1001 House Rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

1001 House Rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Unluckylukey
11-09-07, 02:38 AM You have been playing a campaign for a while. You have 4 players currently playing and everything is going well. However, Fred has asked to join the group and has just turned up for his first night.

You sit him down make him feel welcome, introduce him to everyone and say now for some house rules..... These are as follows

1) If you are not coming to a session give me (dm) at least 24 hours notice.

2) Come wearing clothes unless told otherwise

3) ????
Amon_V
11-09-07, 03:23 AM 4) Pun-Pun automatically dies. His I win (Ex:) doesn't allow him to somehow survive a cosmological-wide destruction effect, targeted against only him.

5) Female PCs are not restricted into wearing only Chainmail Bikinis or such.

6) An NPC's Head doesn't come off unless he's below -10 HP. PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE.

7) If you deliberately kill a child in my Campaign, the God of Paladins comes along and smites your character for 41d20 + 175 Damage.

8) PvP isn't allowed in the game. If you've got a problem, take five paces and show your finest.

9) If you don't Pay into the Pool, I'll eat your Nachoes.

10) Do not name your character "Sugar", "Sweetums", "Summer", "Lolly", "Annie", "Barbie" or "Butterscotch". Or it will get deformed by DM Fiat:
Sugar = Sue
Sweetums= Zentha
Summer= Zandra
Lolly= Elandri
Annie=Ann (Good Golly, I SWEAR if this happens!!)
Barbie=Barbra (Come on, people!!)
Butterscotch=Ah forget this, I give up...
Black Kitten
11-09-07, 06:53 AM 11) No alcoholic beverages should be consumed at the table. We're here to play a game first, drinking can be done afterwards or something.

12) Your character will be a teamplayer

13) Please be in time?!
CeilingNinja
11-09-07, 07:02 AM I have new races, classes, monsters, gods, spells, and mechanics - those count as house rules, I think. But I am not writing them down.
Oromis_Shurtugal
11-09-07, 07:59 AM 14: FOR THE LAST TIME, NO DRIZZT/LEGOLAS/WHATEVER CLONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

15: No magic in the bathroom!
RobbyPants
11-09-07, 10:07 AM 16) Roll where others can see it, on a flat surface.

I haven't had to enforce this in a long time. I originally had to come up with that rule because one player was blatantly cheating. I figured if we could all see his rolls, he'd stop, and it'd be good enough. You'd be surprised what a fuss he made about how he had to sit in a different position to roll and it wasn't comforatable (at that time, I hadn't outed him yet, and I think he was relying on plausible deniability).

12) Your character will be a teamplayer
12b) Don't roll up any loner bad-asses in a group game.

15: No magic in the bathroom!
Sooo many pictures come to mind, none of them good. :P
icuall
11-09-07, 10:36 AM 17. Do not spill food on the battlemat.

18. Do not roll where it's going to knock over the minatures.

19. Roll does not count if the die is not flat or level, can't be cocked against
some other object.

20. Die rolling on the floor off the table counts, if it is level and flat.

21. What you say you do is what you do...must state " out of character" to not be responsible for what you say. (We changed from state "out of character" to raise your left hand to make it quicker)

Example....
DM: "you see a giant picking flowers in the meadow."
PC " I sneak up behind him/her to pinch it in the ass and run away [snicker, snicker]"
DM: "Okay roll Move Silently..[rolls].....He makes his Spot Check, roll initiative"
PC " I was only joking!? I really would not do that!"
DM "he rolls and gets 22...he sees you, he is startled that you are so close and are about to touch him"
PC :eek:
DM " you didn't roll your initiative, are you delaying?... anyway, he quickdraws his 9' sword and attacks....he rolls natural 20..."
PC: :bigeyes:

I had to initiate this rule, because I had too many take-backs.
RobbyPants
11-09-07, 10:50 AM 21. What you say you do is what you do...must state " out of character" to not be responsible for what you say.
You know, at first glance, this seems really harse, but my players do this all the time too. I sympathise with you.

Sometimes it's gotten to the point where they respond in such a way that I can't tell if they're being serious. In the case of the giant that you quoted, it's probably obvious, but sometimes I can't tell what they're up to. Sometimes it's bad enough that I wonder if they're gauging my response to see if they want a free "take back." I might implement that rule in my game... :plotting:
icuall
11-09-07, 11:59 AM I've not only seen it my game but others as well. When it rarely happens, it's cool and everyone is having fun. I've played for years, and it also just depends on the group.

