The rules listings are given by chapter and section; the section headers referred to are typically the purple 18 pt headers, as opposed to the red 18 pt sub headers (in the Tome of Help, the purple headers appear as books, and the red headers appear as the pages that branch from the books). The number of pages is the approximate number of printed pages the section takes up in the hardcover edition of the Player's Handbook and Player's Option: Skills and Powers book (each printed page approximately corresponds to a little less than two digital pages in the rtf files). I've given the number of printed pages instead of the number of digital pages because I want to give a sense of how much reading it is, as if you were to sit down and read the actual book (which is a standard 8½ x 11 inch rulebook, with two columns and slightly reduced margins). Ranges indicate that the number of pages varies based on selections you make in character creation, a tilde (~) indicates a very approximate value (for items where a few of the available options have very long descriptions compared to the others), and "<½" indicates a very short section of less than half a page. Any optional rules within a section are noted as either being in effect or not; otherwise, notes are only given when there's something relevant to say.
These rules include all the information you need to know about your character in order to play them and start them off in the game, as well as the minimum combat rules you need to know in order to fight. These rules total around 25-30 pages, depending on the specific choices you make. In general, spell casters have more to read, since their abilities are more complicated (sections essential to spell casters but not to other classes are noted as such).
| Chapter | Section(s) | Pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 2 | Your race only | 1-2½ | Chapter 2 of the PHB is mostly obselete, since we are using the Player's Option: Skills and Powers rules. Instead, you should refer to chapter 3 of that book. The first paragraph under each race gives a good summary of their characteristics, and should be sufficient for you to choose a race. Once you do choose a race, you should know all the details about it, according to how you customize it (consider the sample race kits to be reccommended readings, not required). |
| Chapter 3 | Your class only | 2-3 | Similarly, chapter 3 of the PHB is mostly obselete when using S&P. Classes are described in chapter 4 of that book. The first paragraph under each class should have enough info to decide which class you want to play. However, once you do choose a class, you should know all the details about it, according to how you customize it. If you'd like to play a multi- or duel-classed character, you should read the appropriate section for that as well (located in chapter 3 of the PHB). Additionally, if you'd like to play a spellcaster, there are additional class options in the Player's Option: Spells ad Magic book. |
| Chapter 5 | All | 0 | While we will be using both weapon and nonweapon proficiencies, these have been changed in Skills and Powers and should be read there in chapters 6 and 7. You may defer reading these until we actually sit down and create your character, though browsing the available proficiency lists for your character class to see what strikes your eye in advance will speed the process up. |
| Chapter 6 | Starting Money | <½ | |
| Equipment Lists (Tables 44-46) | 4 | The equipment tables should be skimmed so you know what's available for your starting equipment. | |
| Equipment Descriptions (purchased items only) | <½ | You should know the details of the equipment you buy. Under the Armor header, note that AC values have been reversed over 10, so that now the higher the value, the better the protection (Table 46 has been updated to reflect this on the Tables page). See the House Rules for details. | |
| Chapter 7 | All | 8 | Essential reading for spell casters only (priests, wizards, bards). Recommended reading for rangers and paladins; optional reading for other character classes. The Spell Components optional rule is in effect for verbal and somatic (gesture) components; material components are still to be determined. |
| Chapter 9 | Definitions | ½ | All you really need to do is skim the list for terms you don't know. Also, note that "THAC0" is being replaced by "fighting" in the House Rules, and AC is similarly reworked, so that higher numbers are better, instead of lower numbers. |
| The Attack Roll | 1 | These two sections have been modified in the House Rules; the concepts are still the same, but the die rolls have been reworked in a more pleasing fashion. Table 53 has been modified accordingly on the Tables page. The optional rule Weapon Type vs. Armor modifiers is not being used. | |
| Calculating THAC0 | <½ | ||
| The Combat Round | ½ | ||
| The Combat Sequence | ½ | ||
| Initiative | 2 | The group initiative and weapon speed optional rules are both in effect. Individual Initiative may be used in select situations. | |
| The Saving Throw | 1½ | The procedure for making a saving throw (as well as table 60) has been slightly altered in the House Rules; Table 60 has been updated accordingly on the Tables page. | |
| Turning Undead | 1 | Clerics and Paladins only; optional for other classes. | |
| Chapter 14 | Table 64 | <½ | Table 64 gives base movement rates (units vary by situation, but what's important is to see the relative movement rates of the races). This can be important when deciding what race to play. |
| Appendix 1 | All | 1-2 | Essential reading for spell casters only (priests, wizards, bards). Recommended reading for rangers and paladins; optional reading for other character classes. As with other tables, this is to let you know what's available, so you can read the spell description for anything that catches your eye. A more complete list of spells is available in the appendicies of the Player's Option: Spells and Magic book. |
| Appendix 2 | All | 2 | Redundant with portions of chapter 7. Take your pick of where you read it (essential for spell casters only). |
| Appendix 3 | Chosen spells only | ~1-2 | Wizards (and Bards) should know the details of the spells they have in their spell book. The rest is recommended. Optional reading for non-wizards. |
| Appendix 4 | Chosen spells only | ~1-2 | Priests should know the details of the spells they have access to. The rest is recommended. Optional reading for non-priests. |
Recommended readings mostly expand your role playing options a bit by letting you know a few alternate actions that are available, as well as letting you know what your fellow adventures are capable of. For example, you might suggest that another party member use an appropriate racial or class ability that they hadn't considered using in order to solve a problem. Also covered here are common situations, such as surprise, that you'll probably want to look up once it comes up. 29 pages total.
