Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mock26 12-15-03, 12:01 AM	There are tons of threads about ridiculous and bad house rules, but what about all those great house rules that your DM's have? Please share them! Take care and have a great day.... ciao, john.
Mr_Special 12-15-03, 12:11 AM	are you saying Rediculous rules aren't great?:P - i'm sure there are good serious rules, 'just won't be as entertaining... in a good group, house rules aren't really necessary...
goblinhero 12-15-03, 03:31 AM	house rules are ideal when confronted with bad rules or the rules just don't make sense.
Faeryl Zauvirr 12-15-03, 03:56 AM	1) Sorcerer gains Use Magic Device as a class skill 2) No mentioning of hp, skill ranks or other tech terms whilst 'in character.' These two are my favourites and are in everyone of my campaigns. In my opinion though, most house rules are either boring or incredibly stupid.
Harmor 12-15-03, 06:45 AM	1. We allow players to move though a space while an enemy is prone, but doing so causes an AoO (the DC to tumble is 15 instead of 25). 2. To disarm, trip and sunder, you must take a feat for each. These feats have no prerequests AND are pre-requistes for their improved versions (disarm is a prerequist for Improved disarm...). If you don't have this feat you cannot make that special attack. 3. Tower shields only cover 4 continuous squares of the 8 around your character when declaring them as full cover. Attacking from any other square you do not get the total cover or the shield bonus. (you can declare that you pivot on a target or condition as a free action, example: I go total cover against this orc and pivot with him. Or if the this ogre gets within melee I turn it towards him.) 4. Hammer Chain: just like a spiked change but does blunt. 5. Only 6th level rangers can take the Many Shot feat. 6. Magical Item creation feats require a Mage Lab (DC 15 @ 10,000gp or DC 20 Masterwork version is 20,000gp which reduces the cost to make items by 5% - including the xp cost for an item). A Mage Lab requires the Craft (Mage Lab) skill to make that only Wizards can learn (trained only). 7. You may Feint someone with Uncanny Dodge or Improved Uncanny Dodge. 8. Defenders still get an AoO against special attacks when they are flat-footed (tripping, disarming, etc...) ( I hate this one...arg...but the Improved version's they don't) 9. In water, the defender has total concealment against piercing attacks instead of total cover when attacking them from outside the water. there are others, but they excape my mind atm...
Addi83 12-15-03, 06:54 AM	Originally posted by Harmor 2. To disarm, trip and sunder, you must take a feat for each. These feats have no prerequests AND are pre-requistes for their improved versions (disarm is a prerequist for Improved disarm...). If you don't have this feat you cannot make that special attack. 5. Only 6th level rangers can take the Many Shot feat. In regards to number two, I think it rather silly to make you spend two feats on being able to sunder, trip or disarm without getting an AoO, most players wont want to make that sacrifice, and absolutely nobody will want to take things like knockdown that needs improved trip as a prereq. But worse than that, being able to fight inherantly means that you are able to attempt to disarm, trip or attack a held item. Even I can do it if I fight, and I'm no d&d character. Number 6 should at least include the fighter as well, since that is by definition the class that spends the most time and energy on fighting manouvers and styles. What people fail to realize is that it doesn't go Fighters are for melee, Rangers are archers, even if a stunning number of people seems to tink so, a fighter, built as an archer, is probably way better at archery than a ranger of the same level.
Hughbert 12-15-03, 09:29 AM	When rolling for HP, the DM secretly rolls a similar die. You then get to decide wether to take your roll or the DM's secret roll, and you have to live with the decision. It's one of my favorites.
Twisted Puppy 12-15-03, 10:18 AM	I allow players to re-roll a result of "1" on their HP die when they level. If the second roll is a "1", well, better luck next level...
Kyaran 12-15-03, 04:18 PM	Originally posted by Twisted Puppy I allow players to re-roll a result of "1" on their HP die when they level. If the second roll is a "1", well, better luck next level... One of my DMs does this as well. It's kinda cool. One of the strangest ones we have: The pellet produced by the spell fireball cannot penetrate a wall of air.
danielinthewolvesden 12-15-03, 07:10 PM	Originally posted by Faeryl Zauvirr 1) Sorcerer gains Use Magic Device as a class skill Why? He already can use any arcane item. Why should a Sorc use a Staff of Healing? :confused: Most House rules are not "great"- some are OK (like re-roll ones on hit dice, which is OK by me) and some are good for a particular campaign ("no evil characters" for example), but you don't need to change the Rules in a significant way. Fro example- none of Harmor's rules- IMHO- improve the game in any way.
Kyaran 12-15-03, 07:33 PM	Originally posted by Harmor To disarm, trip and sunder, you must take a feat for each. These feats have no prerequests AND are pre-requistes for their improved versions (disarm is a prerequist for Improved disarm...). If you don't have this feat you cannot make that special attack. I just saw this. Pardon me, but :eek: :eek: :eek: You have to burn a feat EACH to be able to try and knock the sword out of someone's hands, to try to break someone's weapon, or to try and trip somone? What's the rationale behind this? :confused:
Mock26 12-15-03, 07:36 PM	I had a DM who altered the hit dice for characters to the one below it, and added a bonus. Fighter: 1d8+2 Cleric: 1d6+2 Wizard: 1d2+2 Thief: 1d4+2 This doesn't guarantee max. hit points, but it sure helps out the weaker people, expecially wizards! Here are a couple of mine: The first person to show up for each game session (maximum of 30 minutes early) gets 25 EXP. This is done purely for fun, and it is funny looking out my window once in a while and seeing two players making a mad dash for the door! They don't need the EXP, they just think it's fun, too. Once, the entire group conspired to show up together! I award 200 EXP as Christmas presents to everyone and 250 for everyone's birthday (their birthday, not their character's birthday). When rolling up a character's stats, they can reroll all 1's, but only one time! So, if they roll three 1's, and then roll three 1's again, they are stuck with a 3! A priest can "Take 10" when casting cure light wounds. This allows him to roll 1d4+4 hit points to be cured. This actually works quite well because they only use this after combat, when wounds have been bound to stop bleeding and the healer can really examine the wound. During combat, they cast them regularly and hope for high rolls! I also e-mail out a bunch of trivia questions between each session (covering any and all topics I can think of. One example was to name the nine players of the Chicago Black Sox, and the actor's who played them in the movie Eight Men Out). The max number of XP earned is usually around 50. Again, the players don't need it, but they enjoy this, and they are always pestering me at the beginning of each session for those answers they didn't get. Take care and have a great day.... ciao, john. :b:
green_yawgmoth 12-15-03, 08:35 PM	My DM lets us get away with whatever we can rationalize/RP our way into. NE psudodragon familiar? Sure! And good job on the 3 paragraph backstory on how you managed to convert it. He also lets us buy anything we can afford from any book we bring in. It's a little H&S, but still much fun.
Octiron 12-15-03, 10:16 PM	Hmm. Mine are: 28 point buy 1/2 max +1 hp every level after 1st (Living Greyhawk method) Max paralysis duration, but victims get a save per round Darkness spells cause darkness, not shadow. Heal spells heal full out of combat (Though I am leaning towards the "taking 10" rule above now that I saw it)
Jack Daniel 12-15-03, 10:20 PM	I actually have a house rules compendium in my signature. :)
thalious 12-16-03, 12:02 AM	-characters may take any skill that fits with their history and background as a class skill. -a Wizards Bonus spells maybe used a free slots intead of a memorized spell. -There is no such thing as favored classes, and there is no XP penalty for multiclassing -ECL and CR has been ditched since I use Ad Hoc XP rules. -A character may only great cleave up their level of enemies in a given round. -Spells are houseruled between 3.0 and 3.5 as needed or agreed by the group. -Characters may wish for a feat up to a maximum of 1/4 of their total level. i.e. a 16th level character could use 4 wishes to get 4 feats if the character somehow has 4 wishes. there are more, but this is what we use that I cam remember off the top of my head.
gpstar 12-16-03, 12:16 AM	Originally posted by Harmor 1. We allow players to move though a space while an enemy is prone, but doing so causes an AoO (the DC to tumble is 15 instead of 25). 2. To disarm, trip and sunder, you must take a feat for each. These feats have no prerequests AND are pre-requistes for their improved versions (disarm is a prerequist for Improved disarm...). If you don't have this feat you cannot make that special attack. 3. Tower shields only cover 4 continuous squares of the 8 around your character when declaring them as full cover. Attacking from any other square you do not get the total cover or the shield bonus. (you can declare that you pivot on a target or condition as a free action, example: I go total cover against this orc and pivot with him. Or if the this ogre gets within melee I turn it towards him.) 4. Hammer Chain: just like a spiked change but does blunt. 5. Only 6th level rangers can take the Many Shot feat. 6. Magical Item creation feats require a Mage Lab (DC 15 @ 10,000gp or DC 20 Masterwork version is 20,000gp which reduces the cost to make items by 5% - including the xp cost for an item). A Mage Lab requires the Craft (Mage Lab) skill to make that only Wizards can learn (trained only). 7. You may Feint someone with Uncanny Dodge or Improved Uncanny Dodge. 8. Defenders still get an AoO against special attacks when they are flat-footed (tripping, disarming, etc...) ( I hate this one...arg...but the Improved version's they don't) 9. In water, the defender has total concealment against piercing attacks instead of total cover when attacking them from outside the water. there are others, but they excape my mind atm... numbers 2, 5, and 6 sound pretty bad to me. Especially number 6. It costs enough and takes enough time to create magic items. Why would you introduce more skills and kits that just aren't necessary? Besides, the basic point of the feat is that you know how to instil magic into items. Why would you need a specialized lab for that? A lab like that should aleviate costs, not be necessary.
