PH – RACES (Human) - Favored Class – Favored class (Any), means any they choose at any time, not just the highest current one.
PH – RACES (Elf) - Favored Class – Bard.
PH - RACES (Gnome) - Favored Class - Wizard.
PH – RACES (Half-elf) - Racial Weapon Proficiencies – Gets elf racial weapon proficiencies.
PH – RACES (Half-elf) - Favored Class – Favored class (Any), means any they choose at any time, not just the highest current one.
PH – RACES (Half-orc) - Racial Abilities – +2 Str, -2 Int (no charisma penalty).
PH – RACES (Half-orc) - Racial Weapon Proficiencies – Half-orcs may treat the orc double-axe as a martial weapon instead of an exotic weapon.
MM - RACES (Orc) - Racial Weapon Proficiencies - Orcs are proficient in all simple weapons and may treat the orc double-axe as a martial weapon instead of an exotic weapon.
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Comments on Houserules.
I found the book ANY favored class more accurately labeled HIGHEST, I felt allowing humans and half-elves to choose actually any of their classes would be more consistent with the flexible nature of these. So now a human cleric5/wizard4/rogue1 would not take any xp penalties (treat rogue as favored class).
After reading some of the racial descriptions as well as various other sources (perhaps too much LoTR) I came to the conclusion that elves just more naturally seemed to favor bard than wizard. Gnomes, as the tinkers and experimenters that they are often presented as sounded more like wizards than bards.
Giving the half-elf elf weapon proficiencies as well as the half-orc no charisma penalty and being able to treat the double-axe as martial was an effort to boost up these two races as they are probably the most underpowered core races. And since I gave half-orcs the double-axe as martial, it only made sense to give it also to orcs.
PH / MM – SKILLS (Handle Animal) - IMPROVING ANIMALS – Animals can be improved using the handle animal skill.
To improve (advance) an animal it requires:
1. Handle animal check DC 20 + (New HD)
2. Cost of 100 gp x (New HD), if a person trains the animal themselves the costs is 1/2 as much.
3. Three weeks of training time, with at least two hours a day dedicated to training, for non-feat obtaining HD. If the increase in HD would allow a feat then it takes four weeks.
Improved animals are difficult to handle and do not respond to handlers/riders who do not have at least 2 more HD than the animal. Druids and Rangers can use this to improve their companions but the difficulty to control still applies.
If in the animal entry, an increase in HD is associated with a larger size, then the animal enlarges as it is advanced. This can be used on animals that would not normally be allowed to advance in the MM. An animal with a fractional HD can be advanced to a full HD, just use the above rules for 1 HD (note it will only take 3 weeks to train, since the animal should already have a feat).
An animal can only be improved by one hit die at a time.
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Comments on Houserule
I instituted this rule as a way for players to use the handle animal skill more (by training their own mounts) and to help make their mounts effective longer while adventuring.
PH - CROSS-CLASS SKILLS - Ranks in cross-class skills cost 1 skill point per rank, not 2. The maximum ranks possible in cross-class skills still applies.
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1) Rogues do not have to actively search for traps with their trapfinding ability. It becomes more of a sixth sense ability. Their search score still applies, but now player doesnt have to say, "My rogue is searching for traps as we are going down the hall." The DM will roll a Search check(secretly) and see if the rogue's sixth sense warns him.
2) You can use weapons with reach that normally can not be used on creatures adjacent to you. You take a -4 to hit and damage when doing so.
3) Feats like Toughness(Dauntless) allow a PC to survive to -13 hps.
4) Dodge feat is active vs everyone. Other advanced Dodge feats that require you to choose your target function as normal.
5) Casters that are required to memorize spells do NOT have memorize zero level spells.
What your opinion of this simplified damaging alternative to Turning Undead:
Turn Undead:
In a 20' burst, the cleric damages all undead in the area. The damage is d6/cleric level and undead get a Will save for half (DC is 10 + 1/2 cleric level + charisma bonus). If the affected undead misses it's save, it is cowered for 1 round. The cleric cannot use this ability on consecutive rounds.
Nice thread idea.
