What are YOUR houserules?


Homebrew and House Rules

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Rynjin wrote:

I think your 20 person game is a bit different than what most people picture when they hear "20 person game". Seems like you're running 4-5 separate games, but in a shared universe with some cross over (switching back and forth between groups every 15 minutes) rather than one big honkin' game.

Which sounds pretty rad.

sorta I guess...

They are all in the same location, they are all on the same quest, it is just that some times they split up to accomplish multiple tasks.
One group might go hit the Grand Library to do research, Another hits the streets to gather rumors, a third goes supply/weapons/magic shopping, and the fourth?... well that is typically the "trouble makers" out to stir up the locals (someone always ends up needing bailed out of the pokey).
But when it comes time to tackle the BBEG and his minions? well... its a war band.

I also try to avoid Dungeon Delves its a lot more open air, cityscapes, and intrigue than strait up bug hunts and Hack & Slash (not that there is anything wrong with a good old fashioned H&S every now and then).


I employ a mana resource system, adopted for Pathfinder.

Link here:
https://secure.paizo.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Store.woa/wa/DirectAction/creat eNewPost?thread=v5748rzs2qu5j#newPost

Other than that, I use a slightly modified version of Kirthfinder.


Just thought of a couple that are so wide spread in my area we do not even think about them...

All Crafting Feats are banned.
Weapon/Armor Enhancement bonuses (sword +3, dagger +1 etc...) are non-magical in nature but instead reflect superior workmanship/quality.


Damian Magecraft wrote:
Weapon/Armor Enhancement bonuses (sword +3, dagger +1 etc...) are non-magical in nature but instead reflect superior workmanship/quality.

I like this one. The less screwed martial types are by dispels/anti-magic effects the better.


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kyrt-ryder wrote:
Damian Magecraft wrote:
Weapon/Armor Enhancement bonuses (sword +3, dagger +1 etc...) are non-magical in nature but instead reflect superior workmanship/quality.
I like this one. The less screwed martial types are by dispels/anti-magic effects the better.

The real fun comes in when you realize that Masterwork Armor can now achieve a DR x/-.

In my games I put a maximum limit on how high the masterwork bonuses can go. (Armor DR 10/-) (weapons +5). But also included a new type of bonus: Artisan.
Different racial artisans can impart unique bonuses to weapons.
Examples:
Orcish Bloodletter Blades grant an Artisan bonus to damage. (Max +5)
Dwarven Hammers grant an Artisan bonus for bypassing up to 5 points of any DR
Elven Bows grant an Artisan bonus to accuracy (max +5)
etc...

Select Named Artisans such as Hatori Hanzo (no he does not exist in my games) can impart Artisan bonuses (typically unique to that Artisan) as well.


A few of the House Rules we use currently:

