My favorite how rule is a feat that grant 2 extra cantrips to the number of prepared cantrips for a wizard!So 8 cantrips instead of 4?
Yep! I think wizards are played to cast magic. Prepared spells should be reserved for "special" situations, specially at low levels.
Yep! I think wizards are played to cast magic. Prepared spells should be reserved for "special" situations, specially at low levels.My favorite how rule is a feat that grant 2 extra cantrips to the number of prepared cantrips for a wizard!So 8 cantrips instead of 4?
This isn't a rule, but with my wizards I usually prepare MNemonic enhancer as soon as I get 4th level spells. At the beginning of the day I use it to prepare 6 extra cantrips. May not seem like much, but really opens up options for my casters.
*Plot Twist Decks*
-GM rolls d20 before session and records number. Anytime a player rolls that number during the session, that player relieves a plot twist card
(Meta game analysis) this encourages players to spam d20s on bull**** rolls. In my upcoming campaign I'm considering giving the player a 1 in 4 chance of receiving a fumble card instead that must be used next time a 1 is rolled in combat. Normally I allow a confirmation roll to fumbles the same as critical hits. Heroes shouldn't fumble often but I enjoy the tension the confirmation roll brings.
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When rolling dice: If you can't hit the table, you can't hit the monster (or save DC or skill DC, etc.)
Weapon Finesse is not a feat, but a weapon property (finesse) of weapons previously covered by the feat.
Agile Maneuvers is rolled into the CMB calculations and removed as a feat, i.e. you may choose Strength or Dexterity.
If a familiar or mount is adjacent to the owner, the owner may opt, as an immediate action, to take damage from a single attack on behalf of said familiar or mount.
Just a few.
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If you do all your training with your horse(or other rideable creature), the horse will increase in hit dice to match. Also, the horse(or other rideable creature) will not be spooked by your spells and gun use.
New things are always shiny to me, and my newest house rule is no XP. I had tried it out before, but not it is official.
When rolling HD at level-up, both the GM and the player roll a die, the player keeps the higher roll.
I was going to write one almost identical, but the DM rolls in secret and the player decides to keep his or her own or to use the DM's roll. The "Mine or yours" approach.
my group has always rolled ability scores and rerolled anything less than 10. monks haven't been as much of a problem.
I like this idea too. I want some of the weapons to advance, Diablo style and allow the player to be connected to it instead of just dumping their +1 blade for a +2 blade over and over.My favorite is allowing a character's mundane equipment to become magical based on heroic feats (or follies). Doing so allows them to become 'attached' to something like an heirloom weapon or a ratty old backpack and gives life to the character's equipment ... rather than just throwing old stuff out when a shiny magical item appears.
Basically ... it works exactly like giving someone magic items ... just sometimes items transform from mundane to magical rather than being stuff in a treasure horde.
This is already in the rules. You can just add extra enchantments to an existing item.
This is already in the rules. You can just add extra enchantments to an existing item.I like this idea too. I want some of the weapons to advance, Diablo style and allow the player to be connected to it instead of just dumping their +1 blade for a +2 blade over and over.My favorite is allowing a character's mundane equipment to become magical based on heroic feats (or follies). Doing so allows them to become 'attached' to something like an heirloom weapon or a ratty old backpack and gives life to the character's equipment ... rather than just throwing old stuff out when a shiny magical item appears.
Basically ... it works exactly like giving someone magic items ... just sometimes items transform from mundane to magical rather than being stuff in a treasure horde.
And there's masterwork transformation for the first step in transforming grandpa's old sword into a +5 flaming sword of doom.
In my games, Weapon Finesse, Power Attack, Point-Blank Shot, and Combat Expertise are no longer feats; they're simply standard rules that all creatures have access to.
Does it really require the special training feats are supposed to represent to be able to swing your sword just a little harder, or do ranged weapons NOT deal more damage close up because you're not aware they do?
Weapon Finesse as a weapon trait rather than a feat, meaning that any light weapon and some select other weapons like whips and rapiers as well as all ranged weapons automatically use Dexterity for both attack and damage rolls.
Goes a long way towards thinning out that feat tax and makes a lot more sense as well.
That's a tiny change. My favorite BIG change is the alternate hit point system we use...
A simple one my DM used for a Kingmaker game we're playing is basically a "Create Your Own Trait" house rule.
The rules for it were as follows:
1) - The created trait must only give you one skill as a class skill as well as a +1 trait bonus to that skill. (A huge limitation yes, but very useful for us)
2) - The trait must have a flavor that revolves around your character's background. (Makes sure the skill makes sense for our characters and keeps the flavor running fairly well.)
Simple, yet satisfying. We also got to choose what category the trait fell under as long as it made sense.
Weapon Finesse as a weapon trait rather than a feat, meaning that any light weapon and some select other weapons like whips and rapiers as well as all ranged weapons automatically use Dexterity for both attack and damage rolls.
Goes a long way towards thinning out that feat tax and makes a lot more sense as well.
That's a tiny change. My favorite BIG change is the alternate hit point system we use...
Are you gonna tell us about the alternate hit point system? Come on man, don't leave me hangin'.
