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Weapon Proficiencies
Proficiency is tied to BAB. +1 BAB classes gain 4 proficiencies at 1st level. A +3/4 BAB class gains 2 proficiencies at 1st level. A +1/2 BAB class gains 1 proficiency at 1st level.
Each proficiency allows a selection of One Weapon Group, or one Exotic Weapon Group. For example, a Fighter gains 4 proficiencies at 1st level, and could pick Blades, Heavy, Blades, Light, Exotic Blades, Heavy, and Bows.
When multiclassing, you gain half the number (round down) based on BAB. So, a +1 BAB class gives +2 proficiencies, and a +3/4 class gives +1 proficiency.
Feats that normally require you to pick a weapon (for example, Weapon Focus) instead require a Group. So Weapon Focus (Heavy Blades). Exotics count as base group for such feats. EWP covers an entire group if you take it as a feat, same with Weapon Proficiency.
Everyone get's simple weapon proficiency.
We've found this works really well, and gives multiclasser's a bit of a boost. Plus it makes it more likely someone will change weapons, since they aren't tied to one specific weapon for all their feats, just a group of them.
We have others, but this is a good one that everyone who has played with it likes.
Wow I really like this house rule. Gonna implement right away. Always hated players always sticking with one sword or one type of pole-arm because they invested too much into weapon focus/specialization/improved critical etc.
Some of the below house rules I use...disclaimer I run a very heroic game. The campaign is called War of the Damned. The players are trying to prevent the Infernal and Abyssal war from destroying the material plane even though each of them is somehow damned themselves.
1) Starting ability stats 18,17,16,15,14,13 and the player gets to add a +1 to two different stats, but can't increase a stat above 18 at first level. At 4th,8th,14th,18th level they get to increase any two stats they want. Then at 10th and 20th level they gain +1 to all stats.
No stat can ever be above a 24 unless it is because of racial or temporary magical enhancements or because they become mythic. Magical items that increase stats are very hard to come by in my campaign and usually have some kind of drawback attached to them. Wish spells, miracles, and other spells that can be used to permanently enhance stats don't work in giving a straight stat bonus, but instead will give something else that is somehow tied to the characters "theme." Bull's Strength, Enlarge, and other temporary spells work as normal and are one of the few ways of enhancing your spells. These spells can never have a permanent spell on them.
2) All player characters are Gestalt Characters. They go up in two classes every level gaining the best Base Attack, the best saves, and all of the class features. I restrict the classes to not being of the same primary type. Can't be a Paladin/Cleric, Barbarian/Fighter, Wizard/Sorcerer. However if they want to multiclass and change the two classes they go up in they are allowed to if the story of their characters makes sense. Example one player went up as a Monk/Cleric until 6th level and then continued going up in Cleric till 12th, but stopped going up in monk levels and began going up as a fighter for the additional 6 levels. Minor npcs and minor encounters remain the same, but all major npc enemies or creature enemies get adjusted to be considered Gestalt as well. They just fought three Devils of their challenge level that were also each 12th level classes as well as their normal traits.
3) All player characters gain 2 bonus combat feats at first level and one non-combat bonus feat at first level. Then every even level after first they gain a non-combat feat. At third level and every odd level they gain a combat feat.
4) The rule of 1's & 20's: All d20 natural rolls of 1 are considered a failure regardless of how high your modifiers are. There is always a 5% chance for skill, attack, save, etc failures. All d20 natural rolls of 20 are considered a success. If a 20 is a skill they are considered a critical success and I usually give some kind of bonus to the outcome or description of the success.
5) Skills: Climb and Swim are considered one skill called Athletics. Athletics can also make jump checks at a -5 to their total if a character is using raw strength instead of acrobatics to jump.
6) Feats: Dodge & Mobility are one skill giving a +1 to AC normally and for AoO's when moving gives a +4 instead. The feat is called mobility. Combat Expertise is not a feat anymore. It is just a combat option for all characters with at least a base attack bonus of +1. All feats that require combat expertise instead just have a prerequisite of a BAB +1 and a Int of 13 instead. Point Blank shot and precise shot are considered one feat called precise shot. Improved combat maneuvers are broken into two feats instead of the many that exist. Deft maneuvers has any dexterity based maneuvers (including Feint) and Powerful maneuvers has any strength based ones granting whatever bonuses the Improved maneuver would normally grant. My campaign promotes characters to use a few selections of maneuvers instead of only one. The greater maneuvers still require characters to take them individually. Any other feat that might have a prerequisite of the improved maneuver requires either Deft maneuvers or Powerful maneuvers. Deft Maneuvers requires the Int and Dex requirements that were in the original improved feats and Powerful Maneuvers requires Power Attack and any Str requirements that the improved feats might require. Weapon Finesse now has Bloody Finesse that allows for a character to add their Dexterity instead of their Strength to their damage. Create magic item feats are now just one feat called create magic items. To create a magic item the character needs to still be the minimum level that the individual feats required to take their feats. This just allows a player to take create magic items and as he levels he learns new items he can create. This is also because I don't give a lot of down time to create items and when they will really be able to make a lot of items its probably when they are retired. This will allow them to make the simple items and occasionally make other items for themselves or other players.
7) All characters have the opportunity to become mythic characters depending on roleplaying and where the story takes them. Mythic does come with a price because some kind of higher power or force of nature hones its attention on them which can come with all new issues.
8) Characters don't die until their hit points fall below their constitution plus half their character level. If a character falls below their constitution level they are somehow disfigured or scarred. If it is magic that brought them below this number they may have their saving throws or other defenses lowered for future attacks that are similar to the attack that did the damage.
9) And now I will be reviewing and bringing the weapon groups to my group.