adapted
The game follows the System Reference Document 3.5 as closely as real-time play allows. Every deliberate difference is listed here in player terms. Entries elsewhere in this handbook that change a rule link back to an item on this page from their adaptations: field and explain the change in their "In our game" section.
The engineering source of truth is the adaptation register in the rules design. A change to it requires a recorded decision, and this page follows it. Nothing below is a claim that the engine already implements it. Implemented behaviour is linked from each rules chapter's "Our implementation" note.
Time and pacing
| ID | SRD rule | In our game | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
time-rounds | Rounds are a turn-based abstraction of about 6 seconds. | A round is 6 seconds of real time, and the world keeps running. Everyone acts at once. | Real-time play, as in Neverwinter Nights, with single-player and multiplayer as the same game. |
time-calendar | Hours and days pass at the table's pace. | Effects lasting hours or days, resting and the calendar use a compressed game calendar that the module sets (for example, 1 game hour = 2 real minutes). | Long durations must be playable in real time. |
pause-dm-only | Play can stop at any point. | Only a DM can pause, including in single-player. Players cannot pause. | One authoritative world shared by everyone. |
rest | Resting takes 8 hours anywhere. | The module sets rest duration, and you cannot rest near hostile creatures. | Rest uses the compressed calendar and must not become a combat escape. |
exploration-speed | Movement is measured per round in all situations. | Outside combat mode characters move at exploration speed. | Real-time travel. |
Initiative and actions
| ID | SRD rule | In our game | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
initiative-phase | Initiative sets turn order. | Initiative sets when your actions land within the round and breaks ties. It is not a queue. | There are no turns in real time. |
surprise-boundary | Surprise round, then regular rounds. | Combat start, surprise and joining a fight already in progress follow one explicit entry rule. | Late joiners and simultaneous starts must be fair. |
no-delay | You may delay your turn. | There is no Delay action. | Without turns there is nothing to delay. |
iterative-spacing | Iterative attacks happen together on your turn. | Iterative attacks are spaced out within the 6-second round. | Readable real-time combat. |
casting-window | Casting completes on your turn. | Casting has a visible window in which it is under way. | Opponents can see and react to spellcasting. |
auto-attack | You declare each attack. | Attacks repeat automatically against your target until you stop or change action. | Practical control in real time. |
Movement and position
| ID | SRD rule | In our game | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
continuous-space | Movement and areas use a 5-foot grid. | Positions and distances are continuous. Feet convert to metres, and areas are measured geometrically. | No grid in a 3D world. |
five-foot-step | A 5-foot step moves one square without provoking. | A reserved short step keeps the rule's eligibility and restrictions in continuous space. | Keeps the tactical option without a grid. |
flanking-angle | Flanking means being on opposite sides of a square. | You flank when allies are beyond an angle threshold around the target. | No squares to be opposite of. |
creature-blocking | Creatures occupy squares and block movement. | Creatures block movement through an approximate footprint. | Continuous space and performance. |
aoo-auto-swing | You choose whether to take each attack of opportunity. | Attacks of opportunity are taken automatically, with a toggle to turn that off. | Reactions are too fast to confirm in real time. |
Character building
The first playable character is a Human Fighter. These rules are our own design where the SRD leaves the choice open, and adaptations where real-time play needs one. Implementation references distinguish completed slices from planned services; see the current status for verification evidence.
