So what sort of House Rules have entered your 4E games? What little tweeks to game did you need to add to get the flavor you like?
Me? I am keeping the old 9 schools of Alignment. I also like the older versions of many monsters and how they act/ backgrounds/ religions/ etc...
So far the only one is an extra action point for all non-minion opponents. Why? Some of my games involve min-max/power gamers.
Don't have a group running at the moment, but the first thing I'd ditch is the skill challenges as written (in the PHB). I've read several variants, and would reconsider at that time.
That and everyone gets +1 BAB at 5, 15 and 25 (and the Combat Expertise feat from PHB2 gets banned.)
I've imported 4e rituals into 3e. It works well to have a second class of spells that various characters can do. I've cross-pollinated it with spells from 1st ed which are obviously rituals, such as "Find Familiar."
It also clears a lot of dead wood out of the Feats section to just put all Item Creation as rituals. It also lets me control access as a DM.
Varying monster hp totals.
I've added back "taking 20" on a skill check.
I've imported 4e rituals into 3e. It works well to have a second class of spells that various characters can do. I've cross-pollinated it with spells from 1st ed which are obviously rituals, such as "Find Familiar."
It also clears a lot of dead wood out of the Feats section to just put all Item Creation as rituals. It also lets me control access as a DM.
I would like to see the list of spells you have used.
Well, off the top of my head, Continual Flame is first on the list. Anything that creates a small magic item like an everburning torch is basically a ritual.
Nystul's Magic Aura, Nystul's Undetectable Aura, Leomund's Trap (I think these are also statted up as rituals in the 4e chromatic Dragon book, even though they're not terribly draconic.)
Arcane Lock.
1st ed Continual Darkness.
Illusory Script, Sepia Snake Sigil
probably Mount as well.
So what sort of House Rules have entered your 4E games? What little tweeks to game did you need to add to get the flavor you like?
Me? I am keeping the old 9 schools of Alignment. I also like the older versions of many monsters and how they act/ backgrounds/ religions/ etc...
I've redone the Skills Rank System, characters get starting skill points to distribute equal to 2 per trained skill plus intelligence bonus. Max skill of level plus 1.
Trained skills only get +3 intead of the +5.Each level each character gets 5 + Int bonus in skills points to distribute.
Fighters Mark: Changed the MARKED effect to a roleplaying system using an INTIMIDATE check to determine what way the Fighter influences the enemy soldiers VS WILL. The Fighter can force the enemy to back off, avoid him, not step past him or even make the foe run away. The other Mark effects stand( Opportunity attacks if they attack someone else or move). So far has worked well
Have also put back cover for people in the way of Attacks vs AC from PC's\NPCs.
Have also put back cover for people in the way of Attacks vs AC from PC's\NPCs.
I've thought about adding this back, but the people I play with (not DM for) seem to really enjoy not worrying about it. have there been groans when you inform players of this change? I don't think any of my players would pitch a fit, I just think they enjoy it more as written.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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I've added some house rules that are entirely setting-specific (some details about races and languages), so I won't bother going into those here. The more general house rules are as follows:
1. Martial characters and two-weapon fighting/ranged attacks
Fighters, paladins, and warlords may select encounter exploits and daily exploits (but not at-will powers or utility exploits) from the ranger list, but they may only select powers 2 levels lower than their level, and the power’s description must include at least one of the following: Requirement “You must be wielding two melee weapons or a ranged weapon” or “You must be wielding two melee weapons” or Ranged weapon.
2. Rangers gain the following class abilities
Terrain Mastery: Rangers add their level, rather than one-half their level, to Athletics and Acrobatics checks to move in “challenging terrain” (DMG 61) and do not grant combat advantage when climbing or balancing. In addition, each time a ranger moves or shifts she may ignore the movement penalty for the first square of difficult terrain she encounters.
Tracker: Rangers add their level (rather than one-half their level) to Perception checks to find or follow tracks. Searching for tracks is always a standard action for you.
3. Eladrin and fey step
As this power states that it requires you to take a step to use it, you cannot use it while immobilized, stunned, or prone (you need to stand up first).
4. Spells, prayers, and speech
As a matter of taste, I like my magic to have magic words attached to it. Therefore, the majority of arcane spells and divine prayers require you to be able to speak. If you are helpless (bound and gagged), you cannot use powers.
a. Targets of your spells and prayers gain a +2 bonus to defenses and saving throws when you are deafened.
b. If you are gagged or prevented from speaking, you may only use spells and prayers that require a minor or immediate action or spells and prayers with the weapon descriptor.