Misc:
o We use the Rifts (Palladium) alignment system.
o Virtues/Hubris from 7th Sea. All characters begin with 1 Hubris and may select 1 Virtue or Feat of their choice.
o Force Points from SWSE (called Action Points, Daily variant + minor modifications)
o All magic items which grant an ability score modifier are removed. At every 4th level a character gains 2 attribute bonuses (may increase 2 separate ability scores by +1)
o Magic items based on dimensional spaces have been removed (portable hole, bags of holding, etc). Certain associated spells are removed, as well.
o Poison Rules adopted from Pathfinder—Extending the Poison Rules.
o A +1-+5 enhancement bonus on a weapon is granted through superior craftsmanship; elemental, holy, and so on abilitys may be added to the weapon through Item Creation by spellcasters, but the total may not exceed the ehnancement bonus.
o Major changes/additions to counterspell, Languages and acquisition/use, and skills. Many spells have been removed in their entirety (rope trick)
o Quasi-magical items for mundanes have been added in the form of "Charms" and an "Herbalism" system - borrowed from the Midnight Chronicles.
o Hit Points: Starting Hit Points are now front loaded. At 1st level, a character takes his maximum hit die + 10 + Con modifier. Hit points from 2nd level on are the average of the hit die (rounded down). In essence, you're gaining the 0.5 hit points per level you'd normally gain over the course of 20 levels at 1st level. This serves to increase survivability at lower levels, while maintaining the same total hit points.
o Damage Resistance (Magic): Damage resistance/magic is pointless, as written. With this in mind, any creature with DR/magic will require an enhancement bonus equal to its Challenge Rating divided by 4 to penetrate. For example, a Challenge Rating 4 creature with DR 10/magic requires a +1 or better quality weapon to ignore its damage resistance. A Challenge Rating 20 creature with DR 10/magic would require a +5 or better quality weapon to ignore its damage resistance. Any result of DR/magic requiring a +6 or higher weapon to hit becomes DR/epic.
o Performing a Combat Maneuver: Unless otherwise noted, performing a combat maneuver provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the maneuver only if the attempted maneuver fails.
o Attacked While Flying: You are not considered flat-footed while flying. If you are flying and you take damage while flying, you must make a DC (10 + damage dealt) Fly check to avoid losing 10 feet of altitude. This descent does not provoke an attack of opportunity and does not count against a creature’s movement.
o Shields: Shields at their bonus to both Reflex and Touch AC.
o The combat round consists of the following actions: a swift action, a move action, a standard action. These may be combined into a full round action. Actions may be downgraded (a move becomes a swift, a standard becomes a move.)
o The 5 foot step rules are removed.
o Favored classes are removed. You gain 1 hit point or 1 skillpoint as a level-dependant benefit.

Feats (Removed)
o Agile Maneuvers: This feat is an instance of a game mechanic that should be available to all, but was placed in a feat. It has been merged with the normal rules for CMB.
o Endurance: All instances of the endurance feat are replaced by the Endurance skill. In instances where the endurance feat is a prerequisite, it instead requires, "trained in Endurance."
o Weapon Finesse: Weapon Finesse is no longer a feat. It is now a quality of the weapons described in the feat text. Any prerequisite which required Weapon Finesse no longer does.
o Skill Focus: This feat has been removed. All instances where this feat is granted as a bonus feat, grant "Skill Training" instead.


Da'ath wrote:

A few of the House Rules we use currently:

Misc:
o We use the Rifts (Palladium) alignment system.
o Virtues/Hubris from 7th Sea. All characters begin with 1 Hubris and may select 1 Virtue or Feat of their choice.
o Force Points from SWSE (called Action Points, Daily variant + minor modifications)
o All magic items which grant an ability score modifier are removed. At every 4th level a character gains 2 attribute bonuses (may increase 2 separate ability scores by +1)
o Magic items based on dimensional spaces have been removed (portable hole, bags of holding, etc). Certain associated spells are removed, as well.
o Poison Rules adopted from Pathfinder—Extending the Poison Rules.
o A +1-+5 enhancement bonus on a weapon is granted through superior craftsmanship; elemental, holy, and so on abilitys may be added to the weapon through Item Creation by spellcasters, but the total may not exceed the ehnancement bonus.
o Major changes/additions to counterspell, Languages and acquisition/use, and skills. Many spells have been removed in their entirety (rope trick)
o Quasi-magical items for mundanes have been added in the form of "Charms" and an "Herbalism" system - borrowed from the Midnight Chronicles.
o Hit Points: Starting Hit Points are now front loaded. At 1st level, a character takes his maximum hit die + 10 + Con modifier. Hit points from 2nd level on are the average of the hit die (rounded down). In essence, you're gaining the 0.5 hit points per level you'd normally gain over the course of 20 levels at 1st level. This serves to increase survivability at lower levels, while maintaining the same total hit points.
o Damage Resistance (Magic): Damage resistance/magic is pointless, as written. With this in mind, any creature with DR/magic will require an enhancement bonus equal to its Challenge Rating divided by 4 to penetrate. For example, a Challenge Rating 4 creature with DR 10/magic requires a +1 or better quality weapon to ignore its...

