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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Mar 2014 : 04:40:57
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I am finishing up a 13 year campaign this Saturday. With that, I look forward to the next one I've been brewing and writing for a while. My old one was played in 3.5; anything new is going to still be PF (as that's been the current choice for the last 5 years).
Now, I'm always tinkering with the rules. They're never perfect, they need tweaking, and I aim to please (well...myself :) )
Any (in your mind) important house rules you think would help better any others' campaign?
Point #1
We usually run magic-light. Never give out +5 anything, and +4 are very special and distinct, if they ever appear. With that being the case, ACs do not ever run very high (and by that, I mean 30 AC before a lot of magicks are applied). With that, we did a simple thing of~
"At every 4th level, when you receive a bonus +1 to an ability score, your base 10AC also increases by +1"
It's not 'natural AC' or enhancement or anything of the like; it's simply a new Base score.
Anything you wish to share? I've got plenty others, and more in mind, as there are plenty of flaws that I still don't like (it's videogame-esque; wherein you just sit face to face with an enemy and trade big blows; no single dagger thrust can kill a fighter with a 120 hp, crossbows are beyond useless...)
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore
1842 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2014 : 05:00:56
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I've been working on a homebrew sytstem that borrows concepts from multiple rule sets. It can't be considered 1e/2e/3e/PF but has concepts from each. It also borrows heavily from CODA and GURPS. Levels are really just a method of raising the caps on base scores (such as Attack, spell levels, Saves, etc).
I try to limit DCs to 25 if at all possible though that can't be done with AC because Attack is too easily boosted (even without +5 weapons). I included a Defense skill in my game to boost AC in order to properly challenge PCs with high Attack scores/modifiers. |
I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4430 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2014 : 06:33:16
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Hm, for v3.5 and Pathfinder I use a few. Keep in mind the systems are so similar that houserules for one might be official for the next.
#1 - removal of confirm critical rules for natural 20s.
#2 - cantrips deal max (a whopping 3) damage. I despise the d3.
#3 - use weapon groups for things like feats and special features. So you'll have Weapon Focus (heavy blades) instead of only working with one weapon.
#4 - use passive perception and insight (Perception / Insight mod + 10 for the DC). This makes it easier for me to use prowling monsters and lying cheats.
#5 - I always offer the option of avg. HP at each level (besides 1st) or rolling for HP.
# 6 - I always try to use armor as DR and the Vitality / Wound system vs. traditional hp and AC.
Thats all I can think of right now. |
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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2014 : 13:16:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
Hm, for v3.5 and Pathfinder I use a few. Keep in mind the systems are so similar that houserules for one might be official for the next.
#1 - removal of confirm critical rules for natural 20s.
#2 - cantrips deal max (a whopping 3) damage. I despise the d3.
#3 - use weapon groups for things like feats and special features. So you'll have Weapon Focus (heavy blades) instead of only working with one weapon.
#4 - use passive perception and insight (Perception / Insight mod + 10 for the DC). This makes it easier for me to use prowling monsters and lying cheats.
#5 - I always offer the option of avg. HP at each level (besides 1st) or rolling for HP.
# 6 - I always try to use armor as DR and the Vitality / Wound system vs. traditional hp and AC.
Thats all I can think of right now.
I do like the 'weapon groups' option. I could see something like that making it.
And I love #6. I have a different adventuring that has really just gotten going (around 6th level) that I'm thinking of stopping current AC and going towards DR and vitality. I always enjoyed that use of if from Star Wars D20. The little thief hitting a critical against a figher's vitality of 16 and doing 7 damage; suddenly, it's a real dangerous situation!
Another optional thing I've been mulling is changed skills. Listen, I love skills, I love seeing players range out and do many different things, but if you don't dump tons into perception (thinking PF; what with their limited skills list), you can always get jumped.
