Let's face it. If you GM a lot, you can never resist the tempation to tweak the rules for long. What is one you consistantly tinker with the most.
Me? Attacks of opportunity and the 5ft step. They add soooo much complexity sometimes.
What do you change?
Ignore XP charts or anything involving how stats are rolled/determined.
And prereqs to PrCs - so many of them are just so pointless.
And you can't play an evil character. Or a neutral character with evil predilections.
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The only things I tend to change are the negative hit points equalling your constitution and easy fortitude saves to stabilise. I just use the 3.5 rules for this (-10hp=death 10% chance of stabilising each round).
To make up for this I allow players to re-roll hp each level with a cumulative -1 to each roll. (i.e. if you roll a one on your hit point roll then you reroll at a minus 1 to the roll then a minus 2 etc.)
It does tend to balance things a little in the favour of the players but I don't mind that so much. After all I can just throw in an extra monster if the players are feeling too comfortable :).
2 Skill Point Per Level Classes.
My group has raised this to 4 points per level - sometimes up to 6 per level, but that seems a bit much to me.
Depends on how you define "always". I have a houserule document that I update now and then when I find something else I don't like, when developments require it, or when an official feat etc. emulates one of my own (or even makes a better job).
A rule I've been using since practically forever (certainly since before 3.5 came along) is that everyone can use dexterity for light weapons (and the smattering of non-light weapons that allow Weapon Finesse) without the need to take Weapon Finesse.
I also did away with HP rolling (which is clearly a houserule) and use Purchase (which is just using one of the official options, but you could call it houserule)
I almost always use the "Players roll all the dice" method from Unearthed Arcana. I find it to keep all the players involved and it is easy to implement, but so i retain a little bit of the control i roll the damage dice. I also make sure the PCs get a fair amount of HP each level so they get to roll for their HP but if it isn't above the average they take the average, so a fighter is guaranteed at least 5 HP but has a chance for more. I do this because gaining 1 HP upon a level up just sucks and because of the above method i have less control over fudging attack rolls if things start getting way too crazy so the PCs need to be kind of hardy.
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In 3/3.5 I always played with some sort of modified version of the half elf and half orc because the originals were badly constructed and in 3.5 edition they put in a unrealistic social tweak to half elves that made no sense.
Some of my half elf fixes made it on the old d20 forums and resemble the Pathfinder half elves in a lot of ways (though not exactly). I wonder if I might have 'influenced' what came.
All the Best,
Kerney
Depends on how you define "always". I have a houserule document that I update now and then when I find something else I don't like, when developments require it, or when an official feat etc. emulates one of my own (or even makes a better job).
A rule I've been using since practically forever (certainly since before 3.5 came along) is that everyone can use dexterity for light weapons (and the smattering of non-light weapons that allow Weapon Finesse) without the need to take Weapon Finesse.
I also did away with HP rolling (which is clearly a houserule) and use Purchase (which is just using one of the official options, but you could call it houserule)
Do you keep such a document online anywhere ? curious as to what houserules you use, I am a bit odd like that, always looking for well thought out houserules to add xD. RAW is the devil !
Do you keep such a document online anywhere ?
Yeah. my page is (my user name) .com
Look for it under game aides.
Nice and neatly presented houserules KaeYoss.
If I might suggest a bit reformating - to prevent spliting tables between pages (even the HD/average hp) and to move few headers from a last line of page to first line of the next page.
Also, Weapon Finesse feat seems to be wrong - as I understand you allow using Dexterity for attack rolls with light weapons alread and Weapon Finesse feat allows adding Dex bonus to damage roll but the text says:
The feat's benefit changes as follows: With a light melee weapon or other melee weapon that can be wielded using dexterity instead of strength for attack rolls, you can use your dexterity modifier instead of strength modifier on attack rolls.
Money always gets a tweak. When I was younger, every character that ever played in my campaign had at least a million gp by the time they were tenth level. Not too hard to do if you just go and sell some magic items, I mean... who doesn't have 75,000 gold to buy your sword, afterall. Of course, everybody needed a portable hole to put all their cash into...
Since you could get a servant to work for you for a silver piece a day, that meant that PCs had the available income of a small country in their wallets.
My house rule for gold is that the exchange rate of CP:SP:GP is 10,000:100:1. The different coins are standards for the different classes -- Copper is the coinage of the lower class, silver is the coin of the middle (adventurer and merchant) class, and gold is the coin of the upper (Nobility and bankers). Platinum (1PP:10GP)exists only in 25lb bars, and is used only for mass transfers of wealth and banking.
This is a difficult house rule to play because you have to sacrifice rules for realism. Three rules of thumb I use to guide me is first, silver is the baseline conversion, which would make gold 10 times more valuable. If the treasure reward says 200 gp, I make it 20 gp
Second, 1 SP has a relative value of about 5 dollars. This is especially important with regards to starting equipment. 100 GP for a longbow? That's about $50,000 for the weapon ($5000 if I knock the cost down to 1/10th). I could imagine buying a decent rifle today for $500, so I make the price 100 SP. I used to pay villagers in Africa (I was in Peace Corps) about $1.25 a day for a days work assisting in projects, so this seemed about right the other direction.