An intriguing list; it is apparent that you took several cues from SWSE. I'd love to hear more details about your rules, particularly skills. Do you have a document work up by chance?

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8

here are some that I forgot the 1st time around:

- Specialist wizards choose only one opposed school and can't cast anything from it (old school!)
- Specialists also get Spell Focus in their chosen school for free and Universalists get the ability to retrain their bonus feats (like a fighter can).
- DR/magic uses a system of 5/+1. So a creature with DR 5/magic can be bypassed with a +1 weapon. Something with DR 15/magic needs a +3 weapon, but a +2 weapon treats it as DR 5 and a +1 weapon treats it as DR 10
- Higher enhancements bonuses on weapons do NOT count as special materials or alignments.


Can'tFindthePath wrote:
An intriguing list; it is apparent that you took several cues from SWSE. I'd love to hear more details about your rules, particularly skills. Do you have a document work up by chance?

I love SWSE. I would have to say, at this point, it is my favorite iteration of the d20 system, provided you remove the Condition Track killer builds (1-2 shot kills of a character at any level), as well 2 of the force powers that are exploitive (Force Grip and Force Stun).

While I can't post any of those rules, if you can PM me an email address & anything you're specifically interested in, I'll toss them your way in an email.

I'd actually forgotten to post these two, which I love and the gaming group loves. We consider them must-haves for all d20 games we play. Regenerate and prosthetics, for example, actually have a reason to exist.

Maiming Strike: When you deal damage that would be sufficient to kill your target, you may instead deal half damage to your target and apply the effects of a Debilitating Blow (see Called Shot rules) to a randomly determined location. Roll 1d10: 1 (Head), 2 (Ear), 3 (Eye), 4 (Neck), 5 (Chest), 6 (Heart), 7 (Vitals), 8 (Arm), 9 (Hand), 10 (Leg). In the case of multiple appendages of a particular type, the player may select the left or right (for example, left or right hand). This rule provides a chance for a character to spare an opponent of an otherwise lethal blow, but a character may still die from the reduced damage or the effects of the Debilitating Blow.

Defensive Wound: When you would normally be killed by an attack or a failed saving throw from Massive Damage, you may choose to suffer a Defensive Wound. If you choose this option, you take half damage and suffer the effects of a Debilitating Blow (see Called Shot rules) to a randomly determined location. Roll 1d10: 1 (Head), 2 (Ear), 3 (Eye), 4 (Neck), 5 (Chest), 6 (Heart), 7 (Vitals), 8 (Arm), 9 (Hand), 10 (Leg). In the case of multiple appendages of a particular type, you may select the left or right (for example, left or right hand). This rule provides a chance at surviving a lethal blow, but a character may still die from the reduced damage or the effects of the Debilitating Blow.


Da'ath wrote:

I'd actually forgotten to post these two, which I love and the gaming group loves. We consider them must-haves for all d20 games we play. Regenerate and prosthetics, for example, actually have a reason to exist.

Maiming Strike: When you deal damage that would be sufficient to kill your target, you may instead deal half damage to your target and apply the effects of a Debilitating Blow (see Called Shot rules) to a randomly determined location. Roll 1d10: 1 (Head), 2 (Ear), 3 (Eye), 4 (Neck), 5 (Chest), 6 (Heart), 7 (Vitals), 8 (Arm), 9 (Hand), 10 (Leg). In the case of multiple appendages of a particular type, the player may select the left or right (for example, left or right hand). This rule provides a chance for a character to spare an opponent of an otherwise lethal blow, but a character may still die from the reduced damage or the effects of the Debilitating Blow.

Defensive Wound: When you would normally be killed by an attack or a failed saving throw from Massive Damage, you may choose to suffer a Defensive Wound. If you choose this option, you take half damage and suffer the effects of a Debilitating Blow (see Called Shot rules) to a randomly determined location. Roll 1d10: 1 (Head), 2 (Ear), 3 (Eye), 4 (Neck), 5 (Chest), 6 (Heart), 7 (Vitals), 8 (Arm), 9 (Hand), 10 (Leg). In the case of multiple appendages of a particular type, you may...