Also, at first level, with a class skill bonus, and more than likely a +4 prime ability score bonus (think rogue with Acrobatics), at 1st level you have a +7. DC 15 is described, usually, as something that is hard. At first level, you are over 50% assured of succeeding. Bah.
Not that I want all my PCs skill checks to fail, but come 10th level or so, one tends to always hear numbers in the upper teens/mid-twenties.
But I also want fighters to have skills to play with too. (2 sp + Int mod? that's always been rough). I'd rather go back to a flat rate of advancement for SP for a class, and the class skill of +3 for each skill is also changed. I'll instead allow players to put 3 more SP spread out, or into 1 specific class skill. Going to be the stealthiest Rogue ever by dumping everything into stealth? Then yeah, your acrobatics will suffer.
But that one is a work in progress. |
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genebateman
Acolyte
23 Posts |
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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2014 : 15:11:27
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lol the website 'timed' out and went offline as I began to explore it.
Hm, guess I should have explored that place a little bit more to get to those variant rules. |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 12:11:55
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Oh wow, where to start on house rules.
1 - Remove BAB progression from levels (so your attack bonues is derived wholly from your Str (or Dex) and any magic or other bonuses you have)
2 - Remove Fort, Ref, and Will progression from levels (so that same as BAB it is down to your attributes).
3 - Make all saving throws and AC and CMD a static value by adding 10
to the modifier (so you only ever roll to make an attack - really speeds things up for email play).
4 - Change all spells so that they have an attack roll if affecting another target
5 - Remove Spell Resistance
6 - Natural Armour needs a rework now (since all attacks are lower) generally i have a max of +2 armour per size category over medium).
7 - Divide all AC by 2 (including the reworked natural armour above) and make the other half DR.
8 - Skills no longer work of skill points - each class gets a number of trained skills. Being trained in a skill grants a +5 bonus to the skill. You can use a feat to gain skill training, specialisation, or mastery (each of which add +5 to the skill).
9 - Feats are totally changed now. Generally i think of a core ability. Such as power attack, then i have 3 tiers of feats that build up that ability to make it more useful (so power attack, then make power attack deal more damage, or make it blind people, or stun people. etc).
10 - Change Types to a tiered method. Humanoids, Undead, Animals are tier one (d8 HD). Magical Beast, Monstrous Humanoids, and Outsiders are Tier Two (d10 HD), Giants, Dragons are Tier Three (d12 HD).
11 - Give monsters vulnerabilities (+50% damage) based on their tier. So Tier One creatures are vulnerable to everything.
Tier Two and Three have less vulnerabilities.
12 - Change Energy and Damage Resistance so it applies to everything unless you are vulnerable to something then it does not apply (so for instance a succubus with DR 5 is resistant to all physical damage except for cold iron which she is vulnerable to.
13 - Completely change all class and monster abilities to remove +1/2 level to DC and make it an attack roll instead like spells.
14 - Change hp so that Con modifier is only applied once (not once per level)
15 - No rolling hp, its 1/2 hd +1 except for first level which is full HD.
16 - Change xp to be sacrifice system instead of accumulated
Thats all i can remember off the top of my head. Of course i have added a summoning sub system but thats not really a house rule more of an extra module to add more roleplaying depth to spellcasters. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4430 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 13:56:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Renin
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
Hm, for v3.5 and Pathfinder I use a few. Keep in mind the systems are so similar that houserules for one might be official for the next.
#1 - removal of confirm critical rules for natural 20s.
#2 - cantrips deal max (a whopping 3) damage. I despise the d3.
#3 - use weapon groups for things like feats and special features. So you'll have Weapon Focus (heavy blades) instead of only working with one weapon.
#4 - use passive perception and insight (Perception / Insight mod + 10 for the DC). This makes it easier for me to use prowling monsters and lying cheats.
#5 - I always offer the option of avg. HP at each level (besides 1st) or rolling for HP.
# 6 - I always try to use armor as DR and the Vitality / Wound system vs. traditional hp and AC.
Thats all I can think of right now.