Lastly, an item is only worth as much as you can sell it for, or for whatever you're willing to buy it for. That is to say, there is no Wal-Mart for magic items.
I never use Spell Memorization rules.
If you can cast 3 first level spells each day, then you can choose any 3 at any time. Ditto for NPCs.
When I played first and second edition D&D I never liked forcing casters to memorize spells. Once I experienced other systems like Rolemaster, I knew I was never going back to those dark days.
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Always use point-buy. Always use maximum starting gold at 1st level. Those are my two 'always' house rules, and I've used them since late 1st edition, when I don't think the term 'point-buy' even existed.
The dice will begin screwing (or rewarding) people during the game, no reason to make them start out at a disadvantage (or with an advantage that makes the other players annoyed, like that 1st edition '1% to have psionics' thing that could completely change the tenor of a character if someone rolled it).
Edit: I generally allow people to roll HD or take half+1 (and max at 1st level) as well. Some prefer to roll for hit points, and that's cool for them.
I almost never use the XP chart, instead letting the PCs level after X many session, depending on the game, but usually 3-4 sessions per level.
I always let people roll hit points twice, taking the higher result.
I've also been playing with the critical rules. Right now I'm using:
If you roll a crit but DON'T confirm, do max damage.
If you roll a crit AND confirm, do max damage for the first multiplier, plus more dice for each additional multiplier. (ie: longsword would do 8 +d8, while a longbow would do 8 plus 2d8)
I'm also playing with healing surges, but haven't hit a formula I like yet.
Hyrum.
Super Genius Games
"We err on the side of awesome."
I never use Spell Memorization rules.
If you can cast 3 first level spells each day, then you can choose any 3 at any time. Ditto for NPCs.
When I played first and second edition D&D I never liked forcing casters to memorize spells. Once I experienced other systems like Rolemaster, I knew I was never going back to those dark days.
Nice to see someone else with the same preference. Every edition of D&D I've played/DM'd, going all the way back to Basic and Advanced D&D, I've never required my spellcasters to memorize spells. I'm fine with limiting them by slots, but the memorization thing? Never liked it.
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I'm also playing with healing surges, but haven't hit a formula I like yet.
Monte had a neat variation in his Book of Experimental Might for 'healing surges.'
Everyone got hit points divided into 'health' and 'grace,' with the health being actual physical damage to the body and grace being the bumps and bruises that fade soon after combat. (The SWG Wounds / Vitality system was similar, from what little I know of that system, which may be the same one referred to in Unearthed Arcana...)
Anyone could 'Take a Breather' and skip a round of combat to gain some small bonus (aiming a weapon, attempting another save to shake off a spell or effect, refocus initiative) or to recover a number of 'grace' points equal to their level. It cost them an action in combat, so it had a heavy price in an action-economy-heavy game, but allowed anyone to 'catch their breath' so to speak.
I ignore the massive damage rule.
Fumbles have to be confirmed for attack rolls.
The animated shield is back to the 3.5 version.
Sorcerers dont need a full round to apply metamagic.
All classes have perception as a class skill. When the commoner has to tell the "hero" where the assassin is hiding something is wrong.
That new witch class has been remodded. Int based witches just dont do it for me.
My half-orc's are the Beta version.
That is all I can remember off the top of my head.
I always let people roll hit points twice, taking the higher result.
I have a variant on this. If the player does not like his roll he can have me roll for him, but he has to take my roll even if it is lower than his.
That new witch class has been remodded. Int based witches just dont do it for me.My half-orc's are the Beta version.
Can you explain these two points to me please? We have a witch in our party, and I'd like to hear about the changes you made.
Also just curious about the half-orcs.
Monte had a neat variation in his Book of Experimental Might for 'healing surges.'
We've used that version before and it works, it just isn't "elegant" in the way straight HP's are, IMHO. :D
The current version I'm using gives each character 5+ Con mod per day. Spend a surge heal xd6 HP where x = level. Using one in combat takes a standard action, can only be used once per combat, and in addition to the healing gives +2 to AC and all saves.
Also, during combat and with a DC 15 Heal check, you cause an unconscious character to burn a surge.
Outside of combat you can heal xd6 x2 if someone uses Heal with a DC of 15.
5+ Con mod has proven to be too many surges, even without a cleric. The next time I run I'll probably change it to 3 + Con mod but we'll see.
Hyrum.
Super Genius Games
"We err on the side of awesome."
I have an insane amount of house rules.
The more major ones I have listed here.
Races. - HALF ORC
Half orcs get +2 to any physical stat
+4 racial bonus on Intimidate. Half-orcs are naturally brusque and use that to their advantage.
+4 racial bonus on Survival. Having been outcasts, half-orcs know how to fend for themselves.
Half elves get +2 to any mental stat.
Extra feat at 1st level
Human - Extra 4 skill points at 1st level and extra one each level and extra feat.
New Stats - Luck - and Comeliness and Sanity they are set and cannot be re arranged.
Sanity is 5 X wisdom.
Comeliness adjustment is added or subtracted from first impressions, by the DM.