Heart, vitals, neck will instead cause a coma. The character will be bedridden for a month, or until surgery, or a heal spell repairs the criticle damage. Death magic can similarly not work on important characters. This is how I would use these rules.


They make things pretty interesting; my last campaign included a chieftain that ended up in a to the death challenge with one of my player's characters. Duel ended with the chieftain only barely losing. The PC decided to spare him and the chieftain lost an eye and survived. Being spared in a duel to the death was bad enough, but losing the eye made sure he could never forget the dishonor. He ended up being a major pain in the rear to the party until they finally offed him.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Non-spontaneous casters can cast any spell spontaneously, but they have to use a spell slot at least one level higher than the spell being cast. For example, that situationally useful Knock spell can now be used any time you want, as long as you're willing to use a 2 or higher spell slot to cast it.


Some I've already used:
-Fractional BAB/Saves, as per the unchained rules, when you multiclass
-Fighters add Perception as a class skill
-No alignment restrictions on barbarians or monks, paladins can be any good alignment (obviously a few class features are tweaked as needed.)
-A high enhancement bonus does not allow you to circumvent alignment or material DR. All artifact weapons can bypass DR/epic.
-Baleful polymorph has the [curse] descriptor and requires remove curse or break enchantment to dispel.
-A few other minor tweaks to a few other spells

Another one I'm considering using in the future: Fighters, Paladins, Clerics, and Sorcerers are bumped up from 2+Int skill ranks per level to 4+Int.


Never realized fractional stats was a houserule.

I find the alignment rules are so poorly described, that using them according to the book often requires enough explantion on my part that it feels like a houserule (and if you find that alignment restrictions don't make sense, then I'd need to explain alignment).

Otherwise, I have a collection of houserules that I'm always refining,

-HP is non-lethal and minor damage. Deal enough dmg with a lethal attack, and you might gain an injury. Injuries, if they hit the right places can lead to maiming and even death outright, others can scale in severity but most severe wounds lead to Con bleed. Thus you can go Bulivulf and die after defeating your enemies if you don't get fast enough help.

-Another thing I'm doing is splitting power from level, so you could gain 100 levels in classes while remaining within the power level of real people. It also means you can start at superheroes power and be level 1 and still needing to learn how to harness your power.

-Bab is replaced by skill in each weapon group. Casting spells is likewise a skill check with each type of spell being a skill (i.e. cure/inflict spells is a type).

Liberty's Edge

Holy thread necromancy!


Lol

I spent the last 4 days reading this thread.


Erpa wrote:

Lol

I spent the last 4 days reading this thread.

Cool, could you summarize it for the rest of us? ;-)


Oh, and for one of my upcoming campaigns, I'm considering using a variant of the automatic bonus progression rules, but only for ability score items. I'm also considering allowing Vital Strike, Cleave, and similar effects on a charge.


Fuzzy-Wuzzy wrote:
Erpa wrote:

Lol

I spent the last 4 days reading this thread.

Cool, could you summarize it for the rest of us? ;-)

Yeah; don't bring up lava damage or electrical conduction paths. There's like 4 pages on arguing about it! Lol


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I have a house rule for combat that's really proved helpful when dealing with creatures with reach who attack past a front-line combatant to reach someone just behind the first.

It just feels logical.

Reaching Past
When a creature with reach attacks a target more than 5 feet away with natural or non-weapon melee attacks, any character adjacent to or in a direct line between the creature and its target, is allowed an attack of opportunity against that creature.

Dark Archive

SuperJedi224 wrote:
Oh, and for one of my upcoming campaigns, I'm considering using a variant of the automatic bonus progression rules, but only for ability score items. I'm also considering allowing Vital Strike, Cleave, and similar effects on a charge.

