Whimsical
Explorer
Here's my first draft of my 4th D&D house rules. I would appreciate any thoughts on them, and I would also like to know what house rules are in the 4th edition D&D games you're in.
Action Point
Instead of taking an extra action when you can spend an action point, you can use one of these effects:
• Add 20 to a skill check or ability check you’re making instead of the result of your die roll.
• When you fail a saving throw, change the result of that saving throw to a success. No action.
My original name for this rule was "[Intercourse] that [extreta]! I succeed!" Sure, it means you can go for that nearly impossible move and make it with no issue, but that's OK. I prefer a more romantic/cinematic game. And if that means you can choose to pull off a badass move once every two combats, go right ahead. Otherwise, you can use if you are tired of failing a skill check and you want to put an end to the string of ones you have been rolling. Plus, it provides a way to use action points in skill challenges and non-combat situations.
Acrobatics
You can use Acrobatics to fall down a shallow pit without interrupting your movement.
Drop Down: Part of a move action.
• DC: distance of drop in feet; maximum of nine feet.
• Success: You drop down as if you were entering difficult terrain.
• Failure: You drop down prone and lose the rest of your move action.
• Uses Movement: Count the square you drop into as part of your move.
• Greater Drops: See “Reduce Falling Damage,” page 181.
This situation simply isn't addressed by the rules at all. Either the game designers never considered it, or it was considered too fiddly and relegated to be handled as a stunt or by pg. 42.
You can make an Acrobatics check to move down stairs or a steep slope as if it wasn’t difficult terrain.
Move Down Difficult Terrain: Part of a move action; once per move action.
• DC: 10.
• Success: Move down 1 square while ignoring difficult terrain of stairs or a slope. For every five points you exceed the DC, you increase the number of squares of difficult terrain you ignore by 1.
• Failure by 4 or less: You fall prone into the first square you moved down into.
• Failure by 5 or more: You fall down the difficult terrain, taking 1d6 damage for every square you fall into. You end your fall at the last square that doesn’t lead further down prone.
• Trained: You can make another Acrobatics check to reduce the falling damage. See “Reduce Falling Damage,” page 181. If you take no damage, you’re not prone but you lose the rest of your move action.
Athletics
You can make an Athletics check to move up stairs or a steep slope as if it wasn’t difficult terrain.
Move Up Difficult Terrain: Part of a move action; once per move action.
• DC: 10.
• Success: Move up 1 square while ignoring difficult terrain of stairs or a slope. For every five points you exceed the DC, you increase the number of squares of difficult terrain you ignore into by 1.
• Failure: You fall prone in the square where you began the ascent.
Other situations that would normally be resolved as a stunt, but where I want to have a consistent and thought-out process instead.
History & Nature
Humanoid Knowledge: Make a History check instead of a Nature check to identify a humanoid that has the natural origin (a humanoid of the natural world.) See “Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 180.
Mount Knowledge: You can either make a History check or a Nature check to identify a mount that has the natural origin. Once you make your check with one skill, you won’t be able to use the other to identify the same creature.
Just giving History some much-needed love, to bring it in-line with the rest of the "knowledge" skills, and because it establishes the idea that humanoids have been in conflict with each other for thousands of years and those who know their history know how their enemies fight.
Weapon & Implement Expertise
You gain a bonus feat at 5th level that you can use to select either the Weapon Expertise feat or the Implement Expertise feat.
What can I say? EN World's message boards made a successful Diplomacy check on me. Maybe you can, too!
Ritual Books & Scrolls
Ritual books as described in the rules don’t exist. Ritual books are simply binders to compile a collection of ritual scrolls, and costs 1 gp. You can use a ritual scroll as you would normally use a ritual book by providing the necessary component. Creating a ritual scroll takes 8 hours. Because ritual scrolls are made with the best papers and inks, ritual books and scrolls are waterproof.
This is a carryover of my house rule for wizard's spell books from 3rd edition. There's no good reason why a person couldn't copy a spell from a nonmagical D&D spell book and have it cost so much time and money to do so. Although this rule retains the costs of creating copies of rituals, it grants you the benefit of being able to use it as a scroll in desperate situations.
