Game Rules

[Michael New]

Official Rules

I'm going to allow all the core rules, plus the APG, and some of the rules from UM and UC.
From Ultimagte M: 

Out: Words of Power
In: Everything else

From UC: 

Out: Gunslinger anything referring to it, including firearms; All Variant Rules
In: Everything else

And I reserve the right to modify this as we go.

House Rules

Character Deafness
With the Oracle having a potential curse of Deafness, I felt there was a dearth of rules about this, especially around reading lips. I think I have dealt with this below with a minimum of rule changes. Sign Language are true languages, and if they are available characters can take them - that's not a new rule.

Sign Language and Reading Lips

Since Sign Language can be chosen as other languages (at the start, or as a Linguistics rank), but it doesn't have a written script, choosing it also gives a bonus for attempting to Read Lips. Reading lips is not as hard as learning a completely new language. Deaf characters who choose Sign Language as a language gain a +4 competence bonus to their Linguistics check to read lips, while non-deaf characters gain +2.

To read lips, it's a Linguistics check, every round. You must know the language being spoken, or you cannot read lips.

DC	Result
20	You can get all of what's said by one person in the round.
15	You get the gist of what is said, but are missing some details.
10	You have an idea what is being said, but are missing most of the important details

If you read lips for a full minute, you can choose to take 10. Reading Lips for a round does not allow you to take 10 because it is a short phrase with little chance of repetition, and little context. Reading lips in combat situations is a Move action that does not provoke an AOO. In combat, many people are talking and you must choose just one person whose lips to read per Move action.

There are different sign languages, including Sakvroth (Drow sign language) and small pockets where other ones are used.  Typically, these are rare and are only useful within the deaf community of the region where it exists.

[noozoo]

Favored Class rule:

You do not have to choose your favored class right away.  If you prefer you can wait, and choose it later when you take a new class.

For Half-Elves, this applies to both your favored class choices.