My current campaign is using a variant of ABP, using all bonuses except armor and weapons.

Since it made no sense to me to separate levels with physical and mental stat bonuses under this system, I combined them to the same level.

6th - +2 Physical and Mental
11th - +4
13th - +4/+2 (receive +2 to second physical and mental stat)
15th - +6/+2 or +4/+4
17th - +6/+2/+2 or +4/+4/+2 (receive +2 to third physical and mental stat)
18th - +6/+4/+2 or +4/+4/+4

And this is what I'm using for the Deflection (D), Resistance (R), and Toughening (T) bonuses. Think these are acquired at the same rate as normal ABP.

3rd - R +1
5th - D +1
8th - R +2, T +1
10th - D +2, R +3
13th - R +4, T +2
14th - R +5
16th - D +3, T +3
17th - D +4, T +4
18th - D +5, T +5

Next campaign, I'm returning to the normal rules (acquire Big 6 gear normally), except they won't take a slot. So, the bonuses are granted to the character once they acquire the gear that gets magically absorbed into them (or something similar. So, that frees up those slots to use with other items. This is still work in progress for game balance with my Co-GM.


Why have ABP anyway? What is so important about those bonuses that everyone must have them? Seems contrary to the entire point of Roleplay to me. This isn't a boardgame after all.


GM DarkLightHitomi wrote:
Why have ABP anyway? What is so important about those bonuses that everyone must have them? Seems contrary to the entire point of Roleplay to me. This isn't a boardgame after all.

Because the rest of the system (monster specs, APs, modules) assumes PCs have such bonuses, so if you just go in without them you get slaughtered. Which is not conducive to roleplay after the third time in in a row. :-)

It would undoubtedly be superior to drop the bonuses and fix everything else. I don't know how to do that and I don't think Paizo does either, except insofar as PF 2nd ed can be considered a 'fix' to PF 1.


I have a system for non-combat confluct and contest resolution.

Daunts
(I'd like a better name, but I haven't found one yet. Foils maybe, like foiling someone's plans?)

Daunts is a basic conflict resolution system. It can be used for simplified combat, but it can also be used for all manner of other encounters or challenges, or basically anytime you want to require more than a single skill check to resolve something.

In Daunts, you have a few key parts which can then be used in different ways depending on the circumstances.

Key part one, the Daunt Limit. Throughout a Daunts challenge, one will gain or lose daunts and upon reaching the Daunt limit, you lose. The Daunt limit is usually 5+mod from an appropriate ability score, but it can also be other things as well if appropriate, such as being two less than one's opponent's number of Daunts (aka, requires being far enough ahead of one's opponent in order to win).

Key part two, the check. The check can be a skill check, an attribute check, or even a save. It is the roll made every round to give/avoid a daunt. It can be a check vs an objective DC, a check against the opponant's defensive skill (requiring each participant to roll twice, once to accomplish and once to avoid the opposition. I.E. Stealth vs Perception), or direct contested roll (each rolls once with winner being high roll. I.E. intimidate vs diplomacy).

Key part three, Daunts. Each participant in a daunt challenge has 0 or more Daunts. Gaining Daunts is usually a bad thing (and gives a new meaning to when someone remains "undaunted by the ___"). Some cases though, may be better served by reversing thos and starting with max daunts (at the daunt limit), and losing them.

Key part four, conditions for gaining Daunts. There can be different ways of gaining Daunts. The simplest is of course when two opponents roll against each other and the loser gains a Daunt. Other ways work too, especially for tasks that don't pit two characters directly against each other. For example, in a challenge to cross a thin, slippery ledge, Daunts might be earned for rolling too low.

Example Styles:

Here are some example basic styles for using these key parts to build a Daunt challenge.