Dorian H 12-16-03, 06:21 AM	Originally posted by thalious -characters may take any skill that fits with their history and background as a class skill. -a Wizards Bonus spells maybe used a free slots intead of a memorized spell. -There is no such thing as favored classes, and there is no XP penalty for multiclassing -ECL and CR has been ditched since I use Ad Hoc XP rules. -A character may only great cleave up their level of enemies in a given round. -Spells are houseruled between 3.0 and 3.5 as needed or agreed by the group. -Characters may wish for a feat up to a maximum of 1/4 of their total level. i.e. a 16th level character could use 4 wishes to get 4 feats if the character somehow has 4 wishes. there are more, but this is what we use that I cam remember off the top of my head. Sorry to bug you, but you made a mistake. This is the thread about GOOD house rules, no the other one
Dorian H 12-16-03, 06:38 AM	Some house rules (that are rother floor ules). About 1/4 of XP is awarded for respecting "floor conventions" like - arriving on time - bringing food and beer - bringing original and suited ambient music - making a "spoken" (no need to write boring things) 2 mins summary of the lastr session. This summary is made by the whole team of players. These constitute the "baseline XP", and can be somewhat( individualized (as I hate starting too late after waiting Jo "just a quarter of an hour and my EQ guy will level up"), on the other hand I greatly appreciate when a player brings his pack of beers. Of course, I as a DM will also contribute the fooding, and give additional XP should I be late (which isn't likely to happen as I host the games). But XP (in the floor rules pool) can be lost for having one's phone ringing in the middle of the session, being late ...
evilash 12-16-03, 08:07 AM	Perform works the way it did in 3.0.
q'afuu 12-16-03, 08:14 AM	Originally posted by Harmor 7. You may Feint someone with Uncanny Dodge or Improved Uncanny Dodge. That's not a house rule, that's exactly as per the PHB.
thalious 12-16-03, 09:35 AM	Originally posted by Dorian H Sorry to bug you, but you made a mistake. This is the thread about GOOD house rules, no the other one You made a mistake. My group likes the houserules, your opinion of them is of no value.
Dartanel 12-16-03, 09:55 AM	A little rule that I started that's actually spread among my DM friends: XP is not tracked as a cumulative total. Rather XP is kept as a pool and 'spent' to gain levels. A new level costs the character's current ECL x 1000 xp. Examples. :w: A first level character accumulates 1250 xp at the end of an adventure. He spends 1000 xp and becomes 2nd level. He now has 250 xp left and needs 2000 to purchase 3rd level. :w: A 5th level character with 4500 xp dies and is raised. They are now 4th level, but have 4500xp. At the end of the session they can immediately repurchase 5th level, going down to 500 xp. :w: An 8th level PC with 7500 xp gains the half celestial template and 1400 xp during an adventure. They now have 8900 xp, but they cannot purchase 9th level because their ECL is now 11 (or whatever the level adj for half celestial is today :rolleyes: ) and thus their next level costs 11,000.
Tenzhi 12-16-03, 10:34 AM	#1 house rule that I wasn't the first to adapt and that some will definitely scoff at: Attacks of Opportunity no longer exist.
Mr_Special 12-16-03, 11:33 AM	Originally posted by Twisted Puppy I allow players to re-roll a result of "1" on their HP die when they level. If the second roll is a "1", well, better luck next level... i'm not sure if i should allow this rule... i mean, if a fighter is advancing in level, and rolls a 1, he could reroll and get a 10... but if he were to roll and get a 2, there would be no reroll... i just thought of this, but maybe as a rule using the "d3" idea for HP... if your HP is d8, and you roll 1-4, you double it... this would eliminate the "god damn evil 2 scenarios"... although it would give all characters the upper half numbers... what do you guys think? Sink or Float?
Mr_Special 12-16-03, 11:42 AM	Originally posted by Mock26 A priest can "Take 10" when casting cure light wounds. This allows him to roll 1d4+4 hit points to be cured. This actually works quite well because they only use this after combat, when wounds have been bound to stop bleeding and the healer can really examine the wound. During combat, they cast them regularly and hope for high rolls! Could you explain this? i really don't understand...
Dartanel 12-16-03, 03:37 PM	What he's saying is that out of combat you could cast a cure spell, and the d8s would be 1d4 + 4 instead. So cure light would heal 1d4 + 4 + caster level (to 5) cure mod would cure 2d4 + 8 + caster level (to 10) etc.
danielinthewolvesden 12-16-03, 05:58 PM	Originally posted by thalious You made a mistake. My group likes the houserules, your opinion of them is of no value. You chose to post them here, you get all the input that comes down thereby. His opinion is thus of value. I like you first house rule, but I don't care for any of the others. They may very well work for you & your group, but they are NOT "Great " houserules. I got no problem with some "floor rules" like a small bonus for folks showing up on time. Harmor- your rule #6 changes the game in a significant way- and "spiked chain" is already a silly-assed Munchkin weapon- no need to add extra options.
Faeryl Zauvirr 12-16-03, 09:37 PM	Originally posted by danielinthewolvesden Why? He already can use any arcane item. Why should a Sorc use a Staff of Healing? :confused: When using magic from a scroll you have to have that spell on your spell list. Giving the sorcerer the Use Magic Device skill enables him to be more diverse and hence give more of an incentive to play one. Without the skill, the sorcerer is stuck with the same spells day in and day out until he levels up. IMC, most players just use a wizard, because they think that the sorcerer blows. Now the point to justifying my own house rule: 1) It was recomended by one of the designers of 3.0 and 3.5 2) It is an example of how house rules must also accomidate the individuality of each player, group and campaigning style.
youspoonybard 12-16-03, 09:41 PM	Uhh... While I agree with you in giving Sorc's UMD, you are incorrect on the spell list thing. The Sorceror has all of those spells on his "spell list", even if it's not among his "spells known".
Faeryl Zauvirr 12-16-03, 09:47 PM	Originally posted by Hughbert When rolling for HP, the DM secretly rolls a similar die. You then get to decide wether to take your roll or the DM's secret roll, and you have to live with the decision. It's one of my favorites. I think that has become one of my favourites too.
Malben 12-16-03, 10:22 PM	A few house-rules that I employ, and which seem to go over well with my players: 1. Druids, clerics, and wizards can cast 0th-level spells spontaneously just as bards can. Wizards must pay research or purchase/copying costs as normal to gain access to non-PHB cantrips, and must actually copy them; PHB cantrips constitute the "basics" of magic, the things that all wizards learn as part of their apprentice training in order to understand how magic functions. As such, they're able to work these apprentice exercises from memory. Similarly, 0th-level orisons constitute a level of formal devotion to nature/one's deity/other higher power which is only just above that of knowing one's catechism. 2. Clerics gain proficiency with their deity's favored weapon. 3. Rangers can select an organization (at the DM's approval) as a favored enemy.
Lady Mia 12-17-03, 03:03 AM	Good House Rules that I like to use: 1- Adjust the minimum reroll to at least 1 stat of 16 or better and a total modifier of +6. Anthing less is a reroll. Why? Because a +6 total mod is the average character for 4d6 drop the lowest. And everyone should have at least one good stat to help them shine. 2- If you roll less than 1/2 the die maximum on a HP roll, then you get 1/2 the die max instead of what you rolled. For Example: a Fighter rolls a 2 on her HP when advancing. Its treated as if she rolled a 5. Why? the game is deadly enough without losing your character due to poor luck on HP rolls... I have seen people unlucky enough to get a 1 for 5 levels straight and with a +1 Con bonus they died in every encounter. That proved the normal HP system didn't work.
wdarkk 12-17-03, 03:10 AM	Originally posted by Malben 3. Rangers can select an organization (at the DM's approval) as a favored enemy. That last one is semi-official as a variant. I've seen the Urban Ranger variant with that, and some Ranger-like classes (Harper Scout) with that ability.
danielinthewolvesden 12-17-03, 01:09 PM	Originally posted by Faeryl Zauvirr When using magic from a scroll you have to have that spell on your spell list. Giving the sorcerer the Use Magic Device skill enables him to be more diverse and hence give more of an incentive to play one. Without the skill, the sorcerer is stuck with the same spells day in and day out until he levels up. Any Sorc or Wiz can use any scroll with any spell on the entire Sorc/Wiz spell list- Specialists notwithstanding. In other words, even if your Sorc does not "know" lightning bolt. he can use a scroll of LB. He'd only need UMD to read a scroll of Cure Moderate wounds or something.
Grimbot 12-17-03, 02:36 PM	I've constructed detailed tables for critical hits and critical fumbles. Our druid is always flubbing combat rolls, and he's ended up with his quarterstaff hopelessly wedged between cobblestones more than once. Our elven ranger has a belly coated in twisted scar tissue from being gutted by a troglodyte shaman. He also lost part of an ear from an arrow wound. The critical tables add a lot of fun to the game and helps describe the damage inflicted by critical hits.
Nifft 12-17-03, 03:03 PM	My player's favorite House Rule: When you role for HP, any value below 1/2 HD is "rounded up" to 1/2 HD. So, a Cleric will get at least 4 HP per level, and a Fighter will get at least 5 HP/level. As a DM, I worked out the math, and the impact on average HP is smaller than it seems. Still, the players like it better than rolling 1's. -- N
danielinthewolvesden 12-17-03, 03:09 PM	Grimbot- in my experience- Players hate fumbles- they work strongly against the players, too-note. And criticals that have lasting effects only handicap the Players, never the bad guys. Both are IMHO "bad" house rules. Again- fine if they work for your particular group of players in your campaign- but they do NOT in any way qualify as "great" house rules. Sorry. So far, the only rule I have seen so far that most PLAYERs would like is some sort of rule to minimize the effect of rolling real bad for ones Hit dice. I have used Nifft's system myself, as well as "re-roll ones" and others.
gpstar 12-17-03, 04:31 PM	Originally posted by Nifft My player's favorite House Rule: When you role for HP, any value below 1/2 HD is "rounded up" to 1/2 HD. So, a Cleric will get at least 4 HP per level, and a Fighter will get at least 5 HP/level. As a DM, I worked out the math, and the impact on average HP is smaller than it seems. Still, the players like it better than rolling 1's. -- N haveing played in an number of games and being a DM myself, I've also worked out what is completely a different math where is DOES matter. If you don't have the HP you can't face the challenge!