1.) I'm loving running a high powered Gestalt campaign, and so are the players. It so far doesn't seem much different from a regular campaign, except everybody is better at everything and has more options both in and out of combat. Even something as simple as a Fighter/Barbarian has more options since with Rage Powers you have just a little more leeway on getting Feats and such for flavor or out of combat stuff.
2.) Not sure if this is really a houserule more than it is an encouragement to describe actions thoroughly based on the die roll, but: Little extra bits of description on critical failures or successes or "overkill" (DC 10 check with a 34 result kinda thing). A critical failure on an Acrobatics check essentially means you drop flat on your ass, while a critical success means you effectively start breakdancing on the pole you were trying to get across. Intimidate successes mean the person actually soils himself, but a failure means he laughs in your face and calls you a wuss. Also he Stretches to crits too, for situational "bonuses" like overkill damage mutilating the corpse beyond Raise Dead capabilities.
Weapon Finesse as a weapon trait rather than a feat, meaning that any light weapon and some select other weapons like whips and rapiers as well as all ranged weapons automatically use Dexterity for both attack and damage rolls.
Goes a long way towards thinning out that feat tax and makes a lot more sense as well.
Now, a while ago, I would've agreed with you about Weapon Finesse, but now I kinda see why that is a feat and not just something that is always there.
Strength is used, basically, entirely for attacking. It's your hitting stuff stat. Dexterity, on the other hand, is used for Initiative, AC, Acrobatics, Stealth, and a myriad of other things. To have that applied by default to attacks with weapons makes that a better choice for melee combatants.
Are you gonna tell us about the alternate hit point system? Come on man, don't leave me hangin'.Weapon Finesse as a weapon trait rather than a feat, meaning that any light weapon and some select other weapons like whips and rapiers as well as all ranged weapons automatically use Dexterity for both attack and damage rolls.
Goes a long way towards thinning out that feat tax and makes a lot more sense as well.
That's a tiny change. My favorite BIG change is the alternate hit point system we use...
Heh - I wasn't sure if people were still reading the thread.
We wanted to make combat a little more dramatic, a little more realistic and we wanted to reduce the party's reliance on having some sort of dedicated healer or everyone running around with UMD+Wands of CLW... so, taking a cue from some of the discussions on this board, this is basically what we came up with:
Damage from critical hits, sneak attacks, bleed effects and failed saving throws are considered Lethal damage. All else is considered Non-Lethal.
Lethal damage heals at a rate of 1 HP/extended rest or 1+Con modifier (minimum 1)HP/full day of rest. Non-Lethal damage heals at a rate of 50% after a short rest and 100% after an extended rest.
Characters who have suffered more than 50% of their HP in Non-Lethal damage are Fatigued. Characters who have suffered more than 50% of their HP in Lethal damage are Exhausted. Spell casters Exhausted in this way must make Concentration checks to cast spells.
Characters who go below 0 hit points from purely Non-Lethal damage fall unconscious for a number of rounds equal to their negative number of hit points, waking with 1. Characters who go below 0 hit points and have taken lethal damage fall unconscious and begin to die. They must make a Fortitude save every round with the DC = to the number of hit points below 0. They can be stabilized through magical healing that brings them up to at least 0 or with a successful Healing skill check - this check must be made every day until they heal naturally or recieve magical healing, otherwise the character begins to die as described above.
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This is actually just my whole list of house rules. Results have been mostly encouraging so far. Parry is still being experimented on and worked on though.
Parry (Skill): When being attacked by a melee attack (weapon, natural, or touch) and you aren't caught unaware, you may try to deflect the attack. This is resolved by rolling a d20 and adding your modifier, versus the attack roll. May deflect one attack for every four ranks in Parry (1 attack at rank 1, 2 attacks at rank 4, etc) Skill is Dex based, and is a Class Skill for every class that gains proficiency in at least one Martial Weapon.
Attacks of Opportunity: If you use a gun in melee, AoO. If you try to trip some fool, no AoO. If you run through a corner that a bandit is laying in wait behind, AoO and likely Readied Attack. If you try to grapple a bandit, no AoO. Any questions?
Stunting: If you RP something and make it enjoyable to read, while trying to do something fun. Then I may grant you the ability to roll two d20s for each required check of the action and take the higher of each. If you do this and make the read so horrible that I'd want to read Oscar, you may be forced to take the lower of the two rolls.
Crafting: 2000 gold per day in crafting. Regardless of where you're crafting, so long as you spend two hours a day on the art.
Rogue Class: Add spellcasting from the Adept, adding +1 to all spell slots and changing casting stat to Int. Animate Dead on spell list is replaced with a single pickable arcane spell of 3rd level. Level 0 spells are treated like cantrips for every other spellcaster class. Will Save is a Good Save.
Fighter Class: Reflex is a Good Save. Hit Die improved to d12.
Barbarian: You start off with a Rage Power, then gain as normal.
Bit of thread-necro: all evil outsiders are healed by negative energy, and harmed by positive energy. Sort of makes you look at Orcus and his clergy in a different light, aye?
small parties (3 man) have all their ability scores raise by 1 every five levels. relatively new but so far it's working pretty well.
You cannot be ressurected - once dead, you're dead.
but, you get 6 extra HP at level 1.
and it takes an extra round after you're dead, until you're REALLY dead.
a couple of times that extra round has been a life saver:-).
GRU