I do like the 'weapon groups' option. I could see something like that making it.
I think it's one of the better ideas from v3.5 Unearthed Arcana / 4E's system. It really stinks when your Fighter, who's trained extensively with the use of a longsword / broad sword can't transfer that same knowledge to a greatsword.
quote:
Originally posted by Renin
And I love #6. I have a different adventuring that has really just gotten going (around 6th level) that I'm thinking of stopping current AC and going towards DR and vitality. I always enjoyed that use of if from Star Wars D20. The little thief hitting a critical against a figher's vitality of 16 and doing 7 damage; suddenly, it's a real dangerous situation!
Exactly! One of the BIG annoyances for us from v3.5 were the some what lame effects criticals were. For starters, they were FAR too swingy and I found them pretty boring and as one increased levels and HP, they became less and less of an issue. So with the Wound system, Crits are still VERY much a real threat to high level characters.
quote:
Originally posted by Renin
Another optional thing I've been mulling is changed skills. Listen, I love skills, I love seeing players range out and do many different things, but if you don't dump tons into perception (thinking PF; what with their limited skills list), you can always get jumped.
Also, at first level, with a class skill bonus, and more than likely a +4 prime ability score bonus (think rogue with Acrobatics), at 1st level you have a +7. DC 15 is described, usually, as something that is hard. At first level, you are over 50% assured of succeeding. Bah.
Not that I want all my PCs skill checks to fail, but come 10th level or so, one tends to always hear numbers in the upper teens/mid-twenties.
Personally I hate skill points. Skills, I'm fine with, but the micro-management of the points are FAR too fiddly for my tastes. One could incorporate automatic proficiency with ALL skills and just increase it per level but some re-tooling with the DCs of easy, moderate, and hard would need to be done.
quote:
Originally posted by Renin
But I also want fighters to have skills to play with too. (2 sp + Int mod? that's always been rough). I'd rather go back to a flat rate of advancement for SP for a class, and the class skill of +3 for each skill is also changed. I'll instead allow players to put 3 more SP spread out, or into 1 specific class skill. Going to be the stealthiest Rogue ever by dumping everything into stealth? Then yeah, your acrobatics will suffer.
But that one is a work in progress.
Hm, an interesting idea. For all classes that have low skills, I givE them 4 + Int for skills. Since most of them got a bump in the number of skills they have proficiency with, I feel it's only fair they get a little boost in the things they do well in plus it promotes skills like Profession and Craft (two skills I NEVER see used in v3.5 games with classes like the Fighter or Cleric). |
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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 14:52:10
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quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Oh wow, where to start on house rules.
......
Thats all i can remember off the top of my head. Of course i have added a summoning sub system but thats not really a house rule more of an extra module to add more roleplaying depth to spellcasters.
Wow! You essentially have a fully different rendered system! Nice ideas though! |
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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 15:01:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
quote:
Originally posted by Renin
And I love #6. I have a different adventuring that has really just gotten going (around 6th level) that I'm thinking of stopping current AC and going towards DR and vitality. I always enjoyed that use of if from Star Wars D20. The little thief hitting a critical against a figher's vitality of 16 and doing 7 damage; suddenly, it's a real dangerous situation!
Exactly! One of the BIG annoyances for us from v3.5 were the some what lame effects criticals were. For starters, they were FAR too swingy and I found them pretty boring and as one increased levels and HP, they became less and less of an issue. So with the Wound system, Crits are still VERY much a real threat to high level characters.
It's so boring at the high levels of stand in one place and swing swing swing. You get a crit, and you do a lot of high numbers of damage. All I can think of is in Final Fantasy 2 back in the day of just having 9999 fall down on a creature, and then they still don't die. Blah.