| ID | SRD rule | In our game | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
point-buy | No method for generating ability scores. | Spend exactly 28 points on scores 8-18 (8 costs 0, 13 costs 5, 15 costs 8, 18 costs 16). R5b-B. | Fair, comparable characters in a shared world. |
max-hit-points | Roll each Hit Die. | Every level gives the full Hit Die (10 for a Fighter) plus Constitution, at least 1. R5b-B/D1. | Predictable previews with no reroll incentive. |
feat-schedule | Feats and ability increases follow character level; no table given. | A general feat at 1st and every third level; +1 to an ability at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th. | Regular build choices. |
xp-table | No experience table. | Level L needs 1,000 x L x (L - 1) / 2 XP. R5b-D1; solo authored defeat awards in D2a. | Familiar, predictable advancement. |
starting-package | No starting equipment rule. | Each starting class supplies a fixed modest kit. Human Fighter starts with a short sword and padded armor. No equipment-selection step. Fixed-kit slice. | Better gear is earned through play; feat choices never change the starter grant. |
one-handed-grip | A one-handed weapon may be wielded in two hands. | One-handed weapons are always wielded one-handed. R5b-B. | No separate grip control yet. |
power-attack-mode | Choose the Power Attack amount each round. | Power Attack is a mode you set (0 up to your base attack bonus); it applies from your next attack until changed, and resets when you reconnect. R5b-B. | Real-time attacks repeat automatically. |
dodge-target | Designate one opponent on your action. | Your Dodge opponent is always your current attack target. R5b-B. | No separate designation step. |
cleave-target | Choose the extra attack's target. | The nearest eligible hostile with clear reach, once per round, with no movement or chained follow-up. R5b-D2b; focused local/hosted verification passed. | Keeps the follow-up automatic. |
banked-feat-slots | Every feat slot is filled at its level. | A slot with no eligible implemented feat stays open to fill later; history keeps its original grant level. R5b-D1. | A small catalogue must not block advancement. |
afterlife-recovery | No module afterlife recovery flow. | When dead, you retain eligibility for future resurrection until choosing Respawn, then enter an afterlife Area and walk to your deity's guardian. Disconnect removes the body; reconnect restores your saved phase. Resurrection spells/items follow later and are not required for this first moddable afterlife loop. Implemented through bounded Module policy; see the recovery contract. | Choosing another chance ends resurrection eligibility; logging out does not change the recovery state. |
respawn-penalty | No defeat or respawn rule. | The guardian returns you to the module start for 50 x your level in XP, or to where you died (adjusted nearby if necessary) for 100 x your level. Both choices restore full HP and stop XP loss at your current level's threshold; the actual loss can be zero there. Planned. | Defeat has a cost without losing a level, with a higher nominal price for returning to battle. |
weapon-swap-round | Drawing or swapping a weapon or shield is a move action. | Changing a weapon or shield during a fight delays your next attack by at least one round; it does not make you flat-footed. R5b-C. | One clear real-time cost, adjustable after playtesting. |
armor-in-combat | Donning or removing armor takes minutes. | Armor cannot be changed while you are fighting. R5b-C. | Real-time fights are shorter than donning times. |
banked-skill-points | Skill points are spent at the level that grants them. | Unspent skill points carry over and can be spent at any later level-up, including from 1st level. The level where a point is spent decides its cost (class or cross-class) and the rank cap; Intelligence at the earning level decides how many points it grants. Rules /7, character-flow F1. | Players are not forced into choices they do not want yet, as in Neverwinter Nights. |
skills-before-checks | Skills are used in play. | Skill points were introduced before gameplay checks. The trap milestone adds Search and trained Disable Device; other checks still depend on their own feature slices. | Builds stay complete as checks arrive. |
Mechanical traps
The first trap milestone supports one-shot floor regions and trapped containers. Its engineering design owns the precise timing and supported scope; status records integration/playtest readiness.
| ID | SRD rule | In our game | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
trap-search-mode | Searching is a deliberate skill check. | Search is a mode, off after reconnect. Each six-second round checks up to eight nearby eligible traps. Moving within an Area does not cancel it; combat, changing Area or turning it off does. No passive detection, take-10/take-20 or movement penalty in this slice. | A practical real-time control with bounded work and no instant retry by toggling. |
trap-disarm-time | Disable Device duration depends on the mechanism. | A discovered mechanical trap takes a fixed two rounds (12 seconds) to disarm. Starting Disarm turns Search off and replaces its unfinished round without a Search roll; other cooldowns still apply. Movement, damage, combat and disconnect interrupt it without a roll; the action deadline remains. Only one character can work on the same trap at once. | Readable progress and consistent real-time interruption. |
Open Game Content from the System Reference Document 3.5, used under the Open Game License 1.0a.