Honor-Bound is an Unearthed Arcana feat, designed for use in campaigns that rely on honor and dishonor. If honor is used in the campaign setting, an adventurer may take this feat after first defining or choosing an appropriate honor code.[Dr404]
Adventurers with this feat gain 3 honor points, and the honorable action power.
No action
Trigger: While acting honorably or avoiding dishonor, you make an ability check, an attack roll a damage roll or a skill check and dislike the result.
Effect: You spend 1 honor point. Roll 1d6 and add the result to the triggering roll.
Honor points[]
Honor points reflect an internal measure, as a personal gauge to the attunement of the honor code.
- Honor points are obtained whenever you act honorably in a manner that is heroic, daring or risky. These events grant you 1 honor point.
- You can't earn more than 3 honor points between extended rests.
- When you gain a level, your honor point total is reset to 3. At paragon tier, it is instead reset to 4, and at epic tier, is reset to 5.
Dishonor points[]
If you willingly violate the honor code without upholding more tenents of the code than you break, you receive a dishonor point. You cannot earm more than 3 dishonor points between extended rests.
During an extended rest, you can rebalance honor, by spending honor points to cancel dishonor points.
Dishonor points provide a penalty to social checks.
- If you have more dishonor points then honor points at the end of an extended rest, you take a -2 penalty to any Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate or Streetwise check made against those who know of and care about your honor. The penalty lasts until atonement, which may require a worthy or daring task.
- If you have more dishonor points than 5 + 1/5th of your level (maximum of 11), then you take a -4 penalty to the skills. The penalty lasts until atonement, which requires a great quest or a series of mighty deeds to regain enough honor. After atonement, this maximum threshold is reduced by 1.
- If your threshold returns to 0, or if you fail to atone, then you are permanently dishonored. The penalty worsens to -6, and it may only be atoned by a noble and permanent death in accordance with your code. The only alternative is to chance the honor code.
Changing the code[]
Changing the honor code may be allowed in some circumstances, such as a moral crisis or becoming permanently dishonored in another code.
Switching to a new code reduces the maximum dishonor threshold by 1 (or 2 if the switch was from permanent dishonor.)
Feats[]
| Feat | Prerequisite | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Honorable Mind | - | Honorable action uses a d10 instead of d6 when moddifying a skill or ability check based on Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, and can be used to modify a saving throw against fear effects. |
| Honorable Reputation | Unreduced maximuim honor threshold | Once per encounter, reroll a social skill check main among people who know and care about your honor. Also, +2 extra honor points when you gain a level. |
| Honorable Soul | Honorable Mind, Strength through Honor | Gain Honorable Soul daily power, which lets you reroll one ability check, attack roll, initiative check, saving throw or skill check, in addition to providing 10 temporary hit points. |
| Strength through Honor | - | Honoroable action uses a d10 instead of d6 when modifying a skill or ability check based on Strength, Constitution or Dexterity, and may also be used to modify an initiative check. |