Grimbot 12-17-03, 09:25 PM	Originally posted by danielinthewolvesden Grimbot- in my experience- Players hate fumbles- they work strongly against the players, too-note. And criticals that have lasting effects only handicap the Players, never the bad guys. Both are IMHO "bad" house rules. Again- fine if they work for your particular group of players in your campaign- but they do NOT in any way qualify as "great" house rules. Sorry. So far, the only rule I have seen so far that most PLAYERs would like is some sort of rule to minimize the effect of rolling real bad for ones Hit dice. I have used Nifft's system myself, as well as "re-roll ones" and others. Yeah, players hate fumbles when they work against them, but they work just as often in their favor. And the critical hit tables are really just for damage location and gory details. They don't affect damage in any way. Maybe it's just because it's the way we've always done things, but the players claim to like things the way they are. You're never going to please everybody in a thread about house rules.
Grimbot 12-17-03, 09:25 PM	Originally posted by danielinthewolvesden Grimbot- in my experience- Players hate fumbles- they work strongly against the players, too-note. And criticals that have lasting effects only handicap the Players, never the bad guys. Both are IMHO "bad" house rules. Again- fine if they work for your particular group of players in your campaign- but they do NOT in any way qualify as "great" house rules. Sorry. So far, the only rule I have seen so far that most PLAYERs would like is some sort of rule to minimize the effect of rolling real bad for ones Hit dice. I have used Nifft's system myself, as well as "re-roll ones" and others. Yeah, players hate fumbles when they work against them, but they work just as often in their favor. And the critical hit tables are really just for damage location and gory details. They don't affect damage in any way. Maybe it's just because it's the way we've always done things, but the players claim to like things the way they are. You're never going to please everybody in a thread about house rules.
Malben 12-17-03, 09:46 PM	Actually, fumbles work solidly against the players. Randomness, on the long run, consistently works out in favor of NPCs and monsters, because they only have to be lucky once, whereas the players have to be lucky all the time.
youspoonybard 12-17-03, 09:47 PM	Someone once brought up the houserule that rolling a "1" provokes an AoO. I like it. I can't see a fighter dropping his weapon so much, but I can see the fighter fighting so poorly once in a while that he doesn't adequately guard himself in a round...
wdarkk 12-18-03, 01:18 AM	The base problem with _all_ critical fumbles that are based solely on rolling a 1 is that they penalize you for being better at combat. A 1st level commoner should be _more_ likely to screw up than a 20th level fighter. The base problem with critical fumbles _at all_ is that they favor the NPCs.
thalious 12-18-03, 01:23 AM	Originally posted by wdarkk The base problem with critical fumbles _at all_ is that they favor the NPCs. How so? I use Critical Fumbles and I have noticed that it affects NPC, PCs,and BBEGs equally. Unless someone is using a loaded 20 sider.
q'afuu 12-18-03, 05:09 AM	Originally posted by thalious I use Critical Fumbles and I have noticed that it affects NPC, PCs,and BBEGs equally. Except that NPCs and BBEGs aren't supposed to last more than a few encounters, with the exception of the rare recurring nemesis, while PCS are supposed to last whole campaigns. The chances of an NPC fumbling once during the dozen or so rounds he's in combat are much smaller than the chances of any PC fumbling once during the hundreds of rounds he's in combat. And yes, the same applies to criticals but that doesn't really matter as much. Fumbles are a way a character can die because of stupid bad luck. It's not that bad if it happens to an NPC, there will always be more of those and they're supposed to die on rather short notice anyway. It is very bad if it happens to a PC a player spend a lot of time with and has grown attached to, who was not supposed to die all that soon.
Lady Mia 12-18-03, 06:09 AM	I actually like fumbles (as long as they aren't costly or deadly) People overlook the fact that sometimes fumbles can save your characters. It gives people a reason to carry a backup weapon. And it can create interesting twists in a combat situation that no one expected. The book fumble system stay fairly level as you advance... Yes the greater number of attacks make actually having to make fumble confirmation rolls more likely. But a higher level PC has a better Dex and fails that roll less and less frequently. The book has ways to avoid worrying about fumbles at low levels... such as the locked guantlet or natural weapons. The bad thing about fumbles is when the GM decides to get creative and make a fumble table House Rule... Typically broken weapons and hitting yourself find their way onto these tables and thats when the fun of fumbles is lost and it becomes a system to make the PCs hurt more.
Millennium 12-18-03, 06:20 AM	When rolling for HP, if you don't like your initial roll, you can reroll at a -1. If you don't like that one, you can reroll at -2, then -3, and so on until you roll a number that you find acceptable. Or just give up. Either way, really; when you roll four 1s in a row -and it has happened- it's obvious that something wants you to have 1 hit point for that level.
Harmor 12-18-03, 07:13 AM	When you role a 1 you roll again. If that roll resulted in a miss then you fumbled otherwise, nothing happened and you just missed. So a high level PC will less likely not fumble vs. a level 1 peasant. We also have custom fumble tables that my GM made based on Rolemaster(R) fumble charts for each of the three weapon types (Slashing, Blungeoning and Piercing). Not surprisingly this also discourages people from using Combat Expertise and Power attack as often...
q'afuu 12-18-03, 08:14 AM	Yeah, that makes sense. I use Combat Expertise because I want to be careful and as a result I'm more likely to do something stupid?
Radagast 12-18-03, 12:37 PM	Trust, me critical fumbles that have any meaningful game impact DO NOT WORK! -- First, the players are rolling all day, all the time. They are effectively in every encounter, while the Big Bad Evil Guy, or whomever, may only show up a few times in a campaign. He only has to roll well in a few battles, while the players have to roll well in EVERY battle. Negative consequences add up against the players very rapidly over time, unless you have BBEG die off-screen because they rolled a "1" in some far-off battle and got killed by an attack of opportunity. -- Second, the numbers simply don't make sense. A level 1 commoner has a 1 in 20 chance of critically fumbling in a round. A level 20 Fighter has a 1 in 5 chance because he has four attacks a round (at least!) - so the level 20 Fighter is LESS skilled in battle than the level 1 commoner? That is absurd! -- Third, the results of critical fumbles are rarely satisfying. I've seen players execute perfect strategies... oops, they rolled a "1" and a random attack of opportunity killed them. The whole point of good strategy is to work AGAINST luck - to find ways that can win without hoping the dice simply give you great rolls. Adding punishment for poor rolling takes an already bad situation and makes it potentially fatal to characters and reduces the reward for properly planning in battle. It's also just annoying when your Fighter rolls a 1 and is told "that you lose all your actions next round" and then have the crud kicked out of you because of the results on some silly Fumble table. Or when the BBEG dies because he rolled a 1 and provoked an attack of opportunity even though he should have been a bigger threat. Adding more chance to the game, especially chance that can lead to death, only reduces the enjoyment of it, at least from what I've seen.
Naeron 12-18-03, 12:47 PM	The only house rules that I apply. Raise Dead is effective for 1 day/Level and requires a whole body. Resurrection is effective for 1 week per level and requires a body part. True Ressurection is effective for 1 month per level and requires either a body part or to be cast at the locale where the person died (i.e. within short range of the place they died). Persons being resurrected this way do lose 1 level or 2 points of CON. Related to that there is a good reason why that casket contained 2 diamonds, a half dozen small sapphires and a handful of semi-precious stones. The material component is diamonds of a specific value so the caster needs to have them to hand or to find a seller who has such a diamond for sale - and even in cities this is not a sure thing as 25,000gp of diamonds can be hard to locate so the party should always stock up in advance.
OrigamiCommando 12-18-03, 01:47 PM	Here's some I've enjoyed playing under: - Rangers may choose humanoid as a favored enemy and will thus gain their bonus hit and damage againts all humanoids. Elves and dwarves die just as easily as humans and halflings, and since every race uses the same base physiology, the same combat training kills them all. - Massive damage threshold changed to Constitution score x 2 rather than a lump 50. Failing the roll only puts you at -1 hit points rather than killing you. - Sorcerers may sacrifice 1 xp for every 10gps that a spell requires. Wizards may sacrifice 10gps for every 1 xp a spell requires.
Kahurger 12-18-03, 08:06 PM	-if after making a character and played a session a player wishes to change his or her feats it costs 1000 EXP to change one feat to another it has happend
Jon Hightower 12-18-03, 10:14 PM	Lets see...... 1) Roll for stats: 4d6, reroll a 1 one time only, take the top 3. 2) Magical projectile weapons and magical ammo still stack. 3) Armor penetration for crossbows(+1 for light, +2 for heavy, +3 for great) to hit and damage. I like #3 the best. Gives you a good reason to be a dwarven crossbowman, or any crossbowman for that matter.
da chicken 12-18-03, 10:28 PM	Common ones around here: - Every time you level up, you get a character point. At any time you can spend 1 character point to reroll any one die. Take the better of the two rolls. You can only reroll dice that you roll. You may only spend one character point on a given roll. Most often used on hit point dice. - Character creation: Roll 4d6 drop lowest until you get a score of 16 or better. Then take that plus the next five rolls. That's your first set. Repeat again to get a second set. Use the array you choose. Not sure I like this one, since it averages 40 point characters.