Elves + 2 Half elves +1 Half orcs -4
Classes. Classes are as Pathfinder with these exceptions.
Wizards cannot get Eschew Materials.
Wizards can cast any spell in their book and don’t need to memorize certain ones.
Wizards and Sorcerers get 0 level spells as per 3.5 which are used up.
Wizards and Sorcerers get 3 cantrips from 1st ed per day.
Sorcerers can change out spells each time they go up a level.
Wizards do not get free spells on going up a level.
We use the XP cost for magic items and certain spells, but casters get an essence pool of 100 xp per level everytime they go up a level to use for these costs.
Metamagic feats cost more spell slots, instead of having to be memorized at a higher level.
Priests can cast any spells on their list without having to memorize certain ones.
Wizards can choose, staff, powers or skills instead of a familiar.
Spells cast within the last 12 hours count against the total for the day.
A caster can try to cast a lower or higher level spell by combining spell slots.
An ability check of 10 + Level of spell trying to make does it.
Failure wastes the slots.
New Rules for teleporting and scrying.
Any failure to cast a spell triggers a wild surge.
New Rules for casting scrolls.
Skills.
I use the expanded diplomacy rules and give a bonus of +1-+6 depending on the players roleplaying.
Skills points are as 3.5 with these exceptions.
You can only go half as high in a cross class skill but it doesn’t cost double ranks.
Climb and swim is in with Athletics.
Escape artist in with Acrobatics.
We use an altered weapon focus, specialization and Mastery system.
We use attack vrs armor types, expanded weapon and armor lists and slightly adjusted damages
for weapons.
Spells or elemental damage or poison critical hits on a 20 or a 1 on a save.
We use a huge and bizarre critical hit and miss system, a natural 20 automatically confirms for players.
Fighting styles.
Fighting defensibly. - 4 to hit + 2 AC.
Fighting wildly -4 to hit +2 to damage.
Fighting riskily -4 to AC + 2 to hit.
Fighting trickily -4 to damage + 2 to hit.
Extravagant Living
Gold may be wasted on senseless activities in exchange for experience points. 5 gp may be wasted for every 1 x.p. gained. to a maximum of 200 xp gain X level This rule allows encourages players to rid themselves of excess wealth without spending it on character power escalation. Typical activities are,smoking black lotus, gambling, having lavish parties, buying useless trinkets, making bad bargains, etc.
The NOOOOOOOOOOO !
Once per in game day, a players is allowed to use a NO.
This allows a reroll with a + 4. Or can be used to avoid something horrible by rolling 7 or higher.
The HERO POINT.
Ths is awarded to players who perform heroic deeds, usually at great personal risk.
These encourage players to take risks often with spectacular results.
They are usually awarded at the end of a massive quest for the side of good, where there have been trials of great magnitude.
A HERO POINT allows the player to accomplish the impossible.
Perform multiple actions at once, dive free of instant death, or break the rules in some way
or automatically hit with a maximum damage confirmed critical.
There is always a chance of failure or reward with using up a hero point.
When the Hero point is used a d20 is rolled. On a 1 critical failure occurs.
On a 20 the hero point is not used up.
LUCK.
The luck stat goes up 1 point every 3 levels and is rolled like any normal stat at the start but cannot be arranged. Luck heals up at 1 per day.
How luck is used.
Example. Goth Goth has 14 luck (+2) he rolls 19 with his stick of whacking! He needs that 20 , so he decides to use his luck. He makes a luck check and rolls a 10. With his + 2 this brings the total to 12. A 12 is a +1 adjustment so thats enough to pull of his 20 and slam in with the crit.
Luck can be used for skills, saves and to increase or decrease damage. It can only be used in important situations at the Dms discretion. Not for craft checks or learning spell checks, but mostly only in adventuring mode.
Making a luck roll uses one luck.
Rolling a 1 on a luck check uses 3 luck and results in spectacular failure.
Mixing potions creates strange and sometimes deadly effects, but most potions last 40 + 10 - 40 minutes.
Massive Damage. Character Level x 2 + con score. Is the threshold. DC 15 fort save. + 2 per every 10 damage over. Failure drops the character to -1.
Stabilizing checks are % = to Con score.
...............
Suffice it to say , playing in my campaign is more akin to falling and screaming.
Paizo did a nice write-up on what hit points actually are.
I took a look at the explanation, and use a wounds/vitality variant because of it.
'wounds' are Racial hit points...the same hit points everythign gets from racial hit dice. They are the hack-hack hit points, where you actually have to deal damage to something, and it shows.
By taking Racial classes (human, elf, dwarf, etc), you can up your 'racial hit dice' and thus increase your 'real wounds'.
After first level, all hit points gained from classes is SKILL, or 'Soak'. It's actually a para-magical effect. It's why a high level person can jump off a 200' cliff, hit the ground, get up, and walk away. His 'soak' took the damage for him. The T-Rex's jaws close on him, he should be cut in half. His Soak stops the jaws from biting him in two.
Healing spells heal only physical wounds first, and no more then that amount again in Soak. So there's a good reason to take racial classes and a be a 4 Hit dice Human.