The first style, Direct Competition is the simplest style and is fit for when two characters are directly opposing each other with a choice of skills is available (I.E. in a social encounter, one might choose intimidate, bluff, speech or some specialization there-of). In this style, each round both characters make an opposed check, loser gains a daunt. When daunts equal the daunt limit as based on the appropriate attribute ranks + 3 (such as charisma for social encounters), they lose.

The second style, Balanced Competition is good for when different skills oppose each other but both skills should get rolled by each participant (I.E. perception vs stealth in a game of hide and seek). Each round, both participants roll each skill opposed to the other. Only one of the checks brings a chance of gaining a daunt, each character taking that chance once per round (I.E. Fred and Harry are playing hide and seek. Each round Fred rolls perception and stealth, and Harry opposes them in case with stealth and perception respectively. If a stealth check is failed, then a daunt is gained. Whomever reaches the daunt limit first, loses the game.)

The third style, Competitive Challenge is good for when there is some sort of challenge that must be completed by multiple contestants to see who was best at it (I.E. like an obstacle course). In this style, failing against the DC of the challenge earns a Daunt, and reaching the daunt limit means failing the challenge completely. Whomever has the fewest Daunts was the best at the course.

The fourth style, Generic Challenge is for cases of facing a static challenge (I.E. like scaling a cliff face). In this style, reaching your Daunt limit means failing completely, the consequences of which, at a minimum, means starting over, though perhaps more severe consequences can occur. Generic Challenges have a set number of checks to make. The challenge can be from a task being difficult, or from being long. The consequences should not always be lethal or absolute. For example, if inching along a narrow ledge, if the daunt limit is reached, one might fall down to hang by their fingers and find they need to get across from a more difficult position (hopefully they have allies to help).

The fifth style, Chase, as the name implies is good for chases, or races. When at zero daunts, everyone is close enough to grab each other. Each round, failing a check by 5 gains a daunt, thus falling behind. Failing by 10, or being halted by some other means, results in losing the race/chase. Succeeding by 5, means losing a daunt, thus catching up/moving ahead. If you already have zero daunts, then everyone else gains one instead. When someone reaches the daunt limit, they lose the chase. In this style, a chase can be at different scales, from a neck and neck race, to tracking someone days ahead (like in Lord of the Ring, when Aragorn and companions are a day behind the uruk-hai but still trying to catch up to them).

A sixth style, Vehicle Chase, is like the Chase style, but in this style, vehicles have Daunts but not the individual characters. For example, the PCs might be on a stage coach racing away from enemies (like in Van Helsing). The individual characters can each do things lose Daunts for the coach or give Daunts to their enemies. One character might drive the coach hoping to lose Daunts without crashing, while the other characters might make combat checks to give daunts to the enemies.

Stacking Challenges
Challenges can be stacked, meaning a character can be part of multiple Daunt challenges at the same time (For example, one challenge representing fighting might be stacked with a overland Chase challenge). Each challenge is tracked separately, meaning Daunts in one of the challenges has no effect on the other challenge. A daunt conflict can also stack with the more in-depth combat system, or other rules modules when desired. Daunt conflicts can also lead into one another (I.E. a large scale chase with the PCs being pursued by orcs a day behind them can turn into a small scale chase or combat if the trailing orcs manage to catch up.)

Of course, it is rather easy to use the key parts to build a challenge for whatever situation you need, or even to add layers. For example, it may be desired that for a combat challenge, it could be setup such that being hit by an enemy causes a daunt, or you might add a layer and say that being hit causes a fort save with DC based on weapon damage with failure of the save granting a daunt.

Tailoring can also be easily done by altering the Daunt limit, or by allowing a small range of results to maintain status quo, with above or below results gaining or losing ground.

In some cases you could flip daunts from being a bad thing gained through failure, to being a good thing, gained through success instead.

Non-contest use
You can also use this for non-conflict and non-contest uses to track things.

For example, a caster can cast spells untill they reach burnout, but for every casting, they roll a check (with higher DC for higher spell levels), and failure incurs a daunt. Once they have too many daunts, they can't cast anymore until they rest and lose daunts.

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