FireSpark 12-19-03, 06:18 AM	We have a fairly large system involving what has been deemed "Luck Points." It goes something like this:(and mind you, I didn't come up with this) -- You have two luck point pools, a permanent pool and a temporary pool. -- A brand new character receives 1d4 luck points. These are immediately added to your permanent luck point pool. -- Every time your character gains a new level, you gain one permanent luck point. -- Every time you roll a natural 20 on a DM-approved roll, you gain 1 luck point. This goes in your temporary pool. -- Every time you roll a natural 1 on a DM-approved, non-combat roll, you lose a temporary luck point, if you have any in your temporary pool. -- Every time you critically fumble in combat, you lose a temporary luck point. -- At the end of each gaming session, any luck points remaining in your temporary pool transfer to your permanent pool. During the gaming session, luck points may be used in the following way: -- Luck points may be used to alter any roll (even a DM roll) at a rate of one luck point per numerical adjustment. This modifies the die roll itself, and not the final modified total (although the final total will almost always be modified as well). -- You may use your own luck points to assist another character, but only if your character is present to witness the consequences of the roll. This simulates a word of warning or a boost of morale from the presence of your companions. Using your luck points to assist others is viewed as a Good action for both alignment and XP-awarding purposes. Between game sessions, luck points may be used as follows: -- Adjusting ability scores: you may spend your luck points to adjust your ability scores. If you score is less than 10, the rate is 1-to-1. For 10 - 17, the rate is 2-for-1. For 18 and up, it goes up cumulatively (18 = 3-for-1, 19 = 4-for-1 and so on). -- You may also purchase permanent hit points with your luck points. 20 permanent hit points = 5 luck points. 100 permanent hit points = 10 luck points. And recently, our DM has instituted a new rule, that most of us find very cool. If anyone is not at the session at the designated time, then all other players that are present gain an extra 100 EXP per player that is late. (For example, last session we had two guys show up late, therefore the other five of us got an instant 200 EXP. Weee!)
Ringmereth 12-19-03, 01:12 PM	The only significant house rule we have is our system for rolling HP. The first roll can be rerolled if it's under 75% of the maximum HP you could get (7 or less for a fighter, 6 or less for a cleric, etc). Almost no one rerolls if it's over 50%, tho. The second roll can be rerolled if it's under 50%. The third roll is basically final, unless you roll a 1 and the DM feels nice. So your odds of rolling 50% or higher of your possible HP are pretty high. IRT Firespark: Your luck system seems a bit unbalanced, particularly with the 'Permanant' pool. You could just save your points for a few levels, and then boost your ability scores substantially. What I would use is a system with one pool, with the ability to reroll any die for 1 point, and gain an extra standard action for one round for 2 points. You could allow spellcasters to 'rememorize' one spell for 1 or 2 points, let fighters and other combat classes to get an extra attack for 1 point, etc. Being able to increase your ability scores or add HP permanantly just seems really unbalanced. I'd keep a luck system useful only for improving rolls and doing stuff in combat, not improving your character.
Ringmereth 12-19-03, 01:13 PM	Oops! Double post.
april151978 12-20-03, 03:22 PM	Originally posted by Harmor 1. We allow players to move though a space while an enemy is prone, but doing so causes an AoO (the DC to tumble is 15 instead of 25). 2. To disarm, trip and sunder, you must take a feat for each. These feats have no prerequests AND are pre-requistes for their improved versions (disarm is a prerequist for Improved disarm...). If you don't have this feat you cannot make that special attack. 3. Tower shields only cover 4 continuous squares of the 8 around your character when declaring them as full cover. Attacking from any other square you do not get the total cover or the shield bonus. (you can declare that you pivot on a target or condition as a free action, example: I go total cover against this orc and pivot with him. Or if the this ogre gets within melee I turn it towards him.) 4. Hammer Chain: just like a spiked change but does blunt. 5. Only 6th level rangers can take the Many Shot feat. 6. Magical Item creation feats require a Mage Lab (DC 15 @ 10,000gp or DC 20 Masterwork version is 20,000gp which reduces the cost to make items by 5% - including the xp cost for an item). A Mage Lab requires the Craft (Mage Lab) skill to make that only Wizards can learn (trained only). 7. You may Feint someone with Uncanny Dodge or Improved Uncanny Dodge. 8. Defenders still get an AoO against special attacks when they are flat-footed (tripping, disarming, etc...) ( I hate this one...arg...but the Improved version's they don't) 9. In water, the defender has total concealment against piercing attacks instead of total cover when attacking them from outside the water. there are others, but they excape my mind atm... Personaly, I don't agree with 1, 2, 5, and 8... Would you care to explain why you descided this?...
april151978 12-20-03, 04:01 PM	Hughbert and Twisted Puppy, you both have great ideas... I like them, and may just have to borrow them... Malben, I like you cleric weapon idea... I have done that, and also granted clerics the WF and WS (not the greater forms though) if they take the War domain (if able for thier god)... Mock26, I would suggest you reward the players for good role-playing, not a holiday past... That is not in the spirit of the game nore fair to those that role-play well outside those times where they get a "free" XP award... Lady Mia, I have toyed with that idea from time to time... I run a harsh and cruel world (after level 3 or so, I call no punches at all)... I have seen a few more character deaths than some DMs, but then no party memeber should be able to defeat what you throw at them all the time... Just because the game is about them, they should not be able to take out the BBEG the first chance they get, just cause they want to... OrigamiCommando, I have similar thing I use, and will discuss that after my comments here... Ok, now for my house rules... Instead of negative 10 for death due to damage, I use negative your constitution score... I never liked the idea of the weak wizard (con 6) and the stout barbarian (con 20) died at the same time due to bleeding after dropped to -1 or lower... Now, having a high con is even more important, and you will see less wizards trying to get into melee on the front lines... This is similar to OrigamiCommado's massive damage thing, but then again not really (I still use the normal massive damage rules) Initiative is rolled every round... This gives combat a more chaotic feel than one character always going first... The refocus action is still used, but it only lasts for the next round (I have still seen it used) I run a harsh world, so critical hits are critical, not just a chance to be critical... I max-out the first full damage code of the weapon, plus bonuses, and then roll the rest... An example would be a longsword wielded by a character with a 16 str... 1d8+3 for regular hits, but 1d8+14 ([3*2]=[6+8]=14) for critical hits instead of 2d8+6... For another example, a greatsword wielded by a character with an 18 str would do 2d6+6 on a regular hit, and 2d6+24 on a critical instead of 4d6+12... This may seem harsh, but I have yet to have any major complaints... Massive damage rules are in effect... Make the save, or die... I may borrow the dropped to -1 idea instead though... Makes it a bit less harsh... Rolling a natural 1 is not a miss, but instead roll a d20 again and subtract that number from your total BAB... An example would be a 20th level fighter with a total BAB of 32 (BAB 20,WF,GWF,+5 weapon, Str of 20)rolls a one, they would again roll and get say a 7, so the total attack would be 25 (still might hit, but more than likely not)... If another natural 1 is rolled, you failed to make a fool of your self, but a natural 20 would make a complete fool of yourself, like swingin at nothing... A natural 20 is not an automatic hit... Instead, I make it an open-end roll... If you roll a natural 20, roll again and add that number to you BAB+20 (from the natural 20)... If you roll a natural 1, do not subtract it, but add it instead... Another 20, you add it and continue to add 20 untill any other number is rolled... This gets rid of the "natural 20, natural critical mess" I have seen in the past... I have a few other somewhere, but I will have to dig them up...
The Stray 12-20-03, 10:04 PM	House Rules I have used: :r: The ever popular HP rule of if you roll lower than 1/2 the total of the die, I round the HP up to 1/2. :r: Rolling a natural 1 in combat provokes an attack of opportunity. And before I get attacked for this, I'd like to point out that I award Ad Hoc experiance and I run a mostly RP-oriented game, so combat balance is less of an issue. Sue me if you don't think it works, but my players like it (it gives the fighter more chances to use his Combat Reflexes, after all). I use the "moment of distraction" theory on this. :r: Character roll 4d6 and drop lowest, but they can re-roll 1's as many times as they get 'em. I might just switch to 32 point buy one of these days, but not for this campaign. :r: I've made some changes to some racial abilities to better suit my concept of that race. For instance, Half-Orcs can choose between +2 Str and -2 Dex, or +2 Str and -2 to Int and Cha, depending on how much the half-breed resembles his human parent (and however is more advantageous for his character concept). and Halflings don't get bonuses to Climb & Jump, but instead apply their Dex bonus to Climb and Jump checks instead of Strength. :r: I've made some minor changes to the classes. Sorcerers get Bluff and Sense Motive as class skills, while Paladins have been changed to Holy Warriors that are dedicated to specific gods and don't alway have to be LG (though they still must be Good; Their alignment must match their deity's, or be within one step if the worship a Neutral god. Characters can't be Holy Warriors of Evil gods). That's all the ones I remember off the top of my head.
rmilsop 12-20-03, 10:12 PM	critical successes and failures on skill checks - for isntance when I disarmed an opponent with my whip and got a natural 20, my DM let me make another attack roll to try and stab the guy with the sword I just took. Able to use str or cha as modifiers on intimidate checks - this was more for logic than anything else. Our 6'4" half orc with 22str isn't as intimidating as the 16 year old kid with red hair? Ooohkaaaay..... Sorcerers get eschew materials for free Finally, my favourite, is the vitality/wound points system. Anyone who's played the Star Wars rpg will know about this - basically you use your normal hp and call them "vitality points", then you also have "wound points" which are static - equal to your constitution, no modifiers, no way to increase it except to increase your con. This adds a touch of realism, in that when you get "hit" your vitality goes down - you're actually not getting hit, this signifies the extra effort you had to put in to dodge that blow, or to block it with your shield, or to parry it etc. When someone scores a critical hit, they hit your wound points. No modifiers, no x3 or x4 criticals, but the damage goes straight to your wound points. When that gets to 0, you die. It makes high-crit/low-damage weapons like rapiers or scimitars much more feasible, because they are designed on the premise of hitting that sensitive spot, as opposed to the greataxe which just hacks you apart. Also, this means that the fighter with 60 vitality and 10 wound points is now just as careful as the wizard with 20 vitality but 16 wound points.
