"House Rules to enhance setting flavor," or "Has anyone used these before?" [Archive] - Wizards Community

"House Rules to enhance setting flavor," or "Has anyone used these before?" [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
radu the wanderer
11-28-05, 10:46 AM I was just wondering how many people have used any of Unearthed Arcana rules in game, or any other house rules for that matter. I'm looking ahead to the next campaign I'll be running in the spring, with a mind to try a few variant rules.

If anyone has any experience with the following rules, I'd be much obliged if you could share it. I'm toying with the idea of using some or all of these variant rules:

FOR WOUNDS AND DAMAGE:
Injury variant -- no hp, fort saves to avoid injuries.
Vitality/Wound point variant -- you know the one.
Players use Maximum HP per HD -- a rogue gets 6 hp/level, a monk 8, etc.
HP and Reserve Points -- reserves convert to hp over time.

FOR PROTECTION:
Armor as DR instead of AC -- pretty self explanatory
Armor as damage conversion -- converts lethal to subdual
Class based Defense bonus

FOR COMBAT:
Weapon Group proficiencies -- instead of the existing 3 categories, have them grouped by general use.
AC as a Defense Roll -- instead of static AC, you have an attack and defense bonus.

GENERAL USE:
Players roll all the dice -- self explanatory
Variable Modifiers -- as per the table in UA.

RACE OPTIONS:
Racial Paragons -- as per UA, only for a few races (see below)
Bloodlines -- as per UA, see below for details

CLASS OPTIONS:
Prestige Paladin, Ranger, and Bard -- very fitting with my game world
A bunch of minor house rules -- see below
Aspect of Nature instead of Wild Shape -- as per UA.
Level Check for Turning Undead

Alright, explanation time! The prestige paladin, bard, and ranger are all perfect, I'll use them as is. As far as flavor goes, they're already prestige classes, but now I can make mechanics match flavor. I'm using paragon classes for a few races (Orc, Half Orc, Dwarf, Elf) to represent how powerful those races are compared to humans, gnomes, and halflings. I like paragon classes better than level adjustments, which they would otherwise get.

The others are ideas I've wanted to play around with either because they're mechanically interesting or they seem to fit the flavor of my game world well. Does anyone have any hands on experience with any of these?
FlameLover
11-29-05, 01:19 AM Before I comment on them it'd be good to know the feel/tone of your world and what these rule changes are to acheive. Changing something without a clear rason why in inevitably worse than if you had done nothing at all.
radu the wanderer
11-29-05, 06:31 PM Here's an excerpt from my campaign primer:

"Style, Content, and Tone

The overall feeling I’m trying to establish with this game is a blend of high fantasy and gothic romance. The game content will be of a generally darker, more mature nature, dealing with such issues as torture, slavery, and death. These are indeed dark times, and the world will reflect that. I am trying not to run a “shock cinema” style of game, where the bloodbath is half the point. I am trying to portray a world torn apart by conflict and strife, a world where the old ways no longer make any sense. People are panicked, violent crimes are on the rise, and its every being for itself. This does not mean the PC’s cannot still be heroes though. Far from it— even the simplest of actions could have vast repercussions in these chaotic times. The greatest light shines during greatest darkness."

The point of some of these changes is simply to try them out (Vitality and Wounds variant, Players Roll Dice, Variable Modifiers) and others are being considered to enhance the flavor of the setting.

For example, I like the weapon group proficiencies. With a bit of tweaking, I'll be introducing these into the game to establish "regional" fighting styles and tendencies. The Max HP per level rule was to help players survive the harsh world, as well as to really draw out the difference between high HP classes and low. I'm thinking more now about a rule like this:

"When rolling HP you get your roll or the average for that size die, whatever is greater."

The Armor as Damage Conversion will make PC's face some difficult choices about morality and honor-- do they systematically kill their enemies or not?

I'm also considering switching straight over to the Injury variant and doing away with HP altogether. This has the (forseen) impact of making "strong" combat classes include: Monk, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Barbarian, Ranger, Paladin. Aside from the BAB difference between them, that's how things stand already. "Weak" combat classes would now include: Rogue, Wizard, Bard, Sorcerer. I really like this variant because rather than keeping track of HP, players are more worried about their saving throws. Getting hit isn't as important as whether or not you get injured. I kind of like that feeling, but I'm not sure how it will work out in the game.

The Vitality/Wound points variant is also being considered because it has a very cinematic feel to it, but could potentially put a sort of swashbuckly spin on things, which I don't mind. Swashbuckly horror is a cool genre!

As for Armor as DR and Class Based Defense, I just wanted to try it out.

The Prestige Ranger, Bard, and Paladin are all firmly established ideas in my game world. Paladin has already been a prestige class, with Paladins of 1-4th level being "Journeymen" who seek their fortune in the world until they gain their bonded mount and earn the full title of Paladin. A PrC makes it a lot easier. Similar rationales exist for the other two classes, or can be ported with little difficulty. Plus, I like them.

The racial paragon classes are there to reflect how much more powerful a few races (Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Half-Orcs) are compared to the rest. Rather than beefing up stats and giving LA to them, I use paragon classes, which works out pretty much the same (powerful races) without penalizing the player who wants to be an elf.

