What House Rules Do You Use, And Why?

[Metaphysician]

The title really says it all. At your game table, what house rules have you invented or adopted, and what is your logic behind using them?

Some examples from my game:

1. Fully Automatic weapon attacks do not use an entire clip of ammo. They only use 2 shots per "target".

My reasoning is. . . basically, fully automatic is pretty niche in utility in my experience, and I don't want to discourage its use even further. What's more, its kind of silly to always use every shot, no matter how few targets you are spraying or how many shots are in your magazine. "2 shots per target" doesn't unbalance anything, and it doesn't add a huge amount of work load.

2. In vehicle combat, the "attacking while moving" penalty only applies to targets that are not also moving using vehicle scale/chase rules, mainly individuals on foot.

Here, logic came after experience- I ran a vehicle combat, and the first encounter went *horribly*. Four PCs, one allied NPCs, six enemies driving three dune buggies, all within spitting distance, and nobody could hit anything. Eventually several of the PCs just started *jumping* between vehicles and killing people in melee, which while cool, was not exactly the intended sole solution. In retrospect, I think the penalties were meant to keep "drive by" attacks on infantry from being too powerful, which is a fair deal ( vehicle speeds mean its very easy for a car full of people to begin and end their turn outside engagement range ), but not relevant to two trucks full of combatants driving alongside each other.

[Hmm]

My biggest house rule is that Solarians get two more skill ranks per level. I think it balances the class a little, and eases those awkward early levels as a Solarian.

Hmm

[Cellion]

Only one:
"You may calculate your Gunnery bonus with either your Dex or Wis as your ability modifier."

I've been reasonably satisfied with everything else rules-wise. There's a few things that don't work great, but the Starship Combat Gunnery change is the only really critical one.

["Dr." Cupi]

1)Evasive Maneuvers - (change) you can only move at half your speed

The regular action is so beneficial and easy to achieve that I wanted to add a cost. This motivates the players to try out other actions.

2) Enhanced Resistance cannot give DR / - = BAB . When you take Enhanced Resistance you choose what you resist (i.e. slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning). You may choose a DR / -, but it will be equal to 1/2 your BAB. You may also choose an element as normal.

This feat is far more powerful than originally intended. This tones it down a bit.

3) Instead of the set key ability scores per class, you choose your character's key ability score at 1st level.

Set key ability scores per class is unnecessarily creatively restrictive. There is no reason why your RP should ever be penalized.

4) Archetypes: When your archetype would exchange a class ability for an archetype ability, you may choose to not exchange. If you do, at every other point in which another exchange would occur, you may instead exchange for the archetype ability you previously passed up.

The blanket exchanges on many archetypes leave much to be desired. Often it feels like you are trading for something much less powerful. This merely gives players more options to customize their characters.

[Ascalaphus]

I play the Dead Suns AP and we've picked up only one significant houserule: you reset to WBL at level up.

This started out as a convenience measure, because we all have busy lives and didn't care about tracking every ounce of loot to be sold at 10%. But it's proven to have several nice properties:
- Really saves a lot of work. I just have a spreadsheet with my gear and what it costs, and I can see if the sum is higher or lower than WBL.
- Stuff we find during each level is still fun, but if you want to keep it at level up, find room for it in your WBL budget.
- Consumables are more attractive since it's not a permanent loss
- We don't lose out on loot if we skip encounters with low story importance or bypass stuff. We also use milestone leveling, so whether we do an encounter has almost no impact on wealth or level; we do encounters only because they're relevant to the story.
- It gives us a nice amount of room to experiment with different gear, and disappointing choices are easily fixed next level.
- It actually feels fairly plausible in-game to us: we're working for an organization (the Starfinder Society) doing somewhat important things (preventing cosmic doom) so they actually give us a budget to work with, resupply and all. And as we become more senior agents we get a bigger slice of the budget. This sidesteps a lot of the "we're saving the world, why are all the NPCs just standing by and doing nothing". They are doing something: they're funding us.