All injuries do at least 1 pt Real dmg, but you can soak the rest. thus, if you get hit ten times, you've got ten little nicks and cuts all over, and you can Soak the rest. You can CHOOSE to take more physical damage...that preserves your Soak, as it's easier to heal away physical damage then Soak.
Soak returns at the same rate as subdual damage...1 pt/level/hr, if you are resting/meditating. A full 8 hrs of sleep always restores it 100%.
The PC races ability to level and get Soak is what gives them such an edge over monstrous foes who only have physical forms and Hit Dice to fall back on. On the other hand, you can throw a hundred points of Soak on to any creature to represent a magical ability to take damage.
"I charge and hit the dragon for 155 points of damage with my lance!"
"Impressive! Your lance point nicks the edge of his wing as he rolls out of the way."
vs.
"Your lance point drives into the scales under its right forearm, plunging in deep and forming a ghastly wound that has the dragon screaming in agony!"
It should be very apparant which is being used in any situation. An Ogre taking a 30 pt fireball is likely blackened, seared, burned. A PC taking it might be a little singed on the point of his nose.
The fact warriors get a lot more Soak then casters is also a stable of my campaigns. I max out COn bonuses for hit points/Soak based on magic use. The idea is that if you are using magic for spellcasting, you are not using it for Soak. Thus, only non-casters get unlimited Con bonuses for soak...partial casters (paladins/rangers) max out at 20. Spellcasters max out at 16.
This also reflects just about every MMORPG out there, where Melee classes are MUCh tougher then casting classes. They can use magic to defend themselves, which approximates Soak. When the warrior whips his shield up to the descending Giant's hammer and takes the hit that should reduce him to a bloody pulp, he's Soaking the hit.
==Aelryinth
I never use Spell Memorization rules.
If you can cast 3 first level spells each day, then you can choose any 3 at any time. Ditto for NPCs.
When I played first and second edition D&D I never liked forcing casters to memorize spells. Once I experienced other systems like Rolemaster, I knew I was never going back to those dark days.
I love this idea. It would never fly with my group but I love it.
Also, Rolemaster was an amazing system!
That new witch class has been remodded. Int based witches just dont do it for me.My half-orc's are the Beta version.
Can you explain these two points to me please? We have a witch in our party, and I'd like to hear about the changes you made.
Also just curious about the half-orcs.
Witches are now charisma based casters.
Familiars are no longer walking spellbooks. The spells are basically known by the witch, but she is still limited as to which ones can be cast that day.
Familiar-If the familiar is lost the witch loses access to all spells associated with that familiar. The DC of the witch’s spells take a -2 penalty, and the witch effectively loses 2 caster levels. This means for the purposes of determining the duration of a spell, spell resistance checks, concentration checks, caster level checks, and making magic items, the penalty applies, but the caster does not lose any access to any spells other than the ones that you get for free from the familiar.
Hexes- The witch does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity for using Supernatural Abilities.
*Half-orcs get +2 wis +2 str, -2 cha. They lose the ferocity trait though.
*I can't seem to find the half-orc notes, but that is pretty close.
The only thing I always change is all 2 skill classes now have 4 skill points per level. I have others I use at times but that one is the only houserule unchanged since 2000
Hmm...
I use my own stat generation system (everyone rolls 4d6 drop lowest reroll 1s for all stats, but each player can pick any of the sets rolled).
I move sorcerer spellcasting up by 1 level (lvl 1 sorc casts using the lvl 2 table, 2 casts using the level 3 table, and so on) so that they get new spell levels at the same levels as prepared casters.
HP are roll, if you get less than half treat as if you'd rolled half.
I often change certain requirements (mostly getting rid of feat tax type things).
I let people with Weapon Finesse use Dex for damage instead of Strength (for finesseable weapons).
I know there are other things, but I can't think of them offhand...I don't really keep a houserule booklet or anything, I tend to deal with it more on a case by case basis. And I'm more often a player than GM, so...
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While I haven't consistently used them, seeing the mentions upthread reminds me that I'll probably also allow;
1) Weapon Finesse for 'free' with light weapons, etc. (and I'd add quarterstaff to the list). If you purchase the feat you can Finesse something unusual, like a longsword or a glaive.
2) 4+ Int mod skills for all 2+ Int mod classes.
3) the only part of skill consolidation I didn't like was folding Search into Perception. I'd back that out and keep Search as an Int based skill, while Listen/Spot/Sniff/Grope/Lick remain the Wisdom based Perception.
I.....usually eschew materials, unless it's an expensive thing like resurrection/identify/whathaveyou.
I mean,...do you have a bat uvula and a dingleberry from a cricket? No? well then you're f*&$ed! you can't cast the spell!
Who can keep track of that crap?