However, sometimes, it is also a player trying to get out of a bad decision when he did not think it through. I'll give a little leeway after it is first said, but once he starts taking action his round goes by. It is done.
Prelate
11-09-07, 12:43 PM Courtesy between players is not a suggestion, it is a rule. Your characters can be mortal enemies, but you WILL be civil and polite IRL.

Sorcerers don't use material components when casting spells.

Any Cleric/Paladin/divine caster with a permanent aura gets "Protection from Evil". The inverse of evil classes is also true for "Protection from Good"

Exceptionally good roleplaying is rewarded by the DM.
icuall
11-15-07, 11:19 AM bump
deviknyte
11-15-07, 11:36 AM Are these house rules as in out of game or do in game house rules count as well?
necrom99
11-15-07, 11:43 AM 22. on a natural atk roll of a 20, with a natural 20 rolled to confirm the critical, the result is insta-gib down to -1hp

23. No Evil party members unless they can reasonably come up with a fool proof plan as to why they will fit in with the team.

24. on a hp roll of a 1 a reroll is granted, however if it comes up a 1 again you are stuck with it.

25. a backstory is needed to play a character, which is subject to approval of the DM (meaning your level 0 character hasn't been slaying dragons if he's coming into the game at level 1)

26. Unless it makes an incredible amount of sense "in-game" no-one multi-classes into a barbarian. (loosing ones mind and becomming a primitive beast, being possessed by the spirit of anger...)

27. no purchasing magical items, unless they are potions/oils or scrolls

28. a die falls on the floor it is inadmissible

29. if someone can't decide what to do when there combat round finally comes around they get a 6 second count down by the DM if they havent decided then they loose there turn hesitating

30. no talking about D&D outside the gaming table if non-gamers are present..... ESPECIALLY FEMALES!
RobbyPants
11-15-07, 01:10 PM 25. a backstory is needed to play a character, which is subject to approval of the DM (meaning your level 0 character hasn't been slaying dragons if he's coming into the game at level 1)
This is a good idea. I should do more to force at least a passible backstory from my players. They used to be really good about it, but lately they've gotten lazy.

27. no purchasing magical items, unless they are potions/oils or scrolls
Do you allow players to craft items?

29. if someone can't decide what to do when there combat round finally comes around they get a 6 second count down by the DM if they havent decided then they loose there turn hesitating
Out of curiosity, is the DM required to have each monster act within 6 seconds? :P Alternately, is it okay to merely state your basic intent, and flesh it out in longer than six seconds? Square by square movement comes to mind.
Crash_00
11-15-07, 01:32 PM 31.) DM rolls all search, D.Device, Listen, and Spot checks.

32.) If you have an ability that is granting you something (IE DR for Barbs, mobility for AC when provoking from movement, ect.) it is your responsiblity to keep up with it and tell me when I ask. Once I've gone to the next person's turn it's too late to bring it up.

33.) Characters are not dead untill they reach -Con Score. (So an 18 Con Dwarf wouldn't die till he hit -18). Likewise the disabled condition normally only encountered at 0 is around from 0 to -con modifier. (So the same dwarf would be disabled from 0 to -4 then pass out ).

34.) Regions. Each character chooses a home region for his character. This region determines a perk for the character and a second favored class. (For instance characters from the Dalmire area have Favored Class Ranger and gain the track feat for free. Meanwhile those from the Feisthammer Mountains gain a free proficiency feat and Favored Class Fighter).
Altaine
11-15-07, 03:29 PM 35) Newbs will be helped at all times when making bad moves. This applies until group feels they are no longer newbs.

36)IF party in-fighting is a must it happens on the conditions of the good aligned charecter unless the evil player can give me justification for his actions (or unless I make him do them)

37)Do not take advantage of the DM being nice once in a while, lest it come back to bite you in the ass (3.0 Drunken Master who is now a halfling w/ speed of 90 gets hit with slow spells and fatigue conditions constantly)
necrom99
11-16-07, 07:24 PM Do you allow players to craft items?