Next time I'm starting a campaign I might go with the following changes:
- Operative's Edge no longer gives a blanket skill bonus.
- At level 9 and every 4 levels thereafter, the bonus from Skill Focus increases by 1. This still keeps operatives good at the things they have Skill Focus in, and they still get two Skill Focus feats from their specialization. But they don't accidentally dominate the entire skill game. Conversely, characters of any class can take Skill Focus to get a scaling bonus that keeps up with the skill DC curve of Starfinder. This is particularly relevant to Soldiers and Solarians.
- Solarian Sidereal Influence doesn't end in combat anymore, and provides Skill Focus to the chosen skill. You can change the chosen skill by meditating for a minute.
- Solarians can choose for their solar weapon to have the Operative trait. This makes light armor Dex-based Solarians more viable.
- Solarians gain heavy armor proficiency and their revelations and such also work fine in heavy armor. This enables Strength-based Solarians more.
- Solarians can choose for their solar weapon to be two-handed; if they do it gains Reach.
- Skill Synergy doesn't give an insight bonus to skills if they were already class skills (that's a trap, compared to Skill Focus). Instead, it grants free skill ranks in such skills. This again helps low skill point classes like soldiers.
- The Quickdraw feat allows you to draw a weapon as part of a Trick Attack or Full Attack or suchlike action.
- Force Soles Mk2 get a limited duration. Sorry, it's just too good.
- Ring of Fangs just gives you a regular 1.5x natural weapon, but it's also not archaic or all that. It works just like a natural weapon in all ways, no more, no less. You could also get implants that do the same if you like.
- Envoys need some major rework, several move action powers to be changed into swift actions. I don't want them to be just standing still all the time spending all their actions to make other people do things.
- Key ability for Resolve removed; each character just gains 4+1/2 level, rounded down. Key ability mostly just led to envoys and solarians dipping soldier.
- Envoy inspiration needs a rework in light of the change to skill focus. Not sure how yet.
- Mechanic, Mystic and Technomancer scaling skill bonuses replaced by giving them a free Skill Focus feat in those skills. Simplify everything.

Starship
I don't really like starship combat as-is, and I'd be tempted to cannibalize the rules from Stars Without Number. If I keep the Starfinder rules though, I would modify:
- Whole turns taken serially, with the captains rolling initiative once at the start of combat. So a ship moves and shoots, then the next ship moves and shoots etcetera. This makes turrets far less crucial.
- Turn 2 becomes the minimum for most ships. Speed for most ships reduced.
- Turret weapons have their range reduced by one step, to a minimum of Close.
- When the ship is hit and shields penetrated, once per round the captain may choose to take a crit effect rather than the damage. Note that with serial turns, you will get hit by main cannons more. Taking crit effects means the engineer gets more important things to do.

[Metaphysician]

Oh, it hasn't actually come up, but a house rule I *would* use if it were relevant:

If you take an archetype that involves sacrificing a recurring class feature ( envoy improvisation, etc ), you can spend a feat to get that class feature back. Effectively, you can trade a feat for the class benefit you otherwise would have gotten, though only up to the number you otherwise could have earned by that level.

It basically puts all classes on the same footing as Soldiers for taking archetypes, more or less.

( The only player with an archetype *is* a Soldier, hence it not being relevant. )

[Lethallin]

Quickdraw feat letting you draw for a TA. (Otherwise quickdraw is almost worthless)

Chugging a potion is a standard action (even if it's not in your hand). Cuts down on bickering about holding things and smooths it out.

Get'em works on swarms. Because why not?

Nat 20 on Aid another gives +4, nat 1 gives -2, failing the DC 10 gives -1. Gives a risk to trying to Aid, not just always trying it for the hell of it.

Nat 20 on space combat just deals double damage. 'Crits' are fairly underwhelming in space combat, and in my experience are slow enough already. Some more damage in there isn't a bad thing, and makes it more exciting.

Various others I can't think of at the moment, but generally I try to be lenient for what 'makes sense' rather than hard rules as written interpretations.

[Milo v3]

1. Solarians get +2 skills
2. Starship Combat is replaced by mini-game instead of using the real mechanics.
3. Solarian's gain one revelation in both Stellar Modes at 2nd level, so that they have a reason to go not stay in the same stellar mode until 4th level.
4. PC Haan are given the following ability:
Balloon Flight: As a standard action, a haan can create a balloon from their silk that lasts until it is eaten or otherwise removed. While the balloon remains attached they gain an extraordinary fly speed of 30 feet with average maneuverability. This ability cannot be used if wearing armour that wasn't designed for Haan use or if in the vacuum of space.

[breithauptclan]

Starship turrets have a weapon arc chosen at the end of the piloting phase. The weapons are locked into that arc for the rest of that round. Makes turrets a little less critical while still being useful for covering arcs that don't have permanent weapon mounts filled.