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I've got a few... ;)
All Stats are either from an Array or Point-Buy
All Starting Characters begin with Max gold
All 2 skill point classes are now 4 skill point classes
All Starting Characters get a free Skill Focus in a Class, Craft or Professional Skill that they have ranks in
All PCs get 1 Action Point and 1 Second Wind per Encounter
All Starting characters get +10HP
All Characters get max HP @ 1st & 2nd Level, then 75% max thereafter
Character Death is at –(CON x2)
Clerics can Channel Energy as a Swift Action
Clerics with the Healing Domain can cast any ‘Cure’ spell at the range of the equivalent 'Cure Mass’ spells instead of Touch
Spells per Day are now Spells per Encounter
All Casters get Eschew Materials for free
Wizards can swap Memorized spells with a Spellcraft check (DC = Spell DC) instead of 8hrs sleep
Sorcerers DO get bonus Known Spells based upon their CHA
Sorcerers progress as Wizards for Spell Level
Sorcerers get either an Arcane Familiar or a Metamagic Feat in place of Eschew Materials.
Medium Armor Speed is 25’ for base 30’ and 15’ for base 20’
Armor Check Penalty is reduced by 1 for every +1 of Magic armor
All Melee Attacks use DEX to hit and STR for Damage
--Weapon Finesse allows you to use your DEX modifier for both Attack and Damage when using Finesse melee weapons
--“Weapon Forte” allows you to use your STR modifier for both Attack and Damage for non-finesse melee weapons (in other words, this returns things to the CORE rules except for Finesse weapons--which are always DEX to hit)
Crossbows can be modified to be “Precision” or “Accurate” crossbows for the same costs that Composite Bows can be made into “Strength Bows”.
--Precision Crossbows add their user’s DEX bonus to damage, while Accurate Crossbows add their user’s INT bonus to damage (up to the crossbow’s rating).
Here are a few of mine:
- Ride and Mounted Combat
-- All Ride difficulties are increased by +5. I just think they are way too easy, and to do a lot of cool stunts you need very minimal training in Ride (or just a good Dexterity), which makes no sense to me. I grew up in horse country (though I am not a horsewoman, bear in mind), and people good at maneuvering horses busted their asses training themselves (not to mention their animals) to be good at it. It shouldn't be an easy thing. I mean, just staying ahorse and using it as a means of transportation, fine. But any combat stunts should be harder than as written, IMO.
-- If you are riding a mount in combat, either you can attack (including a full attack) or your mount can, not both.
I ran a 3.5 game where a ranger with a warhorse animal companion and a paladin with mount absolutely tore through what should have been difficult combats because they found ways to get into position where both they and their mounts could full attack on the same round. And I couldn't find anything to prevent this, except the ludicrously low DC5 "guide with your knees so you can attack" use of ride skill. It made designing outdoor combat (or anywhere where the paladin could summon his mount) much more difficult for me--granted, I was much more of a newbie GM at the time, but the situation wasn't helping. I have heard other stories of friends having trouble with someone milking having a mount companion for all its worth. While it may be less of an issue at higher levels than lower levels, running low to mid levels I found it made things difficult for me -- and it also made the paladin and ranger WAAAY outshine the other characters in the party, more than they should have.
I preferred to make this house rule than make all combats take place where mounts can't appear. Pathfinder makes it a little better since Rangers can no longer start with warhorses (just horses they can train for war). I don't regularly hear people complaining about mounted combat getting broken so maybe I did something wrong, but at the same time, since I implemented this, I haven't seen it break the game or excessively weaken mounted characters.
- Dragonhide
I make it easier to make suits of dragonhide armor (I make the creature size requirements smaller) and allow dragon leather as well. I had in 3.5 it reducing the cost of elemental resistance enchantment before it became a rule in Pathfinder.
But it's also important to note that in my world, Dragonhide is not for sale on the open market. If you want dragonhide, likely, you have to kill a dragon to get it. And there are millions of dragons running around, waiting to be killed. Killing a dragon is a rare occurrence, and dragonhide should be a very cool trophy for it that most can use.
-Other Little Stuff
-- Deathwatch is not an evil aligned spell. It has a lot of non-evil applications, and in fact can be easily used for good purposes (triage).
-- Fighters get Acrobatics as a class skill. I haven't implemented this in my current campaign, but plan to for future Pathfinder. It borks conversion and backwards compatibility by taking Jump away from Fighters, and it makes it easier to make finesse Fighters if they have the class skill to be able to Tumble, etc. I don't think this makes things unfair or broken.
That's all I can think of right now. I try not to houserule too much to avoid confusion, but some things I feel need tweaking.
Sorcerers dont need a full round to apply metamagic.
I like this change - it does seem to overly penalize sorcerers for no good reason. Give them their metamagic at least :)
The animated shield is back to the 3.5 version.
Ohhhh no this is bad. 3.5 Animated Shield is one of the reasons why being a sword and board character is horrible. Why would anyone willingly give up their 2-handed weapon or dual wield to carry a shield when they can just get a easily acquired magic item quality to duplicate holding a shield.
If a character has in their image that they want to wield a sword and shield they should at least have some benefit (the shield's AC bonus) over the character who focuses more on damage output and wields the 2-hander.
Money always gets a tweak. When I was younger, every character that ever played in my campaign had at least a million gp by the time they were tenth level. Not too hard to do if you just go and sell some magic items, I mean... who doesn't have 75,000 gold to buy your sword, afterall. Of course, everybody needed a portable hole to put all their cash into...