Out of curiosity, is the DM required to have each monster act within 6 seconds? :P Alternately, is it okay to merely state your basic intent, and flesh it out in longer than six seconds? Square by square movement comes to mind.

yes I allow players to craft items

and I definitely allow players to state intent, I only go for the count down if they sit there being like ummm...i dunno, umm uhh...and the like
greatamericanfolkhero
11-16-07, 08:00 PM 38) No Kobold PCs
39) If the game is not an oriental adventures game you cannot have an oriental adventures character *I’m not ever dealing with the crap that an “east meets west” group brings up again*
40) While there are potion/wand/scroll shops that stock the most commonly requested items, no keeps other magic items in stock. You can have them custom made, but it will take some time.
41) Everyone gets profession as a skill.
42) Most anything from a WotC book is ok, unless I’ve said it isn’t. Don’t make me regret this.
43) If you can’t make it to a game, please have a good reason. (medical/family/job issues are always a good reason. Staying home and playing xbox is not.) Please try and let me know at least an hour before the game if you can’t make it.
44) Three bad reasons in a row gets you dropped from the game. To get back in requires a unanimous vote from the rest of the players.
45) You will be a team player.
46) If the rest of the party has an in-game reason not to hire/adventure with your character then they don’t have to, and you’ll have to come up with a different character (I’m not in the business of running solo games)
47) If you have an issue, please let me know. I can’t try to fix it if I don’t know.
48) Re-roll ones for hit points (and stats if the campaign is not using point buy)
ppirilla
11-16-07, 08:15 PM 49) Be prepared to chip in for the pizza
49a) If you do not want pizza, see rule 41
50) If you bring something, be prepared to share
51) I have Root Beer. If you do not like root beer, you should supply your own drink of choice. This beverage does not apply to rule 39
52) Everyone always wants pizza
53) If you are using material that I don't own, you are expected to bring the source book to every game session.
53a) Additionally, be prepared to leave the sourcebook with me between session so that I can read over some things.
54) Do your shopping and leveling up between sessions. Give me a list of all of the additions with reference page numbers at the beginning of the next session.
55) I will provide the highest cost of goods commonly available and the highest cost of goods possibly available. If the cost of the thing you want is between these values, you should talk to me in advance.
56) If there is a disagreement between your character sheet and the character sheet in my records, you'll play with my version until we take a break in the session. Then we can talk about what went wrong.
57) I keep a sheet on the table with the party's important bonuses and combat numbers. Make sure I keep it up to date for your character. If there's a disagreement, the sheet wins.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Unluckylukey 11-09-07, 02:38 AM	You have been playing a campaign for a while. You have 4 players currently playing and everything is going well. However, Fred has asked to join the group and has just turned up for his first night. You sit him down make him feel welcome, introduce him to everyone and say now for some house rules..... These are as follows 1) If you are not coming to a session give me (dm) at least 24 hours notice. 2) Come wearing clothes unless told otherwise 3) ????
Amon_V 11-09-07, 03:23 AM	4) Pun-Pun automatically dies. His I win (Ex:) doesn't allow him to somehow survive a cosmological-wide destruction effect, targeted against only him. 5) Female PCs are not restricted into wearing only Chainmail Bikinis or such. 6) An NPC's Head doesn't come off unless he's below -10 HP. PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. 7) If you deliberately kill a child in my Campaign, the God of Paladins comes along and smites your character for 41d20 + 175 Damage. 8) PvP isn't allowed in the game. If you've got a problem, take five paces and show your finest. 9) If you don't Pay into the Pool, I'll eat your Nachoes. 10) Do not name your character "Sugar", "Sweetums", "Summer", "Lolly", "Annie", "Barbie" or "Butterscotch". Or it will get deformed by DM Fiat: Sugar = Sue Sweetums= Zentha Summer= Zandra Lolly= Elandri Annie=Ann (Good Golly, I SWEAR if this happens!!) Barbie=Barbra (Come on, people!!) Butterscotch=Ah forget this, I give up...
Black Kitten 11-09-07, 06:53 AM	11) No alcoholic beverages should be consumed at the table. We're here to play a game first, drinking can be done afterwards or something. 12) Your character will be a teamplayer 13) Please be in time?!
CeilingNinja 11-09-07, 07:02 AM	I have new races, classes, monsters, gods, spells, and mechanics - those count as house rules, I think. But I am not writing them down.
Oromis_Shurtugal 11-09-07, 07:59 AM	14: FOR THE LAST TIME, NO DRIZZT/LEGOLAS/WHATEVER CLONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: 15: No magic in the bathroom!