Oh, and 'turn in place' piloting action is removed. Can't have the ship itself being one huge turret.

[Garretmander]

I think the only houserule I've actually used instead of just considered is no heavy weapons in the turret for ships of destroyer size and smaller. It keeps the bubble of death a bit in check.

[Hawk Kriegsman]

The biggest one I use is redefined ready action trigger rules. In my opinion the RAW makes ready actions almost useless.

So at my table the all of the following are acceptable ready actions.

1: if the NPC does anything other immediately drop his weapon I shoot him.

2: when the lead vehicle of the convoy is 3/4 of the way across the bridge I set off the explosives.

3: If the technomancer starts to cast I shoot him.

It is something I have used for decades across multiple systems / genres.

My players all like it as it gives them more options in combat.

And it is completely balanced as it applies to both sides.

Another one we use is facing rules. No shooting someone behind you without spending a swift action to turn. You can change facing with every 5 feet of movement.

Why? a bit more realistic and my players really enjoy sneaking in the blind spot of an enemy and I really love it when its a creature that has all-around vision, as the look on my player's faces if priceless.

[Hmm]

Hmm wrote:

My biggest house rule is that Solarians get two more skill ranks per level. I think it balances the class a little, and eases those awkward early levels as a Solarian.

I am considering adding 2 skill ranks to Witchwarpers, now that it has been confirmed they only get 4 plus int mod, but I will have to see how they play in my Dawn of Flame game first.

[Garrett Larghi]

Solarians who pick dark motes lower yhe light level in their space. May be imbalanced, but makes thematic sense

[The Ragi]

Some interesting rules here - specially the ones making archetypes more flexible. Paizo should look into that.

[Ascalaphus]

Hmm wrote:

Hmm wrote:

My biggest house rule is that Solarians get two more skill ranks per level. I think it balances the class a little, and eases those awkward early levels as a Solarian.

I am considering adding 2 skill ranks to Witchwarpers, now that it has been confirmed they only get 4 plus int mod, but I will have to see how they play in my Dawn of Flame game first.

I think the best course here depends on the type of group.

In a Society game where you can't depend on the other players having a particular skill, more skill points for poorly skilled classes are a good fix.

But in a steady group with constant players, there's something to be said for reducing the skills of the operative a bit and making the group more reliant on each other to cover all niches.

[Lethallin]

Hawk Kriegsman wrote:

The biggest one I use is redefined ready action trigger rules. In my opinion the RAW makes ready actions almost useless.

Ah right, I forgot about this one.

Triggering a readied action doesn't change your initiative.

It makes readying actions worthwhile compared to holding your action. If I wanted to shoot "the first bad guy that rounds that corner", I don't think it should change my combat initiative position. I can kind of see the point of not doing it, but as long as the players aren't abusing it too much, it makes it a tactically feasible choice and is fun to work around.

[Captain Beyond]

Hmm wrote:

My biggest house rule is that Solarians get two more skill ranks per level. I think it balances the class a little, and eases those awkward early levels as a Solarian.

Hmm

What did you bump them up to? 4+INT mod per level? I've been thinking the same.

My additional house rules:

PF1e Hero Points 'cause Roll20 hates my players. Though I'm thinking about taking PF2e's Hero Point reroll mechanic into the options players have for spending Resolve (risk/reward if you want to spend 1 RP to reroll). I'd have to see how that'd go at higher levels when you have more features to spend RP on. I've got a 1-shot scheduled for lv 10 PCs later this week so I might use that as a test run.

Occasionally I'll swap out starship combat for Lord Kingsington's Rules of Skill Challenges to change things up.

If the story calls for a 1-vs-1 starship combat retool NPC starships to have 25% less shields and hull points but do 25% more damage. It's made 1-vs-1 ship combats feel like less of a slugfest where nothing significant happens for rounds.

I'll also try to have more encounters where the players are dealing with weaker swarming opponents (like the Millennium Falcon getting attacked by TIE fighters) rather than 1-vs-1 battles.

Also starship encounters rarely happen in a space where there's not some kind of terrain or hazard.

[Milo v3]

Captain Beyond wrote:

What did you bump them up to? 4+INT mod per level? I've been thinking the same.

4+Int mod per level is the official, so +2 ranks is 6+Int Mod per level.