Since you could get a servant to work for you for a silver piece a day, that meant that PCs had the available income of a small country in their wallets.
My house rule for gold is that the exchange rate of CP:SP:GP is 10,000:100:1. The different coins are standards for the different classes -- Copper is the coinage of the lower class, silver is the coin of the middle (adventurer and merchant) class, and gold is the coin of the upper (Nobility and bankers). Platinum (1PP:10GP)exists only in 25lb bars, and is used only for mass transfers of wealth and banking.
This is a difficult house rule to play because you have to sacrifice rules for realism. Three rules of thumb I use to guide me is first, silver is the baseline conversion, which would make gold 10 times more valuable. If the treasure reward says 200 gp, I make it 20 gp
Second, 1 SP has a relative value of about 5 dollars. This is especially important with regards to starting equipment. 100 GP for a longbow? That's about $50,000 for the weapon ($5000 if I knock the cost down to 1/10th). I could imagine buying a decent rifle today for $500, so I make the price 100 SP. I used to pay villagers in Africa (I was in Peace Corps) about $1.25 a day for a days work assisting in projects, so this seemed about right the other direction.
Lastly, an item is only worth as much as you can sell it for, or for whatever you're willing to buy it for. That is to say, there is no Wal-Mart for magic items.
I really like this variant -- it kind of reminds me of Dragon Age. For weapon and armor prices did you basically make it gold = silver? How does magic item sales work in game? Do you go off the Core Rulebook as a baseline price? Does this system slow down play (this is a big deal for my group -- we only have limited time to play, so buying and selling stuff are done very quickly)
I'm assuming costs of services, etc. are about the same as listed in the Core Rulebook.
Please tell me more!
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- Dragonhide
I make it easier to make suits of dragonhide armor (I make the creature size requirements smaller) and allow dragon leather as well. I had in 3.5 it reducing the cost of elemental resistance enchantment before it became a rule in Pathfinder.But it's also important to note that in my world, Dragonhide is not for sale on the open market. If you want dragonhide, likely, you have to kill a dragon to get it. And there are millions of dragons running around, waiting to be killed. Killing a dragon is a rare occurrence, and dragonhide should be a very cool trophy for it that most can use.
Given the limited mechanical benefit of dragonhide, as compared to exciting things like darkwood and mithral, I'm inclined towards allowing the current version of 'dragonhide' to emulate leather, studded leather or hide armor made from tougher than normal beasties, and make actual dragonscale armor something cooler, like a mix between adamantine and mithral armor (DR *and* lighter).
While it's hardly a universal house rule, for coin, I don't like the use of platinum. Blah, blah historical whatever.
I go with copper pennies -> silver pennies -> gold pennies -> mithral pennies (preferred by elves and halflings) or gold doubloons (bigger coins, 10 gp each, preferred by humans and dwarves) -> adamantine bits (mostly dwarven currency) -> orichalum crescents (made by some ancient culture as coins from 'hardened mana,' each represented a spellcasting service, and while their makers are long gone and will never fulfill those obligations, temples and wizards guilds all over the world will honor them, as the coins are useful for the manufacture of magical items).
The only races that break with these conventions are gnomes, who have bewildering coins with ever-fluctuating 'currency exchanges' made of tin, nickel, etc. up to flasks of mercury worth ~25 gp, and the dwarves, who often use alloyed coins like brass, bronze, steel and electrum, just to mess with people (since their coins are harder to counterfeit, being made of very precise, and 'classified,' ratios of metal...).
Remembered a few more (how these escaped me before is a mystery).
Sorcerers don't use any extra time to cast metamagic.
Mindless undead are neutral, as are the spells that create them. Sentient undead are determined on a case by case basis, but often retain their alignment in life (otherwise move toward neutral).
In fact, very few spells/actions have any sort of alignment inherent (only thing that specifically attack an alignment, like holy word and its ilk). Everything else is determined by context.
Encumbrance is a non-issue until people get out of hand (yes, you can carry your 8 different weapons, all your adventuring gear, and a fair amount of treasure out of the dungeon. No, you can't carry the entire dragon hoard without a wagon or two).
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Here are my more prolific house rules from my campaign document:
RANGER: Combat Style (Ex): The following additional combat styles are available to the ranger class:
If the ranger selects riding, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Mounted Casting, and Skill Focus (Ride). At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Ride-By Attack and Trample. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spirited Charge and Improved Mounted Archery.
If the ranger selects skirmishing, then he can choose from the following list whenever he gains a combat style feat: Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Combat Expertise, and Dash. At 6th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Mobility and Improved Feint. At 10th level, he adds the following feats to his list: Spring Attack and Whirlwind Attack.
ROGUE: Rogue Talents: The following additional talents are available to a rogue character:
Fast Talker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make a Diplomacy check as a standard action at a -20 to their check.
Jack of All Trades (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make any skill check, even if it is limited to trained only.
Hidden Countenance (Ex): This ability grants a rogue the ability to conceal certain actions if they succeed at a Sleight of Hand check at –10, opposed by Perception. This includes spellcasting, attacks, aiding another, drawing a hidden weapon, using a magic item, readying an action, or the like. If the opponent does not succeed a Perception check, sneak attack damage may apply.