I think that's why we'll still have a session of Deadlands (original license, not d20 system) every once in a while. Get enough raises on your attack; it doesn't matter if you've been riding for 15 years in the Weird West, 12 wounds to the head means you too, are dead.
quote:
quote:
Originally posted by Renin
But I also want fighters to have skills to play with too. (2 sp + Int mod? that's always been rough). I'd rather go back to a flat rate of advancement for SP for a class, and the class skill of +3 for each skill is also changed. I'll instead allow players to put 3 more SP spread out, or into 1 specific class skill. Going to be the stealthiest Rogue ever by dumping everything into stealth? Then yeah, your acrobatics will suffer.
But that one is a work in progress.
Hm, an interesting idea. For all classes that have low skills, I givE them 4 + Int for skills. Since most of them got a bump in the number of skills they have proficiency with, I feel it's only fair they get a little boost in the things they do well in plus it promotes skills like Profession and Craft (two skills I NEVER see used in v3.5 games with classes like the Fighter or Cleric).
What we've already done is change the Int Mod for skills to be your primary attribute modifier instead. All in all, it's not a perfect system to describe how someone is in their free time, or how they work with their hands, etc. Yet, if a fighter essentially only has physical skills at his disposal, why base the ability to better himself in those skills off his intelligence? His high strength mod allows him to gain more in Climb and Swim.
Also, my friends haven't reached a consensus on how to alter CMD from PF yet. If you aren't a martial class that goes up +1 in BAB for every level, you are screwed. A wizard will never be able to do ANYTHING if he is face to face with a tripping master who has feat builds to get you down, keep you down, and get bonus attacks to keep you down.
I prefer the CMD system versus the roll-off scenarios set up in 3/3.5, but I'm still not the most pleased with it. |
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore
1842 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2014 : 20:51:06
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I have a very different system from traditional DnD these days.
I use Wound and Vitality system (but it's not identical to d20 Star Wars).
Most of my stuff is d10 based to get rid of the escalation problem.
In addition to that, skills are limited to 10 ranks plus 5 ranks if specialized. Also, weapons are skills (so no BAB based on level).
Saves aren't skills, but they too have a rank 15 limit to assist in preventing escalation.
There are caps based on level though. So a fighter can raise Attack every level (until he/she reaches 15 ranks) but other classes have to take it slower.
Most classes start out with more skills (so no fighters with only 2 good skills throughout their careers).
One problem I think I'm running into is using a more 2e multiclass system. I've put two PCs together with 3 classes each (starting) and they have crap tons of skills as a result. It's not that big an issue in the long run...but they are much stronger than single class PCs to start with. I may have to reduce their beginning skills to compensate. OR...(since I'm basing much of my system on the CODA rules) I may require players to purchase other classes (like it's done in CODA). My system is Character Point based (again, like CODA) so requiring points to purchase more classes could help limit power. |
I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one. |
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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2014 : 13:12:43
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I've also done away with the disadvantages of heavy crossbow loading. As it is, what with the video game escalation of hit points in 3~PF rules, it's almost 'useless' for a rogue or fighter to throw a dagger as battle begins, or to ever use a heavy crossbow.
I'm not sure why it's such a thing to make loading this a real-world action. Is loading this such a big deal, when compared to a barbarian swinging a great axe 4 times in a round?
I like the visual of a heavy crossbow. And since crossbows cannot get the strength bonus like a composite longbow; again, what are the uses of ever having one used in combat? Ok, range. As this DM goes, combat range never hits that high where the heavy crossbowman says "my time to shine!" Why? A lightning bolt can hit from the same distance and do waaaay more.
That's why, to even induce others to using the heavy crossbow, I've also added the caveat that it always ignores damage reduction. If this weapon, (and yes, firearms themselves) helped reduce the effect of the armored knight, then the heavy crossbow in my Realms also says 'here's mud in your eye' as he buries a bolt in a charging barbarian. |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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genebateman
Acolyte
23 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2014 : 01:19:16
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your bonus is also the extra number of cantrips a day ( 18 int means 4 more cantrips a day)
2 more skill points for all PC classes a level
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Gaming House Rules
