuild 2e for new Thief Variant

Chapter 4: Alignment

No changes.

Chapter 5: Proficiencies

Proficiencies

See new Non-Weapon Proficiencies and their Descriptions.

Each extra slots spent on a proficiency adds +2 to that skill, instead of +1.

Proficiency Checks

To make a proficiency check, one rolls a d20 and adds the related skill. A 21 is needed for success. Opposed rolls are won by the highest roll (as long as one is a success).

Weapon Proficiencies

Crossbow does not require a proficiency slot to use.

Bows require 2 proficiency slots to use. Penalties to hit are not reduced with only 1 slot.

Ambidexterity can be purchased for 1 slot by warriors or rogues. This is the exact same rule from Player's Option: Combat & Tactics.

Chapter 6: Money and Equipment

Money

Copper is the default currency that values are expressed in.

• Platinum is worth 200 copper.
• Mithril is worth 2,000 copper.

Armor Class

AC starts at 10 and increments up rather than down. Armor still gives the same bonus, but it is now added rather than subtracted.

Equipment

See new gear lists, including weapons and armor which have been significantly changed

Getting Into and Out of Armor

Out of combat, single piece armors (chainmail, leather, studded leather, robes, etc.) require a single round to put on, with or without help.

Chapter 7: Magic

Learning Spells

Wizards learning spells take d2 days per spell level to learn their spells. The Ld2 is rolled in secret by the DM, who also rolls the chance of success in secret. If the spell is learned, the player is informed after Ld2 days. If the spell is failed, the player is informed of their failure after a max roll of Ld2.

Spell Level Replacement

You may memorize lower level spells with higher level spell slots. There is no bonus to these spells. For example, instead of memorizing a 9th level spell, you may memorize any spell of 1st-8th level.

Spell Memorization

To memorize spells a caster must be “well rested”. Casting a spell ends this rested period, with a grace period for the first hour. In the first hour of waking from restful sleep, a caster may still memorize spells even if they have already cast a spell. After this 1 hour period has ended, no further spells may be memorized.

Example: A wizard with 2 empty 1st level spell slots wakes up, spends 20 minutes memorizing their spells, casts one of them, and then re-memorizes it. This process takes 31 minutes (3 spell learnings @ 10 minutes each, and 1 spell cast at @ 1 minute each).

Example 2: A wizard with an empty 3rd level spell slot wakes up, spends 30 minutes memorizing a spell, casts it, and then re-memorizes it. This process takes 61 minutes, so the 2nd memorization fails and the wizard now has an empty 3rd level spell slot.

Mana System (Optional)

See Wizard Rebuild 2e for details on the optional Mana System.

Spellbook

Each spell requires a number of pages equal to its level plus 0-5 (1d6-1) additional pages

A wizard's spellbook is an ever growing collection of notes about the nature of magic, and the caster's personal insights and discoveries. All mages start play with a simple spellbook and are assumed to be adding to it along their journey, filling it up after roughly 1 level. A particularly fast or slow-paced campaign may wish to bend this rule. Each new level requires a new spellbook, which can begin to get burdensome rather quickly for the wizard on the go. Those that wish to devote the time and resources may create a travelling spellbook.

A travelling spellbook is a condensed version (50 pages) of their accumulated knowledge, containing everything they have learned up until that point in organized chaos and shorthand. It is assumed that as a wizard advances in level, s/he becomes better at condensing information so a travelling spellbook should usually be the same size, regardless of caster level.

If a wizard does not have access to their spellbook (either a travelling book of past levels and a book for the current level, or all the books), they cannot learn new spells (nor gain MP from studying if using the optional Mana System). Replacing lost spellbooks is an expensive and time consuming ordeal. In the best case situation, the wizard has all their spellbooks accessible somewhere and only lost a travelling spellbook, in which case the normal rules for creating it apply. Should a wizard lose all their books, they must be recreated, which takes a number of months equal to the cumulative sum of the wizard's level. That is to say, at first level it takes 1 month, at 2nd it takes 3, at 3rd it takes 6 months, at 4th it takes 10, etc. If the wizard has access to partial notes, or other forms of the spells they know, this time can be reduced (proportionately to the recovered information).

Chapter 8: Experience

No changes.

Chapter 9: Combat

THAC0

THAC0 is removed. In its place, characters gain a bonus to hit (based on their THAC0 difference from 20).

Formula:

Bonus to hit = 20 - Thac0

Bonus to hit based on class and level
	Level
Group	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Cleric	0	0	1	2	2	3	4	4	5	6	6	7	8	8	9	10	10	11	12	12
Thief	0	0	1	2	2	3	4	4	5	6	6	7	8	8	9	10	10	11	12	12
Fighter	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
Wizard	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	5	5	6	6

Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity gives a character two primary hands. If dual wielding weapons, each hand is at a -2. High dexterity can offset these penalties as usual.

Attack Roll

To make an attack, roll a d20, add your bonus for level, specialization, and any other combat modifiers. Compare this result to the target AC. If the modified roll equals or exceeds the target AC, a hit is scored. Natural 20 is always a hit, and natural 1 is always a miss.

Critical Hits and Critical Misses

Note: This section was removed from use on May 6, 2021 but is left for reference for older campaigns

A critical hit is scored on a natural 18 or greater where the modified attack roll exceeds the target AC by 5 or more; or, when a natural 17 or less is rolled and the modified attack roll exceeds the target AC by 10 or more.

Critical hits have three levels: Crit, double crit, and triple crit. For every 5 points above the AC of the target, a critical hit is scored as long as the attack roll was a natural 18 or greater. A critical hit can still be scored on a natural roll of 17 or less if the target AC is cleared by 10 or more.

Critical	Clear AC by (nat 18+)	Clear AC by (nat 17-)	Damage Dice Added
Critical Hit	5	10	1
Double Crit	10	20	2
Triple Crit	15	30	3

Level Drain

Players get a Save vs. Spell to avoid the level drain.

Unarmed Attack against Armed Opponents

An unarmed opponent making an attack against an armed opponent creates an opportunity attack at +4 to hit (not damage). A touch attack does not provoke such an opportunity attack - the (spellcaster usually) attacker doesn't need to commit to the attack in the same way as throwing a punch. Furthermore, touch attacks only take into account dex, shield, and magical bonuses to AC, therefore ignoring armor.

Chapter 10: Treasure

No changes.

Chapter 11: Encounters

No changes.

Chapter 12: NPCs

No changes.

Chapter 13: Vision and Light

Infravision

Infravision is qualified as low light vision. It requires some small amount of light (stars, candles, bioluminescent moss, etc.) to function. Infravision is useless in pitch black.

Chapter 14: Time and Movement

No changes.

(Note: In some shows Neal has ruled standing up from prone is a half-move, not a full move action. But this isn't 100% implemented across all shows.)

Appendix 3: Wizard Spells

See spell list: http://regalgoblins.com/spells.php