Slippery (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to make an Escape Artist check as a swift action.
Misleading Stance (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use Bluff to feint in combat against all opponents within 30 feet.
Dangerous Tongue (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to double the duration of Intimidate checks to make opponents shaken.
Likeable Scoundrel (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to use his Bluff skill for Diplomacy checks, or his Diplomacy skill for Bluff checks.
AID ANOTHER: For every 10 points you exceed the DC of 10, you grant an additional +1 to your aid bonus granted, whether it be to aid in a skill, or to grant a bonus in combat.
DIPLOMACY: Selling Goods: Any character can sell up to the gp limit of a town per day in goods. However, a character may use a Diplomacy check to sell more than this in a day. If a character can make a DC 15 Diplomacy check, they sell an extra multiple of the town’s gp limit, and a further multiple for every 5 points they exceed the DC by.
If a character is in a rush to sell products, they can attempt a DC 25 Diplomacy check to sell up to the town’s gp limit in an hour. For every 5 points they exceed 25 by, they may sell an extra multiple.
Buying Goods: Diplomacy can be used to locate and acquire equipment or magic items. There is always a 75% chance that an item up to the town’s gp limit is available. A character with Diplomacy can spend an hour and make a further DC 20 Diplomacy check for a reroll. Further rerolls are allowed, but the DC increases 5 each time.
A DC 25 Diplomacy check and an hour reveals the list of unique items for sale in any given town.
A character can also hire a specialist, such as an enterprising merchant or a local expert on swords to find these items for you, if an item is not available. This requires a DC 25 Diplomacy check, increases the cost of the item by 10%, and requires 1d6 days per 5,000 gp market price of the item.
A character may also use Knowledge (local) or Appraise to locate items, but the DC is 5 higher.
SPELLCRAFT/PERCEPTION: DCs to identify magic items are +5.
ARMOR - Leather Coat: Portions of this long coat around the chest, shoulders, and bottom edges are made rigid from boiling, but most of the armor is composed of softer and more flexible leather. (200 gp, AC +4, Max Dex +4, ACP -2, ASF 10%, 20 lbs)
ACTION POINTS (pretty much as the Unearthed Arcana version)
COMBAT - Massive Damage: If you ever sustain damage so massive that a single attack deals over half your hit points or more than 50 points of damage, whichever is greater, and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a Fortitude save, the DC being 15 + 2 per 10 points over 50 (for example, a medium creature taking 62 points of damage just made a DC 17 Fortitude save). If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. This amount of damage represents a single trauma so major that it has a chance to kill even the toughest creature. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply.
For each size category larger or smaller than medium, add or subtract 10 points from your threshold.
COMBAT - Disarm / Grabbing Items: You can use a disarm action to snatch an item worn by the target (such as a necklace or a pair of goggles) but the DC is +5. Unlike on a normal disarm attempt, failing the attempt doesn’t allow the defender to attempt to disarm you. This otherwise functions identically to a disarm attempt, as noted above.
You can’t snatch an item that is well secured, such as a ring or bracelet, unless you have pinned the wearer (see Grapple). Even then, the defender gains a +5 bonus on his roll to resist the attempt.
RETRAINING YOUR CHARACTER
If at any point, you decide you have not made appropriate choices, you may choose to retrain certain aspects of your character. These changes require dedicated contemplation, study, or pursuit of the character’s new interests.
Retraining requires the character not spend any time engaged in strenuous or demanding activities, such as adventuring, magic item creation, spell research, traveling, or the like.
All changes to a character must be ‘backwards-compatable’. If a 12th level character retrains 4 levels of wizard for 4 levels of fighter, not only must they give back skill points, they must ensure their total skill points used are a valid build option for their current configuration, as if the character had never had those 4 levels of wizard. Likewise, if a character retrains a feat, they must have been able to take all their feats and meet their various prerequisites in some sort of legal and valid order.
If a character comes back from the dead, via raise dead, or some similar magic, they may change one thing about their character (a feat, a class level, or the like) should they choose.
Class: A class level may be changed if a character wishes to substitute a class level for another, they may do by spending a month in study. The character must ‘give back’ their class skill points, class abilities, and bonus feats. This can only be performed once per level.
If a character wishes to retrain their specialized wizard class, they must ‘give back’ all levels of the class and replace them.
Class Features: A character may retrain a class feature, such as a ranger’s choice of favored enemy, an advanced rogue talent, or a cleric’s domain choice by spending two weeks of retraining. If the class feature bestows a bonus feat on the character, it must be retrained as a feat below. This can only be performed once per level.
Skills: A character may retrain up to 2 skill points by spending a week of retraining. If a character is reallocating skill points to learn a new language, they must have a tutor or other source of the new language. This can only be performed once per level.
Feats: A character may retrain a feat by spending two weeks of retraining. This can only be performed once per level.
If I would run, Humans would get two favored classes, and half elves would instead get an ability called Class Focus, which they would get both the bonus hp and skill point for their favored class.
ALL classes would increase their class skill ranks/level by +2.