PH – COMBAT (Injury & Death: Healing) – Natural Healing: With a full night’s rest (8 hours of sleep or more), you recover 1 hit point per character level plus *your character's Con bonus*. For example, a 5th-level fighter *with a Con of 15 recovers 7* hit points with a night of rest. Any significant interruption (such as combat or the like) during your rest prevents you from healing that night.
If you undergo complete bed rest for an entire day and night, you
recover twice your character level *plus your character's Con bonus* in hit points. A 5th-level fighter *with a Con of 15 recovers 12* hit points per 24 hours of bed rest.
{differences marked with asterisks}
@Eric Tillemans: that's almost the same as the Destroy Undead class feature substitution detailed in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (minus the cowering for one turn bit). We use it in our games and it is a bit overpowered. The rules suggest taking turn resistance off of total damage but we, instead, apply it as a modifier to the saving throw. I do like that you don't allow it every turn though. I have a cleric with Destroy Undead, Quicken Turning, and Extra Turning and it's just a walk in the park through most patches of unliving flesh. He's doing 14d6 damage to nearby undead as a free action each round and still able to engage in melee with them.
M
PHB-SPELLS-Mordenkainen's Disjunction: House rule uses a dispel check variant regarding magical items caught within the area of effect. A dispel check (using any applicable bonuses for dispelling the caster has, no upper limit to the check unlike with the Dispel Magic spells) is made against a DC for each item that is set at (10+item's CL). The caster makes one dispel check against ALL items caught within the Disjunction. Each # the dispel check exceeds the target DC is a full round of suppression of that item's magical properties. Artifacts can be surpressed in a standard cast Disjunction, presuming a Dispel Check DC of 20+CL to do so successfully. It is theoretically possible to "ritually cast" a Disjunction for more ... permanent ... results...
Example: A Disjunction's dispel check of 30 comes up against the DC 27 that would be set for Armor of Heavy Fortification, suppressing the magical properties for 3 full rounds.
PHB-COMBAT (Free Actions)-Speak- Only 3 to 4 words are permitted on a character's turn to be spoken as a free action, instead of the standard and vague "few sentences" in the PHB.
My personal house rules:
1) No distinction between class and cross-class skills. All skills can be taken without restriction by any class, costing 1 skill point per rank.
2) Sorcerers get Wizard bonus feats as per the Wizard. The extra spells/day are a fair trade for the lack of versatility.
3) The Summon Familiar class feature is replaced by Obtain Familiar (complete arcane) as a bonus feat. This allows class levels from all arcane classes to stack for the purpose of familiar benefits.
4) Bonus feats are no longer restricted by categories or lists, fighters, wizards, and the like may choose whatever feat they like with their bonuses with one exception; when a class grants a specific feat (like when the Ranger gains Track as a bonus feat), that feat is taken normally. If the character already possesses that feat, /then/ he may select any other feat he qualifies for without exception (ie, no more granting a feat as a bonus, but giving nothing if the character already has the feat).
5) No more 'virtual' feats. A class either grants a feat as a bonus, or it doesn't. When a class grants a feat 'even if the character doesn't meet the prerequisites', the ability to bypass the requirements are considered an additional class feature of the class at the level /that/ feat was obtained. Such class features do not automatically allow the character to qualify for feats further along in a feat chain, until and only if it grants that ability at a later level. Class features that grant limited - x/day uses - of a feat's effects do not benefit from this rule.
@Eric Tillemans: that's almost the same as the Destroy Undead class feature substitution detailed in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (minus the cowering for one turn bit). We use it in our games and it is a bit overpowered. The rules suggest taking turn resistance off of total damage but we, instead, apply it as a modifier to the saving throw. I do like that you don't allow it every turn though. I have a cleric with Destroy Undead, Quicken Turning, and Extra Turning and it's just a walk in the park through most patches of unliving flesh. He's doing 14d6 damage to nearby undead as a free action each round and still able to engage in melee with them.