Dr. Jubal Harshaw 12-21-03, 07:55 AM	We have 2 house rules that work quite well, but the sorcerer one is still being tested and is liable to change. 1) At 1st level sorcerers can choose between a familiar, or eschew materials. At 10th level they can choose between Improved Familiar or a bonus metamagic feat. 2) If you roll a critical miss, roll again to 'confirm' the critical miss. If you miss again, you provoke an attack of opportunity. The critical miss works quite well, as it does mean that as you get better at fighting you are more likely to avoid the critical miss.
Primetime21 12-21-03, 06:21 PM	I always thought in the instance of multiple reflex saves, it made sense to give those who did make the save an AOO on those that didn't.
Nova Fujit 12-21-03, 08:00 PM	critical misses easy enough ....when we roll a one you roll again...and add in you attack bonus and dex bonus...in the result of less than 10 you fumble...there for a high level warrior going only exserts him self to a chance to screw up on the most clumbsy attack...the last attack or if he stands a does not make a full round attack then he is not subject to such thing...we also put our NPC's through a critical miss...hey it happens to everyone under this a low level has a higher chance than a higher level charactor also upon reaching the point that the charactor is unable to fail a critical miss to confer the critical the charactor forgoes the check to confirm critical miss and his attack is just considered a miss. there fair and just to the high level fighter classes my rules are usual writen out like such...weither or not it makes since it is all machanics you should have seen my 2nd ed. rules for dual casting...they were very hard and if you failed self damaging ------------------------------------------------- another house rule from our group...damage ok we don't like the whole telling what hp we are at out of however much your max is...so when someone asks us how we look above 75% pretty good 75%-50% beaten 50-25% cut bloody 25% and below gaping wounds 1 or 2 hp left ...about to drop or a good blow from your enemy will do yea in... after declaring that we ask in a more exact manner in OOC if the cleric is about to cast a heal to better judge spell distrobution
rdjanssen 12-29-03, 10:01 AM	Originally posted by Millennium When rolling for HP, if you don't like your initial roll, you can reroll at a -1. If you don't like that one, you can reroll at -2, then -3, and so on until you roll a number that you find acceptable. Or just give up. Either way, really; when you roll four 1s in a row -and it has happened- it's obvious that something wants you to have 1 hit point for that level. This is a great house rule for rolling hit point. The DM I started playing with this fall uses this system and it's so reassuring when rolling your hit points that if that dreaded "1" or "2" comes up you can re-roll it. Plus, this helps the larger hit dice classes out as well. Generally, the "Re-roll ones" theory helps the lower hit dice classes out more. The odds of a wizard rolling a 1 are 25%, whereas a barbarian only has an 8.33% chance. Plus, what barbarian is going to be happy with even 2, 3, or even 4 hit points when they go up a level? With the re-roll at -1 method you can even reroll 6s, 7s, or 8s if you're so inclined.
Mommy was an Orc 12-29-03, 10:57 AM	Two of my favorites: Instead of having Perform be a set of separate skills, it is now similar to languages. i.e. each new perform skill, instead of getting ranks just needs to buy a 1 pt skill - with anyone but bards needing to cross-class it. Just buying Perform skill gets you the first group for free. Greater Magic Weapon increases the total value of the weapon, not the enhancement bonus. If you have a +1 Holy Weapon and cast greater magic weapon +5 on it, it becomes a +3 Holy Weapon, not a +5 Holy Weapon. This tends to stop the silliness that is +1 Holy Multiple Burst Weapons.
Rewes 12-29-03, 03:06 PM	Alternate Grapple Rules. Based upon the existing system, but takes out Opposed rolls and does a better job defining actions. Grapple Attacks A grapple attack is a melee attack roll. Your attack bonus on a grapple attack is: Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + special size modifier Your grapple rating is 10 + Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + special size modifier Special Size Modifier: The special size modifier for a grapple check is as follows: Colossal +16, Gargantuan +12, Huge +8, Large +4, Medium +0, Small -4, Tiny -8, Diminutive -12, Fine -16. Use this number in place of the normal size modifier you use when making an attack roll. Starting a Grapple To start a grapple, you need to grab and hold your target. Starting a grapple requires a successful melee touch attack roll. If you get multiple attacks, you can attempt to start a grapple multiple times (at successively lower base attack bonuses). Step 1: Attack of Opportunity. You provoke an attack of opportunity from the target you are trying to grapple. If the attack of opportunity deals damage, the grapple attempt fails. (Certain monsters do not provoke attacks of opportunity when they attempt to grapple, nor do characters with the Improved Grapple feat.) If the attack of opportunity misses or fails to deal damage, proceed to Step 2. Step 2: Grab. You make a melee touch attack to grab the target. If you fail to hit the target, the grapple attempt fails. If you succeed, proceed to Step 3. Step 3: Hold. Make a grapple attack vs. your opponents grapple rating as a free action. If you succeed, you and your target are now grappling, and you deal damage to the target as if with an unarmed strike. If you fail, you fail to start the grapple. You automatically lose an attempt to hold if the target is two or more size categories larger than you are. In case of a tie, the combatant with the higher base grapple attack wins. If this is a tie, roll again to break the tie. Step 4: Maintain Grapple. To maintain the grapple for later rounds, you must move into the target’s space. (This movement is free and doesn’t count as part of your movement in the round.) Moving, as normal, provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening opponents, but not from your target. If you can’t move into your target’s space, you can’t maintain the grapple and must immediately let go of the target. To grapple again, you must begin at Step 1. Grappling Consequences While you’re grappling, your ability to attack others and defend yourself is limited. No Threatened Squares: You don’t threaten any squares while grappling. No Dexterity Bonus: You lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if you have one) against opponents you aren’t grappling. (You can still use it against opponents you are grappling.) No Movement: You can’t move normally while grappling. You may, however, make a grappple attack (see below) to move while grappling. If You’re Grappling When you are grappling (regardless of who started the grapple), you can perform any of the following actions. Some of these actions take the place of an attack (rather than being a standard action or a move action). If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these actions in place of each of your attacks, but at successively lower base attack bonuses. Activate a Magic Item: You can activate a magic item, as long as the item doesn’t require a spell completion trigger. You don’t need to make a grapple attack to activate the item. Attack Your Opponent: You can make an attack with an unarmed strike, natural weapon, or light weapon against another character you are grappling. You take a -4 penalty on such attacks. You can’t attack with two weapons while grappling, even if both are light weapons. Cast a Spell: You can attempt to cast a spell while grappling or even while pinned (see below), provided its casting time is no more than 1 standard action, it has no somatic component, and you have in hand any material components or focuses you might need. Any spell that requires precise and careful action is impossible to cast while grappling or being pinned. If the spell is one that you can cast while grappling, you must make a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level) or lose the spell. You don’t have to make a successful grapple attack to cast the spell. Damage Your Opponent: While grappling, you can deal damage to your opponent equivalent to an unarmed strike. Make a grapple attack against your opponents grapple rating. If you succeed, you deal nonlethal damage as normal for your unarmed strike (1d3 points for Medium attackers or 1d2 points for Small attackers, plus Strength modifiers). If you want to deal lethal damage, you take a -4 penalty on your grapple attack Exception: Monks deal more damage on an unarmed strike than other characters, and the damage is lethal. However, they can choose to deal their damage as nonlethal damage when grappling without taking the usual -4 penalty for changing lethal damage to nonlethal damage. Draw a Light Weapon: You can draw a light weapon as a move action with a successful grapple attack roll versus your oponents attack rating. This move is not considered an attack. Escape from Grapple: You can escape a grapple by making a grapple attack against your opponents grapple rating. You can make an Escape Artist check in place of your grapple attack if you so desire, but this requires a standard action. You can also make a Strength check in place of your grapple attack if you so desire, this is also a standard action. In both cases the DC is equal to your opponents grapple rating. If more than one opponent is grappling you, your grapple attack result has to beat all their individual grapple ratings to escape. (Opponents don’t have to try to hold you if they don’t want to.) If you escape, you finish the action by moving into any space adjacent to your opponent(s). Move: You can move half your speed (bringing all others engaged in the grapple with you) with a successful grapple attack versus your oponents grapple rating. You must beat all the other individual grapple ratings to move the grapple. Note: You get a +4 bonus on your grapple attack to move a pinned opponent, but only if no one else is involved in the grapple. Retrieve a Spell Component: You can produce a spell component from your pouch while grappling by using a full-round action. Doing so does not require a successful grapple attack. Pin Your Opponent: You can hold your opponent immobile for 1 round by making a successful grapple attack versus your oponents grapple rating. Once you have an opponent pinned, you have a few options available to you (see below). Break Another’s Pin: If you are grappling an opponent who has another character pinned, you can make a grapple attack versus your oponents grapple rating to break the pin. If you succeed, you break the hold that the opponent has over the other character. The character is still grappling, but is no longer pinned. Use Opponent’s Weapon: If your opponent is holding a light weapon, you can use it to attack him. Make a grapple attack versus your opnents grapple rating. If you succeed, make an attack roll with the weapon with a -4 penalty (doing this doesn’t require another action). You don’t gain possession of the weapon by performing this action. If You’re Pinning an Opponent You can attempt to damage your opponent, you can attempt to use your opponent’s weapon against him, or you can attempt to move the grapple (all described above). At your option, you can prevent a pinned opponent from speaking. You can use a disarm action to remove or grab away a well secured object worn by a pinned opponent, but he gets a +4 bonus on his roll to resist your attempt (see Disarm). You may voluntarily release a pinned character as a free action; if you do so, you are no longer considered to be grappling that character (and vice versa). You can’t draw or use a weapon (against the pinned character or any other character), escape another’s grapple, retrieve a spell component, pin another character, or break another’s pin while you are pinning an opponent. If You’re Pinned by an Opponent When an opponent has pinned you, you are held immobile (but not helpless) for 1 round. While you’re pinned, you take a -4 penalty to your AC against opponents other than the one pinning you. At your opponent’s option, you may also be unable to speak. On your turn, you can try to escape the pin by making a grapple attack versus your oponents grapple rating. You can make an Escape Artist check in place of your grapple attack if you so desire, but this requires a standard action. You can also make a Strength check in place of your grapple attack if you so desire, this is also a standard action. In both cases the DC is equal to your opponents grapple rating. If you succeed, you escape the pin, but you’re still grappling. Joining a Grapple If your target is already grappling someone else, you can use an attack to start a grapple, as above, except that the target doesn’t get an attack of opportunity against you, and your grab automatically succeeds. You still have to make a successful grapple attack versus your oponents grapple rating to become part of the grapple. If there are multiple opponents involved in the grapple, you pick one to make the grapple attack against. Multiple Grapplers Several combatants can be in a single grapple. Up to four combatants can grapple a single opponent in a given round. Creatures that are one or more size categories smaller than you count for half, creatures that are one size category larger than you count double, and creatures two or more size categories larger count quadruple. When you are grappling with multiple opponents, you choose one opponent to make a grapple attack against. The exception is an attempt to escape from the grapple; to successfully escape, your grapple attack must beat the grapple ratings of each opponent. Rend & Rake Creatures with the Rend ability are able to apply their Rend damage upon successfully pinning an oponent. This damage can only be applied once a round. Likewise creatures with the Rake are able to gain their Rake attacks upon successfully pinning an oponenet. This can only be done once a round as well.
