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These are all from the house rules packets I handed out to my players before the campaign began.
Ability Scores are determined by rolling 4d6. All 1's are rerolled, and the lowest result is dropped. Repeat six times, and arrange to your taste. The PCs are supposed to be heroic in stature and ability, and by god they're going to be heroic in stature and ability.
The campaign world is on a silver standard. Gold (and platinum) are both incredibly rare and very valuable. Silver, while valuable, is common enough to make money out of.
As this is not D&D 4E, skills, feats, and other abilities that represent situations that are resolved by roleplay have an influence on the situation, but do not determine the outcome. Its called "roleplay" for a reason.
Only one non-human player character per three players. Players may work out who gets the non-human however they wish.
No Summoners, No Monks. Period. Don't bother asking.
I’m striving to make the game dramatic, adventuresome, and fun rather than realistic, so players may feel free to try some truly awe-inspiring (or, perhaps, awfully foolish) stunts for the sake of pulling off something really cool. Now, I'm not talking about wire-fu antics, but I will say that the ''Pirates of the Carribean'' films are a good idea of what I am shooting for. If you, the player, try something absurd yet daring, especially if it gets a reaction from me or the other players, you've earned yourself an experience point bonus, and will likely succeed at whatever you are trying.
Likewise, if you try something absurd and humorous, especially if it gets a laugh out of me or the other players, you've earned yourself an experience point bonus and will likely succeed at whatever you are trying.
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Some of my houserules:
1) No stat can start above 18 at level one. Example, if you play an elf you you put your Dex at 17 and then add your racial bonus, it can only go to 18 NOT 19.
2) Players roll TWO dice for hit points and take the better of the two.
3) Horse goes back to 5x10 on the battlemat.
4) Rogues (or anyone with trapfinding) no longer have to search for traps. Instead they gain a sixth sense and the DM will roll to see if their sixth sense picks up on the trap.
5) Quick draw allows you to sheath a weapon as a free action and allow you to switch hands as a free action.
6) 20, 20, confirm no longer means death. Instead its a max damage critical hit.
7) Dispel magic no longer removes permanency spells. Instead it just supresses them for 1d4 hours.
8) Tumbling DCs are now based on CBM+10 NOT CMD.
One of my favorite houserules is "Exploding d20s".
When rolling a d20 for an attack roll, skill check, ability check, etc., after rolling a natural 20, you roll the d20 again and add the 2nd roll to the initial 20. If you roll a natural 1, you roll a second d20 and subtract 20 from it.
We implemented this to prevent our nigh unto epic level characters from having a 5% chance to fumble their weapons. Seemed kind of silly that they'd be so skilled and accomplished and yet still be unable to hold onto their weapons 1 out of every 20 swings.
Examples:
Valeros decides to be a bit smug and Greater Vital Strike a lowly goblin. He rolls to hit and gets a natural 1. He rolls again and gets a 17 this time. 17 - 20 = a net -3, so he adds his bonus to hit to -3 to get his final result. If the final result is higher than the goblin's AC, he still hits.
The goblin somehow survives and retaliates. He rolls a natural 20 to hit then rolls again and gets a 4. Therefore, he basically rolled a 20 + 4 = 24 and adds his melee bonus to hit to the 24. If that's not enough to beat Valeros' AC, the goblin still misses, even though he rolled a natural 20.
After killing the goblin, Valeros decides to test his mettle against a dragon. He rolls a 20 to hit so he rolls a second time, getting another 20! He rolls a 3rd time and gets an 8. His total attack roll is 20 + 20 + 8 = 48, to which he'll add his bonuses to hit from BAB, enhancements, etc.
Similar idea with skills checks, concentration checks, caster level checks, etc.
Another one I like is rolling a d12 for initiative. My d12 is happy to included in the game once again.
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So I compiled the ones that I like in this list. link
There are some rules that I like that I didn't post, mainly because I thought they were confusing.
Glad you like my crit damage rule. I just thought of a simpler change to it.
'For every natural 20 on an attack roll, one damage roll is automatically max damage.'
So if you roll two 20s, your crit damage is maximized for x2 crit weapons. The DM may allow extra rolls to maximize x3/4 crit weapons.
So I compiled the ones that I like in this list. link
There are some rules that I like that I didn't post, mainly because I thought they were confusing.
Ouch, not a single one of mine made it...I feel left out...heh.
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My table has a fairly long home rules handbook.
Here are a few highlights...
1) Everything in the Core Rulebook is in play. Feats, Archetypes, Combat Maneuvers, Prestige Classes, and Equipment from the Advanced Player's Guide are in play. No other Paizo, PFRPG 3rd-party supplements, or 3.5 books are in play. Note that the GM may consider individual rules from other sources on a case-by-case basis.
2) New base classes from APG are NOT in play. Alchemists, cavaliers, and witches exist as NPC classes (and are extremely rare); other base classes do not exist. We're also not using Traits or Action Points.
3) There is a list of individual feats and spells from other sources that are in play. (Most are cribbed from Inner Sea World Guide or Heroes of Horror.)
4) No evil characters.
5) Spell Rarity: Not all spells are equally known. Spells have a rarity rating of Common, Rare, or Unique. More info at my campaign site.
6) Hit Points: No rolling. Everyone gets max hp at first level. Base hp per level is half the die +1 hp per level. (e.g. d6 = 4 hp/level; d8 = 5 hp/level; d10 = 6 hp/level; d12 = 7 hp/level.) Add Con bonus as normal.
