"Change is sometimes healthy, particularly when it comes in small doses. It's when you get hit with an avalanche that change becomes annoying."
-- Kerd Na Smer, dwarf beastmaster of Kaer Sablar

The following are a series of optional rules for the Earthdawn game system. We stress the word optional. These are rules that we use, or have used, in our campaign. Some of them don't greatly affect play; others have quite a dramatic effect on the game. Try them out. You might even like some of them!

The maximum rank adepts can reach in any talent(s) is equal to the adept's highest circle x 2 (e.g. First Circle = Rank 2, Second Circle = Rank 4, Third Circle = Rank 6, etc.) to a maximum of rank 15. Skills are unaffected by this restriction, still having a maximum rank limit of 10.

An Initiative step of exactly zero means the character automatically acts last on every round, and can only move every other round. An Initiative step of less than zero means the character can only carry out simple actions until his or her Initiative is raised to at least step zero.

An Initiative step reduced to a negative value equal to or greater than twice the character's normal Initiative step (modified by armor) means that the character is incapacitated and can perform no actions whatsoever.

Lo Quaan, a T'skrang Swordmaster with an Initiative step of 5, after armor, is Taunted by a fellow Swordmaster at rank 6. This is less than step zero (now step -1) so Lo Quaan now acts every second round, and only simple actions at that. He is then further Taunted by a Swordmaster at rank 10. This supercedes the previous Taunt, but has the effect of reducing Lo Quaan's Initiative step to -5 (5 -10) and as this is twice Lo Quaan's base Initiative, renders him incapable of any action until he recovers. Lo Quaan, needless to say, is stupefied.

Characters who don't declare they are using a combat option during the initiative declaration phase, before initiative is rolled, can still execute a combat option when their turn comes to act.

Selecting a combat option in this way costs the character an additional +1 point of strain, in addition to any normal strain costs, and counts as a changed action, adding +2 to the difficulty of whatever maneuver the character may be performing.

Initiative penalties for armor are taken off all initiative-based talents and skills (Air Dance, Tiger Spring, etc) unless the description specifically states otherwise.

Moves that end in combat increase the difficulty number of all attacks made by the moving character by +1 for each full 5 yards moved above the first 5 yards (the first 5 yards of move are "free"). Those characters with a combat talent or skill rank greater than 5 can move a distance in yards equal to their talent/skill rank without penalty.

Lo Quaan, a T'skrang Swordmaster with a Melee Weapon talent rank of 4, moves 20 yards and attacks his opponent. His penalty for moving is (20 - 5 "free" = 15 ÷ 5 = 3) +3. If his Melee Weapon talent rank was 6, his penalty would be (20 - 6 "free" = 14 ÷ 5 = 2) +2.

Characters casting spells or using thrown or missile weapons can always move up to 5 yards or their talent/skill rank in yards, whichever is greater, before attacking.

Penalties only apply for the characters first round of fighting. After that, combat should carry on as normal, although the character might conceivably have to move to attack again. The person on the receiving end of the attack incurs no penalties, other than being attacked first without reply (unless they have Riposte).

Characters mounted on horses or flying creatures incur no penalties for such combat movement. They are already affected by the Split Movement rules, which allow other advantages and disadvantages.

After playing for several years, we were finding that combat movement became a non-event after a while, with little or no real tactical consideration involved, particularly when using miniatures on a hex-map. So we tried the following:

Halve all bipedal (two-legged) movement rates, as given in the rules. This includes benefits from using the Sprint talent (which becomes 5 yards per rank) or modifications from magical effects, including spells. This becomes the character's new Combat Movement Rate. The "old" Combat Movement Rate becomes the character's Full Movement Rate. The character's "old" Full Movement Rate becomes the character's Sprint Movement Rate (with a 1 Strain per round of Sprinting cost).

While still not strictly accurate (and certainly not scientific), it is easy to calculate on the fly. It also has the advantage of making mounted and flying creatures a little more formidable.

Sprinting only allows the character to move, and can't be combined with even simple actions. Don't confuse this with the Sprint talent -- that simply increases the character's movement rates overall.

Also, this rule doesn't change the rates for non-bipedal creatures. Their Sprint Movement Rate is found by simply doubling their Full Movement Rate.

Note: It is recommended that you not combine this optional rule with that for Movement Penalties above.

Talents and skills that allow additional attacks occur on each consecutive initiative phase after the character first acts, reducing the character's initiative as appropriate. This means that. on some occasions, the character will deliver a blow, but her opponent might get a retaliatory one back before any secondary attacks are made. Secondary attacks can be directed against other opponents within striking distance (Weapon Size yards) only if the primary target is unable to react to the blow (unconscious, knocked down, unaware of the first attack, dead, etc) and incur the usual +2 penalty for a changed target.

An initiative roll of 1 allows a single secondary attack on initiative phase zero. A free attack from a successful use of Air Dance allows an attack on initiative phase zero. Opponents always act after player characters in the same initiative phase as per normal, regardless of this rule.

Characters may allocate some of their primary weapon talent or skill ranks toward parrying an opponent's blow in melee combat. The character declares how many steps she will use for parrying, should she be attacked, during the initiative declaration phase. The maximum number of steps allowed for parrying is equal to the character's primary weapon talent or skill rank.

If the character beats her opponent's initiative, she attacks using her new reduced talent/skill rank plus attribute step as normal. Wasted parry opportunities incur no other penalties.

If the character loses initiative, or gets attacked after she has acted, she can make a parry attempt using her allocated parry step plus the base attribute step (usually Dexterity). The effect number is matched against the attacker's attack roll in the same way as the Avoid Blow talent. Success with the parry roll means the blow was deflected and no damage was inflicted, otherwise the attack goes through as normal.

Each parry attempt costs 1 point of strain. Multiple parries may be made against multiple attackers at +2 to the difficulty number of each additional parry after the first in the round. 1 strain per parry attempt is also taken.