5. Rogues gain the following class ability
Light Step: Rogues may use Dexterity rather than Strength as the key ability for the Athletics skill. In addition, they may move up to 3 squares without taking a penalty to Stealth checks.
6. Skills with no combat application, which are class skills for ALL classes
Everybody gets either a free language or one of the following skills as a freebie:
Artist (Wis) - Creating works of art; if trained, +1 to Diplomacy and History.
Craftsman (Int) - Building and working materials into finished goods; if trained, +1 to Endurance and Streetwise.
Performer (Cha) - Singing, dancing, all performing arts; if trained, +1 to Bluff and Insight.
I lower all monsters defenses by 2. It means the PCs hit more often so the fights are quicker. Sometimes, for important critters like the Brain in a Jar the PCs fought last week, I leave the defenses alone. Also this means I don't have to worry too much about the slight 'drift' high level PCs could experience vs the defenses, as written, of like level opponents (I think it worked out to a difference of 4 between what a PC needs at level 1 to hit and level 30).
I didn't appreciate how martial characters forgot how to use their special attacks after using them once. I allowed my martial characters to expend healing surges to get reuses of encounter and daily powers (on a sliding scale) representing how exhausting those tricks were to perform.
For my arcane players, I didn't appreciate the way spells would auto-erase from spellbooks or whatever if the PC learned a different spell, so I just let them keep them all. They'd still only have the given number of spell uses per day/encounter, but they'd have more options to choose from when preparing their spells in the morning.
If I'd had any divine characters playing, I probably would've come up with something special for their power source too.
I didn't appreciate how martial characters forgot how to use their special attacks after using them once. I allowed my martial characters to expend healing surges to get reuses of encounter and daily powers (on a sliding scale) representing how exhausting those tricks were to perform.
For my arcane players, I didn't appreciate the way spells would auto-erase from spellbooks or whatever if the PC learned a different spell, so I just let them keep them all. They'd still only have the given number of spell uses per day/encounter, but they'd have more options to choose from when preparing their spells in the morning.
That's a pretty slim benefit for Arcane characters and a pretty enormous benefit for Martial characters (and also makes the Durable feat more or less required).
That's a pretty slim benefit for Arcane characters and a pretty enormous benefit for Martial characters (and also makes the Durable feat more or less required).
True, but it worked out alright with my group. The arcane players appreciated the diversity and the martial players weren't hellbent on abusing the new opportunities.
What it really succeeded at was making each of the power types feel different from the other. Our warlock and ranger, although both strikers, just felt a bit more unique. I think much of that flavor was lost with 4e's dedication to making sure each class was balanced against each other and we don't mind having a character or two shine at different moments in the game.
That's a pretty slim benefit for Arcane characters and a pretty enormous benefit for Martial characters (and also makes the Durable feat more or less required).I didn't appreciate how martial characters forgot how to use their special attacks after using them once. I allowed my martial characters to expend healing surges to get reuses of encounter and daily powers (on a sliding scale) representing how exhausting those tricks were to perform.
For my arcane players, I didn't appreciate the way spells would auto-erase from spellbooks or whatever if the PC learned a different spell, so I just let them keep them all. They'd still only have the given number of spell uses per day/encounter, but they'd have more options to choose from when preparing their spells in the morning.
Not sure how much of a benefit it would be in practice. In my experience the martial characters, especially the defenders, are always short on healing surges. That said I think the martial strikers would get a significant boost out of it since they are not as bad off in terms of burning through healing surges.
I haven't done it yet, but I am seriously considering adding back in the 9 alignments. The 4e alignment structure does not have enough variation for my liking. I like the interplay of Law and Chaos other than just LG and CE. The current structure makes it sound like LG is 'super good' and CE is 'super evil'.
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I haven't done it yet, but I am seriously considering adding back in the 9 alignments. The 4e alignment structure does not have enough variation for my liking. I like the interplay of Law and Chaos other than just LG and CE. The current structure makes it sound like LG is 'super good' and CE is 'super evil'.
I thought about it, but 99% of my players go Unaligned, so ...
Have also put back cover for people in the way of Attacks vs AC from PC's\NPCs.I've thought about adding this back, but the people I play with (not DM for) seem to really enjoy not worrying about it. have there been groans when you inform players of this change? I don't think any of my players would pitch a fit, I just think they enjoy it more as written.