M
I was mainly just trying to simplify the turn undead rules and yet still make it an effective option for clerics. I like the idea of adding turn resistance to the saving throw, and how about making undead who make their save immune to further attempts from that particular cleric for 1 day? It would read like this:
What your opinion of this simplified damaging alternative to Turning Undead:
Turn Undead:
In a 20' burst, the cleric damages all undead in the area. The damage is d6/cleric level and undead get a Will save for half (DC is 10 + 1/2 cleric level + charisma bonus). Undead with turn resistance add their turn resistance bonus to their saving throw. If the affected undead misses it's save, it is cowered for 1 round. If the affected undead makes it's saving throw it is immune to further turn undead attempts from this particular cleric for 1 day. The cleric cannot use this ability on consecutive rounds.
PHB-SPELLS-Mordenkainen's Disjunction: House rule uses a dispel check variant regarding magical items caught within the area of effect. A dispel check (using any applicable bonuses for dispelling the caster has, no upper limit to the check unlike with the Dispel Magic spells) is made against a DC for each item that is set at (10+item's CL). The caster makes one dispel check against ALL items caught within the Disjunction. Each # the dispel check exceeds the target DC is a full round of suppression of that item's magical properties. Artifacts can be surpressed in a standard cast Disjunction, presuming a Dispel Check DC of 20+CL to do so successfully. It is theoretically possible to "ritually cast" a Disjunction for more ... permanent ... results...
Example: A Disjunction's dispel check of 30 comes up against the DC 27 that would be set for Armor of Heavy Fortification, suppressing the magical properties for 3 full rounds.PHB-COMBAT (Free Actions)-Speak- Only 3 to 4 words are permitted on a character's turn to be spoken as a free action, instead of the standard and vague "few sentences" in the PHB.
The Disjunction rule is a good one. It's complicated as all get out, but it's way better than the rule as written. I could definitely see some bad guys making good use of the spell now in order to gain the upper hand on my players.
The Disjunction rule is a good one. It's complicated as all get out, but it's way better than the rule as written. I could definitely see some bad guys making good use of the spell now in order to gain the upper hand on my players.PHB-SPELLS-Mordenkainen's Disjunction: House rule uses a dispel check variant regarding magical items caught within the area of effect. A dispel check (using any applicable bonuses for dispelling the caster has, no upper limit to the check unlike with the Dispel Magic spells) is made against a DC for each item that is set at (10+item's CL). The caster makes one dispel check against ALL items caught within the Disjunction. Each # the dispel check exceeds the target DC is a full round of suppression of that item's magical properties. Artifacts can be surpressed in a standard cast Disjunction, presuming a Dispel Check DC of 20+CL to do so successfully. It is theoretically possible to "ritually cast" a Disjunction for more ... permanent ... results...
Example: A Disjunction's dispel check of 30 comes up against the DC 27 that would be set for Armor of Heavy Fortification, suppressing the magical properties for 3 full rounds.PHB-COMBAT (Free Actions)-Speak- Only 3 to 4 words are permitted on a character's turn to be spoken as a free action, instead of the standard and vague "few sentences" in the PHB.
The idea is to make it more useable in the game without auto-trashing the fighters'/rogues' magic items (and a healthy percentage of the mages' and clerics' too). After all, it will be much more gratifying if they get wasted by whomever tossed the Disjunction and thier corpses are wholly looted. When/if the characters are true-rezz'd back into play, they then have to figure out how to get thier swag back from whomever 86'd them. Also, since the spell cuts both ways, it's a much more even playing field (as it were) in a meta-game sense. Or at least it is to me. Thanks for the kudo Eric!
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PHB-COMBAT (Free Actions)-Speak- Only 3 to 4 words are permitted on a character's turn to be spoken as a free action, instead of the standard and vague "few sentences" in the PHB.
Why?
Monologues and death poems are a great tradition of fantasy literature. Why would you want to throw that out? If you let your villains do it, then let the players do so also.
Just make sure everyone understands that speeches during combat are a convention of the genre, not a way to short-circuit combat or diplomacy rules.
Drew Garrett
PHB-COMBAT (Free Actions)-Speak- Only 3 to 4 words are permitted on a character's turn to be spoken as a free action, instead of the standard and vague "few sentences" in the PHB.Why?