| Chapter | Section(s) | Pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | All | 6 | Ability scores are mostly self-explanatory, but some of the entries on tables 1-6 may need explanation when the time comes to use them. I use method V for determining ability scores. The Maximum Number of Spells per Level optional rule is in effect. Also, Skills and Powers alters the ability scores slightly by dividing each score into two; just browse the tables in S&P chapter 2 and you'll get the idea. |
| Chapter 2 | All other races | 4½-5 | It's nice to know a bit about your comrades' racial abilities. |
| Chapter 3 | All other classes | 24 | It's nice to know a bit about your comrades' class abilities, too. |
| Chapter 6 | Specific Encumbrance | 1 | Encumbrance optional rule is in effect (Specific encumbrance, not basic encumbrance). Encumbrance and mounts is in effect, but logically cannot be used until the PCs obtain mounts. |
| Chapter 9 | Movement in Combat | ½ | |
| Missile Weapons in Combat | 2 | ||
| Chapter 11 | The Surprise Roll | 1 | |
| Chapter 14 | All | 5½ | The Running and Jogging optional rule is in effect. |
Optional readings are similar to recommended readings, but cover options that are less useful or situations that come up less frequently. Most of these are also quickly and easily explainable on the fly by the DM and thus need not be read. Most of the shorter ones are more rules for the DM than for the players anyway.
| Chapter | Section(s) | Pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 4 | All | 4 | The descriptions on the join page should be sufficient to get an understanding of what Alignments are all about. If you're still confused after reading them, you can read the chapter for an example or two of alignments in action. |
| Chapter 5 | All other nonweapon proficiency descriptions | 9 | |
| Chapter 8 | All | 1 | |
| Chapter 9 | All other sections | 7 | The Parrying optional rule is in effect as a combat option. |
| Chapter 10 | All | 3 | |
| Chapter 11 | All other Sections | 1 | |
| Chapter 12 | All | 3 | |
| Chapter 13 | All | 1 |
These rules have been replaced in the House Rules section; they are important to know, but you should read them there, not in the Player's Handbook, as there are significant differences. Also included here are any large sections of optional rules not in effect (namely, the Secondary Skills rule in chapter 5). Any tables that have been altered as a result of these rules changes are indicated on the Tables page.
| Chapter | Section(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 5 | Weapon Proficiencies | We're using the weapon proficiency system from the Player's Option Combat and Tactics book. You can read it there, or you can read my condensed version on the House Rules page. |
| Secondary Skills | Secondary skills are not being used in favor of nonweapon proficiencies. | |
| Chapter 9 | Attacking with Two Weapons | This section has been replaced by the Two Weapon Fighting Style weapon proficiency. For details, see the House Rules. |
This section deals with any rules that aren't 100% clear in the Player's Handbook. I can't think of many of these on my own, but if you have any rules questions, ask about it, and the answer will be posted here for the benefit of everyone.
| Chapter | Section(s) | Specifics |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 3 | Wizard | In the paragraph starting "Whenever a wizard discovers..." it should be noted that a wizard is never forced to try to learn a spell simply because he read the instructions for it. Before learning a spell, the wizard will always know just what spell it is he is attempting to learn, and will have the choice of whether or not he wants to learn it at all. |