7) Raise Dead is a sixth-level spell. Breath of Life can possibly bring back the dead if cast within 5 rounds of death. (For purposes of Breath of Life, A character loses 5 hp per round on her action after going below negative Con in hit points.) Reincarnate, Resurrection, True Resurrection, and Clone all work normally.
8) The spell teleport can duplicate the effect of the spell dimension door. In addition, if you can clearly see your destination when you cast the spell, there is no chance for an error. (e.g.. teleporting from the deck of a ship to a visible beach, or from a balcony to the ground below)
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Other rules we use:
"Wish" and any other "wish-like" spells simply do not exist. Period. Knowledge of such magic is lost in the current day and age.
0-level spells do not exist. Replacing them are a bonus Charisma-based skill called "Cantrip" that allows the user to create minor magical effects similar to the ones created by the 0-level spells. Only those characters who could otherwise cast 0-level spells get the skill.
In some cases, depending on the starting point of the campaign, equipment choices must be justified. If you cannot figure out a good reason for your peasant-farmer-turned-fighter to own a suit of plate mail at the beginning of the campaign, then he's not going to own plate mail.
Unless justified within the game world (and justifications are usually restricted to being nobleborn, being a wizard, or being a cleric), all characters are assumed to be functionally illiterate at the beginning of the game. (Meaning you might be able to write your name and recognize a handful of words, but you're not going to be sitting down and reading any novels any time soon).
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6) 20, 20, confirm no longer means death. Instead its a max damage critical hit.
The 20, 20, + confirm = auto death was always a houserule, so no need to repeal it.
8) Tumbling DCs are now based on CBM+10 NOT CMD.
Is there a reason for this? Was Tumbling not happening often enough?
CMB+10 is effectively CMD without the Dex factor.
I can see why a more agile foe could anticipate the tumbler's movement, so why it was included. Though a fellow player in this week's game did point out that it would be tough for a dedicated tumbler to keep pace with a full-BAB defender boosting both Str and Dex, vs his Dex alone.
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We're having a contest to win a $25 Paizo gift certificate for best house rules on the d20pfsrd.com Facebook group page. Come on over and show us what you've got!
Ouch, not a single one of mine made it...I feel left out...heh.So I compiled the ones that I like in this list. link
There are some rules that I like that I didn't post, mainly because I thought they were confusing.
You fall under the "I still need to test things out" section. XD but i Really like your rules.
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6) 20, 20, confirm no longer means death. Instead its a max damage critical hit.The 20, 20, + confirm = auto death was always a houserule, so no need to repeal it.
8) Tumbling DCs are now based on CBM+10 NOT CMD.Is there a reason for this? Was Tumbling not happening often enough?
CMB+10 is effectively CMD without the Dex factor.
I can see why a more agile foe could anticipate the tumbler's movement, so why it was included. Though a fellow player in this week's game did point out that it would be tough for a dedicated tumbler to keep pace with a full-BAB defender boosting both Str and Dex, vs his Dex alone.
1) Your fellow player brought up the same concern I did apparently. At some point in the game (usually higher levels) that its impossible for a PC to tumble past foes..which really sucks for the player who built his PC to have it nerfed 95% of the time...
2) I consider 'tumbling' to be a defensive action. CMD is a defensive modifier. I dont like how those mesh like that (defense vs defense). What really bothers me about using CMD the most is that it allows a deflection bonus, luck bonus, ect to help you defeat a tumbler's action. I am a firm believer that CMB should be used since you are trying to make an offensive action to make an attempt to hit a tumbling foe. It sounds better in my brain then how I am putting it on screen...
(edited for errors)
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6) 20, 20, confirm no longer means death. Instead its a max damage critical hit.The 20, 20, + confirm = auto death was always a houserule, so no need to repeal it.I was actually curios, is this even a <house> rule in PF? I know it was in the DMG for 3E, but did that even carry over to PF?
I never saw it in PF but I wasnt looking real hard either...
20, 20 does not mean auto death and it doesn't mean max damage either. It simply means a confirmed critical hit, since natural 20 is an automatic hit. Just look up the critical hit part in the combat section.
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20, 20 does not mean auto death and it doesn't mean max damage either. It simply means a confirmed critical hit, since natural 20 is an automatic hit. Just look up the critical hit part in the combat section.
Yes we are all aware of that...hence this is a house-rules thread :)
The question at hand now is: Is the 20, 20, comfirm OPTIONAL rule is in PF as it once was in 3.5.
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Houserules are as follow:
Base Initiative: players take 10 and add their respective bonuses. Player may still opt to roll as normal.
Base Skill: Players don't roll skills they just take 10. Example:
Player X is trying to Climb a wall DC 15, he has a total Climb of +2 (only his strength) so his total base is 12 so he would be forced to roll.
Player Y has a total Climb of 6 (+3 class skill, +1 rank, +2 Str) so his base Climb would be 16 he requires no roll to climb that Wall since the DC is 15. Player Y may still opt to roll the dice to climb the wall faster but doing so with the perils of falling down.
I use this to simplify and cut on rolls. So far it has proven to be very effective since now players with high dex or initiative feats at least have a very decent chance to be first in the initiative order as opposed to a roll that usually doesn't end that well. The skills do the same for players that invest heavily in some skills to really portray how great they are.
Characters can take average for their hit die on level up or roll for it and reroll and 1 & 2 they get.
Will post some more when I remember.