Action Point
Instead of taking an extra action when you can spend an action point, you can use one of these effects:
• Add 20 to a skill check or ability check you’re making instead of the result of your die roll.
• When you fail a saving throw, change the result of that saving throw to a success. No action.
My original name for this rule was "[Intercourse] that [extreta]! I succeed!" Sure, it means you can go for that nearly impossible move and make it with no issue, but that's OK. I prefer a more romantic/cinematic game. And if that means you can choose to pull off a badass move once every two combats, go right ahead. Otherwise, you can use if you are tired of failing a skill check and you want to put an end to the string of ones you have been rolling. Plus, it provides a way to use action points in skill challenges and non-combat situations.
Acrobatics
You can use Acrobatics to fall down a shallow pit without interrupting your movement.
Drop Down: Part of a move action.
• DC: distance of drop in feet; maximum of nine feet.
• Success: You drop down as if you were entering difficult terrain.
• Failure: You drop down prone and lose the rest of your move action.
• Uses Movement: Count the square you drop into as part of your move.
• Greater Drops: See “Reduce Falling Damage,” page 181.
This situation simply isn't addressed by the rules at all. Either the game designers never considered it, or it was considered too fiddly and relegated to be handled as a stunt or by pg. 42.
You can make an Acrobatics check to move down stairs or a steep slope as if it wasn’t difficult terrain.
Move Down Difficult Terrain: Part of a move action; once per move action.
• DC: 10.
• Success: Move down 1 square while ignoring difficult terrain of stairs or a slope. For every five points you exceed the DC, you increase the number of squares of difficult terrain you ignore by 1.
• Failure by 4 or less: You fall prone into the first square you moved down into.
• Failure by 5 or more: You fall down the difficult terrain, taking 1d6 damage for every square you fall into. You end your fall at the last square that doesn’t lead further down prone.
• Trained: You can make another Acrobatics check to reduce the falling damage. See “Reduce Falling Damage,” page 181. If you take no damage, you’re not prone but you lose the rest of your move action.
Athletics
You can make an Athletics check to move up stairs or a steep slope as if it wasn’t difficult terrain.
Move Up Difficult Terrain: Part of a move action; once per move action.
• DC: 10.
• Success: Move up 1 square while ignoring difficult terrain of stairs or a slope. For every five points you exceed the DC, you increase the number of squares of difficult terrain you ignore into by 1.
• Failure: You fall prone in the square where you began the ascent.
Other situations that would normally be resolved as a stunt, but where I want to have a consistent and thought-out process instead.
History & Nature
Humanoid Knowledge: Make a History check instead of a Nature check to identify a humanoid that has the natural origin (a humanoid of the natural world.) See “Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 180.
Mount Knowledge: You can either make a History check or a Nature check to identify a mount that has the natural origin. Once you make your check with one skill, you won’t be able to use the other to identify the same creature.
Just giving History some much-needed love, to bring it in-line with the rest of the "knowledge" skills, and because it establishes the idea that humanoids have been in conflict with each other for thousands of years and those who know their history know how their enemies fight.
Weapon & Implement Expertise
You gain a bonus feat at 5th level that you can use to select either the Weapon Expertise feat or the Implement Expertise feat.
What can I say? EN World's message boards made a successful Diplomacy check on me. Maybe you can, too!
Ritual Books & Scrolls
Ritual books as described in the rules don’t exist. Ritual books are simply binders to compile a collection of ritual scrolls, and costs 1 gp. You can use a ritual scroll as you would normally use a ritual book by providing the necessary component. Creating a ritual scroll takes 8 hours. Because ritual scrolls are made with the best papers and inks, ritual books and scrolls are waterproof.
This is a carryover of my house rule for wizard's spell books from 3rd edition. There's no good reason why a person couldn't copy a spell from a nonmagical D&D spell book and have it cost so much time and money to do so. Although this rule retains the costs of creating copies of rituals, it grants you the benefit of being able to use it as a scroll in desperate situations.
