I recently made a few tests with some variants/house rules. It was just testing, but turned out pretty well.
Action Points
- 1/2 ECL (min 1)
- Roll Again take best result
- Stabilize
- Recover SP[ell] (amount = highest spell level [cost])
- Recover AP sleeping
Defense Bonus = ECL/2 (pcs only)
Money/2 (magic stuff is more scarce)
Scroll Prices/2
HP/2
Spells or effects damage/2 (not natural hazards)
It lent a more grittier feel, combat is more risky: a hit really hurts but it happens less often. Overall I liked it a lot.
P.S.: it was with mid level chars, so it's just an HP variant, not a "starting" one.