When do I die?

A PC will die when his hit points reach an amount equal to half his total hit points expressed as a negative number.

Example: if PC1 has a total of 80 hit points, he will die when he reaches -40 hit points.

Also, as soon as a PC drops to negative hit points, he will have to roll a Fortitude DC15 save every round he stays at negative hit points. If he fails 3 saves, he will die. A save roll of 30 or more will "stabilize" the PC, and he does not have to save anymore, unless he suffers more damage, in which case the need to save resumes.

Example: PC1 has total 80 hit points, and Fort save +12. He drops to -10 hit points, meaning he's not dead, but will now need to roll Death Saving Throws every round.
One the first round he rolls a 2, for a total of 2+12=14, failed!
On the second round he rolls a 1, which is always an automatic fail... he's now one step away from death.
On the third round he rolls a 10, for a total of 10+12=25, meaning he succeeds, but will still need to roll next round.
On the fourth round he rolls a 19, for a total of 12+19=31... he's now stabilized, and does not need to roll saves anymore. He's still at -10 hit points.

If a PC at negative hit points is healed by magic, his hit points automatically reset at ZERO, and then the magic healing applies.

Example: PC1 is at -10 hit points. PC2 casts Cure Moderate Wounds on PC1, healing 20 hit points. PC1 now has 20 hit points.

Save or Die Spells

If a spell kills on a failed save, it will actually bring the victim to -5 hit points, and give it a permanent negative level.

Death, Raise Dead, and Level Loss

Lose a Level

Few things are more disruptive to a game session than losing a level, be it from a monster or being raised from the dead.
In the 3.5 rules set, this means “un-building” your character, trying to undo all of the choices you made the last time you gained a level. There is no simple way to do this and you often end up permanently behind the curve of the rest of the party. To address this problem, we have taken the mechanics for a negative level, streamlined them a bit, and made them permanent in some cases. So, when you suffer an effect that would have caused you to lose a level, you instead take a permanent negative level. No more “un-building” your character and losing a bunch of abilities that allow you to keep up with the rest of the group. Now you just take some penalties until you get a restoration or similar spell cast on you. While this does take some of the bite out of losing a level, it speeds up play and lets you continue playing your character without a bunch of messy calculations.

Energy Drain and Negative Levels

Some spells and a number of undead creatures have the ability to bestow negative levels. These levels cause a character to take a number of penalties, but they never result in actual level loss.
For each negative level a creature has, it takes a cumulative –1 penalty on all ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, saving throws, and skill checks. In addition, the creature reduces its current and total hit points by 5 for each negative level it possesses. The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels. If a creature’s negative levels equals or exceeds its total Hit Dice, it dies. A creature with negative levels receives a new saving throw to remove the negative level each day. The DC of this save is the same as the effect that caused the negative levels.
Some abilities and spells (such as raise dead) bestow permanent level drain on a creature. These are treated just like negative levels, but they do not allow a new save each day to remove them. Level drain can be removed through spells like restoration. These permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life. A creature whose permanent negative levels equals its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.

Ra ise Dead Spell

School conjuration (healing); Level cleric 5
Casting Time 1 minute
Components V, S, M, DF (diamond worth 5,000 gp)
Range touch
Target dead creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none, see text; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

Description
You restore life to a deceased creature. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than 1 day per caster level. In addition, the subject’s soul must be free and willing to return. If the subject’s soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw. Coming back from the dead is an ordeal. The subject of the spell gains two permanent negative levels when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can’t be raised). A character who died with spells prepared has a 50% chance of losing any given spell upon being raised.
A spellcasting creature that doesn’t prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) has a 50% chance of losing any given unused spell slot as if it had been used to cast a spell.
A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current Hit Dice. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of raising the subject, but magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of most kinds, the body of the creature to be raised must be whole. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. None of the dead creature’s equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this spell.
A creature who has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can’t be raised by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be raised. The spell cannot bring back a creature that has died of old age.

XP costs for Spells

A number of existing spells require you to expend XP to
cast them. Instead of expending the amount of XP noted in each spell, multiply all of these costs by 5 and treat them instead as special material component costs.
For example, atonement can require a 500 XP expenditure to
cast the spell. In these cases, the spell requires a 2,500 gp
expenditure instead.

Allowed Races, Classes and Feats for PC’s

All Races from PHB, plus Aasimar (MM), Tiefling (MM), Menthat and Wyrmkin.

All Classes and Prestige Classes from PHB, DMG, XPH.

All Feats from PHB, DMG, MM, XPH.

Acquiring Skills

At first level, your character gains a number of skill ranks dependent upon your class plus your Intelligence modifier. (humans gain one additional skill rank per class level). At every level after that, you gain additional skill ranks. These skill ranks can be spent on any skill, but you can only invest a number of ranks into a specific skill equal to your total Hit Dice. In addition, each class has a number of favored skills, called class skills. Your character is most proficient in these skills, as they represent part of his professional training and constant practice. You gain a +3 bonus on all class skills that you put ranks into. If you have more than one class and both grant you a class skill bonus, these bonuses do not stack.

At each level after 1st, you gain a number of skill ranks dependant upon your class (humans gain one additional skill rank per class level). If you select a level in a new class, all of its class skills are automatically added to your list of class skills, and you gain a +3 bonus on these skills if you have ranks in them.

New Race: Dragonborn

Dragonborn are the product of millenia of interaction between mortals and Dragons in the Dragon Kingdoms. A Dragonborn is a humanoid with slightly pointed ears, snake eyes, and short claws, paired with feral teeth. The thinkest parts of their skin are in fact thin scales.
All Dragonborn share these traits, but they vary wildly in respect to the pigmentation of their skin, hair and eyes. As there are ten kinds of True Dragon, so there are ten different “stocks” of Dragonborn, so that a “gold” Dragonborn will have golden hair and fair skin, while a “red” Dragonborn will have crimson hair and reddish skin.

Traits:
+2 Intimidate and Spot
Natural Armor: +1 AC
Claws: 1d3 dmg
Low-light vision, Darkvision 60-ft
+4 TS vs Sleep and Paralysis
+2 Str, - 2 Wis
Languages: Draconic, Common
Favored Class: Sorcerer

New Race: Menthat

The Menthat are a Psionic-talented race that lives in the City of Crystals in the middle of the Silent Desert. They are known as the “silent race”, not only because they leave in the desert with the same name, but also because, due to their peculiar communication methods, their city is usually clad in silence. Menthat prefer to live within the shadowy confines of their city, and rarely exit into the desert, leaving menial tasks to their mentally enslaved thralls.
A Menthat looks like a humanoid with pale skin, yellow to green eyes, and completely missing any kind of bodily hair. Those with psionic powers naturally develop a crystal in the middle of their forehead, whose size indicates the mental capacity of the Menthat.

Traits:
+2 to Autohypnosis, Concentration and Sense Motive
Telepathy (Su) 100 ft
+2 Int, -2 Con
+2 Saving Throws vs Mind Affecting spells and abilities
Languages: Common, Menthat
Favored Class: Psion