3.5 feats! for the most part. Sorry to say it, but in a lot of the conversions to pathfinder they gimped the feats completely unnecessarily. Top of the list, cleave. I would still add the new feats from PF.
Arcane strike and Arcane Armor training would work fine, just using quickened meta magic feats with them would be impossible. Sorry for the rant but WTF PF? You make this perfect feats for a Melee Caster, but then give them a capestone ability ether makes it or the LOGICAL FEATS they would take completely useless!
Finally, generalists wizards gain bonus spells known like specialist. They are generalists, they should have a more GENERAL knowledge of spells.
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Oh yeah, I toss alignments out too.
Everyone and everything is treated as Neutral for resolving spells and other alignment dependant effects.
The exceptions are creatures with aligned subtypes or auras. Those creatures are treated as that alignment.
Thus a demon registers as Chaotic and Evil, and a paladin registers as Good.
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I almost never use the XP chart, instead letting the PCs level after X many session, depending on the game, but usually 3-4 sessions per level.
Ditto. Focus on the game, folks, not the points! ^_^
I've also been playing with the critical rules. Right now I'm using:
If you roll a crit but DON'T confirm, do max damage.
If you roll a crit AND confirm, do max damage for the first multiplier, plus more dice for each additional multiplier. (ie: longsword would do 8 +d8, while a longbow would do 8 plus 2d8)
Nice. Mind if I borrow that for my games? ;-)
Sorcerers dont need a full round to apply metamagic.I like this change - it does seem to overly penalize sorcerers for no good reason. Give them their metamagic at least :)
The animated shield is back to the 3.5 version.Ohhhh no this is bad. 3.5 Animated Shield is one of the reasons why being a sword and board character is horrible. Why would anyone willingly give up their 2-handed weapon or dual wield to carry a shield when they can just get a easily acquired magic item quality to duplicate holding a shield.
If a character has in their image that they want to wield a sword and shield they should at least have some benefit (the shield's AC bonus) over the character who focuses more on damage output and wields the 2-hander.
My opinion is that a +3 enhancement cost to much for only 4 rounds of use, but you do have a point. Maybe I will just lower the cost.
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Let's face it. If you GM a lot, you can never resist the tempation to tweak the rules for long. What is one you consistantly tinker with the most.
Me? Attacks of opportunity and the 5ft step. They add soooo much complexity sometimes.
What do you change?
Its not so much homebrew rules changes, its wizards. When I do a new setting or run into a new 'culture' I like to make sure that I restrict them to a selection of Magic consistent with the history of the setting.
Its the same for any variation i put in. Its consistent with the setting. If you are home brewing the rules, you most likely do the same thing.
General house rules always used:
RULE OF COOL: If a character proposes something cinematic, in character and cool, I'll bend the rules to allow him to make a roll to accomplish it, usually with a heavy cost for failure. Example: having slain the leader of the goblin horde, the monk spends his entire round staring intimidatingly at the assembled horde, hoping to break their morale. He gets an intimidate check to succeed. If he fails, the horde all try to kill him. (So, this bends the possibilities offered by the Intimidate skill.) Another time, a player jumped on a ballista bolt and shot at the pirate ship. Plenty of penalties were added, but the shooter cast true strike.
LOREBOOKS: I offer bards the choice of being hedge bards (classic version) or having gone to school, which means they use a lore book. If they have a lore book, I scrap the spells known system for them and they use the spell system of wizards (memorize specific spells daily, write spells down to acquire them, gain two new spells per level gained).
FIRING INTO COMBAT: I don't like how finicky the firing into combat rules are. If you fire into combat and roll a 1-5 on your attack roll, you hit your friend.
SPELLBOOKS ARE BOUND COMPILATIONS OF SCROLLS: I just don't buy the fluff on the differences between scrolls and spell books. I mean, I get it, but I think it's stupid.
CHARISMA IS LUCK: It's personal magnetism, social skills AND luck, I mean. Any time I can't decide who a monster would fight or what watch gets the wandering monster... have the table make a charisma check and the lowest roll gets the bad thing.
My current campaign's house rules are here. Enjoy!
Nice. Mind if I borrow that for my games? ;-)
Go ahead! :D
Hyrum.
Character advancement is dictated by their wealth rather than XP. When they've accumulated 1,000 gp worth of items, they change from level 1 to level 2. Consumables such as wands and potions do not factor into this since they are easily gained and lost. This houserule attempts to ensure that the party is properly equipped to handle things of a certain CR. Yes, I realize that this rule could easily be broken, but any ideas to blow all the money on alchemist fires and necklaces of fireballs are quickly squashed.
2 skill points per level were bumped up to 4 skill points per level because it's hard to think that the only thing a person's good at is swinging a weapon and maybe ride a horse.
This isn't so much a houserule, but when a character comes up with a decent idea (i.e. throw an alchemist fire at a rickety wooden tower), in the interest of being entertaining, we allow things like the tower catches on fire even if the exact rules of the action do not state or permit that. This is generally accomplished in a minor fashion. Yes, one person's tower went up in flames, but there are still six more rushing the party. Keeps it from being overpowering but rewards creativity.