Bloodline classes are just a cool idea in general. I want them common enough that people have heard of them, but not common enough that they become pase.

Does that help any?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
radu the wanderer 11-28-05, 10:46 AM	I was just wondering how many people have used any of Unearthed Arcana rules in game, or any other house rules for that matter. I'm looking ahead to the next campaign I'll be running in the spring, with a mind to try a few variant rules. If anyone has any experience with the following rules, I'd be much obliged if you could share it. I'm toying with the idea of using some or all of these variant rules: FOR WOUNDS AND DAMAGE: Injury variant -- no hp, fort saves to avoid injuries. Vitality/Wound point variant -- you know the one. Players use Maximum HP per HD -- a rogue gets 6 hp/level, a monk 8, etc. HP and Reserve Points -- reserves convert to hp over time. FOR PROTECTION: Armor as DR instead of AC -- pretty self explanatory Armor as damage conversion -- converts lethal to subdual Class based Defense bonus FOR COMBAT: Weapon Group proficiencies -- instead of the existing 3 categories, have them grouped by general use. AC as a Defense Roll -- instead of static AC, you have an attack and defense bonus. GENERAL USE: Players roll all the dice -- self explanatory Variable Modifiers -- as per the table in UA. RACE OPTIONS: Racial Paragons -- as per UA, only for a few races (see below) Bloodlines -- as per UA, see below for details CLASS OPTIONS: Prestige Paladin, Ranger, and Bard -- very fitting with my game world A bunch of minor house rules -- see below Aspect of Nature instead of Wild Shape -- as per UA. Level Check for Turning Undead Alright, explanation time! The prestige paladin, bard, and ranger are all perfect, I'll use them as is. As far as flavor goes, they're already prestige classes, but now I can make mechanics match flavor. I'm using paragon classes for a few races (Orc, Half Orc, Dwarf, Elf) to represent how powerful those races are compared to humans, gnomes, and halflings. I like paragon classes better than level adjustments, which they would otherwise get. The others are ideas I've wanted to play around with either because they're mechanically interesting or they seem to fit the flavor of my game world well. Does anyone have any hands on experience with any of these?
FlameLover 11-29-05, 01:19 AM	Before I comment on them it'd be good to know the feel/tone of your world and what these rule changes are to acheive. Changing something without a clear rason why in inevitably worse than if you had done nothing at all.
radu the wanderer 11-29-05, 06:31 PM	Here's an excerpt from my campaign primer: "Style, Content, and Tone The overall feeling I’m trying to establish with this game is a blend of high fantasy and gothic romance. The game content will be of a generally darker, more mature nature, dealing with such issues as torture, slavery, and death. These are indeed dark times, and the world will reflect that. I am trying not to run a “shock cinema” style of game, where the bloodbath is half the point. I am trying to portray a world torn apart by conflict and strife, a world where the old ways no longer make any sense. People are panicked, violent crimes are on the rise, and its every being for itself. This does not mean the PC’s cannot still be heroes though. Far from it— even the simplest of actions could have vast repercussions in these chaotic times. The greatest light shines during greatest darkness." The point of some of these changes is simply to try them out (Vitality and Wounds variant, Players Roll Dice, Variable Modifiers) and others are being considered to enhance the flavor of the setting. For example, I like the weapon group proficiencies. With a bit of tweaking, I'll be introducing these into the game to establish "regional" fighting styles and tendencies. The Max HP per level rule was to help players survive the harsh world, as well as to really draw out the difference between high HP classes and low. I'm thinking more now about a rule like this: "When rolling HP you get your roll or the average for that size die, whatever is greater." The Armor as Damage Conversion will make PC's face some difficult choices about morality and honor-- do they systematically kill their enemies or not? I'm also considering switching straight over to the Injury variant and doing away with HP altogether. This has the (forseen) impact of making "strong" combat classes include: Monk, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Barbarian, Ranger, Paladin. Aside from the BAB difference between them, that's how things stand already. "Weak" combat classes would now include: Rogue, Wizard, Bard, Sorcerer. I really like this variant because rather than keeping track of HP, players are more worried about their saving throws. Getting hit isn't as important as whether or not you get injured. I kind of like that feeling, but I'm not sure how it will work out in the game. The Vitality/Wound points variant is also being considered because it has a very cinematic feel to it, but could potentially put a sort of swashbuckly spin on things, which I don't mind. Swashbuckly horror is a cool genre! As for Armor as DR and Class Based Defense, I just wanted to try it out. The Prestige Ranger, Bard, and Paladin are all firmly established ideas in my game world. Paladin has already been a prestige class, with Paladins of 1-4th level being "Journeymen" who seek their fortune in the world until they gain their bonded mount and earn the full title of Paladin. A PrC makes it a lot easier. Similar rationales exist for the other two classes, or can be ported with little difficulty. Plus, I like them. The racial paragon classes are there to reflect how much more powerful a few races (Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Half-Orcs) are compared to the rest. Rather than beefing up stats and giving LA to them, I use paragon classes, which works out pretty much the same (powerful races) without penalizing the player who wants to be an elf. Bloodline classes are just a cool idea in general. I want them common enough that people have heard of them, but not common enough that they become pase. Does that help any?