RobbyPants 11-09-07, 10:07 AM	16) Roll where others can see it, on a flat surface. I haven't had to enforce this in a long time. I originally had to come up with that rule because one player was blatantly cheating. I figured if we could all see his rolls, he'd stop, and it'd be good enough. You'd be surprised what a fuss he made about how he had to sit in a different position to roll and it wasn't comforatable (at that time, I hadn't outed him yet, and I think he was relying on plausible deniability). 12) Your character will be a teamplayer 12b) Don't roll up any loner bad-asses in a group game. 15: No magic in the bathroom! Sooo many pictures come to mind, none of them good. :P
icuall 11-09-07, 10:36 AM	17. Do not spill food on the battlemat. 18. Do not roll where it's going to knock over the minatures. 19. Roll does not count if the die is not flat or level, can't be cocked against some other object. 20. Die rolling on the floor off the table counts, if it is level and flat. 21. What you say you do is what you do...must state " out of character" to not be responsible for what you say. (We changed from state "out of character" to raise your left hand to make it quicker) Example.... DM: "you see a giant picking flowers in the meadow." PC " I sneak up behind him/her to pinch it in the ass and run away [snicker, snicker]" DM: "Okay roll Move Silently..[rolls].....He makes his Spot Check, roll initiative" PC " I was only joking!? I really would not do that!" DM "he rolls and gets 22...he sees you, he is startled that you are so close and are about to touch him" PC :eek: DM " you didn't roll your initiative, are you delaying?... anyway, he quickdraws his 9' sword and attacks....he rolls natural 20..." PC: :bigeyes: I had to initiate this rule, because I had too many take-backs.
RobbyPants 11-09-07, 10:50 AM	21. What you say you do is what you do...must state " out of character" to not be responsible for what you say. You know, at first glance, this seems really harse, but my players do this all the time too. I sympathise with you. Sometimes it's gotten to the point where they respond in such a way that I can't tell if they're being serious. In the case of the giant that you quoted, it's probably obvious, but sometimes I can't tell what they're up to. Sometimes it's bad enough that I wonder if they're gauging my response to see if they want a free "take back." I might implement that rule in my game... :plotting:
icuall 11-09-07, 11:59 AM	I've not only seen it my game but others as well. When it rarely happens, it's cool and everyone is having fun. I've played for years, and it also just depends on the group. However, sometimes, it is also a player trying to get out of a bad decision when he did not think it through. I'll give a little leeway after it is first said, but once he starts taking action his round goes by. It is done.
Prelate 11-09-07, 12:43 PM	Courtesy between players is not a suggestion, it is a rule. Your characters can be mortal enemies, but you WILL be civil and polite IRL. Sorcerers don't use material components when casting spells. Any Cleric/Paladin/divine caster with a permanent aura gets "Protection from Evil". The inverse of evil classes is also true for "Protection from Good" Exceptionally good roleplaying is rewarded by the DM.
icuall 11-15-07, 11:19 AM	bump
deviknyte 11-15-07, 11:36 AM	Are these house rules as in out of game or do in game house rules count as well?
necrom99 11-15-07, 11:43 AM	22. on a natural atk roll of a 20, with a natural 20 rolled to confirm the critical, the result is insta-gib down to -1hp 23. No Evil party members unless they can reasonably come up with a fool proof plan as to why they will fit in with the team. 24. on a hp roll of a 1 a reroll is granted, however if it comes up a 1 again you are stuck with it. 25. a backstory is needed to play a character, which is subject to approval of the DM (meaning your level 0 character hasn't been slaying dragons if he's coming into the game at level 1) 26. Unless it makes an incredible amount of sense "in-game" no-one multi-classes into a barbarian. (loosing ones mind and becomming a primitive beast, being possessed by the spirit of anger...) 27. no purchasing magical items, unless they are potions/oils or scrolls 28. a die falls on the floor it is inadmissible 29. if someone can't decide what to do when there combat round finally comes around they get a 6 second count down by the DM if they havent decided then they loose there turn hesitating 30. no talking about D&D outside the gaming table if non-gamers are present..... ESPECIALLY FEMALES!
RobbyPants 11-15-07, 01:10 PM	25. a backstory is needed to play a character, which is subject to approval of the DM (meaning your level 0 character hasn't been slaying dragons if he's coming into the game at level 1) This is a good idea. I should do more to force at least a passible backstory from my players. They used to be really good about it, but lately they've gotten lazy. 27. no purchasing magical items, unless they are potions/oils or scrolls Do you allow players to craft items? 29. if someone can't decide what to do when there combat round finally comes around they get a 6 second count down by the DM if they havent decided then they loose there turn hesitating Out of curiosity, is the DM required to have each monster act within 6 seconds? :P Alternately, is it okay to merely state your basic intent, and flesh it out in longer than six seconds? Square by square movement comes to mind.