No complaints from my players, after all I've not only given them -2 to hit the person( because of cover) and they are used to taking a minus for ranged combat from 3rd ed.
It adds a bit of realism to combat as the archer tries to get a clear shot by moving round.Archers are good enough and don't need to hide behind the fighters all the time.
I didn't appreciate how martial characters forgot how to use their special attacks after using them once. I allowed my martial characters to expend healing surges to get reuses of encounter and daily powers (on a sliding scale) representing how exhausting those tricks were to perform.
For my arcane players, I didn't appreciate the way spells would auto-erase from spellbooks or whatever if the PC learned a different spell, so I just let them keep them all. They'd still only have the given number of spell uses per day/encounter, but they'd have more options to choose from when preparing their spells in the morning.
If I'd had any divine characters playing, I probably would've come up with something special for their power source too.
See I don't think it's so much the character forgets it, it's just you can't quite open up the opportunity to use the same Technique more than once per encounter or once per day.
As a martial artist you very rarely get to use a proper turning kick to an opponents head or indeed even rarer is a jumping kick. That's the way I see the Martial Exploits.However I notice people are putting the Alignment System back in...I gotto say...WHY?
Bin the alignment and give the character traits, moral values instead. You could be a generally nice person to local people but distrustful of nobleman or outsiders. You could be a suspicious person who once he developed a trust for his group members but still doesn't trust people outside the group.
You could be a berzerker who has strong sense of laws but fights like a wild animal.
Personality over alignment anyday, better roleplaying options.
The MOOK rule -
Some monsters are Mooks (in between Standard creatures and Minions). They are identical to the Standard creature, but have one-third the hit points and are worth half the XPs. (This works out well because you usually "overflow" the amount of damage needed to kill them, so it needs to be offset that way.)
I didn't like the metagamey aspects of Minions, so while I still put them in occasionally, I'm far more likely to use Mooks, which typically end up being bloodied on the first hit and killed on the second. And while controllers can't auto-kill them as quite easily, they can still shine by bloodying (and on the next round, killing) a whole bunch at once.
1 - Skill and skill challenge rules
A character may only use 'aid another' in a skill challenge using a skill which is trained.
The difficulty for 'aid another' is the same as an easy skill challenge difficulty, instead of 10.
(It's just way too cheesy to have one player who has a great score in a relavant skill be the frontman, and all other players just aid him).
2 - Death and resurrection.
The first time a character dies, they have a 10% chance of a 'Raise Dead' ritual failing. If the ritual fails, the character's spirit has passed on, and can not be raised without serious spiritual intervention (maybe an adventure). Each time that character is successfully raised from the dead, he accrues 10% more chance to be unraisable, so his second raise death has a 20% chance of failure, third has a 30% chance, and so on, until the ritual has no chance of success.
(We find that the raise dead ritual is much too inexpensive and the penalty for being raised is much too low. This rule adds a bit of sting to the death rules at heroic and paragon levels - we haven't decided if we will keep it through epic levels yet.)
After reviewing PHB2 and comparing it, PHB and the FR Player's Guide, I am considering some house ruling to Paladins and Warlocks. While they are not the only two classes that have two "primary" stats (STR and CHA for paladins, CON and CHA for warlocks), they seem to suffer the most from the two stat system. It seems unjust that these two classes are handicapped for no particular reason. My thought is to make only one stat primary and two use the other as the secondary stat for those powers. So for warlocks, the CON powers use CHA for attack and damage bonuses and CON for secondary effect bonuses. For paladins, STR becomes the primary bonus and CHA the secondary bonus for normally CHA powers.
Has anyone else tried or discussed this?
After reviewing PHB2 and comparing it, PHB and the FR Player's Guide, I am considering some house ruling to Paladins and Warlocks. While they are not the only two classes that have two "primary" stats (STR and CHA for paladins, CON and CHA for warlocks), they seem to suffer the most from the two stat system. It seems unjust that these two classes are handicapped for no particular reason. My thought is to make only one stat primary and two use the other as the secondary stat for those powers. So for warlocks, the CON powers use CHA for attack and damage bonuses and CON for secondary effect bonuses. For paladins, STR becomes the primary bonus and CHA the secondary bonus for normally CHA powers.
Has anyone else tried or discussed this?
A group I played with once did something similar, but what they did was give the person a +2 stat bonus for the opposite stat. For example the CHA paladin got a +2 str bonus on top of what their race provided. It worked out decently well.