Winternova 12-29-03, 05:53 PM	For my d20m group, i'm thinking of modifying the way we handle character creation. I'd now request that the players give me some background info on their character, and their previous (or most prevalent/recent) occupation is what decides their starting classes, as decided by the 'sample ordinary' entries in the back of the 'friends and foes' chapter. If a player tells me their character was a cop, they'd get one level of strong and one level of dedicated to start out with; someone who worked on a pit crew prior to adventuring would have a level of strong and a level of smart. I'm also considering switching to 32 point buy so no one whines about how 'so and so is more powerful than me!' and such, though i really loathe when that complaint comes up. Massive damage threshold now equals the 10 + the character's constitution bonus. Called shots are back, -4 to hit, as per usual. I've managed to work in the 2nd edition critical hit tables (hey, the screen's still in front of me). Upon a critical hit, Severity = total damage - massive damage threshold. Say someone with a Mas of 15 is shot in the leg for 21 points of damage - he passes his fort save so he's still ticking, but we crunch numbers (damage 21 - MAS 15 = severity 6) and see that his leg is injured, his movement reduced to 2/3rd normal, and he has minor bleeding. Had his MAS been 18 (ie, he'd taken the feat, or recieved the talent, or gotten a bazillion con) the severity would be 3 - no additional effect. I've come up with a straightforward method for improving cars, which i'm actually sorta proud of. It's rarely implimented though. created a way for players to get more action points upon level up by recieving less HP - total die (and just the die) - number rolled = extra AP. ie, a strong hero (d8) rolls 4, and recieves 4 extra action points as well (8 - 4 = 4) It's liked cos it gives vitally-challenged characters an extra edge to escape those nasty saves. It gets a little 'bent' (i don't wanna say broken - yet) when it comes to the Bodyguard's d12s though. I let particularly clever tinkerers craft items that duplicate the effects of certain low level spells - say a craft: chemical check for a CLW in a bottle, kind of an RE-style first aid spray; possibly another craft check for a little ball of electroluminescently-charged glowing flecks that burst apart on contact and adhere to everything, a la Glitterdust. With this, I prefer a little character creativity - just something a little more thought-out than "I want a fireball item!" That's about it though...
Mythgaard 12-29-03, 07:14 PM	Yes, I tend toward a Heavy RP, High-Magic, Munckin, Power Gaming, Min/Maxing style of DM'ing. So? Odd Level HP On Odd Levels, the player doesnt need to roll for HP, she always gets the Max. 4d6 reroll ones once drop lowest Stat Generation. No multi-class penalties. Cure spells and items(potions, scrolls, etc.) outside of combat and not relevent to any plot elements heal maximum, always. I allow alot of Netbook material, particularly Feats. Not so much spells--netbook spells tend to be way too unbalancing. But a player can bring in anything, and as long as I can find where they got it from, and it isnt brokenly overpowered, I might allow it. Just about any published D20 material is fair game (they have to have the book if I dont) as long as it doesnt require too much adaptation and or nerfing. SCADs (Skill,Class,Ability Diversifiers) These are somewhat similar to PrC's, except you dont get any levels, HD, etc. An example: *A/SCAD- Ability, C/SCAD- Core L1-A/SCAD: "Strength Training I" XP Cost= 250 GP Cost= 1500 +1 STR +1 Rank in all STR dependent Skills(Some STR related Skills added to Class Skills) They get progressively better, there are 3 levels for each Attribute. Cost increases like this L2- 750 XP (250x2+250) 4500 GP (1500x2+1500) L3- 1750 XP (750x2+250) 10500 GP (4500x2+1500) L1-C/SCAD: "Comabt Training, Basic" 1000 XP , 3000 GP Simple Weapon Prificiency Martial Weapon Proficiency Light Armor Proficiency +1 BAB +1 FORT save etc. Just like A/SCAD's, they each have three levels, and get progressively better (and more expensive). Milestone Levels @ 5, 10, 25, 20, 25, 30, etc. You might get some bonus stuff, depends on the campaign and the character, among other things. All spellcasters gain a progression of Spontaneous Casting (its kinda weak, but adds a nice dimension for the players--the progression varies by class, and its never more than a marginal bonus at best). Also I use material from Ad&D1,2, 3e and 3.5. I also use material from other CS's--from Gamma World (the old one, I havent checked out the new one yet) to Shadowrun to D20 Modern and Call of Cthulu. I allow alot of leeway with my players (as long as they RP, I use an XP penalty system that punishes folks who wont RP), and while I do allow them to gain a good bit of power, I balance this with encounters, scenarios and quests. No one gets a free ride in my campaigns. I also use alot of Campaign Specific HR's. As an example, I have a CS where every sentient being is born with a "link" to one of the Clerical Domains (Except; Chaos, Law, Evil, Good etc.), and gains the abilities, spells (as Spell-Like Abilities) just as a Cleric who had that Domain would. Of course they are tweaked a bit, and there is a S-LA progression, etc. I tried this with Arcane Schools as well, but it doesnt stand well on its own. Tied in with the Domains its not too bad. Great? I am a giant in my own mind, so of course its great! ;)
gleep 12-29-03, 08:43 PM	Most of my houserules are campaign specific to help out with the setting. About the only general rule I have is about critical misses. No matter how many attacks you make you cannot have more than one critical miss per weaon used in a sngle round. Regular fighter sort whacking away at something with his trusty longsword won't have more than one critical miss. Dual-weilding ranger can't have more than two critical misses. A 20-armed horror creature from the outer plains fighting with 10 dual-handed weapons with 4 attacks each can't have more than 10 critical misses. Etc etc. Which is a good thing... I once rolled 16 natural ones out of 40 attacks in a single round with that stupid monster and did a minimum of 4 ones in all the other rounds of that combat. My players were laughing their butts off. :D --gleep
Harmor 12-29-03, 09:22 PM	1. While prone you can do the following: .....A. Go from prone to kneeling (MEA with no AoO) .....B. Tumble to Standing (MEA with no AoO if you succeed at a DC 20 tumble check, +2 to the DC for each additional opponent/+terrain modifiers..etc.) .....C. Tumble while prone. This allows you to 'crawl' (full-round action) upto 5 feet without provoking an AoO if you successfully make a DC 20 Tumble check. (Example: you roll under a table to get total cover from a standing opponent, but are still prone under the table) 2. Tumble to standing does not count as a move action, rather a MEA so you can still take a 5-foot step. Example: I'm prone in front of an opponent. I first make my tumble check to stand and then can take a 5-foot step.
Rose Madder 12-31-03, 02:18 PM	I am dming for essentially 7th graders, so to get them to get into the spirit of things and past teh embarrassment factor, i give out 25 gp spontaneously for great roleplaying moments (at that moment). If they make me laugh reeeealy hard, then they darn well deserve it. We have a fairly light-hearted campaign..