Crash_00 11-15-07, 01:32 PM	31.) DM rolls all search, D.Device, Listen, and Spot checks. 32.) If you have an ability that is granting you something (IE DR for Barbs, mobility for AC when provoking from movement, ect.) it is your responsiblity to keep up with it and tell me when I ask. Once I've gone to the next person's turn it's too late to bring it up. 33.) Characters are not dead untill they reach -Con Score. (So an 18 Con Dwarf wouldn't die till he hit -18). Likewise the disabled condition normally only encountered at 0 is around from 0 to -con modifier. (So the same dwarf would be disabled from 0 to -4 then pass out ). 34.) Regions. Each character chooses a home region for his character. This region determines a perk for the character and a second favored class. (For instance characters from the Dalmire area have Favored Class Ranger and gain the track feat for free. Meanwhile those from the Feisthammer Mountains gain a free proficiency feat and Favored Class Fighter).
Altaine 11-15-07, 03:29 PM	35) Newbs will be helped at all times when making bad moves. This applies until group feels they are no longer newbs. 36)IF party in-fighting is a must it happens on the conditions of the good aligned charecter unless the evil player can give me justification for his actions (or unless I make him do them) 37)Do not take advantage of the DM being nice once in a while, lest it come back to bite you in the ass (3.0 Drunken Master who is now a halfling w/ speed of 90 gets hit with slow spells and fatigue conditions constantly)
necrom99 11-16-07, 07:24 PM	Do you allow players to craft items? Out of curiosity, is the DM required to have each monster act within 6 seconds? :P Alternately, is it okay to merely state your basic intent, and flesh it out in longer than six seconds? Square by square movement comes to mind. yes I allow players to craft items and I definitely allow players to state intent, I only go for the count down if they sit there being like ummm...i dunno, umm uhh...and the like
greatamericanfolkhero 11-16-07, 08:00 PM	38) No Kobold PCs 39) If the game is not an oriental adventures game you cannot have an oriental adventures character I’m not ever dealing with the crap that an “east meets west” group brings up again 40) While there are potion/wand/scroll shops that stock the most commonly requested items, no keeps other magic items in stock. You can have them custom made, but it will take some time. 41) Everyone gets profession as a skill. 42) Most anything from a WotC book is ok, unless I’ve said it isn’t. Don’t make me regret this. 43) If you can’t make it to a game, please have a good reason. (medical/family/job issues are always a good reason. Staying home and playing xbox is not.) Please try and let me know at least an hour before the game if you can’t make it. 44) Three bad reasons in a row gets you dropped from the game. To get back in requires a unanimous vote from the rest of the players. 45) You will be a team player. 46) If the rest of the party has an in-game reason not to hire/adventure with your character then they don’t have to, and you’ll have to come up with a different character (I’m not in the business of running solo games) 47) If you have an issue, please let me know. I can’t try to fix it if I don’t know. 48) Re-roll ones for hit points (and stats if the campaign is not using point buy)
ppirilla 11-16-07, 08:15 PM	49) Be prepared to chip in for the pizza 49a) If you do not want pizza, see rule 41 50) If you bring something, be prepared to share 51) I have Root Beer. If you do not like root beer, you should supply your own drink of choice. This beverage does not apply to rule 39 52) Everyone always wants pizza 53) If you are using material that I don't own, you are expected to bring the source book to every game session. 53a) Additionally, be prepared to leave the sourcebook with me between session so that I can read over some things. 54) Do your shopping and leveling up between sessions. Give me a list of all of the additions with reference page numbers at the beginning of the next session. 55) I will provide the highest cost of goods commonly available and the highest cost of goods possibly available. If the cost of the thing you want is between these values, you should talk to me in advance. 56) If there is a disagreement between your character sheet and the character sheet in my records, you'll play with my version until we take a break in the session. Then we can talk about what went wrong. 57) I keep a sheet on the table with the party's important bonuses and combat numbers. Make sure I keep it up to date for your character. If there's a disagreement, the sheet wins.