Møller's page

The houserules in my gaming group have evolved into something quite extensive ;)

The majority of the rules are concerning combat classes, which we thought could use a little love, and then some boost in diversity with the 5 skill points and weapon proficiencies. We've used them the last 6 months, and nothing seems broken :)

Skills:
- All characters get 5 free skillpoints at creation - they can only be used on professions/performs/crafts skills

- Crafting is measured in GP, not SP to speed up crafting as a player

- Rules to improve DC, AoE, duration and such for alchemy, traps and poisons

Proficiencies:
- Classes with high BAB get 3 weapon proficiencies, medium BAB get 2 and low BAB get 1 (each can only be spent to be proficient in 1 weapon. longsword, halberd etc.)

Feats:
- Those feats who have been removed, or if 1 feat grants the entire feat-chain: Power attack, combat expertise, two weapon fighting
etc. isn't prerequisites for other feats anymore

- Power attack isn't a feat. If you want to sacrifice "to hit" for "damage" you just do it.

- Deadly im isn't a feat. If you want to sacrifice "to hit" for "damage" you just do it.

- Combat expertise isn't a feat. If you want to sacrifice "to hit" for "AC" you just do it.

- Point blank shot isn't a feat. if you are 30' or less from an opponent, and use ranged weapons you get +1 "to hit"

- Mounted combat isn't a feat. If you got 5 ranks in the ride skill, you can try and negate a "hit" as the feat discribes.

- Lunge isn't a feat. If you got BAB +6 you can make a melee attack with +5ft reach and get -2AC until next turn.

- Cleave is a standard action, which works just as the feat (Great cleave is still a feat).

- Weapon finesse is changed. All light weapons can hit with dex instead of strength. This feat, is if you want to hit with dex, on other weapons like: curve blade, rapier spiked chain etc.

- Quickdraw also gives +2 init

- Skill focus grants +5 toa skill and +8 if you got 10 ranks in the skill

- Skill feats with a +2, +2 bonus now grants +3, +3 and if you got 10 ranks, or more +6, +6.

- Vital strike is a feat, but not a feat-chain. You get the feat once, and it improves up the feat-chain when you meet prerequisites

- Two weapon fighting is a feat, but not a feat-chain. You get the feat once and it improves up the feat-chain when you meet prerequisites.

- Weapon focus gives you +1 to hit with a group of weapons, as described in fighter weapon groups

- Combat maneuver feat-chains is 1 feat each. If you get improved trip (uses up 1 feat) you get greater trip for free when you meet prerequisites

- Weapon proficiency gives you proficiency in a group of weapons, as described in fighter weapon groups

Weapons:
- Crossbows can be made mighty just as bows - with alternative reloading times if you don't meet the minimum strenght requirement

- Slings do damage as if it were 1 size category larger - to make it a more viable weapon

I don't think you went over the top on this one. I've played with the same group for almost 10 years now, and we've been in post-apo games, where we were forced to eat our own partymembers legs to the amusement of the cannibal captors.

Of course it depends a lot on the participants. One of our players recently got a daughter, and it has been an unsaid agreement that explicit vile things done to children is off the table, but beside that, we pretty much goes with it.

Its important to stress the fact that the vile actions need to have some kind of meaning. You shouldn't just go "nasty" because you can. If it's used to convey some kind of important feel in the campaign, then great, but if you just want to describe horrible things, then maybe its not that important.

I, as a player, enjoy these truly horrific aspects of life, because for me RPG is about being in situations that you wont ever encounter in your real life. RPG gives you the opportunity to decide how your character would do in these situations, and then reflect on what other choice you as a person would have taken.

I get your pain! :)

I think its all up to experience, or about how comfortable you are with improv. I have tried all kinds of ways to stitch together an adventure, but every time i get the feeling that the players know which way i want them, because they get the hints, and know which way leads to unveiling the plot.

Then I played a WOC adventure called "Speakers in Dreams" which had this little ingenious flow chart, for how the adventure could progress, an how the different "scenes" could link to each other. At the time i thought it was brilliant... later found out that was how most of my GM-friends did it ;)

So i would recommend you making these kind of scenes, and then decide how they are linked together, although there could be multiple ways to get from the beginning until the end.

How much time it takes to create each scene, depends of how prepared you want to be - I mostly keep it to scenery features, and NPC names with 3 characteristics each - and then i improv the rest and write a journal as we play, so I can go back and fetch hooks from earlier on, to implement later... and also to keep my own head straight (i have had 5 different stories unfold i my head, but only told my players 1 of them ;) )

hope you can use some of it

Thanks guys, it has been very helpful

I know my player, and he want to play a Succubus exclusively so he can enchant anyone, and then just teleport away if trouble comes and ethereal jaunt around a dungeon so it's readily explored.

He exploits rather than enjoy, and i know you guys are wondering why I even play with him, but i just wanted to find out if i could nerf the Succubus enough to be able to make his wish come true, and still make the rest of my PC's feel like they matter - he also have a tendency to charm PC's to make them do his bidding - thats why i wanted to lower the DC ;)

Well considering all this, i will make him choose 1 of the 50 available races and let him forget about the Succubus, because i think it will ruin the game to let him get another go at it :)

Thanks again :)

Hey all

I've tried to search the internet for a way to make a balanced Succubus for 1 of my players.

My main problem is the fact that we've played with 1 before and the at/will jaunt, teleport and suggestions really tends to ruin a lot of the game.

The old game was high level - 17'ish and the GM running that game was often forced to modify the monsters in the most insane ways to keep the succubus from enchanting them or make them able to keep her around for the encounter to be dangerous.

Now i am trying to run a game myself and being the player he is, he want to play a succubus again.

I have no idea where to start nerfing the monster so it could fit, the stock DC 21 for suggestion is incredible high, and only 2 less than the Mariliths average DC's - which in my opinion seems broken.

I know i could rule the Succubus out, but on the other hand i want to make it happen, because he really want to.

So my main question, how would you guys mod a Succubus so it could fit in around 6-8 level? I want DC to be okay - but not insane, and the powers would have to go from at/will to 3/day or less.

Please help a frustrated GM - because all the templates, mods and so forth have definatly been made by players, and tend to be overwhelmingly unbalanced :)