Eldren 12-31-03, 08:43 PM	My own house rules: 1) Haste, Harm, Heal, Horrid Wilting, Hold Person, Time Stop, Eyebite and Gate all work as written in the 3.0 Player's Handbook. 2) The Archmage, Red Wizard, Hierophant, and most other classes with an equivalent "Spell Power" ability all function according to their 3.0 versions. I don't like how 3.5 so badly whacked the ability of casters to raise the save DCs of their spells... 3) This'll go over well, I know. :) I allow casters of 10th level or higher to use something called "Iterative Casting". It makes no sense to me that warriors learn to make more than one attack in a round, but casters never learn to cast more than one spell a round (without the use of feats). Thus, someone of 10th caster level or higher can choose to cast two spells per round, so long as the total level of those spells doesn't exceed the highest-level spell they can cast. If they cast the highest-level spell they can cast, they can't then cast another one. For example, at 10th level, your Wizard can cast 5th level spells. This means that he could choose to cast, instead, a 2nd level and a 3rd level spell in the round. If he casts a 5th level spell, that's all he's getting off in the round. Since I use 3.0 Haste, you can't cast a spell from Haste if you use this option. In addition, the save DCs are at -2 for iteratively cast spells. 4) I use "Critical Fumble Threats". If you roll a natural 1, roll again. If you "hit" their Armor Class, you've just missed. But if you "miss" their AC again, you've critically fumbled, and immediately provoke an Attack of Opportunity. If you're using a ranged weapon, your bowstring snaps or your crossbow jams, requiring a full-round action to restore it to functionality. If you're using a ray spell or other spell that requires an attack roll, you've potentially hit a companion if it's ranged, or you just out-and-out trip and fall if it's a touch attack. Falling in this method provokes an AoO. :) 5) I limit PCs to no more than one prestige class in pre-Epic levels, although there is no limit on Core class multiclassing. I don't want prestige classes treated like a set of stackable powers; I want the role playing element, not to mention the "prestige", of them to remain. Upon entering into Epic play, they may either take an additional non-Epic prestige class (although it often doesn't make sense, as the abilities granted by non-Epic prestige classes don't have the power to make meaningful impact in Epic play), or they may take one Epic prestige class instead. They may continue adding additional class levels of Core classes as they see fit. I consider the Psychic Warrior and Psion to be Core classes, i.e., they're fully available to the players with no restrictions. 6) I let players roll up three sets of stats using 5d6 drop the two lowest, and pick the best set of stats (but not the best six stats from the three sets). I want my players to have characters they're going to be excited about playing. 7) I use the XP system from the Wheel of Time d20 RPG for heavy role-playing sessions (those where little to no combat occurs). The Ad Hoc system for XP gives awards that are, in my opinion, too small to encourage players to role play with the same gusto with which they swing their weapons. If the session is combat-heavy, I assign XP according to the CR system from the Dungeon Master's Guide. I assign Ad Hoc awards for role playing at that point. But if the session is really combat-light, then I use the session length-based XP system from the Wheel of Time RPG. It awards approximately the same XP as the CR system does in a combat-heavy session, so that my players feel like role playing yields as much reward as hacking things apart. This encourages them to accept the possibility that an encounter can be "won" through peaceful means as well as through violent ones. This isn't to say that combat is frowned on, but in some situations, it just isn't called for, and I want the players to get as much XP for using non-combative methods of solving a problem as they for swinging their weapons and spells at something until it stops moving. Those are my primary house rules. Flame away. :)
Mythgaard 01-03-04, 01:46 AM	Originally posted by Eldren My own house rules: 3) This'll go over well, I know. :) I allow casters of 10th level or higher to use something called "Iterative Casting". It makes no sense to me that warriors learn to make more than one attack in a round, but casters never learn to cast more than one spell a round (without the use of feats). Thus, someone of 10th caster level or higher can choose to cast two spells per round, so long as the total level of those spells doesn't exceed the highest-level spell they can cast. If they cast the highest-level spell they can cast, they can't then cast another one. For example, at 10th level, your Wizard can cast 5th level spells. This means that he could choose to cast, instead, a 2nd level and a 3rd level spell in the round. If he casts a 5th level spell, that's all he's getting off in the round. Since I use 3.0 Haste, you can't cast a spell from Haste if you use this option. In addition, the save DCs are at -2 for iteratively cast spells. Those are my primary house rules. Flame away. :) I quite like that, I may have to steal it! :devil:
Eldren 01-03-04, 02:53 AM	Feel free. :) I posted a thread on this not too long ago, I believe on the "Spells & Magic Items" board, although it might have been on the "Feats" board. I can't remember. It was quite the lengthy thread. I can't remember all the specifics, but think that what I have here is pretty workable, so it's what I use. I'm not currently DMing anyway, as I'm more actively a player, but I look forward to DMing more in the future. Use anything from my post that you like. :)
Salla 01-03-04, 08:59 AM	1. No Favored Classes. No XP Penalty for Multiclassing. 2. Paladins and Monks may multiclass freely. 3. Alignment restrictions on Monks, Barbarians, and Bards are lifted. Paladins are still Paladins, though, and must be LG. 4. If you roll less than half on your hit die, count it as half. 5. The Clobbered variant from the DMG is in effect. 6. 1s and 20s are not 'automatics' on hit rolls and saves. Calculate the rolls as if you'd rolled a -10 or a 30, respectively. 7. The rules for Hit Locations/Called Shots as it appears in the DMG are in use, including the 'no permanent damage' rule. This applies to both sides. 8. Anybody can qualify for a Race Restricted Prestige Class by increasing all skill requirements by 2, and spellcasting level requirements by 1, assuming the other requirements can be met. 9. Oriental Adventures is fair game. Savage Species is fair game. Psionics Handbook is fair game. 10. All material (core, third-party, or otherwise) needs to be reviewed by me before its use, preferably WELL in advance. 11. No Kender. Note that #9 above did not say Dragonlance was fair game. Pertains to #12, below. 12. In character actions have in character consequences. If you rob, belittle, harass or otherwise offend a player-character, do not expect 'But I'm a PC' to be an excuse for your victim not to act appropriately in attacking you, turning you in to the authorities, or calling for your expulsion from the party. 13. If I say it's unbalanced, it is. Please come up with another idea. Edit: Two small ones I forgot: 14. Dwarven women do not have beards. 15. Elves sleep like normal people.
Daevaron 01-03-04, 10:57 AM	1. Sorcerers can trade in Summon Familiar for Spellcasting Prodigy, Bloodline of Fire or any other feat that emphasizes the sorcerer's talent for magic. They also do not need material components unless the spell description lists a cost. 2. At 2nd level, your hit points gained are at least 3/4 of your maximum on your hit die. At 3rd level this changes to 1/2 and at 4th level and after, you may re-roll ones. 3. 30 point buy system for character creation to prevent rolls that are just too good or too bad, while still being able to create competent characters. 4. Anything that is not in the core and Forgotten Realms books can be used IF the DM deems it balanced and not out of place, but everything has to be official licensed material.
CX316 01-03-04, 12:24 PM	on the HP rolling point, when we roll HP for any level after 1st, if we don't roll above half, we re-roll... so a fighter has to get 6-10, barbarian 7-12, mage 3-4 or cleric 5-8. As for multiclassing, the one rule that ticks me off that our DM has (and trust me, there's no point trying to convince my DM to change his house rules, he's had them set since 3.0 came out) is that PCs may not, under any circumstances, multiclass before 10th level. And even then you have to find a good reason to do it, and have to track down someone willing to teach you. (this kicked the teeth in on my plan for a Shou Disciple, since their abilities are pretty useless at that kinda level). We also have to know HOW we'd carry or wield a weapon or else we can't have it.... hence why I use a Halberd and not a Spiked Chain, it's just not worth the hassle. Oh, and I dunno what the standard critical miss rules are but for us, if you roll a natural 1, then you roll again, another 1 means you break your weapon. If you have a masterworked or better weapon, you only drop it instead of breaking it. *cough* oh, this is meant to be for GOOD houserules... err... nm
ElFenrir 01-03-04, 12:37 PM	Some of mine: I allow the first three hit dice to be maxed. This goes for enemies too; but it works out well in the end. I allow 1's to be rerolled for HP. a 6th level barbarian with a 14 con could end up with 29 HP. that's one hit from a lot of CR 6 beasties. Or, I give the players the option of taking the "half hit die +1" at level up, instead of rolling. But the decision must be unanimous, and it can't change in play. If they can't decide, I'll just choose a method. The set HP helps characters more than it hurts them in the long run, I found out, but you can miss out on the chance of rolling really good for Barb HP every level. I give options for character creation. Do you want the 32 point buy, or 4d6 drop lowest 8 times, taking the best six. Again, must be a total decision by the players. Once the decision is made, it's stuck, so choose wisely. Either one can end up beneficial. The 32 points guarentees some stuff; the rolling could be for good or ill... I tend to give my players some freedom at the start.
Vix Damnul 01-06-04, 02:32 AM	One that my players rather liked was that, for arcane casters, you could swap out some of your weapon proficiencies, within reason. So, for example, one player decided "to hell with the staff, i'll use a spear", and no one had any complaints. I like Eldren's iterative casting idea a lot, actually, and may well steal that one. YOINK! it's now valid, i said yoink! Someone earlier posted that all clerics receive proficiency in their deity's weapon... i like that a lot, but, since i pretty much hate clerics with a fiery passion, i'd set it in my game so that they can only start out with and use that favored weapon. After all, if it's good enough for god, it's good enough for you. On a similar note, i freely give druids proficiency in the scythe. It's more agricultural than a scimitar, and i don't care that someone once said scims are akin to claws. On that note, i may or may not allow druids to use flails. Nature worshippers, yeah, but i don't consider them anti-technology/agriculture, either. Sorcerors get free eschew materials (actually, i never really bother with material components, for anyone, in general, though clerics need their holy symbols).
Harmor 01-06-04, 12:54 PM	1. All 0'th level spells can be cast without having to memorize specific spells, this includes Wizards. 2. Arcane specialists can convert one spell that they memorized that is not in their specialty to a spell in their speciality, per spell level, as a Cleric would be able to convert a spell to a Cure spell of that level (Example: An Envocationist could convert their memoriezed True Strike into Magic Missile). 3. To ready a tower shield as full-cover is a move-equivalent action. Although the rules say that their aren't 'facing' we play as follows: ...... ...P.. T = Tower Shield ..TF.. P = Partial cover (+4 to AC) ...P.. F = Full cover (no melee attack) ...... The defender has no protection from attacks not in the covered arc. The defender can also, as a readied action, move the shield to follow their attacker as the attack attempts to manuever around the shield. This obviously is contary to the 'no facing' rules in 3.5...but we like it.
Robert rath 01-06-04, 05:20 PM	I allow my players to roll a d10 during character creation and if they roll a 5 they gain the ambidexterity feat for free.
