These are my houserules to make a Pathfinder game take the best from the Pathfinder Beginner Box, D&D Next playtest, and even a tiny bit of 4E and use them to make a really fun quick game. Any comments on where they might break are appreciated. All are optional, and each one should be addable or removable on it’s own, except the auto-confirm critical relies a bit on making fewer iterative attacks.
1. Healing and Hit Points
Use Reserve Points (from Unearthed Arcana 3.5ed) - for HP recovery. They’re like Hit Dice for D&D Next only simpler and better. You start with Reserve Points equal to your maximum hit points. If you have 8 HP you also have 8 Reserve Points. Like a total of 16 Points over an entire day.
* After being injured, every 1 min of resting, converts 1 Reserve Point into 1 HP.
* Any magical healing over your hit point maximum goes straight into Reserve Points.
* You can also recover Reserve Points via an extended rest, which will return half of them.
link: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/reservePoints.htm
Actions you can take to Heal in combat or during a short rest:
Healer's Kits - Standard Action - DC 15 Heal check to recover (your level+CON Mod) in HP. (can only benefit from a kit 1/day)
Endurance Check - to ignore wounds, (same as heal above, only on yourself) (sort of like Second Wind) highly optional - some people might hate this
Actions during a rest
Memorize Spell - 15 min/level of the spell.
Recover a special ability (ki point, Sorcerer spell, Alchemist bomb, Rage round) 15 min of meditation
2. At-Wills
Any of the attack powers for Wizards that come from Wizard Schools or for Sorcerers that come from Bloodlines that say you can use them 3+INT modifier times per day; simply become "At-Will".
Note: the Oracle already has At-Wills, so does the Witch.
3. Opportunity Attacks
- Choice 1 - there are no Opportunity Attacks.
===If you choose this; then add that you can’t fire a ranged weapon or cast a spell when adjacent to a hostile creature, unless it a touch spell. Moving away is very easy, since there are no opportunity attacks.
- Choice 2 - Opportunity attacks only trigger from leaving the reach of a hostile creature.
* Five Foot Step is gone.
* The Withdraw Standard Action allows you to move 10 feet without provoking any attacks.
* Standing up from Prone, does not provoke opportunity attack.
* Using a ranged weapon in melee does not provoke an opportunity attack, but you take a -5 penalty if you target any creature other than one adjacent to you.
* Remove the “Shooting into Melee -4” rules, but leave the cover rules.
* If you cast a spell while a monster is engaging you in melee you must include at least one of those creatures in the spell.
Optional: If you charge a creature with Reach it gets a free attack.
4. Extra Saving Throws vs. Save or Suck
For any paralyzation/daze/stunned/frightened effect; the player/creature can spend a Full Round action to get another saving throw.
5. Iterative attacks:
Once you get to high enough level to get multiple attacks. You get the old fashioned 3 attacks every 2 rounds. Yes, you have to remember, use a chit or a stone or even a die; people did it for years. If you go a round without attacking, you start over at the lower number. No dropping hit bonuses, all attacks are at full bonus.
You can always make all of your attacks as a Standard Action, and move in between each one.
The Full Attack action is gone.
Examples:
+6/+1 becomes 3 attacks every 2 rounds all at +6 (1 attack in 1st round, 2 attacks in 2nd round)
+11/+6/+1 becomes 2 attacks every round at +11.
+16/+11/+6/+1 becomes 5/2 (2 attacks in 1st round / 3 attacks 2nd round) all at +16
Another example:
A lvl 20 Monk - +18/+18/+13/+13/+8/+8/+3 (which is two different hands) +18/+13/+8/+3 and +18/+13/+8
becomes - main hand (5/2 attacks) and off-hand (2 attacks) all at +18
(this would be 4 attacks first round, 5 attacks in second round)
6. Critical Hits
Critical Hits always confirm. Any attack that would not have counted as a hit, is not a critical.
Since you have fewer attacks and all are at normal bonus, this should work out.
The Fighter lvl 20 feature becomes "you extend the crit range of your weapon by 1 and increase the multiplier by 1".
Example: if you Power Attack and end up with a +3 net to-hit bonus, and swing at a Dragon with AC 25 and get a natural 20. Your 23 would not have been enough to hit the AC 25 so it is just a normal hit.
(I’m not sure about critical hits. Another choice would be to say all critical hits are maximum damage, then roll any additional weapon dice according to the multiplier)
7. Magical Healing
All "Cure" spells such as “Cure Light Wounds” are considered to be Ranged 50ft and can be cast as a swift action.
If cast this way the only other spells you can cast that round are Orisons (Cantrips) or make a melee attack.
If you cast them via Touch and with a Standard Action, then double the d8's listed in the spell description.
8. Swarm stomp
Swarms: any player can do 1 point of damage to a swarm with a standard action, by stomping and squishing. Auto-hit, no attack roll required.
9. Sneak Attack
Flanking not required for sneak attack. Any class with Sneak Attack can do it if any of his allies are adjacent to his target. Nothing is immune to sneak attacks.
10. Ritual Spells -- to handle Ability Drain/ Death / Level Drain/ Petrify
Restoration, Resurrection, and other healing spells have Ritual versions. You can cast them over 1 hour, even if you don’t currently have them memorized, if you expend components or materials in cost equal to 50gp X (Level of the spell) X (Caster’s Level). This is the same price as twice the cost of a Scroll, or the cost of a Potion. It’s similar to if you gave out “Scribe Scroll” feat for free, and sped it up a bit.