Monologues and death poems are a great tradition of fantasy literature. Why would you want to throw that out? If you let your villains do it, then let the players do so also.
Just make sure everyone understands that speeches during combat are a convention of the genre, not a way to short-circuit combat or diplomacy rules.
Drew Garrett
^_^ Monologues, or the player doing the "OOC" gesture to indicate a desire to do a monologue to the BBEG - and I do the same for them - were not included in the above posting as a courtesy.
The idea is to limit the amount of "in character" mid-combat chatterboxing, which greatly detracts from the flow of the game and keeping combat moving as fast as possible with 9 players at the table.
Thanks for the comment though, I would not have thought to clarify the above house rule on my own!
PH-Listen, Search, and Spot: class skills for everyone. Because really who can't stand at a door listen to it or look down a hill and see if someone is hiding in the bushes?
PH-Toughness: Grants 3HP/level instead of just when you take the feat.
PHB - SKILLS: You do not have to spend all of your skill points at level up.
PHB - FEATS: You may purchase feats at the cost of ten skill points.
PH-Listen, Search, and Spot: class skills for everyone. Because really who can't stand at a door listen to it or look down a hill and see if someone is hiding in the bushes?
I have a variant of this rule:
PH SKILLS- Listen, Search and Spot only ever cost one skill point per rank for all classes. For classes in which they are cross-class skills, they are capped at 1/2 your character level +3 (round down as there are no half ranks with a one to one cost).
I agree with Dragonlvr, to a point. I assume that those classes that have Search, Spot and Listen as class skills are better trained to use these skills and process the information better(hence the normal level+3 cap). While those classes that don't have them as class skills can still easily do these actions but are still somewhat limited by their background and training.
PH-Listen, Search, and Spot: class skills for everyone. Because really who can't stand at a door listen to it or look down a hill and see if someone is hiding in the bushes?
I run pretty much RAW, but this is the ONE house rule I actually use in my game because of exactly the same reasons you list. Obviously, if you want your character to excel in these area, you can, regardless of what class you take. You shouldn't be penalized for honing your senses if you're, say, a sorcerer (what? they have cotton stuffed in their ears?!).
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A few of my house rules...
PH – Spells - Identify – Casting time changed to 1 round, no material component. This speeds up party downtime and makes using items found while adventuring more likely. Besides, don't wizards have to spend enough of their gold already?
PH - Combat - Massive Damage - I do not use this rule. Combat is deadly as it is, especialy for those with low Fortitude saves.
DMG - Magic Items - Handy Haversack - This item has a single large storage area capable of holding 120lbs of gear. Sharp items must be wrapped to be stowed or the pack will be damaged. Anything that can fit through the opening of the pack can be stored inside, regardless of volume; only weight matters. This keeps bookeeping to a minimum.
PH - Skills - Intimidate - Characters may choose Strength instead of Charisma as the underlying ability score for this skill. This allows brutish half-orc fighters to flex their muscles and get their point across as well as a sly and sinister rouge would.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Supreme Criticals: If a player rolls a critical threat and the confirmation roll is a natural 20, the player may roll a third time to confirm a 'supreme critical.' If this roll also comes up a natural 20, the target is instantly killed in dramatic fashion. Only PCs may score Supreme Criticals.
Critical Fumbles: If a player rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll, he must immediately make another attack roll with a -20 penalty. If the result of the second attack is a positive number, the attack is a simple miss. If the result is negative (or another natural 1, regardless of modifiers), the character critically fumbles with randomly appropriate results. If a natural 20 is rolled on the second attack roll, it negates the previous roll of 1 and allows the attack roll to 'retry.'