OrigamiCommando 01-09-04, 10:01 AM	Here are some I use that my players have mentioned liking to me when I showed them this thread. Judge them how you want: - The only place critical success and fumbles count is in combat. Saves and skill chacks can't be automatically failed or passed. For instance: A 20th level barbarian with a Con of 20 automatically saves against any poison or disease whose DC is 18 or lower. They are just that tough. On the other hand, a 1st level commoner with a Con of 10 is incapable of saving against diseases or poisons DC 21 or higher because even on a roll of 20, they still don't equal the DC. They autofail the save. - More of a rule from Arcana Unearthed, I use the hero point system. Any time a hero, or PC villain does something within the ethos of their chosen alignment, does something of extrordinary kindness in or out of game, or makes the group laugh with something in game, he gets a hero point. A limit of 1 hero point per session maybe gained. A hero point maybe traded for the following: 1. +20 to any attack roll, skill roll, or check before the roll is made 2. Increase the roll on the random treasure table by 10 (usually a D% roll) 3. Reroll any failed attack roll, skill roll, or check 4. Increase hit points by 1D10 in reaction to a fatal blow
StratoS 01-09-04, 10:42 AM	dunno if the first one is realy a houserule, but i'll list it none the less. and i know 4 is not a houserule, but it's still something most people seem to miss. 1. temp. INT boost items/spells do NOT work for gaining more skills at level up. This becouse there is no way to verify that the character was wearing the item or had the spell effect on him for the entire duration between 2 levels. 2. if the DM can visualise it happening then there's a change it's allowed. Sometimes a player might want to do something that's gray area rules wise. and instead of spending the rest of the session looking trough rules books if it is possible or not, the DM just declares if he can see it happening or not. and that's that. 3. common sense prevails. Just becouse the rules state that orcs don't have the trap making skill, that doesn't mean a orc can't make a trap. Just becouse the book says that black dragons are chaotic evil, that doesn't mean that evrything a black dragon does is evil. 4. paladins beware - good and evil aren't personal, nor subjective. they are static and ground rules of the world. Just becouse you think it's evil, doesn't mean it is. Just becouse you din't knew it was evil, doesn't mean it isn't. Just becouse it is evil, doesn't mean it is. Just becouse it isn't evil, doesn't mean it isn't. (oh how i love to mind :censored: paladins)
Twisted Puppy 01-09-04, 10:51 AM	Here are a few more that I have: 1.) If your character is killed, you may make a new character at one level lower than the deceased. 2.) If you wish to change characters, your new character is one level lower than the lowest current party member. (That's the penalty for being wishy-washy.) 3.) Nothing out of Forgotten Realms - I don't have those books and am not really up to reading through a borrowed copy. 4.) On an attack role with a natural "1", make a reflex save DC 15 to avoid a fumble; a second "1" is a critical fumble, usually resulting in something bad happening, at DM's discretion. Examples are: hit party member accidentally, bow snaps, +2 keen rapier slips out of hand and gets lodged in web right next to the wizard BBEG, who plucks it out of the web, says, "Gee, thanks!!", and teleports away.. Note that I said something bad, not something catastrophic. 5.) Wounds over a year old that have healed naturally (even amputations or internal organ damage) cannot be healed by normal healing or regeneration spells. It will require a wish to restore those wounds. (That particular house rule is part of a storyline.)
MaverickWolf 01-09-04, 11:26 AM	I'll be playing a relatively high-powered campaign (NOT high-magic, high-powered....Lots of undead, especially vampires, and lots of demons, plus Underdark excursions...), so these may seem a bit unbalanced. 1.) After completely finishing character creation, the DM (me) rolls a d6. 1: Strength, 2: Dexterity, 3: Constitution, 4: Intelligence, 5: Wisdom, 6: Charisma. Whatever stat is rolled is upped to an 18 (before racial modifiers), so you could end up with a wizard with a Strength of 18. IF said stat was already an 18, it becomes 20. Should make for interesting roleplaying. ((Of course, though I can't start really playing until summer, one of my players has a chara made already. He's a fighter/wizard, who had an 18 in intelligence and is playing a sun elf from FR [+2 to Int]. Then the roll came up for Int, so he's got a 22 to Int alone. Smart MF, if I do say so myself...)) 2.) One free "regional" feat is granted at first level. Most regional feats are more RP-flavor oriented than anything else, even if they do provide bonuses, so I allow them to be taken. What ends up counting as a regional feat (I don't use the literal FR interpretation of that) is up to the DM. 3.) If you can show it to me, and show me where you got it from, it's free game. I'm out. -Maverick-
Twisted Puppy 01-09-04, 12:34 PM	Oh, almost forgot: on Cure spells, re-roll ones ..
elfnecro 01-10-04, 06:42 PM	Well, my DM has an interesting way of handling stat upgrades. We are giving the option of working out. The way it works is that there is a percentage system on each stat, and that if we work out on the stat, we gain % points on it. When someone reaches 100%, they gain one point onto that stat. Example: my character wields a glaive, and every night before bed, he does intricate tricks with the glaive. The typical reward for this is 5% str, and 5% dex. You also have to make a moderately difficult fortitude save to gain any benefit from it however.
lyros2199 05-02-04, 09:48 AM	The one house rule my DM has enabled (he uses others Ive seen on this board as well, but this so far is unique) Is what we call "exploding crits" (if you play Living Death, and know what "exploding 6s" are all about, you'll have an idea). You roll a crit threat. You roll to confirm. IF on the confirm roll, you roll another threat, your crit confirms and your multiplier goes up by one (i.e if you have a longsword and you roll a 20, and then you roll a 19 on the confirm roll, the crit damage is x3 instead of x2). Additionally if the 2nd roll was a crit thread, you roll a third time. If that one is a crit threat, the mutiplier goes up again. At that point you stop. So its possible, with really lucky rolls, to have a longbow do 5d8 damage (you'd need to be REALLY lucky, though), or a falchion do 8d4. It's yet to happen in the game, but we all know its a matter of time.
Remnant 05-02-04, 02:24 PM	1) Core only, with exceptions evaluated individually. (seems clunky, but has worked very well for our group, streamlining both creation and play without reducing fun.) 2) Hp/level is half HD+1 or whatever rolled, player's choice. Implemented because, especially early on, bad Hp can cripple an otherwise good character, while somewhat above average scores do not significantly harm game balance. 3) No PrC is inherently considered core, even those in the DMG, thus house rule 1 above applies to all PrCs. (This is done in large part to keep with the spirit of PrCs, keeping them, and the players that use them, more unique.) 4) While the game is in session: No cell phones, no TV, no video games. Other rules of ettiquite set by game host. (within reason, of course, i.e., no smoking is understandable, no bathroom breaks is not. :)) 5) Any and all rules, both house and core, are subject to discussion and change if desired, but once a consensus is reached, the rule is not changed again for the balance of the session/campaign, whichever is more applicable. (This prevents excess time spent on disputing rules- created because of one self-proclaimed rules lawyer took probably more than half of one session time arguing with everything. Lost the player, kept the rule.)
Arbitrary Aardvark 05-03-04, 01:14 PM	Spontaneous metamagic casting (1 per day currently, but moving in the direction of 3/day from UA) Bonus 0th level spells equal to your bonus 1st level spells. Clerics get Prestidigitation on their spell list. On skill rolls where a roll of 1 would still be a success, you still succeed but just barely. (Typically this turns a move-equivelent action to a full-round action.) On skill rolls where a roll of 20 would still be a failure, you realize that in time to avoid the consequences of failure. (Typically turns a move-equivlent disaster into a full-round of inaction.)
Mirror, Mirror 05-03-04, 03:01 PM	Makes for strange, yet fun, games: Characters get 5 D6 for stats, keep all 5. Characters get max HP for 3 levels +10 more. Characters get nearly 2x magic and wealth. There IS NO RAISE DEAD/RESSURECTION/TRUE RESS. If you die, either reincarnate or find a wish/miracle. New characters start at 1/2 party ECL. Imagine 200 HP barbarians quivering in fear after the enemy wizard casts Finger of Death... Just fail once, and you are sooo screwed...
Atraitys 05-03-04, 04:26 PM	M<y DM has a series of differing house rules we call 3.75. But one that's pretty cool is when you are making a PC and are rolling stats, and he thinks you stats are, lets say "average" He will re-roll your lowest stat, hidden of course (But only with 3d6, NOT the tytpical 4d6, take the 3 highest), and ask you if you want what you got, or what he rolls. Great as it may sound, but one time a player gave up a score of 11 for a 3. All at the table were witness to the fairness of the roll and 3 ones came up. Luck of the draw, but that's the chance you take to see if you can do better. If you have rolled 2 or more 16,17,18's, you do not get this option.:D
Frodo Lives 05-03-04, 11:01 PM	New Feats: natural armor +1 to AC only available at first level Hps: reroll 1's under 1/2 bump to 1/2 No multiclassing penalties on your 2nd class, but in effect for your 3rd No PrCs that require joining a group/organization unless cleared specifically by the DM. Afterwards the rest of the party can kick the character out of the group if it interferes too much with group play. All roleplaying requirements for classes, PrCs MUST be adhered to. If not benifits are gone, permenantly. No monster races or templates for PCs Any non core spell must be researched in game, can not be gained with level up spells or granted automatically from deity Characters who disrupt the group are to be treated the same as an NPC who acts the same way. (this reduces the childish play of some people) On a natural 20 re roll to confirm crit, if another natural 20 appears, max damage. (no third roll for auto kill) Don't die until negative con Massive damage saves is applied to only attacks and spells that require an attack roll. (No more maximized fireballs killing high level characters or BBEGs) No out of game language allowed in character (hps, level, saves) Only the DM is to look at other players sheets, this provides a little mystery to the group. We know what class the other characters are, but we don't always know what feats, hps, saves, stats or anything like that is. The DM is VERY careful and cheating is not tolerated in the least. DM has the right to ban or change any feat, spell, or magic item in any book (even core) BUT must make changes before selected (or advise player that said spell/feat/ability is under a probationary period to determine balance) or make appropriate changes in co operation with the player. This allows the DM to disallow anything he wants, but still not able to yank the rug out from under a player.
philopharynx 05-04-04, 06:53 PM	Get Int bonus in extra class skills. I.E. someone with a 16 int can choose three skills and they will always be considered class skills for them. In order to take advatange of this, the player must write up a background that explains how they know these. DR x/Magic is reduced by 5 per bonus of the weapon. A +2 weapon against DR 15/Magic results in DR 5. The enhancment bonuses on bows adds to your attack bonus, but the enhancement bonus on the arrow adds to your damage. You penetrate DR/Magic as per the higher of your bow or arrow. All special abilities of a bow and an arrow apply unless they are mutually exclusive. i.e. if you fire an unholy arrow out of a holy bow, neither affects the target (though you would take a negative level if appropriate you are of the wrong alignment).