Half-Elves and Half-Orcs: Half-Elves receive the 4 bonus skill points that humans receive at first level (but do not gain the extra skill point each level afterwards). Half-Orcs receive a bonus feat at 1st level, just like humans. This reflects their half-human heritage.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I've got another one to add:
Divine Classes and Domains: Paladins may select a single domain from their deity's list at 1st level. While they do not gain access to the spell list, they may access the domain power as a cleric of their paladin level. They are also treated as having access to that domain for the purposes of qualifying for feats, special abilities, and prestige classes that would require it. Paladins who choose the Healing domain may treat their Charisma modifier as being 2 higher than it actually is for the purposes of determining the amount of healing their Lay on Hands ability can deliver. Favored Souls also get to choose a single domain from their deity's list at 1st level and may automatically add the domain spells to their 'Spells Known' list. These spells do not count towards their normal number of spells known. Favored Souls also gain access to the domain's granted power as a cleric of their favored soul level.
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Supreme Criticals: If a player rolls a critical threat and the confirmation roll is a natural 20, the player may roll a third time to confirm a 'supreme critical.' If this roll also comes up a natural 20, the target is instantly killed in dramatic fashion. Only PCs may score Supreme Criticals.
Interesting...but too many rolls methinks...
Critical Fumbles: If a player rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll, he must immediately make another attack roll with a -20 penalty. If the result of the second attack is a positive number, the attack is a simple miss. If the result is negative (or another natural 1, regardless of modifiers), the character critically fumbles with randomly appropriate results. If a natural 20 is rolled on the second attack roll, it negates the previous roll of 1 and allows the attack roll to 'retry.'
My old house-rule was a 1 opened up the combatant to an AoO...unfortunately, once you have 2+ attacks, this means your bad-arsed warrior is not a major klutz. SO for multiple base attacks, all the base attacks have to be natural 1s, therefore, level 16+ pure melee combatants almost never fumble...(off-hand attacks are still on their own...so user beware.)
Half-Elves and Half-Orcs: Half-Elves receive the 4 bonus skill points that humans receive at first level (but do not gain the extra skill point each level afterwards). Half-Orcs receive a bonus feat at 1st level, just like humans. This reflects their half-human heritage.
these 2 options are very interesting, and would tend to make the half-races a bit more appealing...I have a half-elf player in my group now, but he wanted the Mark of Storm...only 1 way to get that beauty.
-15 skill points can be saved up to purchase an additional feat. However, once "banked" towards a feat they may not later be used for ranks in skills.
-Replacement characters are created at the level of the lowest party member. These PC's will be given a set amount of "creation cash" to spend on items, no more than half of which may be spent on any one item.
Regional Skills: This originated with my Eberron game and I has since adopted it for all of my games. Each region of the campaign provides a small selection of skills (usually three) that are commonly learned by people growing up in that area as permanent class skills.
This allows a character that grew up in a seafaring nation to learn Swim, Profession (salior), and Spot as class skills, while a character from a highly educated region might have access to Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (geography), and Knowledge (nature) as class skills.
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Regional Skills: This originated with my Eberron game and I has since adopted it for all of my games. Each region of the campaign provides a small selection of skills (usually three) that are commonly learned by people growing up in that area as permanent class skills.
This allows a character that grew up in a seafaring nation to learn Swim, Profession (salior), and Spot as class skills, while a character from a highly educated region might have access to Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (geography), and Knowledge (nature) as class skills.
Regional Skill lists, nice, I usually do that as well, in addition, I usually give everyone 1 rank of knowledge(local) for their home city.
So Swim, Profession(sailor), Spot, would be the Lhazaar Principalities regional skill set?
Thought I would try and revive this thread instead of starting a new one.
A house rule that so far has saved a lot of time on characters sitting around casting "buffs".
Only 3 positive or negative spells can apply to a character at any given time. If a new enhancement or penalty spell is applied to the character, then the lowest level effect disappears (whether it was an existing spell or the newly cast spell).
Background Skills - each character selects Int bonus number of skills as additional class skills (for all classes).
Wizards Skills Points - 4/level
Fighter Skills - add bluff, use rope, knowledge (nobility, engineering, history, local), and profession
Remain Conscious - to -(Con bonus) instead of 0, standard actions still cause extra damage
Alchemy is not a common craft skill (as with 3.0).
Druids use Cha instead of Wis for spellcasting (druids evolved differently in my world).
Considering (for next campaign) collapsing spellcraft/psicraft into knowledge arcana/religion/nature/psionics for the appropriate classes